Chapter 54

If simply witnessing an Alpha and a Beta standing side-by-side was enough to trigger violent vomiting, what kind of horrifying, toxic bigotry was festering inside Jo Yeon-oh’s soul? The sheer, terrifying willpower it must have taken to swallow that absolute revulsion, to endure Gi-hyeon’s presence for seven long years just to play judge and executioner… The bastard was unimaginably venomous.

However, his comforting hand was abruptly halted.

Rearing up with terrifying speed, Yeon-oh clamped his massive hand around Gi-hyeon’s wrist and violently dragged him toward the sinks. The crushing grip made it utterly impossible to shake him off. Consumed by a rage so profound it completely erased all emotion, the bastard’s face was an impenetrable, terrifying mask.

Anchored to the spot by his trapped wrist, Gi-hyeon stared through the mirror as Yeon-oh ruthlessly scrubbed his face and furiously rinsed out his mouth. Only when the bastard finally killed the faucet, straightened his spine, and began hunting for paper towels did Gi-hyeon finally break the suffocating silence.

“If I had known you were going to be here tonight, I never would have come.”

“Gi-hyeon-ah. Keep your fucking mouth shut.”

His jaw clenched so violently that the masseter muscle visibly bulged. Curling his lips into a sinister, hollow smile, Yeon-oh stared down at him and delivered the threat. Gi-hyeon gracefully obliged, clamping his mouth shut. For a long, agonizing moment, Yeon-oh’s massive chest heaved desperately, like a man drowning on dry land. A thick blue vein pulsed angrily against his temple, his Adam’s apple bobbing frantically.

Just as Gi-hyeon averted his gaze in disgust, the man spoke.

“Did you sleep with that bastard?”

“What?”

The sheer absurdity of the accusation whipped Gi-hyeon’s head right back around. Yeon-oh was glaring down at him, his eyes narrowed into dangerous, icy slits.

“I asked if you slept with him. Answer me.”

Is this guy out of his fucking mind? Gi-hyeon stared at him in utter disbelief. Clicking his tongue, Yeon-oh demanded in a raw, gravelly growl.

“Then why the hell is that bastard shielding you like you’re his own Omega?”

“…Stop spouting bullshit.”

Omega? Upon reflection, Jo Yeon-oh was always the sole person obsessing over whether Gi-hyeon was a Beta or an Omega. Unable to stomach another second of this psychotic delusion, Gi-hyeon spat the curse. Yeon-oh simply let out a dark, breathless chuckle.

“I’m asking because it looks like literally any Alpha will do for you. And I spent seven fucking years playing the fool, actually believing I was special to you.”

“I told you to stop.”

The bastard sneered, taking a menacing step forward. Gi-hyeon’s voice plummeted into a dangerous, icy register. For a fleeting second, he seriously debated just smashing his fist into the man’s face. Jo Yeon-oh’s sickening prejudice was buried bone-deep. It was rarely weaponized directly against Gi-hyeon, but it never entirely missed him, either. The suffocating weight of that toxic disgust had always hung heavily around Gi-hyeon, a constant, invisible threat.

He had endured enough of that absolute torture to last a lifetime. There was zero reason to tolerate it for another second. But Jo Yeon-oh, consumed by some incomprehensible, psychotic rage, had already unsheathed his blade and was ruthlessly slashing at Gi-hyeon’s throat.

“Gi-hyeon-ah. The only bullshit here is you strutting into the exact same restaurant you used to frequent with your ex, parading around your shiny new Alpha.”

At the incredibly crass insult, Gi-hyeon’s brow furrowed in fierce revulsion. Reaching out with agonizing slowness, Yeon-oh aggressively pressed his thumb against the wrinkle, forcibly smoothing it out as a menacing grin split his face.

“What. Are you pissed because I’m treating you like a classless whore? Then you should have used your fucking brain before you acted. This is our place. Was that too difficult to remember?”

Letting out a breathless, disbelieving scoff, Gi-hyeon dragged his gaze around the sterile walls of the restroom before finally locking eyes with the monster in front of him.

“Fine. Let’s say I conveniently forgot. Then what’s your excuse?”

Yeon-oh glared at him, his icy stare silently demanding clarification.

“You act like you’re some infallible god, throwing your weight around and causing a massive scene over every little thing. You clearly don’t suffer from my pathetic lack of memory. But tell me, do you actually know a single goddamn thing for sure?”

“What?”

Yeon-oh snapped back, but Gi-hyeon entirely ignored him, violently twisting his trapped wrist until he finally broke free of the crushing grip.

“You don’t know a fucking thing, so don’t touch me and don’t ever grab me again. Did you go deaf when I told you outside the hospital? I said, do not touch me.”

Gi-hyeon spun on his heel and stormed out of the restroom. The heavy, furious thud of footsteps erupted behind him. Before he could take three strides, iron fingers clamped around his wrist again. Gi-hyeon violently ripped his arm away.

“I told you not to grab me! Do my words sound like a fucking joke to you, you son of a bitch?”

“What the hell don’t I know?!”

Having two entirely different conversations was beyond exhausting. He was just about to ignore the bastard and walk away when a man stumbling down the hallway suddenly brightened at the sight of them.

“Oho, Director Jo! So this is where you wandered off to! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been hiding for so long… Hmm? Are you entertaining a guest?”

The severely aged man giggled idiotically, his bleary gaze ping-ponging between Jo Yeon-oh and Gi-hyeon. So obscenely drunk that his flushed complexion had bypassed red and tipped dangerously into purple, the man wobbled closer, slurring his words through a greasy grin.

“Looks like you two are having a very private chat, eh?”

“Yes. As you can clearly see. If you came to drain your lizard, keep walking straight. Don’t bother us,” Yeon-oh snapped, jerking his thumb over his shoulder toward the restroom in thorough annoyance.

The man, whose eyes were squeezed so tightly shut from the alcohol that his pupils were practically invisible, rolled his head, locked onto Gi-hyeon, and let out a repulsive snicker.

“Yeah, yeah, came to empty the bladder anyway.”

Yeon-oh rolled his eyes heavenward, looking as though he might physically die of boredom. “I understand, so please just walk away.”

Chuckling wetly, the man mumbled, “Sure, sure…” and lumbered past them. But suddenly, he violently changed trajectory and aggressively jabbed his pudgy index finger into Gi-hyeon’s shoulder.

“But hey now, Director Jo, is it really okay for you to be snacking on cheap trash like this out here? I highly doubt Chairman Jo would approve of his grandson eating junk food off the street. Isn’t this thing an Omega? You completely shut me down when I suggested we hit a second location. If you were in such a rush to empty your balls, why the hell did you play so hard to get with me?”

Scowling violently, Gi-hyeon swatted the man’s greasy finger away. His expression screamed utter disgust at the pathetic trash standing before him. Being accurately clocked as an Omega sent a brief jolt of panic through his chest, but he refused to let it show. Boiling with pure irritation, he maintained his ferocious scowl. At Gi-hyeon’s defiance, the man bit his lower lip and let out a condescending tsk, as if scolding an unruly toddler.

“How dare you strike an elder’s hand?! Director Jo, why the hell is this thing so poorly educat— Aaagh! W-What are you doing?!”

The exact millisecond the man extended his pudgy finger to poke Gi-hyeon’s shoulder again, Yeon-oh snatched it out of the air and violently snapped it backward with a sickening crack.

“I told you to empty your fucking bladder and get lost. Why the hell are you poking at an innocent civilian? You must be throwing this pathetic tantrum because you’re begging to lose that rat-dick of a civil servant salary, Vice Minister.”

“Aaagh! L-Let go of me right now!!”

As the man shrieked like a slaughtered pig, his face swelling to the point of bursting, Yeon-oh maintained an utterly deadpan expression. With a violent jerk, he shoved the broken finger away, hurling the man to the floor.

“I let go, you son of a bitch.”

“Uuugh—!”

The sheer, terrifying force of the blow left the man crumpled on the floor, cradling his mangled hand and openly weeping in agony. Wailing about his shattered hand, the man drew the terrified attention of the manager, who rushed over in an absolute panic. The only silver lining was that the restaurant consisted entirely of private rooms rather than an open dining hall, so the grotesque spectacle didn’t attract a crowd of morbid onlookers. Gi-hyeon, staring at the absolute carnage in pure disbelief, finally asked his question.

“Have you completely lost your mind?”

“If I look even remotely sane right now, you need to gouge out your fucking eyes and get new ones. Just tell me what the hell it is I don’t know.”

Flashing him a look of absolute, soul-crushing exhaustion, Gi-hyeon spun on his heel and walked away. Yeon-oh desperately called his name from down the hall, but Gi-hyeon refused to grant him a single syllable in response. Striding back to their private room, he violently threw the sliding door open. Damon, still seated at the table, whipped his head around in shock.

“I am so sorry. If you don’t mind, could we possibly move to a different location for dinner?”

“So Gi-hyeon!” 

The bastard was still aggressively screaming his name down the corridor. Never once glancing over his shoulder, Gi-hyeon stood rigidly by the door, his expression grimly waiting for an answer. Damon immediately shot up from his chair. Watching the athlete hurry toward him, Gi-hyeon offered a curt, breathless word of thanks.

He grabbed Damon by the arm and prepared to bolt from the restaurant. But when Yeon-oh screamed his name one final time, Gi-hyeon finally whipped around. Yanking his wallet from his pocket, he slid out a sleek credit card and violently flicked it into the air like a shuriken. It was Yeon-oh’s card.

The plastic sailed in a perfect, aggressive line, smacking dead-center into Yeon-oh’s broad chest before fluttering to the ground. The sharp clack of the thin card hitting the marble floor echoed with terrifying clarity. Yeon-oh didn’t even flinch, nor did he break eye contact to look at the fallen card. Staring directly into those unwavering eyes, Gi-hyeon delivered his final blow.

“Take back everything you ever gave me. I am so absolutely sick of it all.”

With that, he spun around, shoved his hand against Damon’s back, and practically threw the man into the waiting elevator. He had assumed Damon was completely paralyzed by shock, but the exact second Gi-hyeon stepped inside, the athlete frantically hammered the ‘Close Door’ and ‘Lobby’ buttons. Through the rapidly shrinking gap of the sliding metal doors, Jo Yeon-oh stood perfectly still, his eyes burning a hole straight through Gi-hyeon. A heavy, exhausted sigh finally tore itself from the very bottom of Gi-hyeon’s soul.

***