Ha-jin’s defiant eyes met Cheon Tae-seong’s brown ones.
“Ohh, I see. So you were shocked?”
Tae-seong gave a slow, curling smile like he’d just uncovered a juicy little truth. The warmth in that smile blurred the line between sarcasm and teasing, leaving anyone watching unsure of what he really meant.
“Look, I’m not running a scam, or breaking the contract, or trying to bail. So can you let go now?”
“Breaking the contract’s up to me, Ha-jin.”
Tae-seong released his grip on Ha-jin’s collar and gave him a light push with the back of his hand.
“…Ugh.”
Ha-jin stumbled back a step, barely catching his balance. Saliva had trickled from the corner of his mouth where Tae-seong’s finger had been, and he wiped it away roughly with the back of his hand. His cheeks were still burning—proof of the heat flooding his face.
Tae-seong’s gaze swept over him, taking in every inch. The shirt stained with blood was wrinkled and ruined, looking like a rag. And his feet… he looked like a total mess.
But still, that flushed, tomato-red face completely stole his attention.
Tae-seong squinted one eye playfully.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t turned on?”
“…What?”
“You said you were a eunuch, right?”
“What—no, I didn’t!”
“So, you’ve tested it?”
“Why do you keep saying things like that?!”
Tae-seong suddenly started shaking with laughter.
He’s insane. Ha-jin was left speechless again, while Tae-seong’s face shifted into one of complete triumph.
“From where I’m standing, you look very turned on. That’s a breach of contract, isn’t it? So it is fraud.”
He was still smiling as he accused him of scamming. Ha-jin couldn’t make sense of it—why was Tae-seong acting like he’d won something? Any penalty fee he squeezed out of Ha-jin would be pocket change to him.
“What’re you gonna do now, Ha-jin? You said you didn’t like the smell of Alpha pheromones, but look at you—turned on and flustered.”
“I’m not! I mean—what kind of talk is that? I said I wasn’t turned on. And this isn’t fraud. Or a contract violation, either.”
“Not the way I see it.”
Ha-jin was so stunned he couldn’t respond. Tae-seong tilted his head slightly.
“If you’re so sure, prove it.”
“…How?”
Slliiide—Tae-seong leaned forward, narrowing the distance between them. He slowly parted his lips, revealing a crimson tongue inside.
Jesus. Ha-jin recoiled, face twisting in disbelief, but Tae-seong didn’t waver an inch.
“What, no confidence?”
“……”
“If you want to keep this contract and avoid paying three times the penalty, you’ll have to prove it, Ha-jin.”
Maybe that high fever had fried something in his brain. The certainty in his voice—the look in his eyes—unsettled Ha-jin deeply. But what scared him most was his own heart, now pounding wildly out of rhythm.
Is there really something wrong with my body? …Could it be because I regressed?
Proof. That was the most important thing for Ha-jin right now. But suddenly, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
He stepped back instinctively, clutching the front of his shirt tightly with both hands—as if that might somehow muffle the sound of his thudding heart.
***
“You’re all I have, Tae-seong.”
“……”
The words were heartfelt, but the person they were directed to didn’t respond.
Tae-seong quietly ran his hand down the back of the one embracing him. The warmth of that touch was answer enough, and the older man holding him let out a long sigh, as if easing the burden in his chest.
“My poor baby… what happened to your head…”
“Grandfather, I’m fine.”
When Tae-seong stepped back, the elderly man looked genuinely disappointed, reluctant to let go. His sharp eyes—framed beneath his thick white brows—scanned his grandson’s body with tender concern.
Chairman Cheon Han-jo, the man who’d once raised his only daughter like royalty, had watched his life unravel when she married some nobody with no background, no pedigree.
The day she defied him and went through with the marriage, it had broken his heart.
His dutiful, perfect daughter had rebelled for the first time—and the betrayal stung deeply. He was so hurt, he shut himself away, cut her off entirely, and moved into a mountain retreat.
It was during that time, while trying to emotionally distance himself from his daughter, that this gem of a grandson was born.
The first time he looked into those baby eyes, he fell in love.
From that day forward, his life had been devoted entirely to this boy.
Even now, as soon as he’d heard Tae-seong was injured, he’d taken a helicopter all the way from Gangwon-do to get here.
“How the hell do you fall in a bathroom and end up like that?”
Both Tae-seong and Han-jo turned their icy gazes toward Kim Dae-hong.
Tae-seong’s said: Why the hell did you call my grandfather?
Han-jo’s said: Why the hell are you still standing when my boy’s bleeding?
Caught between two glares, Kim Dae-hong fidgeted in pure panic—until another figure stepped forward to intervene.
The woman who had escorted Han-jo into the hospital room was a soft-spoken, well-groomed Omega around Tae-seong’s age. She smiled warmly as she guided the Chairman toward the sofa.
“Please, Grandfather, sit down and catch your breath. You’ve had quite a shock—your blood pressure’s spiking.”
“Ohh, yes, yes. I’m about to collapse myself.”
Watching the two of them, Tae-seong raised an eyebrow. His glare at Dae-hong grew even more intense.
His tone was icy and flat.
“I already told the hospital to block visits from anyone who isn’t family. Seems that message didn’t get through. Dr. Joo must be getting a little too comfortable.”
The words sounded polite—but they were basically a threat.
Translation: The service here is dogshit, maybe I should stop donating.
Knowing how his grandson never went back on decisions once made, Chairman Han-jo jumped in.
“Hey now, Dr. Joo is not an outsider. She made time to check on you, even though she’s busy. And she’s been worried about my health, too. You won’t find many as kind and thoughtful as her. In today’s world, people like Dr. Joo are rare treasures.”
“……”
Tae-seong didn’t answer. He just raised an eyebrow.
Dr. Joo beamed even wider at that.
To Ha-jin, it looked like nothing more than a carefully curated customer-service smile—but apparently, Grandpa Cheon thought the world of it.
Why was he so eager to praise her?
“You’ll never make it in business if you don’t know the value of people. A simple ‘thank you’ at the right time goes a long way—it’ll come back to you as wealth one day.”
Chairman Han-jo looked at his cold-faced grandson with genuine sorrow.
He hoped more than anything that Tae-seong would one day marry someone universally respected and admired.
Tae-seong, born perfect, had grown up shielded from hardship and had a soft heart. With all his wealth and privilege, the Chairman constantly worried someone might try to swindle him.
That’s why he wanted his grandson to marry someone intelligent and wise—someone who could protect and guide him.
“I must’ve taken too much after my mother. You always worry too much, Grandfather. I appreciate you coming today, but Dr. Joo’s busy—don’t waste her time. Let her get back to work.”
The remark about taking after his mother made Chairman Han-jo narrow his eyes.
Was that a hint he wanted to choose love freely?
The old man had been trying to set him up precisely for that reason—to help him fall naturally for someone suitable. But his grandson either had no clue, or was being deliberately contrary. Maybe he did have a secret lover tucked away somewhere—Han-jo narrowed his eyes and scanned him.
But there was no one. No trouble, no scandals. That in itself was almost more worrisome. Too much chaos was a problem—but so was being too clean. Either way, he wished his grandson would just listen for once.
Hrm! Chairman Han-jo let out a deliberately loud fake cough.
“Tae-seong, come have some tea with us. I brought those snacks you like. Come on, sit over here next to Dr. Joo.”
“You’re asking an injured patient to entertain guests?”
“Come now, aside from your head, you’re perfectly fine—”
While the two bickered, Dr. Joo opened the paper bag she’d brought and laid out its contents on the table. She waved sweetly to draw Chairman Han-jo’s attention.
“No, no, Chairman. Mr. Cheon needs rest. Have tea with me instead. I brought your favorite—black sesame injeolmi from Okgane Rice Cake Shop.”
“Oh? How’d you know I’d be coming?”
“Because I knew you love your grandson too much not to come. And it’s been a while—I wanted to offer you something nice.”
Chairman Han-jo beamed with satisfaction. In contrast, Tae-seong looked like a pissed-off ghost.
The two visitors laughed and chatted while the actual patient sat on the hospital bed, radiating hostility.
Kim Dae-hong stood frozen, silently screaming inside.
All of this was Ha-jin’s fault. Yet that bastard had somehow escaped the whole mess. Dae-hong had even yelled at him to get lost before the Chairman arrived. Now he was pissed Ha-jin had managed to sneak away at the perfect moment.
He recalled Ha-jin walking out of the room just before the Chairman showed up—face pale, staggering like a zombie. He hadn’t even been able to ask what happened between him and the boss.
From the look on his face, it seemed like Tae-seong had completely lost it and ripped him a new one. And yet, strangely, Tae-seong’s mood afterward had seemed… good. And now here he was, stuck in this nightmare.
Rut manager, my ass.
From the moment he showed up, he and Dae-hong had been completely out of sync. Dae-hong’s anxiety only deepened, already dreading what the future might bring.
