The moment Yu-jin realized it, he had already taken a step back. His agitation was painfully obvious, and there was no way to cover it up. Overwhelmed by confusion, he had no idea what to do, while Winston, who had been staring at him intently, suddenly curled his lips into a smirk.
That mocking smile—it was unmistakable. Yu-jin’s face burned red with humiliation, as if he had been stripped bare and thrown at Winston’s feet.
What the hell is he trying to do?
A wave of irritation surged from deep within. Just to show him up like this, Winston had interrupted a peaceful moment alone with the child.
Anger flared belatedly. Now that he thought about it, there was no reason for him to just stand here like this.
Determined, he turned to leave. But at that very moment, the music ended, and the sound of applause filled the hall. He should have just walked away—but for some reason, he couldn’t. A bad feeling gnawed at him, and he reluctantly turned his head.
Winston was walking straight toward him.
Shit.
Yu-jin groaned inwardly, but it was too late to escape now. Instead, he lowered his gaze and turned his attention elsewhere, forcing a smile.
“That was a wonderful dance, Evelyn.”
The woman who had followed behind Winston blinked in mild surprise before offering him a soft smile.
“Thank you, Yu-jin. You and Winston were supposed to have the first dance together… but everyone kept asking him where his partner was, why he was alone, and it was bothering him. I happened to be without a partner myself, and since I owed him a favor, I took the chance to repay it.”
She was clearly worried that Yu-jin might have been upset.
It was a strange feeling. Until now, no one had ever cared about his feelings. But this woman—whom he had only met twice, formally only once—was being so considerate.
Of all people… her.
A bitter taste spread in his mouth just as Winston spoke.
“It was enjoyable, Evelyn. I hope you enjoy the rest of the party.”
Though the words were perfunctory, compared to the scathing remarks he had thrown at Yu-jin, they were excessively polite and kind. Winston, unfazed by Yu-jin’s sour expression, exchanged a light cheek kiss with Evelyn before parting ways.
As Yu-jin watched Winston disappear into the crowd, a voice suddenly came from above him.
“Where were you? I didn’t see you anywhere.”
His tone had shifted completely from just a moment ago.
Yu-jin looked up at him, his expression less than pleased.
“It wasn’t like I was needed here anyway.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
Winston crushed Yu-jin’s small act of defiance without hesitation.
Yu-jin was left speechless as Winston leaned in slightly and continued.
“Don’t make assumptions. Whether you’re needed or not—that’s for me to decide. If you keep acting on your own like this, it won’t end well for you.”
“Or what? Are you going to hit me?”
Yu-jin made one last attempt at defiance, but Winston merely responded with a strange smile instead of answering. His narrowed eyes and twisted smirk sent a chill down Yu-jin’s spine.
Then, Winston finally spoke.
“Baby, as if I would ever hit you.”
His voice was sickeningly sweet as he reached out and stroked Yu-jin’s cheek.
Then what the hell are you going to do?
Yu-jin wanted to ask, but fear kept him silent. As if satisfied by his compliance, Winston added,
“At least you’re not stupid. That’s a relief, isn’t it?”
He laughed, but Yu-jin couldn’t bring himself to do the same.
Just then, someone approached to greet Winston, and he smoothly shifted his attention to them, engaging in a conversation only the two of them understood.
Yu-jin stood there blankly, feeling like nothing more than a discarded ornament.
***
Haaah.
Yu-jin exhaled deeply, as if releasing all the breath that had been trapped inside him. He had only excused himself to use the restroom, but now that he had slipped away and hidden in a secluded corner of the garden, he finally felt like he could breathe again.
This isn’t going to keep happening… right?
Winston was obviously doing this just to torment him. There was no way Yu-jin was the only one suffering from being around him—so had Winston somehow become a masochist during their time apart?
“Haaah.”
Another deep sigh escaped him. He needed to head back.
What would happen if he didn’t obey Winston’s orders?
He didn’t even want to imagine it.
No matter what, Winston was the one holding the knife right now. And Yu-jin… he needed that checkbook Winston had promised him.
Reluctantly, he dragged his feet back into the mansion. The reception had reached its peak, and more and more guests were becoming visibly drunk. Carefully weaving through the crowd, Yu-jin made his way back to where Winston had been.
…Huh?
The spot where Winston had been standing was empty.
Perplexed, Yu-jin glanced around, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
Should I just go upstairs?
He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. He didn’t want to do something he’d regret later. Then what should he do?
As he stood there, unsure, he spotted Kane walking past. Without wasting another second, he called out.
“Kane, wait a moment.”
Kane turned his head, then stood still, waiting for Yu-jin to approach.
“Sorry to bother you. Do you know where Winston is? I don’t see him anywhere.”
“Ah, yes.”
Of course, Kane knew.
After hearing that Winston was in a salon on the far right side of the second floor with some friends, Yu-jin immediately headed in that direction.
So Winston was off enjoying himself too.
So, he would just tell Winston he wanted to go back to his room and rest. He had done enough, hadn’t he?
Yu-jin moved quickly through the long, expansive hallway, befitting of such a grand mansion. He passed by framed photographs of vast estates lining the wall and several closed doors before finally arriving at his destination. Just then, the sound of men’s voices reached his ears.
This must be it.
Relieved that he had found the right place, Yu-jin stopped in front of the door. The salon, located on the opposite end of the house from the main ballroom, was nearly untouched by the noise of the party. Instead, the voices of the men inside carried clearly through the air.
Taking a steadying breath, Yu-jin raised a hand to knock.
Then—
“Who would’ve thought Winston Campbell would marry some nobody with no proper background?”
Yu-jin’s hand froze in midair.
From the slightly ajar door, another voice responded.
“It’s because of the will. He didn’t have a choice.”
“Still, marrying his father’s mistress? I can’t even imagine it.”
It felt like every drop of blood in his body had drained out.
Frozen in place, Yu-jin could do nothing but listen as the conversation continued.
“Turns out, the whore must be incredible in bed.”
“Of course. Otherwise, how could someone manage to fuck both the father and the son? Come on, it’s ridiculous!”
A round of boisterous laughter erupted. Then, another voice chimed in, eager and excited.
“Did you see his face? I don’t remember a single damn thing from the wedding—just imagining fucking that little slut over and over. I swear, I won’t be able to use my dick for three months from how much I’ve been jerking off to it.”
“Shit, did we fuck him together or something?”
“We’re all practically sharing the same hole, huh?”
More vulgar laughter followed. Yu-jin’s knees trembled, making it unbearable to stand there any longer. He wanted to leave, to get away, but his body refused to move—paralyzed, trapped.
Then, another voice added,
“Well, he’s a whore anyway, right? If we throw enough money at him, I bet he’d take every single one of us. What do you think? Should we test it out?”
“Great idea. And he’s an Omega—just a little whiff of Alpha pheromones, and he’ll be dripping in no time.”
Whistles and crude cheers filled the air, sending a wave of nausea through Yu-jin. His vision swam.
Then, cutting through the noise, someone called out loudly,
“Winston, what about you?”
That was when his body finally moved.
Forcing his trembling legs to obey, Yu-jin turned and left.
As blood began to circulate through his limbs again, fear gave way to something else—resentment.
How could they say those things?
He had always known that this marriage was nothing more than a contract for Winston’s inheritance. He had never once forgotten it. Of course, he wasn’t going to complete the contract. He was going to leave before that happened.
Even so, Yu-jin had carried a sliver of guilt for deceiving Winston.
But now—
Anger, bitterness, and a flood of emotions he couldn’t name surged through him, making him bite down hard on his lower lip.
That was when the noise of the party suddenly hit his ears again.
Now that the voices from the salon had faded behind him, the sound of celebration filled the void.
