MIM 53

Jae-seung left the storage room and went to the empty kitchen to wash his hands and tidy up his appearance. Then, he searched for a knife to prepare for any potential attacks. Although he was told to wait quietly in the storage room, he couldn’t do that. Those who came to harm him deserved to face consequences.

The pheromones had made him follow orders mindlessly, but he needed to be prepared, not knowing what Shin-woo and his underlings might be plotting after pushing him into the wine cellar. He considered various knife shapes before choosing a paring knife small enough to conceal inside his shirt. He couldn’t brandish a menacing blade in front of the guests.

With the knife hidden, he remained alert to his surroundings for a while. Feeling it was too quiet, he took a step out of the kitchen. He hadn’t even taken ten steps when suddenly, the lights came back on.

Electricity was restored to the mansion. As his vision cleared, he became even more tense. Jae-seung carefully surveyed his surroundings as he headed to the reception room. Some people were leaving due to the power outage, while others gathered in small groups, chatting. Fortunately, the atmosphere seemed to be settling without major incidents, but it was too early to relax. He still hadn’t figured out Shin-woo and his cronies’ intentions. He didn’t know when or where they might appear.

“Young master,” called out Butler Hwang, who had been busy working, as Jae-seung arrived at the reception room door. He looked Jae-seung up and down with a puzzled expression, then apologized for his impolite gaze.

“Where have you been? We were worried when we couldn’t find you for a while.”

“Are those guys still here? The two men in black suits, one taller than the other.”

“No, they’re not in the reception room. We’re looking around now that the lights are back on. They seem to have disappeared.”

Butler Hwang understood without further explanation when asked about the two men in black suits, as if he had been keeping an eye on them.

They wouldn’t have come and gone without reason. If they had just shown their faces and left, it must have been to intimidate. As Jae-seung frowned, Butler Hwang, who had been waiting for the right moment, carefully spoke up.

“By the way, young master.”

“Speak.”

“Shin-woo has arrived.”

Jae-seung didn’t bother to reply that he already knew. Looking into the reception room, he saw Shin-woo sitting alone at the center table, wearing a black suit. Had he coordinated funeral attire with his underlings? It was hard to understand why he was sitting there alone while his men were nowhere to be seen.

Why did he come? Was it because he disliked Jae-seung meeting people related to his research at the party? Is that why he was sitting there, drenched in Jae-seung’s pheromones?

Most of the elite guests invited to today’s party were Alphas. They would have noticed long ago that Shin-woo was covered in Alpha pheromones. If Jae-seung entered like this, they would also smell the Omega pheromones permeating his body. Even as a Beta, Shin-woo must know this.

Jae-seung stood with his arms crossed, staring at Shin-woo. Sitting there with a perfectly normal face, as if it were impossible to imagine he had just consumed semen in the storage room, he was casually sipping champagne from a glass with lipstick marks on the rim. A man who could make so many people tense while being covered in Alpha pheromones, without showing any shame.

After finishing the half-full champagne in one gulp, he pulled the white tablecloth to wipe his mouth. People were slowly trying to leave their seats, avoiding his piercing gaze that swept across every corner of the reception room.

What kind of person is he? Though the answer still eluded him, Jae-seung couldn’t take his eyes off him.

He could have gone up to his room to change clothes and come back down, but Jae-seung stepped into the reception room as he was. He didn’t care if an Omega scent was all over his body. If Shin-woo was curious whether Jae-seung was functioning properly as an Alpha, this would provide a clear answer.

As he reached the table, Shin-woo looked up. By now, Jae-seung was used to his upward gaze.

“Washing your face and fixing your hair won’t get rid of my pheromones.”

Though unlikely, he said it in case Shin-woo didn’t know. People here would probably think Shin-woo had given him a one-sided pheromone shower rather than assuming they had sex. Either way, it was humiliating for Shin-woo, but he merely raised the corner of his mouth with a hint of a smile.

Shin-woo rolled his eyes. Following his gaze, Jae-seung turned to see the former police chief putting on his coat at a distant table. His hands were hurriedly buttoning up, seemingly eager to leave.

With legs in that state, he won’t be able to run. Jae-seung approached the man with a smirk. The man’s face hardened as he noticed Jae-seung approaching. Sensing a presence, he looked to the side to find Shin-woo standing there, having followed somehow.

He’s obviously guarding me. Was this his goal? To put me in danger and then pretend to save me to earn my trust?

Jae-seung abruptly turned his gaze back to the man.

“Leaving already? That’s a shame.”

“Getting older means I can’t drink for long. We’ll see each other around, so don’t be too disappointed. It was an excellent party. Let’s meet again when we have the chance.”

The man spoke skillfully, hiding his confusion. It was quite brazen of him to act nonchalant in front of Jae-seung, who was covered in the Omega scent he had emitted. As soon as the man took his first step, Jae-seung darted out and linked arms with him.

“Oh, can you walk on your own? I think I should call back those young people who brought you in.”

“…They might be outside. Don’t worry, I can manage on my own.”

“I can’t allow that since I invited you. Shin-woo, please escort him to his car.”

Shin-woo’s eyes widened at the sudden request. Jae-seung unceremoniously handed the man over to Shin-woo and even bid farewell, telling them to be careful. It was a strategy to both spite the man who was wary of Shin-woo and to send Shin-woo away briefly. There were still people he wanted to talk to.

In full view of everyone, the former police chief was practically escorted out by Shin-woo.

Jae-seung looked around at the few people still seated at the tables and chose the woman who had held his gaze the longest. Conveniently, being a Beta, she wouldn’t be bothered by the Omega pheromones emanating from him. As soon as he decided, he sat across from her.

“There were many strange occurrences today. I apologize.”

“No, these things happen. Sometimes there are power outages when it rains.”

“Thank you for coming to the party.”

“It was fun! I saw celebrities, and I was actually curious about you, Jae-seung.”

As the conversation flowed in a familiar direction, he gained confidence. Jae-seung brought up a topic he had used before.

“I heard many people thought I would be sick, but I’m a perfect Alpha now.”

“That’s right. It was surprising…”

The woman’s voice trailed off as she seemed to get excited. Noticing her gaze shift above his head, Jae-seung jerked his head back. Whether he had escorted the man or chased him out, Shin-woo had already returned and was standing behind him like a shadow.

Trying to ignore Shin-woo’s dark presence, Jae-seung attempted to continue the conversation.

“I noticed my muscles don’t atrophy even when I lie down without exercising. I’m not sure if other Alphas are like this or if I’m a special case.”

“Oh, really?”

“I think I might be a bit more unusual. I played ice hockey at school, and even though all the other players were Alphas, I-“

“Oh, really?”

“When we had a game,”

“Oh, really?”

Despite his best efforts to play it cool, he didn’t know how to respond to her robotic replies. As Jae-seung searched for words, the woman excused herself, saying she needed to use the restroom, and slipped away from the table. The elderly man sitting alone at the next table also abruptly stood up as soon as his eyes met Jae-seung’s.

Is it this bad?

The flowing conversation had come to an abrupt halt the moment Shin-woo appeared. Yewook’s words about everyone fearing Shin-woo were no joke.

So this was why Shin-woo was standing here like this, despite his condition. Because he didn’t want him to have long conversations with these people. Because he was afraid I might learn something you don’t want me to remember. Like the fact that you were with those underlings on the day my father died.

Jae-seung stood up from his chair and turned to face Shin-woo. Just as he thought that Shin-woo’s eyes looked even more distinct due to his slight weight loss, a growling sound came from Shin-woo’s stomach.