The mansion where he used to live with his mother turned cold and lifeless at night, like a house of the dead. A big part of that came from the fact that the woman who owned it—his mother—had a heart that had long since died.
Leaving to study abroad or moving out under the excuse of school would’ve been easy, but young Tae-seong simply couldn’t bring himself to leave her side.
Every night, she’d sit alone on the living room sofa in the dark like a ghost, silently staring out at the garden through the window. She was always in one of her usual silk slips. The silence was so complete, you could hear the ticking of the wall clock like it was screaming.
The head of Chunwoo, the Iron Lady of management, Cheon Soo-young—whatever titles they gave her in the daytime lost all meaning at night. The only one who knew about the sickness eating away at her for years was her son, Tae-seong.
Because in that vast mansion, they were the only ones left who could be called “family.”
Even when Tae-seong gently held her hand with a look of pain on his face, her eyes stayed blank, still staring out the window.
“Mom, that’s enough… He’s not coming tonight either. Please, just go to bed.”
Despite her son’s earnest pleas, Cheon Soo-young didn’t react. As if she hadn’t heard a single word he’d said, she muttered to herself like she was all alone.
“He said… he said he’s coming today.”
“When? When the hell did he ever say that?”
If Tae-seong finally lost his temper and raised his voice, Cheon Soo-young would curl up like a frightened child, clawing at her chest while whispering the same words over and over again.
“If he doesn’t come… I-I’d rather die, I just want to die…”
Up until this very moment, Cheon Tae-seong had believed that his mother, Cheon Soo-young, had completely destroyed herself because she couldn’t let go of her pitiful pride.
Of all people, she’d fallen for Han Ki-taek. She’d gone through with a marriage everyone had begged her not to, and she’d even had him—Tae-seong—with that man. He’d thought all of those choices had become the cracks that shattered her once proud dignity.
That all the years she’d spent suffering were for one thing only—to win him back, the man who’d abandoned her, so she could destroy him with her own hands. That she had clung to him out of obsession and stubbornness, unbecoming of who she was.
Because if it wasn’t revenge she was after, there was no way to make sense of that long, painful wait.
…But I was wrong.
Only after his own body had been wrecked so mercilessly by the imprinting response did Tae-seong finally understand her.
Clutching his chest, Cheon Tae-seong exhaled in heavy, ragged breaths. The air escaping between his teeth felt scorching hot. Ha-jin’s heat cycle was flooding through his skin with such intensity, it almost hurt. His body was burning up.
He braced a hand against the closed bathroom door and took a deep breath. It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten aroused by Ha-jin, the man who he imprinted on—but this time, he knew it instinctively.
This time was different. If he made the mistake of letting his pheromones take control, he’d end up doing something he could never take back.
To keep his reason from slipping, he bit the inside of his cheek—but overdid it. The taste of blood filled his mouth. He had to hold himself together. Ha-jin was going through his very first heat cycle—Tae-seong couldn’t allow himself to hurt him.
“Lee Ha-jin.”
Every time he called his name, he could feel Ha-jin flinch inside the bathroom, and it twisted something deep inside his chest.
“I’m coming in.”
He imagined Ha-jin slumped weakly against the door and slowly pushed. But surprisingly, it opened without resistance. Stepping through the crack, he found Ha-jin curled up on his side on the bathroom floor.
It looked like he didn’t even have the strength to lift his head. His barely opened eyes flicked up to meet Tae-seong’s. A soft groan escaped Tae-seong’s lips. Despite his resolve, he could feel himself growing hard.
“…Huh… CEO…”
“You can still recognize me? Must not be that bad yet.”
Tae-seong chuckled quietly and crouched in front of him. As Ha-jin’s pheromones drifted into the air, his own body began to respond.
But strangely, Ha-jin’s breathing seemed to ease as Tae-seong came closer. He let out a small cough, sucking in shallow breaths. The tightness began to fade, replaced by a feverish flush.
“CEO… huff… please… c-call a doctor… please…”
“……”
Tae-seong reached out and roughly grabbed Ha-jin’s outstretched hand. Then, slipping one arm under his back and the other beneath his thighs, he lifted him in one clean motion. The moment their skin touched, their pheromones mixed instantly. Gritting his teeth, Tae-seong summoned every ounce of his self-control as he rose to his feet.
“Ah!”
Startled, Ha-jin whimpered and clung to him. Tae-seong tightened his hold, trying to steady him. But even in his arms, Ha-jin’s trembling only worsened.
It was instinctual fear. Of course it was—this was all completely new to him.
“Don’t be scared.”
“Hh-hff…”
“Nothing’s going to happen. It’s just… like a bad fever, that’s all.”
Even as he whispered those reassurances, Tae-seong’s confidence wavered. He closed his eyes tight, then opened them again. Every breath Ha-jin exhaled carried that intoxicating scent—so potent it made his jaw ache with tension. He had only caught traces of it before, but now the fragrance, which he’d once only guessed at, struck him with full force.
It wasn’t a scent that could be compared to anything else. It was just Ha-jin. Rich, deep, and warm.
The scent wrapped around Tae-seong, engulfing him completely. It felt like a breeze blown from Ha-jin, soaked in sunlight.
Tae-seong lowered his head and whispered into his ear.
“If you’re scared, just close your eyes.”
“I-I… I want to go home…”
Ha-jin mumbled, words disjointed, clearly terrified by the sensation of his body melting. Tae-seong let out a short, dry laugh and started walking.
“CEO…!”
It wasn’t many steps from the bathroom to the bedroom, but the ceiling of the suite seemed to spin around them. Reality felt like it was slipping away. Ha-jin squirmed in his arms, and Tae-seong snapped, irritation slipping into his voice.
“Looking like this, where the hell do you think you’re going?”
Clicking his tongue, he adjusted Ha-jin in his arms to keep him from moving. Supporting his back with a firm grip, he held him tightly—and for some reason, that warmth made Ha-jin feel like crying. He bit his lip hard. He felt pathetic, so weak he couldn’t even keep it together.
Suddenly, Ha-jin remembered what Tae-seong had said the first time they met again after his regression.
“I don’t take in managers who come into my house claiming to ‘manage’ me while leaking Omega scent all over my place with their dick dripping from my pheromones.”
Even though Tae-seong’s pheromones now felt gentle, the memory of that one line clung to him. The tears wouldn’t stop. He felt filthy—sweat-soaked, tear-streaked, and soaked down to his underwear.
As Tae-seong laid him down on the bed, all Ha-jin could think was I need to run. But his limp, sluggish body didn’t move like he wanted. Every part of him was so sensitive that even the slightest shift made him lose composure. It was unbearable.
When the fabric brushed against his chest and it tickled, Ha-jin instinctively reached up to rub it. Seeing this, Tae-seong—seated on his thigh—let out a sharp, disbelieving breath.
His scent bore weight, pressing down on Ha-jin. Even the shadow that loomed over his body felt heavy. Trapped between his legs, his cock throbbed painfully, already leaking uncontrollably. The tip was probably raw. Ha-jin wriggled his soaked hips, whining.
“It-it itches… please… do something…”
Whimpering, he reached behind himself to try and find his entrance through his pants. That’s when Tae-seong suddenly shrugged off his jacket and ripped his shirt open.
“Don’t go shoving your fingers in there like that.”
He grabbed Ha-jin’s wrists and pinned them, leaning down to press their torsos together. The weight of his solid body brought a shocking sense of comfort. Then their lips met. Unlike the desperate Ha-jin, Tae-seong’s tongue slid in gently, stroking and soothing the soft flesh inside.
Pheromones flooded in through Ha-jin’s throat, dizzying. He melted completely.
“Mmh… mmhph…”
His lower body ached with need. He wanted to do something to get rid of the heat. Tears streamed down his face as he writhed his hips. With both hands restrained, he had no choice. Shame forgotten, he rubbed his cock against Tae-seong’s body.
Even with Tae-seong staring down at him, Ha-jin couldn’t stop the grinding. It only made it worse. His eyes were flushed red as he looked up at him.
“Ha…”
Tae-seong finally let go of his wrists, pulled off Ha-jin’s shirt, and slipped both arms beneath his armpits, hugging him tight with their bare chests pressed together. He reached behind to cross his arms at Ha-jin’s back and held him close.
“Hold still, Lee Ha-jin. If you keep that up, I won’t be able to hold back either.”
Then, he released his pheromones. Not the kind you use for “management,” but something else entirely. It was sex—it was rut. He poured it into Ha-jin like he was claiming him.
Ha-jin was going crazy. Tears ran down his cheeks and wet his lips. Unable to bear it, he extended his tongue and licked Tae-seong’s neck, sucking on his skin. He had to. It was the only way to survive this.
“Just, just… ahhhhhh…!”
The plea to be filled—to be fucked—died in his throat and came out as a wail. Tae-seong pulled him into a crushing embrace.
“Heat is such fucking hell. It turns you into a goddamn animal, right?”
His mother must’ve imprinted on Han Ki-taek. One-sidedly. Foolishly.
“CEO… please… please… ahh…”
“No. I won’t.”
Tae-seong rejected him flat-out. He bit his own hand, trying to hold out against the Omega’s cycle pulling him under.
“As much as I hate to admit it, I really am my mother’s son.”
He’d inherited everything—goddamn everything. But he refused to be weak in body and soul both. Fuck that.
It wasn’t even about pride. He simply had no interest in screwing someone out of their mind. What would that kind of sex even be? Sweet? Maybe.
Tae-seong swallowed down another surge of cursing. It was going to be one hell of a night for him too, teetering between control and surrender.
“Endure it, Lee Ha-jin. Struggling just makes it worse.”
He bit out the words, not even sure who they were meant for.
