The balcony was small, dark, and cold, the city wind cutting through the thin fabric of their shirts, but neither man seemed to feel it. The heat of their shared fury was enough to keep the chill at bay.
Seo Taejun stood gripping the railing, his knuckles white, glaring at the Seoul skyline as if he wanted to tear it down brick by brick.
Do-hyun didn't speak immediately. He unscrewed the cap of the soju bottle, the crisp crack the only sound in the night air beyond the distant noise of traffic. He poured a glass and held it out to the older man.
Seo Taejun stared at the glass for a long moment before taking it. He downed it in one go, a sharp exhale escaping his lips as the alcohol burn hit.
"Tell me," he said finally, his voice rough as gravel. "I want to know exactly what happened. Not the medical summary. The truth."
Do-hyun poured himself a shot, downed it, and then refilled the older man's glass. There was no point in sugarcoating it now.
"It wasn't just the poison at the Gala," he admitted, staring into his own glass. "Choi Seungcheol came to the rehearsal hall yesterday. He walked right in."
Seo Taejun turned, his eyes narrowing. "He came to see Jaemin?"
"He came to claim him," Do-hyun corrected, the words tasting like bile. "He used—Abeonim, I don't know how much you know about alpha biology."
"Enough to know I hate it," Seo Taejun grunted.
Do-hyun's smile was a grimace. "There is a technique called a command. Alphas can use their pheromones and voice to force submission. It's rare, and it's illegal to use on civilians, but Choi Seungcheol used it." Do-hyun gripped his glass tighter. "He commanded Jaemin to come to him. And because of the old bond... Jaemin couldn't stop himself."
Seo Taejun's face twisted in horror, as Do-hyun had known it would. The idea of his son being puppeteered against his will, towards someone who had proven to be a source of harm, was a nightmare beyond comprehension.
"He walked to him?" the older man rasped. "My son... walked to that monster?"
"He fought it," Do-hyun said quickly, fiercely defending his mate. "He fought it with everything he had. But," he hesitated, then settled for the simplified explanation, "the strain was too much, and that's why he seized."
Seo Taejun stared out at the cityscape, blind to the beauty of the blinking lights, and was lost in thought and silence for a long time. When he finally spoke again, his words trembled, unsteady.
"When he was born, I promised his mother I would keep him safe," he muttered, as if to himself. "The same for Jina and Junho, but your first child, your firstborn, is always especially precious. Life changes. The world looks different. It becomes more beautiful, yes, but you start seeing danger in places you never thought…"
He trailed off, then continued. "Then there's the places you can't see. I told Jaemin to quit music because we all saw what happened, and I just wanted to stop him from going out of reach, so we could keep him safe.
"But now, here he is, still in Korea, but being poisoned and mind-controlled…" He turned Do-hyun, his eyes wild with helplessness. "How can I stop this? How do you fight a voice?"
Then he stopped.
Do-hyun had set his glass down, and was bowing low, his dark head down.
'I will protect his freedom, his dignity.'
"I broke my promise to you, Abeonim," Do-hyun said, his low with shame. "I told you I would protect him." He paused, struggling, before admitting quietly, "I failed."
'I will never let anyone shame or hurt him again.'
What hubris. He had asked—no, demanded—that this father give him his trust, only to face complete and utter defeat within just a few hours.
The silence that followed was heavy. Do-hyun waited for the condemnation, for the anger he knew he deserved.
"How did it feel?" Seo Taejun asked.
"Sir?" Do-hyun looked up, not understanding the quiet question.
The older man was looking out again into the night. "When that man... used his command on Jaemin. When you saw Jaemin walking to him. How did you feel?"
Do-hyun stared at the ground, hesitating.
He could lie. He could say he felt worried, or protective. That wasn't untrue. But he remembered the black tide that had risen in his chest, the absolute, buzzing silence of pure bloodlust.
"I wanted to kill him," Do-hyun muttered, the confession dark and low. "I didn't just want to stop him. I wanted to rip his throat out so he would never be able to say Jaemin's name again."
Seo Taejun didn't flinch. Instead, he reached for the bottle, his hand wobbling slightly as he poured a shot into Do-hyun's glass—a silent, potent gesture—before picking it up and holding it out to Do-hyun.
"Good," he said.
Do-hyun straightened, taking the offered glass, then clinking it against the side of one that Seo Taejun, waiting, held out in front of him. As they emptied their cups, Seo Taejun's gaze caught on Do-hyun's right hand, the split skin and bruising across the knuckles.
"You hit him?"
Do-hyun looked down. "I did. I lost control. It... There will be a lawsuit."
"To hell with the lawsuit," Seo Taejun spat. He reached out, his rough hand taking Do-hyun's as he examined the purple marks with grim satisfaction. "You hit him hard. Good. But he deserved worse."
Then, his grip on Do-hyun's hand tightened, his eyes boring into the alpha's.
"You have my approval to break every bone in that man's body if he comes near my son again. But," his voice dropped to a menacing whisper, "if you ever use a hand like this on Jaemin... If you ever use your strength, or your voice, or your alpha nature to force him into something he doesn't want..."
Do-hyun recoiled in horror, eyes widening. "Never," he vowed. "I would cut my own hands off first."
Seo Taejun studied him for a long heartbeat. Then, he nodded and released his grip.
"Good," he said again. "Because I may be just an old beta, Kang Do-hyun-ssi, but I swear I will take down anyone who touches my family. I don't care if you're an alpha, or even the King of Korea. I will find a way to end you."
"I believe you, sir." He looked at the older man—graying hair, worn face, no pheromones to speak of—and felt a surge of profound respect.
This world said alphas were the leaders. But this man, standing on a cold balcony ready to fight the world for a son whom he didn't fully understand... he was more of an alpha than a person like Choi Seungcheol could ever dream of being.
That is what it means, Do-hyun realized. It's not about the pheromones, or the command. You use whatever you have to protect the ones you love, at whatever the cost.
"This... command," Seo Taejun continued, pouring the last of the soju into Do-hyun's cup. "How does it work? Can it be stopped? I'm sure that bastard is going to try it again."
"I don't know much about it," Do-hyun admitted, frustration leaking into his voice as he stared at the clear liquid in his glass. "It's rare. The doctor said as well that it was difficult to master. But I'll learn. If there is any defense, I will find it and share it with Jaemin."
Seo Taejun nodded, satisfied. He looked back at the sliding door, through which the soft murmur of Soomin and Jaemin's voices could be heard.
"I can't reach him," he said suddenly, his words thick with regret. "There is too much... history. Too much pain and silence between us. I try to protect him, and I only make him feel small."
He turned to Do-hyun, his eyes wet.
"I can't be the one to help him. I'm too far away from him, in all senses. It has to be you, Kang Do-hyun."
It was a surrender. A plea. A father admitting that his love was no longer enough to shield his child.
Do-hyun took a deep breath. He had learned the hard way that despite his best intentions, he was not omnipotent, and could not stop every threat. But he was still resolved, more than ever, that he would never stop standing between them and Jaemin. As long as he was breathing, he would never allow Choi Seungcheol to get to Jaemin.
Hopefully that counted for something.
He bowed deep, a formal, solemn promise.
"I have him, Abeonim. I won't let you down."