“It wouldn’t do if Daddy didn’t come, right?”
Angela nodded in response to the question, eyes fixed on him. It felt as though his daughter had just been taken hostage—but what could he do? With a reluctant expression, Seol Yu-jin rose to his feet, only for Winston to suddenly extend a hand toward him. What now? His expression betrayed his feelings entirely, but instead of answering, Winston leaned in and grasped Yu-jin’s hand. Startled, Yu-jin immediately tried to pull away, but Winston intertwined their fingers and held on tightly. In the blink of an eye, he had become a second hostage. Winston turned and began to walk, practically dragging Yu-jin along with him.
What the hell is going through this guy’s head?
Instead of taking the stairs, Winston led him to the elevator and descended to the lower floor. When the doors opened, they were greeted by a lavishly decorated interior. A low whistle of admiration slipped from Yu-jin’s lips before a memory rose in his mind. For the past several days, the household staff had been bustling all throughout the mansion. This must have been the result. The thought almost made him sigh. The grand, towering estate had been transformed into a full-blown Christmas wonderland. Decorations celebrating the holiday adorned every corner. Hanging around the chandelier was an enormous ornament of Santa riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Large and small orbs, glittering like snow, dangled in uneven patterns. Angela clapped her hands in delight at the whimsical frames and ornaments scattered throughout, but Yu-jin, imagining just how much work the staff must have put into this moment, felt a pang of sympathy instead.
“Is it always like this?”
Winston glanced down at him as if to ask what he meant, and Yu-jin lowered his voice.
“Do you go all out like this every Christmas?”
“Of course.”
“What?”
He frowned at the offhanded tone but didn’t get a reply. Instead, Winston gave his hand a firm tug.
“Whoa!”
The one who cried out was Angela. The child’s eyes went wide as she gazed upward, and Yu-jin instinctively followed her gaze—then widened his eyes just the same. Towering even taller than Winston stood a massive birch Christmas tree. The sheer size and presence of it rendered Yu-jin speechless. All he could do was stare. Angela, too, was in awe.
“I’ve never seen a tree this big before.”
Staring up at it with her mouth agape, Angela didn’t even notice when Winston smiled and asked her a question.
“Want to place the star at the top?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes grew rounder in disbelief, but before she could say anything more, Winston had already scooped her up with both arms—as if he’d been waiting for this exact moment. As a result, Yu-jin’s hand, still locked in Winston’s until that point, was suddenly left dangling in the air. Blinking down at his now-empty hand, Yu-jin self-consciously clasped it with the other and turned his head toward the child.
“Wow!”
With Winston’s arms stretched all the way up, Angela soared high—so high it made Yu-jin dizzy just watching her. She felt farther away than the star she held in her little hands. But Angela was far braver—and far bolder—than he was. Eyes sparkling with excitement, she carefully reached up and fitted the star onto the very top of the tree, beaming with joy. Winston waited until it was firmly in place before gently lowering her back to the floor.
“Good job, Angie.”
Winston, who had been about to affectionately pat the child’s head with a smile, froze mid-motion. Angela was sporting the pretty princess hairstyle Yu-jin had braided for her earlier. As if terrified he might ruin it, she quickly raised both hands to shield her hair. Watching her, Winston awkwardly withdrew his hand.
There was something oddly bittersweet about the scene. Of course, Yu-jin was the only one who felt that way. After all, he was the only one who knew they were truly father and daughter.
A bitter taste rose in his mouth, but he turned his head as if nothing were wrong. Winston looked down at the boxes covering the floor and asked,
“Shall we start decorating the tree together? Angie, will you take care of the bottom part?”
He placed a box in front of her, and Angela eagerly nodded before quickly grabbing a handful of ornaments.
While Yu-jin stood awkwardly to the side, Winston looked over at him and said,
“You take this section here to here.”
He motioned with his hand to indicate a portion of the tree. Yu-jin frowned and asked, clearly unenthusiastic,
“You want me to do it?”
Winston replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world,
“Decorating the tree is something families do together, right?”
“Yup, that’s right!”
With even the child chiming in, Yu-jin had no room to object. Sighing deeply, he trudged over to them, face full of reluctance. Winston handed him another box.
“Here, this one’s yours.”
“Haaah…”
Letting out a loud sigh, Yu-jin slowly began hanging ornaments on the tree. Naturally, the highest parts of the tree were Winston’s domain.
“You better not cry, you better not pout~”
Angela suddenly broke out into song. Fair enough—this was her first time experiencing something like this. Yu-jin took it in stride, finding it endearing.
The real problem came next. Winston, of all people, started humming along, echoing her carol.
“What… are you doing?”
As if sensing Yu-jin’s eyes on him, Winston turned his head and furrowed his brows.
That expression made Yu-jin realize just how utterly horrified his own face must have looked.
“Why the hell are you singing all of a sudden?”
He asked in a low voice. Winston, still looking confused, replied,
“Because… it’s Christmas?”
Yu-jin blinked at him in stunned silence, then abruptly shook his head like a dog shaking off water. Ignoring the stare still fixed on him, he buried himself in the task of decorating the tree—determined not to be swayed no matter what he heard next.
That resolve, however, didn’t last even a full minute.
“How’s your body feeling?”
“H-Huh?”
The sudden question startled Yu-jin so much that he dropped a bell ornament. Winston caught it quickly and extended his hand to return it. Yu-jin mumbled a quiet Thanks, as he reached out to take the bell from Winston’s palm.
He heard the words, but his heart was pounding like crazy. What is this? Was Winston asking about Angela?
Yu-jin, still unable to figure it out, stared at him in confusion. Then Winston said,
“You said you had a cold.”
Ah… Only then did Yu-jin remember.
Down below, Angela was still singing her heart out. This time it was Silent Night, Holy Night.
“Are you sure you don’t need a doctor? I heard you refused earlier.”
Winston’s voice cut through the bold chorus of carols. Yu-jin quickly averted his gaze and answered,
“I-I’m fine.”
He forced himself to speak as casually as possible.
“I rested a lot, and I’m already better. There’s no need for a doctor.”
Even as he replied, Yu-jin deliberately busied himself with the ornaments, acting as if decorating the tree were the most important task in the world. Winston silently watched him for a moment, then said,
“Alright.”
That was all. As if nothing had happened, Winston returned to hanging ornaments.
Yu-jin stole a glance at him and, seeing no particular reaction, exhaled a quiet breath of relief.
Even though he’d taken suppressants, a faint trace of pheromones still lingered around him. The heat cycle must be drawing near.
At this rate, the medication might not hold.
It was a relief things had calmed down for the moment, but this was only a temporary fix. If he let himself get swept up in the moment again like last time, there would be no turning back.
Now, he could even smell Winston’s pheromones.
And if that’s the case—could he really reject him?
Yu-jin.
A low whisper echoed in his ears—just a hallucination, surely—but it made him sharply suck in a breath. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might break through his ribcage.
His hands trembled as he reached up to hang an angel ornament on a branch, but right then, his eyes met Winston’s from across the tree.
And just like that, both men froze, unable to look away, locked in place as though time itself had stopped.
Suddenly, Yu-jin’s pheromones thickened in the air. As if inviting Winston in.
And it wouldn’t be wrong to call it that. After all, an Omega’s pheromones naturally released themselves to entice the Alpha standing before them.
“Daddy, are you sick?”
Even Angela seemed to notice the scent, tilting her head up with concern.
Yu-jin, panicked, opened his mouth to reassure her—but no words came out.
He couldn’t trust what kind of sound might escape if he tried. What if it came out as a moan?
The very idea was mortifying.
Angela continued to stare up at him with worried eyes. Yu-jin, flustered beyond belief, slapped a hand over his mouth—
—and in that moment, Winston suddenly swept him up into his arms.
