Alphas were independent beings, but omegas absolutely needed alphas. Especially when pregnant, that helplessness reached its peak. The fact that they even had to make pheromone capsules out of an alpha’s blood and swallow them was absurd. Irritation welled up for no reason. I gathered the materials, put them back under the bed, and forced my creaking body toward the bathroom.

✿ • ✿ • ✿

“…What is this.”

I stared at the car showing off its imposing figure in one corner of the parking lot, then pressed a hand to my forehead.

The car Jung Inhyuk had given me on the way to work was a large Sprinter. It was on a completely different scale from the passenger van I always rode in. With its windows heavily tinted, nothing inside was visible at all. Half dazed, I stood there before cautiously opening the back door.

Inside were a minibar fridge, a TV, and various other conveniences, and the seats were electric recliners. Because the body was so high, it was easy to change clothes, and there was plenty of space for outfits and luggage too.

“Rest comfortably, even if only for a little while. That’s why I’m giving it to you.”

Only then did I understand what he’d meant. On a filming set, a car was basically a waiting room. You spent so much time in it that this made sense, but still… This huge car, practically shaped like a mini bus, was just too much. I couldn’t refuse it, and I couldn’t exactly not use it either, so my head only grew more tangled.

I rubbed my head roughly and got into the SUV I usually preferred. After starting the engine, I entered Sunil University Hospital into the navigation. I took the phone out of my pocket and sent Jung Inhyuk a message. I didn’t mention the car, only sent a brief text asking for permission to go meet Kang Jigyu, then set the phone down. Not long after, a reply came back.

“Go.”

I slowly turned the steering wheel, left the parking lot, and entered the road. The streets after rush hour were fairly quiet. While waiting at a red light for a moment, I lowered my hand and rubbed my lower abdomen, which was still aching.

I frowned, thinking of Jung Inhyuk, who hadn’t let me go all night. When I’d been a beta, it hadn’t been this bad, but after I’d mutated into an omega, he felt even more relentless. I had experienced his superiority as a superior alpha firsthand, so I was already worried about the heat period ahead.

But thinking about it carefully, what he said did make sense. If I was going to go through heat anyway, it would be better to get it over with before filming.

Originally, when we signed the contract, I had disclosed the existence of a partner and arranged to receive official leave, but because filming had only just started, I still felt uneasy. Still, the truth was that it was a little uncomfortable having to get through a heat cycle while taking heat-inducing meds.

Just as my thoughts were about to deepen, my phone rang. An unfamiliar number was displayed on the navigation screen. I declined without hesitation, but the same number called again immediately. Tilting my head, I pressed the answer button.

“…”

“Hello, Lee Shinjae? Lee Shinjae, answer me.”

“…Who is this?”

“You don’t even recognize my voice anymore? It’s me, Jung Suhyeok.”

The moment I heard the name, I was so shocked I slammed on the brakes without thinking. My body pitched forward hard. Thankfully there was no accident, but the angry blare of horns from behind me echoed loudly. I turned off the Bluetooth and picked up the phone.

“S-Suhyeok-nim?”

“Let’s meet.”

“What? No.”

“Hah, you didn’t even think about it before refusing. That’s embarrassing for the person who asked.”

“…There’s nothing good that would come from me meeting you, sir.”

I turned on the hazard lights and slowly changed lanes to pull over to the shoulder. Sweat seeped out so much that my palm on the steering wheel was damp.

Jung Suhyeok had never liked me since we were children. He called me a servant, a leech, a beggar. And whenever he felt like it, he would summon me, set me up like a punching bag, and beat me relentlessly.

“Not long ago, I learned something interesting about Jung Inhyuk. I figured, other people aside, you, the one involved, should know. Aren’t you curious why you live looking like that, and why Jung Inhyuk is obsessed with you like a madman?”

For a moment, my curiosity stirred, but I clenched my lip and pretended not to have heard it. After that, for reasons I couldn’t understand, Jung Suhyeok kept trying to persuade me with startling persistence. But I firmly refused his proposal.

Back then, and even now, nothing good ever came from getting entangled with him. Besides, with Jung Inhyuk and Jung Suhyeok already at each other’s throats, meeting him would only mean I ended up crushed in the middle of a whale fight.

“Lee Shinjae, you’re more loyal than I expected. You might even have been better than O Giju. Now that you’re an omega too, you should be pretty easy to open up, right?”

I had been fiddling with the steering wheel absentmindedly when I jerked my head up in shock. Very few people knew I had mutated into an omega. How did Jung Suhyeok know? My nails dug into my lips as I worried them anxiously, and I brought the phone closer to my ear.

“Sir, how did you even know that?”

“Why are you calling me so stiffly? Just call me hyung like normal.”

A short groan slipped past my lips. Was this family cursed by some ghost who died without ever hearing the word hyung, because the brothers were both going on and on about it.

Maybe it would be one thing if it were Jung Inhyuk, but I had not even a shred of desire to call Jung Suhyeok hyung. After hesitating for a moment, I remembered he had recently been appointed director at Museong Construction.

“May I ask how the director knows about my business?”

“If you’re curious, meet me. I’ll tell you everything when we meet. Just meet me once, please.”

“…I’m Vice President Jung Inhyuk’s, person. If the vice president permits it, I can meet y…”

“Stop talking now.”

Huh…?

The low voice that suddenly cut me off belonged not to Jung Suhyeok, but to Jung Inhyuk. My breath caught in my throat. Right after that, I heard Jung Suhyeok laugh.

“Did you hear that? That insolent servant brat says he’s your person.”

With that mocking tone and voice, the same as when I was little, I suddenly remembered the day he had beaten me until my ribs fractured, then tried to pin a theft accusation on me and drive me out of the house.

When Chairman Jung, furious, had thrown all my belongings out and driven me to the edge, Jung Suhyeok had stood behind him, grinning viciously. I had briefly forgotten that he wasn’t a human being at all, but a demon.

“Lee Shinjae.”

“V-Vice President, I didn’t mean it that way, I…”

“Just keep going where you were going.”

A window appeared on my phone screen, indicating the call had ended. I hurriedly unfastened my seatbelt and got out of the car. My legs were so weak I could barely stand, and I half crawled out of the car, gasping for breath.

“Sir, are you okay?”

Someone grabbed my arm. I reflexively pulled my arm free and backed away. Two men in police uniforms were looking down at me. I quickly forced strength into my legs and stood. Consciously controlling my breathing, I raised my head.

“Ah…”

“It’s dangerous to park on the shoulder for too long. Do you need help?”

“Ah, no. I’ll move right away.”

I forced my breathing to settle and got back into the car. I was so flustered that I was about to move off without even fastening my seatbelt, but the police stopped me and told me to put it on first. I quickly pulled the belt across and fastened it, then turned off the hazard lights.

I took a deep breath and painfully rejoined the road. But before long, I pulled over to the shoulder again. My breathing was unstable, as if I was about to hyperventilate, and my head was spinning.

Jung Suhyeok’s voice echoed in my ears, the one where he had deliberately pretended to be kind and softened his tone to persuade me. If I had accepted his invitation to meet, what would Jung Inhyuk have done? My head was a mess of thoughts.

I was in no state to drive at all. I lowered the window and gasped for breath, but only shallow breaths came, and my chest felt tight, as if it were sealed shut.

Looking around, I spotted a sign 500 meters ahead indicating a public parking lot. I forced my eyes open wide and turned the wheel to enter an alley. At that instant, I collided with a car coming out of the alley. With a thud, the sound of the vehicle bodies crashing together, my body lurched forward.

I saw the other driver get out of the car. I should have gotten out too and checked the situation, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. When I didn’t get out, the other driver stomped over in a huff and banged on my window.

“Hey. If there’s been an accident, get out and…”

“Talk to me.”

A man wearing a thick padded jacket appeared from somewhere and blocked the other driver. He checked the condition of the car, then called someone. After ending the call, he took a business card from his pocket and handed it to the driver. I lowered the window slightly and listened to the man’s voice.

“It’s not a serious accident, so let’s resolve this quietly. It’s clearly shared fault, but we’ll cover all the repair costs on our side. Get the car fixed and contact us here.”

Hearing that the repairs would be paid for, the driver hesitated, then took the card and got back into the car. Only then did the man turn around and lightly tap my window. When I unlocked it, he swung the car door wide open. He was a magnet Jung Inhyuk had attached to me. It had been a very long time since the magnet had interfered in my affairs directly.

“Lee Shinjae-ssi, are you injured anywhere?”

“…No.”

“Can you drive?”

I shook my head weakly. The magnet unfastened my seatbelt and helped me over into the passenger seat. Then he got into the driver’s seat and took the wheel.

“I’ve reported to the vice president that there was a minor collision.”

“…Okay.”

“I’ll take you to your destination, then send the car to a repair shop.”

“Thank you.”

The magnet looked at me, then turned his head away. As the car slowly started moving, I gazed out the window. After quite a while on the road, the sign for Sunil University Hospital came into view. I got ready to get out and waited for the car to stop.

The car slowly pulled toward the hospital entrance. But suddenly, the magnet grabbed my forearm. He put a finger to his lips as if to tell me to stay quiet, then took something from his pocket and placed it in my hand. The magnet quickly typed a note on his phone and showed it to me.

“Absolutely must not be discovered”

“Why does your hand look like that, too.”

Kang Jigyu untied the bandage wrapped around my wrist and clicked his tongue. I hadn’t realized it while it was still wrapped up, but once he took the bandage off, the mess my hand was in was impossible to miss.