The World of Contrasts Vol. 4 Chapter 7

“…What happened?”

Daeyoung’s vocal cords produced a voice tight as if swept by fire.

“He forced me to get my cock sucked, right? Hurry up and break that bastard’s neck, Daeyoung.”

“No, aagh, no…!”

The doctor, covered in blood and with his head pressed down by Daeyoung, denied it while begging. Jaemin decided to reveal his wounds willingly for Daeyoung, who wasn’t moving.

“It’s not the first time something like this has happened.”

Jaemin’s eyes sparkled as he looked directly at Daeyoung. From Jaemin’s perspective, it would have been better if tears had come out, but his excitement in expecting Daeyoung’s rationality to fly out the window was too great for that.

However, Daeyoung, who seemed ready to twist the doctor’s neck at any moment, loosened his grip and slowly stood up.

“Huh… sob…”

Realizing he shouldn’t miss this moment, the doctor, bleeding from his nose and mouth, got up and ran out through the broken door with a loud crash.

“Damn it…”

Frustration spread across Jaemin’s face in an instant. He thought Daeyoung would at least cripple the doctor even if he didn’t kill him. When his impulsive act turned out to be futile, Jaemin couldn’t control his temper, and the scissors flew from his hand.

The sharp edge barely missed Daeyoung’s cheek, flying past to shatter the mirror on the wall and fall to the floor.

“Did your guts shrink after going to prison?”

“Pull your pants up.”

Daeyoung spat out, his jaw tightly clenched. Jaemin, pretending not to hear him, continued.

“You’re going to let it slide even after seeing your omega getting his cock sucked by another guy?”

“Pants.”

Jaemin narrowed his eyes and sneered at him.

“Are you a pushover or what, fuck?”

As Jaemin tried to get up from the bed to push past him towards the bathroom, his neck was firmly grabbed. It wasn’t with much force, but he couldn’t move forward. Feeling Daeyoung’s thumb pressing precisely on his Adam’s apple, Jaemin frowned, and Daeyoung pushed him back onto the bed with immense strength.

“If that guy really forced you, I would have torn his face apart in front of you.”

A menacing, low voice flowed from Daeyoung’s long lips.

“But if what that bastard said was true…”

When Daeyoung drew out the end of his sentence, Jaemin swallowed dryly. He tried to hide his agitation, but it was impossible. The moment he saw the eyes of the man who had lost his mind, his palms sweated.

“If it’s true, what will you do? Kill him?”

Mocking him with a long, stretched-out smile, Jaemin taunted him. Go ahead and try it. Just as he was about to mock him, saying he couldn’t.

“He’d have to be punished.”

“Obviously…”

Jaemin couldn’t finish his sentence because a thick scent of the forest suddenly spread into his nostrils. Only then did Jaemin realize that Seol Daeyoung’s pants were bulging as if they might burst.

“Fuck…”

The moment Jaemin recognized the damn pheromones and tried to kick off, his face was pressed against Daeyoung’s crotch. Seol Daeyoung, standing in front of Jaemin sitting on the bed, grabbed the back of his head, pushing him into himself.

“Ugh…!”

He struggled to get free, but the man who had broken the door with his bare hands now seemed intent on breaking Jaemin’s head. Jaemin’s neck turned bright red as he held his breath to the limit before finally exhaling.

“Hah…!”

Jaemin’s hands, which had been pushing him away, now turned to grip Daeyoung’s thighs, trembling. Daeyoung clicked his tongue, pulling his hand out of his pocket to roughly remove Jaemin’s hand from his clothes.

Jaemin’s hand, now without a place to go, crumpled the bed sheet, revealing blue veins.

“Haah… Haah…”

Meanwhile, Seol Daeyoung’s cock, erect enough to tear through his suit pants, pressed against Jaemin’s delicate features, showing its full volume. Jaemin’s lips, involuntarily parted, let out hot breaths that busily heated Daeyoung’s cock.

―Is there anything else uncomfortable…?

―My cock doesn’t get hard.

The conversation that had just taken place with the doctor echoed above Jaemin’s head. Seol Daeyoung, with one hand pressing down on Jaemin’s head, turned up the volume on his phone with the other to check the situation Jaemin hadn’t seen. The cause of this mess was that he was too absorbed in his thoughts to check the surveillance camera.

―That would require consulting a specialist…

On the screen, you could see the back of the visibly flustered doctor. Unlike him, whose expression couldn’t be seen because he was facing away from the camera, Jaemin was in full view.

Seeing Jaemin undo the buttons of his indoor shirt with his newly freed hands, Daeyoung’s chest swelled, and his thighs stiffened like boulders.

―Try to get it hard.

―W-what are you saying… Haah…

The doctor, who had been staring blankly at Jang Jaemin pulling down his loose pants to reveal his cock, was momentarily taken aback. Like a hawk snatching prey, Jaemin grabbed the doctor’s collar and pulled him close, whispering something to him.

“…”

Daeyoung, while pressing his cock firmly against Jaemin’s face as he struggled for breath, fast-forwarded the video by five seconds. He clearly read how Jaemin moved his lips.

―If it doesn’t get hard, I’ll kill you, for real.

As Jang Jaemin’s face turned slightly, Daeyoung’s teeth ground in frustration. The doctor seemed to have forgotten about the scissors at his throat. His legs were weakening from the sensation of Jaemin’s lips overlapping his.

Daeyoung stared intently at the camera, meeting eyes with Jang Jaemin in the video, who was entwining tongues with another.

“Fuck…”

Daeyoung’s large, thick knuckles turned white as he painfully gripped Jaemin’s hair, whose face was buried in his crotch.

“Haah… Ha… Ah…!”

Jaemin, whose face had been stuck like with glue, was forcibly pulled away, his beautiful face scrunching up as he panted. His whole body was already burning from the intensified alpha pheromones emanating from Daeyoung.

“Explain.”

…Fuck you, bastard.

“Haah… Haah…”

The curse only swirled in Jaemin’s mouth, unable to be spoken aloud. He wanted to bite into the source of the pheromones, but it was impossible with Daeyoung gripping his hair as if to peel off his scalp.

Jaemin’s cock, exposed to the air since he couldn’t fix his clothes, stood erect above his navel as if it had never gone limp. Jaemin’s hand moved on its own to stroke it, but he couldn’t. Daeyoung had crushed his cock under his slipper. Jaemin ejaculated in that humiliating moment.

“Huh… Ahh…!”

As thick semen spurted from the tip of his cock under Daeyoung’s pressure, Daeyoung spoke in a strained voice.

“I told you to explain, not to cum.”

“You… bastard… stop…!”

Even in a house without a speck of dust, being stepped on by a slipper to cum was unthinkable for Jaemin. His cock moved around on the slippery sole of the slipper, slick with semen.

―It’s not getting hard. Try sucking it.

Meanwhile, his monotonous voice, ordering the doctor, resonated from the phone. In this situation where it was clear how much this scene was driving Daeyoung insane, Jaemin was almost afraid as Seol Daeyoung watched the video to the end. He thought Daeyoung might kill him after hearing the next line.

―If you suck well, I’ll suck you too.

The doctor ended his hesitation with that one word from Jaemin. After moving to Jaemin’s feet, the screen showed him hastily sucking Jaemin’s cock, and then Daeyoung threw his phone into the air. Thud! With a sharp sound, the phone’s life ended, but the problem was Jaemin.

“Huh… sob!”

As Daeyoung lifted his foot from Jaemin’s cock, which had given him painful pleasure, Jaemin looked at him, breathing heavily.

“Jang Jaemin.”

Daeyoung’s low voice, gripping Jaemin’s flushed, fevered face, made his ears hot.

“Did you feel good getting your cock sucked by a beta?”

Daeyoung’s words, buzzing around, were hard to grasp immediately.

“I’m asking if it felt good enough to release pheromones.”

Only then did Jaemin realize why Daeyoung was furious.

The doctor’s fellatio was as unpleasant as putting a body into wet laundry, and Jaemin had only been waiting for Daeyoung to burst in. The pheromones he released were out of frustration at Daeyoung’s later-than-expected arrival, but Daeyoung was mad about that very point.

Not about him seducing the doctor, but about feeling pleasure from someone other than him.

Fuck, this bastard with an overblown ego and perversion.

“Yeah… it was… fresh… so… good… moan…”

As Daeyoung’s index and middle fingers slid into Jaemin’s mouth, he couldn’t continue speaking. Jaemin tried to bite down on his fingers, which moved like snakes, but it was futile.

“I feel like ripping out your tongue, Jang Jaemin.”

As Daeyoung murmured, goosebumps rose on Jaemin’s neck. But instead of pulling out his tongue, Daeyoung began to stroke it. Under his touch, Jaemin moaned with a nasal tone, panting.

“Huh… Mmm…!”

Slippery saliva overflowed as Daeyoung’s fingers traced the bumps on Jaemin’s tongue. When Daeyoung’s fingers changed direction to scrape deep into the roof of his mouth, Jaemin’s body trembled, reminding him of Daeyoung’s movements when stretching his hole.

As Jaemin began to suck on Daeyoung’s fingers, Daeyoung frowned. He took a deep breath and pulled his hand out of Jaemin’s mouth.

“Don’t make that slurping sound, it’s disgusting.”

Daeyoung’s hand movements were urgent as he unbuckled his belt. Despite knowing these were words spat out in anger, Jaemin’s heart pounded fiercely. Jaemin tried to pull down Daeyoung’s underwear, but Daeyoung didn’t give him the chance.

“After starving for a few days, you can’t even tell which cock you should be eating.”

The dark gray underwear was roughly pulled down, and the cock that popped out violently parted Jaemin’s lips.

“Remember. This is the cock you have to eat for the rest of your life.”

Jaemin trembled with shame, but he was once again aroused by the fact that Daeyoung’s cock, stuck in his mouth, was covered in precum. The bitter semen from the urethra, which felt like it was torn open, was as welcome as rain in a drought.

“Ha…! Mmm…! Hah…!”

The thick pheromones pouring from Daeyoung filled the room completely.

Even though Daeyoung’s enraged cock was thrusting deep into his throat, Jaemin did not push him away but instead embraced his thighs with both arms. With each thrust, saliva flowed incessantly from under Jaemin’s chin.

“Get your hands off my body.”

Thud! Thud! Daeyoung spat out bitterly while thrusting into Jaemin, who trembled beneath him. Jaemin’s lewd face, with tears at the corners of his bloodshot eyes and lips wide open to take in Daeyoung’s dark cock, had something that drove Daeyoung mad.

“What should I do? Even if you suck me well, I have no intention of sucking you… Ha, fuck…”

Feeling Jaemin’s tongue writhing under his cock, Daeyoung let out a curse involuntarily. Even in this situation where his jaw might dislocate, Jang Jaemin was rubbing his tongue against the base of his cock.

“Stop.”

Unable to bear the pleasure, Daeyoung grabbed Jaemin’s hair and roughly pulled him off. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to resist Jang Jaemin.

The bigger problem was that his rut, delayed by drugs, could erupt at any moment. His plan to impregnate Jaemin, who was happy at the peak of his rut, had already gone awry.

“Haah… Ha…”

Jaemin stuck out his red tongue at him, panting heavily. Insane. Daeyoung’s dark eyebrows twisted fiercely, sweat dripping from his temples due to the intense visual stimulus.

Daeyoung clenched his teeth hard enough to break them. He still couldn’t get over the image of that bastard salivating over his omega’s cock.

“Explain.”

“Ha… What…”

“Did you think I’d let you go if you acted like a slut?”

Jaemin’s breathing was ragged as he narrowed his eyes.

“No way…”

Daeyoung clearly imprinted in his mind the image of the omega he had given everything to mocking him.

“You were already a slut before you met me.”

“…Fuck…”

“You fell for me knowing all that.”

The veins on Daeyoung’s neck bulged. Jaemin frowned, feeling Daeyoung’s grip on his hair tighten.

“Will you kill all the bastards who fucked me, Seol Daeyoung?”

Even the sight of Jaemin’s graceful eyebrows tragically furrowing moved Daeyoung. Jaemin was definitely doing this, knowing all the facts, but despite that, Daeyoung wanted to lay the whole world at Jaemin’s feet.

“Then I’ll give you everything.”

Daeyoung’s dark eyes blinked slowly as he looked at Jaemin whispering. He had finally realized that his omega was playing with his heart.

“…Do you think you’ll be free if I kill someone in my rage?”

“…”

Jaemin, hit right where it hurts, couldn’t say anything. Daeyoung chuckled, realizing his guess was correct.

“Jang Jaemin, looks like you’ve really lost your touch with thugs.”

“…Ugh…!”

The angry, throbbing cock was shoved back into Jaemin’s mouth. Daeyoung thrust his hips hard while forcing himself into Jaemin’s narrow mouth. The gulping sounds from Jaemin’s quivering throat heightened his dirty pleasure.

“There are plenty of thugs at school who can take my place, Jaemin.”

“…Hmph…! Mmm…!”

“If there’s someone you want dead, ha, there’s no need for me to get my hands dirty, right? You’ve forgotten all that after the proper early education, and I’m explaining this to you now. Do you understand what this means?”

Daeyoung’s voice was metallic. He had figured out that Jang Jaemin was playing games to provoke him, but he still couldn’t calm down. The regret of not just smashing the head of the doctor who had sucked Jaemin’s cock in a frenzy, and the conclusion that this was exactly what Jang Jaemin wanted, made Daeyoung’s thrusts become more violent.

“This shitty life… is the life I chose for you.”

Even though his foreskin was being scratched by Jaemin’s teeth, the alpha’s cock, like the hide of a beast, recognized it as pleasure. His thick balls tightened, and finally, a long stream of thick, milky fluid gushed out. Jaemin’s Adam’s apple bobbed several times, but it wasn’t enough to contain all the semen.

“Huh…!”

Jaemin trembled, inhaling the scent of Seol Daeyoung spreading through his nose. Daeyoung pushed his head away forcefully, and Jaemin thought that was a relief.

As Jaemin’s back arched, his shoulder blades hitting the mattress, semen also burst from his cock, which had been standing stiff above his navel.

“Haah… Ha…”

Watching Jaemin tremble in orgasm as if to imprint it on his retina, Daeyoung finally turned his back and left.

Completely drained of strength, Jaemin slowly licked his stinging lips with the tip of his tongue. His hole, still unsatisfied despite the continuous ejaculations, tightly gripped Jaemin’s fingers as they entered. Daeyoung’s scent still lingered in the room.

The black semicircular camera in the corner of the ceiling must have been capturing his image, but it didn’t matter now.

Because marking meant an accursed relationship where they could feel extreme pleasure during sex, even if they hated each other enough to strangle one another. Seol Daeyoung must be very aware of this fact as well.

Jaemin’s eyes slowly closed as he spread his legs wide for masturbation. Thick love juice flowed down his fingers as they moved in and out of his gaping hole.

“This shitty life… is the life I chose for you.”

Masturbation while thinking of him always felt dirty. From that night when he first saw him, exuding an unmistakable presence even through an old school uniform.

He wasn’t the only one who fell into the abyss.

✽ ✽ ✽

“The mayor has no reason to pick a fight with Chairman Jang, nor does he have a reason to maintain a close relationship.”

Steam rose from the fragrant chrysanthemum tea. Daeyoung, looking at Junghoon, the new secretary of Kwon Sangdo, finally spoke.

“My spouse’s biological father, who would be my father-in-law, saying that is a bit disappointing.”

Junghoon’s jaw tightened visibly. He furrowed his brows and laughed as if he found it absurd.

“What are you talking about…”

“Didn’t you search me when I came in? Don’t worry about any bugs.”

“There’s nothing between the mayor and Chairman Jang that would require eavesdropping.”

Outside, the heat was intense, but inside the hotel with all the curtains drawn, the temperature was cool. Daeyoung sipped his warm tea slowly, watching sweat form on Junghoon’s temples.

“Is that really the mayor’s opinion?”

“…”

“Having been disowned by his only daughter, gaining a son should be a happy thing, especially if that son is an omega.”

Junghoon slightly furrowed his brows, and Daeyoung continued.

“Is there a better way to win over omega votes than that? A beautiful omega son born to an excellent alpha like the mayor. Just imagining you two standing side by side is heartwarming.”

“…I will convey it to the mayor. If that’s all, shall we end this meeting?”

Junghoon frowned at Daeyoung, who wasn’t moving, remaining silent.

“Mr. Jang Daeyoung.”

From Junghoon’s perspective, Daeyoung’s behavior seemed incredibly shameless, especially since Daeyoung had played a significant role in the mayor disowning his daughter, the prosecutor.

The mayor’s sex scandal, along with the tax evasion case of his former spouse Yoon Jungha, were the biggest threats to his political career. And Jang Daeyoung was the one who had provided the evidence to Yoojin.

“Stand up, Mr. Jang Daeyoung.”

Junghoon gave Daeyoung, who was lounging on the sofa, a final warning.

“Won’t you convey it? My purpose.”

Finally speaking, Daeyoung’s eyes were disturbingly calm. Junghoon couldn’t help but flinch, feeling like Daeyoung knew everything, even that the mayor was in the hotel room.

“It’s difficult if you come at us like this…”

Click.

Junghoon closed his mouth at the sound of the door opening from behind.

“Mayor.”

“It’s okay.”

Daeyoung didn’t even look surprised to see Kwon Sangdo appear from the room. He just nodded in acknowledgment. After patting the shoulder of the abruptly standing Junghoon, Kwon Sangdo, now with silver hair, sat opposite Daeyoung.

“It must have been hard coming here in this heat, Chairman Jang.”

“Not at all, father-in-law. Please speak comfortably, as before.”

Kwon Sangdo’s lips slowly turned upward, breaking into a light laugh as he looked at Daeyoung. When he first met Daeyoung through Yoojin years ago, he recognized him as someone with potential, but he hadn’t anticipated this level of capability.

“Mr. Jang Wonjung must be pleased to gain such an excellent son in his later years.”

“Unfortunately, he couldn’t enjoy that for long.”

“Oh, did you say he passed away?”

“He’s missing.”

“I see.”

Daeyoung gave a faint smile at Kwon Sangdo, who pretended to look regretful. This must be why they say you can’t steal seeds from a thief. Here was a man who proved how important character is in politics.

Jaemin had inherited his mother’s lineage, but the confident aura that captured people’s attention was definitely from his father.

The sex scandal was an event orchestrated by someone who intentionally drugged him, and Kwon Sangdo had claimed his spouse’s assets were none of his concern, yet there was something more than just persuasive power in his face.

The point where Jaemin distinctly differed from Kwon Sangdo was that when Jaemin lied with sweet words, there was always a faint hint of self-loathing in those beautiful eyes.

“Honestly, I was a bit surprised that Chairman Jang would come to see me in person.”

Daeyoung, with a face devoid of any emotion, responded to Kwon Sangdo, who was looking at him with the same expressionless face.

“Were you?”

“Especially since you were close to former Chairman Choi Jisun.”

When they were in the same party, Kwon Sangdo and Choi Jisun each built their own lines, and now that Choi Jisun had resigned as party leader due to the slush fund scandal and left the party, their paths diverged even more. Kwon Sangdo was openly saying he couldn’t trust someone who had funded Choi Jisun.

Daeyoung smiled, looking into Kwon Sangdo’s eyes shining behind well-fitted glasses.

“If you were truly close, it would have been wise not to get caught by the prosecutors.”

“Did you do it on purpose? To that extent?”

Daeyoung calmly responded to Kwon Sangdo’s incredulous look.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I just paid attention to that extent.”

“Was the handling of the matter sloppy?”

Instead of showing displeasure at his question, Daeyoung brought up another topic as if it had just occurred to him.

“About your former secretary, father-in-law.”

Kwon Sangdo paused while sipping his tea leisurely.

“Where is he now?”

The eyes of the new secretary standing next to Kwon Sangdo wavered, revealing his agitation. The former secretary had quit and suddenly left for the Philippines, where he died in a diving accident. Daeyoung’s sudden mention meant it was connected to the previous conversation.

“He felt guilty for a mistake and resigned on his own.”

He was talking about losing Jaemin in Japan.

“That’s good.”

Daeyoung smiled faintly and continued.

“From the time I saw him in prison, he seemed like the type to mess things up, so I wanted to kill him.”

“…Mr. Jang Daeyoung.”

The secretary tried to say something about Daeyoung’s behavior, but Kwon Sangdo raised a hand to stop him.

“Chairman Jang.”

“Yes, father-in-law.”

“I’m not comfortable with that title.”

“Is that so?”

Kwon Sangdo continued with a serious expression.

“If you think of using Jang Jaemin to get to me, you’d better stop.”

Jang Jaemin’s entry into the country was confirmed early this year, already eight months ago. During that time, Kwon Sangdo had paid attention to Daeyoung’s movements, but there was no sign of anything unusual. After the slush fund scandal and the disappearance of his father, Chairman Jang, Daeyoung must have been laying low. And now, Daeyoung had finally contacted him.

“Are you denying the fact that Jaemin is your biological child?”

Daeyoung slowly blinked as he asked him back.

What was the reason this young, vigorous alpha, now a beast with deep eyes, had come to see him? He had several guesses. It could be to curry favor with him, a candidate for the next presidential election, or it might be that this bastard, who undoubtedly killed his own father, was trying to trap him again.

“I wouldn’t want that, but the opposite would happen. In the process, the one who would be sacrificed is your late mother, or rather, that child’s biological mother, Seol Junkyung.”

Despite mentioning his mother, who was just a passing omega to Kwon Sangdo, Daeyoung nodded calmly, showing no change in expression. Since it was confirmed they were not blood-related, it seemed it didn’t matter much to him.

Kwon Sangdo was one of the few who knew in detail about the changes that had occurred to the Jang Wonjung family. He was involved, not by choice, so even if he wanted to ignore it, he couldn’t. He hadn’t expected a trivial mistake from the past to become such a hindrance.

“Moreover… that child would suffer considerable damage, wouldn’t he? People love gossip. The past of that child you tried to bury completely will surface.”

“I see. But it seems you’ve misunderstood my intentions, Mr. Mayor.”

Kwon Sangdo looked at Daeyoung questioningly.

“I didn’t come here to harm you but to help you achieve your greater purpose.”

“…You?”

“Yes. My real mother once told me. The tragedy of dominant alphas like us is that we can’t love others more than ourselves.”

Daeyoung nodded as he continued.

“I thought that was true. When I couldn’t have the omega Jang Jaemin, I couldn’t control it, but once I had him, I was taken aback by why I had been expending energy on something so trivial, and at the same time, I felt this place grow cold.”

Kwon Sangdo narrowed his eyes as he watched Daeyoung tap his forehead. The secretary standing beside Kwon Sangdo looked at Daeyoung as if he were trash, but Kwon Sangdo understood Daeyoung’s words better than anyone.

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Please become family to the omega I love enough to mark.”

Daeyoung continued to Kwon Sangdo, who was frowning at the seemingly contradictory statement.

“…If that proposition is enough, would it be sufficient for the mayor and me to become strategic business partners?”

“I have no intention of working with thugs.”

“I have no intention of advertising that I work with the mayor either.”

So, Daeyoung was saying he wanted to align with him. But there was deep distrust between them for Kwon Sangdo to trust him.

“Leaving all that aside, how can I trust you?”

Daeyoung let out a short sigh and smiled at him.

“Would it be enough if I kill Choi Jisun for you?”

At his proposal, Kwon Sangdo’s eyes showed emotion for the first time, wavering. Daeyoung realized he had pinpointed Kwon Sangdo’s desire.

Choi Jisun, who had announced the formation of a new party, was a businesswoman and the first female omega to be re-elected as a Congressman. With omega votes pouring in for her as a successful omega role model, it meant Kwon Sangdo’s standing among omega supporters, whom he had quietly cultivated, was diminishing. Given that a scandal and vote splitting would undoubtedly lead to a fatal outcome in the election, it was natural for Kwon Sangdo’s eyes to widen at Daeyoung’s offer to handle Choi Jisun.

“Or.”

Daeyoung leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

“Shall I kill Jang Jaemin in Japan, whom I couldn’t kill before?”

Another omega causing headaches for Kwon Sangdo. There was no hint of guilt on Daeyoung’s face as he mentioned Jaemin’s name.

“Ha ha…”

Kwon Sangdo let out a hollow laugh.

He still wanted to get rid of Jaemin, who was like a thorn in his side. The strategy of garnering votes using polished omegas ended with his divorce from his former wife, Yoon Jungha, but even without that, omega marketing was losing its effectiveness. No matter how omega-friendly policies he implemented, they couldn’t compare to those of Choi Jisun, who was a real omega.

Of course, if he used omega kin, the situation could change slightly, but Jang Jaemin, by Kwon Sangdo’s standards, was far from an ideal omega and could become a seed of trouble if his existence became known, potentially causing a backlash that he might have to deal with.

If it were revealed that he impregnated a client during his time as a human rights lawyer, coupled with Jaemin’s history as a thug, his political career would be completely ruined because of a child he didn’t even know existed.

Thinking about how he had almost caught him in Japan made his neck ache even now, so if a thug could quietly eliminate Jaemin, it would be perfect.

However, knowing why Daeyoung had to go to prison and how he had searched everywhere for his omega after Jaemin’s disappearance, Kwon Sangdo couldn’t easily trust his proposal.

“Why do you want to…”

Kwon Sangdo’s words, meant to be calm to not show his agitation, were cut off in the middle.

“Ah… Ha…”

Because the secretary standing beside him began to stagger backward, breathing heavily. Kwon Sangdo frowned as he realized Daeyoung had released his pheromones. The pheromones Daeyoung emitted were overwhelmingly repulsive to another alpha, meaning they were an aphrodisiac that omegas couldn’t resist.

“What are you trying to do now?”

Releasing pheromones among alphas was an unspoken rule not to be broken, and breaking it was akin to starting a fight. Daeyoung nodded apologetically to him.

“I apologize. I thought it would be better to show you directly rather than explain in words.”

Junghoon, who had been backing away, stopped and collapsed at Daeyoung’s feet. His neat neck was flushed bright red as he panted heavily.

“He might look pretty and be useful, but he can’t handle the work, can he?”

Despite the insulting remark, Junghoon couldn’t respond. Daeyoung didn’t pay any attention to Junghoon, who was shaking, and continued to speak to Kwon Sangdo.

“Even with such an appetizing omega clinging to me, my body doesn’t react because I’ve already marked one. It’s quite irritating for something that was just a trivial mistake from my childhood.”

Daeyoung pushed him away with his shoe, and Junghoon, with tears welling up in his eyes, grabbed at Kwon Sangdo’s trouser cuffs.

“I’m… I’m sorry…”

Kwon Sangdo, unable to do anything about Junghoon clinging to him, hardened his expression. He now understood why Daeyoung would have a reason to kill Jaemin. There was only one way to break a marking.

“Isn’t this what they call mutual aid?”

“It’s best for you to leave now.”

Feeling both discomfort and excitement in Kwon Sangdo’s voice, Daeyoung stood up without hesitation. After leaving the message that he would wait for contact, he walked out of the hotel room.

Daeyoung twisted his lips as he sensed the dense scent spreading through the crack of the closing door. What was happening inside was clear as day. It was also clear why Kwon Sangdo kept such an inexperienced secretary who showed his emotions on his face.

Daeyoung felt fortunate that Kwon Sangdo was a pathetic piece of trash, using an employee who resembled Yoon Jungha as his plaything. It would be a pleasure to kill him for Jaemin’s sake. Jaemin didn’t need such a father.

Well, family itself might be useless. After all, he planned to give Jaemin a new family.

Thinking of Jaemin, Daeyoung’s Adam’s apple moved involuntarily. He knew that his sweet plan was hard to realize immediately and that reality was driving Jang Jaemin to the brink of insanity, so all he could do was wait for Jaemin to find his own answer.

Even though he knew the pain would end someday, controlling his desire for him was not easy.

Indeed, the only way to endure this time was to remove the obstacles around Jang Jaemin while waiting for him.

“Chairman.”

His attendant, waiting for him in the hallway, quickly caught up to Daeyoung’s pace.

“There’s a call from home.”

Daeyoung headed to the elevator, asking briefly.

“What’s the matter?”

“Jang Jaemin invites you to dinner.”

“Who’s he inviting?”

Daeyoung furrowed his brows, and the attendant, after a small cough, answered immediately.

“You, sir.”

Ding.

The elevator door opened smoothly. Daeyoung stepped inside and immediately took the tablet PC handed to him by his attendant. He saw two housekeepers, hired to prepare patient meals, bustling around the kitchen. The old dining table was completely set with dishes.

Daeyoung swallowed dryly and zoomed in on the screen where Jang Jaemin was, among the sixteen divided views.

Jaemin was in the dressing room, trying on clothes Daeyoung had brought for him. These were clothes he wouldn’t have touched when he lost his memory, saying he hated suits. Seeing Jaemin fasten a garter around his thigh over black underwear and a shirt, Daeyoung’s breath quickened.

“…”

Whether Jaemin knew of his hot gaze or not, he soon put on pants. The tight, slim-fit shirt beautifully showcased his lean yet firm upper body. His hair, now long enough to cover his neck, made him check his reflection in the mirror as if to confirm his appearance.

Daeyoung, with his brows furrowed, scrutinized his omega after maximizing the CCTV screen size.

His perfectly groomed black eyebrows, the beautifully spread eyebrow bones beneath them, the long eyes with thin double eyelids and the three whites that drew people’s focus, the sharp nose bridge exuding arrogance, the well-angled philtrum, and the bright red lips that seemed to concentrate all the pigment on his face of black and white.

Even without considering personal taste, Jang Jaemin was breathtakingly beautiful, and he didn’t realize it himself as he frowned while pushing back his bangs, ultimately turning away.

Daeyoung’s tightly clenched voice squeezed through his long lips.

“I’ll drive.”

✽ ✽ ✽

Jaemin was waiting for him at the dinner table, perfectly timed to when he would arrive. Daeyoung felt saliva welling up at the sight of the wine and two wine glasses on the table runner.

“Give it.”

Jaemin held out his hand to Daeyoung. As Daeyoung stood there looking at him, Jaemin spoke again.

“Didn’t you bring those flowers for me?”

Only then did Daeyoung recognize the bouquet of roses in his hand and handed it to him. Jaemin took the bouquet, lightly touching his face to the dark red petals before handing it over to the employee.

“Put them in a vase and place it on the table.”

“What’s going on?”

Finally, Daeyoung spoke in a low voice as Jaemin sat down, meeting his gaze. The alpha’s face was a sight, showing both excitement and suspicion.

“Why, disappointed because I didn’t knock out your teeth with the bouquet?”

“…Because you’re dressed up to drive me crazy, I feel like my heart might burst.”

“Ha ha.”

“I almost flipped the car on my way here.”

Only Seol Daeyoung could suppress fear with such casual banter. Jaemin’s mouth went dry seeing Daeyoung clean his fingers with a wet towel brought by an employee, reminding him of how those hands had explored his mouth just hours ago, making his body heat up involuntarily.

“Then I almost lost my one and only pair.”

“…”

“What a pity.”

Jaemin, who had just made a jest that sounded like truth or the other way around, smiled faintly while holding up the decanted wine. Daeyoung silently breathed in as the red wine filled the round glasses one by one. If only he could know what was going on in that head right now.

“I’ve been thinking we can’t keep living like this.”

As if answering the question in Daeyoung’s mind, Jaemin spoke. The empty wine bottle spun between his long, tattooed fingers.

“Who did you get this wine from?”

“…An omega I know.”

Daeyoung tossed out the answer as if testing him. Jaemin paused for a moment, then scrunched his face into a smile.

“Among the omegas you know, is there someone with such taste?”

Was that expression jealousy?

“She’s a Congressman.”

Daeyoung didn’t have any wine from Choi Jisun at the moment; all his attention was on Jang Jaemin’s every move.

“Ah, I see.”

Jaemin soon wiped the expression off his face and raised his glass to him. As they clinked glasses, Daeyoung kept his eyes on Jaemin. Just hours ago, there was almost a knife fight in the bedroom, and now Jaemin was acting like a well-behaved lamb, which couldn’t help but arouse suspicion. Of course, that was separate from the fact that he found him desirable.

“Continue what you were saying earlier.”

His omega, who had said they couldn’t keep living like this, smiled at the salad in front of him.

“Let’s eat and talk slowly. Don’t you have a conscience, feeding me tasteless food all the time?”

As if to remind him that the bandage was off, Jaemin twirled his right arm in front of him. Daeyoung picked up a fork and stabbed one of the orange cherry tomatoes scattered over the salad. He held it near Jaemin’s lips, causing Jaemin to furrow his fine brows.

“…Go easy on it?”

“You liked it when I fed you.”

“I do it because it’s embarrassing.”

The housekeepers assisting with the meal were moving as quietly as possible, but they were not invisible. Jaemin’s glance at them was quickly recaptured by Daeyoung’s low voice.

“Then you feed me.”

“…”

“I don’t know what embarrassment is.”

A laugh, like a breath escaping from Jaemin’s vocal cords, burst out. His omega, who had been licking his lower lip with a frown, finally snatched the fork from Daeyoung’s hand. Was the slight trembling of his wrist from embarrassment or sexual arousal?

“Eat.”

Daeyoung, like a dog, lowered his head to take the fork deep into his mouth and then looked at Jaemin. He watched until Jaemin quickly pulled out the sharp silver utensil and placed it down with a thud.

“Stop testing me and just eat, Daeyoung.”

“…”

“You’ve lost weight lately. Because of me, you’ve got a headache.”

At times like this, Jaemin really made him want to devour him, just like he said. Daeyoung was frustrated by how Jaemin could pinpoint his inner thoughts but not see his own true feelings.

“Is it bad that I’ve lost weight?”

“You don’t suit being frail.”

It felt like they had gone back to the past. That summer when they first started dating. When they enjoyed each other’s company, mocking each other with meaningless conversations, back when nothing bad had happened yet.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Think whatever you want.”

Daeyoung began to cut his food as Jaemin wished. In front of him, Jaemin quietly ate his meal, and by the time their plates were empty, the wine was gone.

“Do you want another glass?”

Jaemin asked, and Daeyoung, after a brief silence, nodded. He knew well from their drinking sessions that Jaemin was not weak to alcohol. The truth would slowly seep out of his mouth only after he was completely knocked down by the alcohol.

Damn.

In truth, more than anything, Daeyoung wanted to see Jaemin lose his composure. He wished Jaemin would cling to him, even if it was under the influence of alcohol.

“Clear the table and leave us.”

Jaemin naturally dismissed the employees with a wave. This was a stark contrast to how he used to personally prepare everything for Daeyoung when he lost his memory, but this behavior seemed much more ingrained, much more familiar. My prince. My omega. My hair. My lips. My tongue. My cock. My hole.

Had he been aroused since he saw Jaemin changing clothes on the tablet PC? Daeyoung found it hard to restrain the lewd thoughts that kept coming today. Of course, his sexual desire for Jang Jaemin was always like a dam on the brink of overflowing, but the overt impulse to grab his hair, suck on his neck, and fill his gaping hole…

“Let’s talk about your mother.”

Jaemin’s words snapped Daeyoung out of his reverie.

“Or should I say my mother. Seol Junkyung.”

Daeyoung swallowed dryly as he watched Jaemin make his own wine.

“What do you want to know?”

“Did she treat you well?”

There was no regret or sadness in Jaemin’s eyes. Daeyoung thought for a moment before answering.

“As much as she could.”

Jaemin chuckled. He could guess why the answer was so vague.

“Well, no matter how hard she tried, a powerless omega couldn’t protect you.”

Raising a beast much larger than oneself wouldn’t have been easy either. Jaemin pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket and lit one.

“Where did you get the cigarettes?”

“I took them from your study. Not okay?”

“…No.”

Daeyoung shook his head.

“It’s fine. Everything I have is yours.”

“…”

“That’s why we got married.”

Jaemin frowned for a moment before taking a long breath. Daeyoung, feeling the urge to grab Jaemin’s head and mix their tongues, continued.

“She raised me out of guilt, and pushing you into another nest like an egg was a survival instinct born from love.”

“Indeed. The problem was that it wasn’t a nest but a snake’s den.”

Jaemin added with a faint smile.

“I’m not being self-deprecating. I’m just stating the facts. I think you’ll find this easier to understand.”

Contrary to his words, Daeyoung’s heart ached. Jaemin continued.

“I’ve experienced firsthand how the outcomes of actions can become utterly fucked compared to people’s intentions. My biological mother committed crimes for my happiness, but my life was hell because of it.”

Daeyoung suppressed the urge to ask if his life had been nothing but hell since they met. The premonition wasn’t good, but there’s always a twist. Jang Jaemin showing a calm demeanor for the first time since regaining his memory gave Daeyoung a faint hope.

“Daeyoung.”

Had his name ever sounded so seductive from Jaemin’s lips?

“Have you ever thought about what it would have been like if we hadn’t changed and just lived our lives as they were?”

“Yeah.”

An honest answer came out without passing through his mind.

“What do you think would have happened?”

“It wouldn’t have been much different from now.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Jaemin asked with slightly narrowed eyes. Daeyoung felt his lower abdomen stir, and he clenched and unclenched his fist.

“You would have become my omega.”

“…You’re confident, aren’t you?”

With a twist of his lips and a chuckle, Jaemin sighed briefly and swirled his wine glass.

“Actually, I think so too.”

The red wine stain on Jaemin’s lips made Daeyoung’s eyes dizzy. It felt like ages ago when he had Jaemin’s lips around his cock, just hours before. The visual shock of seeing Jaemin expose himself in front of the doctor was clearly turning his insides more than he expected, given how hard it was to control his impulses.

“Are you having a hard time?”

Jaemin asked, looking at his face.

“No. Why?”

“Your eyes are red, Daeyoung.”

Jaemin leaned slightly forward from his chair towards him. At that moment, the scent of roses hit Daeyoung’s nose, making his eyes flash. With the urge to bite into Jaemin’s neck, Daeyoung gripped his shoulder.

“Are you drunk, by any chance?”

Jaemin didn’t avoid his hand, but the flinch was palpable. Daeyoung, breathing heavily, slowly forced Jaemin back into his seat. The pheromones he thought he felt were nowhere to be found. Was he now even imagining smells?

“I’m drunk on you.”

Once again, without passing through his mind, his lips moved on their own to convey his sincerity. Jang Jaemin, who needed to get a little drunk on himself, was completely unaware and still digging into the ground. And Daeyoung wanted to pour out an unbearable amount of love on him.

Jaemin laughed, looking at him as if he found it ridiculous.

“If you’re drunk, go to sleep.”

“Finish what you were saying earlier.”

“Where did we leave off?”

Daeyoung’s heart beat strongly as he watched Jaemin tilt his head. Daeyoung answered while unbuttoning his shirt, feeling it tighten around his neck.

“That even if we hadn’t changed, we would have loved the same.”

“Be precise with your words.”

Jaemin, who had said he couldn’t remember, corrected him with a wry smile.

“I said that I would have become your omega in the end.”

“What’s the difference?”

“The process would have been different.”

“…”

Instead of asking what he meant, Daeyoung drank water. His insides felt like they were drying up, but even after downing a whole glass, the thirst didn’t go away. Jaemin kindly added more explanation as he watched him.

“If you had grown up in my house, under Seol Junkyung’s care, you would have grown splendidly without the contradictions you faced. Not like a tree that’s twisted, pruned haphazardly, struck by lightning, and split, but like one standing tall without a single bend from root to tip.”

Although his tone sounded mocking, Jaemin’s expression was serious. Daeyoung licked his lips out of an inexplicable anxiety, and Jaemin continued.

“What would have happened to the little flower tree next to you in that process?”

A rose from the vase broke off in Jaemin’s hand. As a drop of blood appeared on his thumb pricked by a thorn, Jaemin licked his hand and looked directly at him with just his eyes.

“It would have been uprooted.”

“…Jang Jaemin.”

Daeyoung opened his mouth, unable to resist the urge to swallow Jaemin’s lips, but Jaemin didn’t stop.

“You would have raped me. Probably not long after we first met.”

“You’ve got it wrong.”

Jaemin shook his head, looking at Daeyoung, who spoke with clenched teeth.

“No, Daeyoung. You would have used every means possible to subjugate me, to put me in your grasp. You would have taken me more cruelly than those seven bastards who manipulated me.”

“I’m telling you, no.”

Daeyoung answered with the feeling of suppressing a raging fire. He was sincere. That’s not my way. Jang Jaemin.

“Would you have done that even if I rejected you?”

“Yes.”

Meaning he wouldn’t have done something so foolish as to run towards disaster when it was clear. But Jaemin relentlessly bombarded him with questions as if testing him.

“Even knowing that I, the only omega in a place full of dominant alphas, wouldn’t be able to handle the pheromones, you would have waited for me to willingly fall into your hands instead of overwhelming me with your pheromones?”

Isn’t that obvious? Daeyoung wanted to retort as he usually did, but instead, he frowned as his usually orderly mind felt like it was swarming with bees.

A bad premonition swept over him. This was unmistakably a sign of his rut. But he couldn’t storm out of his seat because Jaemin was saying things that made no sense.

“You’re saying that even if you had grown up under Jang Wonjung, you would have walked a different path than that devilish bastard?”

Daeyoung’s temples throbbed. Blue veins stood out on the back of his hand as he ran it through his hair. Jaemin took note of each detail, controlling his breath to remain unnoticed.

“Don’t compare me to others, Jang Jaemin.”

Finally, a response typical of Daeyoung came out of his mouth.

“You’re just like them anyway. Just as I can only be an omega who goes into heat like a dog every few months, you’re just an alpha driven by pheromones.”

Just as a bird born in a snake’s den can’t become a snake, a snake hatching its eggs in a bird’s nest can’t change its predatory nature.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

Jaemin gave a bitter smile as he continued.

“What you think is love, it’s just pheromone addiction.”

“How can I make you believe me?”

As Daeyoung asked, licking his lips, Jaemin’s heart beat heavily.

“Will you do whatever I say?”

“Except for breaking up.”

“Can you not use pheromones to have sex?”

Deep wrinkles formed on Daeyoung’s forehead. He twisted his lips and raised his eyebrows.

“Is that all?”

It was as if he was asking if that was all he was bringing up. Jaemin was curious about what expression Daeyoung would make when his self-confidence was shattered.

“If I say no, can you not rape me? Can you wait until I sort out my feelings and fully accept you?”

“Jaemin, if I rape you…”

Daeyoung closed his deeply shadowed eyes and then opened them. His eyes, now reddened, looked at Jaemin.

“You can kill me.”

“…Do you say that because you think I can’t kill you?”

Jaemin’s question was half to test Daeyoung, but in reality, even Jaemin couldn’t be sure. The only certainty was that if this feeling of destroying himself was truly born from love as Daeyoung claimed, Jaemin wanted it to end.

“Then I’ll cut my own throat in front of you.”

“…”

“It’s only natural that I kill anyone who treats you recklessly.”

Daeyoung was including himself in that statement.

Jaemin swallowed dryly, gauging the time. If Daeyoung were an ordinary alpha, his rut would have already started, but he was clearly suppressing his instincts with a self-control he didn’t even recognize. However, the bloodshot look in his eyes was unsettling. Jaemin decided to speed things up.

“Instead of talking about killing or dying, shall we discuss something even scarier?”

Jaemin spoke while meeting Daeyoung’s piercing gaze. This was the most crucial moment.

“If you can’t keep your promise, we break up.”

Sparks silently flew in Daeyoung’s eyes.

“Living without sex for the rest of your life while marked would be a hell worse than death for you, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

“Why, are you scared?”

The tears welling up in Jaemin’s eyes were not intentional. Nor was the trembling in his voice. Jaemin watched as Daeyoung slowly reached out to touch his face. Daeyoung felt the sensation of wiping away the tears streaming from his eyes and lowered his gaze.

“I’ll wait.”

His soaked eyelashes fluttered.

“I can wait as long as it takes… until you’re ready.”

His trembling hand was hot.

“I love you, Jang Jaemin.”

Jaemin buried his face in Daeyoung’s hand and his shoulders shook. He wanted to laugh, but only tears kept coming.