Seojin looked back and forth between Euni and the last stall in the restroom. The sweet omega pheromones were still faint, but unmistakably present.
‘No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem like something Euni should see, right?’
But it also wasn’t something he could simply pretend not to notice.
‘Yoon Haegang is outside.’
He had only stopped paying attention because of Euni, but Seojin had noticed someone following behind him too. Besides, in the original novel, didn’t Shin Seyoung meet Yoon Haegang after coming to fill in for a part-time shift and suddenly going into heat?
This was right before that happened.
‘Since things have already turned out like this, I might as well just deal with it quickly.’
Sighing inwardly, Seojin whispered into Euni’s ear.
“Euni, I think there’s someone sick farther inside the restroom.”
“Sick?”
Euni’s eyes went round.
“Euni will help!”
At her small but determined declaration, the corners of Seojin’s mouth curled upward.
“Yeah. Dad would really appreciate it if Euni helped. But we don’t know what’s going on yet, so Dad needs to check first. Before that, can Euni wait outside for a little while with the boss mister?”
“Boss mister?”
“Yeah, you saw him earlier, right? The really handsome one.”
“Mmm…….”
Euni pursed her lips as though thinking it over. Then her little head bobbed up and down. Seojin patted the admirable child on the back, took a deep breath, and stepped outside.
Sure enough, Yoon Haegang was standing there with the documents in one hand and his arms folded.
‘He really was waiting.’
A small chill ran through Seojin at how events were somehow following the original story anyway, but he forced himself to act calm as he approached.
“Are you done with your business?”
Yoon Haegang lazily asked while looking back and forth between Euni and Seojin.
“No.”
“Hmm?”
“I still have something to take care of. Boss, could you watch Euni for just a moment?”
“What?”
Yoon Haegang’s brow furrowed. He was about to say something, but before he could, Euni stretched both arms out and leaned her body forward. Yoon Haegang instinctively caught the small body coming toward him.
“Thank you, Boss! I’ll be right back. Please wait just a moment.”
Thanks to his clever daughter going into his arms first, Seojin didn’t need to explain anything else and quickly turned away. He heard Yoon Haegang let out an incredulous laugh behind him, but pretended not to.
“Excuse me.”
Seojin went straight to the last stall and knocked on the door.
Only a pained moan came from inside. Just in case, Seojin gently pushed the door.
Apparently it wasn’t locked, because it swung weakly inward.
“Hnnngh…….”
Holding his breath against the heavy wave of omega pheromones spilling out, Seojin poked his head inside.
Shin Seyoung, who had been crouched on the tiled floor, startled badly and raised his head.
‘Oh, dear…….’
Seojin groaned inwardly.
A bright red face, wet eyes, a trembling body.
They were unmistakable symptoms of a heat cycle.
“You remember me, right? The one who helped find Kkokko…….”
Lowering himself, Seojin asked calmly,
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
At those words, the dazed gaze fixed on Seojin. Shin Seyoung seemed to barely pull his hazy mind together enough to remember who the person in front of him was, and nodded.
“I-I took suppressants, hngh, but…….”
In the end, tears started falling from his eyes as he spoke miserably.
“I-it, it won’t go away. What do I do?”
“How long ago did you take them?”
“About five minutes…….”
Seojin sighed in difficulty.
Suppressants needed at least ten minutes before they began to take effect.
But the pheromones were already pouring out strongly, and more importantly, Shin Seyoung was a dominant omega, so suppressants alone would have a hard time completely calming it down.
‘The biggest problem is that this place is on a remote mountainside.’
On top of that, because they were holding a VVIP invitation-only event, vehicle access was restricted. Even if they called a taxi, it couldn’t come inside.
There was only one conclusion Seojin could reach.
“It could get more dangerous if you stay here like this. I’ll drive you home.”
Fortunately, he already knew where Shin Seyoung lived, so he figured Shin Seyoung wouldn’t have to think too hard about it.
“I do have someone with me, but he’s a beta, so you don’t have to worry.”
Pointing out the potential problem first, Seojin quickly ran through his options.
If he wanted to take Shin Seyoung out, he first had to get rid of Yoon Haegang, who was currently waiting right outside the restroom.
‘Maybe this actually worked out well?’
Yoon Haegang had to go meet Executive Director Choi anyway, so this was the perfect chance to completely prevent the main bottom and the sub top from meeting in the first place.
“I’ll check what things are like outside first, so please wait here for just a moment.”
Seojin quickly stood.
He gave Shin Seyoung, who still couldn’t hide his anxiety, a reassuring look that said he would come back, then stepped outside.
At the entrance, Yoon Haegang was standing there holding Euni’s hand and looking his way.
‘What the heck, he looks more natural at this than I expected.’
Momentarily impressed by the unexpected sight, Seojin walked over and picked Euni up.
He failed to notice Yoon Haegang slowly looking him over with a strange gaze.
“The urgent thing is taken care of now.”
Holding Euni securely in his arms, Seojin smiled brightly and continued,
“Thank you! Boss, you should hurry and go deliver those documents too.”
An incredulous chuckle burst from Yoon Haegang.
Then he slowly looked Seojin over from head to toe.
The instant Seojin noticed the corner of his mouth slant upward, goosebumps ran down his spine.
His eyes rolled around, suddenly unsure where to look.
‘What did I just do?’
The man in front of him was a sub yandere top famous for being merciless.
And he had just looked that kind of man straight in the face and told him to leave!
Yoon Haegang watched Seojin’s visibly panicking eyes with considerable interest, then shrugged as though graciously letting him off.
“All right. I’ll leave like you told me to.”
With those words, dripping with mockery no matter who heard them, the sound of his dress shoes gradually faded away.
Only after Yoon Haegang had completely disappeared around the end of the corridor did Seojin finally release the breath he had been holding.
“Huah…. H-he left.”
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
“Hm? Ah, nothing.”
Seojin quickly shook his head and met the child’s eyes.
“Euni, can you help Dad with something?”
“Yeah!”
“Good. Dad is going to help the sick person inside walk out, so Euni, you go ahead of us. If you see anyone, tell Dad. You can do that, right?”
“Euni keeps watch?”
“Yeah, Euni keeps watch.”
“Okaaay!”
When Euni answered confidently, Seojin set her down on the floor and stroked her hair.
Then, holding Euni’s hand, he went back into the restroom.
When they reached the last stall, Shin Seyoung seemed to have regained some awareness in the meantime and was sitting on the toilet.
Seojin took off the outer garment he was wearing and draped it over Shin Seyoung’s head.
His face made it obvious to anyone that he was in heat, so there was no helping it.
“Let’s go.”
Seojin firmly supported Shin Seyoung and helped him to his feet.
Euni walked ahead, looking this way and that.
Seojin followed behind her.
The gallery entrance was right in front of them.
Just as Seojin was about to step outside while readjusting his hold on Shin Seyoung, whose legs had gone weak from the heat, Euni, who had been walking ahead, stopped.
“Euni?”
Euni didn’t seem to hear Seojin calling her in confusion.
She was standing there with her mouth slightly open, staring upward blankly.
Seojin looked in the same direction and immediately grimaced.
Yoon Haegang, whom he had thought had gone back to Executive Director Choi, was standing there.
Smiling broadly, he slowly approached Seojin.
Then his gaze fixed on Shin Seyoung, who was leaning against Seojin and breathing heavily.
“What’s this one now?”
He’s talking about a person like they’re an object again!
Seojin’s brow twitched on its own.
“What do you mean, ‘this one’? He’s sick, so I’m helping him.”
“Ah?”
Yoon Haegang tilted his head to one side.
“Because he’s an omega in heat?”
Struck directly where it hurt, Seojin stammered without meaning to.
“N-no. He’s just, um, not feeling well…….”
It was an excuse so clumsy that anyone could see right through it.
There was no way sharp-eyed Yoon Haegang wouldn’t notice how poor it was.
Under the stare boring into his forehead as though it might pierce straight through, Seojin decided there was no point and simply tried to walk past him.
But he failed when Yoon Haegang moved sideways and blocked his path.
‘This is bad.’
It was right at that desperate moment.
“What is going on?”
A low, powerful voice rang out, seeming to seize control of the entire space.
Everyone’s gazes turned in that direction at once.
Hair swept neatly back without a single strand left down.
A tailored suit radiating restrained elegance.
A sculpted, handsome face and solemn eyes.
If Yoon Haegang gave off the dangerous, sexy air of a carnivorous predator, this man had an aura that was gentlemanly yet arrogant.
The moment Seojin noticed the small lightning-shaped scar on the man’s right temple, his heart dropped.
‘Gasp, it’s Choi Moonhyeok!’
In front of him was Yoon Haegang, the sub top.
Behind him was Choi Moonhyeok, the main top.
And the person in his arms was Shin Seyoung, the main bottom.
Standing quite literally in the middle of the storm, Seojin bit down hard on his lower lip.
‘I’m screwed.’