* * *

After drying himself off and wrapping a bathrobe around his frame, he peeked out of the bathroom.

The room was quiet, with no sign of Jinwoo.

The urine stain he had left on the floor had been cleaned, and even the bottled water was gone.

Woohee felt a pang of regret; he had wanted to keep that bottle as a memento.

Seated on the bed, Chairman Yeo noticed Woohee peering out timidly and stood up.

“Woohee, it’s okay. You can come out.”

“Dad… Where’s Hyung?”

Surely, they hadn’t actually sent him to a mental hospital?

Woohee bit his lip, trying to suppress his unease.

Seeing this, the chairman mistook his fear for a dread of encountering Jinwoo and felt a pang of sympathy.

Watching his second son, hair still damp and bathrobe slightly disheveled, he clicked his tongue.

Compared to Woohee, who was obedient, studious, and gentle, Jinwoo had been a constant source of worry with his unstable behavior.

No matter how many times they sent him to mental facilities, he would always manipulate the doctors with his charm and return home, only to resume his obsessive control over Woohee.

The dominant alpha’s fierce personality and overpowering pheromones kept the entire household subdued.

Sometimes, the chairman wished Woohee wasn’t his child.

If only Woohee were a dominant omega instead of an alpha, he could have arranged a marriage with Jinwoo.

It didn’t matter how much Woohee might have suffered—what mattered was ensuring the well-being of the eldest son.

“Your brother didn’t go to a hospital. He went to America for business.”

“Huh?”

Woohee’s teary eyes widened, and he hesitated as if he wanted to say something but fell silent, his lips trembling.

His small shoulders slumped, causing one side of the bathrobe to slip, exposing his pale neck and delicate collarbone.

The chairman sighed as he adjusted Woohee’s robe.

This child’s beauty was the reason his son was losing his mind.

Even so, no matter how lovely and pure Woohee seemed, he was a dominant alpha.

It would never work. If only he had been an omega, the chairman could have fabricated a new identity for him and handed him over to Jinwoo.

Eyes brimming with tears, Woohee glanced up at Chairman Yeo, lips trembling as if trying to say something.

He was hesitant, believing it was his fault his older brother went to America.

But Woohee couldn’t say a word, instead biting his lip in silence.

One side of his drooping shoulders let his bathrobe slip down.

His pale nape and delicately etched collarbones were exposed.

The marked Alpha, Chairman Yeo, nonchalantly adjusted the second son’s bathrobe.

‘This child’s beauty ruined my son,’ he thought, tasting bitterness.

“It’s my fault. I messed up, and hyung punished me for it,” Woohee admitted, his voice trembling.

Since childhood, Woohee had been subjected to Yeo Jinwoo’s violent obsessions and punishments.

It left him unable to recognize just how wrong this situation truly was.

Still, Chairman Yeo did nothing to correct him.

Jinwoo would need Woohee to continue being his plaything when he returned.

“Yes, Woohee. I heard you transferred schools without telling your parents or hyung. You deserved to be scolded. But Jinwoo went to America for work. He’s the heir to OL Group, so he had to meet someone important there.”

When Woohee nervously asked if his brother truly went because of him, Chairman Yeo reassured him otherwise.

After all, if Jinwoo were being punished because of Woohee, it would imply Jinwoo was at fault.

“Oh, thank goodness. I thought he left because of me. Hic.”

Relieved, Woohee clumsily wiped his tears with clenched fists.

Seeing how naive and kind his second son was, Chairman Yeo felt a pang of pity and pulled him into a tight hug.

‘Why did this child end up in our family, enduring all this hardship?’

“Hyung didn’t punish you out of hate. He was just worried about you and went overboard to make sure you’d be okay. You understand, right?”

“Yes, hic, I understand.”

“Good.”

Chairman Yeo let him go, checked his watch, and told him to come downstairs for breakfast before leaving the room.

Woohee, who moments ago had been teary-eyed, now wore a cold, calculating expression.

‘After all that, he just leaves for America? How dare he?’

Unlike Woohee, who lived under constant emotional manipulation, Jinwoo had frequently traveled abroad for OL Group heir training since childhood.

During his brother’s absences, Woohee felt the unbearable boredom of being left behind, yearning for Jinwoo’s return.

Everyone pampered him, yet Woohee, with his submissive tendencies, felt like a wanderer lost in a desert without water.

He marked Jinwoo’s return dates on the calendar, spending sleepless nights crying and writing letters to his brother overseas.

He understood that Jinwoo, the only heir to the Yeo family, had responsibilities.

But it stung to be left behind without even a word of goodbye.

Jinwoo had devoured his heart like a ripe peach, only to abandon him.

‘This wasn’t just neglect—it was betrayal.’

Woohee stripped off his bathrobe and reached for a whitening essence with pearl powder from his vanity.

He carefully spread the cream over his nipples and his most private spot, leaving them glistening and enticing.

Facing the mirror, Woohee turned around and spread his cheeks to inspect himself.

His untouched, pristine entrance gleamed prettily, even to his own eyes.

‘Whoever becomes my master will cherish me to no end.’

Smirking at his reflection, he resolved to attend school without hesitation now that Jinwoo was gone.

Though Cheongha University allowed casual attire, the strict private Jiha University required uniforms.

Designed by a former gang boss to cultivate elite enforcers, its graduates were said to be immediately recruited into underworld groups.

Woohee donned a uniform made of the finest materials, enhancing its appearance.

Dressed sharply, he descended to the dining room, where Chairman Yeo and Kim Minjeong were already eating.

Minjeong called for the housekeeper, “Jeonju, bring Woohee his red ginseng drink.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As Woohee sipped his drink, Minjeong asked about his uniform.

Trembling and shrinking his shoulders in feigned fear, he replied, “Mom, I… secretly transferred to Jiha University.”

“What?!” Minjeong leapt from her seat, shouting that she wouldn’t allow it.

Her elegant demeanor shattered, leaving even Chairman Yeo taken aback.

“What if you get hurt there? Why would a smart child like you go to such a place?”

“Mom, I really want to go. My friend from the orphanage is there,” Woohee said, forcing tears.

He recalled Jinwoo’s betrayal, using the memory to summon genuine tears.

“Without Dohee, I would’ve been beaten to death back then. I wouldn’t have survived.”

Minjeong hesitated, her mind flashing back to Woohee’s childhood trauma.

At six, Woohee had returned home from the orphanage covered in bruises.

Heartbroken, she had vowed never to blame him again.

Chairman Yeo reassured his wife, “Don’t worry. I’ll ensure his safety at school.”

“Really? You’ll protect him?”

“Of course. No one would dare touch OL Group’s second son.”

Sensing their approval, Woohee smiled radiantly, promised to stay safe, and boarded the car to school after a hearty breakfast.

* * *