* * *
It had been ten days since Yeo Wonhee asked Butler Kang, the family butler, to find his biological mother.
During a lecture at school, he received a text message from him.
[Butler Kang: Master Yeo Wonhee, this is Kang.]
[I’ve found her and contacted her. Please call me when you see this message.]
Yeo Wonhee couldn’t focus on the lecture anymore, consumed by the urge to call him back.
The moment the class ended at 10:50, he dashed out of the lecture hall and headed to the restroom near a quiet faculty office.
Hiding inside one of the stalls, he tried to calm his racing breath.
“Hah… hah… ssshh… phew…”
Once his breathing steadied, Yeo Wonhee immediately called Butler Kang.
“Butler Kang, it’s me, Yeo Wonhee. Did you really find her? Can I meet her?”
“Master Yeo Wonhee, do you truly need to meet her? Perhaps it might be better not to know. After all, the chairman and madam have raised you with so much love.”
“Even so, I want to see her. Please, I’m begging you.”
It seemed Butler Kang was hesitating because he knew Yeo Wonhee’s mother had become a bar madam.
Yeo Wonhee pleaded with him in a desperate voice.
“You know what I’ve been going through in that house. Please, Butler Kang, help me.”
“Sigh… But Master Yeo Wonhee, she may not be doing as well as you imagine.”
Butler Kang’s deep sighs and his reluctance to reveal anything made Yeo Wonhee restless.
Frustrated and on the verge of tears, he stamped his feet.
“I don’t care. If this keeps up, I really… sniff… I might even…”
“Alright… but promise me, no matter what, you won’t be hurt if she’s nothing like what you’ve envisioned. I’ll arrange the meeting. And no matter what happens, you must return home by the time school ends.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you, Butler Kang.”
“I can’t send a driver for you. The deputy director might find out. You’ll need to take a premium taxi on your own. Can you do that?”
“Yes, don’t worry. I can manage.”
Butler Kang imagined Yeo Wonhee clenching his fists and confidently declaring he could handle taking a taxi alone.
A soft smile spread across his face.
“I’ll text you instructions on how to book a premium taxi. Just give the driver the address, and pay by card when you get off.”
For most people, this was common sense.
However, Butler Kang, knowing that Yeo Wonhee had been raised in a sheltered environment as part of a wealthy family, treated him like a kindergarten child sent on an errand.
He repeatedly explained and confirmed the process.
“Don’t worry, Butler Kang. I’m not a kid. I’ll hang up now. Thank you so much for today.”
After ending the call, Yeo Wonhee lowered his pants and sat on the toilet.
He peeled off the damp pad from his underwear, rolled it up, and tossed it into the trash before attaching a fresh one.
Exiting the stall, he looked around to ensure no one was there before leaving the restroom cautiously.
Moments later, the last stall in the restroom, used for storing cleaning supplies, opened.
Kang Seongtae stepped out.
He had instinctively hidden when he heard someone approaching and realized it was Yeo Wonhee, his new classmate.
Listening in on the phone call, it seemed Yeo Wonhee was planning to secretly take a taxi somewhere.
Seongtae found it amusing that someone could be so sheltered that their butler had to teach them how to take a taxi.
Curious, he entered the stall Yeo Wonhee had just vacated.
Hearing the rustling of clothes and the tearing sound of a Velcro strip had piqued his curiosity. Seongtae opened the trash can lid.
“Ha, shit. No wonder I kept feeling something whenever I saw him. This bastard’s pretending to be an alpha?”
A cruel smile spread across Seongtae’s face as he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the trash can’s contents.
“Things are getting interesting.”
He quickly exited the restroom, eager to tail Yeo Wonhee.
It seemed like he was about to uncover a serious weakness.
Following Butler Kang’s instructions, Yeo Wonhee booked a premium taxi and arrived at a hostess bar in Gayundong.
The windows were covered with dark tint, completely obscuring the interior.
Uncertain if the place was open, he pushed the door, which gave way.
Yeo Wonhee entered awkwardly.
An omega polishing a glass with a soft cloth spotted Yeo Wonhee and was about to tell him he couldn’t be there when she froze in surprise.
“Wait… are you Madam’s son?”
“…Yes. I’m here to see my mom.”
“Hold on a moment.”
She must have seen the resemblance.
Setting the glass aside, the omega knocked on the door to an inner room.
“Madam, your son’s here.”
The tightly shut door opened, revealing a woman in a slip dress with thin straps.
She reeked of strong alcohol, cigarettes, and various alpha pheromones.
The resemblance between her and Yeo Wonhee was undeniable, but her appearance was vulgar.
“Oh, wow. You actually showed up.”
She was the biological mother who had sold Yeo Wonhee to Chairman Yeo for two billion won.
Half had gone to pay off her debts, and the other half had been used to buy a house and the bar.
She had been thrilled at the time, but with nothing left in her hands, she now regretted it deeply.
Madam Miho scanned Yeo Wonhee from head to toe.
“What’s this? Did they find out you’re fake already? Why are you wearing that shitty school uniform?”
Her son supposedly attended Jiha University, infamous even in the impoverished Gayundong as a trash school.
It was notorious for producing gangsters, but delicate, frail Yeo Wonhee didn’t seem like he was aspiring to a life of fists.
“…Mom.”
Tears welled up in Yeo Wonhee’s eyes as he stepped toward her.
She flinched away in distaste.
“Hey, don’t call me that. It makes me sound old.”
Clicking her tongue, Miho ushered him into the room, likely to keep him out of sight.
Yeo Wonhee hesitated at the doorway, taking in the red bra hanging on the table, the liquor bottles, and the discolored fruit platters.
Though the bar’s decor was somewhat high-end, it was clear that what went on inside was anything but.
The flashy lights of the karaoke machine flickered across the room.
Miho, still groggy from her hangover, lit a cigarette and sank into the sofa.
“Sit down.”
Yeo Wonhee timidly sat far away. Miho smirked at the sight of her meek son, so different from her.
“So, why are you here? If Chairman Yeo finds out, I’m screwed.”
“Mom… I want to live with you.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
Irritated, Miho stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.
The idea of her grown son suddenly showing up and demanding she take responsibility annoyed her to no end.
“Why would you leave that luxurious house and come live with me? You want to be a bar host too? If you awakened as an omega, then go ahead. You’d be a hit working here.”
* * *
