MIM 34

The reason they had to keep quiet about knowing the culprit was not only because they couldn’t reveal the illegal research, but also because of the message Shin-woo left on the wall.

Shin-woo knew the entire list of investors in the research, including some of Ma Corporation’s executives, influential political figures, and famous celebrities. In his attempt to make a big score by killing Chairman Ma and capturing Ma Jae-seung, he would eliminate anyone who stood in his way without hesitation.

This threat was effective; those who knew even a little about the research were keeping their mouths shut and trying their best to stay out of Shin-woo’s sight. Given this situation, Ye-wook was essentially risking his life to approach Ma Jae-seung.

“It means their throats were cut with a knife. Who do you think would do such a thing?”

“…Shin-woo.”

“Exactly! It was that bastard’s doing. He killed everyone to destroy all evidence. He’s trying to clean up the failed research and set you up as a puppet to manipulate as he pleases. It’s not for some grand purpose like revenge or revolution.”

Jae-seung, who had been listening quietly, unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt. Thinking he might be hot, Ye-wook called a servant to lower the air conditioning temperature and bring a glass of water. Ma Jae-seung, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up as soon as he made eye contact with Ye-wook.

“Is that why you came to find me? To warn me?”

His downcast eyes were cold. Jae-seung took the water from the housekeeper who brought refreshments and emptied the glass in one go. Upon closer look, beads of sweat had formed along his Adam’s apple, which was strange considering it wasn’t that hot even for summer. Could it be a side effect? Ye-wook observed Ma Jae-seung closely, his nerves on edge.

“I’ve already kicked him out, so don’t worry.”

Jae-seung said as he put down the glass. He seemed to believe that Shin-woo could be easily dismissed, just like casually placing a cup on the table. Ye-wook stood in front of Jae-seung as he turned to leave.

“Kicked him out? How?”

“I told him to pack his things and leave.”

“This is crazy, really! Do you think he’d just say ‘Yes, sir’ and leave if you tell him to? Is it because you’ve been locked up in the mansion all your life that you have no sense of reality?”

“Watch your mouth when talking to me.”

As Ma Jae-seung took a step closer, an intimidating aura as large as his massive frame was felt. It was more intense than that of a typical Alpha, and the mixed pheromone scent was so strong it made the tip of Ye-wook’s nose tingle. His muscles tensed up and his knees buckled. Ye-wook staggered backward and collapsed weakly onto the sofa.

“Be careful with your words.”

Jae-seung slowly spat out the remaining words. His slightly upturned lips were exactly like his father’s. Ye-wook clenched his teeth as he brought his trembling legs together. Jae-seung, still unskilled in control, was leaking pheromones in an inappropriate situation. Shin-woo, being a Beta, probably hadn’t noticed or felt the need to teach him how to control it.

Or maybe he deliberately neglected to do so.

“Did no one teach you how to control your pheromones?”

Ye-wook deliberately emphasized ‘no one’ when asking. Jae-seung needed to know that Shin-woo didn’t care about the young master’s well-being. Sure enough, Jae-seung seemed displeased with this remark and delayed his answer, glaring at the table for a while. It was only after a long time that he, who had maintained an expressionless face throughout, reluctantly opened his mouth.

“Everyone in the household is Beta, so they probably didn’t know. And it’s not about someone stepping up to teach me, but about me learning what I want to learn.”

He was defending the perpetrator and rationalizing the situation. It was typical speech of a gaslighting victim. Ye-wook wanted to smile confidently to instill certainty, but he couldn’t do so freely, overwhelmed by Jae-seung’s aura. He forced strength into his trembling lips as he tried to smile.

“Everyone in the household is Beta? Did you request that?”

“No.”

“Then was it Shin-woo? There’s no way he would have hired like that unless it was intentional.”

Instead of answering, Jae-seung again turned his gaze to the corner of the table. While it was entirely possible that there wasn’t a single Omega in the house given the overwhelming majority of Betas, there had to be a reason behind the actions of someone as meticulous as Shin-woo.

“He needs to manipulate you freely, so he probably did it in case you might fall in love and try to get married, or accidentally impregnate an Omega while dating. If that happens, it becomes difficult to extract money.”

“……”

“You understand? You’re just a cash cow to him.”

Jae-seung, who had been standing still without moving a finger, raised his head. Despite shrinking under Jae-seung’s gaze, Ye-wook didn’t stop speaking.

“If you don’t believe me, try telling him you have a lover. I guarantee he’ll try to sabotage your relationship somehow. And that’s not all. The moment you become useless, Shin-woo will kill you.”

After spilling out everything he wanted to say, Ye-wook felt like he could breathe again. While Ye-wook’s panting grew louder, Jae-seung became quiet. In the end, his face and body became so rigid that he didn’t look like a living being, more like a statue. Ye-wook summoned his courage and grasped Jae-seung’s arms tightly.

“So wake up! You need to kill Shin-woo before he kills you. I’ll help you.”

At that moment, a phone rang.

Ye-wook almost screamed in surprise. He calmed his heart, which felt like it was about to jump out of his mouth, and turned towards the table. His phone was vibrating, rattling against the hard table surface.

Restricted caller. Ye-wook exhaled a shaky breath as he checked the phone screen. He usually didn’t answer unknown numbers, but somehow felt he should take this call. He had a bad feeling. Even after leaving it for a while, the phone kept ringing. As if it knew Ye-wook was deliberately not answering.

“Sorry.” Ye-wook excused himself and left his seat with the phone. As soon as he hurriedly stepped out of the room, he pressed the answer button.

“…Hello?”

“Hey.”

A low voice pierced his eardrum. Despite not being addressed by name and the sudden informal speech, he instinctively knew it wasn’t a wrong number.

Even from the calm breathing, he could sense intense tension. As Ye-wook gulped, a soft laugh was heard from the other end.

“Come out before I crash into the front door. Alone and quietly.”

The call ended after this curt and concise order. Ye-wook wiped his palms, now drenched in sweat, on his pants.

The caller was Shin-woo. He knew it instinctively, even though they had never spoken directly. It would be natural for him to monitor Ma Jae-seung’s every move, so he must have called the house owner after seeing Jae-seung come here.

This was expected. Ye-wook strengthened his shaking legs and thought of his brother. Remembering his brother’s vibrant appearance before participating in the experiment gave him courage.

“Shin-woo?”

Ye-wook jumped at the sudden voice from behind. He hadn’t sensed anyone’s presence, but Ma Jae-seung had been leaning against the wall, waiting for an answer, who knows for how long.

Ye-wook clutched his chest and quickly observed Jae-seung. Seeing his indifferent face that revealed nothing made Ye-wook’s throat burn. He had imagined all sorts of scenarios when deciding to contact Jae-seung, but he hadn’t anticipated this.

Unable to find a reason to lie, Ye-wook finally nodded. Only then did Jae-seung stand up straight and ask as he trudged down the stairs.

“What did he say?”

“He said he’s in front of the house… wants me to come out. Alone.”

“You alone? That means he knows I’m here.”

“Of course. That’s probably how he got my number too.”

“Hmm.” Jae-seung tilted his head and drawled. Then, in the very next moment, he suddenly pushed Ye-wook against the wall. Before Ye-wook could even be surprised, Jae-seung’s hand shot out and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“What, what are you doing!”

“He’s not easily fooled by cheap acting.”

Jae-seung stripped off Ye-wook’s shirt, tossed it aside, and put his own shirt on him. While Ye-wook floundered in the ridiculously large shirt like a child wearing an adult’s clothes, Jae-seung buttoned it up and even adjusted its fit.

Ye-wook was about to demand what this was all about when a strong Alpha pheromone hit his nose.

He felt himself getting wet helplessly. Ye-wook struggled to hold onto his reason. He hadn’t noticed because Jae-seung looked fine on the outside, but the Alpha’s anger at its peak was oozing out in his scent.

“Haa… ugh, stop.”

“No one taught me, so I don’t know. Is this level considered flirting? I’d like it to be just about this much.”

“St-stop… it’s enough. I said it’s enough!”

With a scream, the strength left Jae-seung’s hands. Ye-wook slumped to the floor, catching his breath.

When the pheromones filling the air had somewhat dissipated, Jae-seung helped Ye-wook up and examined his face. “This should be convincing enough,” he muttered, confirming Ye-wook’s flushed skin and unfocused eyes. Then he picked up Ye-wook’s phone, called his own number, and handed the connected phone back to Ye-wook.

Understanding this obvious action, Ye-wook raised his trembling eyelids to look at Jae-seung. Malice swirled in his pale green eyes.

“Let’s see how he reacts,” Jae-seung murmured, rolling his eyes towards the window.