Yu-jin’s heart pounded with barely concealed tension, but he forced a smile, pretending nothing was wrong. Slowly rising from the bed, he looked up at Winston and nudged him for an answer.
“Can I go now?”
The sheet had naturally slipped down, leaving his bare body fully exposed. Winston, whose gaze had instinctively dropped, had to forcefully refocus his eyes on Yu-jin’s face as he asked,
“Why are you in such a rush to leave?”
To get away from you.
“I didn’t buy your gift yet.”
Yu-jin replied with a smile, hiding his true intentions. Winston narrowed his eyes and looked down at him, a slight frown forming between his brows. He seemed to be weighing whether he’d misheard or if Yu-jin had gone insane. Deliberately trying to cloud his judgment, Yu-jin shifted his posture.
The sheet that had been barely hanging on his hips slid down, revealing the full length of his thighs. Winston’s eyes locked onto the sight, unable to tear away. Subtly twisting his waist to bare more of his body, Yu-jin opened his mouth again.
“You made Angie and me happy, so now it’s our turn. It’s also a chance to teach Angie what it means to give back.”
Tilting his head to one side, Yu-jin gave an innocent “Hmm?” Winston, still fixated on his naked body, faltered before asking,
“What did you say?”
He clearly hadn’t caught the meaning. Yu-jin reached out and took his hand.
“Baby.”
Threading his fingers between Winston’s, he dropped his voice to a low whisper.
“Can I go now?”
As he gently caressed Winston’s palm, the man finally managed to drag his gaze back to Yu-jin’s face. His eyes, now unfocused and confused, blinked rapidly as if trying to shake something off. But his vigilance had already begun to melt away like snow under the blazing sun.
“You’ll need to go with a bodyguard.”
The words came belatedly, hoarse and rough. Yu-jin smiled and replied to the breathy voice,
“Of course. I’ll take him with me even to the bathroom.”
Winston frowned. Yu-jin, inwardly bracing himself, heard Winston speak again.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Knew he’d say that. Without stopping there, Yu-jin gently squeezed his hand and smiled sweetly.
“Thank you. For letting me.”
Though the words dripped with tenderness, his thoughts couldn’t have been more different. He was just a warm body to scratch an itch, yet Winston had the nerve to show such ridiculous possessiveness—it was laughable. Yu-jin let go of his hand and reached for his tie, tugging lightly.
Even with just a small pull, Winston yielded easily, as if he’d been waiting for the invitation. Their lips met in a slow, honeyed kiss. Yu-jin languidly licked inside his mouth and nipped at his lower lip before whispering,
“Come home early.”
Releasing the tie and leaning back, he watched as Winston slowly straightened up and added with a smile,
“I’ll be waiting in your bed, completely naked.”
With a showy grin, Yu-jin spread his arms wide open. His fully exposed body left nothing to the imagination, and Winston’s eyes locked onto him without hesitation. Yu-jin could clearly see his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.
“Yu-jin…”
As if he couldn’t hold back anymore, Winston reached out a hand. But Yu-jin quickly stepped back, slipping from his grasp.
“You’ve got work to do.”
Watching Winston’s face darken with frustration only made Yu-jin smile wider.
“The tastiest things come last.”
His voice was soft, almost coaxing, like soothing a child. Winston remained silent for a moment.
“Yu-jin.”
“Yeah?”
He responded easily, and Winston, keeping a bit of distance between them, asked,
“We’re… okay now, right?”
Okay?
Yu-jin nearly laughed out loud in disbelief. The only thing they’d done was have sex. That was it. And yet this man thought something had been resolved between them? Was it because Yu-jin had kissed him first? Because he’d asked for sex? Did he really not understand what happened to an Omega during heat?
It was just instinct. That’s all it was.
“Of course.”
Yu-jin smiled as if it were nothing. Maybe it was the emotional bruising, but the lie came out smoothly, without effort.
“We agreed to let the past go, didn’t we?”
Not only did he echo Winston’s own words, he went a step further and added,
“Thank you, Winston. For forgiving me.”
Placing both hands over his chest in a show of gratitude, Yu-jin let out a deep sigh. Winston, watching the whole performance, hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile.
“I’ll be back later.”
He bent forward as if to kiss Yu-jin, but stopped himself and pulled away.
“If I kiss you now, I won’t be able to stop.”
“You’re right, Winston.”
Yu-jin quickly agreed, his tone laced with self-mockery as if talking to himself.
“The night’s long—we should take our time.”
Winston let out a sigh, then turned away. He picked up the suit jacket draped over the chair, slung it over one arm, grabbed his suitcase with the other, and headed for the door. Just before stepping out, he turned to look back one more time.
His gaze lingered, as though he wanted to imprint Yu-jin’s naked form into his memory. Yu-jin held firm, resisting the urge to hide, gripping the sheet instead. Winston stood frozen like that for a while before finally tearing his eyes away and stepping into the hall.
His retreating figure moved like something out of a slow-motion reel. Yu-jin didn’t even blink, just watched in silence. Then, almost involuntarily, his lips moved.
“Bye.”
The words slipped out just as the door was about to close. Winston hesitated. Yu-jin snapped out of it and quickly tried to cover it up.
“Have a good day.”
Winston looked at Yu-jin’s smiling face, then nodded with a quiet “Yeah,” and closed the door. Only after the sound of his footsteps faded completely did Yu-jin finally release the tension in his body and let out a long, heavy sigh.
That was close.
There had been more than a few traps hidden along the way. And Winston’s pheromones—thicker than usual, likely from lust—had nearly gotten to him. If he hadn’t flushed his pheromones the night before, all his efforts might have gone up in smoke.
Maybe it was actually lucky that the heat cycle came when it did.
With that thought lingering in the back of his mind, Yu-jin quickly made his way to the bathroom. His back ached, and his whole body felt drained, but he couldn’t afford to lie around.
This is my last chance.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror and made a silent vow. There would be no more meetings with that man again.
***
“Haaa…”
Georgina exhaled another long breath. In the frigid air, her breath formed a white cloud before quickly vanishing. Her face, twisted in a frown, remained lost in thought.
I should’ve said no.
She had learned too much—so much that it had become a problem. She should’ve listened to the adults. It was far too late to regret it now.
I should just pretend I don’t know anything… right?
It left a bitter feeling in her gut, but there wasn’t any other choice. If everything came to light… what would happen next? She couldn’t even begin to imagine.
If I’d known it was something this huge, I never would’ve tried to find out in the first place.
She sighed again—just as a sleek silver sedan pulled up not far from where she stood. A few more cars lined up behind it, and she immediately straightened her posture.
I shouldn’t have come out.
Regret washed over her, but it was already too late. From the open car door, a small child jumped down.
“Georgina!”
“Angie!”
At the sight of the child, Georgina called out instinctively, unable to hide her delight. Angela ran straight toward her, and Georgina rushed forward too, wrapping the little girl in a tight hug.
“Have you been well, Angie? Oh my goodness, you’ve gotten even cuter!”
“Georgina! Why didn’t you come before? I missed you sooo much!”
Angela’s high-pitched voice made Georgina wince in guilt as she replied,
“I’ve been a little busy—with school. Did you have a good Christmas?”
When she asked, Angela’s eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically.
“Yup! I saw Santa! He gave me this much!”
She stretched her arms wide, making the biggest circle she could. Georgina couldn’t help but laugh.
“Really? Santa must’ve given you a ton because you’ve been such a good girl.”
“What did you get from Santa, Georgina?”
“Huh? Me… I—”
She had been about to say that she was too old to be getting presents from Santa when she spotted someone a few steps away—and her heart dropped.
Yu-jin was standing there.
“Georgina.”
Completely unaware of the panic in her chest, Yu-jin smiled and called out to her.
“Thank you for coming. I know it was a lot to ask.”
yu-Jin is so smart. I love him because he’s getting his clap back. The fact that he said they were good for the past is crazy because what Winston doesn’t know is his actions in the present have been far worst