PIA 1

“Oh my, congratulations. Boss, your son is so beautiful.”

“Thank you. You must be busy, but thank you for attending our son’s wedding like this.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! It’s an honor to be invited. Now, boss, you must be full without having to eat. You have such a beautiful son, so I’m sure your future grandchildren will be just as lovely.”

“Oh my, I still have to eat. The food here at the wedding hall today is very delicious. Be sure to eat, take a look at the event our children prepared, and accept the gifts.”

Haha, hoho, the pretentious laughter continued.

Sitting at the table to receive congratulatory money, Ji-an pressed his throbbing head as discreetly as possible. If he showed any sign of irritation today, he might be kicked out of the house. After all, he’s the detestable, stubbly, recessive Omega second son.

Just then, a belated giant bouquet entered the hall.

[Omega of May, more beautiful than flowers, Seo Ji-hyuk.]

Ueg, Ji-an pretended to throw up.

Being lovely and beautiful is a nuisance. Ji-an wondered if they would still think his brother is beautiful if they were aware of his brother’s inner wickedness. That bastard is evil.

Ji-an’s gaze briefly shifted to the bride’s waiting room. Where a bride in a beautiful dress usually greets the guests at a Beta couple’s wedding, there was currently a devil sitting there.

Ji-an’s older brother. Dominant Omega. A bestselling author and the original creator of the hit drama <Well-Raised Omega Son>. And the unscrupulous man that took away his first love…

“Thank you. How many meal tickets do you need?”

While his mind was racing non-stop, Ji-an’s hands worked diligently. He received envelopes from guests at his older brother’s wedding, tossed them into the money box, offered the guestbook, and distributed meal tickets.

Most of the people who filled the thick guestbook were mom’s guests or employees of broadcasting stations or publishing companies. His older brother had a terrible personality, so he didn’t have friends.

The one who married his older brother… no, that bastard is the only one at a loss.

Alphas with good physique and a clean image, let’s call that average. When they also appear to be good people, it’s like playing on easy mode. Then there’s the so-called interview free pass, who has a perfect face and a good personality.

Does a person like that even exist in the world? Yes, they do. Unfortunately, this person stuck with his older brother.

That guy. The person he has been secretly in love with for 8 years…

Ugh. Ji-an anxiously lowered his gaze. The one he had been sneaking glances at turned his body in his direction.

Step by step, black shoes came into view. Ji-an had to use all his might to suppress the blushing that was welling up in his face.

“Ji-an.”

He tapped the table with his white-gloved hand.

“Uh, Han-joo hyung. You should greet the guests over there. What to do if you come over here?”

Ji-an pouted and lifted his head. His gaze landed somewhere around his sculpted jawline.

“Ji-an drink this. It must be tiring to sit for so long, right?”

“Eh, it’s okay. It’s nothing.”

It’s no problem at all!

As Ji-an unscrewed the cap of the vitamin drink Han-joo had handed him, he welled up with tears. Of course, just internally. If he really cried, his good day might turn into a bad one, and he might even get a smack from his older brother.

He’s handsome, has a good personality, comes from a good family, and even has a great body. Why is he marrying a lunatic alien like his older brother? Just because he’s a dominant Omega?

Thinking about that made him feel angry.

He met Han-joo first, and liked him first.

Cough, he was so frustrated that the vitamin drink went into his nose. Ji-an sneezed loudly. Using the excuse of a cold, he wiped away the tears that had welled up with his finger.

“Embarrassing…”

The person seated next to him laughed and muttered at his unruly appearance. It was Woo-seok, Ji-an’s best friend and wedding helper who was on site to witness the end of his unrequited love that had lasted for eight years since he was 17.

“Is your nose going to start to blow again? Get a grip. Your mother’s blood pressure will shoot up again. She has high blood pressure, you know.”

“…I’ll go to the restroom for a moment. Watch over it by yourself for a while.”

“Wash your face before you come back. Try to look a little less ugly.”

Instead of replying, Ji-an reached out his hand to his side and raised his middle finger.

“How many times do you go to the restroom? Are you getting married? Are you the one getting married? Why do you keep crying and making a fuss?”

The sharp-witted mother didn’t miss out on Ji-an, who was trying to disappear again this time. Ji-an swallowed his sadness and quickly left the place.

It was a simple wedding for the union of a successful best-selling author, an alien, and a great conglomerate. It was held in a simple wedding hall rather than a hotel. His stingy older brother even received congratulatory money.

He didn’t just say to receive it; he reminded Ji-an to take it, emphasizing that he should keep every single penny. Their mother, the owner of a meat restaurant who had worked her way up from the bottom, also completely agreed with his older brother’s opinion, which was why Ji-an was acting like a money bag today.

That’s why, as he headed toward the restroom, his gaze kept drifting towards Han-joo’s family. Jeong Hee-seo, Han-joo’s older brother and a major figure in JM Group, in particular, had such an imposing appearance that Ji-an found himself unconsciously avoiding his gaze.

‘What a pity. Having a guy like my older brother in your family…’

Ah, I want to smoke. No amount of washing his face with cold water could help. The urge for the cigarette he quit a long time ago was strong.

It was in the summer when Ji-an was 17 that he first met Han-joo, who was living under the guise of being an ordinary college student. It was thanks to his mother’s skills that lured him, who was having a group study session at her barbecue restaurant, into becoming her second son’s math tutor.

It took Ji-an less than a month to start having a crush on the perfect Alpha.

And it didn’t take even a month to open his eyes to the fact that he was taken away by his older brother.

‘Do you like Han-joo?’

‘What?’

‘It’s a shame, really. It’s always the kids who can’t study that act this way. It’s like their intelligence is all the same.”

Seo Ji-hyeok taunted him and laughed at his confusion.

To his shame, he couldn’t hide his feelings at all. Ji-an would sit there blushing every time he received tutoring.

Seo Ji-hyuk, who was quick on the uptake, initially acted as if Ji-an had become a source of amusement. But soon enough, even that seemed insufficient, and he openly seduced Han-joo right in front of him.

Ji-hyeok would stop Han-joo in front of Ji-an as he was about to leave after tutoring and asked Han-joo to buy him a drink, or deliberately set up separate appointments, blatantly revealing his intentions, which made Ji-an feel bad.

‘Why is a recessive Omega like you infatuated with a Dominant Alpha? You should know your subject. Han-joo also probably thinks so? I’m ten times better than you. I’m just proving to you that you need to learn your subject before you get hurt.’

Ji-an begged him not to use Han-joo if it was just to harass him, but all he got in return was a cold, mocking smile.

As Seo Ji-hyeok learned about Han-joo’s background and became genuinely interested, Ji-an’s unrequited love began to lose hope.

He hoped that if he waited a little longer, Han-joo would grow tired of his older brother’s nasty nature and break up, giving him the chance to confess to Hanju, but that was eight years ago. It was a faltering and foolish time.

His mistake was to take a step back because he thought his older brother, who had a habit of stealing stuff since he was a child, would quickly lose interest.

His older brother found success and love effortlessly while dating Han-joo. Everything seemed to fall into place like magic for him. Ji-an’s actions were constantly overshadowed by his older brother’s incredible success, and he didn’t receive any attention. Seo Ji-hyeok achieved great success and also won love.

On the day they announced their relationship in front of their mother, on the day both families had a formal meeting, on the day of the engagement arrangement, and on the day of the engagement party, Ji-an still couldn’t muster the courage to confess. 

Ah, I want to disappear into the ground.

“Stupid bastard.”

As Ji-an was sighing that he wanted to disappear into the ground, he suddenly widened his eyes. He lifted his head, realizing that it wasn’t him who had spoken.

“…!”

There were two of him in the mirror.

Ssshr, the corners of the mouth on the identical figure standing behind him curled up mockingly. It was a facial expression mocking him. He was mocking himself. Ji-an quickly turned his body around.

The man who was wearing a deep-colored suit with faint stripes and sleek straight-tip shoes was walking out of the restroom. It was the outfit that Han-joo had given to him as a gift to wear at the wedding to make his presence stand out. What Ji-an was currently wearing was the exact same outfit.

“Wait!”

Ji-an shouted and pushed the restroom door, following the man.

There were so many people in the hall, but the man passed through the people like flowing water and quickly disappeared from Ji-an’s sight. Of course, Ji-an’s legs were getting faster as he tried to catch up with him. Ji-an blindly followed him as if possessed by a ghost.

The entrance of the narrow wedding hall was blocked by the lavish flower arrangements. Ji-an ran through the crowd, protecting his expensive suit that he was wearing for the first time in his life.

“Excuse me! Hey! Catch that guy!”

Ji-an shouted, pointing at the man from the stairs of the wedding hall. He ran down the stairs, shouting for someone to catch the man, but no one responded.

“Hey! Catch that guy!”

Ji-an was getting frustrated. He couldn’t understand why he was so worked up. It seemed like his anger would only subside if he grabbed the man’s shoulders and turned him around to check his face again. He rushed blindly, only focusing on the man’s back.

As he reached the end of the wide parking lot outside the wedding hall and ran onto the road, the distance between him and the man had significantly decreased. It felt like he was about to catch him, but not quite. The traffic light happened to be green, and Ji-an continued running without stopping.

At that moment, the man turned around. Simultaneously, a truck entered Ji-an’s field of vision. The man, with an identical face to Ji-an, smiled.

“Huh?”

Bam! The truck hit Ji-an from the side.