* * *
“No. Rex, I don’t think you’re in your right mind right now…”
“No, I’m perfectly fine.”
As Remy argued with Rex, Oliver, who had remained quiet until now, approached them.
“Remy hyung.”
The small but sharp child clung closely to Remy’s side and glared at the much larger, red-haired Alpha.
Despite Oliver’s piercing gaze, Rex’s expression remained unreadable, devoid of any discernible emotion.
“Excuse me, mister.”
“?”
“I couldn’t help but overhear, and it seems like Remy hyung isn’t interested in you at all. I think you should stop now. Can’t you see how uncomfortable he is? You’re supposed to be an adult Alpha—can’t you sense that?”
Ah… Hearing Oliver’s words, Remy nodded to himself.
Despite being young, Oliver was an Alpha too, so he must have caught Remy’s pheromones and rushed over, worried.
His emotions must have been leaking through his pheromones.
“…”
Rex lowered his gaze slightly, observing Oliver, who spoke with such pointed conviction.
Being an Alpha, it was likely he had sensed Remy’s pheromones too, but even so, interfering in a conversation between Remy and himself wasn’t appropriate.
This was an issue between him and Remy.
“This isn’t your place, kid.”
“It’s Oliver. I have a name.”
“Regardless, you should step aside.”
“No. You’re the one bothering my hyung. The one who should leave right now isn’t me—it’s you.”
Watching the little one stubbornly refuse to back down, Rex smirked slightly.
He didn’t want to go this far with a child, but the kid seemed brash enough that Rex briefly considered releasing some pheromones.
‘No!’
Remy, the Omega, was quicker to catch on than anyone else and immediately resolved to intervene.
Thanks to Hayward, Remy had experienced firsthand just how terrifying an Alpha could be.
His only thought was to protect young Oliver.
“Stop it, Oliver.”
“Hyung…”
“This is an adult matter. It’s not for you to interfere in.”
“But that guy is making things hard for you. I can feel it—how much you’re struggling right now.”
“Even so, I’ll handle it. It’s my issue, so I’ll deal with it. Please, just go and look after your siblings.”
“Hyung…”
“Please. I’m asking you.”
At Remy’s firm words, Oliver bit his small, pouty lips.
He wanted to stay by his hyung’s side and protect him from the intimidating Alpha, but Remy’s tone was too resolute for him to argue further.
“Oliver?”
“Okay. I’ll do as you say.”
“Good. It won’t take long. Just wait for me.”
“Yes.”
Even as he walked away reluctantly, Oliver didn’t forget to glare at Rex one last time.
Watching Oliver retreat, Remy let out a long sigh.
“Rex.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”
“Why? Is it because I didn’t formally propose?”
“…No. That’s not the issue.”
“Then what is it?”
“How am I supposed to trust you when, until just recently, you were so blatantly showing how much you disliked me? Now, all of a sudden, you’re acting this way. Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?”
“I already told you I had my reasons.”
“And what were those reasons?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Hah.”
Remy let out a scoff, clearly exasperated. It felt pointless to continue the conversation—he doubted Rex would say anything that made sense anyway.
“Fine. Do whatever you want. I’ll do the same.”
“Remy.”
“Anyway, I’ve got things to do. You go handle your own stuff. I’m leaving now.”
“Remy, wait—”
“Goodbye!”
With that, Remy turned and walked away without looking back, heading toward Oliver.
Seeing him return, Oliver stood up with a worried expression.
“Hyung, are you okay?”
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”
“Who was that guy? Is he someone you know well?”
“Well, kind of. Anyway, don’t worry about him. Let’s just focus on what we were doing. You still have to learn your lessons today. Did you do the homework I gave you yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Great. Let’s start by checking that.”
Remy sat down beside the children at the makeshift table and began reviewing Oliver’s homework.
All the while, he couldn’t help but steal glances toward where Rex stood.
‘Seriously… Is he planning to stand there all day?’
Rex remained in the same spot, staring at Remy with an unwavering expression.
At this point, Remy had a sinking realization.
Something was definitely wrong.
That Alpha’s gaze had an intensity that was impossible to ignore.
‘I can’t let this continue. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but it’s clear he’s suddenly infatuated with me. I’ll have to put up my walls. If I don’t, this could end up like Ashton or Hayward all over again.’
With that, Remy resolved to maintain his defenses against Rex, the last remaining Alpha from the original story.
He had always thought Rex would never change, but now, he was realizing just how naïve that belief had been.
From the next day on, and the day after that, Rex continued to follow Remy around.
Eventually, Rex’s daily schedule aligned entirely with Remy’s.
Each morning, Rex waited in front of Remy’s house as if escorting him was the most natural thing in the world.
“Good morning, Remy.”
“Ugh.”
Of course, Remy steadfastly ignored him.
Having decided to build an unbreakable wall, Remy treated Rex as if he were invisible.
But no matter how coldly Remy acted, Rex remained resolute, silently trailing after him.
“Hyung, you’re here?”
As Remy arrived, Oliver greeted him cheerfully.
“Hey, Oliver.”
But Oliver’s face stiffened as he noticed Rex lurking behind Remy.
How long did this guy plan to follow his hyung around?
Oliver was starting to have the same questions that filled Remy’s mind.
“Oliver, don’t worry about him. Let’s eat first.”
“Okay…”
Even as Oliver cast wary glances at Rex, Remy greeted Oliver’s younger siblings with a warm smile and began unpacking the food he had brought.
Today, he had brought plump turkey meat for the children.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Wow, this looks amazing!”
“Thank you, hyung!”
Watching the children dig in with their small mouths opened wide, Remy couldn’t help but smile.
No matter how tough life was, seeing the kids eat so heartily made everything worthwhile.
And there was someone else smiling in that moment.
Just as Remy found joy in seeing the children eat, Rex secretly found joy in seeing Remy’s radiant smile.
‘As I thought, he’s even more beautiful when he smiles. Like a nurturing Aphrodite caring for her children.’
After the meal, Remy helped the children clean up, took a short break, and then began their lessons.
As he reviewed the books and notes, Oliver showed surprising progress, having practiced diligently on his own.
“Wow, Oliver. You’ve already learned to read this much?”
“I kept practicing just like you taught me, hyung.”
“Wow. That’s amazing, Oliver!”
To reward this brilliant and lovable child, Remy pressed a light kiss to his forehead.
Startled, Oliver recoiled, pushing Remy away.
Watching Oliver’s cheeks flush slightly, Remy’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Th-that’s embarrassing, hyung.”
Oliver stammered, his voice laced with both shyness and reproach.
At his reaction, Remy burst into laughter.
He’s an Alpha too, yet he gets embarrassed like this?
Too cute—almost unbearably so.
While Oliver often seemed more mature than his age, moments like this made his youth evident.
“Our Oliver is so amazing I couldn’t help myself. My mistake. I’ll hold back from now on.”
Smiling, Remy spoke as if teasing, prompting Oliver to snap his head away, his flushed face betraying his discomfort.
He fiddled nervously with a random notebook, attempting to cool down his reddened face.
Observing this, Rex’s eyes narrowed slightly in the background.
“Alright, let’s wrap up the lesson here for today. I should get going before it gets too late.”
Having finished today’s writing lesson, Remy began tidying up.
While his two younger siblings, who had been restless the entire time, were thrilled to be free, Oliver felt differently.
He wasn’t only sad that the fun lesson was over—more than that, the thought of Remy leaving again weighed heavily on his heart.
If only he could stay with Remy every day like this.
* * *
Cutee