* * *
It wasn’t long ago he’d been calling him “Shu-shu” and being so domineering, but now Yeo Jinwoo was a mess.
As he looked at the pale boy, he remembered a younger Yeo Woohee—six years old, or maybe seven, with his adorable cheeks and big eyes.
He’d once wrapped him up in a blanket because he was just too cute, but had to let him out when he got sick from it.
His beloved Omega hadn’t changed one bit. He took Yeo Woohee’s hand, kissed the back of it gently.
Maybe, like when they were little, Yeo Woohee would get better if he just rested in his own room.
He carefully unclipped the bells from his nipples and cradled the boy, running to the adjacent bedroom.
It felt cold, too quiet—so he turned up the thermostat with the remote.
From the closet, he pulled out some pajamas and dressed Yeo Woohee, tucking the blanket under his chin.
Yeo Jinwoo himself was still naked from before.
Only after Yeo Woohee was settled did he go change into some loungewear, then came back with fever medicine.
Supporting Yeo Woohee’s head, he placed two pills in his mouth and gently fed him water until he swallowed.
Then he knelt by the bed and waited for him to wake.
That was when he realized: he would never win against this Omega.
In their relationship, it wasn’t Yeo Jinwoo who held the power—but Yeo Woohee.
Dark thoughts filled his mind.
Maybe Yeo Woohee caught a cold because he was left naked.
What if it turned into pneumonia and he died?
The story spiraled in his head.
The more he thought, the more every second felt precious.
‘If I waste this golden time, he might really die.’
He lifted Yeo Woohee in his arms and rushed downstairs. But there was no one around.
Then he remembered—he’d sent all the staff away yesterday to have the house to himself, to do whatever he pleased with Yeo Woohee.
It was only 7 AM.
Still too early for most to be at work.
With no choice, Yeo Jinwoo drove to the hospital himself.
- Meanwhile…
Kang Sunghoe waited for his son outside the police station.
At last, Kang Dohee walked out, shuffling tiredly after being released for lack of evidence.
The middle-aged man, stylish in a trench coat and beige shawl, approached his son and hugged him tightly.
“You did well holding out during the investigation. Let’s get some hot soup and head home.”
“I’m… sorry, Father.”
Kang Sunghoe pulled his son’s head into his chest, comforting the boy who couldn’t even lift his gaze.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. I’m proudest of my son. Who in any organization would follow a cowardly Alpha who turns a blind eye when a friend’s in trouble? Dohee, you really are my son.”
Kang Dohee was grateful that his father didn’t blame him, even though this situation had caused trouble for him.
He almost teared up, but realizing he couldn’t afford to be emotionally shaken if he wanted to face Yeo Jinwoo, he clenched his teeth.
“From now on, no matter what anyone says, I’m going to become stronger. So no one can touch my family or my friends ever again.”
Kang Seonghee gently patted Dohee’s back, saying that was the spirit of a true boss.
The father and son stepped into a sundae soup restaurant in front of the police station.
Matching their big appetites, they ordered two large bowls.
Seonghee picked up some chive salad with his chopsticks and placed it in his son’s hot pot.
“Eat up. You need to be full to fight properly.”
Dohee looked up in surprise.
“Really? I really don’t have to stop here? But what about your business, Dad?”
Seonghee hadn’t just sat idle while Dohee was being questioned by the police.
He had identified the body of the doctor who’d dragged his son into this murder case — ironically, the same physician who had treated Woohee and signed the death certificate 14 years ago.
It wasn’t coincidence.
Whether to silence him or manipulate him, Yeo Jinwoo had used that man to the fullest and discarded him.
Kang Seonghee didn’t rise to power as a boss of a massive organization through brute strength alone — he knew fists could only get you so far.
He was an Alpha with a sharp and strategic mind.
He’d looked into the tests Woohee had undergone during frequent hospitalizations.
Among them, there were records of transvaginal ultrasounds — a procedure only relevant for an Omega.
The claim that Woohee was a dominant Alpha had been a lie.
The truth was: Woohee was an Omega.
If Dohee had simply wanted to rescue an old childhood friend, Seonghee wouldn’t have allowed him to go head-to-head with Yeo Jinwoo.
But if that “friend” was actually an Omega?
That changed everything.
If his son married into the OL Group, no one in Korea would dare touch the Black Bear Gang again.
Power at the highest level attainable for an Alpha, and a beloved Omega son-in-law — it was the best gamble Seonghee could make.
Chairman Yeo, once he came to his senses, would surely want to stop his sons from “fooling around” with each other.
“Dohee, do you know Woohee’s actually an Omega?”
Dohee’s eyes, usually sharp like a honed blade, widened in innocent surprise.
Even a porcupine thinks its own young are cute — and Seonghee thought his son looked adorable in that moment.
“How did you find out, Dad?”
“I figured he’s been going in and out of the hospital lately. It’s not hard to bribe a nurse and get access to his chart.”
Dohee frowned, his handsome brow creasing.
Just how badly had Yeo Jinwoo hurt Woohee, that he had to be in and out of the hospital so often?
His clenched fist trembled with fury.
Knowing his son’s heart, Seonghee didn’t rush him to eat, even as their sundae soup cooled.
“Even if Woohee has that bastard’s kid… I’ll raise the child like it’s my own.”
His son’s declaration was intense.
But Seonghee simply laughed heartily — after all, a child born between forbidden brothers would also strike at Chairman Yeo’s most sensitive nerve.
“Well, having a grandkid already doesn’t sound so bad to me. Now eat up. The food you get during an investigation never fills you up right.”
Nowhere in their conversation was Woohee’s own will considered.
Both men had already made a cruel assumption: once Dohee rescued him, Woohee would have no choice but to follow him out of the prison named Yeo Jinwoo.
Dohee dumped all the rice in his bowl into the hot pot and began shoveling down the now-lukewarm soup with big spoonfuls.
After a deep nap, Woohee woke to find Yeo Jinwoo holding his hand.
He looked around in confusion, wondering why he was in a hospital room again.
“Hyung… why am I here?”
His voice came out hoarse, like someone with a bad cold.
After a few coughs to clear his throat, Jinwoo jumped up, fetched a cup of warm water, and handed it to him.
Woohee drank and pressed his fingers to his head, still fuzzy from sleeping until 5 p.m.
“What’s wrong? Does your head hurt?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll call the doctor. Hang on.”
While Jinwoo had his back turned, Woohee quickly rubbed his eyes in case he had sleep crust.
He wondered why Jinwoo was making such a fuss over him.
A doctor he hadn’t seen before walked in and bowed politely.
“Hello. I’m Jo Youngwoo, the physician in charge of Executive Director Yeo Jinwoo’s fiancée. I’ll do my best to care for you going forward.”
“…I’m his what now?”
Woohee shot a look at Jinwoo, bewildered.
This was a university hospital with ties to the OL Group — there’s no way they didn’t know who Woohee really was.
Yet the doctor had just called him fiancée.
If Chairman Yeo and Kim Minjeong hadn’t already noticed something was off with Woohee, they would now.
“Hyung, why would you say I’m your fiancée?”
Even though he was angry, his face was still puffy from oversleeping and just looked cute.
* * *
