Seo Ihyeon furrowed his brow and let out a short, humorless laugh. He stroked beneath his chin and stared steadily at the two people before him.
“You stay out of this. You won’t like what you see. Fucking hell. …If you’re going to put on a show, at least keep it within reason.”
“…That’s enough. This marriage is absurd to begin with — and you know that just as well as anyone, Executive Director Seo Ihyeon.”
Beomwook struggled to calm his racing heart. He’d run his mouth to stop the attack on Yeonjun, but he could barely account for what he’d even said.
Our Beomwook. …Don’t touch him.
…Our Executive Director. I won’t give him to you.
No matter how many times he replayed them, the words still felt unreal. Yeonjun’s soft voice repeated in his ears, on a loop. Even if an unknown actor had shown up as planned, could anyone have gone that far in a situation like this?
Youthful nerve, the considerable sum of money he’d been paid — even accounting for all of that, none of this made sense. Beomwook recalled his own words: just stand there. In the end, the only one who had simply stood there was Beomwook himself.
And yet, in the middle of this absurd little performance, Beomwook had felt something loosen in his chest — just for a moment. On top of that, it was the first time he’d ever been held quietly in someone’s arms. If he was being honest, it hadn’t felt bad. That, of course, was the problem.
The fingers Yeonjun had placed on Beomwook’s shoulder tightened their grip. His gaze drifted to those pale fingers stretched across his shoulder — visible, yet somehow hard to believe.
Just what was Baek Yeonjun thinking?
“He said he can’t do this marriage. Our Beomwook!”
At that moment, Yeonjun’s voice rang out like a nail being driven home.
The corner of Beomwook’s mouth lifted ever so slightly. He was completely helpless against it.
“Ha…. Where on earth did they drag in such an audacious little brat.”
Seo Ihyeon muttered the words under his breath. Little brat. It was accurate. And the fact that this little brat was helping him — that was accurate too.
Beomwook pulled the corner of his mouth back down and hardened his expression before opening his mouth. Seo Ihyeon could not marry him. Seo Ihyeon already knew the reason why. He needed to convey his position to him once more — clearly, precisely.
“The one who should have refused this marriage from the very beginning was Seosung. Executive Director. I won’t belabor the point. The engagement — I’m ending it.”
“…Do Beomwook, you really are something.”
Fucking hell…. Seo Ihyeon muttered, stroking his chin. He seemed to think for a moment, then shot a glare at Baek Yeonjun before lifting his head.
The priority now was to handle whatever could still be contained before the ceremony began. The string of harsh words Seo Ihyeon — with his explosive temper — had been spewing were nothing more than petty impulsiveness, in the end.
“I’ll do my best to suppress the press coverage, but if that proves difficult, I’ll announce that the broken engagement was the result of BS Group’s fault. It was entirely my unilateral decision, so Seosung will not be implicated in any of this.”
Beomwook spoke in a composed, unwavering voice. The fact that Seo Ihyeon had known about the plan to stage a breakup and had moved to counter it in advance meant he hadn’t been entirely in the dark about Beomwook’s intentions. And knowing Seo Ihyeon as well as he did, Beomwook was certain the man would have anticipated and prepared for a scenario like this unfolding on the day of the wedding.
This had to end here.
Because only then would Baek Yeonjun stop being caught in the crossfire.
Yeonjun kept his mouth pressed shut, glaring at Seo Ihyeon. His boldness was almost laughable — but at the same time, Beomwook couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Seo Ihyeon was not someone to be taken lightly. Even if he stepped back here, it remained to be seen what move he would make afterward.
Executive Director.
But Baek Yeonjun — whatever he was thinking — caught Beomwook’s gaze just for a moment and moved his lips without making a sound.
You’ve got this.
Mouthed silently, those words made Beomwook’s eyes go wide as he stared back at him. Seeing Beomwook’s stunned expression, Yeonjun drove the nail in once more — this time with a small voice, whispering right at Beomwook’s ear: “Executive Director, you’re going to be fine.” On that pretty face — one that seemed almost mismatched with his build — even a flash of firm resolve was visible alongside the unexpectedly sweet words. Beomwook had no choice but to look away from Yeonjun’s gaze and drop his head low.
“Executive Director Do. It’d be a waste to keep a young alpha lover locked up at home, wouldn’t it. Hmm?”
Seo Ihyeon flicked his fingers against Beomwook’s shoulder and sneered. Yeonjun looked startled by Seo Ihyeon’s remark, eyes going wide — and then, just as quickly, he was scowling at the man and grumbling under his breath.
Beomwook stepped sharply in front of Seo Ihyeon. He couldn’t let the arrows come flying at Yeonjun again.
“Executive Director Seo. Give me a straight answer right now. The broken engagement — do you agree to it?”
Seo Ihyeon turned his head toward Beomwook as well. His face was unreadable, and he slowly shrugged.
“It’s not an agreement.”
“…Then,”
“I’ll do what I can on my end to contain this too. But that’s as far as it goes.”
At Seo Ihyeon’s words, Beomwook held his gaze and clenched his fist. Here — this is where he could bring this marriage to a close. He could see the possibility.
“Oh, but there’s something I’ve been wondering. …Executive Director Do.”
“…Yes. Go ahead.”
It had felt like the end was almost in sight — was something about to pump the brakes again? Seo Ihyeon had thrown out the words and then gone silent. Beomwook pushed down the rising unease and kept his eyes steady, refusing to look away.
When the brief silence finally broke, Seo Ihyeon’s expression began to surface slowly on his previously still face. He had the kind of appearance anyone would call a perfect alpha exterior — but right now, there was nothing remotely likable about it. The corner of Seo Ihyeon’s mouth began to twist. Then, a quiet laugh slipped out from between his lips.
“This marriage — it was never going to happen to begin with.”
“…What do you… mean by that.”
Beomwook tightened his fist around the fine trembling in his hand. Instinctively, something felt wrong — the hair on the back of his neck prickled.
“I mean exactly what I said. Seosung was the one who was going to initiate the broken engagement first.”
“What do you mean….”
“You already know, don’t you, Executive Director Do? This marriage — between Seosung, or rather between me and you — was something that absolutely could not go through.”
“…Are you saying you agreed to it on purpose?”
“Ha ha. Of course. Look, Do Beomwook — what would I possibly have to lose? Do you know how much Seosung Electronics’ stock shot up the moment the marriage announcement hit right after I flew in from the States?”
“…….”
“Executive Director Do has everything going for him, except he’s always just a step short when it counts.”
“…Seo Ihyeon.”
“Oh, and I’ve been curious about something. …Did you actually think I was going to fuck you? Is that why you’ve been running yourself ragged trying to call off this engagement — because you’d rather die than let that happen?”
Seo Ihyeon flashed that infuriatingly handsome face of his in an open, breezy smile. He even gave a chin-jut in Yeonjun’s direction. Son of a bitch. Beomwook bit down on his lip. A faint metallic taste hit the tip of his tongue almost immediately.
Just then, a warm weight settled over Beomwook’s clenched fist and wrist.
…Baek Yeonjun. Him again. Beomwook drew a slow, steadying breath. The rage that had been boiling through him melted away in an instant at his warmth.
“And even if the engagement falls through, the merger goes ahead as planned. That way you’ll still have some face left in front of President Do Beomryeol. Don’t you think.”
“…Son of a bitch.”
“Ha ha. Son of a bitch? Executive Director Do must really be furious. The fact that you — with your personality — went so far as to put on a performance like this just to get out of marrying me…. Consider the media coverage on Seosung’s side handled, as compensation for the trouble.”
With that, Seo Ihyeon turned around with a lazy, self-satisfied smirk.
“I’ve got some time to kill. Maybe I’ll go for a drive.”
He twirled the car key between his fingers as he hummed to himself.
Beomwook couldn’t say a word. From the very beginning, he had walked straight into the trap Seo Ihyeon had laid. He’d been stripped bare from head to toe — played completely.
“Oh, and be careful on your way down. There are a lot of reporters out there, even for an unofficial wedding.”
“…What are you scheming now.”
“Mm. I called a few more. Asked them to get some good shots of Executive Director Do’s young alpha lover.”
Crazy bastard. Before he even realized it, Beomwook was moving toward Seo Ihyeon. He wanted to throw the man out of his sight then and there. But Seo Ihyeon had already caught the murder in Beomwook’s eyes — he was quick about it, yanking the waiting room door open and disappearing through it.
