With a sigh, Jihoon carefully detached Haneul from his breast, earning a whimper of protest, and adjusted his sweater. He stood, settling his son on his hip, and padded to the door in his socks.
"Who is it?" he called out.
"We're looking for Park Jihoon." The voice was male, deep and commanding in a way that made Jihoon's inner Omega sit up and take notice. Alpha, definitely. And not just any Alpha. A dominant one. "We need to speak with you about your husband."
Jihoon's blood ran cold. "My ex-husband, you mean. And who the hell are you?"
He peered through the peephole and immediately wished he hadn't.
There were two people in his hallway, and both of them radiated danger like most people radiated body heat. The female Alpha was tall and lean, dressed in an expensive suit, her expression sharp. But it was the man who made Jihoon's heart skip a beat.
He was huge. That was the first thing Jihoon noticed. Even through the distortion of the peephole, the man's size was evident. Broad shoulders that seemed to span the entire doorframe, a height that would make Jihoon crane his neck to look up at him, and a presence that was so intensely Alpha that Jihoon could practically feel the pheromones seeping through the door.
And he was impeccably dressed. Even in the dim hallway light, Jihoon could tell the suit was expensive. Custom-tailored, probably. The kind of thing that definitely cost a lot.
This was not good. This was very, very not good.
"I don't know what you want," Jihoon said through the door, trying to keep his voice steady even as his heart raced. "But I'm busy right now. Whatever business you have with Jeon Hyungtae, take it up with him. We're divorced. Have been for two years."
"Open the door, Park-ssi." The Alpha's voice was polite but firm, the kind of tone that suggested refusal wasn't really an option. "We just want to talk."
"I'm not opening my door for strangers in the middle of the evening. Especially not strangers who show up unannounced asking about my deadbeat ex."
There was a pause. Jihoon could practically hear the Alpha's patience wearing thin.
"Park Jihoon-ssi, I'm going to be frank with you. Your ex-husband stole a substantial amount of money from my organization. He listed you as his guarantor. That makes you legally responsible for his debt. Now, we can discuss this civilly, or we can discuss it in a much less pleasant manner. Your choice."
Jihoon's blood turned to ice. Guarantor? What the hell was this Alpha talking about? He hadn't signed anything, hadn't agreed to be responsible for Hyungtae's debts. They'd been divorced for two years!
But even as he thought it, a sick feeling settled in his stomach. Hyungtae had always been a bastard. Always forging signatures, always taking shortcuts. It wouldn't surprise Jihoon in the least if his ex had put his name on something without his knowledge or consent.
Haneul, sensing his mother's distress, began to whimper again. Jihoon bounced him gently, his mind racing through his options.
He could refuse to open the door. Call the police. But what if these people were dangerous? What if they broke the door down? What if they hurt Haneul?
He could try to run. But where would he go? The two Alphas were at the door and he couldn't possibly jump from a window with a toddler in his arms, could he?
Or he could open the door and face whatever this was head-on. At least then he'd know what he was dealing with.
Both his heart and mind were racing.
With a shaky breath and a prayer to whatever deity might be listening, Jihoon unlocked the door and opened it.
The reality of the Alpha was somehow worse than the peephole had suggested.
He was massive. At least 190 centimeters, with shoulders so broad they blocked out the hallway light behind him. His face was all sharp angles and harsh lines: a strong jaw, high cheekbones, a nose that looked like it had been sculpted by an artist with a thing for geometric perfection. His hair was dark and impeccably styled, his suit was so perfectly fitted it looked painted on, and his eyes...
His eyes were dark and cold and utterly terrifying.
Jihoon had never felt so small in his life. At 172 centimeters, he was already on the shorter side, but standing in front of this Alpha, he felt positively tiny. His inner Omega was screaming at him to submit, to bare his neck, to show this apex predator that he wasn't a threat. To do as he had with Hyungtae.
He told his inner Omega to shut the hell up.
"You're Park Jihoon?" the Alpha asked, his gaze sweeping over Jihoon with an analytical precision that made him feel like a bug under a microscope.
"Yes. And you are?"
"Kang Taewoo." The name was said with the expectation of recognition, like Jihoon should know exactly who he was. "This is Hong Yoo, my associate."
The woman nodded curtly. Up close, she was striking: tall and lean with an androgynous handsomeness that probably had Omegas falling over themselves. But right now, her expression was all business, her Alpha pheromones carefully controlled but present enough to set Jihoon's nerves on edge.
"Can we come in?" Taewoo asked, though it wasn't really a question.
"I... no. No, you can't just barge into my home. I don't even know who you are or what you want."
"I told you what I want. I want to discuss your husband's debt."
"Ex-husband," Jihoon corrected through gritted teeth, though his heart was racing at having two huge Alphas at his door. "And I don't know anything about any debt. Hyungtae and I have been divorced for two years. Whatever he did, whatever trouble he's in, it has nothing to do with me."
"Unfortunately, that's not how guarantor agreements work."
"I never signed any guarantor agreement!"
"Nevertheless, your name is on the documents. That makes you legally responsible."
Jihoon's grip on Haneul tightened. His son, picking up on the tension, had surprisingly stopped whimpering and was now staring at the large Alpha with wide, uncertain eyes. His grip on Jihoon tight.
"How much?" Jihoon asked quietly.
"I'm sorry?"
"How much did he steal? What's the debt?"
Taewoo's expression remained impassive. "Ten billion won."
The world tilted sideways. For a moment, Jihoon thought he might actually faint. Ten billion won. Ten billion. That was... that was an incomprehensible amount of money. That was more money than Jihoon would make in several lifetimes. That was the kind of money that rich people threw around, the kind of money that existed only in abstract concepts and news articles about corporate fraud.
And Hyungtae had stolen it.
And somehow, according to these people, Jihoon was responsible for it.
"You're insane," Jihoon heard himself say. "You're absolutely insane if you think I have access to that kind of money. Look around!" He gestured wildly at his tiny apartment with his free hand. "Do I look like I'm hiding ten billion won under my couch cushions? I work retail! I can barely afford rent! There is no universe in which I could pay back that kind of debt!"
"Then perhaps you can tell us where to find your husband so he can pay it himself."
"Ex-husband! And I don't know! I haven't seen Hyungtae in six months! The bastard doesn't even pay child support regularly!" Jihoon's voice was rising now, anger overtaking fear. Because of course. Of course this was happening. Of course Hyungtae had screwed him over one last time. It wasn't enough that he'd been an abusive, cheating piece of shit during their marriage. It wasn't enough that he'd abandoned his own son. No, he had to go and steal billions of won and leave Jihoon to deal with the consequences.
"That bastard," Jihoon hissed, and he was so angry he was shaking. "That absolute piece of human garbage. Ten billion won? Ten billion? And he couldn't send a single note to his own son? Not one? What the hell did he even do with ten billion won?"
Taewoo's eyebrow rose slightly, and Jihoon realized he was probably not helping his case by having a breakdown in his doorway. But he couldn't help it. The unfairness of it all was just too much.
"Park-ssi—"
"Don't. Just don't." Jihoon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he started crying, which would just be the cherry on top of this disaster sundae. "I don't know where Hyungtae is. I haven't known where he is for months. He shows up when he feels like it, throws some money at me if I'm lucky, and then disappears again. I have no way to contact him. No address, no phone number that actually works, nothing. If you find him, please, let me know so I can punch him in his stupid face."
There was a beat of silence. Jihoon watched as something that might have been surprise flickered across Taewoo's features.
"You want to punch him?"
"I want to do a lot more than punch him, but I'm trying to set a good example for my son." Jihoon shifted Haneul higher on his hip. His arms were aching, but he didn't feel safe putting his son down around two dominant alphas. "Look, I'm sorry about your money. I really am. But I can't help you. I don't know where Hyungtae is, and even if I did, I wouldn't have the means to track him down. I'm just trying to survive here."
Taewoo studied him for a long moment, his dark eyes unreadable. Then, without warning, he stepped forward, and Jihoon's inner Omega screamed at him to move back, submit, make himself smaller. This massive Alpha was suddenly in his personal space, close enough that Jihoon could smell his scent: sandalwood, rich, expensive, and also Alpha. Which meant scary. Which meant possibility of harm.
"Park-ssi," Taewoo said, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm going to be very clear with you. Your husband—"
"Ex-husband!" Jihoon corrected, doing his best to hold his ground and stop his knees from shaking.
"—stole from me. That is unacceptable. I don't care about your personal circumstances. I don't care about your divorce. I don't care that you claim ignorance. Someone is going to pay that debt, and if I can't find Hyungtae, then I'm looking at you."
Jihoon's jaw clenched. "Then you're looking at the wrong person. I. Don't. Have. The. Money. What part of that is unclear? Should I speak slower? Use smaller words? I'm broke! I'm a single parent working a minimum-wage job! I have maybe three hundred thousand won in savings! You do the math on how long it would take me to pay back ten billion!"
"Then I suppose you'll be working for me for a very, very long time."
"I'm not working for you! I'm not doing anything for you except pointing out that this isn't my problem!"
"It became your problem the moment your husband used your name as a guarantor."
"He had no right to do that! We were divorced! That's fraud! That's identity theft!"
"Take it up with your lawyer, then. In the meantime, you owe me ten billion won."
They were practically nose to chest now, Jihoon glaring up at the Alpha with all the fury he could muster, which, admittedly, probably wasn't very intimidating given that he was holding a toddler and probably looked like an angry kitten. But he was too mad at the situation to care.
Haneul, caught between them, made a soft, distressed sound. Immediately, Jihoon's anger was tempered by concern. He stepped back, putting distance between himself and Taewoo, and cooed softly at his son.
"It's okay, baby. Eomma's okay. Everything's okay."
Taewoo watched this interaction with an unreadable expression.
When he spoke again, his voice had lost some of its sharp edge, though he still sounded like someone who was used to getting his way.
"I'm not an unreasonable man, Park Jihoon-ssi. I understand that you may not have the liquid assets to pay this debt immediately. But you will pay it. One way or another."
"How? Please, enlighten me. How exactly do you expect me to pay back ten billion won? Should I sell a kidney? Both kidneys? My soul? What's the going rate on the black market these days?"
From behind Taewoo, Yoo made a sound that might have been a suppressed laugh. Taewoo shot her a look that could have melted steel.
"There are other forms of payment," Taewoo said slowly, and something in his tone made Jihoon's skin prickle with unease.
"If you're about to suggest what I think you're about to suggest, I'm slamming this door in your face."
"I'm not suggesting you sell your body, if that's what you're worried about. I'm not that kind of businessman."
"Oh, forgive me for assuming. It's just that you showed up at my apartment uninvited, implied I'm responsible for my ex-husband's crimes, and are now demanding ten billion won from someone who can barely afford groceries. What kind of businessman does that make you?"
Taewoo's jaw tightened. "The kind who doesn't like being stolen from."
"Join the club! Hyungtae stole six years of my life! He stole my dignity, my trust, and apparently my financial security! You think I'm happy about this?"
They stared at each other, the tension in the hallway thick enough to cut with a knife. Jihoon's heart was pounding so hard he thought it might break through his ribs. Every instinct was screaming at him to submit, to apologize, to do whatever this terrifying Alpha wanted. But he'd spent too long being pushed around by Alphas who thought they could control him. He was done.
Taewoo just stared at the omega, contemplative.
Finally, Taewoo seemed to come to some kind of decision. He straightened to his full height, which just made him look even more imposing, and his expression shifted into something calculating.
"I have a proposition for you."
"Does it involve me paying back ten billion won?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"Then I'm not interested."
"You haven't heard it yet."
"I don't need to hear it. The answer is no."