“No, it was like that back then. The situation demanded it. I know how hard you’ve worked, Chairman Yang. Let’s discuss it when we meet in person. We have guests here, after all. Yeah… hang on a moment, I’ll switch to someone else down here.”
Yoon Jo-beom, who had been talking for some time, shook his phone in front of Marvin’s eyes.
“Go ahead and take it—Mr. Yang has something to say.”
Yoon Jo-beom’s expression was relaxed as he passed the phone to Marvin. Sure enough, the moment Marvin answered, a tirade exploded through the line.
“Hey, you inflexible bastard! Can’t you read the room? We’re doing everything to entertain them, so why’d you go and wreck the place? I can’t leave my post for this shit. Get those kids back up here at once!”
Just as Marvin expected. He sighed and replied, “Please think this through carefully. If this goes wrong—”
“Think carefully? Fuck, are you lecturing me?”
Marvin frowned, peeled the grease-smudged phone from his ear, and turned his body slightly to lower his voice. The volume was so loud it felt like his eardrums might burst. Yang Jin-man was fiery by nature but sharp with numbers—he wouldn’t stand a loss. Marvin continued, “If this goes badly, you might find yourself summoned to the Daejeon branch again.”
Yoon Jo-beom couldn’t be unaware that a violation caught on him could mean a business suspension—or, at the very least, a hefty fine. He fell silent for a moment; when he spoke again, his tone had dropped.
“Fine… so what do you suggest? I mean, Hwang Yu-sang’s his son—who’s going to report the mayor’s boy? If you and I keep quiet, it’s over.”
“That may be true… or it may not.”
“Or it may not? What the hell does that mean? Just keep those kids in line and open the room. Tell them to hurry up and get on with it, damn it.”
Marvin glanced back toward the sofa behind him, where the young man—high on what looked like a short-acting enhancer—was planting sloppy kisses on the Omega beside him. The so-called “rut-inducing” aphrodisiac wasn’t that expensive, so it flew off the shelves. Lately, more Alphas were seeking it out.
“Are you listening? I said open the doors.”
Marvin forced an apologetic smile. He had no real authority here. The moment Chairman Yoon Jo-beom called the owner, the game was decided. This was Yang Jin-man’s establishment, and he had the final say. Marvin’s job was simply to work for him and distribute the suppressants.
“All right, understood.”
He ended the call and handed the phone back to Yoon.
“Excuse me. We’ll guide you right in.”
Marvin nodded to the staff behind him. Immediately, the private-room door swung open, and the guests filed out one by one, returning their keys. Hwang Woo-tae followed them.
“You bastard.”
He let the insult hang in the air, glaring at Marvin. Then Yoon Jo-beom stood up, buttoned his loosened jacket, and flashed a gleaming smile at the man who had been sitting beside him.
“Shall we, Prosecutor? The facilities are modest out here in the provinces, but the kids are all top-notch—and young, too. Hey—you—what’s your name? You ready to perform today?”
“Yes, I can do well!”
The young man, whose turn he’d been impatiently awaiting, sprang to his feet, cheeks flushed, fists clenched as if determined to prove his skill. The man stayed seated on the sofa, smiling leisurely.
“Am I included, too? It’s not my cycle today.”
By that, he subtly hinted that his rut hadn’t come yet. Yoon Jo-beom sighed.
“Oh, come on. You’d be surprised—who cares about timing these days? When the chance comes, you take it. If you like, I can call in someone else.”
Marvin raised an eyebrow at their banter. Chairman Yoon seemed ready to spend big tonight.
“Is that so?”
Only then did the man rise. He set his untouched glass of whiskey on the table with an expression of amused curiosity.
“Interesting neighborhood.”
His muttered remark reached Marvin’s ears as the whiskey lapped softly in the glass. Thinking back, Marvin realized the man hadn’t taken a single sip all evening. Watching the leisurely retreat of that back, Marvin felt an unsettling chill.
Marvin slipped out the hotel’s back door and lit a cigarette. It was past 1:00 AM, and the lobby guests had largely cleared out. Those in the private rooms wouldn’t need much until morning.
It was tiring whenever the boss was away. Every time Yang Jin-man left, he handed overall responsibility to Marvin, though they were never personally close.
“You’re the smartest one here—long enough résumé.”
Yang Jin-man, ever calculative, had originally hired Marvin as a hotel guard. Though he owed favors to Choi Hyeong-il, Deputy Director of the NIS, he balked at payroll costs until Marvin agreed to work in exchange for occasional suppressants.
“You’re an Omega, aren’t you?”
Marvin fell silent, eyes fixed ahead. Yang Jin-man’s face shifted to one of dawning interest—and then amusement.
“So you caused a stir in Seoul. But tell me, Deputy Director, are Omegas in the intelligence service now? He must be exceptional.”
“Keep his identity confidential.”
“Sure, sure. It’s all fine—but there’s nothing for a guy like this to do here.”
“Put him on security duty.”
Yang Jin-man eyed Marvin’s rumpled suit and disheveled hair, clearly unimpressed.
“It’s just… too civilian-looking. Word spreads fast in this town.”
What bothered him most, though, was Marvin’s presence itself—broad shoulders visible beneath his shirt, thighs like he jogged every morning. Yang Jin-man grumbled.
Choi Hyeong-il scowled.
“Tell him he’s from Incheon—say you’re an old classmate.”
“A classmate? I’m hardly that old. And putting him in the lobby? If the waiters are too good-looking, our guests take offense. We don’t cater to women here—he’s useless.”
“Fine, have him clean, then! Must I micromanage every little thing?”
Choi Hyeong-il’s voice rose in irritation. He was already annoyed at having come all the way to the countryside to make petty requests of someone he barely knew.
Marvin understood his frustration. After all, it was Choi Hyeong-il who’d looked out for him—six years of risking his life deserved some reward.
“Wait patiently. I’ll call you back once things settle. Cutting you loose isn’t easy for me, you know that. Why did I go this far? Even if I hated you, that’s too much.”
“I didn’t kill him. Don’t you still doubt me?”
“I believe you, but… damn. The higher-ups only care about results. Anyway, keep your head down. You know what I mean?”
Stay silent, stay hidden, he’d been told. He’d be reinstated later, but everything—what he saw, heard, endured—was to be forgotten.
He could tolerate most of it, but that last part stung. How could they expect him to forget when his body was in this state?
“Please keep your promise.”
In exchange for staying out of sight, he’d set one condition: the payments had to go through, on time, without fail.
“All right. Just don’t cause any more trouble. And don’t think about coming back to Seoul for a while. But seriously—no samples for you, right?”
Choi Hyeong-il paused at the door, offering what sounded like one last chance. Marvin had heard the question dozens of times already.
“You know it wasn’t mine to begin with.”
“I know. But I keep wondering if that bastard Do-jin left any clue before he died. Damn it, I can’t relax. Anyway, we’ve received nothing. You better stick to that story. Try pulling a fast one on me, and you’ll see—jeeze.”
That was the last time Marvin saw Choi Hyeong-il. He never called again. The operation had failed, and the organization had spat him out, blaming him for everything—even what he didn’t know.
All that remained was a single suitcase of hastily packed clothes and personal effects. He wasn’t even allowed to stop by his home in Seoul.
It was the worst.