* * *

Morning arrived.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Yeo Jinwoo’s handsome face came into view.

Yeo Woohee stretched out his arms with a smile, and Jinwoo gently embraced him, helping him sit up.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, did you sleep well too, hyung?”

“Hurry up and wash up.”

Jinwoo patted Woohee’s head affectionately before leaving the room.

Woohee smacked his lips in frustration after the uneventful morning greeting.

It was too much.

He had put in so much effort, yet Jinwoo remained as stoic as ever.

If a dol hareubang statue saw Jinwoo, it might even bow and say, “Greetings, elder!”

When would the day come when Jinwoo would wake up and shove himself into Woohee’s mouth first thing in the morning?

‘If it were me, I’d have done it already.’

Sullen, Woohee went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water.

The reflection in the mirror was a grown version of his childhood self, still undeniably handsome.

His soft brown hair, damp from washing, curled slightly.

Back in his room, the first thing he did was apply essence to keep his skin hydrated.

After drying his bangs with a hairdryer, he layered sunscreen over his now-moisturized skin.

Sunscreen was essential for maintaining youthful skin, as UV rays were a major cause of aging.

Though Woohee’s official age was 20 in the novel, in reality, he was 21.

His biological mother had scammed Chairman Yeo, and preserving his youthful appearance was crucial to maintaining his cover.

After meticulously caring for his skin, Woohee stripped off his pajamas.

His pale pink nipples stood out like cherry blossoms on a snowy field.

His chest was plump and enticing, the result of diligent application of whitening cream and regular massages since childhood.

The mere thought of Jinwoo one day calling him a slut over this chest sent a thrilling shiver through him.

For now, he resolved to keep up the facade of being a docile kitten.

He crossed his arms to accentuate his chest for no reason, then dressed in a sky-blue shirt, jacket, and jeans.

Ready for school, Woohee descended to the first floor via the elevator, where the house staff bowed deeply.

“You’re awake, young master.”

Over the past 14 years, much had changed.

Woohee was no longer an unwanted guest in this house.

Chairman Yeo, along with Kim Minjeong, adored him as if he were their own child.

But the person who loved him the most was Yeo Jinwoo, the deputy director of OL Group.

When Woohee entered the dining room, Minjeong greeted him with a warm smile.

Woohee mirrored her expression, his cheeks lifting and a faint vibrance gracing his face.

The added color made his beauty even more striking.

“Jeonju, bring our Woohee some red ginseng.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The housekeeper opened a package labeled ‘Red Ginseng for Growing Kids’ and poured it into a glass.

Although Woohee was already 174cm—close to the average height—he had told the family he was a dominant alpha, which had only intensified his parents’ concerns about his growth.

Woohee closed his eyes tightly and downed the bitter ginseng in one go.

“Why is our Woohee so short? Are you staying up too late studying?”

“Mom, don’t worry. They say dominant alphas can grow until they’re 25. Some people have late growth spurts.”

“Still…”

Minjeong looked at Woohee with concern, gently stroking his cheek.

Woohee nuzzled into her palm, playfully seeking comfort.

It didn’t help that Jinwoo, also a dominant alpha, was 188cm tall, making Woohee feel like a dwarf by comparison.

When he decided to fake his designation, he hadn’t anticipated this much parental anxiety.

If he had pretended to be a regular alpha instead, things might have been easier.

However, keeping up the act required constant access to forged test results, and it was easiest to mimic Jinwoo’s.

In this society, students underwent annual designation tests starting at age 14 to rule out misdiagnoses.

The test was a pheromone strip that looked like litmus paper, with a 95% accuracy rate.

The designation recorded during these school years was treated as definitive, and upon graduation, the government issued official certification.

In the novel ‘Poverty Isn’t a Crime’, the antagonist lived as a dominant omega due to this system.

He had manipulated his test results by using a cup Jinwoo drank from, switching it with a new test strip, and successfully obtaining a dominant alpha certification.

Woohee had built a perfect image for himself, never scoring below full marks in any subject since entering elementary school.

This meticulousness supported his claim of being a dominant alpha.

One day, he planned to reveal his secret to Jinwoo—that he was both a fake sibling and a dominant omega.

The thought of Jinwoo holding that leash, using it to blackmail him, sent an illicit thrill coursing through him.

But there was no need to worry about wet underwear this morning.

Thanks to his overactive omega tendencies, he always wore pheromone-absorbing pads designed for omegas during heat.

These pads not only absorbed pheromones but also blocked their scent, making them indispensable for someone like him.

After breakfast, Woohee climbed into the same car as Jinwoo, who drove him to university before heading to work.

Woohee waved as he stepped out.

“Thanks for dropping me off, hyung.”

He tilted his head at a cute 45-degree angle, his cheeks blushing shyly.

Despite his efforts to charm, Jinwoo remained unshaken.

“Study hard,” Jinwoo said simply before driving off.

Woohee gripped the straps of his backpack tightly and crossed the school gates.

‘Damn eunuch. He definitely likes me, but he never wavers.’

He couldn’t resort to more overt tactics.

Last summer, when he had worn slightly short shorts, Jinwoo’s furious reaction had nearly caused a household uproar.

Even Chairman Yeo had conceded defeat in that argument.

‘It wasn’t even hotpants! Just shorts that barely showed my knees.’

Still, the memory of Jinwoo’s possessiveness made Woohee grin.

Walking through the magnolia-lined campus, Woohee entered the humanities building.

His stellar academic record had earned him a spot at the prestigious Cheongha University.

In the original novel, Woohee had been a troublemaker attending a bottom-tier school, where he met Do Heewon and Na Taejoon.

But with this new setting, nothing was unfolding as it did in the novel.

As Woohee entered the lecture hall, his alpha classmates stared at him with wide, gleaming eyes, like rabbits before a lion.

Pretending not to notice, Woohee waved at them.

“Hi.”

“Woohee, you’re here?”

“Wow, Woohee, how do you manage to look so stunning every day?”

The alphas, practically drooling, swarmed around him.

Woohee pouted, feigning annoyance.

“I told you I don’t like being called pretty.”

“Alright, alright. But what else can I say when something’s pretty other than calling it pretty? Honestly, you’re even more beautiful than the omegas in our department. Must be because you’re a dominant alpha.”

The omegas overheard the remark and started murmuring among themselves.

Eventually, one of them stood up and shouted in frustration.

“Who the hell do these ugly alpha bastards think they are, judging other people’s looks? Are they trying to get themselves killed?”

Even though it wasn’t his fault, Woohee stepped forward, pushing his friends aside.

“Sorry, Mincheol. Kyungsoo and Seokjin didn’t mean it in a bad way. Honestly, they probably think you all are much better looking and prettier inside. I mean, how could an alpha ever outshine an omega in beauty? They were just teasing me, that’s all.”

No matter how much he concealed his pheromones and deceived people about his traits, alphas instinctively showed interest in him, while omegas felt jealousy.

* * *