“Yeon Yiseo.”
A hand gently shook his shoulder, calling his name. Instinctively, he opened his eyes, but his eyelids barely lifted halfway. The sky outside the window was dim—just the first hints of dawn creeping in.
He was definitely awake, but exhaustion still weighed heavily on him. His whole body ached like he’d been beaten to a pulp. Even moving a fingertip felt like a struggle.
“Are you feeling any better?”
He turned toward the voice, but his blurry vision couldn’t quite focus. After a few hard blinks, Yeon Yiseo was able to make out who stood before him.
It was Alexander. He was impeccably dressed and even smelled good.
Why was Alexander here? Why did his body feel so heavy? Those questions were immediately answered as memories came flooding back—flashes of bare skin and breathless moans. Yeon Yiseo’s eyes shot open wide, and he bolted upright.
“…Ack!”
But a sharp wave of muscle pain immediately floored him, and he collapsed back onto the bed with a cry.
“Yeon Yiseo!”
Startled, Alexander rushed to his side to check on him. His body hurt, yes, but more than anything, he couldn’t look Alexander in the eye. Being an Omega in heat was one thing, but the truly unbearable part was the way he’d acted during Alexander’s rut—utterly pathetic.
His face burned hot with shame. Realizing the only thing covering him was a thin blanket barely draped over the crucial parts, he hurried to tug it tighter around himself.
They’d done far more than just a little touching and licking—so maybe it was silly to panic now—but still, exposing his naked body so openly like this was just too much. It made him squirm.
Perhaps reading his discomfort, Alexander handed him a bathrobe. Yeon Yiseo accepted it, and the plush fleece material was so soft it made him sigh.
“You were out cold for a while, so I had the attending physician come place an IV. But I figured it’d be best to wake you now so you could get something to eat.”
Physician? So someone else had seen the aftermath of all that? Even if they were a doctor, the thought made him queasy. But before he could dwell on it, the rich, savory scent of food hit him like a wave, making his head swim.
“Do you think you can eat something?”
“Yeah, uh, hmm… Yeah. I think I can.”
His voice came out raspy, barely audible, and he had to cough to clear his throat before answering. Even to his own ears, it sounded terrible.
Alexander handed him a glass of water, telling him to wait a moment, then stepped away. Yeon Yiseo drained the glass in one go, then bit his lower lip. All the messy, humiliating things he’d done during the rut came rushing back. He’d even cried like a child, wailing and clinging to him.
I’ve lost my damn mind. Completely lost it. He’d let himself get swept up in the moment and done something so reckless. No, it wasn’t some kind of trance—he’d made the choice himself. There was no one else to blame.
Facing Alexander was mortifying.
And yet, Alexander’s demeanor hadn’t changed at all. The tender attitude he’d shown during the rut was completely gone. It had clearly been nothing more than an act for the sake of the heat.
And really, it would’ve been weird if someone like Alexander suddenly started acting all sweet and romantic just because they’d slept together once.
Yeon Yiseo tried to organize his thoughts and figure out how he should act when Alexander came back with the food, but even then, he couldn’t bring himself to look him in the face as he spoke.
“I, um, can’t get dressed like this. Could you maybe… turn around for a second?”
“If that makes you more comfortable, of course.”
Alexander turned away, standing with his back to him. Yeon Yiseo quickly grabbed the bathrobe. His stomach growled, begging for food, but there was no way he could eat while stark naked in front of someone. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to move.
Even those small movements made every joint creak painfully. As he got dressed, he spotted reddish bruising all over his body.
“…Ahh…”
As he closed the front of the robe, it brushed against one of his nipples, and he couldn’t help but let out a faint moan. Alexander flinched as if he were about to turn around.
“May I take a look?”
“N-No, it’s fine. It just stung a bit. I’m okay now.”
He grimaced and peeked beneath the robe. His nipples were swollen, flushed red, and hurt. The skin had been rubbed raw from all the sucking and biting. Even the soft robe made it sting. He wanted to apply some ointment, but that’d have to wait.
When he finally managed to get the robe on, Alexander was still standing there, respectfully turned away.
“What happened during the rut—”
“It’s fine. You didn’t force me, Alexander.”
Yeon Yiseo cut him off quickly, wanting to make things clear before any misunderstandings could arise.
“I was interested. I didn’t stop you. There were ways I could’ve avoided it, but I didn’t use them. I chose not to.”
“…”
“It’s the truth. I have no reason to lie about something like this. So, you don’t have to worry—there won’t be any legal issues or lawsuits or anything like that.”
Even though he hadn’t said much, his throat ached. He pressed his fingers gently to his neck, frowning, and Alexander spoke up.
“I understand. You must be hungry. Please eat. I made sure the food would be easy on your stomach.”
“Thank you.”
He looked down at the tray of food set on the bed. It was surprisingly diverse: tomato risotto with oysters, morning rolls, a crisp apple salad, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, salmon salad topped with rosemary, orange juice, apple juice, and even bottled water.
It was a setup designed for him to pick whatever suited his taste.
“Ah, um… I’d like to wash up first.”
“I cleaned your body while you were unconscious—well, passed out, really. I also handled the cleanup, but if you still feel uncomfortable, you’re welcome to wash again, as long as it doesn’t strain your body.”
“Ah… right.”
Yeon Yiseo blinked, a little stunned. A stranger had seen him naked. The thought made his stomach twist, but for Alexander, it was probably nothing. He couldn’t complain.
“That… must’ve been a lot of trouble.”
“It wasn’t difficult. You’re quite small, after all.”
“…Sorry, what?”
“Hm?”
He tilted his head at Alexander’s response.
“It sounded like you said you washed me. Haha…”
“I did.”
“Haha… Ha… Wait. What?”
He hadn’t caught on right away. Most people would assume someone in Alexander’s position would have staff handle everything. And it wasn’t just a metaphor—he’d seen it firsthand while working as Ethan’s secretary.
People like Alexander didn’t just have some money—they had unimaginable amounts of it. That meant they could pay others to do anything. Whether it was opening doors, booking appointments, scheduling, or driving—someone was always doing it for them.
If he wanted, the best chef in New York would show up on command to cook for him. The top stylist would fly in to do his hair.
That’s how the wealthy lived: they bought other people’s time and skill, paid for it, and moved on.
So when Alexander said he’d washed him, Yeon Yiseo naturally assumed he’d had someone else do it.
But no—Alexander had done it himself. The shock and embarrassment left Yeon Yiseo speechless.
“You thought I had someone else do it?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“I wouldn’t let anyone else see your naked body.”
His quiet response made Yeon Yiseo’s mouth open and close like a fish. Eventually, he managed to whisper, “I see,” and added a soft “Thank you.”
Still silent, Alexander took a small bowl and reached for the risotto, but before Yeon Yiseo could serve himself, Alexander beat him to it—spooning the food and handing him the bowl.
“Th-Thank you.”
He accepted it and took a bite. The tangy tomato blended perfectly with the briny oyster. He’d been curious about the combination, but it worked surprisingly well.
“I already contacted your workplace—Dymine, I mean—so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Mid-chew, Yeon Yiseo paused and looked up. Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“You did? But… why? Isn’t today Saturday?”
“Ah.”
Alexander let out a small sound. Yeon Yiseo saw it. He saw those eyes flick off to the side for a split second. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Yeon Yiseo asked, almost in disbelief—
“Wait… don’t tell me it’s Sunday?”
“Heh…”
Clatter.
At Alexander’s awkward laugh, the spoon slipped from Yeon Yiseo’s hand and fell to the tray.
