Thud.
A violent sound was followed by a stinging pain. When he reached up toward his face, feeling something running down, the tips of his fingers came away stained with fresh blood.
He had asked for all the thorns to be removed—apparently one had been left behind. Only now did the burning pain register. He nearly clicked his tongue without thinking. The woman standing in front of him straightened her posture in high heels and glared at him as though she intended to kill him. Expressionless, Yeonwoo looked down at her and opened his mouth.
“If you don’t like roses, I can prepare a different flower—”
“You crazy bastard, you call that a goddamn apology?”
Hurling curses and stomping in rage, the woman looked nothing like the image of “Hollywood’s most elegant actress” she was known for. Even recalling her recent brand campaign didn’t help make the connection; she felt like an entirely different person. She had struck Yeonwoo in the face, kicked the bouquet of roses to the ground, and was trampling it with her heels while letting loose a stream of obscenities no one could bear to repeat. Suddenly, she shouted:
“I can’t accept this! Get Keith out here right now!”
“As I said before, that won’t be possible.”
Yeonwoo blocked her path with a practiced, professional demeanor. Before she could start cursing again, he continued speaking.
“From now on, if you wish to meet with him, you’ll need to go through me or the legal team first. Mr. Pittman wishes to sever the relationship as quietly as possible. Accepting his goodwill will also be helpful for your career as an actress—”
“Are you threatening me right now? You? How dare you?”
Her voice sparked like blue flame, and she screamed as though to strike him down. Yeonwoo responded without a change in expression.
“I’m simply stating the facts. This is not just for Mr. Pittman’s sake but also in your best interest—”
“Don’t make me laugh. You think I’m going to just sit back and take it like the other bitches?”
She cut him off, shouting.
“I could have a hundred reporters swarming this place right now. I’ll expose everything. I’ll tell them what a lowlife Keith Knight Pittman is, how that fucking bastard used me and threw me away! You think I won’t? Just wait and see. Who the hell do you think you’re messing with?”
Yeonwoo stared at her coldly and replied in an office-tone voice.
“As you wish. I’ll relay your statement to Mr. Pittman as-is.”
For a moment, the woman flinched. She hadn’t expected him to respond like that. Without even the faintest trace of emotion, Yeonwoo continued in a mechanical voice.
“If that’s how you feel, there’s nothing more I can do. Mr. Pittman has already shown sufficient goodwill for the duration of your relationship. If you’re dissatisfied with that, then that too is your decision, Ms. Elisa. In that case, we will assume you are declining the heroine role in In the Rain, With You. Access to the Malibu villa will also be revoked. All personal belongings will be packed and sent to your residence. Additionally, the country club membership and annual usage rights for the J Hotel we agreed to provide will be nullified—”
“W-wait a second!”
The woman interrupted him in a flustered panic. With her face growing pale, Elisa stammered.
“That’s insane. You said you’d give me all that—what do you mean it’s all canceled? Even the role? This is fucking ridiculous. How cheap and petty can you people get?”
“These were compensations for a clean separation. As I mentioned before, this is a contract. If the conditions are not met, it simply doesn’t take effect. We made an offer. You declined. That’s a failed negotiation.”
“I didn’t say no! I just wanted to meet Keith and hear it directly from him—”
Yeonwoo cut in coldly.
“That was also a condition of the negotiation: not to bother Mr. Pittman.”
For the first time, she fell silent. Looking down at Elisa’s now ashen face, Yeonwoo asked:
“What will it be? If you need time to think, I’ll give you three minutes.”
She shrieked in disbelief.
“What? Just three minutes?!”
“I had originally planned to give you twenty, but you already used seventeen.”
He glanced at his watch for emphasis.
“My apologies. You have about two minutes and ten seconds remaining. Please make your decision in that time.”
Her beautiful face twisted in rage. Yeonwoo calmly took out the prepared documents and a pen and placed them on the table.
“Once you’ve made your decision, please sign here.”
Elisa bit her lip hard. Time continued ticking. With thirty seconds left, she snatched the pen. Like she was angrily scrawling an autograph for a bothersome fan, she scribbled her name. Yeonwoo silently waited, then bent to retrieve the signed documents.
Just as he was about to offer a polite “then, I’ll take my leave,” she lifted her head—and hurled the pen straight at his face before he had time to dodge.
***
“What on earth happened to you?!”
The moment she saw him, Emma let out a soprano-pitched scream. Her extreme reaction was understandable, but Yeonwoo didn’t have time to explain. He was already fifteen minutes behind schedule.
Walking quickly, he asked, “Is the meeting setup complete?”
She hurried to follow after him. “Everything’s done just as you instructed. All the executives have arrived… But Yeonwoo, shouldn’t you at least change your shirt—?”
“I’m fine,” he said without hesitation. “Are the printouts done? You made extra copies, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Good. Wait for me in the conference room.”
He nodded briefly and exited the secretary’s office, heading directly toward the CEO’s suite. He had driven like a madman and had only barely arrived in time. There wasn’t even a spare moment to stop by the restroom and check the mirror. Maybe it was better that way. If he saw how he looked right now, he’d probably want to leave work and go straight home.
His eye, the one hit by the fountain pen, was still throbbing. His eyelid felt heavy and swollen. He had a rough idea of how bad his appearance must be, but there was no time to dwell on it. At the end of the hallway, he stepped into the room. Passing his own desk just inside the entrance, he came to a halt in front of the CEO’s office.
Knock knock.
After taking a short breath, he knocked with precisely measured rhythm. There was no reply, but as always, he allowed a beat before reaching for the doorknob.
Just then, the door unexpectedly swung open from the inside. Yeonwoo reflexively stepped back. The man exiting the office stopped mid-step.
“…Well, well.”
A short remark of mild surprise left the man’s lips. At the same time, the sharp scent of an apex alpha’s pheromones surged into Yeonwoo’s nose like an ambush.
This son of a—
He almost cursed out loud without thinking. Hastily, he brought his sleeve to his nose and held his breath. Pale, struggling to suppress the reaction, Yeonwoo blinked rapidly. The man looked down at him with amusement.
Keith Knight Pittman.
The god’s masterpiece, created to show humankind just how unfair the world could be.
His father was the chairman of P Financial, a dominant force in American finance, and Keith himself was the heir to the prestigious Pittman family. At present, he managed an entertainment company. That alone meant he possessed both money and power, but even that wasn’t enough—he also belonged to the ultra-rare class that made up less than 0.1% of the global population: the apex alpha.
A natural-born seducer, an apex alpha’s pheromones were irresistible, and as expected, he had the looks to match. Keith was the kind of man who could steal someone’s soul at first glance, regardless of gender or orientation.
Because of that, ever since Yeonwoo became his secretary, he’d had to constantly clean up Keith’s messes. The memories flashed before him like a panorama, and a surge of anger twisted Yeonwoo’s face.
“You calmed down yet?”
Keith asked, watching him with a glint of amusement. Leaning against the doorframe, his gaze was that of someone watching a particularly entertaining spectacle—nothing more, nothing less. On top of that, Keith looked Yeonwoo up and down without reservation before fixing his eyes back on Yeonwoo’s face.
“What the hell happened to your appearance?”
Though he still wore a smile, the mockery was plain. His gaze brimmed with contempt. As a perfectionist who always kept himself impeccable, Keith couldn’t tolerate disorder in others either. Of course, Yeonwoo had no particular hobby of walking around looking like a wreck either.
Suppressing his anger with effort, Yeonwoo looked up at him.
“Elisa has signed the contract.”
He began the report in his usual firm tone.
“The compensation process will be completed within the week. She also agreed to Mr. Pittman’s request that there be no further contact. The post-settlement contract will go through legal procedures to prevent any potential future disputes—”
“Hey.”
Keith cut him off with a single, curt word.
“Do I really need to know all that?”
Yeonwoo looked up at him silently. Keith’s face, usually expressionless, now showed the faintest trace of irritation. The proof was in the slight furrow between his brows. Catching that detail, Yeonwoo replied in a flat tone.
“No, sir.”
Keith asked again.
“Then do you think I want to hear it?”
Still stoic, Yeonwoo answered, “No, sir. But it’s my job to report it.”
With clear annoyance, Keith pushed himself off the panel.
“Don’t bother reporting boring shit like that from now on.”
What happened to his past lovers was of less importance to him than a speck of dust. Yeonwoo had always known that, but whenever these moments occurred, he still felt a twinge of disgust. And yet, his heart was still pounding at the sight of that refined face—that disgust extended even more toward himself.
“Apologies if I’ve caused offense. The meeting preparation is complete. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
Keith let out a short sigh, as if he found the whole situation ridiculous. As he started walking, Yeonwoo moved to follow—but then, Keith suddenly glanced over his shoulder.
“What the hell are you looking at?”
"I'm following Mr. Pittman."
Yeonwoo answered as he looked straight up at Keith. Keith let out a short puff of disbelief.
"Looking like that? What, are you trying to humiliate me on purpose?"
"Why would me looking like a wreck reflect poorly on you, sir?"
Ah. Only then did Yeonwoo realize—he had just made a mistake. He hesitated for a brief moment, and Keith tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"You’re not dumb enough to actually be asking that seriously, are you?"
"……Apologies."
Yeonwoo immediately bowed his head. Keith still didn’t look pleased, the space between his brows drawn tight, but he turned his head away instead of commenting further.
"Hey."
At the sudden voice, both Yeonwoo and Keith turned at the same time. The person was hidden behind Keith's tall frame, but from the doubled intensity of the pheromones in the air, Yeonwoo didn’t need to see him to know who it was.
Birds of a feather. Keith's friends were just like him.
Another apex alpha, one who possessed outrageous wealth, striking looks, and power. And just like Keith, he played polo. The only difference was that he seemed far more flippant.
Grayson Miller was a man who declared he loved every person he dated—passionately, without fail.
The problem was simply that the love always ended far too quickly, far too definitively.
Once, a woman he had broken up with attempted suicide. The incident became a topic of gossip for a long time—not because of the act itself, but because Grayson had stood right there and laughed.
Laughed like it was the most delightful show he’d ever seen.
<Oh, come on. You're not even worth a speck of dust to me. But if you're going to entertain me for even a minute, sure, go ahead and jump. At least you’d be useful for that.>
That was what Grayson had said to her, and then he'd laughed for a long time—bending over, howling, like it was the funniest thing in the world. Of all the people who’d witnessed it, he had been the only one laughing.
It was the most pathetic end to a love affair Yeonwoo had ever seen. Thankfully, the woman hadn’t followed through, though there were rumors that she underwent long-term counseling afterward. Of course, Grayson didn’t care. He moved on immediately, found another new love, declared you’re not it either the very next day, and began the cycle again.
And yet, with shameless conviction, he always insisted that he loved them—truly. Even with eyes as cold as stone.
"Well, if it isn’t Yeonwoo. Been a while."
Grayson greeted him with a loud laugh. Yeonwoo raised his head indifferently and looked at him.
"Hello, Mr. Miller."
"Call me Grayson, I told you."
Grayson clicked his tongue in disappointment and reached out to touch him. Yeonwoo quickly stepped back. Keith, watching, shook his head.
"Forget it. He’s not a good match for your little games."
"Games? I always love sincerely."
"I’ll have to decline," Yeonwoo said firmly.
Both men looked down at him simultaneously. Standing in front of two nearly two-meter-tall, heavily muscled men was overwhelming. He straightened his spine as much as he could and looked up at them.
Keith stared at him for a moment, then let out a snort.
"I always think this, but your tastes really are peculiar."
"Mine?" Grayson turned to him, genuinely surprised.
Keith openly scanned Yeonwoo from head to toe—slowly, like he was putting a price tag on him. Then he turned back to Grayson and said:
"You’re the only one who’d ever try to pick up someone like him."
Only a man like Keith could say something so insulting with the person in question standing right there. Yeonwoo couldn’t control his expression for a moment. Fortunately, the two were too busy bantering with each other to notice.
"Why not? Oh, right. You don’t sleep with male omegas, do you?"
Grayson laughed as he answered his own question.
"You’re hilarious. You and my younger brother are the only alphas I’ve ever seen who refuse to sleep with omegas. What’s with the aversion?"
Keith frowned.
"Omega or not, they’re still men. I don’t have a fetish for sleeping with guys."
"But male omegas are different," Grayson insisted, slapping Keith lightly on the shoulder. "If you ever try it, you’ll change your tune. You’re missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures, Keith. Truly, it’s a shame."
"Spare me. I don’t need pleasures like that," Keith retorted coldly, shrugging off Grayson’s hand.
"And more than anything, I hate the idea of seeing another guy’s dick. Just the thought of it pisses me off. The fact that you get hard looking at one is what’s weird."
Grayson suddenly burst into laughter, doubling over with amusement.
"Come on, sex with omegas isn’t like that. If you just tried it—ah, if you only knew. Even if he’s a guy, an omega is still—"
He stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at Yeonwoo. Their eyes met—Yeonwoo had been silently watching them both all this time—and Grayson belatedly pulled a sheepish expression.
"Oops. That was rude of me. This isn’t the kind of thing to say here. Let’s talk later."
It was absurd. After saying everything that should and shouldn’t be said, he was suddenly pretending to have manners. And clearly, he didn’t mean it. Yeonwoo said nothing, simply stared, and Keith spoke up instead.
"Don’t worry about it. He doesn’t care about things like that."
He cared very much. He just didn’t show it. This kind of treatment from Keith was nothing new. As always, he inflicted wounds without a second thought.
"You’re welcome to hit on him, but you’ll regret it. He’s the dullest person I know."
"Is that so?" Grayson grinned, then looked at Yeonwoo meaningfully. "He looks like he might be fun in bed, though."
Keith shrugged and walked off like he didn’t care anymore. Grayson waved lightly at Yeonwoo and followed him.
Only once he was left alone did Yeonwoo finally let out a trembling breath and slump against his desk.
Suddenly, he felt damp between his legs. Alarmed, he rushed to the restroom. As expected, he’d started leaking. Expecting manners from arrogant apex alphas was pointless. Those men never hid the fact that they were apex alphas. On the contrary, they flaunted it, releasing pheromones whenever they pleased. They never considered the consequences for others.
"Damn it," Yeonwoo muttered, slumping onto the toilet and urgently running a hand across the front of his pants.
This was the worst.
To hell with apex alphas.
His eyes stung. He bit down on his lip.
Keith.
Just the thought of that man’s scent made his heat cycle feel imminent. Flushed red, Yeonwoo closed his eyes and mouthed Keith’s name.
The image of Keith pinning him down, naked, sent a jolt through his body. His cock hardened instantly, rising straight up.
He grabbed the organ Keith so hated and furiously stroked it. His legs spread on their own, and his entrance was already wet. He wanted something inside, but couldn’t bring himself to go that far. The idea of inserting anything into himself still scared him. He had never even used a sex toy.
But if—if Keith were the one to shove that thick thing inside him—
He’d probably go insane with pleasure.
"Ah, aah… haah…"
He couldn’t hold back and let out broken moans. His hole was flushed and dripping, strands of slick clinging and falling between his legs. Each stroke of his cock made a wet, obscene sound. Yeonwoo rubbed himself like a madman, chasing release.
"Keith…!"
At last, he came, semen spurting as he cried the man’s name. It was always the same. Every time he masturbated, it was with Keith in mind. And every time, he came while calling out his name. If Keith ever found out, he’d kill him with his bare hands.
Haa… haa…
Yeonwoo sat dazed on the toilet, blinking slowly. In his blurred vision, he saw streaks of cum splattered on the restroom wall. He should clean it, but didn’t want to move a finger. It had been so long since he’d pleasured himself like this.
He tried to remember when the last time was, but gave up. His heat cycle was probably approaching. That would explain why his reaction to that man’s pheromones had been so intense. He needed to prepare suppressants in advance.
Phew.
Letting out a tired sigh, he finally stood. His ass was a mess, soaked in slick. The toilet bowl was clouded with semen and fluid. He flushed, wobbled to his feet, and carefully removed his pants so they wouldn’t get stained.
After calling Emma to ask her to attend the meeting in his place, he started cleaning up. Keith’s private bathroom was incredibly useful in times like this. Keith had already left, so this space was his alone.
Stripped from the waist down, Yeonwoo moved into the attached shower, thoroughly washed himself, and even blow-dried the area.
Once he’d cleaned up all traces of the act, he put his pants back on and looked around. The room was, at least outwardly, returned to its usual pristine state—like he’d never just masturbated while fantasizing about his boss. The only exception was his scent.
He sniffed carefully. Nothing. But he couldn’t smell his own pheromones, so there was no way to confirm it. Still, he knew—no matter how many pills he took, the heightened scent after release wouldn’t dissipate right away.
He’d have to skip lunch and stay inside the office until the scent faded. He was too drained to do anything else anyway. After such intense release, he was utterly exhausted. Once the meeting ended, Keith would go out to lunch with Grayson. That would buy him plenty of time.
He locked the office door, set an alarm, and lay down on the guest sofa. Within five minutes, he had fallen into a deep sleep.