Working at this hour.
Yu-jin was inwardly surprised, but if this was the reason Winston had been so quiet after work, it made sense. Maybe he had been too busy to bother looking for him.
Extreme Alphas don’t get drunk or addicted. It takes an absurd amount of alcohol to even get them tipsy. There was no way a single bottle of whiskey had done the job.
That meant everything that would happen next was going to take place with a completely sober Winston. Yu-jin steeled himself, lifting his chin. What could possibly get worse? He had already heard all the awful things there were to hear.
Closing the door behind him, Yu-jin gathered his courage and took a step forward. With each step closer to Winston, his heartbeat pounded more anxiously, but stopping wasn’t an option.
In the midst of his nervous anticipation, he suddenly realized that something in the room was different. Last night, he hadn’t noticed, but when he first fell into Winston’s trap and ended up sleeping in his bedroom, there had definitely been a large vase sitting atop the central table. Now, it was gone. He vaguely recalled hearing a loud crash from beyond the closed door, as if something had shattered, but there was no way to confirm it now.
Cautiously, Yu-jin pulled out the chair opposite Winston. Even after he quietly took a seat, Winston remained fixated on his tablet, showing no reaction whatsoever.
The silence was suffocating. Winston gave no indication that he was going to speak. Yu-jin felt uncomfortable in the awkward quiet, but he didn’t have the courage to break it recklessly. Not that anything good would come out of Winston opening his mouth, anyway.
Still, Yu-jin was the one at a disadvantage here. If his relationship with Winston soured any further, he was the only one who stood to lose. Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to find the courage, thinking of Angela’s face as he finally spoke up.
“Um, about giving Angie a room…”
He was about to say thank you, but Winston cut him off without even lifting his head.
“Wait.”
Yu-jin almost let out an incredulous scoff. That was a command people used when training dogs. Was Winston trying to tame him? Or was he outright saying he was no better than an animal? He shot a glare at the man, his eyes brimming with emotion, when Winston finally spoke again.
“I have something urgent to take care of. It won’t take long.”
His voice was as calm as ever, his expression unchanging. Realizing his earlier assumption had been childish, Yu-jin felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Don’t overreact. For now, just do what he says and go along with it.
Even so, there was one thing he couldn’t let go. Determined, he waited for Winston to finish his work. But time kept dragging on with no sign of it ending anytime soon. Yu-jin found himself repeatedly rubbing his eyes to fight off the drowsiness creeping in.
He stifled another yawn when, suddenly—clack—the soft sound of Winston setting his tablet down on the table broke the silence. Yu-jin quickly straightened his posture, regaining his composure.
He watched as Winston finished the remaining whiskey in his glass, then finally turned to face him. That was when Yu-jin spoke.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t treat me like a pet.”
The moment their eyes met, Yu-jin flinched, but he managed to mask his reaction and finished what he had prepared to say. Good job. He mentally praised himself when Winston responded.
“Of course. I don’t think of you as a dog.”
Winston narrowed his eyes and sneered.
“Dogs are at least loyal.”
Unlike you.
Yu-jin could read the unspoken words all too easily. Winston was accusing him of betrayal. But was it his heart that had been wounded, or just his pride? Yu-jin felt a surge of anger but held it back.
“Thanks for giving Angie such a nice room. She was really happy.”
Everything he said and did was for Angela’s sake—he reminded himself of that as he spoke submissively. Winston tilted his glass to his lips, a crooked smirk tugging at his mouth.
“Considering you could end up rolling around with any trash at any time, it’s better to keep you where I can see you.”
Yu-jin’s patience snapped. He had tried to endure for the sake of the child, but Winston wouldn’t let him. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to suppress his rage as he protested.
“Who the hell do you think I’m sleeping with? This is your house. Do you really think there’s a man brave enough to sleep with me here, knowing I’m married to you?”
He had to keep his voice low to avoid shouting. But he couldn’t stop his body from trembling. Winston, watching him with furrowed brows, let out a mocking scoff.
“Who knows? But you can’t live without men, can you?”
That was the last straw. Yu-jin glared at Winston, seething, before hissing through clenched teeth.
“Fine.”
His voice was laced with rough, uneven breaths. As if that settled things, Winston calmly poured more whiskey into his empty glass. He brought it to his lips, but before he could take a sip, Yu-jin spat out—
“Do whatever you want, you son of a bitch.”
It was the first time in his life he had ever cursed someone like that. His heart pounded so hard he thought he might pass out from the sheer audacity of his own words.
Winston’s hand, frozen mid-motion, lowered slightly as his gaze flicked toward Yu-jin. His expression remained unreadable, but his reaction was different this time. Was he… surprised? Shocked, even? That brief flicker of emotion made Yu-jin’s heart race for a completely different reason.
This was probably the first time anyone had ever spoken to Winston Campbell like this. Who in their right mind would dare call him a son of a bitch to his face?
For a moment, Winston simply stared at him. Then, moving deliberately, he set his glass down on the table. His gaze never wavered from Yu-jin as the corners of his lips slowly curled upward. But it wasn’t a genuine smile.
“Interesting. Keep going.”
He leaned back against his chair, hands now free, as if inviting Yu-jin to say more. As if he was genuinely entertained by this. But Yu-jin’s courage had reached its limit.
“If you speak to me like that, then I have no choice but to respond in kind.”
He forced himself to sound as composed as possible, but his voice trembled. A thick tension settled between them. Winston said nothing, only watching him in silence. Yu-jin didn’t speak either—he simply had nothing left to say. But what about Winston? Yu-jin couldn’t begin to guess what was going through his head.
It was Winston who finally broke the silence.
“Seems like you’re out of words. Then shall we get to what needs to be done?”
With that, he rose to his feet first. Before Yu-jin could react, Winston grabbed his arm and pulled him up as well. A startled cry escaped his lips, but in an instant, Winston had drawn him in, trapping him in his embrace.
Then, he whispered sweetly into his ear.
“It’s time to make a child, darling.”
Yu-jin’s face twisted in sheer disgust. Seeing his expression, Winston let out a short laugh. But they both knew it wasn’t genuine amusement.
Without hesitation, Winston lifted him into his arms and strode toward the bed. The room, which had felt so vast just moments ago, now seemed suffocatingly small. In just a few steps, Winston reached the bed and carelessly set Yu-jin down. His body bounced lightly against the mattress before Winston climbed on top of him.
“Mmph—!”
Before Yu-jin could react, Winston’s lips crashed against his. His tongue forced its way past his lips, ravaging his mouth without mercy. Yu-jin squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to endure. Think of Angie. Angie. My daughter.
Rough hands tore at his clothes, stripping them away until he was bare. The bruises and marks Winston had left on him before were still fresh, scattered across his skin. For a brief moment, Winston stilled, his gaze roaming over Yu-jin’s exposed body.
Yu-jin could hear it—the shift in his breathing, the unmistakable sound of excitement. Then, those large hands gripped his thighs, forcing them apart. He instinctively tensed, trying to resist, but it was useless. His legs were effortlessly spread, leaving him vulnerable as Winston positioned himself between them.
Through his blurred vision, Yu-jin caught sight of Winston lowering his zipper. Panic shot through him like ice. He squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body stiff with tension, silently praying for it to be over quickly.
And then—
“…Yu-jin?”
Not whore. Not slut. Not any of the other demeaning words Winston had thrown at him before. Just Yu-jin.
That realization barely registered before everything else became a blur.
“Haa… haa… haa…”
Shallow, frantic breaths filled the air. Oxygen refused to reach his lungs. He was breathing, but it felt like he was suffocating. Yu-jin’s hands shot up to his throat, clawing at his own skin.
“Yu-jin! Snap out of it! Yu-jin!”
Winston’s shouts rang in his ears, but his breathing only grew more erratic.
“Yu-jin—!”
The last thing he saw was Winston’s face—pale, almost stricken—before the world faded into darkness.
