Haaah…
Winston rubbed his eyes, utterly worn out. He’d already downed four cups of coffee, but it wasn’t enough to fight off the crushing fatigue. The official work hours had long since ended, yet a mountain of paperwork still loomed on his desk, demanding his attention. Every last document had to be reviewed and sorted by tomorrow morning. Just thinking about it made him feel nauseous.
It hadn’t been so bad when he’d first joined his father’s company. Under the pretense of still learning the ropes, he’d often leave work early and spend time lounging around with Yu-jin. Those were blissful days. He’d taught Yu-jin how to drive, discovered nice places to eat nearby, and they’d go out for meals together. A few times, they were invited to parties, and through those events, Yu-jin managed to make a few friends.
Looking back now, that had been a stroke of luck. Eventually, Winston found himself buried under a deluge of work and had less and less time to spare for Yu-jin.
Thankfully, before it got to that point, Winston had already taught Yu-jin how to get around and keep himself occupied. Yu-jin would often hop in a taxi or take public transportation to go quite a distance on his own. If he came across something he liked, he’d buy it and proudly show it to Winston. Sometimes he gave gifts to his friends. He was doing well. That peace of mind allowed Winston to focus on his work—but at some point, unsavory rumors began to spread.
“Working late again today?”
As Winston briskly tackled his backlog of files, a voice suddenly cut through the silence. He glanced over, reluctantly, and saw Gordon standing in the doorway. His older brother’s complexion was perfectly fine, showing not a hint of fatigue. Winston knew just how little Gordon actually did around the office. He was always leaving early—or not even showing up at all. Sometimes, Winston couldn’t understand why he was the only one putting in this much effort. None of their other siblings were nearly this devoted.
There was only one reason: Yu-jin.
Winston wanted to give Yu-jin a life of absolute comfort and peace. When they left the family, their lives had been a mess. While Winston was throwing himself into work, Yu-jin had started drinking—probably to dull the loneliness. The neighborhood they lived in back then wasn’t exactly secure, so Yu-jin couldn’t even step outside alone. Instead, he would sip the liquor Winston had bought, one or two glasses a day, and drift off to sleep. Every time Winston saw that, he questioned whether leaving the family with Yu-jin had really been the right choice.
But things were different now. Yu-jin could go anywhere he wanted and do anything he desired. They had enough. That was all thanks to Winston returning to the family. And because of that, Winston was more determined than ever not to give up this time.
If they ever had a child, Winston would pass the empire down to them. To do that, he needed to earn his father’s favor. Since he had made the decision to return to the family, his goal was crystal clear. And right now, all of this—his exhaustion, his sacrifices—they felt trivial in comparison. There were moments when he questioned the point of living a life so busy he barely had time for Yu-jin, but…
Everyone had their own place in the world.
That was how he comforted himself. Gordon and the rest of their siblings were content just enjoying the family’s wealth, living indulgently. But that was the life they’d been given. Winston hadn’t been given a life like that. But that didn’t mean he had any intention of giving up. The only path left to him was to grit his teeth and keep charging forward.
“There’s still a ton left to do.”
Casting a glance at the stack of papers piled high like a challenge, Winston returned his eyes to the document in hand. Gordon let out a deliberately loud sigh that grated on his ears.
“My poor little brother. While you’re slaving away like this, that guy is…”
“Yes. While I’m working, Yu-jin’s out meeting friends and buying whatever he wants, enjoying himself. He’s finally getting to live with the freedom Father once stole from him.”
Winston repeated the same words he’d said countless times before, with a tone soaked in utter exasperation. Most people knew to back off at that point. But Gordon wasn’t like most people.
“There’s a clear line between freedom and debauchery, you know. But hey, if you don’t care, then fine… Still, it doesn’t feel great watching my own brother being used.”
“If you’ve got something to say, say it and get the hell out. I’m busy.”
The harsh tone in Winston’s voice—I don’t have time to waste like you—didn’t faze Gordon. He just chuckled under his breath and said:
“Alright, alright. I just thought you’d want to know. Your Omega’s been dragging guys into your bed whenever you’re not home.”
Winston simply let out a dry, scoffing laugh, like he couldn’t be bothered to take such nonsense seriously. But Gordon didn’t stop there.
“I know you don’t want to believe it, but it’s true. You know it, don’t you? That he was a prostitute Father brought in just to take his cum. So really, what’s so surprising? He’s just acting on instinct.”
Winston silently set the paper down.
Rising slowly from his chair, he straightened his back and stared directly at Gordon, their gazes locking. For a brief moment, Gordon visibly flinched.
Watching his brother recoil, Winston growled in a low, menacing voice.
“You must’ve known what would happen when you talked shit about Yu-jin like that, right?”
“Of course I did! But someone had to say it, didn’t they? I only said it because I’m the eldest and I had no choice but to take responsibility!”
His voice quickened as if scrambling for an excuse. Winston’s lips curled into a cold sneer. The pheromones that always lingered faintly around him suddenly intensified, a sharp golden gleam flaring in his eyes.
“When a rat tries to tie a bell around a cat’s neck, it dies. Isn’t that how the story goes?”
Gordon could tell—if this kept going, Winston really might kill him.
Panic gripped him as he stumbled backward.
“Okay! I get it! I’m sorry! I said too much, alright? Just this once—please, let it go!”
He raised both hands and apologized again and again, desperate. Winston tamped down his rage. If it hadn’t been for the stack of work waiting on his desk, he might’ve strangled Gordon on the spot. But he had neither the time nor the energy.
Maybe I should just toss him out the window, Winston thought, shooting a glance toward the floor-to-ceiling window behind him. It was tempting. Wouldn’t even take that long.
Almost like he sensed it, Gordon turned ghostly pale and scurried far across the room. As Winston furrowed his brows, Gordon raised his voice from a safe distance.
“You’ll regret it one day! You’ll see I was right!”
Like a dying man leaving behind his final words, Gordon shouted the warning and then bolted out of the room in a mad dash.
Winston stood in place, yanked off his tie with a sharp, violent motion, and listened as Gordon’s footsteps faded down the hall.
Winston sat back down, annoyed at the wasted time. How many minutes had he just thrown away listening to that load of crap?
This kind of provocation wasn’t new. It hadn’t just been Gordon—other family members had been dropping by, one after another. The specifics varied, but the message was always the same: Yu-jin was deceiving Winston, sleeping around, living a promiscuous life with an endless rotation of partners.
Every time, Winston scoffed in their faces. Their tactics were so transparently shallow, he almost pitied them. As far as ploys to separate him and Yu-jin went, they were laughably pathetic. If anything, all they managed to do was deepen his feelings for Yu-jin. The more he saw how much his family looked down on him, the more convinced he became—he was the only one who could protect Yu-jin.
Yu-jin, cheat on me? Don’t make me laugh.
The idea was so ridiculous it made him snort. Adjusting his posture, Winston focused on the paperwork once again. He wanted to finish quickly. He wanted to go back—to the one and only person waiting for him.
And then, one day, it happened.
***
“I’m sorry, baby. I don’t think I can make it back tonight.”
Winston’s voice came through the line, followed by the soft sound of someone inhaling sharply on the other end. Imagining his lover’s disappointed face, Winston continued gently.
“I need to catch the last flight, but there’s no way I’ll finish in time. I’ll come early tomorrow morning, okay? Please forgive me.”
Yu-jin didn’t respond right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was deflated and small.
“It’s work, so… it can’t be helped. It’s okay.”
That doesn’t sound okay at all…
If he could, Winston would have rushed over that very moment to smother him with kisses and make it better. But he couldn’t. So instead, he changed the subject.
“What did you do today? Did you meet up with your friends?”
“Huh? Oh… um…”
Yu-jin hesitated before answering.
“I just… wandered around, that’s all…”
“Doing what?”
At Winston’s prompting, Yu-jin slowly began to explain. As he listened, Winston responded with the occasional Really? or Oh yeah?—little murmurs of interest—his mind half on the conversation even as he skimmed through the documents in front of him and scrawled his signature.
“Alright. I’ll hang up now. I’m sorry… sleep well.”
Yu-jin responded with a soft, defeated Okay. He sounded crushed. Winston didn’t want to hang up either—but he had no choice.
