It was a somewhat belated question. He’d been wondering when it would come — so Siyeon delivered the answer he’d prepared in his head.
“I didn’t jump out…… it was more like a small accident.”
“An accident?”
“A son of a bi—…… I mean, a dog came chasing after me…….”
The nuance was a little off, but it was because of that damn bastard that things had ended up this way — so it wasn’t entirely wrong.
As Siyeon glossed over it vaguely, he could see the man’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Don’t tell me — were you trying to rescue a puppy back there?”
A son of a bitch — it was Manager Kang he’d been trying to get away from — but he decided to let it slide.
Embarrassed, Siyeon glanced away — and the man seemed to take that as a confirmation.
“That could have been really bad. It’s wonderful that you care for animals, but what would you have done if you’d gotten hit by a car because of it.”
The man appealed to Siyeon earnestly in an animated tone. He even went on to add that next time, even in an urgent situation, Siyeon shouldn’t step in himself and should call an animal rescue center instead.
“……You know a lot about that?”
“Well. I have an interest in it.”
“In animals?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
The man gave a vague answer with a look that seemed to want Siyeon to ask more. But the hospital had apparently been close by, because they arrived almost immediately — and so the conversation between Siyeon and the man wrapped up around there.
“We’ve arrived.”
Before the driver had even finished speaking, the man stepped out of the car to help Siyeon. Looking at the enclosed space around them, it appeared to be a private parking area.
“Come on — we go in through the back.”
“Hold on — isn’t this a university hospital?”
“A friend of mine runs it. This is the most comfortable place to get treated.”
“No, that’s not the issue right now…….”
Siyeon tried to dig his heels in and resist going — but the man told him not to worry and draped an arm around his shoulders.
“Lean on me and come down carefully.”
“I’m…… fine…….”
“What do you mean, fine. You can’t even walk properly.”
He’d ended up following the man all the way here without really thinking about it — but the only thing going through Siyeon’s head right now was figuring out when exactly to make his escape.
He was deep in thought about what to do when, luckily, the driver who had stepped out after him intervened.
“I’ll help support him.”
“No — I’ll go with him, so stay with the car for a moment, Jihun.”
“……You’re going in yourself?”
“Why? Is that not allowed?”
“It’s just…… a bit…….”
The driver looked around uneasily, clearly uncomfortable. The manager’s face was so full of worry that even Siyeon felt concerned.
“It’s a hospital, hyung. And if we go through the VIP entrance it should be fine, right?”
“Last time you got photographed right in front of that too……. Dealing with the article afterward was genuinely exhausting.”
“Isn’t that what the agency is there for?”
The man started insisting he’d go in and support Siyeon himself. But with the driver practically begging him to please stay put, he ultimately seemed to give up — reluctantly — on personally going in with Siyeon.
“What can I do. I wanted to go with you…….”
“No, I’m genuinely fine.”
Thanks for the ride, but let’s not meet again. Siyeon bade a silent, final farewell to the man in his heart as he set his mind on planning his escape.
“Go ahead. Once you’re getting treated I’ll come up and join you.”
The man, oblivious to Siyeon’s thoughts, added an unexpected remark.
“I’m Chae Yuno.”
“……Pardon?”
“You said you’d be my fan now. You’d at least need to know my name.”
As Siyeon turned to look at him, the man added one more thing.
“Remember it.”
Hearing an introduction he hadn’t expected from the man, Siyeon’s body went stiff for a moment. Chae Yuno. Neither a common surname nor a familiar name — and yet, it rang strangely familiar.
It was a name he had in his memory, so he turned it over silently in his mind — and then something suddenly flashed through his head.
Chae Yuno. Chae…… Yuno. Wait — Yuno? If it’s Yuno, could that possibly be……
He desperately hoped he was wrong — but of course. If his memory was correct, Chae Yuno was a major character in That Alpha’s Trap. And not just any character — he was one of that shameless alpha couple Siyeon had so desperately wanted to avoid!
I knew it…….
It felt like the entire universe was conspiring to bring Siyeon and the alpha couple together. He supposed he really shouldn’t have overlooked the fact that this was a trash novel where plausibility went straight out the window. This was exactly like fleeing a fox only to walk straight into a tiger’s den.
Siyeon made up his mind — forget treatment, he had to get away from here right now.
But despite his desperate urge to flee, even the lightest pressure on the ground sent a sharp sting shooting through him.
“Gh…….”
He hadn’t had the presence of mind to properly check his body’s condition until now — but looking down, he could see that his right ankle below the hem of his pants had swollen up, tinged a dark reddish-purple.
It wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t walk at all — but pushing it would do him no good. One look made it obvious treatment was urgent, which put him in a bind.
What do I do…….
There was nothing to be done. Just get treated quickly and then bolt. With no other choice, Siyeon grudgingly made his way toward the examination room.
“Can you walk a little straighter.”
When Siyeon stumbled along unable to walk properly, the manager who had taken over from Chae Yuno gave him a light reproach. The fact that he was snapping over something so minor made it clear the manager wasn’t pleased with the situation either.
Siyeon understood. It was because of him jumping onto the road earlier that the car the manager had been driving had nearly caused an accident. It wasn’t the manager’s fault — but he’d also gotten a harsh earful from Chae Yuno because of it, so of course he’d be in a foul mood.
Making a reluctant effort to read the manager supporting him, Siyeon recalled the contents of the original story.
Come to think of it…… if he’s Chae Yuno’s manager…….
In the novel, Manager Park Jihun, after being hit with a one-sided notice of dismissal from Chae Yuno, had harbored a grudge and switched out the herbal medicine that omega Hong Siyeon had been taking.
Because of the switched medicine, the heavily pregnant protagonist had ended up in the horrifying situation of nearly miscarrying.
Of course, the stupid bastard hadn’t done it alone — he’d acted on the orders of several villains entangled with Chae Yuno.
Off to a great start.
He’d prefer not to cross paths with him again — but you never knew how things would turn out. He was a bad seed from the get-go, so it would be best not to leave any ill feelings behind.
Siyeon thought it over briefly, then spoke up to the manager first with an apology.
“……I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Excuse me?”
“I felt like I caused you unnecessary trouble because of me.”
When the manager gave a sharp reply, Siyeon put on a forlorn expression and lowered his eyes. It was only natural that even when someone was furious, their anger softened when the other party was the first to bow their head. He’d long since thrown his pride away — so a little acting like this wasn’t particularly difficult.
Sure enough, the manager glanced back — and then reached his hand out toward Siyeon, who was shuffling along awkwardly behind him. When Siyeon looked up questioningly, the manager clicked his tongue.
“Take my hand. Stop swaying around like that.”
He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of accepting the reluctantly offered support of a manager who might well become a future villain — but…… he was just going to get treated and bolt, so for now he’d be quietly cooperative.
Siyeon put on a shy air and took his hand.
“Thank you. You’re very kind.”
When Siyeon smiled gently at the manager with softly curved eyes, the manager — meeting Siyeon’s face head-on — looked mildly taken aback. He studied Siyeon for a moment, then tilted his head and asked a strange question.
“I’m asking just to check. Are you an aspiring celebrity?”
“Me? Oh, come on — as if…… how could I do something like that.”
“Well, I’ve been in this industry for over ten years. One look and I can tell if someone has the goods.”
The manager peered curiously at Siyeon’s face beneath the cap. Siyeon caught himself — oops — and shook his head once more, denying it and dipping his head down low.
This face does stand out.
He kept forgetting that the shell he was currently occupying had exceptional looks. He didn’t want to leave bad feelings with someone who might become a villain down the line — but beyond that, he had no desire for any more attention than necessary.
Celebrity or not — all he wanted was to get treated without letting his face or name be seen, and then leave.
“Hmm…… if it’s not that, then never mind.”
Siyeon just smiled awkwardly without pressing anything further — and luckily, the manager didn’t push him any harder. It was a relief that the man wasn’t a particularly tenacious type — but……
For quite a while after that, they walked in silence through the private passage connected to the private parking area, all the way to the examination room — and Siyeon felt deeply uneasy the entire time.
It was because the route to the private ward turned out to be far more complicated than expected. Passing through several spots that all looked alike, it wasn’t easy to commit to memory.
Will I actually be able to escape safely later.
Thinking back to the original story — access to the VIP section only opened with an encrypted reservation code and a dedicated key card.
On top of that, the entry log was uploaded to the central server every ten minutes — which was a fact the protagonist hadn’t known, leading to a failed escape attempt in one episode.
While Siyeon went over the route in his head, filled with worry, they arrived at their destination before he knew it — the VIP-exclusive medical waiting lounge.
“Wait here and the dedicated medical staff will be with you shortly.”
Having seated Siyeon in the lounge, the manager said he was stepping out for a smoke and left immediately.
Click —
The moment the door closed, Siyeon swept his gaze around the inside of the VIP lounge.
It was a private space with a luxurious interior that brought a high-end hotel to mind — but the moment Siyeon’s eyes landed on an engraved plaque on one wall that read ‘Beomyeong,’ his unease spiked to an extreme.
Beomyeong — that was something he certainly knew.
It was the globally leading corporation frequently mentioned in That Alpha’s Trap. The company that had been inherited by Beom Yisu — Chae Yuno’s husband, and the other half of that alpha couple.
