The living room of a penthouse overlooking all of Seoul.
Shin-Yeon was being lightly carried, cradled in someone’s arms.
From his mouth to his insides, it felt like he’d been soaked in sweet alcohol—his vision spun wildly, everything a complete mess.
How did I end up like this?
“Ah… I drank alcohol? Right, I drank… Who did I drink with…?”
The high ceiling seemed to tilt and collapse down on him, and Shin-Yeon wrapped both arms tightly around whoever was holding him.
Broad shoulders, a warm body, and a faint acacia scent brushing past his nose—his face naturally leaned in closer.
“Haah…”
Burying his nose against the warm skin, Shin-Yeon inhaled deeply, fingers tangling in the hair he could grab.
“Baby shouldn’t drink outside.”
As the early-summer acacia scent relaxed him, before he knew it, he had been carried into a dark, unfamiliar space.
Thump!
“…Huh?”
Dropped suddenly onto a soft bed, Shin-Yeon wobbled as he looked up at the tall man standing in front of him.
“Wow… you’re handsome… seriously… Are you an actor?”
“You drank more than you could handle—how would you even recognize who I am?”
“Nooo… I drank though…”
Mumbling, Shin-Yeon wrapped his arms around the man’s waist.
“Raise your arms.”
Following the familiar voice, Shin-Yeon lifted his arms. His sweater was pulled off, and before long, his pants were removed as well.
In no time, he was left in just his underwear, staring blankly as the man in front of him removed his shirt.
“Why’re you taking it off?”
“You spilled alcohol all over yourself.”
Kyo-Shin answered, having watched Shin-Yeon taste every drink in his house until he got completely drunk.
The reason he hadn’t let him drink outside and had brought him home instead—
was because he didn’t want anyone interrupting their time together.
And for a first time drinking, having him act this cute in public would’ve been… inconvenient.
Sitting on the bed in nothing but underwear, Shin-Yeon made no attempt to hide his pale body, exposing himself fully.
Even as a recessive omega, his pheromone purity was high—his figure slender, waist narrow, carrying a subtle, sensual appeal.
“Hea… head…”
At the drunken, half-coherent gesture, Kyo-Shin leaned down.
Soft hands cupped his cheeks.
“Wow… how do you look like this… handsome, pretty, sexy… damn… my first kiss…”
Muttering to himself with a loose tongue, Shin-Yeon suddenly grabbed Kyo-Shin’s head and pressed their lips together.
Smack.
Feeling those soft lips clumsily moving against his, even biting lightly, Kyo-Shin let out a breathy laugh.
“Ha. You drunk.”
Startled, Shin-Yeon pulled back and stared at him, then stuck out his tongue and licked the inside of his own lips, tilting his head.
“…It’s not lemon? …Wow… that’s a scam!”
“You thought first kisses tasted like lemon? Did baby believe something that naive?”
Looking at Shin-Yeon, who was grumbling about being scammed with a deeply wronged expression, Kyo-Shin lifted him in both arms and laid him down in the center of the bed.
“Why don’t you get some sleep?”
Looking down at him, half-buried in bedding soaked with his pheromones, Kyo-Shin spoke—
but slender arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer.
“I wanna learn kissing… kiss…”
“With who?”
“I wanna… seduce Seo Kyo-Shin with kisses…”
Slurring his words, barely able to keep his eyes open, Shin-Yeon mumbled.
Kyo-Shin cupped the back of his head.
“Why do you have to seduce me? Because Kim Shin-Hee got secretly pregnant and ran away with the father?”
“I… don’t wanna… go bankrupt… If we lose the house… if we lo—lose the house… hng…”
Mumbling, Shin-Yeon suddenly burst into tears, confessing outright that he had to seduce Seo Kyo-Shin to avoid becoming homeless.
“I see. So if the company collapses, you’ll lose your home and end up on the streets?”
“Hic… I don’t wanna go bankrupt… Let’s get married… okay? Let’s get married… please marry me… I’ll do well… hic!”
Sobbing, clinging to him, begging him to marry—Kyo-Shin pulled Shin-Yeon into his arms and gently soothed him.
Cradled in one arm, Shin-Yeon lifted his head, pressing kisses all over Kyo-Shin’s face—
then suddenly shoved him sideways.
Climbing on top of him, he wrapped his arms around his neck, biting and sucking at his lips before pushing his tongue inside.
“…?”
The problem came right after.
After pushing his tongue in and clumsily moving it around, Shin-Yeon froze, then lifted his head.
“I… think I’m gonna throw up…”
“…!”
In an instant, Kyo-Shin shot up from the bed, grabbed him, and ran to the bathroom.
In the end, clinging to the toilet, Shin-Yeon threw up everything—and then promptly fell asleep, his head leaning against the wall.
“This baby kitten really causes trouble in every possible way.”
Kyo-Shin picked up the unconscious Shin-Yeon, rinsed his mouth, washed him, cleaned up the bathroom, and returned to the bedroom.
After bathing him—washing himself as well—he wrapped Shin-Yeon in a large robe and carefully laid him on the bed.
“Mmm… ngh…”
“First time drinking and he goes through all that.”
With only a towel around his waist, Kyo-Shin covered him with a blanket and sat beside him.
Burying his face into the pillow, Shin-Yeon rubbed against it, then grabbed Kyo-Shin’s fingers.
“What am I supposed to do with this troublemaking baby kitten…”
Leaning down, Kyo-Shin pressed a kiss to him, then let his lips trail downward.
As his tongue slowly traced along his long, pale neck, a rich, sweet freesia scent rose.
Bzzzz—
Just as he was about to pull open the robe, intoxicated by the omega’s scent, his phone vibrated.
He considered ignoring it—but it kept buzzing.
Well… there’s time.
“Let’s take our time.”
Picking up the phone, he stepped out of the dark bedroom and answered.
“Where are you?”
“I think we should cancel or postpone today’s blind date.”
“They’ve already arrived. Get here immediately.”
Walking into the living room, Kyo-Shin headed to the bar and picked up the glass Shin-Yeon had been drinking from.
“I’m not particularly interested, so I’ll pass. If it hurts their pride, tell them to arrange another meeting.”
“Y-you—!”
“Has it only been a day or two since you realized I’m a bastard? I’m hanging up.”
Ending the call, Kyo-Shin finished the drink and picked up Shin-Yeon’s phone from the bar.
“Hm…”
Without permission, he unlocked it and opened the messenger app, starting with the friend list.
As he checked each profile one by one, he paid particular attention to the friends who contacted Shin-Yeon frequently.
According to his background check, these were the ones he usually hung out with—both dominant alphas.
[Ji Won-Min: You’re not answering at all. Did something happen? Are you just ghosting? If you don’t reply by tomorrow, I’m coming to your house.]
[Seol Yi-Jun: You’re seriously ignoring me? If I catch you, you’re dead.]
After confirming the faces of those irritating alphas, he quietly installed a location-tracking app on Shin-Yeon’s phone.
And that wasn’t all.
Kyo-Shin drank the rest of the alcohol Shin-Yeon had left and began hacking his phone.
Having learned hacking during his time overseas as a hobby—hunting and cleaning up human trash—he quickly tore through the device.
He brought out a spare phone from his study and synced it with Shin-Yeon’s.
Now, through the synced device, he could read Shin-Yeon’s messages, monitor calls—even listen in.
A cold satisfaction passed through Kyo-Shin’s eyes.
Wearing a smile he would never show in front of others, he returned to the bedroom with the phone.
“Mmh… ngh…”
Shin-Yeon was groaning, clutching his stomach.
Setting the phone on the bedside table, Kyo-Shin murmured with a faint smile,
“This baby dares to jump in and ask me to marry him.”
“Mmh…”
Pulling him into his arms, he leaned close to his ear and whispered softly.
“You made a mistake.”
Even if your family collapses, you should’ve run first.
“What do you think I might’ve done to you, and yet you jump into my arms asking for marriage? Too young to know how to run?”
Looking at the bite-sized baby kitten with fond amusement, he stroked his cheek.
“Should I give you a chance to run? You’re still such a baby—it’s almost pitiful how cute you are.”
***
Unable to endure the pounding headache and burning stomach, Shin-Yeon opened his eyes and slowly looked around.
The bedroom was unfamiliar—luxurious, decorated in black—but far too dark.
“…?”
Sitting in the middle of an enormous bed, he blinked blankly—then noticed the oversized T-shirt he was wearing, practically like a mini dress.
Without thinking, he lifted it—then immediately yanked it back down.
“…Where’s my underwear?”
His pupils shook.
He lifted the shirt again, checking his body carefully, then hesitantly reached down—
“…Nothing hurts… so I just slept… right…?”
Wrapped tightly in the blanket, anxiety rising, he looked up as the bedroom door opened.
Kyo-Shin walked in.
“Sleep well?”
“…Where am I?”
“My bedroom.”
At those words, Shin-Yeon’s eyes trembled.
Realizing he had passed out drunk in Kyo-Shin’s bedroom, his pale face flushed red.
“Baby really shouldn’t drink outside. Your drinking habits are… something. How’s your stomach? You threw everything up—it must hurt.”
“…I’m sorry!”
Finally realizing what had happened, Shin-Yeon panicked and apologized.
Kyo-Shin smiled.
“How does your first time drinking feel?”
“…I feel like I’m dying.”
Muttering weakly, Shin-Yeon watched as Kyo-Shin approached, pulled the blanket away, and lifted him up.
“Let’s get you something to sober up.”
As he was carried out of the bedroom, Shin-Yeon stared at him blankly—then spoke.
“They say… if someone can still smile after dealing with your drunk behavior… you can imagine a future with them. So… please take some time and marry me.”
At the renewed, clumsy flirting, Kyo-Shin replied as he walked toward the dining area.
“Sorry, but marrying someone ten years younger than me makes my conscience uneasy.”
“Ten years isn’t that—”
Before he could protest, Kyo-Shin set him down in a chair and began preparing a hot hangover soup.
“There’s quite a generational gap. If anything, you should’ve been nine years younger instead. Then I would’ve gone straight to registering the marriage.”
While Shin-Yeon’s lips curled into a pout, on the verge of tears—
Kyo-Shin’s face was bright with a perfectly cheerful smile.
“Such a shame. Don’t you think?”