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The dimly lit warehouse was filled with a musty, acrid smell.
Several large metal drums lay scattered around, and in one of them, kindling burned fiercely, casting a faint, eerie glow in the darkness.
And in the middle of it all—
“Gghh...!”
A man, drenched and disheveled, crawled across the dusty floor. His fingertips, scraped raw from clawing at the ground, were smeared with blood and dirt.
“P-please... h-help... save me... gghhh...!”
The stench of urine filled the air as his pants left dark streaks along the dirt floor, leaving long, grimy trails. His limbs convulsed violently, resembling nothing more than a writhing insect.
And then—
“Both sides are fine?”
Clang! The warehouse door opened, and Do-kyung stepped inside.
Joon, who had been waiting inside, followed closely behind him and replied:
“According to Professor Yang, both sides are perfectly intact, and he says reproductive function is still fully possible right now.”
“Lucky for him.”
Do-kyung nodded indifferently and placed a cigarette between his lips. Joon promptly lit it for him, but Do-kyung paid no mind as he settled into a chair that had been prepared for him.
“I really like this warehouse. With the fire going, it feels so peaceful, almost like camping. Whoever picked this place did a great job.”
That person being himself, Do-kyung chuckled smugly at his own self-praise.
Beside him, Joon hesitated before speaking.
“Also...”
“Hmm, I’m not listening.”
Do-kyung immediately cut him off, sensing Joon’s attempt to broach a topic delicately. He leaned back, resting his chin on his hand.
“But, Young Master, Chairman Han asked just once to see the photos—”
“The old man’s getting greedy, even after I promised to bring him his diploma wish. Burn them.”
Without even glancing at the three photos Joon held, Do-kyung gave the order.
“At least take one look—”
“Joon-ah. I don’t repeat myself twice.”
With a deep sigh, Joon reluctantly tossed the photos into the blazing drum. The flames quickly consumed them, turning the images into ash.
The photos depicted potential marriage candidates carefully selected by Han Tae-joo, Do-kyung’s father and the chairman of Hanyoung Corporation, after days of deliberation. These were Omega elites from prestigious families, chosen to bolster the fledgling Hanyoung Corporation. Yet Do-kyung hadn’t shown even a shred of interest in any of them.
Finally, when all three photos had been reduced to ashes, Do-kyung spoke:
“I wanted to see how far he’d crawl, but... it’s boring now.”
“Shall I bring him over?”
At Joon’s question, Do-kyung leaned back in his chair instead of answering.
The man who had been desperately crawling across the floor was abruptly grabbed by both arms and thrown down by the waiting men, as if they had been lying in wait for this moment. His earlier escape attempt now seemed utterly futile.
“Gghhk, gghh, ugh...! P-please... save me... hngghhh...!”
“What’s with all the tears? It wasn’t even that bad,” Do-kyung said, genuinely curious as he tilted his head.
Then he asked:
“Did you hit him a lot?”
“Just enough to make sure he couldn’t run away, as you instructed.”
“Then why is he acting like this?”
Clicking his tongue dismissively at the pitiful sight, Do-kyung leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs.
“Why are you crying so much over something like this, Alpha? Huh?”
“I-I’m sorry! I-I was wrong, nghhh, I-I’m s-sorry, waaaah!”
“A grown man bawling like this—anyone would think we’re killing you. Cut it out already.”
The man sobbed uncontrollably, rubbing his hands together frantically with whatever limbs still worked. The once-smug face of the drunkard who had harassed Ra-on was nowhere to be seen.
Do-kyung stared blankly at him and asked:
“You wanted to have some fun, right? Why? Not fun anymore?”
Ah, Do-kyung sighed.
“Is it because you can’t play with your dick? You were bragging about it so much earlier—I guess I didn’t appreciate it soon enough. My apologies.”
Do-kyung lazily rose from his seat and walked over to the man sprawled on the floor.
The terrified face looking up at him was quite the sight. Thanks to Do-kyung’s earlier instruction not to harm his face, the man’s pale complexion stood out vividly under the flickering red flames.
He might scream a bit if I provoke him further, Do-kyung thought, smirking.
With that, he grabbed the man’s hair with a firm grip and yanked his head back sharply.
“Guaghk!”
As the man groaned in pain, Joon stepped forward and handed over something: a student ID card.
“Let’s see here... Oh, Kim Tae-joo from the Department of Physical Education? Wow, same name as our old man. What a coincidence.”
Clicking his tongue in mock sympathy, Do-kyung flipped the ID card around casually.
“By the way, this is unrelated, but Grandpa’s got one ball that doesn’t work properly.”
At this sudden TMI, Joon cleared his throat awkwardly and turned his head, pretending not to hear. The other men standing guard also busied themselves looking elsewhere.
But Do-kyung continued speaking in a light tone, as though none of this was a secret.
It was the kind of story that would’ve made Chairman Han Tae-joo foam at the mouth and roll his eyes back if he’d heard it while sleeping soundly.
“That’s why everyone calls me a miracle. Our old man thought he’d never have kids, so getting a son late in life was a big deal for him.”
With that, Do-kyung released the unconscious man’s hair and stood up.
“When someone’s telling an emotional story, you’re supposed to look them in the eye. Passing out isn’t going to cut it.”
“Wake him up.”
At Do-kyung’s brief command, one of the waiting men immediately dumped an entire bucket of cold water over the man.
“Kkhack, kkkk…!”
Soaked like a drowned rat, the man screamed bloody murder—”Aaaaaaah!”—the moment he regained consciousness and saw Do-kyung’s face.
Scrambling backward on his butt, the man looked more desperate with fear than pain.
Do-kyung sauntered after him, taking a single step forward as he resumed his interrupted monologue.
“So, through this unfortunate story, I’ve come to a realization.”
“Ugh, aaah, ah...”
“If you can’t have both balls functioning properly, it’s better to have none at all. That way, you don’t get your hopes up for nothing.”
Do-kyung crouched down again, resting his chin on his hand as he asked:
“So, I’ll give you a choice.”
“Hnn, p-please... spare me...”
“Don’t worry. Even if you don’t beg, I’ll let you live and make sure you’re safely transported back home. We’re not that cruel, are we?”
Do-kyung smiled brightly and held up two fingers. First, he flicked his middle finger, then his index finger.
“Right side or left side? Which one do you prefer?”
Joon shook his head upon hearing Do-kyung’s question.
After all the buildup of potentially taking both, he was now forcing the man to choose just one.
Though it was a recurring pattern, Joon couldn’t help but think how utterly nasty his personality was.
* * *
Do-kyung tossed away the stub of his cigarette and placed a fresh one between his lips. However, since everyone knew Do-kyung didn’t chain-smoke, no one offered to light it for him.
“Did they deliver him safely?”
“Yes.”
Joon had just received confirmation that the underlings had successfully transported the man back to his house.
Watching Do-kyung absentmindedly tapping the unlit cigarette against his lips, Joon asked:
“What made you change your mind and send him back unharmed?”
It had been right when the man, unable to bear the sight of what was about to happen to him, had started foaming at the mouth and collapsed in a heap.
“If he believes he’s going home safely, then we should honor that belief.”
“Huh?”
“A promise is a promise.”
Joon fell silent. He understood what Do-kyung meant because he had witnessed everything unfold at the scene.
“Are you referring to the agreement you made with Yoo Ra-on?”
“Yeah, that one. If you make a promise, you should keep it. There’s a code in this industry, you know. If you break it, you’re just a punk, a thug.”
For someone who had already dragged the man here and beaten him half to death, this was quite a surprisingly principled statement.
Joon gave Do-kyung a wary look, then sighed and changed the subject.
“Are you really planning to attend university?”
“I submitted a re-enrollment application before coming here.”
“But didn’t you drop out after just two days last time?”
“It was boring.”
Do-kyung answered indifferently, as if stating the obvious. Watching him, Joon turned his gaze toward the drum where glowing embers were flying off into the air.
Just then, watching as more kindling was thrown into the drum, he said:
“Chairman Han seems to think you won’t last even a month this time before dropping out again.”
He didn’t bother voicing what he knew—that the Chairman intended to keep pushing profiles of potential marriage candidates, much like the ones they had just burned.
Instead, he asked:
“Do you really think you’ll make it this time? I mean, until graduation?”
At that, Do-kyung glanced at Joon’s worried expression and chuckled.
“Well, I’ve found something… interesting, so I think I’ll stick around for a while.”
His eyes narrowed with amusement, gleaming with anticipation as he spoke.
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