The evening dragged on slowly, as if time itself thickened around the dimly lit room. The city lights outside bled faintly through the curtains, painting long shadows across the floor as the night settled deeper.
Kiyonari walked quietly inside, carrying a small bucket filled with warm water. The air felt heavy—still scented faintly with sweat, musk, and the lingering heat of what had happened earlier.
He dipped a fresh cloth into the water, soaking it thoroughly before wringing it out. His movements were careful, almost timid, as if he were afraid of waking the man on the bed.
Soo-hyun lay there in a deep, exhausted sleep—half-naked and defenseless.
Kiyonari sat by the edge of the mattress and began wiping the sweat from Soo-hyun's neck and chest, then down along his stomach and bare legs, removing every trace of what had led to his collapse. His touch was gentle, almost reverent, the cloth gliding over the skin that still felt warm to the touch.
Once he finished cleaning him, Kiyonari lifted Soo-hyun's limp body just enough to help him into a clean pair of underwear, then eased him into fresh clothes. He laid him back carefully, brushing a stray lock of hair from Soo-hyun's forehead.
A long sigh escaped him as he slumped down onto the sofa beside the bed.
There... all done, he thought. I couldn't just leave him like after what happened.
His gaze drifted to Soo-hyun's resting face.
I had to clean him up, at least. Thank goodness he's asleep...
He leaned back and covered his face with both hands.
Still... I can't believe I lost control of myself. His eyes dropped to the outline of his own pants.
And I trusted you, buddy! How could you give in to temptation so easily?!
He groaned quietly at himself.
Then something clicked in his mind.
Right... his suppressant. He had meant to look for it earlier, before Soo-hyun stopped him. But he used his suppressant instead.
I did hear that giving Omegas a suppressant meant for Alpha's would have a different effect on them.
Some believed that it's like sleeping pills for Omegas.
"Now that I think about it..." He muttered softly. "Where did he put it?"
He stood up and began searching the room, walking across the spacious condo.
For a moment, he paused. He had been inside the Director's place several times, yet it only now struck him—how large and lonely the entire place felt. The bedroom alone was bigger like his whole apartment.
He continued exploring until his eyes caught something odd—a narrow outline in the wall. A door, one he never noticed before.
"What's this...?" He whispered.
He pushed it open carefully. His eyes widened.
It was a dressing room—large, pristine, elegant. A wall-length mirror shimmered under soft lights neatly with tailored suits and shirts arranged by color and season. It felt too organized—almost like a space meant to stay hidden.
What's this? Closet? But why so hidden? He questioned internally, stepping in with hesitant curiosity.
He searched through drawers and cabinets, hoping to find the suppressant tucked away somewhere. But after several minutes, he came up empty.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he exited the dressing room.
Ms. Do... where is she? He hadn't seen her since earlier.
Is today her day off? He wondered.
He turned back toward the sofa—only for the door to swing open suddenly.
"Ah...!"
A woman stood by the doorway, breath slightly uneven, as if she had hurried all the way here. Her eyes widened the moment she saw him. Kiyonari froze. They stared at each other in mutual surprise.
"Um..." she began, hesitant. "I—I'm sorry. I didn't know someone was inside."
"Oh! No, it's fine," Kiyonari replied quickly, awkwardly straightening up. "I was just about... to leave, anyway."
"Leaving already?" She asked, brows raising.
"Ah... well, I just helped the Director to bed. Now that he's resting, I suppose my job here is done."
Even though he wanted to wait until Soo-hyun wake up, he knew there wasn't much else he could do.
The woman didn't respond immediately. Instead, she looked him over with puzzled expression—curiosity sharpening in her eyes. And then, as if something clicked, her posture straightened.
"Excuse me..." she said carefully.
Kiyonari turned toward her. "Yes?"
"Are you, by any chance, his secretary? Mr. Soo, right?"
His eyes flicked with faint recognition. "Uh—yes. That's me."
Her expression eased. "Ah, I see. I'm Seon Mira, Director Je's personal doctor."
"N-Nice to meet you. My name is Soo Kiyonari, his secretary."
They bowed politely toward each other.
*****
Soo-hyun gasped, inhaling sharply as his eyes snapped open. His breath trembled. For a moment, he clung to the remnants of his sleep—warm, and weightless—before reality pushed its way in. His gaze darted across the room, searching instinctively, almost desperately, for something... or someone. But the room was empty and quiet.
The soft click of the door broke the silence.
Someone stepped inside, holding a clipboard tucked under her arm. "So, you're finally awake," a familiar voice said.
Dr. Seon walked toward him with composed steps, bowing her head slightly.
"Dr. Seon?" Soo-hyun murmured, his lips parting in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Her sigh was long, weary, and edged with frustation. "Ms. Eunji called me. She was panicking so badly, she could barely form a sentence. I thought she was about to faint. Or worse—make me crash the car rushing here."
She placed her clipboard on the bedside table and crossed her arms.
"Ms. Eunji told me everything that happened," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Seriously, Soo-hyun... you have no sense of danger around Alphas. I'm not even convinced you're afraid of them at all."
Soo-Hyun said nothing, his face unreadable. But deep inside, an uncomfortable heaviness pressed against his ribs. He knew the truth—he did feel fear. It just never showed the way others expected.
Dr. Seon continued, half lecturing, half scolding. "Look, I know I told you, you'd need Alpha pheromones now that you've had your first heat. But not like this." Her voice lowered into a soft groan, equal parts exasperation and relief. "You're lucky your secretary was there to help you. And even stuck around to take care of you afterward. You really managed to find yourself a good worker, huh?"
That made Soo-hyun's eyes flicker, barely noticeable—yet unmistakable.
"You met him?" He asked.
Dr. Seon nodded. "Yeah, I did. But he already left—said he had some things to take care of."
"Must be nice," she muttered while writing something in her clipboard. "He must be a Beta at least—"
"He's an Alpha," Soo-hyun said, his voice finally breaking the quiet.
Dr. Seon's pen froze mid-stroke.
"... What?" She whispered. "He's what?"
Soo-hyun turned his head to meet her stare. "He's an Alpha..."
She didn't move. Didn't breathe. For a solid few seconds, she was completely silent.
Then she pressed a hand against her shoulder and exhaled hard, rubbing her temple with the other. "Wait, hold on—so if he's an Alpha, then..." Her eyes narrowed. Her thoughts scrambled. And then... finally clicked.
She jolted upright with delayed shock.
"He's an Alpha?! Mr. Soo, your—your secretary is an Alpha?!"
Soo-hyun raised a brow. "Aren't you overreacting for a doctor?"
"No!" She snapped instantly. "This is serious! Do you realize what a terrible idea that is? If your family finds out, they'll lose their minds!"
"But wait—" she leaned forward, baffled. "Wasn't he a Beta? How did he even get hired as your secretary if he's an Alpha after all?!"
Soo-hyun slightly parted his lips. He explained how he found out about Kiyonari's secret.
Dr. Seon dropped onto the sofa nearby with a dramatic thud, rubbing her forehead as if trying to massage the chaos out of her brain.
"Okay—wait." She lifted one hand in a sharp halt. "Give me a second. I need to process everything... you said he's pretending to be a Beta, and he was the reason behind your sudden heat."
"Oh, was it too much for you?" Soo-hyun replied dryly, tone dipped in a mocking way.
She shot him a look. "You literally dropped he's an Alpha like a bomb, okay?! How do you expect me to react when your family could have my head mounted on a wall if anything goes wrong?!"
She buried her face in both hands, fingers clawing through her hair in misery. "If your mother finds out about this—she'll think I'm in cahoots again! Lying about your previous heat episode already had me this close to losing my job and my reputation. I cannot afford another mistake."
She kept mumbling under her breath, a string of incoherent complaints about rich families, stubborn patients, and overbearing mothers.
Soo-hyun exhaled softly. "Calm down. You're overreacting."
"How do you expect me to calm down?!" She barked, snapping her head up. "You're impossible."
"Geez..." He muttered, looking away.
Then suddenly, she froze—completely still, eyes widening. A thought clearly hit her like a slap.
"Wait a minute..."
Her posture straightened, and she stared at him with unnerving seriousness. "Oh, I just remembered—I want to talk to you about your recent result."
"My result?" Soo-hyun asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Mhm." She nodded and immediately grabbed her clipboard, flipping through pages. "When your heat came, your system reacted to an Alpha's rut and pheromones. That shock triggered your heat prematurely. According to the latest test, your condition has stabilized somewhat—but your pheromone pattern is drifting further in that same direction. And it worsened after you were drugged, which could easily trigger another sudden heat."
Soo-hyun blinked, stunned into silence. His test result had always been neutral, sometimes even negative. This was completely unexpected.
Dr. Seon continued, tapping her pen. "For now, it's best if you stay in contact with... well, Mr. Soo. His pheromones are already responding to your system. It will help stabilize your condition."
"Ideally, this isn't a great arrangement considering your positions and your family situation, but medically speaking, it's the recommended course."
"I see," Soo-hyun muttered, his expression unreadable but voice faint.
"I mean—look at you." She leaned closer, eyeing his complexion. "Your color looks better than it has in weeks."
Then curiosity flickered across her features. "If I may ask... did anything happen? I'm only basing this on your test results, but the improvement is very noticeable. So, you know... you can tell me."
Soo-hyun's breath caught. A wave of heat rose to his cheeks as flashes of earlier—his body trembling, crying on Kiyonari's arms, overwhelmed by pleasure—flooded his mind. He bit his lower lip, unable to answer.
That was enough for Dr. Seon.
Her eyes narrowed knowingly... then curved into an all-too-pleased grin.
"Alright. I got it."
"Got what?" He asked warily.
"An Alpha's touch, pheromones, and physical presence can greatly stabilize an Omega's disrupted cycle," she said with a smug shrug. "So as long as this continues under controlled circumstances, of course—your condition will keep improving. Eventually, you'll be stable enough not to rely on Mr. Soo's pheromones at all."
She smiled far too calmly.
"And judging by your face... I'd say you've already had quite the effective treatment."
Soo-hyun stayed quiet without looking back at her. "Effective treatment you say..." He mumbled lowly under his breath.
*****
The telephone rang—sharp and persistent. It's sound echoing through the quiet office.
Kiyonari shifted slightly in his chair, straightening his posture before picking up the receiver.
"Hello, this is—"
He didn't even finish.
A composed voice immediately cut in from the other end.
"Mr. Soo, Director Je's secretary—I know. My name is Lee Siwon. I am the family secretary of the Wang household."
Kiyonari's eyes widened faintly in recognition. His grip on the telephone tightened.
"Ah... yes, Mr. Lee," he replied, regaining composure. "To what do I owe the call? May I ask why you're suddenly calling?"
A brief silence filled the line—heavy and deliberate. Then Siwon exhaled softly. "It is regarding the incident that occurred last night." The pen in Kiyonari's hand stopped moving mid-note. His fingers froze above the paper.
"... I see."
"I would like to speak with Director Je personally," Siwon continued. "And, if possible, issue a formal apology on behalf of the Wang family."
Silence thickened on Kiyonari's end. His jaw clenched. No immediate response came from him. Finally, he inhaled quietly and spoke with formal precision.
"I will try my best to arrange an appointment for you. Director Je has an exceptionally tight schedule at the moment."
"Ah, then—"
"I will contact you again as soon as the Director has an opening." His tone left no room for negotiation.
Before Siwon could say anything else, Kiyonari ended the call with a soft click.
He leaned back into his chair, head tilting up as he released a long, quiet breath.
What could he possibly want to discuss with the Director?
The question gnawed at his thoughts.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustation and fatigue creeping into his features. Too much had happened within the span of a single week—too much pressure and danger.
Just last night, Soo-hyun was almost assaulted by an Alpha in public. And now someone from the Wang family was reaching out. It didn't take much imagination to connect the dots.
So they finally send someone, huh?
Someone to clean up after his mess? To smooth over a scandal waiting to explode?
Kiyonari's expression darkened slightly.
It's pissing me off... I wonder why? But if that was the case... they were already too late.
No sooner than later, Kiyonari let himself sink into his thoughts when a cheerful voice pulled him back to reality.
"Knock, knock!"
Yiseo appeared in front of his desk, his tone bright and melodic.
Kiyonari jolted lightly in his seat. "Ah—Yiseo-sshi... you're here."
Yiseo offered a gentle smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. You looked deep in thought, though."
"It's alright," Kiyonari replied, forcing a small, polite smile. "I was just... thinking. You came for something?"
"I did." Yiseo lifted his phone. "Because of this."
"Huh?"
He turned the screen of his phone toward him.
Kiyonari leaned forward—and his eyes widened immediately.
[A Well-Known Celebrity and a Famous Black Sheep Omega From a Wealthy Household—Spotted at the Infamous Bar!]
"This is—!"
Kiyonari shot up from his chair so abruptly it nearly toppled. "How did this article get out?!"
Before Yiseo could answer, the elevador door opened.
"Kihyun-sshi!" Eunji rushed in, completely breathless and frantic.
"Eunji-sshi...!" Kiyonari blurted, adrenaline spiking. "The article—you said it was already taken care of. What happened?!"
"Yes—!" She heaved, one hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. "But we didn't know that several journalists and paparazzi have been tailing the Director for months now. They had already published the articles before we could do something."
"What?" Kiyonari stomach dropped.
"We prioritized the press that were openly chasing him, but..." she swallowed hard, "some of them were more persistent. And I think some of them were paid to join in..."
"Then this happened," Kiyonari muttered, jaw tightening as he exhaled slowly.
Yiseo stepped closer, the tone in his voice shifting to something more serious. "They didn't reveal any name, but the public is already speculating. The clues are too obvious."
"I'm sorry, Kihyun-sshi..." Eunji said, guilt tightening her voice. "I should've—"
"No, Eunji-sshi." Kiyonari cut in firmly. "You don't have to apologize. I... also overlooked a lot of things. I relied too heavily on you to handle everything when I'm supposed to be the one managing this."
Both Eunji and Yiseo blinked in surprise at his admission.
"For now," Kiyonari continued, straightening himself, "we need to focus on containing this. We can't let it spread any further."
"What about the Director?" Yiseo asked.
"I'll inform him myself," Kiyonari said without hesitation.
Eunji nodded quickly. "Alright. I'll work on suppressing the article's visibility and try to redirect the attention."
"Thank you, Eunji-sshi." Kiyonari was already moving toward the door.
"I'll go through the other news outlets," Yiseo added. "If one journalist released this, others might have similar drafts waiting to go live. The Director has too many eyes on him."
"Please do," Eunji replied, turning on her heel to hurry back to her station.
Kiyonari stepped out of the room—his expression steeled, his pace quickening—as the weight of the crisis pressed harder against his spine.