Yeonwoo kept checking the guest list, confirming which attendees had already arrived and which hadn’t. Judging by the time, it looked like a few of them weren’t coming. He made a note of those names and gave advance instructions to the security guards at the entrance: if any additional guests showed up, they were to contact him immediately.
Up to that point, everything was going smoothly. None of the guests were causing trouble, and the sea was calm. The yacht barely rocked.
The only thing that felt different from other parties was how separate the guests seemed from one another. At most social events, people gathered in small or large groups to socialize or exchange information—that was usually the whole point. But here, there was none of that. There weren’t even that many people out on the deck. Though the air was tense with the pheromones that apex alphas constantly gave off, they weren’t strong enough to be a serious problem. Yeonwoo almost regretted taking extra suppressants in advance.
Still, the fact that nothing was happening was a good thing.
With that thought, he glanced around the deck—and suddenly, something struck him as strange. There were too few people. The food and alcohol on the tables were untouched, yet there was no one around. A number of details seemed off, but Yeonwoo chose to empty his mind and ignore them. There was no need to point out every little thing. As far as he was concerned, the only thing that mattered was avoiding an incident.
Just then, he saw one couple speaking with another before the four of them headed off toward a cabin. The lounge and interior halls had also been prepared without gaps, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
What if something was missing?
Each cabin had its own intercom, so if guests needed anything, it would go straight to the prep room. Maybe they’d all brought partners and gone off to enjoy themselves. If that was the case, Yeonwoo didn’t understand why they’d bothered hosting a party at all.
Did Keith know what was happening?
The question crossed his mind briefly, but Keith hadn’t been seen either. Yeonwoo chose not to dwell on it.
“Everything looks fine up here. I should check the cabins.”
He spoke aloud on purpose, then walked across the deck with firmer steps than usual. A man reclining on one of the long beach chairs caught his eye—another apex alpha, one of the guests. He was sprawled out with three omegas fawning over him, massaging and licking at his body. Yeonwoo pretended not to see it and hurried toward the elevator, pressing the button quickly.
Only once he was alone did the heat rise to his face. Apex alphas really had no shame. To expose their desires so casually, in a public place—
Was sex really that good?
He tilted his head inside the slowly rising elevator. He’d had sex before, with his former girlfriend, but it had never been so overwhelming that he lost control. If anything, he’d been clumsy, and she had clearly been unsatisfied. They broke up before they had time to grow more comfortable, after arguing over something trivial. That was the end of his first experience.
His next girlfriend had been better. They got along well, spent time together often, and when he confessed, she accepted right away. But the best part had been the kissing. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get used to sex. He thought he’d done his part, but clearly, she hadn’t felt the same. Over time, they grew distant and broke up naturally.
That was the extent of his romantic history. Afterward, he’d been too busy with school to think about dating—and then, he’d suddenly mutated into an omega. Since then, he hadn’t dared start anything with anyone. Dating a woman felt awkward now. Dating a man, terrifying.
As a result, his fumbling early experiences had remained his last. For years, he hadn’t been with anyone.
Ding.
The elevator chimed, snapping him out of his thoughts. A moment later, the doors opened, and he stepped into the corridor on the top deck.
A sweet scent lingered in the air. An apex alpha’s pheromones—familiar and potent. One of the guests must’ve been up here.
The space was quiet. Yeonwoo deliberately cleared his throat to announce himself, but there was no response. Silence settled again. A strange feeling of unease crept over him as he walked, a bit faster than usual. He just needed to check that nothing was wrong and get back downstairs.
Ah.
With each step, the scent grew stronger. He had never encountered pheromones this intense before. Someone was deliberately releasing them. He vaguely recalled a similar moment—when he had first presented as an omega. He’d been drenched in Keith’s pheromones that day. The intensity had nearly knocked him out.
But back then, he was still a beta. He’d only made it home because betas weren’t as affected. That exposure was ultimately what triggered his mutation.
The problem now was that he was an omega. The impact would be far greater. He couldn’t even imagine what might happen. Even though he’d taken extra suppressant doses, it felt dangerous. He covered his nose with a sleeve and instinctively scanned his surroundings. Not far ahead, one of the cabin doors came into view. The pheromones were clearly coming from there.
He hesitated. Maybe he should turn around and get back in the elevator. But this wasn’t really unexpected—he had prepared for something like this. Which meant the best course of action was still to check the entire floor.
But what made him falter was how strong the scent was. His knees were already trembling, and he felt like he might collapse. His breathing grew ragged, but the more he inhaled, the more pheromones entered his system. It was a vicious cycle.
This wouldn’t do.
Yeonwoo gave up and quickly turned on his heel. He needed to get out of there. He couldn’t think about anything else. His once-steady footsteps turned loud and uneven as he moved quickly down the corridor—only for a door to open behind him.
“You brought it? Hey, where are you going?”
The high soprano voice made him freeze. He knew it instantly. The woman kept shouting irritably.
“Can’t you hear me? I said, where are you going?! You showed up, so you should hand it over!”
She must have placed an intercom request. Yeonwoo had no choice but to turn back, breathing hard.
“Miss Abigail.”
He forced a smile, but cold sweat had already broken out down his back, and the pulse in his forehead pounded wildly. She had leaned halfway out of the cabin and blinked wide eyes when she recognized him. But the surprise didn’t last. Her usual expression returned, and her tone grew sharp.
“What are you doing? Why are you empty-handed? I told you to bring champagne.”
“There should be some… already prepared in the cabin.”
She snapped before he even finished.
“Are you an idiot? I asked for more. So what, you didn’t bring any? What the hell are you even doing here, then? If you’re not bringing the champagne?”
Yeonwoo realized too late that his words had been poorly chosen. But his brain felt like jelly—soft and loose—and he couldn’t think straight. All he could do was try not to stutter.
“I apologize. I’ll bring it right away.”
He just wanted to get away as fast as possible. He bowed his head quickly and tried to leave, but Abigail wouldn’t let him go.
“Stop right there. Who said you could leave?”
Her shrill voice was impossible to ignore. If only the hallway had been noisier—but it was so quiet that her voice echoed faintly down the corridor. With no choice, Yeonwoo turned back, still covering his nose with his sleeve.
“Yes, Miss Abigail. Is there anything else you need?”
He managed to keep his voice professional. Instead of answering, she stepped toward him.
She wore nothing but a silk nightgown draped loosely over sheer lingerie that barely covered anything. The level of exposure seemed meaningless to her as she moved without hesitation. Her tall heels clacked sharply on the floor, cold and rhythmic like a ticking clock.
Yeonwoo couldn’t move. He just stood there, waiting for her to reach him.
Abigail finally stopped right in front of him and looked down. She was tall to begin with, and with those high heels, she seemed nearly as tall as Keith—maybe just slightly shorter. Yeonwoo had no choice but to look up at her. Abigail narrowed her eyes and scanned him from head to toe before speaking.
"You. What were you thinking, coming up here?"
"Thinking...? What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb, you little whore."
Yeonwoo flinched. He hadn’t expected her to use that kind of language—especially not directed at him. Blinking in disbelief, he could only listen as she went on.
"You’re an omega, right? I saw you earlier, staring at Keith like you were hypnotized. What kind of ridiculous fantasy were you dreaming about, coming up here?"
So she had noticed his expression earlier. Now that she knew he was an omega, it seemed she’d grown wary. But she had it all wrong. Yeonwoo wanted to tell her that. There was no chance—none whatsoever—that someone like Keith Knight Pittman would ever see him as a sexual partner. He wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but it was hard to breathe, and the words in his head wouldn’t organize themselves.
"You’ve misunderstood, Miss Abigail. I was only checking to see if any guests needed anything—if there were any issues…"
“Ha!”
Her shrill laugh cut him off. Abigail shot him a glare and spat out her words like venom.
"If you’re going to make excuses, at least try to make them believable, you thieving cat. Do you take me for a fool? How dare you spout such blatant lies? Do you really think Keith would touch someone like you? Dream on. What, am I a joke to you? You think you can pull some stunt like this—?"
"What the hell are you doing."
The low voice sliced through Abigail’s high-pitched shrieking.
She turned around abruptly, startled. Standing against the frame of the open cabin door was Keith. Abigail covered her mouth in shock while Yeonwoo stood frozen, staring at him with wide eyes.
His hair was still wet, as if he had just stepped out of the shower. Under the lights, the dark strands gleamed, water dripping slowly down his cheek, past his jawline, and falling straight to the floor. His loosely tied robe exposed the chest Yeonwoo had tried so hard not to look at.
The pale violet eyes dipped behind long lashes, then reappeared. The curve of his firm chest and the damp nape of his neck made Yeonwoo swallow unconsciously. Keith caught the subtle movement immediately—but thankfully, not the reason behind it.
"What do you think you're doing with my secretary?"
His tone didn’t sound much different than usual, but there was a faint irritation in his voice. Abigail scrambled to explain herself.
"Keith, listen to me. This man came up here with some shady intention. Look—he's empty-handed!"
"So what?"
Keith didn’t hide how bothered he was by the conversation. Abigail grew more desperate, pointing at Yeonwoo.
"He came to seduce you! Your rut’s coming soon, and he probably thought he could take advantage of that! Don’t let him fool you!"
She ended with a triumphant tone, but Keith’s reaction didn’t change. If anything, the corner of his mouth curled in scorn.
"What the hell are you talking about? Are you insane?"
"W-what?"
Abigail faltered under the sharpness of his voice. Keith ran a hand through his wet hair, visibly annoyed.
"He's just my secretary. Do I look like the kind of guy who’d sleep with a man? That’s ridiculous."
"B-but…"
Abigail stammered, still trying to argue.
"But… he’s an omega."
Keith bared his teeth in frustration, glaring at her.
"And he’s a man."
Only then did Abigail lose her voice. Keith spoke again, still watching her closely.
"I don’t care if he’s an omega or not. Yeonwoo didn’t come here for the reason you think."
He turned to look at Yeonwoo, as if expecting confirmation. Yeonwoo managed a small nod.
"The guests had all dispersed, so I was checking to see if anyone needed anything… if there were any problems."
Keith didn’t let him finish.
"You heard him. Now quit making a scene and get in here. Unbelievable. What the hell is this situation?"
He truly trusted Yeonwoo. Even if Yeonwoo had come with ulterior motives, Keith couldn’t even imagine it. The reason for that became immediately clear.
"I don’t sleep with men. And Yeonwoo knows his place."
Yeonwoo’s pheromone-drenched brain froze on the spot. He stared at Keith, holding his breath. Keith remained a short distance away, still looking at him.
"Right?"
Abigail held her breath and glanced at Yeonwoo, suspicion in her eyes. Yeonwoo barely managed to speak.
"Yes."
With a shaky breath, he added,
"Of course."
He wished he could have smiled, but he didn’t have the strength. Just then, the elevator doors behind him opened, and the soft rattle of a cart followed. One of the staff had brought the champagne Abigail had asked for.
At the sight, her demeanor changed instantly.
"Darling, I’m sorry. I can’t believe I let myself get carried away like that. Please forgive me. I’ll do anything. You can throw me to the ground and use me like a slave, if that’s what you want…"
Even if she protested, Keith would toss her aside like a rag if he felt like it. Her words meant nothing—just meaningless permission, an empty show. She clung to him again.
Her long arms wrapped around Keith’s neck, and her legs jumped up to hook around his waist. Just like that, the two disappeared back into the cabin. Yeonwoo stood rooted in place, watching. His vision had gone blurry, though he didn’t know if it was from the pheromones or something else.
“Um, Yeonwoo? Are you alright?”
Only when he saw the worried staff member’s face did he realize how heavy his own breathing had become.
“Y-yes, I’m f-fine.”
But the moment the tension eased, the danger hit him like a wave. Dizzy, on the verge of collapsing, Yeonwoo staggered. But he couldn’t fall here. He braced himself, forcing his body to stay upright.
“I-I’ll head down now. Please give Mr. Pittman the… ch-champagne, and ask if he needs anything else, or if there’s…”
“Yeonwoo, it’s fine, just go down. You’re about to pass out.”
Yeonwoo managed a nod. The elevator felt impossibly far away. The suppressants were useless. He’d been foolish to think double the dose would be enough. He should’ve taken three times, five, ten times more. Dragging his legs, he forced himself to walk.
His mind was a mess.
All he could think about was the suppressants.
He had to go downstairs. Find his briefcase. Take the pills. Calm down. Ask someone for help. Whitaker. Mr. Whitaker. Where had he left the briefcase? Where did he put it? The storage room where staff kept personal items—downstairs. Yes, downstairs. What floor was that again? What floor was he on now?
With trembling hands, he somehow pressed a button. The elevator doors closed, the metal box jolting slightly before moving downward. He leaned against the wall with his whole body. If he sat down now, he’d never get up again. Eyes shut, he waited for the ride to end.
Ding.
“…Haa.”
The elevator chime finally rang, and Yeonwoo let out an involuntary sigh of relief. All he needed to do now was take the pills. He could leave things to Whitaker until he was stable…
It was a simple plan. So simple that it seemed impossible for anything to go wrong.
But he hadn’t realized the trap waiting for him.
As the doors slowly opened, he froze at the dazzling sight in front of him.
A massive pool stretched out before him—twice the size of the one on the upper deck, capable of holding far more people.
…!
And there they were—nearly all the apex alphas who had disappeared from the party above, now gathered here.
The moment Yeonwoo realized this, their pheromones crashed over him all at once.