Making an unreasonable request of a complete stranger and then walking around this defenseless. It was the complete opposite of that flawless exterior that made him look like nothing in the world could cost him anything. A question suddenly occurred to him. If he hadn’t agreed to this proposal — what would the man have done? Would he have bowed to any random man walking by and asked for help? Or given up and gone to the wedding alone, or—
…No, but what’s the actual reason?
“Hey.”
Yeonjun stopped walking. He’d taken the money, sure, but he felt like he needed to know at least roughly what was going on — even if not in detail. The man who had been walking a couple of steps ahead also stopped and turned around.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
A robot would have more personality. The mysterious dark-clad man whose face was so hard to get a proper look at was watching Yeonjun with his brow faintly knitted. It wasn’t an unpleasant expression. Looking more closely, he seemed slightly at a loss.
“So….”
“Yes.”
“…What’s your name?”
Yeonjun was startled by his own words the moment they left his mouth. That wasn’t why he’d stopped the man. He was sure that when he’d called out to him, it was unease and discomfort that had come first. He hadn’t even been interested in something like a name.
Ah.
Shouldn’t have asked. That was the thought that flashed through Yeonjun’s mind. The man standing before him had gone even more rigid than when he’d first spoken. It didn’t suit his mature appearance at all. The muscles in the man’s face, drained to a pallor, visibly stiffened.
“I apologize. I should have introduced myself sooner. …I’m Do Beomwook.”
“….I see. I’m Baek Yeonjun. I’m a university student, and I’m an alpha.”
Do Beomwook. The name rang oddly familiar once he heard it. Is this someone I know? He turned it over in his memory but no face surfaced clearly. Yeonjun stared openly at Beomwook. It was the kind of blatant observation that anyone would notice. Beomwook’s hand, which had been hovering near the hem of his trousers, quickly stilled, curled into a fist. This time he looked like a truly broken robot.
It was a kind of habit. Observing behavior.
Yeonjun had played baseball through his first year of high school. He had been a promising catcher, on and off the recruitment boards of several teams. But at eighteen, a knee injury forced him to give up baseball — something that had been half his life.
But Yeonjun had the stubborn streak common to athletes. He’d lost the baseball that had been with him his whole life, but he couldn’t let his future slip away too. He threw himself into his studies like a man possessed. A late start meant he couldn’t get ahead of others, but he managed to keep pace. And that was how Yeonjun became an ordinary university student.
But the years of training were tattooed onto his life like ink. Checking pitchers’ form, anticipating when and what would happen next — it had long since become second nature to Yeonjun. And naturally, anyone who noticed themselves being stared at with such intensity would find it off-putting. This habit of his had earned him a few misunderstandings over the years.
But Do Beomwook had no reaction at all. Not a trace of awkwardness or flustered embarrassment under Yeonjun’s relentless gaze. He simply said what he had to say, like a machine.
“Yes, shall we get going then.”
And so, Yeonjun was once again absolutely floored.
He’s really not going to tell me anything? Should I just bolt? He couldn’t understand why the person who had been asked for a favor felt more frustrated than the person doing the asking. Yeonjun rubbed his palm against his cheek and opened his mouth.
“Hey, Do Beomwook. You’re really not going to tell me the reason?”
“…If I told you.”
“If you told me?”
“I think you’d run away.”
It was so absurd that even a hollow laugh wouldn’t come. Yeonjun’s brow twitched, his expression stony. Go on, try me. Yeonjun fell in close beside Beomwook, who had started walking again, and spoke. His pace felt slightly faster than before.
“I really won’t run away.”
“……”
“I already took the money. Ten million won, no less.”
Beomwook lowered his head as though choosing his words. Yeonjun was getting tired of staring at the back of that man’s head. His clean-cut profile looked even more striking from the side. What does this guy even do? The thought surfaced naturally as Yeonjun looked him over again.
“Someone who followed me out here without even knowing why — do you think it’ll be harder for you to walk into something, not knowing if it’s a wedding or a funeral?”
He meant it. Today’s plans had already fallen apart entirely, and it was Yeonjun’s own choice to wade into this incomprehensible situation.
“Huu… if it’s hard to say, let’s do multiple choice. Okay — option one: it’s an ex’s wedding. Option two: you need a good-looking, young alpha boyfriend. Option three…. Hmm, what else is there. It’s an ex’s wedding, and you need to bring a handsome young alpha boyfriend to get revenge. So — is the answer in there somewhere?”
“…Baek Yeonjun.”
“What. Whether it’s option one, two, or three — I’ll cooperate without running away. Happy? Come on, out with it. I’m going to die of frustration.”
At that, Beomwook’s steps came to a halt. Yeonjun, who had been briskly keeping pace, stopped just as fast. Come on, just tell me already. Yeonjun stared at Beomwook, nudging him with his gaze. After a brief silence, his lips finally moved.
“None of those are the answer.”
“Ha, hey, Do Beom—”
“I’m sorry again. I’ll handle everything, so please don’t worry.”
Cutting off Yeonjun’s words and saying what he had to say, Beomwook’s eyes sharpened with a keen glint. What? Hey, what do you— Before Yeonjun could finish, his feet were forcibly set in motion. What the— Beomwook was pulling him. Gripping Yeonjun’s wrist at an awkward angle, Beomwook stepped forward.
The surroundings had gotten noisy — Yeonjun noticed it all at once and turned his head to look around. Luxury sedans were lined up waiting for valet, and people dressed in black formal wear without exception were filing into the building.
Come to think of it, this place looked familiar. I feel like I’ve seen it on TV a few times. Yeonjun raised his head at a place that felt both familiar and not.
“This is Seosung—!”
Before he could finish the sentence, he turned toward the man dragging him along — but the man said nothing.
There was a reason it felt familiar even though he’d never been here. The place he’d arrived at with Beomwook was the hotel entrance of Seosung Group — a conglomerate that no one in the country didn’t know.
Who holds a wedding at Seosung Hotel? Yeonjun’s unease surged. At the same time, the grip Beomwook had on Yeonjun’s arm tightened further. Like a lifeline he absolutely could not let go of, Beomwook clenched Yeonjun’s wrist. Yeonjun let himself be carried along by Beomwook through the revolving doors that spun without pause.
I think I’ve really gotten myself into something.
Can I… actually make it home in one piece?
*
The worry turned out to be meaningless. More precisely — it was a pointless worry.
“What the f***……”
He had gotten himself into something. It was certain that going home in one piece was off the table. Without a moment to argue, Yeonjun stood frozen, face drained white as a blank sheet of paper, and looked around.
At Yeonjun’s single muttered curse, Beomwook’s gaze brushed over him briefly and slid away. But all he did was squeeze the wrist he was holding even harder. Yeonjun swallowed at the sight before him — something he was seeing with his own eyes and still couldn’t believe.
“Oh, Executive Director! Where have you been, coming in this late!”
“Executive Director! The President has been looking for you! Please get inside! Alright?”
Men swarmed toward Yeonjun — no, toward Do Beomwook. All of them large-built. Scattered among them were traces of uncontrolled alpha scent. Yeonjun inhaled and furrowed his brow at the instinctive wave of unease. Do Beomwook, without a single reaction, simply kept walking forward with Yeonjun’s hand in his. What on earth. Even at a glance, the large men scattered all around didn’t look like ordinary people. And they were all dressed in dark formal wear, just like Do Beomwook.
Just then, something caught Yeonjun’s eye. The small announcement board posted at the entrance of every wedding hall. On that board were the names of the couple getting married today.
[ Groom: Seo Ihyeon, Groom: Do Beomwook ]
“…Huh?”
Did I read that wrong? Yeonjun shook his head. That can’t be right. No way. Ha. An all too familiar name — and Yeonjun let out a helpless, stunned laugh.
“You’ll trip. Step up.”
