Chapter 18

“How long did I sleep?”

Massaging the puffiness beneath his eyes with the heel of his hand, Yeongung stepped out into the living room. When he opened his eyes earlier, he had once again found himself dressed in his pajamas—as if trapped in a déjà vu loop.

Beyond the panoramic windows stretched the glittering nightscape of the city. For him to sleep from sunrise until deep into the night without stirring… he must have been exhausted.

He opened the refrigerator to grab a bottle of chilled sparkling water, only for a familiar yellow sticky note to catch his eye.

“Oh, come on. What is he, a love-letter guy now? This bastard always leaves a pathetic scrap of paper and vanishes. Couldn’t he, just once, lie down next to me and watch a Mettflix movie like a normal person?”

After reading it, Yeongung ripped the memo from the refrigerator and chucked it into the trash.

“Shit.”

He glared at the trash can as if it were an enemy, then fished the memo back out and reread the message Iheun had left.

“This bastard—getting wild in his old age? Going out at dawn like he never does.”

Reread or not, the anger was the same.

「Dear Sleeping Beauty of the Hunter World.

You were so deeply asleep that I went out alone to clear my head for a bit.

Come to think of it, I’m getting used to seeing Hunter Yeongung asleep in my bed.

Remember? We were supposed to finish our conversation there.

Unfortunately, let’s postpone it one more day.

P.S. Control that tongue. Thanks to you, my expectations for our next kiss have risen.

—from your victim, Mr. Won.」

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Tongue control? Why are his ‘kiss expectations’ rising?”

Perplexed, Yeongung rubbed his lips. They did feel slightly swollen…

He immediately called Sanghee.

[Guys, shut your damn mouths! It’s Yeongung!]

The ones who had spent all day whining about the smell of burning chimeras were now stuffing themselves with beef, and the noise behind Sanghee’s phone was deafening. When they heard who was calling, the guild members belted out a chant—“Oooh! Yeongung! Yeongung! Yeongung!”

These idiots had way too much energy.

They were clearly having a great time wrapping up a brutal day with a cheerful dinner. The Tako Guild was full of loud, lively people; Yeongung, too, had always wanted to join a guild dinner at least once. Come to think of it, he had only ever imagined it—he’d never actually gone. On nights with after-parties, Iheun always dragged him away to “review” the gate they cleared that day.

And the “review” usually ended early because his pants were off before long.

As he followed his stream of consciousness and replayed the past, the noise abruptly muted—as if the world had gone silent.

[Hyung… skipping dinner… your poor, poor dongsaeng is hurting.]

Click. Tsss.

The atmosphere grew quieter—Sanghee had likely stepped into the smoking area. Yeongung could hear the lighter flicking, the sizzle of a cigarette catching fire. The ASMR-like noise made him feel as though he were right there at the after-party.

Oh, right. Sanghee was a heavy smoker. Secondhand smoke was dangerous for the baby; he’d need to avoid that nicotine chimney for a while. Thankfully, both he and Iheun were nonsmokers.

“Hey, Sanghee. You know where that bastard Iheun went, don’t you?”

Beside him, Hamgyeol whispered—very audibly—“He told us not to tell Yeongung hyung.”

“Hamgyeol, buddy… sorry, but I heard everything. What exactly was he not supposed to tell me?”

[Ahaha… hyung, that’s… well…]

Hamgyeol took the phone, sounding troubled. But Yeongung knew exactly how to coax the gentle giant.

“It’s fine. Nothing serious. I just need to discuss something urgent. My good, sweet Gyeol, you’ll tell me, right?”

He could practically imagine Hamgyeol’s big ears drooping.

[Ah, just tell him. It’s not like he can get in anyway.

Iheun hyung went to Python. You know— that members-only club bar.]

Sanghee returned, confessing where Iheun had gone.

“He went alone?”

[Come on, no one goes there alone. You saw earlier, right? That A-rank healer, Lee Rubin! I think he went to meet him.]

“He went to meet Lee Rubin? Why?”

[Why do you think a superior Alpha and superior Omega meet at this hour? Boom-boom-thrust-thrust, heh-heh.]

Even after being smacked on the back of the head, Sanghee’s filthy mouth never improved. Yeongung frowned.

“…I’m hanging up.”

The end of the call left a bitter taste, but at least now he knew where Iheun had gone.

“Python, huh. He went there.”

Python. He was well aware of that place.

A high-class, members-only club bar—frequented only by the wealthy, the powerful, the beautiful, and the genetically superior.

New membership applications were accepted irregularly through the Madame, and the vetting process was notoriously strict. There was one criterion in which Yeongung was lacking—he was a recessive Omega.

It wasn’t public knowledge, but to apply, you had to disclose that detail. And recessives were not accepted.

People visited Python for many reasons—networking among elites, discreet negotiation, or gaining favors. But the hottest purpose was the mingling of superior-trait individuals. Put bluntly, it was a social arena for exceptional males and females. Put crudely, it was a breeding ground for horny superior types.

Yeongung had never been there himself, but the place’s reputation as a decadent pleasure club was infamous.

And Iheun had gone there.

With Lee Rubin.

Whether Sanghee’s words were true or not—he needed to see it with his own eyes.

A curse escaped him automatically.

“Unbelievable.”

「The subordinate shall engage in no sexual contact of any kind—with any Alpha except the principal—including simulated intimacy or physical affection.」

And the fifth clause, unbelievably, applied only to him. Meaning there was no requirement for Iheun to remain abstinent.

Why would a superior Alpha and Omega meet late at night? Boom-boom-thrust-thrust, hehe.

Sanghee’s stupid voice kept replaying, and the image of two adorable rabbits pounding rice cakes under the full moon popped into his mind.

“Creamie… looks like Dad needs to correct this unfair contract. What does my baby think?”

A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes as he caressed his flat stomach.

Club Python — Entrance.

A man with a massive, bodybuilder-thick neck blocked Yeongung’s path.

“How may I help you?”

A gold nameplate glittered where a handkerchief should have been.

Manager Madonna.

A name wildly mismatched to his appearance.

“Wait a sec…”

Yeongung lowered his head and murmured something, too softly for the man to catch. The guard leaned in.

“What? Speak up—Hey—”

Yeongung seized the moment and struck the pressure point at the back of his neck. He couldn’t use skills on civilians, so he relied on pure technique. As the hulking man collapsed, he caught him with difficulty and offered an emotionless apology.

“Mr. Madonna. Nothing personal.”

For a moment, he had nearly failed to knock the man out—the neck was too thick, and finding the pressure point was a struggle.

“You look exhausted, so this is a gift—forced nap time.”

He dragged the giant body to the parking lot—twice his size—and was panting by the end.

“God, you’re heavy. This is why I hate muscle pigs.”

Wiping sweat from his brow, he groaned as he straightened his back.

“Sleep an hour. I’ll be back for what’s mine.”

Dusting off his palms, he slipped into the first-floor staff lounge to change into a uniform.

Then he looked at the name badge—and let out a hollow laugh.

Bartender: Rabbit.

“…Destiny, huh.”

Boom-boom-thrust-thrust. The rabbit pounding rice cakes in his imagination flashed again.

He grabbed the rabbit mask from the locker just as another employee—wearing a cat mask—snapped at him.

“Rabbit! You slowpoke! Why aren’t you upstairs yet? This is why stiff old hires are useless!”

“Haha—going, going!”

Giving an awkward laugh, he followed after the Cat. The Cat tagged their card for the top floor. Relief slipped into Yeongung’s chest—the elevator was going exactly where he needed to go. He didn’t know which room Iheun was in, but he was sure of one thing:

Iheun belonged at the very top.

Ding.

In a blink, the elevator doors opened onto the top-floor lounge.

Thus began the debut of the hyper-recessive Omega Yeongung in Club Python.