TATMFL - 24

Ra-on’s hands moved sluggishly as she pushed the mop. 

Changwoo gasped and rushed over when he saw the water pooling on the floor due to her lack of effort. He began mopping up the mess while raising his voice. 

“Hey, what’s wrong with you today? Why are you so out of it, our Yoo Ra-on?” 

“…Ah.” 

Only then realizing how soggy the soles of her shoes were, Ra-on awkwardly shuffled backward with an apologetic expression. As if waiting for this moment, Changwoo resumed cleaning the floor with his mop. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Did something happen?” 

Leaning his chin on the mop handle, Changwoo stared at Ra-on. 

Whether from sleep deprivation or stress, dark circles hung heavily under Ra-on’s eyes. Her double-lidded gaze appeared even deeper than usual. 

She pressed her eyelids firmly and shook her head. 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Do people who have ‘nothing’ going on make mistakes all day long like you did today?” 

She had served an Americano instead of a latte, made a parfait instead of a smoothie, and even managed to break two cups while washing dishes. Watching her blunders pile up, Changwoo wondered if Ra-on was cramming three years’ worth of errors into one day. 

Aware of her own clumsiness, Ra-on laughed weakly, furrowing her brow. 

“I’m sorry.” 

After staring at her intently with narrowed eyes, Changwoo waved dismissively. 

“Just go home for today. I’ll take care of the rest of the cleanup.” 

“…Thank you.” 

Instead of refusing, Ra-on bowed deeply before dragging the mop toward the storage room in unsteady steps. A trail of water followed behind her. 

While Changwoo sighed at the newly formed puddle, Ra-on carelessly shoved the mop into the storage room. Then, she stood still, staring blankly into the darkness within. 

[It’s a secret again, Ra-on. Got it?] 

[Our son has manifested as an Omega... but that measly 300 million? No, wait—it’s 500 million now, right? That amount can be paid off easily by sucking a few old men dry. Right?] 

Hye-sung’s powerless voice mixed nauseatingly with the vulgar tones of the man spewing filth, pounding chaotically against her eardrums. 

“Haa…” 

Ra-on rubbed her face wearily. 

She hadn’t slept a wink last night. How could she, when the looming threat of Hye-sung’s debt might swallow her whole? Amidst all this, she felt utterly foolish for keeping her lips sealed, just because Hye-sung had begged her not to tell JIan. Was staying silent truly helping him? Doubt weighed heavily on her chest. 

“Haa.” 

She exhaled deeply, wiping her face again. Her ribcage expanded and then collapsed. 

…If only she could talk to Ji-an, maybe they could put out the fire. But what about Hye-sung’s plea? 

Helplessness washed over her. There was nothing else she could do besides asking Ji-an for help—and that option felt impossible. 

“What’s wrong? You’re still standing around instead of getting ready to leave?” 

Startled by Changwoo’s voice from behind, Ra-on swallowed the lump in her throat and turned around. 

“I was debating whether I should clean the mop before leaving or just go as is.” 

Changwoo’s gaze flickered briefly to the mop already tossed aside in the storage room before returning to Ra-on. Snorting lightly, he jerked his chin dismissively. 

“You clearly weren’t planning to clean it anyway. Stop wasting time thinking about useless things and hurry up. Go get some rest. You look like death warmed over—no Grim Reaper costume needed.”

Click, click, Changwoo clicked his tongue as he picked up Ra-on’s mop and slipped out through the back door of the storage room. 

Watching his retreating figure, Ra-on muttered a quick farewell before dragging her feet forward. Her shoulders felt unusually heavy. 

Outside the shop, the streets were quiet. The cold air turned her breath into faint wisps of smoke that dissipated into the night. Ra-on stared blankly at the starless sky, then shoved her hands into her pockets and took a step forward. 

It was then. 

Beeep! A loud horn blared through the deserted alleyway. 

“…?” 

Ra-on froze mid-step and turned around. Only then did she notice a familiar car parked near the café. Her face stiffened slightly. 

Meanwhile, the passenger-side window rolled down, revealing a face she least wanted to see at this moment. Do-kyung smirked and said curtly, 

“Get in. Let’s go.” 

Ra-on stood there silently, staring at Do-kyung, who acted as casually as if they had met just yesterday. It suddenly struck her again—Do-kyung wasn’t any different from those men who had come to see Hye-sung yesterday. 

And with that realization came a chain of thoughts. She remembered the first time she met Do-kyung, in that flickering lamppost-lit alley. What had happened to the middle-aged man she saw being dragged away that day? Had he died? Or perhaps he was now working at the “shop” those men mentioned when they visited Hye-sung… 

Unable to finish the thought, Ra-on lowered her gaze. Despairingly, Hye-sung’s face flashed in her mind. She imagined him being dragged away like that middle-aged man, unable to repay his debt, forced to work at that “shop”... 

“Gasp!” 

Ra-on swallowed hard, her breathing turning ragged. Her wildly trembling pupils disappeared behind tightly shut eyelids. Her hand, buried deep in her pocket, shook uncontrollably. 

At this moment, she almost regretted majoring in art. Unwanted, vivid scenes played out in her head, horrifying and grotesque. The fact that her imagination could conjure such images sent chills down her spine. 

“…I’m losing it, Yoo Ra-on.” 

Her chest heaved violently. She swayed unsteadily on her feet, as though the world was spinning. Do-kyung watched her with the detached curiosity of someone observing an intriguing film. 

He didn’t need to ask what was going through her mind. He already knew. 

Do-kyung was well aware that the only thing capable of making her react so sensitively was the matter concerning that Omega, Ji Hye-sung. 

And that was precisely why he was here now. 

Even amidst his busy schedule dealing with redevelopment issues, he had made time specifically for this. 

“Hmm.” 

Do-kyung hummed a tune under his breath as he tapped the steering wheel rhythmically—tok, tok. 

Maybe he should provoke her a little more. Something told him it would elicit even more interesting expressions from her. Just imagining it made the stress accumulated over the past few days—dealing with endless paperwork and handling arrogant fools who didn’t know their place—feel like it was about to evaporate entirely. 

Evaporate? No, it was already doing much more than that. His dopamine surged, and a familiar heaviness stirred below his waist. 

The thought of those pale, despair-filled eyes crumbling under his gaze made the back of his neck prickle with anticipation.

Ah... I’m thirsty. 

Do-kyung’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably as he stared at Ra-on. His sharp, piercing gaze was tinged with arousal, his cheeks flushed with desire. 

‘How fascinating.’ 

Leaning over the steering wheel, Do-kyung fixed his eyes on Ra-on with an intensity that bordered on predatory. His pupils, dilated with greed, betrayed his barely contained urge to pounce on her right then and there. 

It was unfamiliar territory for Do-kyung—getting so worked up imagining someone that he found himself hard with anticipation. He wasn’t used to masturbating to fantasies either. 

But did that make him uncomfortable? Not at all. 

On the contrary, the slow tightening and coiling of his muscles felt strangely satisfying. Even the languid weakness that followed orgasm seemed almost regrettable now. 

And so, he was filled with anticipation. 

How much more would the real Ra-on satisfy him compared to his imagination? 

“Huu…” 

By now, the car was thick with the heady scent of alpha pheromones, saturated with lust. It was suffocating, even though it wasn’t the rutting season—the peak period of an alpha’s heat cycle. The pheromones emanating from Do-kyung were sensual enough to leave any omega gasping for air, as if intoxicated by drugs. 

Do-kyung tapped the armrest lightly—tap, tap. Then, leaning forward, he opened the passenger-side door himself and asked in a voice dripping with insidious intent: 

“How long do you think I’ll wait?” 

It was a tone laced with menace, but Ra-on, lost in her daze and blinking absently, failed to pick up on the danger lurking beneath his words. 

“Ah.” 

Only then did she seem to remember Do-kyung’s presence. She reached for the half-opened door handle. She should have swung the door wide open and climbed in, but her body refused to cooperate. Unlike before, when she had fearlessly hopped into his car without hesitation, an inexplicable sense of revulsion now rooted her to the spot. 

Watching Ra-on slowly retract her hand, Do-kyung braced himself against the passenger seat and leaned further toward her. 

As Ra-on instinctively recoiled, his sharp gaze softened into a deceptive gentleness, his lips curling into a practiced smile. With deliberate slowness, he parted those perfectly sculpted lips and spoke: 

“If you don’t get in now, you’ll regret it.” 

“...?” 

Regret? Do-kyung’s cryptic words sent a flicker of alarm through Ra-on’s eyes. Seeing this, Do-kyung’s smile deepened, growing more sinister. 

He mouthed something silently. No sound came out, but— 

“Mu…!” 

Ra-on, having read Do-kyung’s lips, staggered backward as if struck by lightning, her movements frantic and uncoordinated. 

Watching her pupils dilate and her body tremble, Do-kyung nodded in satisfaction. 

He tapped the passenger seat again—tap, tap—and offered smoothly: 

“So, shall we get going?” 

Ra-on’s tightly clenched jaw quivered uncontrollably. 

‘Ji Hye-sung.’ 

With that name slipping past Do-kyung’s lips, Ra-on knew there was no other choice left for her.