The World of Contrasts Vol. 2 Chapter 5

When he was thirteen, his mother—despite being his blood relative—had reacted immediately to his pheromones during his first manifestation. The Omega trait, which was known to be exceedingly rare to appear among dominant Alphas, and even sharing the same birthday as Seol Daeyoung by coincidence… A shiver ran through Jaemin’s skin, hidden beneath his clothes.

“Daeyoung’s biological parents were both dominant Alphas—I only found out much later. You have no idea how much… how much I worried after learning that. I was terrified my baby might manifest as an Omega… that he’d be hated for it. I prayed every moment for it not to happen. But when I found out you were a dominant Alpha like Daeyoung… you can’t imagine how relieved I was. I thought, at least God granted me this one wish… sniff…”

Jaemin’s face contorted in a way he couldn’t control.

“Cut the crap!”

Jaemin shot up from his seat, shoving the chair roughly backward. The tray fell from the table with a loud clatter. The murmurs from the nearby tables didn’t even register.

“You expect me to believe that right now?”

His eyes were bloodshot. The truth was utterly impossible for him to accept.

The duty he had poured every ounce of his strength into—to protect Jang Wonjung’s son—was not truly his? Was he nothing more than the dirty consequence of an Omega courtesan who willingly submitted to Kwon Sangdo in a rut-induced frenzy? That the life he so despised, the life of a poor, single Omega mother’s son, was the life that truly fit him? That his life was, in fact, Seol Daeyoung’s life all along?

“I’m sorry… sniff… I’m so sorry, Jaemin…”

Junkyung covered her face with her hands, tears streaming uncontrollably. When Jaemin glanced around, the few people who had been watching quickly averted their gazes.

As Jaemin processed the gazes that had been directed at him and her, he finally understood something clearly. The instinctive hostility he’d felt the first time he met Seol Junkyung—it was because she resembled him so much. His habitual hatred of the reflection in his own mirror had reared its head without fail.

Leaning down toward the woman whose beautiful face was now soaked with tears, Jaemin spoke through gritted teeth, his voice icy with rage.

“Even if, by some one-in-a-million chance, that’s true—why are you showing up now? You should’ve taken that secret to your grave and shut your mouth until the day you were buried. Why now?”

“I… I have cancer…”

Jaemin’s eyebrow twitched for the briefest moment.

“Fuck, what the hell does that have to do with me?”

As he spat out his words, trembling with anger, Junkyung’s lips quivered soundlessly. Jaemin, his bloodshot eyes fixed on her, sneered.

“What? You think showing up now, saying you’re dying, will make me break down sobbing?”

“…”

A flicker of shock crossed Junkyung’s face, but Jaemin didn’t stop. No, he didn’t even intend to stop.

“If you don’t have a conscience, at least have some decency… Ah. But I guess that doesn’t apply to criminals, huh?”

The more he spoke, the filthier he felt. As though he were sinking into the gutter. So I’m really the son of a criminal? The words “get out of my sight” were on the tip of his tongue when someone grabbed his shoulder firmly from behind.

“Stop.”

At the sound of the voice, Jaemin clenched his jaw. It wasn’t an employee rushing over to calm the commotion.

“Da… Daeyoung…”

Damn it. The moment he recognized Seol Daeyoung, wearing a cap pulled low over his head, his legs almost gave out. Jaemin had to grip the table to steady himself. And he wasn’t the only one taken aback.

“Daeyoung… Mom…”

Junkyung stammered, clearly lost for words as she looked at Daeyoung in shock. It was obvious from her face that she didn’t even know what to say. Of the three, Seol Daeyoung was the calmest.

“Cancer? What do you mean by that? Explain it properly.”

There was no way to determine exactly how much he had overheard, but one thing was certain—he had caught the last words. Truly, the bond between mother and son was extraordinary.

Watching this play out before his eyes made Jaemin’s stomach churn so violently he felt he might faint. “Fuck,” he muttered, spitting out a curse as he tried to leave. But his arm was caught again. Daeyoung locked eyes with him.

“I’ll come straight home after I’m done talking with her. Go home and wait.”

“…Let go.”

Jaemin’s pupils trembled as his voice wavered.

“Don’t overthink this. Don’t do anything stupid. Just wait for a bit, Jang Jaemin.”

It sounded like a calm voice, but Daeyoung was clearly shaken. Jaemin could feel it in the unyielding grip on his arm. At that moment, Jaemin couldn’t tell if the trembling came from his own body or Daeyoung’s. Daeyoung lowered his voice, hissing his words through gritted teeth.

“I have no intention of living as Jang Jaemin. So just wait.”

“…”

In the end, Daeyoung had heard the entire conversation between him and Junkyung.

With that, Jaemin bolted out of the café as though fleeing. His breathing became ragged, and the world spun around him. Suddenly overwhelmed with nausea, he clutched a wall and vomited. Bitter coffee surged back up his throat and spilled out.

Leaning against the wall, Jaemin gasped for air. Through his blurred vision, he could make out passersby deliberately keeping their distance.

“Haa… Haa…”

Feeling hopeless, he pulled out his phone, but there was no one to call for help. Not his so-called only friend, Sejun; not the members of the organization; not his mother, Shin Joohee; and certainly not his father, Chairman Jang.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his hand. The caller ID displayed “Seonho,” the one person he felt he could trust.

Clutching the buzzing phone, Jaemin bit his lip and struggled to catch his breath.

The problem was, in his current situation, what could Seonho even do for him? At best, his loyal friend might dig up concrete proof that he was Seol Junkyung’s son and crush him all over again.

The fluttering sleet turned to rain, and the ground turned into a slushy mess. Jaemin trudged home through the filthy streets but couldn’t bring himself to enter the building.

Everything around him felt like a lie.

He sank onto a wet bench, his legs giving out beneath him. The drizzling winter rain soaked his hair, but he didn’t care. Droplets clung to his long lashes before slipping off, mixing with the hot tears that streamed down his face and falling onto his chin.

✽ ✽ ✽

Joohee waited for the door to open. It had been four hours since Yang Sandaek had brought her breakfast, so it should be about time.

It had been a week since she was locked up in the underground room after wielding an awl against Chairman Jang. Yang Sandaek, who delivered her meals three times a day, wanted to help her but couldn’t. She knew Chairman Jang’s temper far too well to risk it.

“All you have to do is bring me the phone on the dresser in my bedroom.”

Three days had passed since she gave that instruction, but Yang Sandaek only returned each time with a troubled expression. Joohee understood well enough that the household staff all served as Chairman Jang’s eyes and ears, leaving Yang Sandaek with little freedom to act. Still, Yang Sandaek had to succeed.

“He won’t kill me. But what about me after I leave this room?”

Joohee’s words to Yang Sandaek had been a clear warning. While Chairman Jang might be too preoccupied with managing thugs to concern himself with a mere housekeeper, she was different—a threat.

“Is it already mealtime?”

Hearing movement outside, Joohee straightened her posture quickly. In the cramped space—a dirty mattress, a battered steel chair of unknown origin, and a chamber pot—Chairman Jang’s intent to humiliate her was obvious.

He probably wants to annihilate her pride in this space.

Joohee twisted her lips and sneered at him. Chairman Jang seemed unaware that her pride had already been trampled by him in her 20s, leaving only malice behind.

“I will enter, Madam.”

As the thug opened the door, Yang Sandaek entered with a tray.

“It’s a 12-course meal, sir.”

The thug standing at the door glanced at the dishes filling the tray and smirked, causing Yang Sandaek to swallow nervously.

“Don’t skip meals.”

Her action of placing the tray on the chair gave a strange sense of urgency. Joohee’s heart pounded automatically faster.

“Leave.”

Yang Sandaek bowed her head and disappeared out the door. Joohee slightly frowned as she watched the thug keeping an eye on her without closing the door. She felt a creepy gaze in his eyes.

Under the negligee torn to shreds by Chairman Jang’s touch, goosebumps rose on her skin, and a murderous intent welled up.

“Do you want to share a meal with me?”

When Joohee asked him with a twisted lip, the thug grinned.

“Ah, haha. How could someone like me?”

“Then close the door, you piece of shit.”

The door closed with a curse. Joohee caught her breath and gritted her teeth. She thought that if she left this room, the first thing she would do is slit that thug’s throat. But even that wouldn’t be enough to vent her anger; there was something more important than that now.

“When are we going to beat up that bitch, Director Jang?”

“When Chairman returns.”

“I can’t wait to see her face.”

Judging from the thugs’ laughter this morning during the shift change, Jaemin must still be unaware of this situation. The thought of what would happen after the absent Chairman Jang returned made her heart sink.

Joohee’s eyelids trembled silently as she closed and opened them.

“Mom…. Mom…. Please save me. Sob…”

Until Chairman Jang presented the paternity confirmation documents, Joohee believed Jaemin was her biological son. Although their relationship was not as affectionate as a typical family, every time she saw Jaemin growing up and enduring the abuse from the tyrannical Chairman Jang, her heart felt torn apart.

If only she hadn’t met that barbaric Jang Wonjung, she would have lived a life where her child’s traits didn’t matter. Before meeting that thug and having her life turned upside down, Joohee had never failed at anything. She was confident she could have built a happy family.

“Haah…”

Chairman Jang would probably tear Jaemin to pieces and kill him. Now, the important thing wasn’t that Jaemin was an Omega. It was the fact that she had deceived Chairman Jang all these years, and his inability to accept that he had been deceived would direct his anger straight at Jaemin.

Even if Jaemin was not her biological son, she didn’t want to see him suddenly fall from grace. Whenever she felt a glimpse of pity in Jaemin’s cold eyes, she had hoped that one day he would surpass his father and take the top position.

So, this was the first and last maternal love she could show him.

Joohee looked at the neatly arranged Korean meal. She didn’t particularly like the milky seaweed soup with plenty of fish, and the dish was no longer hot. Without hesitation, she reached in and felt something hard.

She unwrapped the zip-lock bag and took out the phone inside. Fortunately, the battery was still charged.

Please pick up, Jaemin.

Her anxiety doubled as she waited for the call to connect. Jaemin knew that she wouldn’t call unless it was important, so he would definitely answer.

She needed to tell him to gather as much money as possible and flee the country quickly, to a place where Chairman Jang’s reach couldn’t extend, whether it was the United States or another country where he could communicate.

―The customer you are calling is unavailable, and you will be connected to voicemail….

“Haah…”

Damn it. As Joohee was typing a message with trembling hands, the door clicked open.

“Come to think of it, sharing a meal wouldn’t be so bad…”

The smirking thug saw the pale-faced Joohee and the phone in her hand, his expression turning into a frown. He walked over, twisted her wrist lightly, and the phone fell to the floor.

“Aah!”

The thug looked at the phone on the floor, laughed, and turned it off.

“Madam, you shouldn’t be contacting Director Jang like this. I’m in big trouble…”

“Don’t touch my things!”

As Joohee swung her hand at him, the thug’s face turned sideways. With a long nail mark on his cheek, the thug spat.

“…Fucking bitch.”

“What did you say?”

Joohee’s lips trembled. She felt an overwhelming urge to grind the bones of the thug who was insulting her, the lady of the house.

“You little shit, you think I’m going to let you off?”

“Haah… You’re making this so tiresome. I want to crush you.”

Joohee’s eyes were bloodshot. She grabbed the chopsticks from the tray and lunged to stab his neck.

“What’s all this noise about?”

Chairman Jang’s voice echoed through the basement. The thug quickly stepped away from her and bowed to Chairman Jang. Seeing Joohee holding the chopsticks and trembling, Chairman Jang clicked his tongue.

“…You still haven’t learned your lesson. Even after I punished you a few days ago, you want to do it again.”

Joohee felt a throbbing pain in her left molar as she listened to the thug reporting the recent events to Chairman Jang.

“So, did that kid notice?”

“No. He went to work as usual this morning.”

But there was something else bothering Joohee. It was Park Hyungoh, standing expressionless by Chairman Jang’s side.

Why did he bring that bastard here?

Joohee wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed in front of Park, who knew how she was treated by Chairman Jang. However, a deeply unsettling feeling washed over her.

No, it can’t be.

Joohee straightened her shoulders, which kept shrinking, and looked at Chairman Jang. Chairman Jang didn’t know that she had once sought revenge by having an affair with Park Hyungoh.

“I went to the U.S. for a bit, and my father-in-law told me something interesting.”

Joohee’s pupils contracted as Chairman Jang continued.

“My father-in-law still thinks Jaemin is your son, so I asked him, ‘Who is Jaemin’s real father?'”

Joohee looked at Park Hyungoh standing next to him, but Park Hyungoh’s expression remained unchanged. Of course, Joohee had only told one person this secret.

“You should know who the kid’s father is.”

“…He is your right-hand man. His name is Director Park.”

Chairman Jang stepped back and kicked Park Hyungoh, who was standing next to him. Caught off guard, Park Hyungoh fell to his knees and collapsed into the room.

“Ugh, Chairman.”

Joohee’s face turned pale. Park Hyungoh, confused, also realized something was seriously wrong and looked at him with a serious expression.

“Chairman, there must be some misunderstanding…”

“When has my father ever said anything right? He’s senile and talks nonsense.”

As Joohee cut off Park Hyungoh’s words, Chairman Jang lit a cigarette.

“Is that so? Then I should ask our trusted Hyungoh. Right?”

“Ch-Chairman.”

“Hyungoh, are we really in-laws, huh?”

Joohee’s body broke out in goosebumps, and her hands trembled.

“Answer carefully. Otherwise, today will be your funeral.”

“I’m sorry, Chairman. I really… I really… I was just following Madam’s orders…. But I never, not even once, thought I had a relationship with Director Jang. I swear on my life.”

Chairman Jang chuckled and exhaled smoke.

“It doesn’t matter whose son Jaemin is now. It’s not important how many times my wife cheated on me behind my back.”

“Then what the hell do you want!”

Joohee screamed at him, her neck veins bulging. Chairman Jang, holding the cigarette tightly between his teeth, said,

“I want the two of you to fuck in front of me.”

“…..”

“Then forgive me.”

Without any hesitation, Park Hyungoh began to undress, and Joohee closed her eyes.

“Ah, and father-in-law passed away. He returned to his hometown and passed away 30 minutes ago.”

Hot tears streamed down her face.

✽ ✽ ✽

Daeyoung found Jaemin sitting on a bench at the entrance to his apartment. His breath was visible in the cold air as he panted.

“It’s cold, why are you sitting here?”

“…Your mother…” Jaemin looked up and asked him. His eyes were red and puffy, his nose tip and lips even more swollen than usual. Daeyoung swallowed hard.

“I just dropped her off.”

“Your mother has cancer, and what are you doing now?”

Daeyoung knew why Jaemin was emphasizing the word “your.” Jaemin seemed on the verge of collapse, his confusion evident.

“She’s going to the university hospital for a detailed examination. She needs surgery and proper treatment.”

The doctor said it was still in the early stages, so there must be a way.

“Let’s talk about the details inside.”

Daeyoung tried to help Jaemin up, but he pushed his hand away.

“Where are we going?”

“Let’s go home first.”

Daeyoung repeated, looking at him. Jaemin let out a hollow laugh.

“Is that really my home?”

His husky voice trembled slightly.

“Ah, is it your home?”

Daeyoung clenched and unclenched his fist, then brought his hand to Jaemin’s wet face. He felt the tears streaming down his cold cheek. Daeyoung lightly shook his wrist.

*Slap*. The sound was louder than usual because of the moisture on his cheek. But Daeyoung hadn’t hit him softly.

“Snap out of it, Jang Jaemin.”

Slap.

Jaemin’s frozen face turned sharply again.

“Snap out of it.”

As Daeyoung raised his hand to strike again, Jaemin grabbed his arm. Jaemin’s eyes were still red, but they were more focused than before, when they seemed about to disappear.

Daeyoung gave his now clear-eyed Jaemin his down jacket. Instead of pushing his hand away, Jaemin started shaking all over. He finally felt the cold. The sound of his teeth chattering was audible.

“Let’s go.”

Daeyoung helped Jaemin up, but even as he shook, Jaemin spoke clearly.

“I’m not going home.”

He looked more like his usual self than when he was sitting blankly, but Jang Jaemin still seemed out of it. Watching Jaemin, who looked like he had given up everything in a collapsing building, Daeyoung clenched his fist.

If only Jaemin would get angry or make a scene, this anxious feeling might go away. But Jaemin just sat there, shaking, his gaze lowered.

“Then let’s go somewhere else. Somewhere we can be alone.”

✽ ✽ ✽

“……”

Jaemin remained silent for a moment before pulling his car key from his pocket. Handing it over with his frostbitten, reddened hand, he mumbled softly.

“Then go far away.”

Daeyoung pulled Jaemin’s hand toward him and tucked it inside his sweater. As Jaemin’s cold hand slid down, Daeyoung wrapped his arms around him.

“I’ll take you anywhere.”

Daeyoung’s shoulder grew damp, but he said nothing. He simply held the silently weeping Jaemin close, repeating the same words over and over.

It’s okay.

It’s okay, Jang Jaemin.

Jaemin should have lashed out, asked how any of this could possibly be okay. Nothing was okay, not a single thing. But no words escaped his lips, only muffled sobs.

When Seol Daeyoung said it was okay, it felt like it might actually be true. Like no matter what storm blew into his life, he wouldn’t be shaken. Being with Daeyoung, so solid and unyielding like a sturdy steamship, gave him the foolish hope that everything might truly be okay.

“…I want to see the ocean.”

Finally, a damp voice slipped from Jaemin’s mouth.

✽ ✽ ✽

Daeyoung set the GPS for Gangwon Province. The rain, which had stopped briefly, started falling again as they crossed the Taebaek mountain range on the Yeongdong Expressway.

In the rain-drenched car, surrounded by mist, Jaemin didn’t speak. He simply stared at the vibrating raindrops clinging to the car window.

Daeyoung, for his part, stayed mostly quiet too, only asking once if Jaemin wanted to stop at a rest area.

They arrived at their destination just as a promotional billboard reading “Come Ride the Waves” came into view. The sign, which might have seemed lively against the lush greenery of summer, looked desolate in the rain-soaked winter.

Daeyoung parked near a beachside spot where a few parasols and tents were set up to sell fresh sashimi and soju. There wasn’t a soul in sight—hardly surprising, given the chilly, drizzling rain and biting cold.

“Are you eating outside?”

“Yes.”

After briefly glancing at Jaemin, who was staring intently at the crashing waves, Daeyoung nodded at the vendor. The shop owner gave a short “Got it” before bringing out side dishes and a bottle of soju.

Splash. Crash.

Under the gray sky, the even darker gray sea churned, creating pale white foam.

“I saw it on the news once. In the summer, this place is packed with surfers from all over. They say the whole street is crazy crowded.”

Daeyoung spoke as he opened the soju bottle and poured two glasses. He glanced at Jaemin, who continued to gaze at the ocean with unfocused eyes. Taking his own glass, Daeyoung downed it in one go.

“I imagined you out there, riding the waves.”

“……”

“I saw those pictures of you at the competition.”

At last, Jaemin turned his head and directed his gaze at Daeyoung. As Daeyoung refilled his soju glass, he added:

“It was the first time I’d seen you smile like that. Even in a photo, it made my heart skip.”

“……”

Jaemin picked up the glass in front of him and held it out. After clinking glasses with him, Daeyoung drained his drink. Jaemin followed suit, finishing his in one shot.

“…Let’s just drink straight from the bottle.”

Jaemin spoke in a low voice before standing up. He walked back into the shop and returned with four bottles of soju in his hands. At that moment, the shop owner trailed behind him, carrying a tray of sashimi.

“Terrible weather, but drinking on a day like this has its own charm.”

The parasol flapped wildly in the wind, and the plastic covering the tray flew off. The owner’s casual remarks, delivered without the slightest hint of embarrassment, caught Jaemin off guard. He couldn’t help but let out a faint chuckle.

“My, you two are quite the lookers. Are you celebrities?”

“My friend’s better than any celebrity.”

Daeyoung’s playful reply earned a hearty laugh from the white-haired owner, who waved off the compliment.

Jaemin had always wondered—Daeyoung was so blatantly self-centered, yet people seemed to love him anyway.

“Well, enjoy your meal, dears,” the owner said with a bow, chuckling as she left.

“Let us know if you need anything,” she added, leaving the two of them alone again. The lighthearted banter between the owner and Daeyoung had lifted the mood slightly.

Jaemin tilted back one of the remaining soju bottles and gulped it down before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Don’t you get creeped out, buttering people up like that? She’s clearly a grandmother.”

“What’s wrong with being nice?”

“I’ve always hated that slick attitude of yours.”

“Is there anything you don’t hate about me?”

Jaemin’s eyes fixed on the air in front of him. Seeing him hesitate, Daeyoung chuckled. Knowing Jaemin, he would normally snap back with a sharp retort like “Nothing,” but his reluctance to answer this time stirred a peculiar warmth in Daeyoung’s chest. Moments like these made Jang Jaemin unexpectedly endearing.

Snapping apart a pair of wooden chopsticks, Daeyoung handed one half to Jaemin, who seemed frozen in thought.

“Eat up. The seafood’s fresh here by the coast.”

“……”

“You said you liked fresh seafood, didn’t you?”

Jaemin had said as much the first time he visited Daeyoung’s place. Taking the chopsticks with a faint scoff, Jaemin replied:

“I only said that because I didn’t want to grill meat with you.”

“Wow, you’re really stabbing me in the heart here.”

“Like it’s the first time.”

Jaemin shot him a faint, mocking smile. Unlike his usual sharp and venomous grins, this one looked fragile, as if it might vanish like smoke. Daeyoung, noticing the fleeting melancholy, exaggeratedly furrowed his tall nose in a playful gesture.

“Every time you act like a little jerk, it gets me all worked up.”

Jaemin snorted, then slowly blinked at him.

“To be honest, I’m not a big fan of raw fish. I like the ocean, though.”

“Why not?”

“…Every time I had a one-on-one meal with my father, it was always raw fish.”

At the mention of Chairman Jang, Jaemin’s lips paled further. Watching him lick his chapped lips, Daeyoung swallowed dryly.

“Let’s go somewhere else, then.”

“It’s fine.”

Jaemin didn’t like raw fish, but he could eat it. Chairman Jang’s rule was simple: picky kids should go hungry. Thanks to that, Jaemin had learned to chew and swallow anything without much fuss.

“……”

Jaemin picked up a slice of sashimi with his chopsticks, chewed, and swallowed. Then he brought the soju bottle to his lips again. It didn’t seem reckless, as if he were drinking out of spite; rather, he looked strangely serene, as though he were sipping soda from a green bottle.

Daeyoung admitted to himself that, whenever he looked at Jaemin, his eyes were definitely filtered by some kind of lens.

“I started surfing… because I thought it looked really cool.”

Jaemin spoke slowly, his eyes unfocused.

“When I was first diagnosed as an omega, and my mother exiled me to America, I was… in a really defeated state.”

Daeyoung listened silently. In all the time he’d known Jaemin, this was the first time he’d heard him speak about his past. Even though he knew this wasn’t the kind of situation to feel this way, his heart raced.

You only open up when you’re backed into a corner.

The fact that he found this side of Jaemin endearing made Daeyoung feel hopeless. If Jaemin knew what he was thinking, he’d probably recoil in disgust. Pushing those thoughts aside, Daeyoung carefully schooled his expression.

Luckily, Jaemin didn’t notice, too engrossed in recounting his story.

“My father… Chairman Jang Wonjung… took immense pride in being a dominant alpha. Naturally, he treated omegas as defective. Growing up under someone like that really warps your mind, even when you’re just thirteen. And the moment I realized I was one of those ‘defects,’ it completely messed me up all over again.”

Jaemin ran his tongue slowly along the inside of his molars, then took another swig of soju.

“In America, I lived like a social misfit, constantly worried someone might notice me. One day, while walking along the beach, I saw surfers riding the waves for the first time.”

“……”

Jaemin’s sharply defined eyebrows knitted together, and a glimmer of light shone in his eyes.

“They’d vanish under waves taller than them, only to reappear as if by magic. It was so… cool. I thought, ‘Anyone who can do that could never be called defective.’ That’s why I started surfing. From that day forward.”

Every morning, he’d rush to the beach and spend the entire day colliding with the waves until night fell. He could still vividly remember the first time he stood up on the board, the moment he slid down a wave taller than him, and finally, the sensation of gliding through towering swells as if flying.

“I started because I thought it looked cool, but once I actually rode the waves…”

“How did it feel?”

“Free.”

Jaemin locked eyes with Daeyoung, who had been staring intently at him. Matching Jaemin’s drinking pace, Daeyoung had steadily emptied his own glasses, leaving the table littered with empty bottles.

The waves crashed, and the wind blew fiercely, but Daeyoung didn’t feel the cold. It wasn’t the alcohol—his mind was alarmingly clear.

“Did you really like it that much?”

“…When I’m in the ocean, it feels like nothing can hurt me. All my fears just disappear.”

Looking at Jaemin’s faint smile, Daeyoung finally understood. Jaemin hadn’t locked himself away in a lofty castle. Instead, he was out in the endless expanse of the ocean, standing atop a single paddleboard, all alone.

✽ ✽ ✽

So far, Daeyoung had done everything he could to tear down the walls Jaemin had built around himself. But that wasn’t the way to truly have him.

If that was the case, then there was only one answer. Daeyoung needed to become Jaemin’s ocean. He needed to make sure there was nothing for Jaemin to fear, so he could see that smile again—the faint smile from the photograph, or better yet, the bright, radiant smile of Jang Jaemin laughing under the blazing sun.

Feeling a sudden tightness in his throat, Daeyoung swallowed dryly.

“What are you most afraid of right now?”

At Daeyoung’s question, Jaemin stayed silent for a moment. Then, finally, he spoke in a calm voice.

“That my father will kill me if this truth comes out?”

Instead of giving a philosophical or evasive answer, Jaemin responded with brutal honesty.

“He’s the kind of person who can inflict a pain worse than death. My father… or rather, your father, Jang Wonjung.”

His voice wavered slightly as he added in a whisper,

“He’d probably make me beg him to just kill me.”

Daeyoung stared at Jaemin’s profile as he clicked open his lighter and lit a cigarette. He fell into thought, fully aware of how terrifying Chairman Jang must be to Jaemin.

Since the day Jaemin had been so desperate to keep his omega status hidden that he metaphorically pressed a blade to his own neck. Since learning how proud his father was of being a dominant alpha and how he boasted about it to anyone, even notorious gang leaders.

The first time Daeyoung saw Chairman Jang Wonjung at a restaurant, Jaemin’s eyes were filled with both fury and unmistakable fear as he tried to put Seonho in his place. Even sitting beside Jaemin back then, Daeyoung could feel his body trembling faintly, his pallor a testament to his terror. It had been pitiful.

“Let me make one thing clear, Jaemin.”

Earlier that day, Daeyoung had used the first snowfall as an excuse to call Jaemin in front of his house. As expected, Jaemin rejected him, but Daeyoung loitered nearby like a stray dog, hoping for just a glimpse of him.

When Jaemin finally stepped outside, Daeyoung instinctively followed. He hadn’t expected to find Junkyung in the café Jaemin entered, and what followed had been an utter disaster.

“I have no intention of recognizing anyone as my father,” Daeyoung said firmly. Whoever had instilled such fear in his omega, whether it was his biological father or not, was someone he could never forgive.

“I grew up alone.”

Jaemin’s eyes reddened slightly as Daeyoung met his gaze and added emphatically,

“And the only parent I have is Seol Junkyung. No one else.”

“…How can you just accept everything so easily? Like it’s nothing?”

Jaemin’s voice was slightly cracked as he finally responded, and Daeyoung shook his head slowly, his expression steady. As darkness enveloped them, the sound of the waves crashing grew louder.

“What matters to me right now is that my mother recovers quickly. And that you don’t get hurt. Just those two things.”

The possibility that Chairman Jang Wonjung might actually be his biological father was a revelation Daeyoung had considered on the taxi ride back. Judging by Junkyung’s reaction, it was likely true. He had been momentarily shocked but not confused. There was nothing he could change, nor did he want to.

All that mattered to him was the sorrow of his mother, who had carried this heavy secret alone, and the worry that Jaemin, now burdened by the same truth, might shatter. His precious omega might break into pieces.

“Nothing will change. So, there’s no need to be afraid, Jang Jaemin.”

Daeyoung meant every word. The turning point in his relationship with Jaemin had come this past summer. From the moment he decided to claim Jaemin as his omega, he had resolved to bind Jang Wonjung’s hands and prevent him from ever touching Jaemin again. That determination hadn’t wavered.

He would dismantle the organization and take Jaemin away from the bloodstained world he lived in. He would become Jaemin’s forest and ocean.

“No need to be afraid?”

Jaemin looked at Daeyoung with disbelief. Given his 23 years of experience with Chairman Jang Wonjung, his reaction was only natural. Daeyoung nodded resolutely, meeting his gaze.

“Exactly. All you need to do is live as Jang Jaemin, just as you always have.”

“And if Chairman Jang figures it out?”

Daeyoung’s voice was unwavering as he replied,

“How would he? Who knows the truth right now? For 23 long years, only your mother. And now, it’s the three of us—you, me, and her.”

“…”

Jaemin’s pupils trembled slightly. Daeyoung reassured him with his deep gaze.

“I won’t say a word, even if it kills me. I promise. Mom… would feel the same way as I do.”

The word cancer carried a tremendous weight of fear. Daeyoung suspected that was precisely why Junkyung had rushed to Jaemin.

However, Junkyung’s cancer had been caught early, and with surgery, there was a high chance of recovery. While it was true that they couldn’t let their guard down, Daeyoung didn’t want to entertain even a shred of negative possibilities.

He would protect them all—Junkyung, Jaemin, everyone. Confident because he hadn’t anticipated the existence of another person aware of their mother’s secret, Daeyoung reached out to Jaemin once more. The cold, frozen leather gloves seemed to pulse with the pitiable rhythm of a frightened heartbeat.

“I’ll do everything you say.”

“Yeah, right.”

Jaemin brushed off his hand, speaking in a dry tone, then brought a seventh bottle of soju to his lips. Watching him, Daeyoung realized now was the time to calm Jaemin down. Otherwise, he might end up seeing him collapse in a pool of blood yet again.

“I’m serious. Just tell me. I’ll do anything.”

Jaemin’s bloodshot eyes fixed on him. Finally, a low, trembling voice escaped Jaemin’s lips.

“Really?”

“I promise.”

As soon as Daeyoung spoke, Jaemin, his face pale, asked, “Then… can you leave Korea with Junkyung and never come back?”

It was only natural for Daeyoung to hesitate. Although he had boldly declared he’d do anything, the idea of not seeing Jaemin wasn’t even in his realm of possibilities.

“You bastard…”

Jaemin smirked bitterly, as if he had expected that reaction. Watching his twisted lips, Daeyoung swallowed hard.

“…After Mom’s surgery, I’ll do it.”

“No.”

Jaemin sharply interrupted him.

“I’ll make arrangements so the surgery can happen abroad. Leave right now.”

Seeing Jaemin’s bloodshot eyes staring intently, Daeyoung was certain once more. Jang Jaemin wasn’t joking.

“I lived abroad, trapped, for five years. So, you’ll do the same. Just five years.”

“……”

“What? Now that you hear it, you can’t do it, can you?”

Tears streamed down Jaemin’s eyes as he mocked him. Daeyoung rose from his seat and stood before him.

“Get out.”

When Jaemin spat out the bitter words, Daeyoung pulled his small head into his embrace. Jaemin exhaled a shaky breath he had been holding back. As Jaemin sobbed, Daeyoung felt warmth rise in his lower abdomen. Stroking Jaemin’s head, he gazed at the waves.

The stormy sea churned violently, waves towering above him. Daeyoung took a deep breath and imagined Jaemin surfing through those waves with a board. Would you be smiling then?

“I’ll do as you say.”

“……”

“I’ll leave.”

Jaemin sobbed silently in his arms. Stroking his overgrown hair, Daeyoung whispered, “So don’t cry.”

What Daeyoung wanted was to see Jaemin smile.

“This makes me feel like I’m doing something terrible to you.”

As Jaemin wrapped his arms around Daeyoung’s waist, Daeyoung found himself unable to say another word. Everything became certain at that moment.

Jang Jaemin could never escape him now. Tonight, they would bind themselves to each other forever.

✽ ✽ ✽

Seonho, with a nervous expression, stepped into the study. Chairman Jang, who had been reviewing some documents, raised his hand upon seeing him.

“Ah, come in.”

Seonho gave a brief bow before approaching the desk. Having been abruptly called in while exercising outside his house, he was still dressed in his training clothes.

“What is it, Chairman?”

He had tried calling Jaemin from the car while under the watchful eyes of the burly men who had picked him up, but the call didn’t connect. Shortly after, his phone was politely confiscated. The fact that the Chairman had summoned him at this hour without Jaemin present meant the matter was undoubtedly suspicious, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was, leaving him uneasy.

“You know Seol Daeyoung, right? The one hanging around Jaemin lately.”

“I do.”

Seonho responded without hesitation, but he couldn’t help swallowing dryly. His biggest worry was that Chairman Jang might catch on to Jaemin’s secret—and Seol Daeyoung was at the very center of that secret.

“Do you think you can take care of his mother?”

“Excuse me?”

Seonho looked at him, startled. Chairman Jang scrutinized his eyes as though to pierce through them.

“I’m asking if you can handle her.”

“Why are you suddenly saying something like this? As far as I know, Seol Daeyoung is just someone helping the Director with his work.”

Seonho’s eyes reflected only surprise and confusion at the unexpected proposal—no other emotions were apparent. Still, it was too early to draw conclusions.

“Do you think that kid will benefit Jaemin’s future?”

Chairman Jang pressed further, observing Seonho’s silence.

“Be honest. Objectively speaking.”

“…He’s undoubtedly a highly capable alpha, but if he’s overly ambitious, he could pose a threat to the Director.”

Watching Seonho’s carefully considered answer, Chairman Jang concluded that he still didn’t know who Jaemin’s real father was. He also noticed, for some reason, that Seonho harbored little affection for Seol Daeyoung.

The reason was obvious. The people surrounding Jang Jaemin were likely only those under Seonho’s control.

“That’s why a little intervention is necessary.”

Chairman Jang smiled faintly at the loyal dog who, despite Joohee’s efforts to place a beta by Jaemin’s side, had fallen for his master.

“Can you handle that kid’s family cleanly by tomorrow?”

The punishment Chairman Jang imposed on Seonho, who had devotedly hidden Jang Jaemin’s true nature and protected him with affection, was to kill his biological mother.

“Don’t worry about Seol Daeyoung. Someone else will take care of him.”

After a brief hesitation, Seonho finally lowered his head with a resolved expression.

“Yes, understood.”

“I know how good you are at your job. Alright, you can leave now.”

As Seonho turned to leave, Chairman Jang asked casually toward the back of his head, “Seonho, how long have you been with Jaemin now?”

“It’s been 11 years.”

“Then you’re practically family.”

Watching him leave silently, Chairman Jang laughed heartily. The wretched family that had never fit together properly was now about to be torn apart.

✽ ✽ ✽

The newly built residence by the sea had plenty of rooms, as it was the off-season. As soon as they entered the room, Daeyoung sent Jaemin to the bathroom. Once Jaemin came out, Daeyoung followed to wash up.

Click.

When Daeyoung finished his shower, Jaemin was standing by the large window, staring at the sea. Draping a bathrobe over himself, Daeyoung approached Jaemin from behind, wrapping his arms around him as he asked:

“Can you see anything? It’s pitch dark—I can’t see a thing.”

“You can hear the sound of the waves, can’t you?”

Though Jang Jaemin usually only uttered sharp words, there were rare moments when he spoke with sentiment. Daeyoung liked that about him.

A gangster who loves the ocean, an omega who despises alphas, my omega who wants to escape from me yet is drawn to me.