Chapter 126: Distortion of Control

His vision flashed white, then black again.

Hyun-woo struggled to keep his eyes open as they threatened to close.

But it wasn’t easy.

His weakened body twitched uncontrollably, and even the surrounding noises began to fade as though coming from far away.

“Ugh…”

Eventually he collapsed entirely, unable to support himself.

Slumped in the chair, he was stared down by Kwon-oh and Do-kyung as they stepped closer.

“Even the great Joo Hyun-woo can’t resist this, huh.”

“Ugh…”

Clicking his tongue, Kwon-oh reached out and gripped the back of Hyun-woo’s head.

His unfocused pupils trembled, unable to settle on anything.

“What did you expect? He’s still human.”

Do-kyung raised a hand and brushed Hyun-woo’s cheek, pale and drained of strength.

Long fingers slid gently across his cold skin.

“Hah, expectations… as if.”

Kwon-oh scoffed like he didn’t care, but unmistakable excitement bled into his voice.

Seeing Joo Hyun-woo so helpless, unable to even hold himself upright, made it difficult for him to suppress the unsettling satisfaction rising within him.

“You haven’t forgotten the deal, right?”

“…You really are twisted.”

Do-kyung ran his fingers through Hyun-woo’s damp hair with a slow smile.

Kwon-oh shot him a disgusted glare.

This wasn’t a spontaneous act.

It was a plan they had shaped for a long time.

Kwon-oh wanted to crush Hyun-woo’s will and seize a permanent weakness, and Do-kyung—as always—moved according to his own morbid interests.

Turning Moon Sung’s successor into someone compromised by drugs was extremely dangerous.

It could easily backfire.

So they had devised a different kind of “weakness.”

“Why is everyone so obsessed over an Alpha like this.”

Kwon-oh clicked his tongue again, eyes running over Hyun-woo’s sweat-sheened face.

A small bead trickled down his jaw.

“……”

Kwon-oh’s throat bobbed heavily as he watched.

His pheromones wavered, unable to hide his agitation.

Do-kyung, a Beta who couldn’t sense pheromones, still narrowed his eyes knowingly at how fixated Kwon-oh was.

“Strong denial is often a form of affirmation, you know.”

“What?”

“I’ve wondered for a while… is he really only ‘disgusting’ to you?”

“……”

Kwon-oh did not answer immediately.

He glared at Do-kyung, tense and irritated.

But then—

“Urgh…!”

“……”

“……”

Hyun-woo’s limp body jolted violently.

The drug’s effects were intensifying by the minute.

The substances used here weren’t normal; some were designed to overstimulate the body and distort perception entirely, producing extreme reactions and leaving users unable to resist.

And the side effects were severe.

But the club had no interest in safety—only in exploitation.

Just as it was happening now.

“Haa… ha…”

Hyun-woo writhed as he struggled to breathe, soft groans slipping out.

His flushed face drew the eyes of both men, their expressions shifting subtly.

“Well, anyway, you haven’t changed your mind, have you? Then I’ll go fir—”

“Wait.”

“…?”

Do-kyung reached out, but Kwon-oh slapped his hand away.

Kwon-oh’s face twisted sharply.

“What is it?”

“……”

Kwon-oh did not answer immediately.

Do-kyung didn’t rush him—he only smiled faintly, entertained.

People often notice emotions in others long before the person feels them themselves.

And Do-kyung had already realized that what Kwon-oh held toward Hyun-woo was not simple hatred.

“So be it. I don’t have to insist on going first. Watching might be fun too.”

When Do-kyung extended his hand behind him, a guard placed something into it.

A burner phone used by the club.

Turning it on, Do-kyung switched the camera to video mode with practiced ease.

“I’ll be filming this time. That’s fine, right?”

“…Fine.”

Admitting his own intentions at last, Kwon-oh nodded.

His gaze on Hyun-woo had completely changed.

Do-kyung stepped back and aimed the camera at the two of them, anticipation flickering in his eyes.

The screen displayed Hyun-woo and Kwon-oh.

A recording meant for leverage.

It was one of the club’s primary methods—filming compromised individuals under the influence and using it for blackmail.

Cha Kwon-oh used these recordings to control his rivals and force influential people into submission.

Not everyone who fell to the club’s temptations was simply weak-willed.

Some were principled, powerful people like Joo Hyun-woo, who would be ruined if such footage ever surfaced.

That made the method all the more effective.

And to Do-kyung, it was a chance to enact his own hidden, distorted aesthetic.

He was curious to see how the dynamic between Cha Kwon-oh and Joo Hyun-woo would appear on camera.

“Haa… h-hgh…”

Hyun-woo exhaled shakily, struggling for air.

His body felt weightless, his head spinning, his surroundings buzzing like distant static.

He could no longer clearly perceive where he was, who was with him, or even who he himself was.

He faintly sensed hands on him, but he couldn’t respond.

“…Damn it.”

“Ugh…”

Kwon-oh removed Hyun-woo’s tie and loosened his shirt, the fabric damp with sweat.

Like he was stepping into forbidden territory.

And knowing they were both Alphas added a twisted edge of rivalry in his mind.

He had always refused to recognize the nature of his fixation, but now—with restraints gone—there was nothing to stop the truth from spilling over.

“Ngh… stop…”

“What, Joo Hyun-woo? That uncomfortable already?”

His tone was sharp, mocking.

Hyun-woo didn’t understand the words—he shook his head faintly, lost in a haze.

Everything was being recorded.

Do-kyung zoomed in, documenting Hyun-woo’s feverish state with disturbing interest.

“You’re reacting like this already? Maybe this sort of pressure suits you better than corporate work.”

“S-stop… ha…!”

Kwon-oh leaned in further.

His hands tightened, but—

At the very last moment, Hyun-woo’s unfocused gaze met his.

And Hyun-woo whispered:

“Hh… Seung-hyuk… ah…”

“……”

The name he least wanted to hear.

Kwon-oh’s expression immediately hardened.

A surge of Alpha pheromones burst out of him, fierce and oppressive.

It crashed into Hyun-woo’s weakened body.

“Kh—!”

“Look closely, Joo Hyun-woo. See who’s in front of you right now.”

“Ugh…!”

Driven by ugly jealousy and possessiveness, Kwon-oh’s pheromones enveloped him entirely.

Hyun-woo trembled violently under the weight of another Alpha’s pressure.

A faint scent drifted from him—an involuntary reaction to overwhelming stimulus.