Ha-jin, momentarily speechless, raised his wine glass again. Tae-seong filled it without hesitation, as if he’d been waiting for that exact moment. Ha-jin silently agreed with what he’d just said—after all, Tae-seong was the type of man who excelled at everything. The only person at this table hopelessly out of their depth when it came to romance was him.
“We crossed the line, Ha-jin.”
Tae-seong filled his own empty glass to the brim.
“You’re not the kind of guy who’d pretend this never happened. And we’ve got your next heat cycle to think about too.”
Then, mimicking Ha-jin, he downed his entire glass in one go. Only, his pour had been nearly double, so his throat bobbed for quite a while as he swallowed.
“If your next cycle hits in front of some other guy, I won’t be able to sit still. I won’t spare the guy—or you.”
The words, spoken from lips still stained red with wine, were a threat if Ha-jin had ever heard one. It was chilling—like a ghost of Tae-seong’s past self, the one he’d last seen before dying.
Trying to deflect, Ha-jin timidly offered an excuse.
“…As you know, I have a younger brother to take care of.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Tae-seong shot that down without hesitation and let out a laugh—like he genuinely found it hilarious. He chuckled, saying that anyone listening would think Ha-jin was some single dad.
Ha-jin’s eyes drifted to Tae-seong’s neck, where the faint marks were now clearly visible—undeniably left by him the night before.
The wide collar of his robe revealed several bite marks, and some curious bruises Ha-jin had no idea how he’d even managed to make.
He couldn’t pass it off as someone else’s doing either—he remembered it all far too vividly.
Ha-jin had lost control during his heat, biting, licking, and sucking at Tae-seong’s skin.
The more animalistic he became, the more his overwhelming desire seemed to calm. Just like Tae-seong had said, an Omega in heat craved an Alpha’s pheromones like a beast driven by instinct.
He’d never imagined he’d see Cheon Tae-seong like this—his hair disheveled, his skin flushed with hickeys and bruises, utterly undone. Not in his past life. Not in this one..Not even two days ago.
“Your brother probably doesn’t expect you to give up your whole life for him. If anything, he’d want his dumb older brother to enjoy life a little. Hell, he might even be sick of living with you.”
Lost in thought, Ha-jin snapped his head up at the outrageous comment.
“Not true. You don’t know how much Yushin—”
“Anyway, we’re dating now.”
Not fake—real.
Before Ha-jin could even finish defending himself, Tae-seong cut him off with that announcement.
Then, looking completely satisfied with himself, he started digging into his food.
He devoured the meat stew like he was drinking it. The steak, he tore into in massive chunks, barely chewing before swallowing. His smooth cheeks bulged with food as he chewed and gulped it down—somehow both dynamic and slightly terrifying to watch.
If Ha-jin said another word, he might end up like one of those chunks of meat, chewed up and swallowed.
He was utterly overwhelmed. But arguing was pointless. There was no persuading Tae-seong. After all, his life had been turned upside down—not Tae-seong’s.
Of course the man could talk about dating with a smug grin on his face.
But what was he supposed to do now? How was he going to keep paying for Yushin’s treatment?
Ha-jin’s world had been flipped so completely he couldn’t even see a step ahead. How was he supposed to go laughing and smiling, playing at love in a situation like this? He felt like he was floating—detached from everything.
Once upon a time, he’d imagined what life might look like after Yushin recovered, when he could finally quit working as a pheromone manager.
But he’d never imagined that day would come so suddenly, without any preparation. And Yushin still had a long way to go before getting better.
Lost in his thoughts, Ha-jin’s fork slowed. He began picking at his food. Watching him nibble half-heartedly, Tae-seong lifted his wine glass in his direction.
Ha-jin clinked glasses with him, reluctantly.
Tae-seong smiled, flashing his perfect white teeth.
“Just so we’re clear, Manager.”
Every time he opened with that tone now, Ha-jin’s stomach twisted. What was he about to push through now, eyes all sparkling with confidence?
“Lee Ha-jin, the terms of our contract remain unchanged. Got it?”
“…”
“You’re still responsible for my rut. That’s on you.”
Maybe the format would change a little, but—
As he murmured that, Tae-seong reached over and gave Ha-jin’s cheek a light pinch.
“I guarantee it—you’re going to fall for me, Ha-jin. Hard. You just don’t realize it yet.”
So hard, you won’t know what to do with yourself.
With that smug line, Ha-jin couldn’t even muster a response.
Why had the CEO suddenly become so chatty…? All Ha-jin could do was sigh in silence.
***
₩505,890,970
The bank app on his phone displayed the number, and somehow, the screen felt thicker than usual. Must’ve been his imagination.
Ha-jin sat inside the idling car, the air conditioning cooling him off as he glanced between his phone and the scenery outside, heart in turmoil.
He couldn’t help but sigh—but worried the driver might hear, he quickly held his breath.
He turned off the screen and looked back out the window.
That’s when Kim Dae-hong came running across the parking lot in the scorching midsummer sun, carrying a drink tray.
“Here—sweet coffee for Driver Choi, iced tea for you, Manager.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
Ha-jin reached toward the passenger seat to take the drink. The cardboard sleeve was damp with condensation—the heat outside must’ve been brutal.
He’d made it out of the hotel post-heat cycle, and it was already full-on summer.
“Once you’re settled in with your drink, the Director should be down soon.”
Kim Dae-hong gave an awkward smile as he spoke, then cleared his throat a few times.
Ha-jin didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded. His face warmed with embarrassment.
He wasn’t some kid waiting to get picked up by his dad… What kind of ridiculous picture was this?
Tae-seong had, indeed, stuck to his word about not changing the terms of their contract.
The very next morning after they returned home, he sent a car to pick up Ha-jin for work.
So far, that much was normal.
It was only once they’d headed out for a meeting that things started getting weird.
“You stay in the car. With Dae-hong.”
When they arrived at the main Research Center, Ha-jin had grabbed his bag and moved to follow him out—but Tae-seong had stopped him.
“You’re still giving off pheromones. Stay in the car.”
The words didn’t even make sense to Ha-jin at first. While he stood there confused, the door shut. Tae-seong didn’t look back as he walked into the building with his team, and Ha-jin was left behind, staring out the window at his retreating figure.
He’d been locked in the car.
No other way to put it.
But why had Kim Dae-hong been left behind, too?
He was shocked enough to see Dae-hong waiting outside his house that morning. The man wasn’t just any employee—he was one of Tae-seong’s key personnel, the kind who usually stuck to his side like a shadow. Now he was running errands because of him.
It was awkward enough having both Driver Choi and Kim Dae-hong keeping watch over him inside the car… but when Dae-hong got a call from Tae-seong and suddenly said he’d go buy drinks for him—Ha-jin didn’t know where to put himself.
And then, exactly three minutes after he left for the café, a bank app notification popped up on his phone. He checked it without thinking.
“…”
Tae-seong had deposited ₩500 million.
“You win, Ha-jin.”
Was the number five hundred million won also tied to some karmic thread from their past life? Why that amount? Tae-seong couldn’t have possibly known what kind of emotions Ha-jin attached to that number—so it wasn’t like he could be angry with him.
“This is just… overwhelming.”
Ha-jin buried his face in his phone.
Did people with that much money casually express affection through transactions like this?
He tapped open a search bar and typed “Cheon Tae-seong net worth.” The estimated assets listed on Wikipedia made sudden sense of everything.
If you’re that rich, ₩500 million is something you can give away like a gift…?
No! Absolutely not!
Ha-jin slapped his forehead until it turned red.
He’d died in his last life for thinking that way. No growth at all. Get it together, Lee Ha-jin!
Still… Tae-seong wasn’t a bad person. In fact, the one who had locked him up in the previous life was the Chairman—not Tae-seong.
Ha-jin’s mind kept working overtime, trying to find any reason to defend Tae-seong.
“Um… Manager?”
“Yes?”
A cautious voice pulled him from his thoughts. He peeled his head away from the window. Only then did he realize both Driver Choi and Kim Dae-hong were watching him with concern.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Apparently, he’d been fidgeting and flailing around enough for the driver to notice in the rearview mirror. Choi had nudged Dae-hong in the side, prompting that uncomfortable, worried expression.
“No, I’m fine. And, uh—you don’t need to speak so formally, sir.”
“No, I’m more comfortable this way.”
What had Tae-seong told these people? Why did they look at him like that? Had he already gone around telling everyone they were dating?
Knowing Tae-seong, it didn’t seem far-fetched.
Ha-jin was just about to ask when…
