The mother-in-law didn't waste time on sympathy. She pinched the bridge of her nose like Kang-woo's existence was a personal insult and turned on her heel. "The gala is in three days. Fix him before then." The nosy sister-in-law—some cousin or whatever, he still didn't know—grinned like a shark smelling blood and followed her out. The doctor packed his bag and left without another word.
Only Kwon Ji-woon stayed.
He stood at the side of the bed, hands in his pockets, watching Kang-woo like he was a puzzle that had suddenly grown teeth. The restraints were gone now, but the Alpha's scent still filled the room—dark, expensive, and way too close. Kang-woo's new body reacted again, a low heat curling in his stomach that made him want to punch something.
Ji-woon spoke first, voice low and even. "You caused quite the scene at the hospital. Screaming you weren't Seung-ho. Threatening the staff."
Kang-woo rubbed his wrists. "Yeah, well… shit happens when you wake up in the wrong skin."
Ji-woon's eyebrow lifted a fraction. Almost amused. "Memory loss can do strange things. But you'll remember soon enough." He stepped closer, fingers brushing Kang-woo's jaw like he had every right. "Won't you?"
The touch sent another unwanted spark down his spine. Kang-woo jerked his face away. "Don't touch me like that."
Ji-woon smiled. It wasn't warm. "We're married, Seung-ho. I touch you however I want."
Before Kang-woo could tell him exactly where he could shove that marriage, the door opened again. A woman in a crisp navy uniform stepped in—name tag reading Kim Yoon-ah. She bowed neatly to Ji-woon, then to him.
"CEO-nim. It's almost time for dinner. The family is waiting downstairs. Shall I help Hee-soo-nim change?"
Ji-woon gave a single nod and left without looking back. The door clicked shut behind him.
Kang-woo exhaled like he'd been holding his breath underwater again. "Yoon-ah, right?"
She nodded, professional but eyes soft. "Yes, Hee-soo-nim."
He swung his legs off the bed. The silk pajamas felt ridiculous on his—on Seung-ho's—body. "Take me to the dressing room. I need to see what the hell I'm working with."
She led him down a hallway longer than his old apartment building. Marble floors, art on the walls that probably cost more than a yacht. The dressing room was the size of a small store. Rows of suits, shirts, shoes, watches in glass cases. Everything pressed, perfect, screaming money.
Kang-woo stopped in the middle and whistled low. "This bastard really lived like a prince."
Yoon-ah waited quietly.
He opened a drawer. Box after box of watches—Rolex, Patek, shit he only saw in magazines. He picked one up, turning it in the light. "These real?"
"Of course."
He laughed once, sharp. "All of it? Mine?"
"Everything in here belongs to you, Hee-soo-nim."
Kang-woo opened a lower drawer and found a small box. Inside: a dead phone and a ring case. He flipped the case open. A diamond the size of a small grape stared back at him.
"Your wedding ring," Yoon-ah said quietly.
He held it up. The stone caught the light like it was showing off. "How much?"
"Multi-billion won. It was all over the news when the CEO announced the marriage."
Kang-woo's eyes widened. Daesan Group? No—Kwon Group. Top ten chaebol. And the original Seung-ho's father had been that congressman who hanged himself last year. The scandal was national. Now he was wearing the dead guy's face and his ring.
He put the ring back like it might bite him. "Yoon-ah. How long have you worked here?"
"Since before the marriage. I served Congressman Lee first."
"So you know everything."
She hesitated, then nodded once.
Kang-woo turned to face her. "The husband. Ji-woon. He hates me, doesn't he?"
"Not hate. …Distance. You've had separate rooms for over a year."
Separate rooms. Thank fuck. "And the brother-in-law? The one who kissed me in the hospital like he owned the place?"
Yoon-ah's cheeks colored. She didn't deny it.
Kang-woo laughed, short and ugly. "So the perfect Omega son-in-law was fucking his husband's little brother behind closed doors. Antidepressants too, right? Lonely little rich boy."
She looked down. "You were… very unhappy here."
He rubbed his face. The soft cheeks still felt wrong. "Listen. I'm not going to rat you out. But I need the truth. Who lives here? Who's dangerous? Who's useful? Give me the map before I walk into that dinner blind."
Yoon-ah pulled an envelope from inside her jacket like she'd been waiting for this. Inside: neatly typed pages. Family tree, personalities, dirty laundry. Everything.
He flipped through it fast. Mother-in-law: ice queen who ran the social side of the empire. Father-in-law: mostly absent, golfing in Jeju. Sister-in-law: bored rich girl who loved gossip. Brother-in-law Min-jae: film director, charming on camera, predator off it. And Ji-woon at the top—CEO, Alpha, the one who made people disappear with a phone call.
Kang-woo closed the folder. His new heart was hammering. "One more thing. The affair. How long?"
"Almost from the start."
He exhaled. "Great. I woke up as the family whore who can't even remember his own name."
Yoon-ah's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, tense. "They're waiting."
Kang-woo looked at the rows of perfect suits. He grabbed the closest one—black, sharp, exactly the kind he used to jerk off to. "Dress me up, Yoon-ah. Let's go meet the sharks."
As she helped him into the shirt, he caught his reflection in the full-length mirror. Elegant. Beautiful. Nothing like Mad Dog Choi.
But inside, the street rat was still there. Watching. Waiting.
And already planning how to survive this golden cage before it snapped shut for good.