As dusk approached, the sky above the city turned red. The final remnants of light filtering between the skyscrapers surrounding Central Park seemed to temporarily quiet the noise of daily life.
Choi Baekhee stood, gazing out at the cityscape beyond the massive window that occupied one side of her office. From her office on the top floor, there were moments when looking out at the city gave her the illusion of surveying the entire world. The view from this height symbolized her status and responsibility—made her acutely aware of just how far-reaching the consequences of any decision she made could be.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Choi Baekhee turned from the window and returned to her desk. On it lay neatly organized documents prepared for submission to the FDA. It was the application for clinical trials of a new drug: a rut cycle suppressant for alphas.
Up to now, all testing had been non-clinical, conducted in laboratories based on Baekgyeong’s somatic cells and other physical and chemical mediums. But if she received FDA approval, they would be able to conduct trials on actual alpha-designated humans. In other words, it would mark the official declaration that another human subspecies, distinct from Homo sapiens, coexists with mankind on this planet.
The current genetic difference between modern humans and Neanderthals: 0.12%.
The genetic difference between modern humans and alphas: 0.6%.
The emergence of alphas—the new human species—would be a scientific breakthrough powerful enough to send shockwaves through modern society, and their arrival would plunge the world into chaos. Choi Baekhee knew all too well how fierce the social and ethical storms ahead would be—storms she herself would have to lead.
“If I don’t take the lead, who will?”
Choi Baekhee was qualified to speak on behalf of alphas. Her own son, Baekgyeong, was an alpha. If she came forward and revealed this fact to the world, her family would become the eye of the storm. And in the whirlwind of public attention, the Vile Group would gain the perfect opportunity to solidify its brand even further.
She was preparing to incorporate currently underground alpha-related procedures into formal medical protocol. Her primary goal was to extend the alpha lifespan and suppress their libido, thereby improving their quality of life. In the long term, these efforts would bring significant financial gains to the Vile Group.
If Choi Baekhee just signed the documents on her desk, everything would begin to fall into place. She picked up the pen, which felt unusually heavy in her hand today. She had always completed what she set out to do without hesitation, yet now she held the pen in silence for a long while.
A faint pang of conscience gnawed at her. Baekgyeong, who stood at the very center of this entire plan, still didn’t know anything about it.
She picked up her phone and checked again the text message sent from an unfamiliar number.
---
[???:
Mother. I’ll keep this brief since you’re busy. There are those opposing the development of the suppressant. They appear to be groups profiting off the spread of the disease. Please, hold off on disclosing anything about the suppressant or registering it for clinical trials until I contact you again. I’ll be back in New York soon with a pretty bride.
– Your good-for-nothing son♡]
---
“How ridiculous.”
Choi Baekhee pressed her palm against her throbbing forehead, reading the message again and again. It was the first contact she’d received from Baekgyeong since he vanished. She’d assumed he was just chasing after Yoon Siron’s tail, but now it was clear he’d gotten entangled in something far more complicated.
The word “group” struck her as something out of a comic book villain plot, and a smirk crept across her lips. But she was well aware: the “groups” Baekgyeong referred to were undoubtedly the clinic operators behind the alpha trait-conversion programs. These groups mimicked the organizational complexity and meticulousness of corporate mafias. They willfully ignored the ethical and legal issues arising from the procedures related to trait conversion and pursued nothing but enormous profit.
Yet, considering the sheer scale of the Vile Group—a titan in the global industry—such threats were little more than the futile buzzing of mayflies. Choi Baekhee had ignored such powerless whining more than once. Her only concern was whether Baekgyeong might be caught up in something serious, or worse, disrupt the project she had poured so much of herself into.
The fate of the company was hers alone to worry about. A part of her found Baekgyeong’s dramatic message laughable, but another part—her maternal instinct—stirred faintly. Ignoring the unfamiliar emotion creeping up on her, Choi Baekhee replied to the message.
---
[Me:
Pretty bride, my ass.
If you want to live with Yoon Siron, then come back before the end of this week.]
---
Choi Baekhee stared down at the approval documents on her desk, her thoughts swirling. Her face slowly hardened as she raised the pen once more. But after staring at the blank signature line for some time, she put the pen down and picked up her phone again.
---
[Me:
We’re planning to submit an IND application to the FDA for human clinical trials.
As part of the process, our research findings will be shared, and your name will be listed anonymously.
But don’t expect that anonymity to hold forever.
Eventually, the world will know that the problematic alpha is none other than the youngest son of the Vile Group chairwoman—Baekgyeong.
You’ll be a target for quite some time.
But just as you always have, I believe you won’t care about the cheers or curses of others.
You were raised under the cold stares of your parents and built a mind tough enough to withstand anything.
I’ve always respected that unbreakable spirit of yours.
PS. Hoping you fulfill your usefulness for the scientific progress of mankind. Awaiting your reply.]
---
After sending the message, Choi Baekhee sat there in silence, staring at the documents. Eventually, she closed the pen without signing. She had decided to postpone the decision until Baekgyeong replied. By tomorrow, she might very well change her mind and bulldoze {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} ahead like always—but not today.
Leaving her office, Choi Baekhee climbed into the back seat of a black sedan to head home. The chauffeur navigated the chaos of Manhattan with practiced ease. As they left the city and neared Scarsdale, the road grew quieter, and the noise of the city faded far into the distance.
As they approached the mansion, the vehicle gradually slowed. When they reached the front gate, and the car paused to wait for it to open, Baekhee felt the tension in her rigid body slowly begin to release.
But in that quiet evening stillness, an ominous figure suddenly appeared. The black shape melded into the darkness like a shadow, and neither the driver nor Baekhee noticed. Two individuals emerged out of nowhere, each holding a compact matte-black semi-automatic pistol, fitted with long suppressors at the barrel tips.
They opened fire on the two people seated inside the sedan. Pik, pik, pik, pik. The weak, dull pops sounded like children’s toy guns. Four shots each—eight total—struck the driver and Choi Baekhee. The moment the figures saw the bodies slump forward against the windows, they mounted motorcycles stripped of license plates and vanished into the night.
---
Isaac Bazelli and his twin brother had grown up under the shadow of a rare Y-linked genetic disease known as Chronos Syndrome. The disease had haunted the men of the Bazelli family for centuries, passed down from generation to generation.
When Isaac was only five, their biological father died young, leaving behind the two boys. Soon after, they were placed in the care of their uncle, Gezar Bazelli.
Gezar, a scientist, had an older male lover: Dr. Yuri Berec, a descendant of the prestigious Berec family in Philadelphia. In a conservative era, the two had made a secret vow of love and became partners. After the loss of the boys' father, they adopted the Bazelli twins and became their foster parents.
Gezar himself was not free from Chronos Syndrome, so he and Yuri began joint research to find a cure. After years of study, they discovered that modifying the Y chromosome structure through a newly designed gene configuration could successfully cure the brain disorder afflicting male patients. Their work ultimately led to the creation of a new gene structure known as alpha.
The edited gene not only overcame Chronos Syndrome, but also drastically enhanced physical and physiological abilities. Using their research, Gezar proceeded to transform both himself and the twins into alphas.
But the experiments ended in unforeseen tragedy. Gezar succumbed to an inexplicable madness, murdered Yuri Berec and the adopted sons, then set himself ablaze in a suicide. The only survivor was Isaac Bazelli.
To exploit his alpha traits for national security, Isaac was imprisoned in the underground facilities of the Federal Biological Research Institute (BRI), turned into a lab rat. The project name: AX-66. On the year he turned eighteen, Isaac escaped from BRI and vanished.
“This is all the officially archived information in the CIA’s classified records.”
Baekgyeong spoke, eyes still fixed on the back of the photograph. Where his gaze lingered, the ink had smudged and blurred from water damage.
Anna, who had been listening intently, asked:
“If that’s as far as the official record goes, what more is there?”
Nodding in response, Baekgyeong reached into the pencil tray on the desk and pulled out a dull pencil. Staring at the worn-down lead, he let out a sigh and tossed the pencil and a cutter knife to Lewis.
“Sharpen it long.”
Lewis instinctively bristled at Baekgyeong’s command. Each word from the man triggered the primal urge to compete for dominance. But unable to withstand the tension, Lewis reluctantly did as told. Once the pencil was ready, Baekgyeong resumed.
“In the freezer beneath the Federal Biological Research Institute, there was a preserved corpse.
It was the body of the first omega—Yuri Berec.”
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