The light was gray, cold, and even the coffee tasted more bitter than usual. The apartment remained empty: a narrow window, a stack of documents, a box of blockers. Everything looked as if the night had left no trace. But inside - it had.
The alpha's gaze would not let him go.
It stood before his eyes, heavy, as though it contained a question Do-yun had no intention of answering.
He opened the case file. Photographs, reports, stamps. Everything familiar, everything bound by rules. But among the names, one flickered.
Yoon.
An ordinary name. But after last night, it cut too sharply.
Do-yun closed the folder. His face remained calm. But inside, something stirred.
***
By evening, the club was alive again.
Music thundered, the crowd moved like a single body. Laughter, shouting, the smell of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and pheromones blended into a thick haze where breathing was difficult.
Do-yun moved through the chaos silently. The tray in his hands was an extension of his body. He looked as though he dissolved into the crowd, and yet he remained apart - too straight, too cold.
In the VIP section sat Yoon Seung-ho.
A glass of whiskey in hand, listening to his companions, smiling lazily. But his gaze drifted now and then across the hall. And each time, it lingered longer than it should.
Do-yun felt it.
And did not slow his step.
- Hey, - a guard called him. - Order for VIP.
On the tray were glasses, a bucket of ice, a new bottle of whiskey.
***
The corridor was quieter than the hall. The music faded behind him, the air turned drier. His footsteps echoed too clearly.
Do-yun pushed the door open.
The room was different: soft golden light, plush furniture, silence broken only by voices and laughter. But all of it vanished into the background the moment his eyes met Seung-ho's.
The alpha sat at the center of the sofa, in half-shadow. He held the glass lightly, as though the whole world were nothing but a game to him. And in that instant, a spark lit in his eyes.
- You, - he said quietly, yet leaving no doubt.
Do-yun set the tray on the table. His movements were flawlessly precise.
- Whiskey. Ice, - the words sounded almost like a command.
Do-yun poured, calm and careful. His hand did not tremble.
Seung-ho swirled the glass, amber liquid shimmering under the lamp.
- You're too calm for this place. Here they either smile or tremble. You do neither.
Do-yun dropped the ice into the glass.
- Maybe I just know how to keep a straight face.
Seung-ho smirked, leaning back on the sofa.
- A face you can keep. But I wonder what you'll do when you have to lose it.
Do-yun lifted his eyes calmly.
- What do you mean?
- I mean, - Seung-ho took a slow sip, - I'm curious what you're like in bed.
He said it without shame, almost lazily, as though discussing the weather. But in his eyes, that predatory fire glinted - the kind that made others' knees buckle.
Do-yun remained cold.
- Are you sure I'm the one you're looking for?
- Absolutely. - Seung-ho leaned forward slightly. - You're far too interesting to pass by.
He smiled easily, carelessly, but there was no playfulness in it - only desire.
Do-yun set the bottle down and stepped back.
- I'm just working.
- And I'm just choosing who to spend the night with. - The alpha's voice was soft, velvet, but steel lay beneath. - I see no reason to hide it.
Their eyes locked again. A confident predator and a cold waiter.
The world around them buzzed, but between them there was silence.
Do-yun tilted his head slightly.
- I think it's not hard for you to find company.
- Not at all, - Seung-ho agreed easily. - But that's the boredom of it. Everyone else is too predictable. You are not.
He took another sip, set the glass down, and added quietly but clearly:
- I like those who are cold at first. It's more interesting to watch them melt.
Do-yun gave no answer. His face stayed a mask. But inside, the tension thickened.
He stepped back, gave a short nod, and left.