Underpainting Chapter 4.2 - Camera Obscura (2)

Dawon coughed for a while, clutching the cigarette Taehan had given him. Taehan’s eyes, which had briefly crinkled with an out-of-place playfulness, turned cold again. Perhaps he didn’t like the way Dawon was looking up at him with teary eyes.

His lips, which seemed about to say something, just took another drag on the cigarette instead. As he exhaled, the white smoke he released touched Dawon’s nose too.

‘This doesn’t bother me at all.’

While inhaling the smoke Taehan had exhaled, Dawon thought. Encouraged by this thought, he took another drag from the cigarette in his mouth. It was still sharp and stinging, but Dawon tried hard to suppress his cough.

The smoke, penetrating his veins, quickly rose to his scalp. It was like his nerves were forcibly on edge as if a bright light had been turned on in front of him.

“This feels strange.”

“What’s so strange about this? You don’t have to force yourself.”

“No. I want to smoke more.”

Dawon insisted stubbornly, his eyes red from the effort. With another drag, his mind became even clearer. His heart began to beat faster due to the first-time experience of nicotine’s stimulating effects.

About three years ago, when Dawon was laid low by a fever for several days, causing delays in his work, his uncle had brought him a small bottle of liquid, calling it ‘a wake-up medicine.’ After drinking it, even though his body was tired, his consciousness wouldn’t settle, and he couldn’t sleep for two days even after finishing all his work.

Though much milder, the current feeling was similar. There was a faint ringing in his ears, and his head spun, yet everything he saw and heard was much sharper, including the sweet scent amidst the acrid smoke.

“Haaah… Mister. This is strange. The cigarette smell, it’s different.”

Dawon whispered hazily, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. Taehan put out his cigarette in the portable ashtray and took the one Dawon was smoking.

The motion of Taehan putting Dawon’s cigarette in his mouth seemed to move in slow motion. Taehan’s lips pressed down on the spot where Dawon’s lips had been like a seal. His lips, tinged with red, looked very soft and juicy as if they would burst if bitten.

“Kid.”

After taking a sweet drag and exhaling, he started to chuckle as if amused by something.

“That’s not cigarette smell.”

At those words, Dawon’s cheeks flushed as if they were on fire. If it wasn’t the smell of cigarette, then it must be pheromones. Were Taehan’s pheromones always this intense?

‘Wasn’t this scent… Sir’s smell?’

As Dawon hesitated in confusion, Taehan crushed the cigarette Dawon was smoking into the ashtray. Then he reached out to stroke Dawon’s ear. Every time his fingertips brushed against the earlobe, the sound echoed loudly in Dawon’s mind.

“Ugh…”

Along with the heat at the back of his neck, the sweet scent intensified. Dawon realized, a moment too late, that this was the scent he was emitting. Something thick and sticky, like the hazy cigarette smoke, was seeping out through his skin.

He felt shame and bewilderment. Even though Dawon had lived his life thinking he wasn’t a bearer of traits, he knew that pheromones were meant to attract others.

“Wait, just a moment.”

Fearing what might happen if he stayed like this, Dawon took a step back. As he inadvertently moved towards the door, Taehan grabbed his wrist.

“Kid. Where are you going, leaking like that?”

“…”

“Do you know what could happen to an omega who can’t control their pheromones at this time of night?”

Though the words were threatening, Dawon read from them that typical trait bearers could control their pheromones. Of course, even animals in heat wouldn’t wander around with a strange scent, after all.

“You’re not doing this because you want to see all the alphas in the neighborhood go crazy, are you?”

Dawon first thought of his second uncle across the street and held his breath. Even holding his breath didn’t stop the scent from leaking. It seemed controlling the scent was far more difficult than releasing it.

‘It’s okay. He’s just saying that. There’s no way the scent could spread that far. Not even to the next door… Oh, but he was here too.’

Dawon, who had stayed on the second floor all this time, was unaware that the youngest uncle had been kicked out of the house. Fear flashed in Dawon’s eyes, and at that moment, Taehan pulled his gripped wrist towards him.

The reduced distance was frightening, but Dawon couldn’t move. While his mind warned him to run, his instincts, a few steps ahead of reason, were preparing to embrace the alpha whose skin touched him.

As he stood still, breathing in Taehan’s scent, Dawon’s own scent only grew thicker. An itchy sensation that seemed unbearable unless relieved began to stir.

“Mister. I, I need…”

Help me. Dawon stopped himself, realizing he seemed to repeat the same plea every time he looked at Taehan. Expecting Taehan to ignore him, he was surprised when Taehan responded promptly.

“Help you?”

If Taehan touched and explored him like he did yesterday, if he heightened the suffocating excitement to its peak and then let it burst, Dawon could find peace again. Dawon nodded desperately while looking up at Taehan, but Taehan smirked and questioned back.

“Why should I?”

As Dawon blinked in confusion, Taehan began touching his ear again, this time with more force, as if crushing the earlobe with rough movements.

“Ugh, huh…”

Taehan’s large hand seemed capable of either crushing Dawon or pulling him out of the swamp in one go. From the earlobe, goosebumps spread all the way to his shoulders, stiffening them.

“Fuck, you’d come with just a little more touch.”

“Ah, no, no.”

Even though he shook his head at the seemingly insulting words, Dawon’s lower half had been tingling and swelling for a while now.

“That’s how it is, kid. Why should I do anything when you’re just going to be left alone again? What fun would I have with a kid who comes and collapses at the slightest touch?”

Only after hearing the taunting words did Dawon understand what Taehan had meant when he said Dawon had stirred him up.

Last night, when Taehan was touching Dawon, his lower half was hard and swollen. After Dawon fell asleep, Taehan must have had to calm his own heated body alone. Realizing this, Dawon’s pheromones went even more out of control.

With the mix of excitement, impatience, and the stimulating effects of nicotine, Dawon made a bold decision despite his muddled thoughts. Stretching his arm out to reach between Taehan’s legs, he whispered.

“Then you should have some fun too.”

The moment his fingertips touched something hot and heavy, Dawon felt a thrill that made his spine tingle. He couldn’t understand why he felt good knowing that he had excited Taehan, but his excitement only grew.

Taehan’s lips twisted into a smirk, showing an intense emotion that could be either anger or pleasure. He murmured in a voice that sounded suppressed.

“Yeah?”

Dawon’s breath quickened. It wasn’t just his mood; the air was saturated with pheromones so thick they made breathing difficult.

“Then go ahead and do it.”

Taehan guided Dawon’s hand to untie the belt of his robe. The front of the smooth material silently fell open. Between the parted robe, Taehan’s body looked like a sharp weapon.

His clearly delineated abs and solid frame were intimidating, but what stood out the most was the thick, long piece below his waist. It wasn’t the first time Dawon had seen Taehan erect, and he had even touched it through clothes earlier, but facing it this close felt different.

The dark red shaft was standing so erect it almost touched Taehan’s abdomen. The sight of it twitching with each pulse of blood in his abdomen was both intimidating and thrilling.

“What are you waiting for, kid? Are you trying to make me come by just looking?”

Startled by the urging, Dawon reached out again to grasp Taehan’s member. With the thought that he had to do something, he awkwardly gripped the shaft, then released it, trying to stroke up and down, but it was more like fumbling than stimulating.

He thought he could do it the same way he touched himself, but his hands kept slipping. The angle and direction were opposite, and the size was just too different.

Moreover, his mind was too dazed and foggy. It seemed like Dawon was more excited than Taehan, who was being touched. With trembling hands, Dawon massaged Taehan’s shaft, swallowing hard enough to make a gulping sound.

“Ha.”

Taehan exhaled coldly and grabbed Dawon’s chin. Perhaps irritated by the clumsy movements, deep wrinkles formed between his eyebrows.

“I thought you were good with your hands, but you seem to have no talent for this.”

“…”

“You boasted about making it fun.”

“I don’t know how. If you teach me…”

Taehan’s fingertips pressed down on Dawon’s lips, silencing his excuses. As Dawon opened his jaw as if trained, Taehan pushed his fingers in to rub against Dawon’s tongue.

The base of his tongue ached, and saliva flowed out on its own. The sound of Taehan’s fingers becoming wet and moving was slick. Soon, the room was filled with a fishy, sweet scent.

“Your mouth is tight.”

Taehan’s voice trembled slightly. The quick-witted Dawon soon figured out what he was thinking. When he was very young, he had seen such acts through a half-open door. He only realized what it meant when he grew up.

His pheromones surged relentlessly, and he had decided to be bold. Without long hesitation, Dawon knelt before Taehan. His face was now inches away from Taehan’s crotch.

There was no reason for a man’s flesh to smell sweet, but the allure was undoubtedly due to the pheromones. Like someone enchanted, Dawon grabbed Taehan’s shaft and opened his mouth.

“Huh…”

His hot tongue pressed against the slit at the head of Taehan’s member. It tasted bitter and salty where it was slightly moist. When he moved his tongue a bit, the slick, sticky sensation was strange.

Rather than feeling disgusted, he wanted to taste more. He opened his jaw as wide as he could and tilted his head down, but only the upper part of the thick shaft entered his mouth. He didn’t know what to do next.

While he hesitated, the thing filling his mouth seemed to grow even larger, lifting his head. Even without moving, the hard tip rubbed against the roof of his mouth. Feeling trapped, Dawon instinctively swallowed the saliva that had gathered under his tongue.

“Phew…”

Taehan exhaled an inscrutable breath and grabbed Dawon’s head. His fingertips moved from the itchy spot on Dawon’s scalp to his ear. The indifferent touch felt like it was setting him on fire.

Dawon reflexively moved his lips. However, since he didn’t know how to do it with his mouth and his lips were already stretched to their limit, he couldn’t squeeze or slide down the shaft. All he could do was suck on it like a child nursing.

Was it amusing because of the clumsy movement? A low, mumbling sound came from Taehan’s throat. Curious if Taehan was angry or perhaps even smiling, Dawon looked up at his face.

“Kid.”

Taehan roughly grabbed the hand on Dawon’s head. As Dawon’s hair was pulled, his eyes shut tight, and the head of the shaft that had filled his mouth suddenly pushed out and then slammed back in.

“Ugh…!”

The sensation of something hard like a pillar hitting the back of his throat made him choke. Even though he had started this himself, he instinctively wanted to escape. But Taehan’s hand gripping the back of his head held him in place.

“Don’t get me hard.”

Taehan’s voice, giving a short command, carried a strange passion. Even though he could only push half of the shaft into Dawon’s mouth, he repeatedly thrust the weapon-like object into Dawon’s mouth.

The soft flesh inside his mouth was being crushed, tears streaming down his face. His lips were covered in unswallowed saliva, even frothing, and he didn’t know what liquid was gurgling down his throat.

Each time Dawon involuntarily clenched his throat while swallowing the liquid, Taehan’s movements became more savage. Forgetting to breathe from the unfamiliar pain, then gasping for air, the thick pheromones in the room pounded his head, spurring him on.

“Kid. What’s this?”

The ringing in his ears had turned into an alarm-like sound by now, and through it, Taehan’s voice, lower and more sinister, could be heard. Not understanding the question, Dawon struggled to open his eyes when Taehan stepped on the area between Dawon’s legs as he knelt.

“Ugh, huh.”

A sharp pain elicited a moan, but the relentless shaft thrust back into Dawon’s throat. Taehan’s foot ground against Dawon’s body, not allowing even a scream.

“I’m the one being sucked off, so why is the kid getting hard like this?”

Dawon’s eyes widened in response to Taehan’s question, realizing his own erection was pushing his pajama pants up to their limit.

While thrusting into Dawon’s mouth, Taehan also stepped on Dawon’s erect cock as if punishing it. The pain was so intense that it shook Dawon violently, leaving him unsure which hurt more.

“Huh, ugh.”

“Already so wet.”

“Hiik, huh…!”

“If I knew you liked sucking cock this much, haah, I would’ve fed it to you sooner. Right?”

Despite the pain that felt like his nerves were being scorched, Dawon’s lower half didn’t soften; it got even harder. Pre-cum was leaking from the tip of his punished member. The back was similarly soaked, with wet fluid touching Dawon’s heel in his crevice.

Dawon looked up at Taehan with eyes that were both resentful and seductive. Their gazes, bloodshot and tangled like their flesh, clung to each other fiercely. Taehan’s neck muscles tensed sharply as if he was gritting his teeth.

“Ugh, ahh!”

Bang, bang. Taehan’s movements inside Dawon’s mouth became rougher, as did his stomping. Perhaps because his head could no longer endure it, the pain began to transform into pleasure. Each time Taehan thrust, Dawon felt a chilling thrill.

Several times, shivers ran up his limbs. Finally, when Taehan thrust the head of his cock into the depths of Dawon’s throat, Dawon came with a ringing sensation at the back of his neck.

“Fuck.”

Brr. Dawon’s vibrating cock rubbed against Taehan’s foot messily. With the sticky, wet sensation, Taehan muttered a curse under his breath. At the same time, he withdrew his cock that had thoroughly ravaged Dawon’s mouth.

“Hah, huhhh…”

Still leaking semen from his lower half, Dawon let out a ragged sigh, his eyes unfocused, his mouth unable to clean itself from the unknown liquid. Taehan grabbed Dawon’s hair once more.

Something hard and slick touched Dawon’s cheek. Taehan rubbed his now-scalding hot member against Dawon’s face indiscriminately. The cock twitched significantly against Dawon’s soft nose and lips.

“Huff, huff, ugh…!”

Taehan panted with suppressed breath. As he stroked his cock a couple of times, cloudy fluid began to ooze from the menacing tip. The fresh, musky scent of semen mingled with their pheromones.

The ejaculate poured directly onto Dawon’s face, over his cute nose, straight forehead, and reddened lips. Even in his haze, Dawon wanted to see Taehan’s face in climax, his eyes wide open, but when semen splattered onto his right eyelid, sticking his eyelashes together, he had to close that eye.

“Haah, haah, huh…”

The lingering pleasure, combined with the heat transferred from Taehan, made Dawon’s head spin. With his left eye barely open, Dawon looked up at Taehan. Taehan’s face, distorted through his blurred vision, seemed as mysterious as a landscape beyond a rain-soaked window.

Mister.

What exactly he wanted to say wasn’t clear, but Dawon wanted to call out to him. Maybe because his mind was thoroughly shaken. He wanted to ask everything, and at the same time, he wanted to say everything.

However, no sound could escape his throat, which felt like it had been beaten. Before he could even part his lips, Dawon’s consciousness sank into darkness.

Taehan was walking through the underground passage of the two-story house. He wore gloves that clung to his skin and a mask covering his nose and mouth.

Pushing against a small protrusion on the wooden wall of the underground passage, what appeared to be a wall slid back to reveal a small room. This was the secret space Huang, the deceased director, had spoken of.

The space, surrounded by cement walls, felt more like a coffin than a room. Taehan, with a look of discomfort, tossed the items wrapped in plastic into this space.

‘A coffin, huh. That’s apt.’

Perhaps the house itself was a large tomb. In the yard of this house, about ten bodies were buried without proper funerals. The world probably didn’t even know they were dead.

They were people who could have disappeared without anyone noticing, living lives that no one would search for even if they were gone. Taehan had taken measures to ensure that their phones and credit cards showed regular use even after their deaths, just in case.

The bundle Taehan threw contained the belongings of the dead buried in the yard. These were items collected before burial, now processed in a special way.

Among the trivial items like ID cards and pocket knives, Huang’s wallet caught his eye. The picture of Huang’s young daughter was not in the wallet now; it had been placed in his pocket just before burial. It was an uncharacteristic act for Taehan.

<When a gangster starts backing down, it’s the end.>

He couldn’t recall when he first heard this, but he remembered who said it. Seo, the chairman of Seo Chang Construction. Though he rarely called him ‘father’, he was undeniably Taehan’s biological father.

Before being called to ‘Chairman Seo’s house’, Taehan had undergone several paternity tests. People whispered that if there wasn’t a blood relation, there was no way the infamous Chairman Seo would take in a son from some hostess he picked up from who knows where.

Perhaps Chairman Seo would have seen Taehan as useful even if he weren’t his illegitimate son. In his childhood, Taehan had eyes that were filled with even more vicious malice than now.

His mother, drowned in alcohol and drugs, would abandon Taehan, only to occasionally return to unleash curses and beatings. Under her neglect, Taehan grew up like a wild dog, scavenging the corpses of animals scattered on the ground when he was starving.

“Tsk. What a wretched sight. But I like those eyes of yours. They’re exactly the eyes of a gangster.”

When he first saw Taehan, Chairman Seo clicked his tongue in disapproval but added those words. Taking it as a compliment, Taehan worked hard to get into his good graces. He learned to fight, handle knives, and use weapons until he was covered in bruises, as commanded daily.

He even put effort into studies he was never asked to pursue, but Chairman Seo didn’t expect Taehan to become a model student. When Taehan’s physique matched that of an adult by middle school, Chairman Seo immediately put him to work in real situations.

There was a workshop in Chairman Seo’s house similar to the basement of this place. On the day he first brought Taehan there, he ordered him to extract money from a debtor they had brought in. It was clear the persuasion was not to be done with words.

Taehan beat and stomped on the man mercilessly that day, but in truth, he was trembling just as pitifully as the man he was crushing. Ignoring that trembling eventually made him accustomed to beating and intimidating others.

By the time Taehan could sneer without changing his expression in front of people kneeling and begging like dogs, he was called down to the workshop to an unfamiliar scene.

“Taehan, give that bastard a cigarette.”

Chairman Seo pointed to a man covered in blood lying on the workshop floor. He was a member of the organization who had been missing for some time. Chairman Seo had been grinding his teeth, calling him a traitor who had leaked Seo Chang’s secrets to Guyeong Industries.

True to his boast that he would make the man regret being born if found, he was already in a state where he was barely clinging to life, looking like he had undergone severe torture.

Because it was an order, Taehan shoved the cigarette he had taken a drag from into the man’s mouth. However, with his lungs half-destroyed and half his teeth broken, the man couldn’t hold the cigarette properly.

From the man’s lips came a struggling breath, then the sound of air gurgling. Chairman Seo laughed gleefully at the sight of the man turned into a bloody mess and handed Taehan a well-sharpened fillet knife.

“Here. I’ve sharpened the knife well, so you finish him off. Send him off without any regrets.”

“…Now? Here?”

“Yeah. You need to show clearly what happens to someone who betrays Seo Chang-kyun. Right?”

Chairman Seo patted Taehan’s shoulder and left the workshop, leaving Taehan alone with the dying man, or rather, the man he had to kill.

Although his hand holding the knife trembled slightly, Taehan did not feel much guilt at the time. The man was looking at Taehan with eyes begging to be put out of his misery due to the severe pain.

More frankly, Taehan expected to earn Chairman Seo’s trust by handling this cleanly. There was also the arrogance that being entrusted with such a task at a young age meant he was in the Chairman’s favor.

‘It’s no big deal. It’s something you have to do if you’re in this line of work.’

Taehan thought it was nothing, but the stench of blood on his body felt disgustingly repulsive. While he was locked in the bathroom for a long time washing his blood-stained hands, he overheard the conversation between Seo Gihyuk, who had returned from school, and Chairman Seo.

It was a mundane, peaceful conversation. Gihyuk was making excuses for his poor final exam scores, and instead of scolding him, Chairman Seo asked what he wanted to do during the summer vacation. Their laughter sounded like the clinking of bells.

“Then, that’s what we’ll do. Our Gihyuk is going to do great things.”

Stepping out of the bathroom with a sense of emptiness, Taehan saw the body of the man he had just dealt with being carried out of the workshop. The smell of blood from the man’s limp limbs was the same as the one coming from his own hands.

Quick to catch on, Taehan realized at that moment that to Chairman Seo, he was fundamentally no different from those dragged into the workshop.

While he served Chairman Seo, Taehan would live tearing others apart, whether he wanted to or not, but if circumstances changed, Chairman Seo would choke him with the same leash.

Perhaps it was then that he began to harbor a knife in his heart. Because it was hidden, he had to push himself harder to make that blade sharper and more solid. Running forward without looking back, he found himself too far gone to take any other path when he finally turned around.

‘Pointless thoughts. There never was another path for a gangster like me.’

Taehan looked away from Huang’s wallet with a deeply furrowed brow. He hated Chairman Seo, but what he said was certainly true. Once a gangster starts backing down, it’s the end. Taehan felt uneasy because a part of his heart was softening.

During the time he dealt with the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs, Taehan had seen countless fools who risked their lives for meaningless causes. The disgust he felt towards them was now occasionally felt towards himself.

After closing the basement door and taking off his mask, Taehan suddenly wanted a cigarette. While rummaging in his jacket pocket for one, he thought of Dawon. The way he tried to inhale the smoke he didn’t know how to handle, his eyes barely focusing as he looked at Taehan.

Then he thought of Dawon’s pale face as he slept. It looked so fragile, as if it would crumble like dust with a strong exhale.

“Tsk.”

As if dismissing these useless thoughts, Taehan crammed the half-pulled cigarette back into the pack. Even though he sensed that the seed of his anxiety was that kid, Taehan still thought Dawon was within the realm of profit and calculation.

Dawon, who didn’t know how to control his scent, often asked Taehan for help. Indulging in the scent that had just begun to waft and providing relief like an act of charity was quite enjoyable. Moreover, watching his usually calm and indifferent expression turn red with embarrassment was also amusing.

When he returned from being out, the moment that kid came running with evident eagerness, spilling pheromones all over, Taehan felt a thrilling sense of exhilaration.

‘No alpha would keep their hands off an omega in that state. And… he hasn’t even experienced the real thing yet.’

Taehan hadn’t fully taken Dawon yet. Even though they rubbed against each other and licked each other almost daily, there had been no act one could call sex. Even though there were plenty of opportunities, and a few times the kid seemed to want it even more.

Despite the impulse to violently thrust into him, Taehan chose to hold back. It was odd. If he wanted, he could have devoured him, yet he was savoring the taste like a child rolling candy in their mouth.

‘It’s not unusual. Scare them, make them desperate, and give them the carrot only occasionally. That’s how it’s supposed to be done.’

Taehan had learned over the years how to intimidate others. He lazily concluded that his incomprehensible actions were also an instinctive means to control and wield that kid.

Rarely clear-headed and tenacious, he was the kind of kid one would want to possess and keep by their side. It was understandable why Taehan was struggling with this.

‘…Yeah. Talk of another path suits only him. If he had been properly educated, he wouldn’t be stuck in this cesspool.’

Without realizing it, Taehan superimposed his own childhood image over Dawon’s sunken eyes. The times he grew up like a wild dog. But he quickly dismissed the thought as too lavish and presumptuous.

At that moment, a sharp phone notification sound rang out. Taehan’s brow furrowed deeply upon checking the screen. It was a signal from Seo Gihyuk’s home security system, indicating an unregistered visitor had passed through the front gate.

‘Hmm? There shouldn’t be anyone coming.’

With an ominous feeling, Taehan played back the CCTV footage connected to Seo Gihyuk’s house. Since the painting Dawon drew was hung in Seo Gihyuk’s living room, Taehan had been monitoring all visitors and conversations there.

The succession process was entering its final phase, and most external enemies had been eliminated. It was a good time for internal strife to begin. If Seo Gihyuk were a bit smart, he would try to cut Taehan’s influence before it grew even more.

However, contrary to Taehan’s heightened concerns, Seo Gihyuk was spending most of this sensitive time meeting with transparent and unproductive flatterers. At least until now.

‘Who could it be, coming to the house at this hour?’

As far as Taehan knew, Seo Gihyuk had no more plans after returning home a while ago. Since he had won money in an afternoon golf bet, he would be in high spirits, likely planning to open champagne with dinner and call an omega over, following his usual pattern.

The visitor entering the living room seemed somewhat familiar to Taehan, but Seo Gihyuk appeared to be meeting him for the first time. With irritation and suspicion clear on his face, Seo Gihyuk asked,

— Who are you?

To which the visitor hunched his shoulders in a bowing posture and replied playfully, just as Taehan recognized his identity.

— I should have come to see you sooner, my apologies for being so late, Director Seo. I’m Choi Beomsik, dealing in art.

Taehan’s expression twisted further at this unexpected scenario. Of all people, Choi Beomsik. How could this pushover have made it there?

Taehan considered Seo Gihyuk a half-wit, but finding or visiting his house was not something just anyone could do. After all, he was the organization’s successor and ostensibly a high-ranking executive of a mid-tier company.

When Taehan was briefly playing nice with him, Choi Beomsik had several times suggested that it would be good if Taehan could bridge the gap between him and Seo Gihyuk. Without realizing that he would end up handing over his livelihood to Seo Chang, he just wanted to curry favor with a powerful figure in Seo Chang Construction.

When Taehan first took an interest in the art forgery business, he thought it would be better to do so. By connecting Seo Gihyuk with Choi Beomsik, Taehan could completely withdraw from the risky and unpredictable business of art forgery.

But at some point, Taehan’s mind changed. Even if he handed over the art business to Seo Gihyuk, he wanted to be the one overseeing it. After quickly seizing the business rights from Choi Beomsik earlier than planned, Taehan reported to Seo Gihyuk with as dry a tone as possible.

— About that art business you wanted me to look into. I signed the transfer documents today.

— Already? Wow, you’re really quick, aren’t you.

Seo Gihyuk was visibly delighted. A few days prior, he had bragged to Taehan about inviting art world acquaintances to see Dawon’s painting, and none of them recognized it as a forgery; they only praised it.

Perhaps excited by the prospect of the forgery business being not just a facade but quite a lucrative venture, he asked Taehan various questions with an excited tone.

— The more I think about it, the better this business seems. I heard from people at auctions that paintings go for gold prices. When are we officially taking it over? We’re keeping the business location and the staff, right?

Taehan was momentarily taken aback. He had managed both the organization’s operations and Seo Gihyuk’s personal assets, but it was rare for Seo Gihyuk to ask such detailed questions about the work.

— Ah, you mean the staff…

— Yeah. It’s not like these paintings are churned out in a factory. There must be someone painting them. Their skill must be impressive.

— Well, about that, it’s called a business, but it seems to be running on a very ad-hoc basis right now without any real system. I’ll tidy it up, put some plans in place, and report back when it’s neat.

Taehan dodged the question. There was no plan. The essential personnel for that business was strictly one – Kwon Dawon. Once he decided to hand over the art business to Seo Gihyuk, he would have to hand over Dawon as well.

That was Taehan’s initial plan. He had considered using Dawon for his own purposes eventually, but at least for now, Dawon had to keep painting forgeries. Until someone else could take over the work or until Taehan secured control over the organization.

But now, even the ‘for now’ was starting to feel unpalatable. Just imagining Seo Gihyuk looking at Dawon was irksome. Seo Gihyuk seemed to sense something from Taehan’s wavering eyes; his snake-like gaze sharpened briefly before he grinned.

— Yeah. I’ll leave it to you, Taehan.

Afterward, Taehan had been fervently looking for someone to take over the art production. He planned to secure a large number of replacements to pull Dawon out of it as quickly as possible. And now, with Choi Beomsik suddenly intruding, it was an unwelcome development.

Taehan, with a fierce look, turned up the volume on the video. Seo Gihyuk, who had openly treated Choi Beomsik like an unwelcome guest, uncrossed his arms at the mention of ‘art dealing.’

— Ah, I’ve heard a lot about that. That painting, is it?

— Yes, yes, of course. Oh my, if I had known it was for Director Seo, I would have prepared something even better, but I didn’t have anything on hand.

When Seo Gihyuk pointed at the painting in the living room, Choi Beomsik nodded eagerly. Seo Gihyuk’s face showed undisguised interest. Being excited about the value of his own painting, the promise of something even better was enticing.

— I see! My apologies for not recognizing you as a business partner.

— Oh, no need to apologize. It’s my fault for coming unannounced. Here’s my card. And this is a small token; I felt bad coming empty-handed… Hehehe.

Choi Beomsik, bending nearly 90 degrees, handed a gift box to Seo Gihyuk. Taehan, squinting at the box on the screen, was dumbfounded. It was the natural wine Taehan had given to Choi Beomsik.

Since it was meant to be used to silence Seo Gihyuk if necessary, it had found its way back to its original owner. However, it was irritating that Choi Beomsik had prepared exactly what Seo Gihyuk would like.

Even without anyone’s advice, Choi Beomsik would have acted to get into Seo Gihyuk’s good graces.

The reason Taehan was able to completely manipulate Choi Beomsik shortly after meeting him was because he was a familiar type. Except for the fact that Seo Gihyuk liked to act more sophisticated, they were the same kind of person.

‘What’s he thinking, sneaking in there? Get to the point.’

Taehan’s eyes were bloodshot as he looked at his phone. The sight of the two men in the video laughing and exchanging meaningless talk was revolting. After lavishing Seo Gihyuk and his house with praise, Choi Beomsik cautiously began.

“Actually, about that art dealing business. I thought we needed to discuss it, so I came here despite the rudeness.”

“Ah, that matter. Didn’t you discuss it with Director Ryu?”

The moment Taehan’s name was brought up, Choi Beomsik’s face contorted slightly, but he quickly regained his fake smile.

“It’s a very sensitive business, so I thought there were things I needed to discuss directly with Director Seo, who has a deep understanding of art.”

“Is that so? Well, I wouldn’t call it deep understanding… Hehe. Please, have a seat.”

Seo Gihyuk gestured to the living room sofa, but Choi Beomsik shook his head, continuing to flatter.

“Oh, no, I shouldn’t impose after coming unannounced. There’s a really nice place nearby I know; how about we talk more comfortably there?”

The ‘nice place’ Choi Beomsik referred to must have been a certain kind of establishment. Seo Gihyuk, never one to refuse such temptations, nodded begrudgingly, and the two, now on good terms, soon disappeared off-screen.

“Ha…”

A deep sigh welled up from within. Taehan, holding the cigarette pack, walked through the living room and garden to the front gate.

“Gwangwoo.”

“Yes, Director Ryu.”

Even at the quiet call, Gwangwoo immediately came to Taehan and lit his cigarette. Taking a deep drag and exhaling, Taehan gave a short directive.

“Check what that youngest one is up to these days.”

Taehan could quickly guess who had connected Choi Beomsik with Seo Gihyuk. Someone who knew about the art business, had some information on Seo Gihyuk, and had a motive to get back at Taehan. The intersection of all these conditions pointed to one person.

After being kicked out by Taehan, it seemed the youngest had been grinding his teeth quite a bit. Did his mind work well only when he was screwing someone over? The feeling of being one-upped was not pleasant.

‘No need to worry about it. He’s someone I’ll crush eventually anyway.’

Though Taehan never openly took action, he never left any member who fell out of his favor in peace. Gangsters living as if they were offering their lives were easily toppled into the gutter with just a nudge.

From the moment he sent the youngest to Seo Gihyuk’s side, Taehan had already decided to eliminate him. It was a task he could do immediately if he wanted, but he had left him alone thinking there might still be some use for him.

“Phew…”

Even after setting aside his irritation with the youngest, an inexplicable anxiety remained. Taehan always made plans and executed them, but every plan had variables. It was rare for everything to go exactly as desired.

Even if one or two minor things went wrong, it was enough as long as the end result was what he wanted. There was no need for anxiety or displeasure.

The organization’s succession process and laundering the assets from Guyeong to register them under his name were all going according to plan. The only noise was coming from the art business, which he didn’t even consider that important.

Yet, Taehan felt as if everything was going haywire. The most prominent emotion he felt now was anger towards Choi Beomsik. Looking at the gloomy studio window of the house across the street, his anger intensified, and even the taste of the cigarette seemed bitter.

‘After locking that smart kid in such a small room to make him bigger, this is how he plays his final card.’

Choi Beomsik’s only leverage was Dawon. He would actively promote Dawon’s existence and his relationship with Dawon to get into the good graces of Seo Gihyuk, who could become a new source of income.

Whether he realized Taehan was targeting Dawon or not, he might have thought that the only way to take Dawon away from Taehan’s grasp was by sticking close to Seo Gihyuk. In the organization, the chain of command was absolute.

‘Maybe I should have killed him back then.’

Taehan fiddled with the jackknife in his pocket. When he had shoved Choi Beomsik into the basement workshop, he thought killing him would complicate things. But reflecting on it now, the scenario after killing him might not have been so bad.

Some troublesome issues would have arisen, but those were trivial. Moreover, if he had done so, Dawon would have seen Taehan as the only one who fulfilled his lifelong wish.

‘…What a pointless thought.’

After indulging in this wild fantasy for a moment, Taehan dismissed it. He couldn’t ruin his life’s plan to play the hero for some insignificant kid.

Besides, Taehan was already the only one for Dawon. Every time he taught him something, Dawon’s eyes sparkled like a baby bird looking at its mother, and now, with his hands burned, he was malleable to touch anywhere.

As he imagined Dawon’s flushed cheeks, the cigarette burned down to a red glow. He almost let it burn down to the filter. As he hurriedly took out an ashtray to stub out the shortened cigarette, Gwangwoo cautiously asked,

“Director Ryu, shall I prepare dinner as usual?”

On days without hospitality appointments, Taehan usually ate simple meals while working. Since he had documents to look over, he was about to nod absentmindedly when a sudden thought made him ask back.

“…How is he eating?”

“As you instructed, he’s eating in his room.”

Taehan had ordered Gwangwoo to ensure Dawon didn’t leave his room unless necessary, and the quick-witted Dawon, understanding Taehan’s intentions, had been staying there quietly.

It wasn’t imprisonment but rather protection for the kid. An omega who freely emits such a strong scent couldn’t be allowed to wander outside carelessly.

He had sent away the youngest, and with only Taehan as the alpha in the house, there was no real reason to keep Dawon confined to his room. However, control was necessary until Dawon learned to contain his pheromones.

‘Teaching him how to contain it… is an option.’

The astute Dawon was already trying to mimic ways to control his pheromones. If given just a bit of technique, he seemed like he could master it immediately. Taehan just had no intention of teaching him that.

Honestly, the fact that the kid ate, slept, and went into heat in his own space provided Taehan with quite a bit of satisfaction. The fact that the kid was waiting for him alone, with nothing else to do, even more so.

Perhaps because he felt disgust towards Choi Beomsik for locking the kid in a small room, or because he had thought about the other paths the kid could have taken, Taehan experienced a strange sense of discomfort, if not guilt.

Just as copying others’ paintings in a small room wasn’t a fitting path for the kid, neither was a life where he could do nothing but be ambiguously manipulated by a gangster. Taehan, setting aside his muddled regret, told Gwangwoo,

“Prepare my dinner there too. I need to eat with him today.”

‘April 5th, the time… 12:48 PM.’

Waking up in bed at noon, Dawon blinked his slightly swollen eyes. Even though he lived in constant tension, sleeping late until the sun was high in the sky still felt awkward.

As he slowly regained consciousness in the bright sunlight, it became difficult to distinguish whether what he was seeing was reality or still a dream.

Each time, what woke Dawon’s mind was the faint scent of Taehan lingering on the bedding. The sweet, clear, threatening, and seductive smell made Dawon realize he was in a different space as a different being than before.

Dawon traced the cold, white sheets with his hand, as if drawing the shape of the flesh he had touched the night before. Then, suddenly worried, he sat up. If he lost focus, he might go into heat unwittingly.

“Phew…”

After days of struggling with pheromones, Dawon had gained some technique. He drank the water placed beside the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed as slowly as possible.

The omega’s instincts upon waking up tried to find an alpha to pair with. Leaking scent was one thing, but once excitement crossed a certain line, he couldn’t even relieve himself. In such cases, there was no choice but to cling to Taehan.

‘If I don’t calm down quickly, it’ll be troublesome again.’

Taehan was truly a mischievous person. When Dawon was trying to avoid him at the beginning of his manifestation, Taehan lingered around like he was setting a trap, but now that Dawon admitted he needed him, Taehan was out every day, returning late at night, always seeming busy.

On days when his body heated up from early morning, Dawon had no choice but to endure by burying his nose in the bedclothes or clothes that still held Taehan’s scent, stretching his neck out, waiting for the sound of his return.

“Mister, I… again…”

It was the same last night. At the sound of Taehan’s footsteps coming upstairs, Dawon couldn’t control the overflowing impulse. Not even able to wait for him to come to the bed, he rushed to the door with an ugly gait.

Seeing Dawon’s red eyes, Taehan clicked his tongue. His attitude was never gentle to begin with, but he became particularly cold when dealing with such matters. He was even crueler when Dawon couldn’t hide his excitement.

“You wanted this, didn’t you? Stand properly.”

“Mister, wait, uh, slowly, hi…”

“While you’re already trembling like this, what do you mean by slowly?”

Last night, Taehan had cornered Dawon against the wall from behind, stirring him up. His words were spiteful, as if to humiliate, and his touch was rough.

Still, Dawon was okay. After all, he was used to humiliation, and since becoming an omega, some part of his mind seemed to have broken slightly because even in such moments, he felt pleasure rather than shame.

What tormented Dawon the most was something else. For instance, last night when his hands, supporting his weight, lost strength because he felt too much.

As his hands slid down, so did his upper body, losing balance and about to fall forward. With his eyes squeezed shut, expecting to hit the wall face-first, Taehan’s large hand came to support Dawon’s forehead.

At that moment, Dawon felt a chill down his spine, not because he nearly got hurt. Taehan’s protective hand felt so strangely. From the slightly sweaty palm, an inexplicable energy seemed to flow into his mind.

“…I told you to stand properly.”

After a brief silence, Taehan muttered lowly. His tone seemed indifferent, but there was a sense of suppressed anger. Dawon thought Taehan was angry at him for not ‘standing properly,’ but Taehan didn’t further scold him.

Taehan’s hand, which had been on Dawon’s forehead, slid down to lift Dawon’s limp hand and placed it back on the wall. After that, his palm stayed over one of Dawon’s hands. The movements of his other hand also became strangely slow and gentle.

“Hah, huh, uh!”

Amidst the shivering from the tingling pleasure at the back of his neck, Dawon’s peripheral vision kept the image of their overlapping hands. Dawon had drawn thousands of hands, but this sight looked so alien. The odd, sticky sensation mixed with pleasure caused dizziness.

The roughness of being thrown onto the bed or the indifference to his pleas to stop were things he could endure. But in moments like these, Dawon lost his bearings.

He didn’t know how to react to the hand that caught him when he was about to collapse to the floor and moved him to a softer place, or the eyes that watched him drink water after his voice had broken.

At such times, Dawon forgot about pleasure, shame, or even the once meaningless humiliation and realized that Taehan’s flesh was touching his.

Even after the moment’s heat subsided, the warmth of the other’s body that had pressed against him seemed to linger as residual heat. It was as if it would be etched into him for a long time, shaking his entire universe, and it was terrifying.

“Ah, hah…!”

Perhaps because his hand was held, last night’s climax came much quicker than usual. However, the exhaustion that made his limbs go limp was the same as always. Although he felt like he might pass out, Dawon forced himself to move.

The first few times, he had lost consciousness without even thinking about cleaning up, but after realizing that Taehan had cleaned him while he was asleep, he had been trying hard to shower by himself.