A wave of nausea surged through him, accompanied by a deep sense of revulsion. He froze for a brief moment before his expression twisted into something vicious, and he quickened his pace.
Who the hell is it? Who dares—inside my own home?
The scent grew stronger with every step. Worse yet, Omega pheromones mingled with it, throwing his senses into complete disarray. His strides, initially forceful, soon turned into a full sprint. Winston took the stairs three at a time, reaching the second floor in an instant.
Yu-jin.
Only one thought filled his mind. Could something have happened to Yu-jin? A break-in? Was he hurt? No—he couldn’t be.
Yu-jin, please—be safe…!
Winnie.
The thought of never again seeing Yu-jin’s bright smile, the way he would always throw his arms around him, sent a bone-chilling dread through Winston’s entire being. The sheer terror made his breath come in sharp gasps. His face drained of color as he flung open the bedroom door.
A rush of overpowering pheromones hit him all at once, momentarily blurring his vision. He quickly covered his nose and mouth with one hand, blinking hard. As his sight cleared, the scene before him came into focus.
And Winston saw.
On the bed—around it—men, either fully naked or in varying states of undress.
And in the middle of it all, there was Yu-jin.
Exactly as in the photograph. Completely bare.
***
For a split second, it felt like something had slammed into Winston’s head—his mind went completely blank.
What the hell is going on? What is this? What is my Yu-jin doing… Why…?
“Winnie!”
Yu-jin’s desperate cry jolted him back to reality. As he blinked, his gaze finally settled on Yu-jin’s face—his expression twisted in terror.
“Help me! Help me, Winnie!”
Trapped between the men, Yu-jin was crying out to him, his voice trembling with fear and urgency. That was when Winston finally understood.
There had been a break-in.
And they hadn’t just come for material things—they had tried to violate Yu-jin, too.
There was no need for further thought. Without hesitation, Winston lunged forward to rescue him.
“You fucking bastards—get away from Yu-jin, NOW!”
What followed was nothing short of a brawl.
Winston swung his fists without restraint at the men who dared attack him. A single punch knocked a jaw sideways; another sent someone’s teeth flying. It was a pitifully easy fight—so one-sided it was almost laughable.
Soon, he was close enough to reach Yu-jin. Now all that remained was to pull his lover into his arms, to hold him and tell him it was over.
And just as Yu-jin’s face—the one he’d missed so desperately—filled his vision…
“Winnie, behind you!”
Yu-jin’s scream tore through the air in panic.
The very next second, something slammed hard against Winston’s back.
His vision shook violently, and for the first time, his balance faltered. He nearly collapsed where he stood.
Yu-jin’s anguished scream rang out, so sharp it felt like it split the air.
Winston quickly shook his head and turned around.
One of the men was standing there, clutching a golf club.
Winston cursed under his breath and lunged to strike him—but at that exact moment, another man blindsided him with a blow.
This time, Winston couldn’t stay on his feet. He dropped to his knees.
“Winnie, no! Stop it!”
Yu-jin tried to run to him, frantic to help—but a single slap sent him flying backward.
Winston’s eyes locked onto the man who had just hit Yu-jin.
That bastard… that one, at least, I won’t let die easy.
Fury and hatred surged like fire in his veins as he aimed a punch at the man’s jaw—
BANG!
A deafening crack rang out like thunder.
A chilling silence fell in the wake of the echo.
…Huh?
A strange heat bloomed in his chest. It almost felt like something was leaking—like a gust of wind was slipping through a hole.
What the…
Winston frowned, confused—but there was no time to dwell on the sensation.
For some reason, the men had frozen.
Were they hesitating? Maybe they were panicking, startled that he had fought back so fiercely. Of course—they wouldn’t have expected him to appear so suddenly.
“You—”
Winston growled, reaching out with one hand.
But the man still holding the gun pulled the trigger again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of thunderous blasts followed—
And Winston’s body was riddled with holes.
The men who had been watching in stunned silence began to panic, their eyes darting around in fear.
“Aaaaagh!”
“R-Run! Hurry!”
Someone let out a scream, and as if that cry had been a signal, the men scattered in a blind frenzy, shoving each other out of the way as they fled.
Winston tried to turn and go after them—but his vision blurred, and he collapsed to the floor.
“Winnie!”
Yu-jin shrieked and rushed to his side, his voice thick with tears as he called Winston’s name over and over again.
For some reason, Winston’s breathing had grown labored, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he slumped against the wall.
“W-What do I do? What do I do…? Winston, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… this is all my fault…”
Yu-jin clung to him, sobbing, repeating those same words like a broken record.
Why?
Yu-jin’s the victim.
Why is he apologizing to me?
That was Winston’s only thought. More than anything else, what mattered was that Yu-jin was crying.
“Are you hurt?”
Haa… haa… Through ragged breaths, Winston forced the words out.
“You’re not hurt… right, baby?”
He gently caressed Yu-jin’s cheek, trying to soothe him—until a flicker of confusion crossed his face. There was blood smeared on Yu-jin’s face.
He moved his hand, brushing along his neck, his shoulder, his arm. The blood was spreading.
“Why is… why isn’t it coming off? Babe, where are you hurt?”
“You idiot, that’s your blood…!”
Yu-jin’s voice cracked as he finally broke down into full-blown sobs.
“Ah… I see.”
Yu-jin was crying, but Winston smiled.
“That’s a relief… It’s not you who’s hurt.”
That was as far as he could go.
His words barely left his mouth before his consciousness began slipping.
Somewhere far, far away, he could faintly hear Yu-jin’s voice.
“Open your eyes, Winston! Stay with me! No… please…!”
I have to tell him I’m okay.
Yu-jin was crying.
Because of him.
That couldn’t happen. He had to hold Yu-jin and tell him it was all right.
…But no sound came out.
He couldn’t move a single finger.
It felt like he was sinking into a bottomless swamp.
And just like that, his awareness faded completely.
The last thing he remembered was Yu-jin’s voice—calling his name in desperation.
***
Winston regained consciousness three months later.
At first, the doctor told him he might never walk again.
But after a month of rehabilitation, his condition had improved significantly.
He could move his legs just a little, but the doctors were hopeful.
They said before long, he’d be able to walk again—with crutches.
“Extreme Alphas are said to have far superior regenerative abilities compared to ordinary people. You’re incredibly lucky.”
At the doctor’s words, Winston found himself, for the first time, grateful for the body he’d been born with.
At least the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
The only thing that weighed on him was that, from the moment he’d regained consciousness to enduring the grueling process of rehab, he’d seen Yu-jin only once.
The very first thing he asked after waking was about Yu-jin, but the answer he received was simply: He’s doing fine.
Of course, Winston didn’t believe that.
His family, who had always spoken ill of Yu-jin, would never have taken care of him properly—especially in Winston’s absence.
Still, Yu-jin had come to see him. Just once. And with the rest of the Campbell family.
“Yu-jin, are you okay?”
“Winnie…”
The moment he asked, Yu-jin burst into tears and grabbed his hand, pressing it to his cheek.
“I’m fine. You’re the one who’s hurt… Are you in a lot of pain?”
“I’m fine too.”
“Fine? You nearly died!”
His mother cut in sharply, her tone laced with displeasure.
“You almost died, Winston! Do you have any idea how much blood you lost? You were unconscious for three whole months—and now you’re saying you’re fine?”
Yu-jin instantly shrank back, ducking his head. Seeing that, Winston smiled gently and caressed his cheek.
“I’ll be up soon. It’s not too hard, is it?”
The truth was, his body still ached like hell. Every inch of him throbbed. But he couldn’t let Yu-jin worry.
Winston asked as casually as he could, and after a moment of hesitation, Yu-jin gave a small nod.
“Yeah… Everything’s fine… The Campbell family has been taking good care of me.”
“Is that so?”
He couldn’t believe it entirely—but there wasn’t anything Winston could do about it just yet.
So instead, he turned to his mother.
“Please take good care of Yu-jin, Mother.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if you got up and took care of him yourself? That way, both of you could rest a little easier.”
Her tone was indifferent, as always—but she wasn’t wrong.
And Winston found that somehow reassuring. At least she wasn’t pretending.
“Well then, it’s time we go. Can’t let the visit run too long—Winston needs rest.”
And just like that, the visit ended.
Winston had thought he’d see Yu-jin again soon.
But even as he progressed to the point of standing and practicing how to walk, Yu-jin never returned.
Throughout that time, Winston battled unending pain, surviving each day on medication.
The ache in his back tormented him constantly. His entire body felt as if it were cracking open from within.
Sometimes, he genuinely thought it would’ve been better if he’d died back then.
But every time that thought surfaced, he pictured Yu-jin.
I’m the only one who can protect him.
And at last, Winston reached the stage where he could walk—with crutches.
Still, he hadn’t seen Yu-jin again.
