Did he know? Seo Yi Kyung started as though he had been caught hiding something. But the night before, a fever had kept him from sleeping, and today he truly had taken medicine and fallen into a drunken sleep. He parted his lips to explain, only for them to be sealed again.
Was it his imagination, or was Han Seung Jae sucking his lower lip more gently than before? The hand fondling his nipple was anything but gentle. He pinched the raised bud, twisted it, and scraped it with his nail, as though he were restraining himself from doing something more.
"Ah, ngh!"
Seo Yi Kyung's pained moan slipped between their tangled lips.
The feel of Han Seung Jae's erection against his ass made the hair on his nape stand on end. The white agarwood pheromones pouring over him carried an unmistakable desire for sex.
Seo Yi Kyung moved his hand. The fingertips protruding from his cast pressed insistently against Han Seung Jae's chest, but unlike before, he did not pull away so easily.
As his breath began to fail him, Seo Yi Kyung twisted his head aside. The hand kneading his chest slipped out of his shirt and closed around his chin. The captured flesh beneath his jaw stung. Unable even to close his mouth, Seo Yi Kyung could only accept the tongue pushing relentlessly inside.
Only after tangling their tongues to his satisfaction and thrusting repeatedly into Seo Yi Kyung's mouth did Han Seung Jae drag his tongue across the tender mucous membrane and withdraw.
"Haa... Haa..."
Seo Yi Kyung's chest rose and fell rapidly. His eyes had grown faintly wet, blurring his vision. He panted and blinked. Through the haze, Han Seung Jae's eyes showed no trace of satisfaction. If anything, his thirsting gaze seemed to lick languidly over Seo Yi Kyung's lips.
"..."
Han Seung Jae's gaze lingered on the vivid red tongue that appeared each time Seo Yi Kyung gasped.
He felt an impulse to push his cock between those wet lips just as they were. What he truly wanted was to bend Seo Yi Kyung over the terrace railing and fuck him as hard as he pleased.
The intoxicating rose-scented pheromones emanating from Seo Yi Kyung's body were heating Han Seung Jae's blood in a way alcohol could never compare to.
Even if Seo Yi Kyung was not releasing them deliberately, Han Seung Jae could not possibly miss the pheromones leaking from his slickening entrance. He was a dominant alpha. Alphas were generally born with senses that surpassed those of ordinary people. At times, their animal instincts could take precedence. And Seo Yi Kyung was plainly reacting to his scent.
Even so, Han Seung Jae could not ignore the casted hand resting lightly against his chest.
"Dong Hu..."
The bewitching wet lips murmured the name, but the words that emerged were not particularly pleasant to hear.
The terror-stricken face Seo Dong Hu had raised toward him, drenched in blood, flickered before Han Seung Jae's eyes. He felt neither sympathy nor guilt. He merely wondered what expression Seo Yi Kyung would have made if he had witnessed it. Would he have burst into tears? Would he have clung to Han Seung Jae and begged him to stop?
Han Seung Jae did not interrupt. He waited as though inviting Seo Yi Kyung to continue. Perhaps he would hear the answer he wanted.
"Are you going to give my brother money?"
Seo Yi Kyung's eyes wavered almost imperceptibly. He did not want to call Seo Dong Hu his brother, but in this world, they were undeniably bound by blood.
"I..."
As Seo Yi Kyung hesitated, gauging Han Seung Jae's reaction and debating whether to continue, Han Seung Jae cut him off.
"Should I?"
Seo Yi Kyung blinked beneath lowered lashes. Shadows fluttered beneath his eyes. There was no chance Han Seung Jae did not know what had happened in the house today. Even if Butler Do had not told him, someone else certainly would have.
Han Seung Jae stroked Seo Yi Kyung's slender waist with both hands. Seo Yi Kyung's hips twitched. The erection pressing beneath his thigh was even larger than before.
"Tell me."
Han Seung Jae leaned closer. That alone was enough to overwhelm him. The hand stroking his side slipped beneath his shirt. Han Seung Jae seemed more composed than before, but the same could not be said for the cock rubbing against Seo Yi Kyung's thigh. It felt ready to tear through their clothes and thrust inside him at any moment. The distance between their lips gradually narrowed until they were almost touching.
"You can ask for more than whatever number you have in mind."
Seo Yi Kyung's spine stiffened. There was a peculiar power in Han Seung Jae's low voice. His penetrating whisper was so sweet that it made Seo Yi Kyung want to accept the offer, yet it frightened him at the same time. Perhaps that was because he knew exactly what kind of man Han Seung Jae was.
He could raise someone consumed by ambition to unimaginable heights, but he could just as easily smash them mercilessly into the ground.
Seo Yi Kyung's lips parted slightly. Han Seung Jae had loosened his grip on his waist and was grinding his erection against him. The hard intrusion jabbed at the inside of his thigh. As Seo Yi Kyung tried to brace his legs and rise, Han Seung Jae tightened the hands around his waist.
The movements of Han Seung Jae's hips grew more sensual. If not for the clothes between them, he would already have spread Seo Yi Kyung open and driven inside.
Seo Yi Kyung's chest swelled slightly with every breath he drew. The flood of white agarwood pheromones made his head spin. Han Seung Jae was clearly misunderstanding something. Before their lips could meet, Seo Yi Kyung spoke quickly.
"No. Don't give my brother any mon—ngh... money."
A short moan slipped into the words when Han Seung Jae ground against him. At the same moment, their lips brushed and parted. Han Seung Jae leaned back and studied Seo Yi Kyung's face carefully.
Seo Yi Kyung's face was flushed. Han Seung Jae had rubbed his cock against him while releasing pheromones without restraint, so it was only natural for an omega's body to react.
"Why? He's your family."
Seo Yi Kyung sucked in a breath and held it. As though demanding an answer, Han Seung Jae thrust his hips upward.
Seo Yi Kyung pitched forward. Both arms dropped onto Han Seung Jae's shoulders as he tried to steady himself. Their chests nearly met.
"They don't matter to me anymore."
He had never needed a family like that in the first place.
Seo Dong Hu extorted money from "Seo Yi Kyung" and used it to launch one business venture after another. He insisted on copying everything other people did. Whatever anyone else possessed, he had to seize for himself by any means necessary.
Naturally, none of Seo Dong Hu's businesses succeeded. Every venture he touched collapsed. As the amounts he demanded steadily grew, he eventually began frequenting the poker rooms of casinos in Macau, the world's largest gambling city. He remained firmly convinced that one big win would recover all his losses at once.
Seo Dong Hu came more and more often, while "Seo Yi Kyung," forced to plead with Han Seung Jae each time, was slowly eaten alive by anxiety. The endless cycle had seemed impossible to break.
No. It was a relationship that could end only with "Seo Yi Kyung's" death.
Rain had been falling since morning. Seo Yi Kyung rose from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled back the curtains and looked out at the terrace.
That night, Han Seung Jae had not stopped Seo Yi Kyung from returning to the bedroom. Even after Seo Yi Kyung hesitantly climbed into bed and lay down, Han Seung Jae had remained where he was.
Seo Yi Kyung awkwardly showered using only his left hand. It took longer than usual, but he was gradually becoming accustomed to it. He put on a shirt, lightly wrapped a towel around his damp cast, and opened the door.
His wrist did not hurt. Something else was bothering him far more.
Whirrr—
Butler Do, who had been waiting in the dressing room, repeatedly aimed a hair dryer at Seo Yi Kyung's hair and arm. In front of them, the housekeepers were sorting through suits Seo Yi Kyung might wear.
Seo Yi Kyung thought anything would be fine, but Butler Do apparently felt very differently.
"Director Han left this morning in a black suit. Therefore, if you were to wear a white suit..."
Seo Yi Kyung shook his head.
Wouldn't that make me stand out even more?
Seo Yi Kyung chose a navy suit. Butler Do pleaded with him several times, but Seo Yi Kyung remained firm. Still, to accommodate Butler Do's wishes, he selected a white shirt.
Butler Do looked gloomy as he reluctantly helped Seo Yi Kyung into the navy suit. The vivid handprint Seo Dong Hu had left on his cheek a few days earlier had faded considerably.
"Then how about this tie?"
Butler Do held out a glittering, pearl-flecked tie. Avoiding it, Seo Yi Kyung reached out with his left hand and selected the plainest matte tie he could find.
"I think this one will do."
Everything in the dressing room was expensive anyway, so there could hardly be any issue with it.
Butler Do tied it around Seo Yi Kyung's neck, studying the white dress shirt, navy vest, and nearly matte tie. Seo Yi Kyung lightly adjusted his hair while looking at himself in the full-length mirror.
Butler Do stepped closer and fastened a belt around his waist. A watch was added to his left wrist. Then, just as Seo Yi Kyung was about to leave, Butler Do blocked his path and carefully affixed a tie pin as well.
"I don't think you need to go this far."
"You must also consider Director Han's reputation."
After being refused several times, Butler Do finally revealed what he was truly thinking. Seo Yi Kyung calmly lowered both hands. Butler Do draped the suit jacket over his arm.
"The car is waiting."
Seo Yi Kyung looked down at the watch he still found unfamiliar because he rarely wore one. No matter the angle from which he viewed the platinum watch, its diamonds sparkled. The ring on his finger also gleamed in a multitude of colors.
Seo Yi Kyung stepped out into the garden. Butler Do angled the umbrella closer to keep the rain from reaching his shoulders. The two climbed into the sedan.
As they passed through the busy city streets, Seo Yi Kyung stared vacantly at the people hurrying along beneath their umbrellas.
By then, evening had fallen and dusk had settled over the city. The art museum exhibition had been scheduled around Han Seung Jae's itinerary, so their visit would take place near sunset.
The closer they drew to their destination, the more often Seo Yi Kyung swallowed against his dry throat. It would have been a lie to say he was not nervous.
"We're here."
Butler Do hurried around to the opposite side and opened the door. As Seo Yi Kyung stepped out of the sedan, Butler Do raised an umbrella and glanced around.
At that moment, Seo Yi Kyung's gaze fixed on a single spot. The rear door of a sedan glowing beneath red lights opened, and a long leg emerged first. The polished toe of a derby shoe touched the rain-slick pavement. Secretary Park tilted the open umbrella in his hand.
Han Seung Jae stepped out of the car and looked back. The immaculate black suit draping his broad shoulders did not show a single flaw.