The Evolution of Species Chapter 2.3 - Chasing

I set the Druggie down with a thud and stood up.

“Hey? You’re the ‘boss,’ right?”

The man’s expression didn’t change. With the corner of his mouth still upturned, he straightened his upper body.

“That’s my title, but you don’t have to call me that in a place like this.”

He spoke with a slight drawl, as if trailing off. At the same time, his eyes narrowed, and the corners drooped. That expression reminded me of someone familiar. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling. I raised an eyebrow slightly.

He strode toward me.

He was quite tall. Not as tall as Shin Sangpyeongpa standing nearby, but almost. For a regular human, he was notably tall. Slightly lean, with bones and muscles prominent at his wrists. A brisk, athletic gait, as if honed by exercise. No excess fat, upright posture.

This man didn’t seem intoxicated by drugs. Nor by alcohol. Nor by sex. He wore a pale blue dress shirt, no tie, with the sleeve buttons undone and rolled up to his elbows, but otherwise, his attire was neat.

“I’ll apologize instead.”

He stopped in front of me. His sharp, snake-like gaze briefly flicked to the Druggie, crumpled and gasping at my feet.

“The kids here don’t really know what variants are.”

Then he shrugged.

“Unlike you and me.”

At that, I tilted my head slightly in confusion. You and me? But the man before me was a regular human.

I crossed my arms and gave him a quick once-over. He remained unruffled by my scrutiny, his face calm. I shrugged.

“You’re a hybrid, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

He answered with a calm, smiling face, showing no particular reaction.

“In Korea, they use the term ‘crossbreed’ more than ‘hybrid.’”

“Hmm… That sounds more like something you’d use for animals than people.”

It’s not like I didn’t know the Korean word for ‘crossbreed.’

He laughed out loud, “Haha.” It wasn’t funny at all, but his laughing face kept reminding me of someone familiar.

Then he abruptly extended his hand toward me.

“Shall we introduce ourselves?”

I stared at the pale hand, veins prominent on its back. Of course, I had no intention of taking it. Was I crazy enough to shake hands with some guy I didn’t even know? Instead of accepting, I looked up at him.

His dark pupils gleamed within narrow eyes. As his eyes squinted horizontally, a faint smile appeared.

“I’m Kwon Yeongwoo. Just call me by my name instead of ‘boss.’ Or, well, you can call me ‘hyung’ if you want.”

Ah. That’s when I realized who he resembled.

The serene expression and faint smile. The quiet smirk with just the corners of his mouth upturned. Yeah. This guy looked like Kwon Sinwoo.

In a bad way.

If Kwon Sinwoo’s smile felt harmless and kind, this guy’s was cold like a snake, with an ambiguous, inscrutable quality. And I don’t like inscrutable people.

“Why’d you want to meet me here?”

I asked, keeping my arms crossed.

“Oh, no bad intentions.”

Kwon Yeongwoo answered with a smile.

“I was curious. About who was hanging out with Sinwoo.”

The corners of his mouth lifted a few millimeters more. His eyes were now slits, observing me. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant gaze.

“And I was curious about what kind of relationship you have with Jaewoo.”

While I pondered whether there was even anything resembling a ‘relationship’ between me and that Australopithecus, he glanced around and smiled at me.

“Shall we go somewhere quieter to talk?”

Then he added softly.

“I won’t do anything bad.”

He even grinned.

Well, there’ve been more than a few traitors who said that and then shot you in the back of the head.

But instead of saying so, I replied readily, “Sure.” I had questions for this guy anyway.

“But don’t bring him.”

I pointed at Shin Sangpyeongpa with my thumb.

Honestly, the most dangerous thing here was that limping idiot. Ten times more than the drugged-up idiots or this snake-eyed hybrid.

Anyway, since I’d come here posing as Shin Sangpyeongpa’s captive, I couldn’t just beat the guy to a pulp and break his limbs right here.

Kwon Yeongwoo let out a short, “Hahat,” laugh. It sounded amused, but his eyes remained the same.

He turned to Shin Sangpyeongpa.

“Jihun, good work.”

He lowered his voice familiarly, patting Shin Sangpyeongpa’s shoulder lightly, like a boss to his enforcer.

“Take a break. Want me to call some girls?”

He tapped Shin Sangpyeongpa’s bruised eyelid with his fingertips. Shin Sangpyeongpa kept his gaze lowered, silently enduring it. Must owe more than a hundred billion pesos, huh?

“Haha, right, you’re an alpha, so you don’t need girls, do you?”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned back to me.

“Shall we?”

Shin Sangpyeongpa’s gaze briefly flicked to me and dropped. Hmph. A coward and a debtor. Of course, there are probably a hundred million guys like him worldwide, so it’s not exactly surprising. I passed him without much thought.

The new location was a spacious room on the second floor.

It was a suite with an attached bedroom. The parlor had a Persian-style carpet, and heavy velvet curtains covered one wall.

Kwon Yeongwoo pulled a bottle of wine from a large wine cellar. With practiced hands, he uncorked it and poured sparkling-free white wine into a slender glass. Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc. A garage wine, no less? As tacky as the party and the mansion’s decor.

He offered me the glass.

Instead of taking it, I stared down at it.

A dry aroma, the scent of aged oak barrels, ripe grapes, and grass. Amid it, I caught a suspicious, intangible smell. Not a real scent, but something that felt like a repulsive, dubious odor.

I glanced up at Kwon Yeongwoo.

His snake-like eyes met mine. Cold, emotionless, like a reptile’s.

“Even if you take methylphenidate, it doesn’t work the way regular humans think.”

I said, just to be clear.

Methylphenidate causes pheromone hypersensitivity in variants. In simple terms, it’s a stimulant. Regular humans often misunderstand, thinking the excitement doesn’t discriminate by species. Pheromone hypersensitivity is exactly that—hypersensitivity to pheromones. Naturally, it has no effect on regular humans, who lack pheromones.

“You don’t have pheromones.”

Because you’re a hybrid, I added briefly.

Kwon Yeongwoo’s expression didn’t change.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly and swirled the glass.

“How’d you know? This doesn’t have a smell.”

He brought the glass to his nose and sniffed.

“Hmph.”

I turned my body sideways and scanned the room.

A long chaise, a recliner, a heavy table carved from a single slab of marble. On one wall hung a painting at least three meters wide. Layers of navy, dark blue, and black paint stacked to resemble a massive tidal wave. It was the only thing in this room—no, this mansion—that I liked. I took two steps closer to the painting.

There was no artist’s signature.

I turned back.

“Who’s the artist?”

“Curious?”

“Yeah. It’s the only thing I like here. Including the people and furniture.”

Kwon Yeongwoo squinted and held the wine glass out to me.

“Drink, and I’ll tell you.”

“I told you, methylphenidate won’t work. Unless you bring one of those idiots from downstairs.”

“Haha, as if I’d do that.”

Kwon Yeongwoo laughed dryly. It didn’t even sound like a laugh.

“If it won’t work anyway, no reason not to drink, right?”

He continued quietly.

“And I know. The excitement from methylphenidate is pheromone hypersensitivity. Of course, it won’t excite you toward me. I grew up in a variant family, after all.”

As you can see, I’m a hybrid, he said with a smirk. This time, it felt like a laugh. A very unpleasant one.

“By the way, that ambush wasn’t my idea.”

I slowly turned fully toward him.

Kwon Yeongwoo was smiling.

“If it was me, I’d have done it better.”

“Better?”

“Yeah, better. Not some stupid midnight highway chase, but something proper.”

I agreed that Mad Max stunt was pretty stupid.

“Right? Sinwoo’s not the type to get scared by that. It was a lure. I tried to stop it, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“Sounds like you have a partner.”

“Partner’s not quite the word. More like… we had a small deal in the past. Exchanged a bit of help. Not a bad business associate.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“So, for old times’ sake, I lent a hand this time. Shin Jihun, you know. Not the brightest, but decently useful. Same with Shin Sangpyeongpa.”

Who’s Shin Jihun?

“Hmm. Just a little prank. Sinwoo probably didn’t think it’d end with this one time anyway.”

“I’m not curious about your prank.”

I cut him off before he could ramble further.

“What I’m curious about is your associate.”

“Oh, right.”

Kwon Yeongwoo gave a faint smile.

“I figured.”

At the same time, he held out the wine glass again. A rare, heavy crystal glass. Indirect lighting from the walls hit the finely cut crystal edges, glinting gold. A shimmering shadow fell below.

“Here.”

He offered again.

“It’s good wine. Why not at least taste it?”

“Probably a wine only collectors swayed by reviews would like.”

“Ah.”

Kwon Yeongwoo’s eyes narrowed.

“Some people do say that.”

I snatched the glass from his hand. Tilting it, the shadow shifted, the light’s reflection changed, and the contents rippled like mercury waves. I downed the liquid mercury in one gulp.

Kwon Yeongwoo, now sunken into a large recliner, looked up at me.

“What’s your deal with Sinwoo?”

“We were partners.”

“Partners, huh. I thought Sinwoo didn’t keep those. Well, there are a few exceptions. Rare, but they exist. You’re one of them, then?”

“Sorry, but I’m asking first.”

I hurled the crystal glass. The heavy glass hit the plush carpet with a thud.

“Who’s your associate?”

Then I grinned.

“Just so you know, it wouldn’t take me five minutes to kill you. So don’t waste my time.”

“Oh.”

Kwon Yeongwoo tilted his head and smirked.

“I know that very well. I told you, I grew up in a variant family.”

He brought the glass to his lips. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. I frowned. Something felt off.

“I figured you weren’t just some empty-headed actor or model. Sinwoo keeps his distance from those types. Jaewoo, maybe not.”

Kwon Yeongwoo set the glass down slowly, murmuring.

“Honestly, I didn’t care who you were. But partners…”

He stood up.

His body swayed. No, more accurately, my vision swayed.

I stepped back one step. I thought it was just one, but my back hit the wall immediately. I turned. The large painting. The wave-like oil painting crashed over me. I turned my head again.

Kwon Yeongwoo was in front of me.

“Who are you?”

“It wasn’t methylphenidate, was it?”

I countered instead of answering. The corners of Kwon Yeongwoo’s eyes curved, an unpleasant, dry smile forming.

“You shouldn’t eat what strangers give you. Especially a pretty guy like you.”

He reached out and slowly took my hand. His hand was cold and slick. I tried to snap his wrist, but my hand wouldn’t respond.

“I told you. I grew up in a variant family. I know exactly what methylphenidate does to alphas and omegas.”

His cold hand slid up my arm.

His face came closer, our eyes meeting. Kwon Yeongwoo, swaying as if riding a wave, looked down at me. He whispered softly, close enough for his breath to touch me.

“It’s my specialty. Mixing. Want to know what I mixed with the methylphenidate? Morphine, cocasiline, retard, phenoxypropane… The ratio’s a trade secret.”

I ignored his nonsense and reached for him. My fingertips barely grazed his chest. That motion took nearly a minute. I lifted my fingertips from his chest again. It took just as long. Everything felt like a movie in slow motion. Looking up at Kwon Yeongwoo, he grinned over what felt like two minutes. I turned my gaze from that irritating smile to my hands. I clenched my fist once tightly. My ten fingers moved slowly, one by one.

Aha. So that’s what this is.

I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times, gauging how my reaction speed had changed.

It didn’t take long. At least, it didn’t feel like it.

“Want to sit? Or rest on the bed?”

Kwon Yeongwoo yapped.

I ignored him and reached out, this time properly grabbing his collar. My hand veered slightly left, but I got a good grip. Kwon Yeongwoo narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a low, “Phew,” whistle. No need to care. I slammed him to the floor. His body tilted slowly. I tried to let go of his collar, but I didn’t release in time. My body tilted with Kwon Yeongwoo’s. Crash! He hit the floor, and my body followed. Damn it.

Everything was too slow, and my limbs felt like robotic arms controlled remotely.

“If you like it here, I’m fine with that. But you’re bolder than I expected.”

Kwon Yeongwoo, pinned beneath me, prattled calmly. I glared at him. I tried to get up but failed. I roughly swept my bangs back.

“Ugh. Annoying drug.”

“Fun drug, you mean.”

Kwon Yeongwoo chuckled. Of course, I had no intention of letting him chuckle for long. I gripped his shoulder tightly with my left hand. Crack, the sound of bones and joints shattering rang out.

“Urgh…!”

Instead of screaming, he gritted his teeth. At the same time, I smacked his cheek with my other hand. Thwack, his face snapped to the side, and his nose bled.

Silence fell.

“…Hoo.”

After a long pause, Kwon Yeongwoo slowly turned his head with a low, drawn-out breath. Blood trickled slowly, staining his philtrum and lips. The corner of his red mouth curled up slightly.

“Ha, haha, impressive. You’re the first to move this much after taking that…”

He chuckled.

Honestly, I didn’t want to hear more.

I tapped his shattered shoulder, tap, tap, gauging my sense of distance and time. His body twitched in pain with each tap. After a moment, I spoke.

“I’m looking for the platform.”

Snake-like eyes looked up at me.

“I think you know something.”

He smirked. Blood flowed into his smiling mouth, staining his front teeth red.

“The platform, huh. Well, I might recall something…”

I hate wordplay. And I hate wasting time. I grabbed his crown and slammed the back of his head into the floor. Thud!

“How about now? Jog your memory?”

No answer came.

Oh. Damn…

I let go, and the unconscious Kwon Yeongwoo’s head dropped with a thud. Blood soaked the carpet.

Crap. Such a rookie mistake.

I muttered a curse I hadn’t used since fourth grade and staggered to my feet. My knees, like memory foam, refused to listen. My hands trembled, and my sense of distance was a mess. I peeled a few strands of hair stuck to my temple. My temple was slick with sweat.

“Ugh…”

I must be nauseous. Never had motion sickness, so it’s just a guess. Not a particularly pleasant feeling. Like the morning after chugging tequila mixed with marijuana for three hours straight. Or maybe like being in the middle of a non-sedated endoscopy…

Anyway, there was no time to waste. I staggered as I searched Kwon Yeongwoo’s body. In his back pants pocket, there was a thin wallet and a phone together. I pulled them out. The wallet contained two cards and a driver’s license, and the phone was locked with biometric authentication. I took his thumb and pressed it to the sensor. The lock opened. The screen shimmered like a Magic Eye image.

I gripped the phone tightly and took a moment to catch my breath.

My stomach stung inside. And the pain was getting worse.

Something trickled down behind my ear. I wiped it with the back of my hand. It was cold sweat, like water. That bastard Kwon Yeongwoo must have poisoned me. What did he say? Methylphenidate, morphine, cocasiline… There was no guarantee cyanide wasn’t mixed in.

Sweat poured, seeping into my eyes. I roughly wiped my stinging eyes with my sleeve while fumbling the phone screen with my other hand. What was “recent call history” in Korean? My fingers slipped on the screen because of the sweat.

At that moment, a strange sensation flashed up my spine. I looked up toward the door.

“Boss, could you spare a moment…”

At the same time, with a loud crash, the door swung open violently.

“Ugh, damn, what the…”

Shin Sangpyeongpa stood in the doorway. He took a step inside, then hesitated and stumbled back. His brow furrowed, and his shoulders and neck visibly tensed in an instant.

Damn it! If you’re a coward, act like one and stay out of sight. Why come in here now?

“Your pheromones…”

His gaze fell on Kwon Yeongwoo, collapsed on the floor, and in less than a second, it locked onto me like it was sucked into a black hole. His jaw twitched as if he were gritting his teeth.

My head spun.

Methylphenidate. Pheromone hypersensitivity. A tacky drug party. What did that bastard Kwon Yeongwoo say? Mixing was his “specialty”?

“Your pheromones, ugh, you, could it be, a heat? But the boss isn’t an alpha…”

He muttered in confusion.

I didn’t have time to entertain his Hamlet-esque soliloquy. I stuffed the phone into my coat’s inner pocket and sprang to my feet. I quickly scanned the room. A wall with curtains drawn. There might or might not be a window. If there was, it could be reinforced glass. My gaze darted to the side. At the end of a short, high-ceilinged hallway, I saw a bedroom. My body moved before my brain.

I bolted toward the bedroom.

From behind, the coward shouted.

“Wait!”

As if I’d be crazy enough to do that.

I locked the door quickly. Shin Sangpyeongpa charged, just barely too late. The door rattled with loud thuds.

“Hey! Open the door! Damn it, I’m trying to help!”

I didn’t need a coward’s help. But there was no need to provoke an already agitated alpha by saying so in this situation. This situation. Where I’d taken some unknown stimulant, and my pheromone-regulating nerves seemed to have gone haywire.

The door wouldn’t hold long, but that brief moment was enough. I strode to the wall and pulled back the curtain. A rippling river poured in beyond the glass. I opened the window and stepped onto the balcony. Below was a barren garden. Just the second floor.

The sound of the doorknob splintering rang out.

“Hey!”

A rough shout and heavy breathing came from inside. At the same time, I vaulted over the balcony railing.

My body rolled across withered grass. Normally, I’d have sprung up, but the pheromone hypersensitivity and my wrecked autonomic nervous system shook me.

I rolled like an idiot across the grass about five times, then, after a three-second delay, got to my feet.

From behind, the coward bastard’s barking—“Hey, wait, I’m trying to help!”—echoed.

I pushed through waist-high shrubs and tumbled out of the garden. My breath came in gasps, as if my lungs had holes. My throat tasted of iron, and my body was soaked in sweat.

Where did I park the car? Which way was north? Where was I?

I stopped for a moment to look around.

A chilling wind whipped through the darkness. It wasn’t enough to cool the sizzling heat in my body. The sound of bare branches rustling surrounded me. My vision spun, and everything felt impossibly distant.

My memory-foam knees finally went on strike.

“Ugh…”

I swallowed my breath and collapsed to the ground. Think, think. I’d climbed Fuego Volcano with five 9mm bullets in my back. How was that?

I tried to recall, but all I could think was that it wasn’t so bad. Damn it. I panted and muttered a curse I hadn’t used since fourth grade. As I cursed myself for blindly taking what that lunatic offered, a sudden chill surged.

My vision warped, like rain streaming down a window on a stormy day. Like the neon cityscape through a car window on a rainy night… The poison must be damaging my optic nerves.

“Are you okay?”

And my hearing too…

“Stupid question. Hold on a moment.”

With those words, something seemed to fall over my head, and my body was lifted. My skin tingled. The fever was worsening. Maybe my brain cells were already being destroyed by the high fever. I needed a fever reducer. A strong one. Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen…

I forced my eyes to blink. The light blurred, then slowly slid downward, replaced by darkness. In the darkness, a sharply angled jaw appeared. A sleek line from ear to temple. Straight brow bone, forehead, and black eyes looking straight ahead.

It was Kwon Sinwoo.

He was carrying me, wrapped in his coat.

The thin wool lining of the coat was soft, heavy with the thick scent of cologne. I inhaled deeply. A strong woody and musky cologne. The scent of an adult alpha.

Click, the sound of a car door opening.

Kwon Sinwoo placed me in the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt.

“It’ll be tough, but moving quickly is better. I’ve contacted a doctor, so just hold on a bit.”

He said as he slid into the driver’s seat.

I turned my gaze to his face. A flawless profile without a single scratch. A sharp, straight line ran from his brow to his jaw.

It was definitely Kwon Sinwoo.

“What… Why are you here?”

We agreed to fend for ourselves.

My tongue slurred, and I couldn’t get the rest out.

Kwon Sinwoo gripped the steering wheel, pressed the accelerator, and said, “We did.” It must’ve just been my imagination that I hadn’t said the rest.

The car lurched forward violently. The tires hit a speed bump in the parking lot entrance, jolting my body.

Kwon Sinwoo, eyes forward, spoke calmly.

“You took an important witness, didn’t you?”

“There were other guys.”

“Just small fry who know nothing.”

It was funny hearing him say “small fry” with such smooth, perfect pronunciation.

The car exited the parking lot entrance and turned onto a mountain road. It sped down a dark downhill with no streetlights.

“And…”

“And?”

“You saved my life, so…”

The car accelerated. The dashboard numbers changed rapidly. Bare, towering deciduous trees flashed past in the headlights. Raindrops began to fall. Kwon Sinwoo turned on the wipers.

“Liar.”

Swish, swish, the wiper sound slowly filled the silence.

“You could’ve handled it without me. That guy was weak. A coward… He wouldn’t have killed you.”

A low, “Haha,” laugh followed.

“True… Shin Jihun probably wouldn’t have killed me.”

So who the hell is Shin Jihun?

The rain poured harder.

Headlights pierced the darkness. The rough sound of the wipers.

“Your pheromones are leaking.”

“You’re feeling that because of your pheromone hypersensitivity.”

Kwon Sinwoo answered calmly.

I took a deep breath. The windshield blurred with streaks of light. My chest heaved violently. I was short on oxygen. The fever persisted.

“Got any aspirin?”

“It’s not actual fever, so antipyretics won’t help.”

“Damn it…”

I cursed and turned my head toward the window. The glass streamed with rain. Light flashed past my eyes.

The heat now surged from within. My esophagus and stomach burned, like I’d chugged absinthe. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

Suddenly, Kwon Sinwoo swerved the wheel. The car decelerated sharply, pulling onto the inner shoulder. He slammed the brakes. Screech! The car stopped.

“You’d better be alone for a bit.”

Kwon Sinwoo said calmly, unbuckling his seatbelt. Click, the car door opened. The roar of torrential rain deafened my ears. Kwon Sinwoo stepped into the downpour like it was nothing. Thud, the door closed, and silence fell.

The highway was empty, rain poured, and the swish of the wipers, the patter of rain, and the car’s engine hummed.

I looked out the window.

In the darkness, the back of an alpha standing in the rain was faintly visible. Heavy rain pummeled his shoulders. His soaked shirt clung to his body, revealing the deep curve of his spine from shoulder to scapula. A line as deep as Colca Canyon…

I got up, climbed over the console, and slid into the driver’s seat. I opened the door. Rain slashed diagonally, striking my cheeks. My face was drenched in seconds.

Kwon Sinwoo slowly turned around, and before he fully faced me, I grabbed his belt and pulled.

His body tilted toward me. He gripped the car doorframe with one hand and looked down at me. His eyes were pure black, glistening wetly in the headlight glow. Rain fell hazily behind his back.

“What’s wrong?”

His kind lips asked calmly, without a hint of panic. I stared at those lips and answered.

“Sleep with me.”

Kwon Sinwoo was silent for a moment. A few seconds later, he spoke slowly.

“The idea that sex calms pheromone hypersensitivity is a myth. Propenoxil 30cc, or non-prescription neutralizers taken orally every hour for three doses…”

“I know.”

I cut him off, pulling his belt closer. His body drew nearer. The heat radiating from his body rose like steam. I looked up at him. The alpha’s expression wasn’t much different from before.

I tilted my head slightly and asked.

“Don’t want to?”

“Yes. I don’t.”

“…”

My mouth fell open involuntarily.

Kwon Sinwoo just looked down at me with calm, expressionless eyes.

“Why not? Alphas…”

“Alphas.”

This time, he cut me off. His tone was firmer than ever.

“Yes. I know what you’re going to say. Alphas often mistake pheromone hypersensitivity for a heat. Sometimes omegas do too. But that’s wrong. You’re just mistaking your desire for sex as a result of pheromone hypersensitivity.”

“Uh…”

I blinked a few times. A raindrop slid down Kwon Sinwoo’s wet cheek, falling onto my brow and wetting my eyelashes. I blinked again to shake it off.

“Alphas… do that, yeah… But does it really matter?”

“Doesn’t matter?”

“It doesn’t matter. Alphas—”

I paused briefly, then changed my words.

“No. Alphas don’t matter. I just like this. With you. Now.”

I let out a soft sigh. His body heat was too intense, his scent suffocatingly thick. Hey, what cologne do you use? I whispered, and the space between Kwon Sinwoo’s brows narrowed as his eyes squinted.

“There’s no preparation, and this is a car.”

“What’s wrong with a car? And what preparation do you need for sex?”

“Sex…”

Kwon Sinwoo opened his mouth, then closed it.

A moment later, he sighed softly.

“Look, Hakyung.”

“Look, Hakyung?”

What a funny phrase. I giggled, looking at the rain pouring over his shoulder. The corner of Kwon Sinwoo’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

“There’s no protection.”

I stared up at him. Thirty-three? Thirty-five? Thirty-seven? An alpha of that age…

“An adult alpha doesn’t carry condoms? Talk about unprepared…”

He just looked at me silently. I laughed and grabbed his dull-patterned tie. His body was pulled toward me.

“Just don’t knot.”

“Not knotting doesn’t eliminate the risk of pregnancy. Didn’t you get sex ed?”

“Hmm… At least enough to know who’d get pregnant if we had sex?”

“Hakyung.”

“There were a dozen guys back at that mansion who didn’t even know that.”

“Those guys…”

Kwon Sinwoo let out a soft sigh. He looked ready to launch into a lecture. I quickly cut him off.

“I got it, I got it. I practiced putting condoms on bananas. I was top of the class. 3.14 seconds. My friends called me Pi. Wanna test me? Oh, you said no condoms.”

Instead of answering, Kwon Sinwoo just stared at me with his black eyes. As he leaned deeply, rain poured over his back, streaming down his temples and cheeks, dripping onto me. The raindrops carried his cologne.

I pulled the tie in my hand a bit more. His black eyes drew closer.

Steam rose hazily from the drenched alpha’s body, and the soaked shirt clung to his torso, accentuating the firm lines of his ribcage.

“Let’s close the door.”

I whispered against his lips.

“My body catches colds when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, and I’m probably getting one tomorrow.”

“Haa.”

He finally surrendered.

I knew he would.

He slid into the driver’s seat and closed the door, the harsh rain sound fading to a distant hum. I wrapped one arm around his wet shoulder and reclined the seat. As my body fell back, the alpha’s heavy weight pressed against me. The scent of rain mixed with thick cologne, like the deep aroma of an ancient forest.

I pressed my nose to his dripping neck and inhaled deeply.

Kwon Sinwoo’s body flinched briefly.

The simmering heat in my stomach flared hotter. Pheromones. His pheromones resembled his cologne. My vision blurred, and my body tensed.

Kwon Sinwoo brushed my wet hair lightly with his hand and whispered.

“You’ll regret doing this because of pheromone hypersensitivity.”

“Hmm… I don’t do regrets.”

I replied, then paused briefly. Looking up at Kwon Sinwoo, I shrugged.

“I almost regretted drinking that bastard’s booze… but you can make sure I don’t regret this, right?”

I wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him close. His pretty eyes and kind lips drew near. His breath was hot, yet calmly measured. Mine, on the other hand, quickened. The weight of the hot alpha pressing against me felt unbearably good.

“Like you said… no condoms, but…”

I spoke haltingly.

“Just don’t finish inside…”

“Pulling out isn’t proper contraception.”

“Fine. Then I’ll just… put it in and pull out quick.”

At that, instead of “Look, Hakyung,” his black eyes stared at me. I grinned at them.

Kwon Sinwoo let out a short sigh. He reached back and turned off the headlights. Darkness fell over the road beyond his shoulder. The low hum of the engine, the heater, the rain pattering on the car. Through the sunroof behind him, raindrops streaked and blurred.

Kwon Sinwoo propped one hand beside my head, lowering his body. I yanked his tie roughly. The dull striped silk tie snapped, and I tossed it carelessly behind.

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

I whispered, and Kwon Sinwoo’s expression shifted subtly.

“An expensive one. Ralph Lauren, Hermès, Zegna, Brioni… Just say the word.”

“It wasn’t just methylphenidate, was it?”

He asked a question as dull as his tie. I slowly unbuttoned his shirt with one hand and nodded.

“Methylphenidate, morphine, cocasiline, retard, phenoxypropane… Kwon Yeongwoo or whatever, your cousin’s cousin’s cousin said so. Said it’s his specialty.”

“My cousin.”

“Hmm… There was maybe a 5 percent resemblance.”

“I hear we look alike a lot.”

“Only 5 percent. Practically strangers. Hey. How long do we have to keep up this boring talk?”

Meanwhile, I undid his shirt down to his navel, slipping my index and middle fingers to part the fabric. Water streamed down his wet chest.

As I slid my fingers along the defined ridges of his abs, his body tensed, and his shoulders slowly rose once.

Kwon Sinwoo propped his right hand beside my head and slipped his left hand under my shirt. His hot, wet fingers slowly traced up my lower abdomen. It seemed he was finally ready to cooperate.

I breathed heavily and grabbed his belt with both hands.

Fumbling with the buckle, I looked up into his eyes.

“Why’d you come?”

“Didn’t I tell you? You took the witness…”

“The witness is still in that mansion.”

“You probably got everything you needed from the witness anyway. And from Kwon Yeongwoo too… ugh!”

I undid the buckle and slid my hand beneath. Kwon Sinwoo’s chest swelled like a mountain, then slowly subsided. I felt between his legs over his underwear. A thick, twitching column met my touch. Hmm… It felt a bit bigger than I’d expected.

“That’s true.”

I buried my lips in his neck and whispered.

“Even if you brought a dozen cowards or perverts, I’d obviously be more useful.”

“Yes. That’s why I came.”

Kwon Sinwoo whispered. His lips brushed my ear, his voice a low, gravelly rasp. My shoulders flinched, and goosebumps prickled across my body.

“Hot…”

“You’re just feeling that way.”

“No, your voice…”

At my words, Kwon Sinwoo tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled. I shrugged my shoulders, panting, and shook my head.

“Just… don’t talk.”

At the same time, I hooked my right leg around Kwon Sinwoo’s waist and twisted my body like I was climbing him. In an instant, our positions switched. Now I was sitting on top of Kwon Sinwoo.

I yanked his pants open and pulled his underwear down. His penis sprang free. It was already aroused. I gripped the thick shaft with both hands, and Kwon Sinwoo let out an “ugh,” tilting his chin back. It felt elastic, like a firm core wrapped in something soft. The penis, which seemed like it couldn’t get any harder, suddenly swelled further. The snakehead-like glans bulged, protruding beyond my grip.

“How… big does this get?”

To my question, Kwon Sinwoo just stared up at me instead of answering.

Irritated, I tightened my grip on it. Tension surged through Kwon Sinwoo’s jaw. Sweat or water—I couldn’t tell—trickled down his neck, where the jugular vein stood out sharply.

The heat in my stomach now felt like it would tear through my navel. My lower half was a soaked mess, infuriatingly so. I lifted one knee slightly, stripping off my pants and underwear in one motion. Straddling his lower abdomen, I pressed the penis I was gripping against my buttocks. My wet groin made the glans slip repeatedly.

“Haa, haa…”

Kwon Sinwoo’s hands wrapped around my waist. I started to shake them off but left them there because the hot, damp palms felt good.

Instead, I focused on my lower body again.

I put strength into my knees, lifted my body, and lowered it again.

“Ugh…!”

The tip of the glans pierced inside. The sensation of the opening stretching made my shoulders tremble involuntarily. My mouth kept drying out, and my thighs quivered with spasms.

“Does it hurt?”

Kwon Sinwoo lifted my hips slightly, holding my waist. As my buttocks rose, the part that had barely entered slipped out.

“Ah…!”

The scraping sensation made me let out a short scream, and I clutched Kwon Sinwoo’s shoulders tightly.

“Hey, Kwon Sinwoo!”

Kwon Sinwoo’s eyes narrowed. I growled at him softly.

“Just stay still.”

I grabbed his penis again, pressing it firmly against my opening. The glans pierced through and slid inside. I bit my lip hard, trembling for a moment, then put more strength into it and sat down fully.

“Ugh…”

An uncontrollable moan escaped.

It took a moment to find the right angle, but after that, it was easy. I was always confident in physical matters. I aligned the angle and lowered my hips deeply. The deeper the penetration, the more my body trembled.

“Ah… ugh…”

Moans came out on their own, and my waist kept trying to arch forward. My hands gripping his penis were already soaked with fluids, and the shaft was slick. As the bulging glans and veined shaft slowly pushed inside, an unbearably pleasurable moment arrived. My vision blurred. My stomach burned.

I bent my supporting elbows slowly, collapsing onto Kwon Sinwoo’s chest.

“Haa, haa…”

I looked down at Kwon Sinwoo. His brow was slightly furrowed. His jaw was clenched, his eyebrows raised, and his black eyes gleamed. Seeing that face made my lower abdomen throb painfully.

I grabbed his jaw with both hands and kissed his nose bridge with a loud smack. He twitched his eyebrows, then slid his hands from my waist to my buttocks, gripping them tightly.

“Ugh.”

My body stiffened involuntarily.

He slowly spread my buttocks apart. I could feel the inside opening.

“Ah…”

I pressed my forehead against his neck and panted. My back slowly rose and fell. My breathing wouldn’t settle. My skull felt like it would explode. I gritted my teeth, put strength into my knees, lifted my lower body, and slammed back down.

“Ack!”

A scream slipped out. The blunt glans tip pounded inside. My vision flashed.

“It hurts… ugh!”

Pain and pleasure mixed, indistinguishable. I opened my mouth and bit his shoulder. Kwon Sinwoo’s chest flinched, making my body jolt. My lower half shook uncontrollably. Every time the penis moved up and down, my body twisted, and moans leaked out.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I gripped his shoulders tightly, pressing them down, and stared into his eyes. His black eyes pierced back at me. Unable to endure, I pressed my lips to his brow and rubbed.

“Haa, ah, if you’re gonna come, haa, haa, tell me. Got it?”

At my words, Kwon Sinwoo grabbed my jaw and pulled it down. I stared at the sweat dripping between his thumb and index finger, then looked up into his eyes.

“Why?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, the grip on one of my buttocks tightened. Each time his penis thrust deeply, my waist trembled, and lightning flashed behind my eyelids.

My whole body was drenched in sweat.

The cold was gone, and heat and steam filled the car. The heater hissed, the engine hummed low, and the wet sounds of flesh colliding and ragged breathing echoed.

At some point, a chilling current ran up my spine. My toes curled, and my waist twisted. Ah… A sound—moan or cry, I couldn’t tell—spilled from my mouth. I gripped Kwon Sinwoo’s shoulders tightly, barely opening my eyes to look down at him.

“Still, still not yet?”

His eyes flicked over my shoulder.

“It’s only been seven minutes.”

I huffed and covered his eyes with my palm.

“Why’re you checking the time?”

Below my palm, the corner of his mouth curved faintly. I glared at it irritably and bit his lip.

“Ugh!”

Kwon Sinwoo’s body jolted like it was struck by lightning.

“Haa, what’s, haa, haa, your average?”

No answer came. Or maybe it did, and I didn’t hear it. My vision spun.

“Ah, ah, ah…!”

My hips twitched upward. The penis half-slipped out, pulsing. The fiercely erect glans writhed inside. My whole body shook. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“I hate doing it alone!”

I screamed, covering his eyes with one hand, propping the other on his chest, and sliding my body like a crawl to press my lips to his ear.

“It’s supposed to be together…”

If he was just going to finish alone, it’d be no different from masturbating.

That was the moment.

Kwon Sinwoo’s hands gripping my buttocks tightened sharply. My hand on his chest slipped from sweat. My fingers brushed the firm swell of his pecs. Sweat pooled and trickled under my fingers.

“Ugh…!”

Kwon Sinwoo let out a low moan. A gravelly voice. His jaw twitched. The penis trapped inside me thrashed wildly.

In that moment, I unwittingly lifted the hand covering his eyes. Our gazes locked, his narrowed black eyes meeting mine. He let out a rough breath. A moan soaked in pleasure mixed with it. His torso, beneath me, heaved violently.

I saw Kwon Sinwoo clench his teeth, the muscles in his jaw bulging. At the same time, his hands roughly gripped my buttocks and lifted them. The wild penis inside slipped out with a slick sound. As the veined shaft scraped my inner walls, I couldn’t hold back and screamed.

“Ah, augh, ah… ah, aaaaah…!”

The first orgasm was intense.

I clawed at Kwon Sinwoo’s shoulders, thrashing and flailing. His thick arms wrapped around my waist. I writhed, pulsed, and scratched him.

It felt endless. Five minutes, no, ten, no, thirty…

Only after a long while did my senses return. When I blinked and lifted my eyelids, Kwon Sinwoo’s arms were still around my waist.

I looked up.

Kwon Sinwoo’s face was there.

The alpha’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and his shoulders and chest were covered in scratches I’d left. The metallic scent of blood lingered. My breathing was still ragged. My groin was soaked, and semen still oozed stickily.

My mind was hazy.

It felt like a dream.

Is this what sex is?

While I was lost in the afterglow, I felt his penis, pressed between my buttocks, hardening again. The thick shaft quickly stiffened, and the blunt tip rose distinctly. I looked up and stared at Kwon Sinwoo. He didn’t look away. Instead, his fingers slowly traced down my spine like playing piano keys. When they reached my tailbone, a strange spasm rippled up my spine.

“Since we did it your way earlier…”

He tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips to my ear.

“This time, let’s do it my way.”

The low, gravelly voice made my lower abdomen throb again. Instead of answering, I just stared at him. After a moment of locking eyes, the corners of his eyes drooped, forming a suggestive smile.

Kwon Sinwoo wrapped one arm around my shoulders and slowly flipped me over. He wasn’t in a hurry at all. As he moved over me, I stared into his eyes. Wet, black eyes. Long, fan-like eyelashes framing the corners. His hand slowly reached for my cheek. Even that motion was deliberate. Five neatly trimmed nails, then knuckles, then his palm touched my cheek. Soon, his entire large hand enveloped my face.

It was a ticklish contact. I closed my eyes briefly and opened them. Now his face was coming closer. His kind lips brushed the tip of my nose.

“Ah…”

An impatient sigh slipped out. But the lips that grazed my nose softly slid down my philtrum and soon met my lips. They touched lightly, pressing just barely, then deepened. It was too slow. So slow that I only realized his tongue had entered my mouth much later.

As our tongues intertwined and his tongue scraped my palate, my waist twitched involuntarily. My breath grew short, and my stomach ached.

A hot, wet hand scratched my navel. My body stiffened instantly. The hand slid lower.

“Ah…”

I held my breath.

A firm palm wrapped around my penis. It was loosely erect. His fingers persistently pressed and rubbed the tip.

“Ugh, ugh… ugh…!”

Unbearable pleasure surged painfully. I curled my toes and rubbed my knees against his waist.

“Pervert?”

Touching an omega’s penis like this was something out of porn.

Kwon Sinwoo laughed with his eyes, not his voice. I bit his lower lip. He didn’t pull away and pressed his lips to mine again.

“Umm…”

Our tongues rubbed, and my head grew hazy. My breath quickened, and my penis felt like it would burst. My hips tensed, lifting upward.

“Stop… stop…”

I turned my head to avoid his lips. He followed, pressing his lips to the corner of my mouth. His hand caressing my penis grew more insistent. His large hand gripped the shaft, rubbing so roughly it made wet sounds from the fluids. His fingers traced the slick path of bodily fluids between my balls. The tip of his neatly trimmed nail grazed my perineum teasingly.

“Ah! Wait, ah, that, hold on…!”

As I reached down to grab his wrist, Kwon Sinwoo said shortly and firmly.

“Relax.”

Before I could respond, he thrust in.

The fully reclined seat jolted.

“Ah… ugh…”

My trembling inner thighs shook, and the strength left my hand gripping his wrist.

My inner walls, stretched fully in one go, spasmed.

“Well done.”

Kwon Sinwoo squinted and gave a slight smile. I didn’t even have time to scoff at his smug grin.

“Just stay like that. Relax…”

Then, gripping my penis tightly with one hand, he thrust hard with a thud.

“Ah!”

A scream burst out.

Each time the alpha’s penis plunged deep, the sensation of my insides stretching was vivid. The blunt tip struck my inner walls painfully. The seat rattled. Clear fluid dripped from my penis, gripped tightly in his hand.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!”

My vision clouded.

My stomach burned. Each time he entered, my hips tensed, fluids splashed, and wet sounds echoed loudly. Beyond his shoulder, the dark, hazy downpour stretched endlessly.

“Hoo, huk…”

Kwon Sinwoo took a deep breath, released my penis, and lifted my knees, propping them upward. My body folded, deepening the penetration. The sensation of the thick tip prying through my inner walls and slowly reaching deep was vivid.

“Deep… ugh…”

I gripped his shoulders. My hands slipped on his loosely unbuttoned shirt.

He pulled out slowly. The veined shaft scraped my inner walls, and the pleasure made my body writhe. The half-extracted penis thrust back in.

“Aaaaaah!”

Kwon Sinwoo repeated the motion a few times. Finally, fluid burst from my penis.

“Ah! Crazy… ugh, ah! Ah! Ah, aah! Ah! Ah…”

His hand propped beside my head. Our bodies pressed close. His hot, rapidly heaving chest pressed down on me. Our legs tangled, and his thrusts quickened. Sweat streamed from his neck and temples. The sound of flesh colliding and fluids splashing was lewdly loud.

Deep, painful, good—those words swirled chaotically in my mind when my hips tensed, and my lower abdomen began to spasm. Having experienced it once, I knew what this was.

“Ah, ah, I’m, gonna, gonna come, ah, ah! Ah! No, no… ugh, ugh…”

The alpha’s penis inside felt even more distinct than before. The fiercely bulging glans, where it was prodding… The scraping of my inner walls as it pulled out, the stretching as it thrust back in, the pressure on the opening—all of it was vivid.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the climax, but failed. As my insides were struck, I reached climax again.

My toes curled, and my whole body convulsed.

“Ah… ah…!”

As I thrashed violently, Kwon Sinwoo pinned my shoulder to the seat with one hand and thrust deeply and strongly.

“Aah, ah, ah! Ah! No, no, ah, ah, ah! Ah! Ah! Ah…”

“Haa, haa, ugh!”

Kwon Sinwoo bit his teeth hard with a low moan and pulled back.

His penis withdrew quickly. As the glans pried open the entrance, my waist lifted, and my penis spurted fluid.

“Ah, ah… ugh…”

My waist trembled with the intense orgasm. The gaping hole pulsed, and fluid kept seeping from my penis.

Kwon Sinwoo pressed his penis against my groin and ejaculated. The heavy shaft struck my lower abdomen, shooting semen. The semen, released in multiple bursts, pooled in my navel and slowly trickled down.

I panted, staring at it with hazy eyes.

Kwon Sinwoo released my knees and slowly sat up. My gaze followed him. His neck and chest were visible through his open shirt, red with scratches I’d left. A few buttons were missing entirely. And he was visibly panting.

In that moment, I reached out, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him. His eyes widened slightly, then our lips collided.

The kiss was as fantastic as the sex.

When our lips parted, I looked up at him dazedly and whispered.