* * *

Transferring to Jiha University was surprisingly easy.

By supplementing his credits through the Academic Credit Bank System, Woohee was able to transfer as a third-year student.

When Cheongha’s prestigious student expressed a desire to transfer, Jiha’s department head personally called him, offering a full scholarship.

Because the program required third-year students to participate in practical training, and Woohee lacked foundational knowledge, the department head kindly suggested he attend first-year classes.

This arrangement made it possible for Woohee to potentially encounter Na Taejoon, a first-year student in the fashion design department.

Finally, the big day arrived.

Planning to sneak off to his new school, Woohee woke up an hour earlier than usual, only to find his brother, Yeo Jinwoo, staring down at him as he slept.

“Go back to sleep. It’s still early.”

“Hyung, how long have you been here?”

Jinwoo stroked his head softly.

“Not long.”

His plan to go alone on his first day was already in shambles.

Wide-eyed, he desperately tried to think of a way out.

“Why are you acting like this, Woohee? Are you hiding something from me?”

“Uh… Hyung, actually… I transferred to another university.”

The flawless facade on Jinwoo’s face cracked.

His hand, which had been gently stroking Woohee’s head, froze.

Woohee gulped nervously.

“This is news to me. Who dared accept your withdrawal without my approval?”

Jinwoo’s low voice carried an unshakable certainty that such a thing couldn’t happen.

Woohee pulled the blanket up to his eyes, watching Jinwoo warily.

“I have a friend who once saved my life when I was in the orphanage. I recently found out he’s at Jiha University. I really want to go to school with him. Hyung, please let me do this.”

Jinwoo’s hand left his head, trailing to his cheek.

He gently caressed Woohee’s face as he spoke.

“Woohee, you ask for permission before you cause trouble, not after. Doing it this way is called informing, not asking.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And Jiha University? It’s a filthy place full of mongrels—not somewhere for a gentle kid like you. I can’t let you go there. I’ll cancel the transfer myself.”

Jinwoo’s expression hardened as he grabbed Woohee’s cheeks painfully, pressing into his soft skin.

Woohee’s lips formed a round pout like a goldfish.

“No! I want to go to Jiha!”

“Why is my sweet brother acting like this, hmm?”

Jinwoo tried to reason with him, but Woohee stubbornly refused, determined to provoke his brother.

“I’m going to school with Dohee!”

The unfamiliar name caused Jinwoo to abruptly release Woohee’s face.

There wasn’t a single person in Woohee’s life Jinwoo didn’t know about, no matter how insignificant.

“Woohee, has it been too long since your last punishment?”

“Hyung, I’m sorry!”

Panicking, Woohee clung desperately to Jinwoo’s arm, his face pleading.

Jinwoo grabbed his brother by the hair, dragging him off the bed.

“If you’ve done something wrong, you need to be punished.”

“Hyung, I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

Woohee clung to his brother’s leg, rubbing his face against it like a child begging for forgiveness.

Jinwoo ignored his brother’s endearing behavior, ordering a servant to bring a liter of water.

Before even being punished, Woohee sobbed as though the world was ending.

Jinwoo took the water bottle, locking the door behind the servant.

Only then did Woohee realize there was no one left to save him.

He knelt quietly on the floor.

“Open your mouth.”

Yeo Woohee tightly shut his eyes and opened his mouth.

Water poured relentlessly from the bottled water.

“You’re spilling more than you’re drinking. Yeo Woohee, are you going to do this properly or not?”

Scolded by Yeo Jinwoo, Yeo Woohee gulped down the water with a noticeable movement in his throat.

His stomach quickly filled to the brim.

Closing his mouth, he shuffled forward on his knees and pleaded again with his older brother.

“Hyung, I’m sorry. I’m so full.”

“Yeo Woohee, who said you could lose your posture while being punished?”

“Hic… Please forgive me. I was wrong.”

His pretty, water-drenched face looked up at Yeo Jinwoo in fear.

The sight sent a chilling shiver down Jinwoo’s spine, almost paralyzing his mind.

He shoved the mouth of the water bottle into Yeo Woohee’s lips.

“Drink it all. This won’t end until you’ve finished every drop.”

With his head tilted back, Yeo Woohee’s eyes brimmed with tears as he held the bottle in his mouth.

Water spilled out of his lips, unable to flow down his throat, soaking his pajama top.

The silken, cream-colored fabric clung to his upper body as it absorbed the water.

Yeo Jinwoo’s eyebrows shot upward.

When did our Woohee grow up like this?

His gaze was drawn to the silhouette of the plump chest and nipples outlined through the wet silk.

He couldn’t look away, his grip on the water bottle loosening.

Yeo Woohee, finally spitting out the bottle’s mouthpiece, coughed violently and clutched his aching throat.

His skin, flushed from the intense coughing, stood out against the damp pajamas.

How could someone so sinful-looking be his little brother?

The heavens must truly be merciless.

“Hic… Hyung, I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

Yet Yeo Woohee, pitiful as he sounded, didn’t look pitiful at all.

On the contrary, his feigned helplessness stirred something primal within Jinwoo, pushing him to the edge.

The redness around Yeo Woohee’s eyes, nose bridge, and cheeks drew his gaze irresistibly.

His slightly parted lips, gasping for air from a stuffy nose, only added to the allure.

Watching his younger brother’s exquisitely tear-streaked face, Yeo Jinwoo wiped away his tears with a hand.

He had known since they were young.

His own looked breathtaking when he cried.

Back then, Jinwoo thought he’d make him cry endlessly in the future.

And here they were, just as he’d imagined.

Now, Yeo Woohee, perhaps needing to pee, fidgeted on his knees, his hips twitching.

Though dominant alphas usually had greater stamina for withholding such things, Jinwoo couldn’t help but wonder.

How small must Woohee’s endurance be for him to falter like this?

“For someone who’s so good at studying, why do you keep repeating the same thing? Are you worried I won’t know what you did wrong?”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

Yeo Woohee’s startled shoulders jumped as if pricked.

Shaking his head, he lifted his wide, round eyes to gauge Yeo Jinwoo’s reaction.

He was a perfect younger brother—kind, gentle, and brilliant in his studies.

Perhaps due to the memories of being sent to an orphanage when he was young, Yeo Woohee excelled in school, achieving perfect scores on every test.

His efforts to earn their parents’ love were evident.

With someone as beautiful as Yeo Woohee striving so desperately for affection, it was impossible for their parents not to fall for him.

Yeo Jinwoo found Yeo Woohee both pitiable and endearing.

Unlike the dominant Alpha traits that sought to control others, Yeo Woohee’s submissive demeanor resembled that of an Omega, leaving Yeo Jinwoo utterly satisfied.

Yet, instead of helping his brother overcome his trauma, Yeo Jinwoo drove him deeper into it.

While showering him with affection, he subtly undermined him, constantly implying that any failure to strive for love would result in abandonment.

This relentless pressure slowly crushed Yeo Woohee’s spirit.

* * *