MM 125

“Alright, let’s wrap up today’s meeting here.”

“Good work!”

“Good work!”

The team members got up with light expressions, it was just past eleven. Pairing off in twos or threes, they began leaving the meeting room, and Yu-young, as usual, slowly slipped to the back and detached himself from the group. Glancing around, making sure no one was watching, he stayed behind in the empty room and gave Do-won a bright smile.

“Team Leader, you’ve worked hard.”

“You too, Assistant Han.”

Do-won, dressed neatly in a suit, offered a warm greeting, making the scene even more endearing. It felt different from when they were at home. Gently, he reached out and caressed Yu-young’s face, and Yu-young smiled in response, his eyes lighting up with joy.

Watching this, a smile instinctively appeared on Yu-young’s face. He couldn’t help but feel affection toward him. Do-won, stroking his hair softly, spoke.

“Go ahead and wait inside.”

“Are you not coming in?”

“I’ll make a quick call and then come in.”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead and wait.”

Yu-young gazed at him with affection, even as he walked just a few steps to his office next door. He turned back a couple of times, and Do-won’s smile lingered as he watched him until he made a call to Sun-hyung.

Despite trying to remain composed, cracks appeared in Do-won’s demeanor. The anger that had built up yesterday was still simmering inside him, and his clenched fist trembled with rage. However, he had suppressed his emotions, knowing the newly-formed relationship with Yu-young was far more important than confronting Sun-hyung.

Still, he couldn’t let this slide. He couldn’t forgive Lee Sun-hyung for daring to make such a move. He had ignored the many disrespectful acts in the name of friendship, but this time, that was enough.

After a few beeps, Sun-hyung answered the phone.

-Hello? Do-won, what’s up…

“You stole my car’s black box. And now you know all about my contract marriage with Han Yu-young.”

There was a brief pause on the line as Sun-hyung seemed taken aback by the bluntness of Do-won’s words. This was different from the usual indifference he received from him.

-You found out.

But the silence was short-lived. Sun-hyung’s reply was surprisingly calm.

-Yeah, it’s exactly as you heard. I stole your it, and I know all about your contract marriage with Han Yu-young.

“I’ve been letting things slide for too long. Did you do this knowing full well that I’d never look at you the same again?”

The sound of Do-won growling through gritted teeth made Sun-hyung pause again, but soon his voice came through, full of audacity.

-Yeah. I’m tired of pretending to be your friend. I don’t want to stay in that kind of relationship anymore.-

“Lee Sun-hyung!”

-Do-won, aren’t you being a little too much? When I asked you to marry me, you didn’t even listen, but now you’re in a contract marriage with someone you don’t love? What does that make me? It’s pathetic.-

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

Do-won tugged at his tie, trying to ease the suffocating sensation in his throat. His voice came out cold, as if it had been dipped in ice.

“Who are you to judge someone else’s feelings? Not love? What do you know about it?”

-Then what? Are you in love with that omega? After all the talk about the contract marriage being for mutual benefit, don’t tell me you actually love him?

The sharpness of his words stung, and Do-won felt his head spin. He let out a deep sigh and covered his face with one hand.

“Yeah, it started as a contract. But it’s not like that anymore.”

-I’m sure you’ll say that. But I don’t believe you for a second. You think I’m stupid?-

“I don’t need to prove anything to you.”

-You used to hate omegas, you said you’d gag just by being near them. You said you’d never be with an omega. All that just to get rid of me?

“Well, you know exactly who’s to blame for that.”

-…What?

“Sun-hyung. I didn’t bring up the past because I thought it would be meaningless, but you haven’t forgotten what you did to me, right?”

Do-won’s face grew darker as he stood alone in the conference room, his anger rising. His voice cracked with fury, struggling to suppress the rage building in his chest.

“You knew I had just manifested, struggling with my rut and couldn’t control myself, and still tried to force yourself on me. Do you know how bad it could’ve gotten?”

-…..

For the first time, Sun-hyung didn’t immediately retort.

“After all that, I still considered you a friend. I didn’t bring it up to anyone, and I respected you. I kept expressing my feelings because I wanted to honor our friendship. And every time, you asked me to stay by your side, even if just as a friend.”

-……

“But why do you keep pushing your feelings on me? Whether it’s a contract marriage or a real marriage, I made my decision. Why the hell are you messing with my partner and hurting them?”

For the first time, Sun-hyung didn’t speak, his breath growing heavy as he listened to Do-won’s words.

-Right now, all you care about is that omega’s feelings. My feelings don’t matter at all. How desperate do you think I was to do this? Why can’t you understand how I feel?

“…Enough. Let’s stop this.”

As Sun-hyung’s increasingly emotional words continued, Do-won let out an irritated sigh and roughly wiped his face with his palm. He decided that continuing the argument was pointless.

“And also, you mentioned telling our parents. Before you do that, my lawyer will contact you. You do know that stealing the black box from my car is a crime, right?”

-Choi Do-won!

“Talking to our parents is none of your business. That’s for us to handle. If you keep quiet and stop here, I won’t take any legal action against you. The leniency I can offer ends here. And…”

Sun-hyung’s words, which had been heated, paused for a moment at the sharpness in Do-won’s voice.

“Our ‘friendship’ ends today. I hope we never see each other again.”

-What? How dare you…!

Sun-hyung, stunned by Do-won’s reversal of roles in the threat, went silent for a moment. But soon, his voice started to rise, filled with fury.

-You’ll regret this! I won’t let this go!”

At Sun-hyung’s loud shouting, Do-won scowled, his patience thinning.

“One more thing. Don’t ever approach Han Yu-young again. That’s something I will never forgive.”

With a final cold remark, Do-won ended the call, the long-standing connection with Sun-hyung severed with a sharp click.

***

The car finally stopped in the dimly lit parking garage. As they both got out of the car, Yu-young glanced at Do-won’s face, sensing something was off. Despite their conversation during the ride feeling somewhat unusual, Do-won’s demeanor had remained warm and affectionate, just like always. But the more they talked, the more Yu-young couldn’t shake the feeling that Do-won was hiding something.

Feeling uneasy, Yu-young was about to ask him what was wrong as he pressed the elevator button, but Do-won spoke first.

“I heard you went up to the rooftop with Lee Yoon-seok earlier. Is that true?”

“…What?”

Yu-young was caught completely off guard by this unexpected topic, his expression blank as he nodded.

“How did you know?”

“I overheard Assistant Kim Ju-yeon talking about it.”

Now that he thought about it, Ju-yeon had spoken loudly earlier, jokingly asking, “Why do you seem so down after coming back from the rooftop with Yu-young? Did he scold you or something?” When neither Yu-young nor Yoon-seok laughed, she had looked embarrassed. It seemed that Do-won had heard that.

“Assistant Han isn’t the type to scold someone to tears.”

Do-won spoke slowly as he walked into the elevator, still holding Yu-young’s arm gently.

“Is it okay if I ask what you two talked about?”

“Ah…”

Yu-young hesitated. Honestly, the conversation he had with Yoon-seok wasn’t the kind of topic that would sit well with Do-won as a partner. If he heard that someone confessed to him, Yu-young could understand why Do-won might feel uncomfortable or upset.

Hesitant, Yu-young finally spoke up, feeling he couldn’t hide this in a relationship. They were on the same team, and Yoon-seok knew about his relationship with Do-won, so it seemed best to just tell him.

“…Yoon-seok… uh, he said he liked me.”

However, before he could explain that Yoon-seok was already accepting the situation and had even acknowledged Yu-young and Do-won’s relationship, Do-won suddenly yanked his wrist sharply, pulling his attention upward. His face was completely frozen.

“I knew this would happen.”

The elevator doors closed with a thud. Before Yu-young could say anything, Do-won took his wrist and pulled him through the door to his bedroom. Yu-young, unable to take off his shoes, was forced into Do-won’s room and onto the bed with a soft thud. As he lay on the bed, the overwhelming scent of Alpha filled the air and surrounded him.

Do-won, still in his jacket, loomed over Yu-young, his expression fierce and wild. There was no calmness in his eyes—only intensity. The pheromones flowing from him were raw, like an animal’s.

“Assistant Han. How about we mark each other? Huh? Yu-young, what do you think?”

“Team… Team Leader. Wait, calm down and let me explain…”

“I want to drench you in my pheromones from head to toe, so that everyone—Alphas and even Betas—will know you belong to me.”

Do-won spoke quickly, his voice no longer calm and warm. The jealousy in him seemed to slither around Yu-young’s body, tightening like a living snake. But instead of feeling fear, Yu-young was filled with a desire to calm him down quickly. He finally spoke, calling him by the title that had been on his mind, though he had only used it once before and under duress.

“…Team Leader… honey.”

Do-won’s breath caught, his wide eyes locked onto Yu-young’s gaze as if his heart had frozen.

Taking advantage of the stillness, Yu-young reached out and gently placed his hand on Do-won’s face. Slowly, he traced his palm along his cheek, as if trying to pour his sincerity into him. The wild energy that had been rampant just moments before began to settle.

“Why are you worried? I only have you, Team Leader. It doesn’t matter who confessed to me. My feelings haven’t changed.”

“……”

“…It’s okay. I’m fine with marking each other, I’m fine with anything. But let’s not rush into it.”

Do-won, staring at him with complex eyes, finally sighed deeply and buried his face in Yu-young’s chest. His hot breath lingered against his skin, slowly spreading warmth between them.