HYDP C17

Chapter 17

It was the kind of neighborhood where even washing hands wasn’t easy. Hastily turning on the faucet, he began scrubbing his hands carefully. Then, in the mirror above the sink, a face came into view.

“What a sight…”

Anyone could see the face was weighted with fatigue.

Each time a heat cycle came, he deliberately avoided medication and tried hiring people to relieve the need, but it never left him refreshed. If anything, it made him more hollow.

Maybe the body unwound, but with the heart not following, his mood stayed at rock bottom.

“At this rate I’ll drop dead from overwork…”

Seeing the accumulated exhaustion on his face, he resolved to get some herbal medicine soon. But he hadn’t realized the core problem wasn’t simple physical release—it was emotional anxiety.

He splashed his face several times with cold water.

Just then, there was the sound of the restroom door opening. He didn’t have the strength to turn, so he kept his head down and continued washing. As the sound of water tapered, suddenly a hand was at his waist.

“If you space out like this, you won’t even notice someone taking you from behind.”

“……”

“Want me to use you right now?”

The voice, rank and familiar, was none other than Seo Kang-jo.

A sigh forced its way out. Already exhausted, and an even more exhausting person loomed before him. And there was no avoiding him. The determination was iron—Seo’s arms cinched his waist hard.

“What brings you here?”

“What do you mean—my place. Can’t I come as I please?”

“Ah.”

So even this rotten gambling den was in Seo Kang-jo’s hands…

He nodded as if surprised. Unhappy with that flat response, Seo hugged him tight and began rubbing his center against him.

The man’s lower half ground against his ass. Open harassment. He dropped his head, resigned, wanting it over quickly.

“With a chest like this—nothing to grab, nothing to feel.”

“My heat cycle’s over.”

“I know.”

“……”

“I know exactly when your underwear gets wet and when it dries—you think I wouldn’t know this?”

Smiling quietly, he buried his face in his nape. Then, as if by instinct, he drew a deep breath.

“You know I’m really holding back, right? If I wanted, I could dump pheromones and have you on your knees right now.”

“……”

“Not that I should, of course. That wouldn’t be good manners, would it?”

Hearing “manners” from that mouth made him laugh. Maybe he lacked any self-awareness—since earlier, the babble had been laughable.

Rumor had it he couldn’t even control his pheromones.

Say that here and the fist would swing—so he held his tongue. He yielded his chest, unwilling, in silence.

The hand hadn’t gone under his clothes, but even through fabric the touches were rough and rude. With so little flesh to gather, the forced grip made him bite his lower lip.

Then, without warning, Seo slid his hand down into his pants. He twitched at the contact; the fingers moved roughly anyway.

“Not wet—guess your heat really did end.”

“……”

“I even bled a little pheromone, but nothing—better than expected.”

Truth be told, even outside heat cycles, it was common for an Omega to soak immediately when drenched in a proper Alpha’s pheromones. It was instinct.

But below, he felt nothing. Which meant Seo’s pheromones were, by any measure, useless.

He wondered if Seo might not be dominant—possibly recessive. Just a suspicion, and not a truth he planned to brandish now. If this was going to be shattered, better to drop him from higher—bigger fall, harder impact.

“Yes. It’s really over. I don’t lie.”

“…Right. You don’t lie.”

He straightened the clothes he’d disheveled, then patted his small backside twice and gave a rancid little laugh.

He left the restroom first; with a short sigh, he followed. As he was about to take in a breath of outside air, Seo suddenly blocked his path.

“Get in the car.”

“Why?”

“What, afraid I’ll devour you? You, I’m saving. You’re the main course.”

“……”

“Don’t be spooked—just dinner.”

He didn’t like to skimp on pretty ones?

Cheap to the bone. Not even worth hearing. More disgusting still was someone who tossed out lines like jokes. But for now, he didn’t have the power to refuse, and that felt a little pathetic.

Not yet. Not yet the time.

Then a stray thought: Did I take my meds today?

Crash—!

“What the—fuck!”

“We’re screwed. What is that!”

“……”

“Which son of a—”

Something shot in like a bullet and shattered the front passenger window of the car he was about to get into. With the crack of breaking glass, sharp shards sprayed everywhere.

Everyone but him whipped their heads toward the sound. A completely shattered pane—obviously someone had taken a shot at Seo Kang-jo.

He turned his head slowly and scanned around.

At the end of the alley, in the dark, a lone silhouette stood. Who? Aiming at Seo wasn’t shocking; thinking how many in this neighborhood hated him… it was a wonder he wasn’t dead already.

Seo’s underlings scoured for the culprit, eyes blazing, but he said nothing about the figure at the alley’s end. He just kept his mouth shut and watched him fade.

“Let’s go eat, first. Must’ve been a shock.”

“To a point.”

He climbed quietly into the back seat. Seo got in after and took the seat beside him. Inside, a stinging stench stabbed his nose; he couldn’t hide his grimace.

“Ah. That’s my pheromone. How is it.”

“Why spray that in the car…”

“There are collectors now—bottle pheromones like perfume. Only rich idiots do it, but I spritz it for fun sometimes. Air freshener, too.”

“……”

“Want me to spray it on you? Then the cheap Alphas won’t sniff around.”

“No, thanks.”

Apparently the fact a piece of trash was already next to him was lost only on the trash. Without a flicker in his expression, he declined, polite but flat. He had no taste for misting himself with someone else’s pheromones; even with a high tolerance, it was frankly revolting.

Seo never gave a damn about his mood.

They headed to one of Seo’s Japanese restaurants.

It was his first time there. Raw fish never sat well with him, and with unfamiliar food, he always put his guard up first.

As soon as they sat, staff brought course dishes in succession.

“Try the sashimi.”

“Ah…”

He lifted his chopsticks. Then set them down slightly, then picked them up again. He was picking at the food; displeased by the sight, Seo scraped his chair back and stood.

Where was he going?

“Turns out you’re high-maintenance. What a bother.”

“……”

Before he knew it, Seo had taken the seat beside him.

He sighed loudly on purpose, then popped open the top buttons of his shirt and roughly rolled up his sleeves. A patch of elaborate irezumi showed. Seeing it, he found himself wondering: would a knife hurt more, or a storm of needles boring in?

“You drift off while I’m talking now?”

“Ah. Sorry.”

“No manners.”

Suddenly gripping his hair, Seo yanked his head up and held it there, then slowly released his fingers. Telling him to do better, he patted his head. He answered by popping two kernels of corn into his mouth.

Say anything and this would get more annoying.

“Haah…”

He exhaled deep, then jerked his chin toward the entrance. On cue, his men dragged a working staffer across the floor and slammed him down.

“Ugh—!”

“……”

He stopped chewing and turned his head. What fresh hell was this asshole staging now.

“Do you think I brought you here to chew corn?”

“……”

“Eat properly. Neatly.”

He swallowed the curse burning his throat and jammed a slice of flounder sashimi into his mouth. After that, if his timing slipped even a little, Seo laid hands on other staff without hesitation.

Exactly the work of a son of a dog.

He wanted to slit the bastard’s aorta right then, but reality never matched desire. With a genuine urge to vomit, he could only force the fish down.