* * *

Sitting on the sofa with a workbook clutched to his chest, Jungin suddenly found himself overwhelmed by his own words, replaying in his mind like crashing waves.

“Crazy… I’ve really gone crazy, Choi Jungin.”

Sniffling quietly, Jungin cautiously turned his head, only to meet a gaze fixed on him, resting his chin in his hand.

“Eep!”

He whipped his head back around, but it was too late—their eyes had met.

From beside him, Beomhyeon’s faint laugh reached his ears, soft but teasing.

His ears burned so hot they felt like they would burst into flames.

Pressing his face into the workbook with his fingers wrapped tightly around its edges, bandaged thumbs and all, Jungin desperately tried to focus on solving the problems in front of him.

But that effort was quickly thwarted by the sudden appearance of Chairman Ki returning home earlier than usual.

“You’re back…?”

From his spot a notable distance away, Jungin alternated between glancing at Beomhyeon and the chairman, who smiled faintly.

“Did you two have a fight?”

“…What? Oh, no!”

Clearing his throat, Jungin awkwardly shuffled closer, shaking his head quickly.

“I see. You didn’t seem like you’d been fighting, but…”

A fight would require both parties to be evenly matched.

Judging by the situation, it looked more like Jungin was avoiding Beomhyeon entirely, while the latter stared at him intently, unbothered.

Chairman Ki, noticing this scene he never saw when Jungin wasn’t around, smiled faintly, suppressing a chuckle at the unfamiliar Alpha pheromones lingering in the house.

“So those brats paid a visit, didn’t they?”

“Oh, uh, yes… Hyungs were here earlier. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance.”

“No need. They let me know—though it was more of an announcement than a request.”

The cub in the cage had finally started preparing to break free.

Chairman Ki, fully aware of the recent actions of the Lee brothers, decided to observe just how far they would go.

His gaze shifted back to Jungin.

“So, did you have fun today?”

Fun?

Shocked by the suggestion, Jungin glanced down at the workbook in his hands.

Even now, he was clearly working on problems!

Did the chairman not notice?

If it were Beomhyeon, he would’ve snapped back, but this was the chairman of Yeonhwa Group—Beomhyeon’s father.

With a faint pout, Jungin stared down at the workbook, his eyebrows drooping like a scolded puppy.

Watching this reaction, Chairman Ki couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter, prompting Beomhyeon to frown.

“Could you stop teasing him?”

“Haha! But he’s so adorable.”

“A-Ah, Father!”

Realizing the chairman was teasing him, Jungin’s cheeks turned crimson as he raised his voice.

“Oh? Did you just yell at me?”

“…N-no, I didn’t…?”

“Hahaha!”

The more you tell someone to stop, the more they want to continue.

As Chairman Ki laughed heartily at Jungin’s flustered expression, he paused only when Jungin’s face scrunched as though he might cry.

Sighing heavily, Beomhyeon rubbed his temples, caught between the two, and finally pulled Jungin behind him by the wrist.

“Enough already. Lee Jungin, go put that in your room.”

“Oh, uh, y-yes! I’ll be right back!”

Seizing the opportunity, Jungin bolted to his room without looking back.

Watching him hop away like a small rabbit, Chairman Ki’s smile widened even further.

“Ha, how on earth did the Lee family produce a kid like that?”

Contentedly watching Jungin’s retreating figure, the chairman turned his gaze to Beomhyeon.

Though he didn’t say a word, Beomhyeon’s scent clung heavily to Jungin’s body, a sure sign that the brats had indeed been here earlier.

“You know, if anyone needs to tone it down, it’s you.”

“I’ll handle it.”

Alphas.

Always so consumed by their possessiveness over their Omegas.

But for an unmated pair, Beomhyeon’s actions were out of line—especially since Jungin couldn’t even detect pheromones.

Clicking his tongue, Chairman Ki sighed and added, “Just be grateful those brats left peacefully after noticing your scent all over him.”

If they hadn’t, they might have come for Beomhyeon’s throat.

Not that the exceptionally dominant Alpha, trained in all sorts of combat by his uncles, was someone easily killed.

“….”

“Or maybe they didn’t leave peacefully after all.”

Noticing Beomhyeon’s subtle avoidance of his gaze, Chairman Ki was certain there had already been a major confrontation.

“If you don’t want them coming back to oppose your marriage outright, I suggest you avoid conflict moving forward. Though, judging by the look of things, it might already be too late.”

Imagining the inevitable future, Chairman Ki suppressed a laugh.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of quick, clumsy footsteps approaching.

“I’m back! Wasn’t I super fast?”

Watching Jungin apologize for keeping them waiting, the chairman couldn’t help but think he would love for this boy to become his son-in-law.

“Hmm.”

After pondering for a moment, Chairman Ki’s lips curled into a smile at the sound of a faint growl.

“Well, playing around all day would make you hungry.”

“Ah, father!”

“Oh? Shouting like that will only make you hungrier.”

“Stop teasing me!”

“Hahaha!”

The sound of Chairman Ki’s laughter filled the house as he strolled alongside Jungin, matching his steps.

Following behind them, Beomhyeon also wore a faint smile as he walked slowly.

[Why on earth did you bring that child here?!]

[How would I know? That woman just dumped him on me and left!]

[Then tell her to take him back! I refuse to live with that kid!]

[She said she’s dying soon—what do you expect me to do about it?]

Even though the child was present, the two adults raised their voices, arguing as if he didn’t exist.

Ah. What kind of memory is this?

The image of adults fighting with a young child caught between them unfolded before his eyes.

When he turned his head to look in the mirror, a reflection of young Lee Jungin stared back at him.

‘Ah, this must be one of Lee Jungin’s original memories.’

Memories that occasionally struck like lightning now appeared unusually vivid and drawn out.

Jungin clenched his teeth, trying to wake up, but his body remained paralyzed as if bound by sleep paralysis.

Ugh, I really hate this.

Peering into someone else’s memories—it’s just not my thing.

He let out a long breath, wishing for it to end soon, but clenched his fists as the vision shifted to another scene.

Perhaps some time had passed since the last memory.

The young Jungin in the mirror was slightly older now.

His melancholic eyes remained unchanged, but his face and body were now marred with scars and bruises.

Damn it… They hit a kid?

Rage flared momentarily before a sharp-eyed figure approached Jungin with a menacing glare.

[What are you doing out here?]

Without hesitation, the person struck the child with a large fan they were holding.

Ah, it hurts.

Even though it was just a dream, the pain felt all too real against his skin.

As he grimaced and let out a sound, the woman twisted her vividly painted lips into a sneer.

[You’re really out of it today. Follow me.]

Grabbing the child roughly, the woman dragged him toward the basement.

Jungin didn’t know what lay there, but as they neared the basement, an inexplicable fear began to consume him.

[I can’t stand the sight of you, so stay inside today!]

[N-no… please…]

A voice softer and more fragile than his current one spilled out from his lips.

Was it his own words, or Lee Jungin’s?

The dreadful nightmare blurred the boundaries between reality and illusion.

Tears streamed down his face as terror overwhelmed him.

The more he struggled to escape the woman’s grasp, the tighter her grip on his wrist became.

[If you don’t want to end up like your mother, go in now!]

[N-no… no! Please, no…!]

The woman yanked his hair and forced him into the basement.

After slamming the door shut, she disappeared.

With no light seeping in, the place was pitch black. Alone in the suffocating darkness, primal fear surged over him like a crashing wave.

“No… please, no… Let me out. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

It felt as if something was choking him. Unable to call out for help, Jungin clawed at the floor, releasing strangled sobs as tears continued to stream down his face.

“Lee Jungin.”

“…No… please…”

“Lee Jungin!”

Someone seemed to pull him up from the depths of a dark well.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Beomhyeon’s stern face.

Oh, he’d woken up.

* * *