Chapter 78
Se-jin rolled his eyes to look at the clock on the bedside table. It seemed they had handled things too quickly over there.
When he tried to get up, his body wouldn’t listen. Se-jin’s torso, stiff as a wooden board, half-rose before falling back onto the bed. Tae-geon smirked at the omega.
“Don’t strain yourself, Se-jin. Just lie there.”
“…Tae …geon.”
“You’re going to die here today from an accident.”
Tae-geon’s voice didn’t sound like a joke at all. Goosebumps spread all over Se-jin’s body. Only then did fear wash over him.
Se-jin barely managed to move his hand to feel his hole where something sticky was flowing. His eyes shook as he confirmed the identity of the liquid Tae-geon had poured in. It was white and opaque. Not lubricant, but rather…
It looked like semen.
“…Th- this is……”
“It’s Kim Jun-hyeok’s.”
“……”
“A dominant alpha whose balls have shriveled to the size of beans.”
Tae-geon frowned at Se-jin, who still looked confused.
“Don’t you remember? The alpha who supplied pheromones to that establishment you’re crazy about. That’s too much.”
“……!”
Se-jin glared at Tae-geon with wide eyes. Tae-geon got off the bed and started putting on his discarded clothes. Even seeing this, Se-jin couldn’t move a finger. Every time his heart pumped violently, his blood vessels felt like they would burst. Hot blood rushed to his head.
“I’ve thought of three headlines for tomorrow’s papers for you, Se-jin.”
Tae-geon, having buttoned up his shirt, sat on the edge of the bed holding his blazer in one hand.
“First, ‘Minister of Foreign Affairs’ Son Abuses Power in Father’s Name’. Your father will be dismissed from both his ministerial and director positions. His son commits suicide out of guilt.”
Se-jin’s eyes widened. Looking down at the omega stiff as a board, Tae-geon continued.
“Second, ‘Motion Submitted to Dismiss Opposition Leader Congressman Kim Chang-sik, Prosecution Requests Appearance’. This case would be quite big. Based on the evidence you’ve gathered – nomination corruption, bribery, legislative lobbying, accepting bribes. Not just the media, but countless companies that provided political funds, your father, and even Congressman Kim’s older brother in the Prosecutor General position wouldn’t be safe. The whole country would be in an uproar.”
“……”
“The initial informant who triggered this situation, instigated by someone with a grudge, is killed in an attack by an unknown assailant. Of course, that informant is you, Se-jin.”
“You… you’re crazy.”
“Lastly, the third.”
Tae-geon stared at Se-jin with emotionless eyes.
“‘Omega in 20s Dies During Extramarital Affair’. This might not make the headlines due to lack of impact, but don’t feel too bad. I like this third option best for its simplicity. Which do you prefer, Se-jin?”
“…You… bastard.”
Se-jin trembled all over, his face pale.
“You, who couldn’t break the habit of vulgar behavior even after marriage and frequently visited shady establishments, met a dominant alpha illegally providing pheromones there and ended up mingling bodies with him. You continued the relationship, taking advantage of the fact that the mentally unstable alpha’s statements would have no legal effect, and today you died like this. Don’t worry. The first two headlines won’t be reported. Only this third one will make the papers.”
Se-jin shuddered.
What a fucked-up scenario…!
Forcing out his voice that wouldn’t come, Se-jin shouted at Tae-geon.
“Don’t… talk nonsense! Who would… believe that! …If they investigate just a little, they’ll know the person I slept with today wasn’t that alpha but you-!”
“Who cares about that.”
Tae-geon got up from the bed and finished putting on his blazer.
“No one will want the truth to come out.”
“……”
Se-jin’s face turned deathly pale.
“They’ll even lobby our hotel to bury this as is, and it won’t be enough.”
Tae-geon lowered himself and whispered in Se-jin’s ear.
“No one will mourn your death.”
“……”
“Including your father, of course.”
Se-jin’s eyes shook wildly. It was all a trap. He had lied about imprinting and lured him in for this outcome!
But why!
“…Why… did you… approach me…… Even though you didn’t imprint on me! Why me of all people?!”
Tae-geon looked down coldly at the omega who was screaming with veins popping on his neck.
“Because Hyeon-woo can only be safe if you die.”
Hyeon-woo…? …Who…?
That… damn omega?
Se-jin’s mind raced through what Tae-geon had said a month ago.
‘Unlike you, Se-jin, that kid had no notable education, family background, or wealth. They were far from suitable to be my mate. My family, who already viewed imprinting as shameful, wouldn’t have left alone a subpar omega who ran their mouth so carelessly.’
What is this now? Are you saying you used me?
To protect that omega from a great family…?
Se-jin glared at Tae-geon with bloodshot eyes. Looking at Se-jin, Tae-geon spoke in a calm voice.
“Don’t feel too wronged. It’s already generous that I didn’t pay you back exactly for what you did to Hyeon-woo.”
“……”
“I barely restrained myself from bribing several low-quality alphas to use you on the streets.”
“What… non…sense.”
“Your signature on that check was quite pretty.”
“……!”
As if finally understanding everything Tae-geon was saying, Se-jin’s eyes widened.
Tae-geon was about to leave the room, leaving behind Se-jin frozen and unable to move a finger.
“…Keu……”
“……”
“…Keu… keukeukheuheu!”
Tae-geon stopped and turned to look at Se-jin with an annoyed expression at the sudden burst of bizarre laughter. Se-jin, laughing like a madman, sputtered out words with unclear pronunciation.
“…From the first time I saw… it was… irritating.”
“……”
“I should have… killed it earlier……”
Se-jin’s voice gradually faded as he muttered incomprehensibly, seemingly short of breath. His eyes were fixed on the clock on the bedside table.
“…At least… that’s… fortunate.”
“……”
“That I at least… have the satisfaction of… taking that brat you cherish so much… as my companion.”
*
‘…The winter sea… scenery… was nice…’
The omega had clearly muttered that just before dying.
Tae-geon drove hurriedly. His heart was pounding madly.
The winter sea. He must know where Hyeon-woo was.
Soon, Tae-geon saw orange lights flickering in the distance. Despite it being the middle of the night, a bright light like a sunrise was soaring towards the sky. As he approached the house where Hyeon-woo was, the light became even more intense.
Finally, as he turned the corner and arrived in front of the house, Tae-geon’s heart plummeted.
Screech-!
He stopped the car and ran frantically.
It wasn’t light, but flames. Hyeon-woo, who couldn’t escape outside or call for help, was in that fiery pit. He was being consumed alive by the fire in the place where Tae-geon had isolated him.
One side of the roof, turned to black ashes, collapsed with a crash.
“Hyeon-woo!!”
Tae-geon, his face pale, called out to Hyeon-woo from outside, but there was no answer. Tae-geon unlocked and grabbed the metal doorknob. A terrible pain of melting flesh spread through his palm, but Tae-geon didn’t seem to feel it, frantically turning the handle.
Even though it was unlocked, the door wouldn’t open, as if something inside had melted and stuck together. Cold sweat ran down Tae-geon’s neck as he rammed his body against the hot iron door.
After backing up and throwing himself at it several times, the entrance finally opened with a cracking sound.
Whoof-.
A cough burst from Tae-geon’s mouth at the murderous heat rushing into his lungs. Acrid smoke and hot flames blurred his vision.
There was nothing on the bed engulfed in roaring flames. Hyeon-woo wasn’t in the closet or under the dining table either. There was only one place left.
Tae-geon approached the bathroom and flung open the door. Hyeon-woo, his face covered in black soot, was crouched in the bathtub filled with water, breathing heavily.
There was a large red burn mark from Hyeon-woo’s right elbow to his wrist. Hyeon-woo’s eyes were unfocused as he trembled, clutching his stomach.
As Tae-geon approached Hyeon-woo, he gasped when he saw the bathtub where Hyeon-woo was sitting was filled with red bloody water. Red blood like paint was flowing from between Hyeon-woo’s legs, mixing into the water like smoke. Tae-geon’s breathing became rough.
“…Hyeon …woo!”
Tae-geon grabbed Hyeon-woo’s shoulders, shaking him vigorously back and forth while calling his name dozens of times at the top of his lungs.
Hyeon-woo, wake up. Hyeon-woo! Han Hyeon-woo…!!
“…Tae-geon……”
After a long while, Hyeon-woo’s consciousness returned and his lips moved. His eyes still looked vacant. Hyeon-woo’s unfocused eyes turned to Tae-geon.
“Our… baby… What about our baby…?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
