36
The interior was quite spacious. It seemed like two of Seunghyeok’s houses could fit inside. Smirking at the thought that it wouldn’t be a lie to get lost in a place like this, he followed the man.
Not only was the interior spacious, but there was no sound at all. The cliché expression of being as quiet as a dead mouse fit perfectly. It was like an abandoned house where no one lived. As they approached the main living room, Seunghyeok’s eyes hardened.
Pheromones brazenly filled the entire spacious living room. It was as if they were showing off. The amount was enough to be pickled in pheromones. To a beta, omega, or recessive alpha it may not be noticeable, but to an extremely dominant alpha like Seunghyeok, it was a stench that made him want to block his nose, nothing more.
Fuck. Seunghyeok swallowed a curse under his breath. The man’s vulgar ostentatiousness seemed to be on full display.
“You’ve arrived right on time.”
A husky voice rang out. Seunghyeok moved his eyes to look in the direction of the sound.
Most people would gape in surprise if they knew the age of the man with taut skin and a well-maintained body without an ounce of fat. The man had one thing that was particularly different from ordinary people – a pair of eyes brimming with greed. They were like the glimmering eyes of a snake.
Seunghyeok had never seen eyes so steeped in desire before.
“I was surprised that your side asked to see me first. Sit down.”
The man casually invited Seunghyeok to a seat. Seunghyeok looked down at the man like that for a moment before sitting on the sofa. The man blatantly stared at Seunghyeok.
The urge to tell him to stop staring welled up suddenly but he quickly suppressed it inwardly. After all, this meeting had been arranged at Seunghyeok’s suggestion.
“So, what did you want to say. Son.”
‘Son.’
The affectionate way of addressing him made him feel like throwing up. The person who had mercilessly abandoned him when he wasn’t needed was now acting friendly after confirming his usefulness. It wasn’t something new anyway, so there was no need to feel taken aback. The problem was that Seunghyeok shared blood with that man.
Seunghyeok’s eyes hardened.
The man sitting with a leisurely smile on his face was the chairman of the current Doryeong Group and Seunghyeok’s biological father, Ji Hotaek.
“Is the offer you made before still valid?”
“…Let’s talk about it.”
His attitude was utterly relaxed. He already knew why Seunghyeok had come to see him. Nevertheless, he deliberately wanted to hear it directly from Seunghyeok’s mouth. It was clear that he wanted to confirm an attitude of submission. Even knowing that, there was no choice but to do it.
Seunghyeok bit down on his molars once.
“I will work under the Chairman.”
Hotaek’s eyes narrowed. It was a gaze that seemed to be gauging Seunghyeok’s thoughts. Pushing his thin lips upward, he opened his mouth.
Hotaek did not answer right away. Instead, the man’s gaze moved past Seunghyeok’s side to somewhere else.
“You see that over there. Bring it here. The most expensive one.”
Where he was pointing with his fingertip, there were various bonsai trees. Seunghyeok couldn’t tell which one he was referring to. Hotaek also did not specify which one it was.
Seunghyeok lightly bit the tip of his tongue.
This wasn’t even dog training.
Even when training a mutt, the purpose is made clear.
He didn’t even feel like asking which one it was. In the first place, even if he asked, there was no way Hotaek would answer kindly. Without hesitating for long, Seunghyeok picked one up and set it on the table.
Hotaek’s eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
“That’s right. Yes. This is the one.”
Hotaek nodded, looking satisfied.
Do as you’re told.
It was an extremely simple action, but there was no other way to confirm the superiority of power so clearly. Hotaek was now impressing upon Seunghyeok his position through this simple task.
It was impossible not to know that the series of actions had all been calculated.
“This little thing is worth 1.3 billion won in ransom. A very expensive one.”
Hotaek stroked the pot containing the bonsai with a satisfied look in his eyes.
“Even to the eyes of someone who knows nothing, this one looks the best.”
Hotaek was silent again for a while. It was after the second hand had made a few rotations that Hotaek’s mouth, which had been focused on the plant in front of him, opened.
“When making a bonsai, you see, it’s important to prune the useless small branches. This fellow being subjected to it doesn’t know what’s what. It’s a plant without a brain, so how could it think? It’s just busy trying to eat and live. Only when looked at through the eyes of someone who can think does one know. You just have to give it water when needed and it will eat, bend as it’s bent, and follow as it’s cut.”
Hotaek’s gaze finally moved towards Seunghyeok.
“As I expected, you’re not saying you’ll take over the business. It’s a decision made after thought. Right?”
“……”
Seunghyeok did not answer. Hotaek stared at him like that for a while, then clicked his tongue as if regretful.
“Forget it. You came to see me because you need something from me anyway. As long as I have assurance of your abilities and that you won’t betray me, I don’t care what you do. But I’ll need you to prove your will.”
Hotaek glossed over it roughly like that. He continued slowly.
“Come here.”
“…Yes.”
Seunghyeok knelt on one knee at Hotaek’s feet. Hotaek naturally held out a hand to him and Seunghyeok kissed the back of that hand.
Then, a strange sensation began to arise inside his body. Seunghyeok’s eyebrows twitched.
It was Protect.
An ability granted to some extremely dominant alphas. The power to make others into one’s subordinates. That was what was affecting Seunghyeok. It was similar to imprinting, but while imprinting happened mutually between two parties, Protect was a one-sided subjugation.
He knew about it, but it was an extremely unpleasant sensation. It completely went against the instincts of an extremely dominant alpha who had to reign over others. But there was no choice. Right now, Seunghyeok needed Hotaek’s protection.
Seunghyeok accepted that sensation without rejecting it. It felt like a thin film was being overlaid on his sensitive senses.
“Being an extremely dominant alpha, you have some aversion to it.”
Hotaek said with a laugh. Rather than being displeased, he seemed extremely satisfied with Seunghyeok’s constitution.
“It’s a shame. If only your test results weren’t abnormal, that position would be yours now.”
“I appreciate your words.”
Seunghyeok bowed his head, hiding his churning insides.
“Among those I’ve used Protect on, the weak ones couldn’t even stand properly for half a day. As expected, you’re useful.”
An admiring voice continued indifferently.
“The reason you can act so fiercely is all because I didn’t take you in properly. Yes. You can think of the physical exam results that judged you as a beta as fate too. They say trials make humans stronger. You were able to grow that strong thanks to me.”
Seunghyeok clenched his teeth, swallowing the surging curses. It was disgusting self-satisfaction and self-justification. He had known from the beginning that Hotaek was this kind of person. He just didn’t want to breathe the same air as him anymore.
Seunghyeok politely said, stifling a sigh leaking through his teeth.
“Then I will take my leave now.”
“Sure, you must be busy. Show your face once in a while.”
Seunghyeok looked down at Hotaek waving a hand and dismissing him with cold eyes and left the residence. Although it felt like the ground beneath his feet would collapse due to the aftereffects of Protect, Seunghyeok’s gait did not waver in the slightest as he bit his tongue hard and walked out.
Perhaps sensing that Seunghyeok was not in a good condition, Kim Seongchae asked if he should go to his residence, but Seunghyeok shook his head. He couldn’t leave the company unattended for that long.
Arriving at the office, Seunghyeok told them to call him if there was anything necessary and went inside. Everyone seemed to sense that Seunghyeok’s condition was not good, so they were busy watching his mood. It was a bit of a sorry thing. The employees’ job was to be productive, not to look after his mood.
Thinking that he would have a hard time adapting to the sensation of a thin film being overlaid on his keen senses, he pressed his temples. Although he had practically doused himself in pheromone deodorizer after leaving Hotaek’s residence, the icky feeling like bugs were sticking to him did not go away.
His head felt dazed as if he had taken drugs, either because of the deodorizer or because of Protect. The state of not being able to think properly, as if hazy fog had descended, could last who knew how long, but it was quite troublesome. From what he had learned, there were cases of suffering from it for as short as 3 days to as long as over a week. Seunghyeok let out a deep sigh.
It seemed the throbbing in his head was not just due to the sensation. Having no hobby of foolishly enduring pain, he got up from his seat thinking he should at least take some medicine. That’s when someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Seunghyeok, who was speaking while swallowing painkillers, saw Lee Youngsun entering and gave him a puzzled look. As far as Seunghyeok knew, there was no report he had to receive from him.
“What is it?”
“Your rut will be coming soon, so shall we look for a partner for you to spend it with?”
Seunghyeok’s head slowly turned.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
