The night breathed on its own.
Lights flickered as if trying to outshine the stars, music pounded heavy rhythms into his temples, and every step echoed through his body. The crowd moved like a single living organism: laughter, shouts, pheromones, alcohol, cigarette smoke - all fused into a dense, almost tangible atmosphere.
Park Do-yun pushed through the storm, clutching the tray like a shield.
He wore the simple uniform of a waiter - white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, jeans, a vest. Just another face among dozens like him. No one would have paid him any attention… if not for his eyes. Too sharp, too cold, too out of place in this world.
He wasn't part of this crowd.
He never had been.
Do-yun was used to living on guard. Even now, when the music tried to drown out his thoughts, every detail burned into his memory: the guards shifting by the exit, a subtle gesture exchanged at the bar, the faint signal between two men in the corner. He was here for work. For his mission. And he had no right to let down his guard.
And above all - he had no right to reveal himself.
The pheromones in the air made it hard to breathe. Sweet, heavy, they clung to his skin, seeped inside, urged his body to respond. But Do-yun endured. Years of training, self-control, and suppressants - all so that no one, ever, would suspect.
He was an omega. But here, in this club, that had to remain a secret.
The tray trembled in his hands when the bartender placed an expensive bottle of champagne and plates of food on it.
- VIP room. Now.
Do-yun nodded.
His feet moved automatically, though a strange tension was rising in his chest. The corridor leading to the private rooms was quieter, almost free of music. Another world lived here - one where deals were struck and fates were broken.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The smell hit him. Stronger than the music. Stronger than the light.
Pheromones. So thick the air itself felt sticky.
He froze.
The room was bathed in soft golden light. On the sofa - a scene that made him want to look away. A man and an omega, bodies tangled, breathing heavy, movements unashamed, unrestrained. Too close. Too real.
Do-yun swallowed hard.
All he had to do was set down the tray, finish his task, and leave. Nothing more. No glance, no hesitation.
But things didn't go that way.
The man lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
Yoon Seung-ho.
A name the whole country knew.
An alpha, head of the nation's most powerful corporation. Dangerous, commanding, untouchable.
His eyes were dark as an abyss, and in that instant, Do-yun felt pierced straight through.
That gaze didn't just linger - it dragged into the open everything he had buried for years.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
He knew the alpha had caught his scent.
For a moment, time stopped.
Background moans pressed against his ears, his body went rigid, but the world narrowed down to one pair of eyes.
Do-yun forced himself to lower his gaze. He walked to the table, set down the tray as if nothing had happened. His fingers trembled - just enough that he could feel it himself.
He turned.
Every step cost him effort.
Every breath felt like betrayal.
Behind him, he felt the stare.
Heavy, searing, unbearably personal.
He shut the door.
The air in the corridor was cleaner, but the tremor inside remained. He walked with the same steady, cold face as always - but inside, his pulse hammered, his thoughts twisted.
He should never have met those eyes.
Never lingered.
Never allowed that alpha… to feel.
But the very thing he feared most had already happened.