The dining room was bigger than the entire warehouse where Kang-woo used to collect debts. A long black table that could seat twenty, crystal glasses catching the light like knives, and enough silverware to arm a small gang. The whole Kwon family sat waiting like they owned the world—which they basically did.
Kang-woo walked in wearing the black suit like armor. Yoon-ah had done her job too well; he looked every inch the elegant Omega son-in-law. Inside, Mad Dog Choi was sweating bullets.
"Seung-ho," the mother-in-law said without smiling. "Sit."
He sat. Right between Ji-woon and the brother-in-law, Min-jae. Perfect. Trapped between two Alphas who both wanted a piece of him for very different reasons.
Ji-woon didn't speak. He just watched. Those cold eyes tracked every move Kang-woo made, like a predator deciding whether to play with its food first. The dark Alpha scent rolled off him in waves, making Kang-woo's new body tighten in ways he really didn't want to think about.
Min-jae, on the other hand, was all smiles. The film-director charm was turned up to maximum. Under the table, his hand landed on Kang-woo's thigh like it belonged there.
"Glad you're feeling better, honey," Min-jae murmured, squeezing once. "Missed you."
Kang-woo forced a polite little smile—the kind he'd seen rich people use on TV—and tried not to break the bastard's fingers. "Yeah. Thanks."
The first course came. Some fancy soup that tasted like money and regret. Kang-woo picked up the wrong spoon. Caught himself. Switched it. The mother-in-law's eyes narrowed but she said nothing.
Conversation stayed light at first. Stocks. Golf scores. Some upcoming gala. Kang-woo nodded along, keeping his mouth shut and his street slang locked behind his teeth. He could do refined. He could fake it.
Then Min-jae's hand slid higher under the table, thumb stroking the inside of his thigh like they were still fucking in secret. Kang-woo's fork froze halfway to his mouth.
Across the table, the sister-in-law smirked like she knew exactly what was happening.
Ji-woon's gaze sharpened.
Kang-woo's phone—Seung-ho's phone—vibrated on the table. The mother-in-law glanced at it. "It's Chairman Park from the merger talks. He was expecting you to charm the Japanese investors tonight, Seung-ho. Answer it."
Shit. Kang-woo picked up the phone with a hand that suddenly felt too soft. He cleared his throat and tried to sound like a proper Omega son-in-law.
"Hello? This is Han Seung-ho."
Chairman Park's voice crackled through, stressed and pissed. "Seung-ho-ssi, the investors are getting cold feet. They say the terms feel too aggressive. You were supposed to reassure them over dinner tonight. What do I tell them?"
Kang-woo's brain short-circuited for half a second. Refined words wouldn't cut it. These were businessmen. Sharks. He knew sharks.
He let a little street slip out before he could stop it.
"Tell them the terms are aggressive because the Kwon Group doesn't do charity. If they want soft and sweet, they can go fuck a pillow somewhere else. But if they want to make real money, they sign tonight or we walk. Simple as that."
Dead silence on the other end.
Then Chairman Park laughed—short, surprised, relieved. "You… you sound different, but I like it. Direct. The investors just nodded. They're in. Deal's saved. Thank you, Seung-ho-ssi."
The line went dead.
Kang-woo set the phone down. The entire table was staring.
Min-jae's hand froze on his thigh.
The mother-in-law looked almost impressed.
And Ji-woon… Ji-woon's eyes narrowed into slits. The predator had just seen something it didn't expect.
"You've changed," he said quietly. No question. Just a flat statement that felt like a blade against Kang-woo's throat.
Kang-woo forced a soft laugh that didn't sound like his own. "Amnesia, remember? Maybe the river knocked some sense into me."
Dinner continued like nothing happened, but the air had thickened. Min-jae's hand stayed put, possessive. Ji-woon never stopped watching.
When the last plate was cleared, Ji-woon stood first. "Seung-ho. My study. Now."
It wasn't a request.
Kang-woo followed him down the hall, heart hammering in his too-delicate chest. The study door closed behind them with a soft click that sounded louder than a gunshot.
Ji-woon turned, backing Kang-woo against the heavy oak desk without touching him. Those cold eyes pinned him in place.
"I'm asking why Choi Kang-woo became Han Seung-ho."
The words dropped like a bomb.
Kang-woo's blood turned to ice.
Ji-woon knew.