* * *
After being discharged from the hospital, he returned home.
It was only a single night of hospitalization, yet his parents’ gazes had subtly changed, and even his room was different.
The horseback riding exercise machine, which had been moved to the living room, was back in his room.
The underground university textbooks had disappeared, replaced by SAT prep books and essay guides neatly arranged on the bookshelf.
Feeling uneasy, he walked toward the dressing room.
Just as he suspected, the underground university uniform was nowhere to be found.
It was clear now—Master was determined to take full control of him.
But he had no intention of surrendering so easily.
Alpha like Yeo Jinwoo, twisted by their hunger for dominance and conquest, found pleasure in crushing those who resisted.
A hand wrapped around his waist from behind.
Yeo Jinwoo placed a kiss on Yeo Woohee’s cheek.
“Come on, let’s go down. We’re throwing a party to celebrate your discharge.”
Anyone would think he had been hospitalized for a serious illness.
It was absurd, but such ostentation was simply how chaebol families lived.
Even as they left the room and entered the elevator, Yeo Jinwoo never let go of his hand.
“Hyung, people will see,” Yeo Woohee whispered nervously.
“Who? There’s no one here but us. Or are you worried the ghosts will see?”
Yeo Woohee pleaded anxiously, afraid his parents might notice.
“Please… You promised to keep it a secret.”
As soon as the elevator doors opened, he yanked his hand free and dashed out.
By the time he reached the dining room, his parents were already seated.
“Come in, dear,” Kim Minjeong greeted him warmly, like a hostess welcoming an esteemed guest rather than her own son.
It was unsettling.
He forced a smile and sat down.
Yeo Jinwoo strolled in like a tiger approaching its captured prey.
The table was laden with an extravagant feast.
A strawberry-topped cream cake sat in the center, making it feel almost like a birthday celebration.
Chairman Yeo lifted his champagne glass.
“To your health, Woohee.”
Yeo Woohee raised his own glass of apple juice in response.
“Thank you, Father.”
“Then, let’s toast.”
The family clinked their glasses in the air, mimicking a toast.
As Yeo Woohee took a sip of his juice, a hand slid up the inside of his thigh, making him freeze.
Yeo Jinwoo, still wearing the mask of a courteous gentleman, murmured beside him.
“Why aren’t you drinking?”
“I’m not thirsty.”
His head tilted slightly as he leaned in closer, his breath grazing the sensitive hairs on Yeo Woohee’s nape.
“No, that’s not it. Our Woohee is just too turned on, isn’t he?”
Yeo Woohee dropped his hand, trying to pry Jinwoo’s fingers off his thigh.
But his strength was nothing compared to Jinwoo’s.
The moment his lips quivered, on the verge of crying, the hand finally withdrew.
“Woohee, try this. It’s steamed carp—supposed to be very good for the body.”
It was the first time he had ever seen carp served at their table.
He had only ever heard of it being eaten by new mothers to increase their milk supply.
He picked up a piece of the white flesh with egg garnish and took a bite.
“It’s delicious. Mom, thank you for preparing such a wonderful meal.”
“Eat a lot, dear.”
Kim Minjeong smiled, this time with genuine ease.
There was a time when she resented Yeo Woohee simply for being the child of another Omega.
But trying to hate such a pitiful child had weighed on her conscience.
Loving someone you were supposed to despise had been exhausting.
Now, however, all that internal conflict had vanished.
She found him precious and lovable.
If Yeo Woohee could calm Yeo Jinwoo’s madness, then all the better.
She still disliked his lowly origins, but she wholeheartedly supported his marriage to Jinwoo.
Yeo Woohee turned toward Chairman Yeo.
Normally, this was the moment he would reach out and ruffle his hair.
But today, he merely smiled gently and said, “Eat up.”
A faint disappointment settled in his chest.
Still, he picked up the roasted chicken that Yeo Jinwoo had placed on his plate.
After dinner, he returned to his room.
The phone Jinwoo had given him was utterly useless, so he turned it off.
Lying in bed, the faces of Kang Dohee and Na Taejoon surfaced in his mind.
They were just friends, but he couldn’t stop thinking about them—probably because he had seen them sobbing when they visited him in the hospital.
He had to find a way to contact them and let them know he was okay.
Bolting upright, he made his way to Butler Kang’s room.
Knocking, he hesitated before stepping inside.
“…I have a favor to ask.”
He quickly shut the door behind him, wary of being seen.
Butler Kang tidied his papers and motioned for him to sit.
Yeo Woohee fidgeted with his hands, hesitant to speak.
The butler already knew what had happened—how Yeo Woohee had been hospitalized after being punished for meeting Miho.
The entire mansion was on edge.
Rumors of Yeo Woohee’s impending death had begun spreading like wildfire.
Finally, he clenched his fists and made up his mind.
“Can I borrow your phone? I know you might get in trouble with my brother later, but please… My friends think I’m dying, and they’re devastated. I need to tell them I’m okay.”
Butler Kang recalled a past incident—an unspeakable act committed by Yeo Jinwoo.
Years ago, Jinwoo had impersonated Chairman Yeo to file a false death report for Yeo Woohee.
The chairman had only discovered the forgery when he tried to enroll Yeo Woohee in elementary school.
Furious, he had launched an investigation, which revealed that Jinwoo had even bribed a doctor to provide a fake death certificate.
When asked why he had done it, Jinwoo had simply tilted his head in confusion.
“Because I want to marry Woohee. But they said I can’t because he’s my brother. That’s so annoying.”
Recalling this, Butler Kang could only imagine the disaster looming on the horizon.
He had no power to stop a monster like Jinwoo.
But perhaps Yeo Woohee’s friends could get him out of this house.
With that thought, he handed over his phone.
Yeo Woohee quickly dialed Kang Dohee’s number, but it seemed like they weren’t answering an unknown caller.
His anxiety grew.
He glanced at the clock, then hung up and tried Na Taejoon instead.
“Hello?”
“Taejoon, it’s me—Woohee. The news about my health getting worse? It’s all fake. I’m not sick. I’m being held at home, and they’re planning to send me abroad. Please tell Dohee I’m okay.”
He rushed through his words before shoving the phone back into Butler Kang’s hands.
At that very moment, the door burst open.
“So here you are.”
Jinwoo stood there, his gaze sharp.
“I just needed to ask for a favor,” Yeo Woohee said quickly.
“A favor? And you didn’t think to ask me first?”
Both Yeo Woohee and Butler Kang swallowed hard, caught off guard.
Jinwoo’s gaze settled on the butler’s hands, where the phone still vibrated.
“What are you waiting for? Answer it.”
“Uh, son. I’m on duty right now, so I’ll call you later.”
- Mister, didn’t you just lend your phone to someone? That guy’s my friend. Please let me talk to him.
Na Taejoon’s urgent voice carried through the receiver, ringing through the quiet room.
Yeo Jinwoo nodded as he unfastened his belt.
“Butler Kang, how did you even raise your son for him to call you ‘mister’? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you become a proper father.”
Yeo Woohee hurriedly ran over to Yeo Jinwoo and clung to his leg.
“Hyung, I’m sorry! I was the one who borrowed Butler Kang’s phone!”
“Woohee, let go. If you keep this up, you’re gonna get hit too.”
“I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
* * *
