Chapter 9: A Reckoning of Hearts

For some reason, it felt like he had been caught cheating on his lover.

Hyunwoo flinched at that thought for a moment.

Cheating?

He wasn’t in any relationship with Seunghyuk right now.

Not a married spouse, not even a lover.

There was no reason for him to feel guilty.

Hyunwoo straightened his back.

“…Lee Seunghyuk.”

“…….”

Seunghyuk’s gaze was fixed on the hand Hyunwoo was holding with Subin.

At that intense stare, Hyunwoo relaxed his furrowed brow and smiled.

Originally, he hadn’t planned on unnecessary skinship with the acting Omega, but now it seemed harmless to show Seunghyuk a bit more affection.

“Seeing all this, what a coincidence.”

“Ha….”

Seunghyuk exhaled and curled the corners of his lips into a faint smirk.

When he swept his bangs with one hand, his eyes glinted with madness, but unfortunately, Hyunwoo didn’t notice.

He was focused solely on acting as if they had met by chance.

If he directly introduced Subin to the suspicious Seunghyuk, Seunghyuk might discover they were acting.

So he waited at a café Seunghyuk frequented, pretending to bump into him by chance.

“A coincidence, huh.”

Seunghyuk’s piercing gaze swept over Subin, whose hand Hyunwoo held.

Subin shivered, sensing an inexplicable chill from those eyes.

But as a prospective actor, he quickly managed his expression and smiled brightly at Seunghyuk.

“Who’s this? A friend of yours, Hyunwoo hyung?”

“…….”

Subin forced a smile and greeted him, but Seunghyuk didn’t respond and simply glared.

He slowly sat across from them.

Subin smiled awkwardly, barely enduring the pheromones pressing down on him.

They said the target was a dominant Alpha; the force of the pheromones was no joke.

Not extreme, but it was more than Subin’s weak pheromone resistance could handle.

Still, armed with innate acting skills, Subin smiled cheerfully.

Anyone could see he was meeting a beloved partner, thrilled and excited.

Seunghyuk’s eyebrows twitched at the sight.

“Say hello. This is Lee Subin, who I’ve been seeing lately. He’s a university student.”

“Hello, I’m Lee Subin.”

“…….”

Subin smiled and extended his hand toward Seunghyuk.

Seunghyuk barely glanced at it, refusing to shake.

Subin awkwardly lowered his hand.

‘What the hell is wrong with this crazy guy?’

Hyunwoo stared at Seunghyuk in disbelief.

This ridiculous play was meant to reassure him, yet why was he exuding such a threatening aura?

His head throbbed in frustration.

“Let go of that hand while I’m being nice.”

“Excuse me?”

“Before I cut that wrist off, let go and scram.”

“Ugh…!”

Seunghyuk’s words radiated violent pheromones.

The Omega Subin staggered under the force, and Hyunwoo quickly caught him to shield him.

“What are you doing?”

“…….”

“…Ugh.”

Even Hyunwoo couldn’t withstand Seunghyuk’s pheromones and staggered.

He was bewildered.

Seunghyuk, though a dominant Alpha, had never used pheromones violently on people around him before.

What could have provoked him so much…?

Hyunwoo pondered briefly but couldn’t find a reason.

He decided to send Subin home before things got worse.

“Subin, I’ll contact you later. Go home for now.”

“Uh, okay.”

Subin nodded frantically and stood up.

Only after he disappeared from sight did the oppressive feeling ease.

Hyunwoo exhaled quietly and glared at Seunghyuk.

The instigator remained perfectly composed.

“Come with me.”

The café was a mess from Seunghyuk’s pheromones.

Everyone except the Beta-class people struggled under the dominant Alpha’s deliberate force.

Those farther away were less affected, but the remnants of pheromones left people bewildered.

They couldn’t stay there any longer.

Hyunwoo led Seunghyuk to his car.

He roughly pushed him into the passenger seat and got into the driver’s seat, glaring at him fiercely.

“What the hell is your problem? Huh? What are you so unhappy about?”

“What did I do?”

“What do you mean! I even showed you my new lover because you didn’t trust me!”

Hyunwoo shouted, forgetting the pretend coincidence, anger boiling over.

Seunghyuk’s lips curled slightly upward.

“Ah, that person is your new lover?”

“Yes, my lover.”

Hyunwoo nodded slyly.

At least he successfully showed Seunghyuk the Omega lover, so he intended to proceed.

His gaze fell on Seunghyuk’s smiling face.

“Ahaha, but what should I do? You won’t see that lover starting tomorrow.”

“…What?”

Seunghyuk whispered to Hyunwoo with a gentle smile.

“If you want to save that bastard, break up and come right now.”

“…!”

Only then did Hyunwoo realize something was seriously wrong.

He swallowed nervously and stared at the possessed Seunghyuk.

“You… what do you mean…”

“What do you mean? I’m giving you a second chance.”

“A second… chance?”

Hyunwoo didn’t fully understand, but suddenly remembered what Seunghyuk had said at the café where Hyunjin worked.

‘Choose. Break up with that bastard, or see what he did to me reported everywhere.’

Even after seeing Hyunwoo with a new lover, Seunghyuk was again demanding the breakup.

‘Why?’

Hyunwoo’s mind was in chaos.

He had thought it would be easy to distance himself from Seunghyuk, but now it seemed impossible.

Everything was different from before the regression.

His eyes trembled as he looked at Seunghyuk.

“Why are you doing this to me? You should be happy we’re over!”

“I never said that.”

“Ha, then do you really want to marry me?”

“…….”

Hyunwoo asked in anger, not because he didn’t know the answer, but just to confirm.

Even if Seunghyuk changed, he wouldn’t want to marry him unless he was truly crazy.

But Seunghyuk, looking at the angry Hyunwoo, nodded.

“Yes.”

“…!”

“Marry me.”

Hyunwoo’s eyes widened.

He couldn’t comprehend what he just heard.

He stared blankly at Seunghyuk.

His hand gently caressed Hyunwoo’s cheek.

Really… Seunghyuk wants to marry me?

That same Seunghyuk who had hated him for five years?

Hyunwoo snapped out of it, pushing Seunghyuk’s hand away and shouting.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You hate me!”

“Do I?”

“Yes!”

Hyunwoo remembered clearly.

Seunghyuk had never properly looked at him, always pushed him away, and was always sharp-tongued.

Even someone oblivious could tell how much Seunghyuk despised him.

“When did I ever say I hate you?”

“That’s….”

“Have you ever truly tried to understand me? You only liked my appearance.”

“…….”

Hyunwoo couldn’t refute that.

Before the regression, he had been exactly as Seunghyuk described.

That was why Seunghyuk had disliked and avoided him.

Yet after marriage, Seunghyuk only grew fonder.

Hyunwoo knew his own foolish tendencies, but perhaps it was because of how desperately Seunghyuk hadn’t looked his way.

At the time, he had been desperate to have Seunghyuk’s heart.

But now, he knew all that had been selfish desire and an illusion.

He and Seunghyuk were not fated.

That fact was all that mattered.

“You’re right. That’s why the infatuation faded. You don’t necessarily like me enough to marry me.”

“…….”

“Let’s stop here. That’s right.”

Hyunwoo spoke openly, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

He felt a strange sense of relief.

“I can’t do that.”

“You really….”

Seunghyuk’s stubborn words made Hyunwoo frown and turn his head.

Even after saying so much, Seunghyuk kept talking nonsense.

Hyunwoo frowned and shouted.

“Then can you kiss me? Huh? Can you live with me while being intimate with another Alpha? I won’t do a marriage just on paper!”

“…….”

Hyunwoo recalled the hollow marriage he had with Seunghyuk.

Five years, no first night, not even a single kiss.

Seunghyuk avoided him, and whenever he approached, Seunghyuk became defensive.

Such a bleak married life had exhausted Hyunwoo.

He had no intention of repeating it.

Seunghyuk, heated now, might speak nonsense, but hearing this would sober him up.

Seunghyuk, who once recoiled at even the slightest touch, couldn’t possibly kiss…

“Ugh…!”

But that thought was quickly erased.

Seunghyuk reached out, grabbed Hyunwoo’s collar, and pulled him close.

Finally, their lips met.