My uncle sold me to pay off his debts. The very uncle who had taken me in after my parents passed away—my only legal guardian and only living blood relative. But the truth is, it wasn’t that surprising. I had always known that one day my uncle would sell me off. Around the time of secondary gender manifestation, when alphas and omegas fully develop, I was diagnosed as a recessive omega, just like so many others. I still can’t forget the look on my uncle’s face when he heard the news.

It was a shame, a wasted opportunity. If I had just been a regular omega, he could have sold me for more. Still, even a recessive omega wouldn’t have been too bad for him, since he was a beta. In a world where alphas and omegas were rare, even a recessive omega would have had some value. My uncle was the kind of man who didn’t even send me to school to avoid damaging my “marketability.” I was forced to drop out without ever knowing why I couldn’t attend.

I thought my uncle would sell me to a red-light district. Or perhaps into organ trafficking or surrogacy. In the world I imagined, those were the only uses for me. That was why I was so surprised when I saw the place I had been sold to. President Wi, the creditor who chose me to settle my uncle’s debt, took me to a massive mansion unlike anything I had ever seen.

There, I was told I wouldn’t have to sell my body. That wasn’t my job. All I had to do was be the companion of a boy my own age. A human shield for a boy suffering from pheromone rejection syndrome. In that vast mansion, my role was to reduce his hatred of omega pheromones and the hormones of unmanifested alphas.

The son of the Chairman, the owner of the mansion, Kwon Woo-kyung, hated me the moment he laid eyes on me. It was through Kwon Woo-kyung that I first learned to read loathing in a person’s gaze. That was despite the fact that I was recessive and had particularly faint pheromones.

For about the first week or so, things were so wonderful that I lost track of time. It was the first time in my life I had lived in a mansion of such breathtaking luxury, with servants attending to me.

Except for Kwon Woo-kyung, who made it blatantly obvious he disliked me every time we crossed paths, life in the mansion felt like a dream. The room, complete with a private bathroom and terrace, was far better than anything I’d seen on TV. It was the first time I’d had my own room since living with my parents as a child. Manager Yoon was kind to me, even going so far as to provide me with nutritional supplements. Everything was clean and convenient. It was so peaceful that I sometimes wondered if it was really okay to do absolutely nothing. In exchange for my coming here, all of my uncle’s debts were wiped clean, and I was set to receive additional payment once the two-month contract period ended. That was the contract between me and Chairman Kwon Tae-seok, Kwon Woo-kyung’s father. And in the middle of it all was Wi Du-hong. The man who was my uncle’s creditor and who had bought me from him.

I had no choice but to do as Wi Du-hong commanded. That day, too, I was on my way to retrieve the hidden phone so I could contact him. According to the contract, I was bound by confidentiality. I had to keep everything a secret, both while staying here and after leaving in two months. Manager Yoon had warned me that if anything that happened here leaked out, I would be the first one suspected. Manager Yoon, the highest-ranking adult working in the mansion, was kind and gentle to me, but only to an extent. Manager Yoon was only interested in the “omega attached” to Kwon Woo-kyung. Of course, that was only natural.

Wi Du-hong was curious about what was happening there. He handed me a phone, which I’d smuggled in by bypassing the body search upon entering the mansion, and told me to contact him at least three times a week. He told me to report on the events in the mansion, Kwon Tae-seok’s private schedule, who he met and what they talked about, and even Kwon Woo-kyung’s condition.

In exchange, I could abandon my uncle. A beta, hooked on drugs and addicted to gambling—my only blood relative—had vanished without a trace after handing me over to Wi Du-hong.

In other words, it meant I had a weakness Wi Du-hong could exploit. Wi Du-hong had smiled grotesquely as he laid out the conditions for separating me from my uncle. Now I understand. I know exactly what kind of leash I’ve fastened around my own neck. Even so, I don’t regret it. I would probably make the same choice again if given the chance.

The mansion was vast, but it was also teeming with employees. It was very difficult to find a secluded spot. For the first few days, I hid the phone under the wardrobe in my room, but I was terrified to discover the room had been cleaned while I was away. One wrong move, and everything would have been over. That was how I found that place.

An abandoned warehouse behind the massive mansion, tucked up against the base of the mountain.

Strangely enough, no one ever went in or out of that place. At least, not that I had observed throughout the day. So, I sneaked in and hid the phone I used to contact Wi Du-hong.

Retrieving the phone wasn’t exactly easy. The mansion’s employees were very interested in me. Manager Yoon, in particular, tried to monitor my every move, so even when I slipped away under the pretext of a walk, my heart raced with anxiety, and I almost ran to the warehouse.

I should have known something was wrong the moment I saw the door was open. The lock was rusted and gave way easily—because it hadn’t been locked in the first place, despite it being a place that had never been visited before.

I didn’t think much of it and simply stepped inside. The warehouse was well-maintained, despite there being no visitors, which perhaps made me like it even more.

It was strange enough for a wide sofa to be in an unused warehouse in this vast mansion, but I only realized it after I saw someone there.

Kwon Woo-kyung was there. At eighteen, already nearly fully grown, he was so tall that his feet stuck out past the edge of the sofa. His large frame looked uncomfortable, crumpled up like that, but the boy himself seemed unbothered, resting with his eyes closed.

Inside, it was so quiet that not even the sound of breathing could be heard; it was as if time itself had stopped. That’s why I couldn’t move rashly.

I hesitated for a moment. If he was truly asleep, couldn’t I just grab the phone and slip out? Having gone more than three days without contacting Wi Du-hong, I was growing increasingly anxious and didn’t have much time to think. I stepped slowly, trying to muffle my footsteps. I barely breathed, terrified that the sound might give me away. I just needed to find the phone, hidden behind the steel box on the bottom of the second shelf.

It was just as I stepped a little further inside.

Only then did I see that Kwon Woo-kyung was not alone, and I realized why he wore such a peaceful expression.

Kim Dong-a was there. He was the only peer who occasionally visited the mansion. Kwon Woo-kyung’s longtime friend and a beta. Manager Yoon said Kwon Woo-kyung felt comfortable with Kim Dong-a because he was a beta, but even I could tell there was more to it than that. Kim Dong-a gazed at Kwon Woo-kyung’s face, who had his eyes closed as if in a deep sleep. He sat on the floor by the sofa, leaning on his arm. His hand naturally reached up to brush away the hair that had fallen over Kwon Woo-kyung’s forehead. Kwon Woo-kyung’s brow furrowed slightly, as if it tickled. A smile spread across Kim Dong-a’s face.

Dust glittered in the sunlight pouring through the warehouse’s rusted window frames, scattering with the light. It felt as if the light were falling like snow. A fragment of light touched Kwon Woo-kyung’s face and soon made Kim Dong-a’s hand shimmer. Kim Dong-a lowered his head. Slowly but with a clarity that showed deliberate purpose.

I couldn’t bear to watch any longer and had to leave the warehouse. Rubbing my flushed cheeks, I returned to the mansion as if being chased. I was so distracted that I didn’t realize I hadn’t contacted Wi Du-hong until I went to bed.

Even as the night deepened, I couldn’t sleep. The scene I had witnessed during the day kept replaying in my mind, refusing to fade and leaving me troubled. Then it suddenly occurred to me that it might be better to make my move at night. If that place belonged only to Kwon Woo-kyung and Kim Dong-a, there was no reason to hide my phone there. I didn’t want to run into them again during the day. That was all. That’s why I went, but…

The mansion was incredibly quiet at night. The dim lighting barely illuminated the hallway. If I went out through the main entrance, the security system would surely trigger. So I headed toward the back of the dining room, following a route I had noted earlier. Beyond the utility room was a side door used only by employees. There were security devices there as well, but that system was easier to disable. I had once watched Manager Yoon disable an alarm that had been accidentally triggered shortly after I started living in the mansion.

I stepped down the stairs, keeping the route in mind. Even though the stairs were carpeted, the silence of the night made me anxious that the smallest noise would sound deafening. I felt like my heart would burst just from descending the stairs. I didn’t know how much time had passed. And just as I caught my breath and thought about heading to the dining room…

Kwon Woo-kyung blocked my path. He was the one who made no secret of his dislike for me, freely spouting hateful remarks about omegas. However, that was only when other people were around. This was the first time we had encountered each other alone. Startled, I barely managed to clamp my hand over my mouth to stifle a scream.

My legs trembled, and cold sweat poured down my back. My mind went blank, wondering what excuse I could possibly give for wandering around at this hour. I was terrified that I would wake others, that they would discover who I really was and kick me out. All because Kwon Woo-kyung hated me.

My lip trembled with fear. I was completely out of it. Even though it was early summer, I felt a chill so intense that my teeth chattered. Without realizing it, I was stepping backward. I think I was telling myself to just go back to my room.

As soon as I stepped back, a hand reached out. Kwon Woo-kyung grabbed me. He seized my shoulder roughly and dragged me along. The sheer, uncontrolled force caused my head to slam hard against his solid shoulder. It all happened in an instant.

“…!”

In that moment, I thought Kwon Woo-kyung might actually kill me; I believed, after watching him for a few days, that he was capable of it. Kwon Woo-kyung, who rejected and hated pheromones, was not someone who hesitated to use abusive language or even resort to violence. He had already caused several problems at school, and things had even escalated to the point where the police were called.

“Don’t cry.”

I was completely lost in sheer terror. Only after hearing that voice did I realize I was crying. My trembling lips had been clamped so tightly that no sound had escaped, yet Kwon Woo-kyung had noticed first. Tears poured down, soaking my face. Fear, dread, and raw terror nearly drove me into a panic.

“Just, for a bit.”

Stay still. Kwon Woo-kyung spoke in a low voice, forcefully pulling me back as I tried to break free. No. The word came out through gritted teeth, muffled and slurred. For some reason, even when I tried to recall it later, I couldn’t really explain why. But at that moment, I knew. Kwon Woo-kyung was crying too.

Except he wasn’t crying. Was he unable to cry, or did he not know how? Or perhaps…

I stayed like that for who knows how long. It was only when my sobbing had largely subsided that I realized something was truly wrong with Kwon Woo-kyung. His whole body was burning up. The breath touching my neck was hot. The hand that had been gripping my wrist so fiercely had gone limp.

The body that hadn’t budged a bit despite all the twisting and shoving just moments ago now pulled away easily. As the gap widened and a distance sufficient for us to face each other opened up, it felt as though our eyes met.

A murky orange hue cast shadows across his calm face. As soon as I realized the light had returned to his dull eyes, his expression shifted strangely. His scanning gaze, as if confirming something, conveyed a single message. Kwon Woo-kyung had mistaken someone like me for the only person truly deserving of his kindness.

His eyes, which had widened in surprise, soon returned to their usual sharpness. Everything changed in an instant. The very air around us shifted. Only then did Kwon Woo-kyung seem to realize his hand was still wrapped around my waist.

I was immediately shoved away. Just as when I had been grabbed, the sheer force of the push sent me tumbling violently across the floor. Sparks flew from Kwon Woo-kyung’s eyes. Grabbing my ankle in one motion as I tried to flee, Kwon Woo-kyung muttered.

“Disgusting.”

He grabbed me by the collar. I was lifted and slammed against the wall. If the cabinet hadn’t fallen over with a loud crash… what would Kwon Woo-kyung have done to me then?

The murmur of voices grew louder, then a piercing, ear-splitting scream erupted from somewhere. The mansion was instantly thrown into chaos. The lights came on, and people rushed in. Through my flickering vision, I could only see Kwon Woo-kyung.

His distorted face as he looked down at me seemed to be in greater agony than I felt. For some reason, I could never understand why, not then and certainly not now. That boy simply remained etched in my mind, impossible to erase. Perhaps from that day…

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

“Gasp!”

Seo Dong-eun woke up, gasping for breath. It was closer to blacking out than sleeping, but he regained consciousness. As soon as he tried to sit up, his waist screamed in pain. He curled his whole body into a ball and stifled a groan. Once the pain registered, there wasn’t a single spot that didn’t hurt. He wished he could have forgotten, but the memory of the sin he had committed remained vivid. So did the fact that he was left alone in this vast hotel room.

Curled up, he listened to the space, filled with a silence bordering on stillness. No sound and no sign of any presence could be felt. Having barely lifted his gaze, the dark interior of the hotel appeared blurred, along with the bed, which bore nothing but his own traces.

Even though it was to be expected, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his heart had gone cold. Seo Dong-eun rubbed his gaunt face and straightened his posture. Only then could he clearly see his condition. Setting aside his lower body, hidden by the blanket, his exposed upper body was far from normal. There were bruises on his chest and flat abdomen, and even on the inside of his arms, where they couldn’t be easily seen.

He was afraid to check below, but he couldn’t avoid it. Seo Dong-eun carefully lifted the blanket.

“….”

Words that caught in his throat lingered on his tongue, but not even a small groan escaped his parted lips. There were clear traces of red mixed with the dried bodily fluids. It was blood. The hole, having been penetrated for the first time, had torn, and he had bled. His lower body was just as full of bruises as his upper body, but he couldn’t even see them. Seo Dong-eun struggled to catch his breath, feeling a pain in his lower abdomen as if it had been stabbed and sliced with a knife, and a dull ache in his thighs as if his muscles and bones had been torn apart.

Could this count as a trace of sexual intercourse? Or rather, could what they had done all night be considered sex?

The room was dark, but a side lamp was on, allowing him to make out the interior. He was entirely alone here. The light coming through the curtains suggested it was already daytime. After a moment of hesitation, he took a breath and stepped forward.

“Ah…”

The moment his feet touched the floor, a sharp, pulling pain shot through his lower back and thighs, leaving him barely able to stand. Wiping away the cold sweat that had pooled on his skin, Seo Dong-eun stumbled toward the window. Through the blackout curtains, he saw the sun high in the sky and the cityscape below.

The light filtering into the room made things easier to make out. Seo Dong-eun let out a self-deprecating laugh as his gaze wandered, as if searching for someone. There was no way he could have been satisfied. Thanks to their intimacy, the heat from his cycle had subsided, but all that remained was the misery in his heart and the pain etched into his body.

He gathered the clothes scattered across the floor, struggling not to cry. In a way, this was for the best. Now, Kwon Woo-kyung could completely separate Seo Dong-eun from Choi Hyun-seo. After all, the Choi Hyun-seo Kwon Woo-kyung knew was an omega.

It took a considerable amount of time just to pull on a pair of pants. His legs trembled so badly he couldn’t stand properly. Only after he finally managed to get dressed did Seo Dong-eun realize his phone was missing. That was what had started the whole mess to begin with. He was angry rather than embarrassed, full of self-reproach. Biting his dry lips, Seo Dong-eun collapsed back onto the bed. A throbbing headache made the back of his neck tighten instinctively.

“I’m going crazy.”

Just whispering those words made his throat sting. Thinking about how everything was falling apart in every possible way, Seo Dong-eun let out a hollow laugh. He couldn’t stay like this forever. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he realized he couldn’t afford to linger any longer. With afternoon approaching, he would soon have to vacate the hotel room. Just as he was pushing himself up, something on the table caught his eye.

It was the phone he had been searching for so desperately. Beneath it lay a scrap of paper. Suddenly, his heart throbbed and his stomach churned. Swallowing hard, Seo Dong-eun reached out. As he moved the phone, a memo pad with the hotel logo was revealed. On the neat sheet of paper, only a single line of text was written.

[Contact me when you wake up.]

Below that was a handwritten phone number. Seo Dong-eun stared blankly at the note in his hand. The anxious pounding of his heart gradually slowed.

‘I should apologize. For yesterday.’

Even last night, those were the first words he had spoken. Although Kwon Woo-kyung was at the center of many scandals, they were never chaotic or messy. He was a top actor, and it seemed reasonable—even to someone as ignorant as Seo Dong-eun—to assume that his agency could manage his private life to this extent. In other words, this was just the sort of routine procedure that followed such events. Seo Dong-eun had no right to demand anything from him in this situation. After all, he was the one who had cried and begged to be held.

He crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash. He couldn’t help it; the sight of that neat handwriting kept flickering before his eyes. Keeping something like that would only amplify his guilt.

He then moved his stiff, aching body and left the hotel. Despite his thin clothing, the season had shifted fully into autumn overnight. Aside from that, the world seemed unchanged.