The furious yelling suddenly cut off.
Seo-jun stood paralyzed on the Persian rug clutching the shredded pillow to his chest.
His ribs were heaving violently; his shoulders shaking.
The angry, indignantly flushed color on his cheeks was swiftly leaving his face, turning to a pale crimson hue.
His big, glistening eyes were pooling with unrestrained tears “I’ve…
I’ve never felt this humiliated before in my life,” Seo-jun whispered hoarsely in sudden emotional distress, the exaggerated outrage vanishing from his expression.
“Do you think this is funny?
That I wanted all this to happen?!” The teasing glint from Tae-hyuk’s eyes vanished immediately.
“I was fine,” Seo-jun choked, a single drop of warm liquid sliding down his cheek as he furiously brushed it away with his wrist.
“I was an ordinary, lowly Beta!
I paid my dues, I worked double shifts to pay my rent, and I kept myself to myself!
I already had enough problems surviving every damn day of my life!
I didn’t ask for my body to betray me, for god’s sake!” He rounded on Tae-hyuk furiously, his voice cracking with the sheer effort of suppressing his emotions.
“If I hadn’t bumped into you that day at the crosswalk, my life would’ve gone on exactly as planned!
But now I don’t even know what the hell is happening to me!” There was a deafening silence as the two stared each other down.
Tae-hyuk finally chuckled darkly and got up from his seat, crossing the distance between them until he stood looming over the smaller boy.
He gently took the shredded pillow from Seo-jun’s hands, tossing it carelessly to the side before settling his large palms on the other’s shoulders.
“If I had known you were a crazy lunatic, I wouldn’t have gotten you an apartment,” Tae-hyuk rumbled in a surprisingly sincere tone.
“None of this is your fault, Seo-jun.
You’re not crazy.” “I’m not crazy?!” Seo-jun repeated, flinching as Tae-hyuk’s palms dug deeper into his shoulders.
“What the hell is happening to me then?!” “You were never a Beta,” Tae-hyuk continued, his golden eyes softening, “you have dormant Royal Prime Omega blood running through your veins, a dying species if you will.
The doctor at the Genetic Center, Dr.
Yoon, didn’t give you medicine for your nerves.
He recognized your royal gene and gave you a synthetic catalyst to break your Heat, so Helix Biotech can extract your Royal Omega essence.” Seo-jun gasped, his breath hitching in his throat.
“He what?!
He poisoned me?!” “He did what he had to do to obtain a Royal Prime Omega,” Tae-hyuk continued, his jaw tightening.
“Those men in the alley were an extraction task force.
When your body rejected the catalyst, your instincts urged you to take a mate to break your Heat so you wouldn’t die from internal combustion, but your body rejected his scent.
I smelt your distress and instinct took over.
Your body chose me to survive.” He ran a hand over his own neck, right where his scent glands were located.
“We are 99.8% compatible, Seo-jun.
A Destined Pair.
Your eyes turned sapphire blue last night because your royal instincts finally kicked in.” Seo-jun was temporarily stunned speechless, his brain short-circuiting in sheer disbelief.
His mouth moved soundlessly for a moment before he finally managed to form coherent words.
“Royal…
Prime…
Omega?
Synthetic catalyst?
99.8% compatible?
Are you freaking insane?!
What kind of bargain-bin fantasy novel is this?!” Seo-jun exclaimed, rubbing his temples.
A dull throb of pain shot suddenly through his skull at the sight of Tae-hyuk’s amused golden eyes “It’s the God’s honest truth,” Tae-hyuk replied smoothly, a glint of mischief flashing behind his golden irises.
Seo-jun groaned in frustration.
“So my body didn’t betray me?” “That’s right,” Tae-hyuk drawled, tilting his head to the side and flashing a devastatingly handsome grin at Seo-jun.
“Your royal instincts were exceptionally bossy, though.
They tossed you to the ground and ordered you to take me by my throat.
My apologies about that.
The last time someone ordered me around, they nearly beheaded me with an ice pick.” Suddenly, Seo-jun’s eyes were burning with an intense, all-consuming rage.
Tae-hyuk’s lips twitched as he watched the young man’s expression transform.
“YOU JUST CAN’T KEEP YOUR PIMPLE-FACED MOUTH SHUT, CAN YOU?!” Seo-jun roared furiously, lunging at Tae-hyuk.
This time, he didn’t waste time trying to grab another pillow.
With balled-up fists, he furiously jabbed them into the larger man’s sides, shaking him with every blow, his dark hair sticking to his sweaty forehead.
Before Tae-hyuk could stop him, Seo-jun seized a fistful of his greased black hair, yanking his head back until he had his ears close to Seo-jun’s pounding heart.
“OW-jun, wait, please!” Tae-hyuk groaned, his hands patting Seo-jun’s wriggling sides fruitlessly.
“I’m sorry, really I am!
I promise I’ll never talk to you about my feelings ever again!
Just stop hitting me already!” “NO, DON’T HURT HIM EITHER!” Seo-jun shrieked hysterically, still vigorously shaking the Vice Chairman by his hair.
“DIE, SCALP, BEHEAD!” He spun the burly man around until he faced the wall, continuing to deliver feeble punches to his ribs.
“I was being sincere when I said all that!
I was shedding REAL tears, and you go and TEASE ME AGAIN?!
YOU’RE SUCH A DEVIL!” Swoosh!
The heavy double doors to the master suite slid open for the second time that morning.
A certain Secretary Kim walked into the suite, his expression as stoic as ever, as he peered at the scene before him.
In his hands, he carried a tablet and a cup of iced Americano.
He stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the sight of the burly business magnate currently hunched over in the center of the room, groaning in pain as a certain bundled up diva vigorously yanked out chunks of his expensive hair while screaming obscenities in three different languages.
When Secretary Kim didn’t move an inch, Tae-hyuk halted his groaning and slowly turned his head to meet the man’s gaze.
“You’re fired,” Kim stated flatly, his gaze flicking briefly to Seo-jun’s wide, panic-stricken face.
He took a slow sip from his iced coffee, watching the frightened young man turn his head to stare at him in confusion.
He then finally placed the cold drink down on a nearby table, taking a long, silent drag through the straw.
“Vice Chairman,” Kim said finally, his tone as devoid of emotion as ever.
“Dr.
Lee has arrived at the private elevator.
He has come to perform the post-awakening medical examination on…
seo jun.” Seo-jun abruptly stopped yanking Tae-hyuk’s hair, his fingers still tangled and sore as he slowly turned his head to face Kim.
His hair was sticking up at odd angles, resembling a certain irate porcupine that lived in the neighborhood.
“He also brought plenty of sedatives,” Kim continued quietly, his gaze locked onto Seo-jun’s large, panicked eyes.
“…in case the patient decides to kill the host before the board meeting at ten.”