Sole Omega in an Alpha Family chapter 14

* * *

With a ding, the elevator doors opened, revealing the top floor.

The hotel room they were in earlier was already so high up—this must be even higher.

No wonder his ears felt stuffed on the way up.

“Wow… I haven’t been somewhere like this in… a long time.”

Jungin swallowed, staring in awe.

But sensing Beomhyeon’s gaze from beside him, he bit his lip, trying to act casual, and glanced around the restaurant.

Due to the odd hour, it seemed like they were the only ones there.

As Jungin stood, mesmerized by the panoramic view of Seoul through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Beomhyeon called out to him.

“You said you were hungry. Come over here.”

At his words, the hunger pangs rushed back, and his mouth felt dry.

Nodding vigorously, Jungin followed Beomhyeon into a private room inside the restaurant.

“Pick whatever you want.”

“Well, in that case—”

Jungin scanned the menu he handed him, eyes darting over the words.

Why is everything in English? he slowly tried to decipher the items.

Honestly, he was craving kimchi fried rice or cold buckwheat noodles, but they probably didn’t serve that here…

He really wanted something light and Korean, not Western food.

As he nervously glanced at Beomhyeon, trying to make sense of the menu, he spoke first.

“Not happy with the menu?”

“Huh? No, it’s not that….”

Watching his roll his eyes around, Beomhyeon called for the manager.

“Can you bring over some food from Songdamche?”

“Yes, sir. Just tell me what you’d like, and I’ll have it prepared for you, young master.”

Young master?

Jungin looked at him with wide, surprised eyes as Beomhyeon propped his chin on his hand and handed his another menu the manager brought.

This one was filled with Korean dishes, in contrast to the previous Western one.

Braised seafood ribs, buckwheat crepes, aged kimchi stew…

Just reading the names made his mouth water.

“I’ll have the beef bibimbap.”

After some deliberation, Jungin chose the dish he had originally wanted.

He slid the menu back toward Beomhyeon, but he didn’t seem interested in eating, merely nodding and sipping from a wine glass filled with water.

“Aren’t you going to eat, too?”

At his question, a wrinkle appeared between Beomhyeon’s brows.

“How long are you going to keep calling me ‘hyung’?”

“Oh, sorry for calling you whatever I wanted.”

“That’s not it. Never mind. Just call me Ki Beomhyeon.”

“Ki Beomhyeon?”

“Yeah.”

For some reason, the name sounded familiar.

Jungin repeated his name in his head and nodded.

“Okay, Beomhyeon hyung.”

It rolled off his tongue surprisingly easily.

He smiled and called him again, but Beomhyeon’s expression scrunched up once more.

‘Does he just hate hearing me call him that?’

Clicking his tongue, Jungin glanced around the scenery outside once more before digging into the bibimbap that had just been served.

One bite, then another.

The meal was so delicious that he felt regret as the bibimbap slowly disappeared.

After finishing, the next dish, yuzu gelato, arrived.

“Why is everything here so good? I want to live here.”

“If your brothers hear that, they’ll probably try to kill me. Let’s head downstairs if you’re done.”

It wasn’t like Jungin seriously meant he would live here.

Time passed quickly, and the two stood up from their seats.

When they returned to the room, Jungin’s previously foul-smelling uniform had been washed and wrapped neatly in transparent plastic.

Next to it was a brand-new uniform that Beomhyun had bought, making Jungin now the proud owner of two uniforms.

“Uh, hyung, it’s not much, but please take this…”

Thankfully, Jungin had brought a 50,000-won bill, just in case he needed it for school.

When he handed the bill, which he had pulled out earlier when he changed, Beomhyun stared at Jungin’s hand with a puzzled look.

“You’re giving this to me?”

“Yes. I’ll give you more next time when I have it.”

Forcing the bill into Beomhyun’s hand, Jungin hastily rummaged through his freshly cleaned bag.

“Where is it?”

Did I lose it on the road?

Or did I leave it in the car?

The phone that Jungin’s older brother, Jungjin, had bought for him as a discharge gift was barely a week old.

As he frantically searched for the missing phone, Jungin’s long eyelashes fluttered nervously, and his hands moved quickly.

Beomhyun, watching him sitting on the floor, asked, “What are you doing?”

“I can’t find my phone anywhere. Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last contacted my brothers….”

He knew where his house was, and Beomhyun wouldn’t abandon him, so he could find his way back.

Still, a nagging feeling of unease settled in. It felt like the calm before a storm.

“Ah, that.”

“Gasp! Do you know where my phone is?”

Jungin, unknowingly sighing in relief, moved closer to Beomhyun and asked, “Where’s my phone? Please tell me.”

“I don’t want to.”

“…What?”

“I said I don’t want to tell you.”

Did he hear wrong?

Jungin blinked, but his expression twisted at Beomhyun’s following words.

He wouldn’t have… kidnapped me, right?

A sudden strange feeling crept up on Jungin, making him bite down hard on his lower lip.

Beomhyun, chuckling again, leaned back on the living room sofa and said, “You didn’t know? You’re being held captive by me right now.”

Captive? Me?

“…What?”

Reality hit him, and he was completely taken aback. He had been washed, fed, and even treated to dessert—and that was all part of being held captive?

‘It’s gotta be a joke.’

“It’s not a joke.”

‘Can he read minds or something? Or is it written all over my face?’

Beomhyun, watching Jungin as he touched his face, let out a soft chuckle and added, “I’ll send you home when the time comes, so just stay still.”

“Why me?”

Right.

He was closer to the front door than Beomhyun was.

Keeping an eye on him, Jungin suddenly spun around and sprinted forward.

Hearing the sound of Beomhyun rising behind him made him panic even more.

He could now relate to how prey must feel, not knowing when a predator might catch them.

‘Damn it! The living room felt so spacious when I came in, but now…’

He was so close to escaping. He pushed his legs with all his strength, extending forward when—

Thud.

“Ah!”

“Lee Jungin!”

His body pitched forward, and his knee slammed into the floor with a loud bang.

The shock and pain instantly made his eyes sting, and tears poured down his face.

“Ugh… hic, huff….”

“…Lee Jungin?”

“It hurts… it hurts so much….”

Wiping away the tears that blurred his vision, Jungin inspected his injured knee.

His skin was scraped, and blood oozed from the wound.

For some reason, the sight made him feel even more upset and in pain.

“It’s scraped, huff… it’s bleeding… huff….”

“Sigh….”

Jungin, hugging his injured knee and sobbing, suddenly found himself face-to-face with Beomhyun as he gently lifted him.

With an expression of mild annoyance, Beomhyun carried him effortlessly back to the sofa.

“N-no, let me go… I want to leave…!”

“Just stay still.”

Hearing his voice drop to a serious tone, Jungin clamped his mouth shut.

He had momentarily forgotten, but Beomhyun was the young master of a gangster family.

As his tears started to flow again, Jungin bit down on the inside of his cheek, trying to hold them back.

“Is it that painful?”

“…Hic.”

Seeing Jungin silently crying, Beomhyun frowned and reached out his hand.

When Jungin flinched away, Beomhyun clicked his tongue in frustration and wiped the wet tears from Jungin’s eyes with his fingers.

‘Why is he getting so close all of a sudden? Was I always someone who’s so sensitive to looks?’

As the handsome face drew nearer, Jungin, who had been crying moments before, found himself staring blankly at Beomhyun.

The warm breath grazing his cheek made him feel strangely embarrassed.

“I didn’t realize you were this scared.”

“….”

“I forgot you lost your memory. That’s my fault. I apologize.”

* * *