The beam of headlights swept over the reflective road markings on a dark street without a single streetlight. As the lights skimmed across the road, leaving behind dizzy smears of brightness, Siron felt strangely out of sync.
Two weeks ago, he had been kidnapped by Isaac, his head covered with a cloth as he listened to the dying groans of a man, on his way to Isaac’s hideout. Now, he had succeeded in escaping and was on his way back home.
But this time too, he wasn’t alone. Baekgyeong sat behind the wheel, and in the seat behind the passenger side sat the attempted rapist, watching Siron's every move. Siron gave up trying to figure out where the hell his life was going.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to. The me during the rut cycle... wasn’t really me.”
The shameless bastard who’d nearly raped him under the spell of rut-driven madness was blushing as he apologized. Since when did an alpha’s rut become a valid excuse for attempted rape?
Siron had thought that once he escaped Isaac Bazelli’s grasp, he’d be free of the man’s delusional bullshit. But reality didn’t match his expectations. Baekgyeong and the attempted rapist were parroting the same stories as Isaac. It felt like he was trapped in a parallel world, one overflowing with only alphas and omegas. WritersResources
On top of that, Baekgyeong’s genre had changed. The worst disaster of Siron’s life before he met Isaac Bazelli had now reappeared wielding not a handgun, but a semi-automatic rifle. That dumbass who’d never even served in the military was holding a military-grade weapon—it was like handing a nuke button to a toddler.
“Yoon Siron. Let’s go to New York today.”
Baekgyeong turned to him as he spoke. New York? Siron flinched at the sudden suggestion.
“New York? Why the— Hey! Eyes on the road! Eyes on the road!”
“It’s too dangerous to head back to Baggers City like this.”
“Look forward, damn it! Forward!”
“We have to get out of Helsota State immediately.”
Even as Siron screamed “Hey! Hey!” at him, Baekgyeong only accelerated and drove more aggressively. Just then, the attempted rapist sitting like a doll in the backseat, suppressing his presence, spoke up.
“Should I knock this guy out and drive instead?”
He was holding his belt taut in both hands, clearly ready to strangle Baekgyeong with it from behind if needed.
This is fucking nuts.
It was lunatics on all sides. Siron turned pale and yelled at Baekgyeong.
“If you wanna die, do it alone, you crazy bastard!”
Baekgyeong, who’d been watching Siron’s face intently, let out a short laugh and spoke in a clearly mocking tone.
“Scaredy-cat. I’ve got lane-keeping assist on.”
“The fuck is that?!”
“It’s old tech. Haven’t been in a car lately? It keeps the car in the center of the lane.”
That explained how the car kept moving so precisely even though his hands were barely on the wheel.
“Must’ve been nice, riding around in fancy sedans with features like that while I was broke as shit, delivering food on a bike.”
Baekgyeong grumbled, eyes back on the road.
“Sedan, my ass. Thanks to someone, I spent years rotting in a psych ward.”
“What do you mean ‘thanks to someone’? You fucked up and paid the price. How’s that my fault?”
At Siron’s firm retort, Baekgyeong’s brow twisted menacingly—then slowly relaxed.
“Fine. Let’s say it was my own fault. Either way, it’s dangerous for you to stay here. Alpha bastards turned on by your pheromones will be swarming you. The mutt in the backseat’s living proof. Already forgot?”
“Uh... hey, you guys have been talking in Korean this whole time, and I’m kinda feeling left out. Mind switching to English?”
Siron, who had gone silent out of sheer disbelief, turned to the man in the backseat with a warning.
“You’re still guilty.”
“I’ll take the punishment. You can hurt me if you want.”
The attempted rapist slipped in another sexual innuendo without missing a beat. Siron let out a bitter laugh.
“Fuck, my ears are rotting. Baekgyeong! Pull over.”
Baekgyeong looked confused as he replied.
“What?”
Siron shouted at the lunatic who reflexively loosened his grip on the wheel and turned his head.
“I said I’m hungry, so pull the damn car over!”
Without hesitation, Baekgyeong pulled into a roadside diner. A flashy neon sign blinked: \<Welcome to Michel’s Diner>. Through the windows under the lights, the silhouettes of customers seated at booths and tables near the bar counter could be seen.
Siron opened the door, conscious of the two massive men following behind him. The diner was packed and lively, probably because the entire town came here for dinner. The moment the three men entered, all heads turned toward them, and the place fell silent like someone had hit the mute button on a TV. Trying to avoid attention, Siron kept his head down, but it was useless with those two trailing behind him.
“Siron. Scoot over a bit.”
“Fuck off. I’m sitting here.”
“Can both of you just back off? I’m sitting alone.”
They squabbled over the seat next to Siron but ended up sitting across from him, side by side, after being firmly rejected.
“Uh... hey... you want anything else?”
The attempted rapist, who had ordered everything from breakfast to dinner menus, unfolded the menu in front of Siron with a sweet tone.
“No. Toast’s enough.”
Siron replied dryly. He might’ve coincidentally ended up traveling with the guy, but he didn’t feel like being nice to someone he’d never see again.
Just as the attempted rapist opened his mouth to say more, his phone rang. He sighed like he regretted the interruption.
“Anna’s calling. I’ll take this outside.”
The man stepped out and paced around the car as he talked on the phone. Siron unconsciously crossed his arms and stared out the window at him.
The face that had been a bloody pulp from a cast-iron skillet had nearly healed. A freakish healing rate.
“Do alphas... heal faster?”
“I thought you didn’t believe in that alpha bullshit.”
“I don’t... I don’t, but I’m just asking.”
“Think of it like a super soldier in a comic book. Faster healing, more stamina, more sex drive.”
At Baekgyeong’s words, Siron studied the rapist through the window again. The man was too eye-catching. Nearly two meters tall, with gold-blonde hair tinged with ash that sparkled even in dim light like threads of pure gold. His lips were sharply contoured, the bottom lip fuller than the top, split just slightly in the center—sensual. He looked less like a soldier and more like a gender-reversed Guess model from a black-and-white denim ad.
Was it because his face had such perfectly symmetrical harmony? Siron felt something uncanny about it. It didn’t feel human. Not someone who had ever existed in his world.
“Siron. Wipe your drool.”
Baekgyeong reached toward Siron’s mouth with a mocking sneer. Swatting the hand away like he was brushing off a fly, Siron frowned and scanned the man outside from head to toe. As much as he hated to admit it, the bastard looked disgustingly good even in a plain white tee and jeans.
“Honestly... he’s fucking hot.”
“What about me?”
Just then, their food arrived, cutting the conversation short. Siron turned his eyes to the French toast drenched in maple syrup and answered.
“I’ve seen your face too long. I’m sick of it.”
“Where’s that Yoon Siron who used to peek at my face like a little rat?”
“He died along with Urethral Plug Siron.”
With no trace of a smile, Siron lifted his head and stared at Baekgyeong. That annoyingly familiar face stared back. The pomegranate-red lips of late summer, the long lashes like they’d been drawn with ink, the perpetually squinting, scowling eyes—everything was the same. But the bone structure had grown, and the wild alley cat face had become that of a tiger in heat.
The past version of him felt like a previous life. Siron grew uneasy. It had been four years. Could someone change this much? Was “alpha” really a thing?
“How did you find me? All the way in Bethel?”
“I hired a dog.”
“A dog? ...Didn’t see any dog.”
“That guy has a nose like one.”
“Oh, ...pheromones, huh?”
Siron snorted and shoved a piece of toast into his mouth.
“This isn’t a movie. Why the hell were you carrying a gun?”
“I had to be armed if I was going to rescue you.”
Siron’s chewing gradually slowed.
“...Isaac Bazelli’s that dangerous?”
“If you want to live out your natural lifespan, it’s best not to get involved.”
Siron hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but by all accounts, it was clear law enforcement had been involved. Police or FBI had stormed the hideout like it was war and arrested him. What kind of criminal history did it take for them to unload bullets without due process? The more he thought about it, the more the memories and emotions from that moment blurred.
He must’ve been a serial killer.
Siron grew nervous, wondering if the “Omega” shot Isaac had given him would end up killing him. He didn’t want to be the last victim of a murderer right before his arrest.
Tap— Tap—!
A sound from the window made Siron turn. The rapist was waving at him through the glass, his face bright like he’d just gotten good news.
“Who’s Anna?”
“Huh? Why do you care?”
“Look at his face. He’s practically glowing.”
Siron, in contrast, had no one to share the joys or sorrows of his day. Most of his messages were spam, and the rare ones he did get were short requests for money or tuition.
“...Huh?”
Goosebumps spread across his body. Kim Jiyeon’s tuition payment deadline! It felt like he’d been doused in ice water. Frozen stiff, he looked seriously shaken, and Baekgyeong tilted his head.
“What?”
“Wh-What’s today’s date?”
“Today? August 14th.”
Siron shut his eyes tight and let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Thank god. It’s not over yet.”
“What’s not over?”
“Tuition payment deadline.”
As soon as he said it out loud, the thing he’d forgotten came crashing down like a weight on his shoulders.
There were only three days left to pay Jiyeon’s tuition. And all he had on him was the twenty bucks some kind woman in Bethel had given him. There was no way he could come up with seven million won in time.
“Tuition? For who? Not you, right?”
“Jiyeon.”
“Jiyeon? Who’s that?”
“The daughter of the CEO of Dream Company.”
Baekgyeong’s face, which had twisted in a menacing scowl, softened a bit, then twisted again in displeasure.
“Can’t even take care of yourself, and you’re paying someone else’s tuition? ...Fuck, don’t tell me you’ve been covering it this whole time?”
Tuition? He covered living expenses too. Siron couldn’t bring himself to admit he’d been being a bleeding heart while broke as shit. He decided to cling to his pride no matter what.
“Give me ten thousand dollars.”
But the words slipped out like a reflex, like a damn eel wriggling toward a hole full of money.
“Ha... ten grand?”
“Ah, forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Baekgyeong stared at him like he was insane—then his face twisted into a knowing, unpleasant smile. He hesitated for just a moment before leaning forward like a goddamn lobbyist, voice serious.
“I’ll give it to you.”
Siron gave him a skeptical once-over.
“Really?”
“There’s a condition.”
“No fucking way I’m going to New York.”
Baekgyeong chuckled, sipping his cola through a straw.
“Let me sleep at your place from now on.”
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