“Do as you please. He’s a son I’ve severed ties with, so why should I care who he’s with?”
His voice was surprisingly light.
“But it’s strange. You shouldn’t need Siwoo anymore. He’s abandoned his family and put his position on the line; how can you be so sure he hasn’t lost everything? Not to mention, you don’t even know when he’ll wake up. There’s no benefit for you in this.”
“What I want is my senior. Not some benefit, just my senior.”
Sanho spoke slowly.
“I don’t know why my senior abandoned his family. No, in fact, I don’t know anything. I don’t even know what I know anymore. I don’t know what my senior was feeling.”
“Right. I see.”
“But at least I won’t be deceived. The chairman hasn’t given up on my senior either.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because he came to see me.”
A light smile appeared on Chairman Jin’s lips. He absentmindedly touched his mouth with his fingertips while gazing intently at Sanho. His eyes held a shallow hatred and deep curiosity. Anything that obstructed him would be removed at the outset. But when that obstruction was quite attractive, the story changes. Like this boy in front of him.
After a moment, Chairman Jin spoke again.
“Indeed, that’s a valid point. Alright. How do you plan to have him? How dare you, Sanho, take Siwoo?”
Sanho replied in a tone as light as Chairman Jin’s.
“I’ll confine him.”
Chairman Jin’s eyes widened slightly before quickly narrowing. The laughter that spread to the corners of his eyes looked quite delightful.
“Confine him?”
“Yes. I’ll confine him. My senior is someone who is coveted by everyone. I hate all the gazes that desire him. I’ll hide him so that no one can see him, so that only I can see him, only I can touch him.”
Chairman Jin seemed genuinely intrigued. A light excitement appeared on his face.
“I’m curious why you’re telling me this.”
Sanho bit his lower lip and spoke clearly.
“It’s a bet. It’s not over yet. I’m going to finish it.”
“The bet we made isn’t that kind, is it?”
“Instead of an unfinished bet, let’s make a deal.”
The smile in Chairman Jin’s eyes slightly furrowed. His gaze on Sanho sparkled as if he found it amusing.
“Hmm, a deal.”
“Even if I confine and hide my senior, if you interfere, I won’t be able to handle it. What power do I have to hide my senior from your eyes and control him as I wish? It’s impossible.”
“So?”
“So, you have to help me.”
Chairman Jin’s eyes widened as if he had been unexpectedly pricked. He hadn’t let anyone see a weakness in a long time. It was unpleasant yet simultaneously a shallow thrill. He couldn’t help but recall what Siwoo had said on the day of the ruined engagement. Siwoo might be right. No, he was right. He quite liked this boy. Chairman Jin soon burst into loud laughter.
“That doesn’t make sense, kid. A deal requires give and take.”
He spoke in a gentle voice.
“I’m a businessman. A businessman never makes a losing deal.”
Sanho tilted his head slightly, mimicking Chairman Jin.
“It won’t be a loss. Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“I’ll disappear forever in front of my senior.”
With a still smiling face, Chairman Jin frowned again. He seemed not to understand Sanho’s words at first glance.
“Three months. Just let me be with my senior for three months. After that, I’ll take care of what you found unpleasant myself.”
He recalled what Chairman Jin had said in the large club room. As long as you’re alive, you might have to appear in front of Siwoo again. But to kill you… that would be unpleasant. Chairman Jin’s smile faded slightly. Looking at his lips, Sanho slowly opened his mouth again.
“You can’t give up on your son, and I can’t give up on my senior. You may have the power to torment and ruin me, but even if I’m ruined, I won’t leave my senior’s side. I’m the kind of crazy person who would rather die in front of my senior than be forgotten, so you won’t take my words lightly.”
Chairman Jin stared at Sanho for a while. Black hair, and eyes as dark as his hair. The white porcelain doll had already been shattered and disposed of. It’s better to cut off the sprouts of trouble in advance. However, this boy in front of him. Even though he didn’t feel like smiling at all, Chairman Jin gently lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Let’s make it a week.”
“That’s—”
“After Siwoo leaves the hospital, a week. The medical staff expects Siwoo’s memory won’t be intact. Even so, I can’t give you more time.”
“But…!”
Kid. Chairman Jin spoke in a gentle voice, as if soothing a child.
“You said it yourself. I can’t give up on Siwoo either. And I have the power to torment and ruin you. This is a deal. If our conditions don’t match, it won’t be established.”
Sanho bit his lip and looked at Chairman Jin. He was a businessman, and a businessman never makes a losing deal. He read firmness in his relaxed demeanor. Even if he vowed to disappear forever in front of Siwoo, it was only worth a week’s time. That’s how his existence was to Chairman Jin.
Yes, what meaning would there be in living a meaningless day forever without seeing Siwoo? The reason he had put forth the bluff of trading three months was the same. For Sanho, the time he could spend alone with Siwoo was more valuable than anything else. Rather than living a tedious life alone as a half, it was better to spend time together like a short flame and turn to ashes.
So, this wasn’t a bad deal. Sanho finally nodded.
“I promise I won’t interfere during that week. Absolutely.”
Chairman Jin nodded as well.
“I promise. If you need anything, I’ll help you with everything. Whether it’s a remote place, money, anything, all of it. I’ll ask Manager Park to take care of it, so there won’t be any difficulties. But you must keep your promise too. Do you understand?”
Sanho let out a small laugh, as if feeling a bit relieved.
“I won’t lie about anything else.”
Chairman Jin smiled back at him.
***
As Chairman Jin left the hospital, a man in a black suit approached him closely. The way he silently approached like a shadow felt very familiar. He opened the back seat door of the limousine parked near the sidewalk. Chairman Jin naturally got into the limousine and cast an indifferent glance at the man in the black suit.
“Manager Park.”
The man in the black suit, Gyu-cheol, bowed his head and looked at Chairman Jin.
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Prepare everything that kid asked for. It doesn’t matter if it’s unreasonable, just prepare it all.”
“Yes, understood. But… are you sure about this?”
Without a word, Chairman Jin lifted his chin towards Gyu-cheol. It was a gesture urging him to answer.
“Although Baek Sanho doesn’t know that Director Jin Siwoo has woken up… if they spend a week together, they might learn about their connection.”
“Connection. What Professor Kim mentioned. It seems that one’s state affects the other’s state.”
“If I must say…”
“Do you believe in that connection?”
“…….”
“Right, who knows? We, who are not scholars, can’t know either. Whether those kids truly influence each other and show physical reactions, or if it’s just coincidence. Well, Professor Kim seemed quite confident about it.”
“Not only that. We don’t know if Baek Sanho will harm the director or act in some way due to pheromones.”
Chairman Jin smiled brightly.
“Then you’re needed, aren’t you? Since you’re a traitor, you’ll know if that kid is planning something.”
To confine the dominant alpha, the help of another was essential. Here, ‘another’ referred to Gyu-cheol. Gyu-cheol nodded stiffly.
“Don’t worry. This is a test. Or it could be a performance to be shown.”
“…….”
“I’m curious how far that kid can show.”
Chairman Jin lightly laughed and added.
“Don’t forget your appointment with Professor Kim tonight. It’s an important meeting to hear opinions on imprinting, so make sure to take care of it.”
“Yes, understood, Chairman.”
The limousine door closed with a click. Gyu-cheol, sitting up straight, watched the limousine disappear into the distance. The faint alpha pheromones seeped around Gyu-cheol, who wore an unreadable expression.
***
[And now. Five days ago, at school]
Sanho stopped in front of the classroom door. He took a deep breath of the warm earthy scent lingering in the air and opened his eyes. His heart, which had been racing madly, suddenly calmed down. This was the moment he had been thinking about for the past month since Siwoo woke up. He was afraid he would ruin everything, but as this moment approached, it was strange how suddenly his heart became calm. Sanho quietly opened the classroom door.
“I’m sorry.”
In the back row by the window, a pale face turned to look at him. He turned back at the malicious voice directed at him, but when he sat down next to him, their eyes met again.
“Hello, senior.”
His voice was smooth, as if fabricated. It was an empty voice that didn’t reveal the overwhelming desire to possess him or the suffocating pain.
“Hmm? Oh, hello.”
Warm brown eyes glimmered softly, forming crescent shapes at the corners.
“Are you okay?”
Thinking he was asking about his well-being, the corners of his eyes crinkled deeper.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you.”
It was still a kind voice. Those kind eyes were still directed at him.
“Don’t you remember?”
The slight tilt of his head was very familiar.
“What are you talking about?”
“It seems you really don’t remember.”
Sanho averted his gaze and looked ahead. The light from the beam projector made his eyes sting a little.
“It’s okay. I remember everything.”
But it really was okay. Because he remembered everything.
***
[Three days ago, at the hotel]
Baek Sanho appeared precariously in the hotel corridor, where a red carpet was laid out. It was only after the door to the secret room slammed shut behind him that his knees, which he had been trying to hold up, buckled. Leaning against the door, Baek Sanho sat down, holding an empty syringe in his hand. He must have injected it into Jin Siwoo. Seeing his trembling fingertips, it was easy to guess. Gyu-cheol, who had been watching from a distance, stood still for a moment.
Gyu-cheol was standing in front of the elevator at the end of the corridor. He had been circling around Baek Sanho and Jin Siwoo from a certain distance for the past few days. Baek Sanho seemed to be very reluctant to come to him unless it was absolutely necessary, but unfortunately, it seemed that ‘absolutely necessary’ situations kept arising.
For instance, when medication was needed.
The medications Gyu-cheol had procured at Baek Sanho’s request were mostly legal. Of course, some were mixed in that had been brought in through illegal routes. Baek Sanho frowned deeply as he meticulously checked the dosage and side effects of the medications. Then, when he found a drug with an unclear source or that looked dangerous, he would throw it into the trash with a very displeased expression.
“How could I give such trash to my senior?”
It was a funny story. Jin Siwoo was one of the most robust men among dominant alphas, and to subdue him, powerful drugs were essential. Naturally, that meant the risk level would also rise. Since a strong sedative was needed, the sedative Gyu-cheol had procured was one that had to be injected directly into the bloodstream. As Baek Sanho stared at the medication Gyu-cheol had presented, he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows without saying a word. Seeing Baek Sanho trying to inject the needle into his arm without hesitation, Gyu-cheol abruptly grabbed his hand.
“What are you doing?”
Baek Sanho looked at Gyu-cheol with a puzzled expression. He didn’t understand why he was asking such an obvious question.
“It’s a powerful drug. It might be dangerous for your senior, so I’m trying to check.”
