(Dohyun's POV)
I felt sick with guilt as I watched Jihwa walk out of the restaurant. The bell above the door chimed so softly, yet it rang in my head like a funeral bell. I could still see the faint smile on his lips — that same smile he'd offered to teach me once, saying I looked too serious, too cold. The smile that shone brighter than the star is now fading and it's all because of me. But he still smiles…why..can't I be just like him?
But how could I smile?
I didn't deserve to. Not with the filth clinging to me. Not with the bruises still blooming under my shirt. I was already punished a lot for hellsake what. Punished so badly that my ribs still ached when I breathed. Who knew what Hyok would do if I dared to look happy again?
I clenched my fists under the table.
Coward. Selfish. You let him walk away. Pathetic. Useless
"Busy," I'd told Jihwa. What a pathetic excuse. I wasn't busy. I was scared — terrified of what my master would do if I came home even a minute late. Terrified of what he'd do if he ever caught me enjoying someone's company. How selfish of me.
When I stepped outside, the cold evening air bit into my skin. My chest felt hollow, as if something precious had been ripped out.
Jihwa… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Don't stop smiling….I need that.. I need you… but why?
But apologies don't mean anything when you're already drowning. Words are nothing, just empty promises.
I dragged myself back to the house, every step heavier than the last. My hands were trembling as I gripped the doorknob. Inside, the air was thick with the chemical stench of Hyok's experiments. I could already hear him pacing in the basement.
I forced my voice steady, though it cracked.
"Master… I'm home."
His footsteps stopped. Then came the voice I hated — smooth, lazy, like a knife running over silk.
"You're late."
"I… I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Hyok emerged from the shadows, his eyes glittering like broken glass. He looked at me over as if checking for damage, or maybe for rebellion.
"Sorry?" he said softly. "Do you think sorry erases disobedience?"
My throat tightened. "No, Master."
He smiled, and it was worse than anger. That scared me. "Good. Because you'll need to prove it."
I swallowed hard. "Master… now what?"
His gaze slid over me, deliberate and cruel. "Now," he murmured, "you're going to help me test something new. Something… unpleasant. But don't worry, you're used to pain, aren't you?"
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from shaking. "Yes, Master."
"Strip," he ordered flatly.
My fingers froze on the hem of my shirt. Every instinct screamed to run, but there was nowhere to run. Not from him. Not from the locked doors and hidden cameras.
As I obeyed, tears burned at the corners of my eyes — not from fear, but from the memory of Jihwa's gentle voice.
'You should smile more, Dohyun. You'd look less lonely. You have a beautiful smile.'
Lonely. What a small word for this kind of hell.
I blinked rapidly and forced the tears back. If Hyok saw me cry, he'd only smile wider.
I just want it to end. Someone will end this pain. Someone killed me. Please… Even I tried to kill myself but Hyok….will never let me stay dead…I can't die..without his permission….someone please assassinate me….
But no one ever came, no matter how much I pleaded.
Hyok laid out his tools on the metal table with a surgeon's precision — syringes glinting under the harsh basement light. The smell of alcohol and something sharp, chemical, filled the air.
I already knew what was coming. He'd told me once, almost proudly.
"A recessive omega is useless. But I can fix that. I can turn trash into something valuable."
He wasn't fixing me. He was destroying me. He thinks it's fun. I'll show you fun. Just wait, I'll seek revenge. Then you'll beg me for mercy.
Hyok picked up a vial filled with a thick, amber-colored liquid.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked casually.
"Yes, Master," I whispered. My voice felt like it belonged to someone else. "You said… It changes my designation. You have been doing this for a long time."
He grinned. "Good boy. I'm going to make you a dominant omega. Stronger. Better. More profitable."
"It never works….it's been like this for so long now…" The words slipped out before I could stop them.
His smile vanished. He backhanded me so hard I staggered, tasting blood.
"Did I ask for your opinion, Dohyun?" His voice was cold, calm — which was always worse than when he yelled.
"N-no, Master. I'm sorry." I shivered. I can't still let go of the immense pain he put me through the other day. My chest felt heavy. I bit my lips hard. So hard that it started to bleed.
"Hold still."
My body obeyed even as every nerve screamed to run. He shoved the needle into my arm then neck with unnecessary force. I clenched my jaw, but the burn of the serum was like liquid fire racing through my veins.
"You'll thank me later," Hyok murmured. "Once you're not weak anymore. Once people actually want you."
I knew it wasn't true. These injections didn't make me stronger — they made me sick, feverish, wracked with pain for days. My heart would pound so hard I thought it might burst. Sometimes I woke up not remembering where I was or what he'd done to me.
As the second syringe pierced my skin, I bit my own tongue instead..
Don't cry. Don't cry. He likes it when you cry.
But I couldn't stop thinking of Jihwa — of how he'd looked at me with genuine warmth, as if I were more than just an experiment, more than just a toy.
What would he say if he saw me now? Would he still offer to teach me how to smile? Would he still think I'm worth anything at all?
When Hyok was done, he patted my cheek mockingly.
"There. Soon enough, you won't be that pathetic little recessive anymore. You'll be perfect."
Perfect. The word made me want to vomit.
I stumbled back, dizzy, as he packed away the syringes. My vision blurred at the edges, but I forced myself to stay upright. If I collapsed now, he'd punish me again.
Inside, I was screaming.
This isn't me. This isn't who I want to be. Someone please save me. Or kill me. Just make it stop.
Then, through the haze, I saw him.
Jihwa. Standing right in front of me — that soft smile of his, the one that always made my chest ache. He reached out, fingertips brushing my cheek.
"You're too serious, Dohyun. You'll get wrinkles before you're twenty. Come on… smile. Like this."
His thumbs pressed lightly on the corners of my lips in my memory, urging them upward. I tried. I really tried — my trembling mouth stretching into something that was supposed to be a smile.
And for a second… I didn't feel dizzy. I didn't feel sick. I felt almost human.
But Hyok saw it.
His eyes narrowed instantly. "What the hell is that on your face?"
I flinched. "N-nothing, Master."
"Don't lie to me," he hissed, striding forward. "You're thinking about someone. Who is it?"
"N-no one—"
The slap sent me sprawling against the table. Instruments clattered to the floor. My arm burned where the injection site throbbed.
"Don't play games with me, Dohyun," Hyok growled, gripping my chin so hard I thought it would crack. "Who is he?"
"N-no one, I swear—"
"Is it that little brat from the café?" His voice sharpened with recognition. "The one who called the cops that day?"
My heart stopped. He remembers.
Hyok's smile was venomous. "Tae Jihwa, wasn't it? You think I don't know his name? You think I don't know how to make him regret ever looking at you?"
Terror washed over me cold and clean. I remembered that night — Jihwa grabbing my wrist, shouting for help, the police showing up… only to believe Hyok's lies about me feeling sick. They'd made Jihwa apologise to us instead.
I forced my voice steady. "Please… leave him out of this. He's got nothing to do with me."
"So it is him…"
"Please leave him out of this hellhole…"
Hyok chuckled darkly. "If you don't tell me exactly what he means to you, I'll find out myself. And when I do, I'll make him suffer worse than you ever have."
"No!" I shouted before I could stop myself.
Hyok's grin widened. "Ah. So he is special. Good to know."
I bit my tongue until I tasted blood, shaking my head desperately. "Please, Master, I swear, he's just… just some guy. I barely know him."
"Liar." Hyok shoved me down into the chair, his voice low and icy. "Start talking, Dohyun. Or Tae Jihwa's life becomes hell by sunrise."
My breath came in ragged bursts, my pulse thundering in my ears. Hyok's grip on my chin was so tight I could feel the bruise already forming.
"Talk, you useless little whore," he snarled. "Who is Tae Jihwa? Don't think I didn't see that pathetic excuse for a smile."
"He's nobody," I croaked. "We're just friends—"
Hyok's hand whipped across my face again, snapping my head to the side. "Friends? Don't insult me with that garbage."
"I swear, Master," I gasped, blood in my mouth now. "We only met twice. Just for two days. He doesn't even know me—"
"Liar," Hyok spat. "You think I don't know when you're lying, you filthy little dog? You really think I'll let some brat meddle in my business again?"
"I'm not lying!" I cried, forcing the words past the tightness in my throat. "He… he saw me at the café once. That's all. I barely know him."
Hyok's eyes glittered with cold amusement, the kind that made my stomach twist. "Then why are you grinning like an idiot thinking about him? Why are you wagging your tail like some mutt in heat? Right, you recessives don't even get into heat, I bet."
"I wasn't—"
"Shut up, you disgusting toy," Hyok hissed. "You're good for one thing and one thing only — being broken until you're useful and spreading your legs. And if this Tae Jihwa gets in my way, I'll break him too."
"No!" The word tore out of me, raw and panicked. "Please, Master… don't touch him. He's just… he's just some guy who felt sorry for me. That's all."
Hyok leaned close, his breath hot and sour on my face. "I'll decide who he is. If you're lying, I'll carve the truth out of your worthless hide. And if I find him…" His lips curled into a cruel grin. "…I'll make him beg me to kill him."
My blood ran cold. I knew that tone. He wasn't bluffing.
I guess.. I have to break our friendship for once and for all…