Chapter 1 : The Worst Day of My Life

“F*ck, that bastard.”

It was a day when a sudden blizzard made it impossible to see even a step ahead.

That day was as cruel to Seo Yihyun as the weather.

“To think I dated that kind of guy for seven years. I really have no taste in men…”

Yihyun sobbed and muttered to himself.

Normally, he wouldn’t cry on a crowded street out of sheer embarrassment.

But since most people were walking with their heads down due to the sudden snowstorm, he could cry today without worrying about the stares of onlookers.

‘You’re a good person, but you’re a beta. And you don’t have enough background to make up for it… Were you seriously thinking about marrying me?’

Just witnessing his partner of seven years cheating would make anyone’s blood boil, but the excuses that came out of his mouth were even more ridiculous.

No, actually, it was a stretch to even call that an excuse.

‘Are you really saying that to me? Is that all you have to say?’

‘Are you really this naive? Hey, now you’re making me feel like the bad guy.’

If only he had slapped him right then and there and walked out, maybe he wouldn’t be crying on the street like this now.

Even after hearing that from his partner of seven years, Yihyun couldn’t say a single word in rebuttal and simply had to leave the café.

‘What? Did he cheat?’

‘Just looking at the difference in their clothes, you can kinda tell why they broke up, right?’

Yihyun was clearly the victim, but the people watching the scene in the café laughed at him instead.

What made it more unfair was that his appearance was so ridiculous that he couldn’t even reject their mockery.

He had overslept today, so he had rushed out without properly fixing his hair.

That was why his messy hair was still untidy.

If only his hair were the only mess, that would have been a blessing.

The worse part was today’s outfit.

To avoid being late, he had grabbed the first shirt he could find, which still had red sauce stains from yesterday’s company dinner.

His pants were also wrinkled and not properly pressed.

And his outerwear?

If he had at least worn a proper suit jacket, he wouldn’t have looked so pathetic.

He had been excited about getting off work early, so he wore the warmest but ugliest coat he owned.

In contrast, his cheating ex-boyfriend and that woman were dressed so neatly.

They even looked quite stylish, as if they had dressed up specifically for their date.

Did I think about marriage?

Yes, I did.

Even though I wasn’t planning on getting married this year at twenty-eight, I still dreamed of a happy future with Han Gyujin.

I thought we could talk about marriage next year or the year after.

I even used to search for wedding reviews and honeymoon tips with that foolish hope.

But what the hell happened?

“That person next to him must be Shin Woosung…”

Yihyun sniffled and muttered.

The two people he saw in the calm café, so mismatched with his unusually shabby appearance, suited each other so well it was infuriating.

The alpha, who smiled dotingly as he wiped the cream off the omega’s lips, would have seemed like a nice couple to Yihyun too, if only he weren’t his own partner.

That omega woman, who stared at Yihyun with wide, startled eyes, looked lovely at first glance.

“That bag, it’s the new N brand item. Her blouse was expensive too.”

Yihyun spoke as he recalled the scene he couldn’t forget even if he wanted to.

The woman Gyujin was cheating with seemed to be from a fairly rich family.

An expensive bag that even two months of Yihyun’s salary couldn’t buy, and a blouse worth the price of the new phone he had recently bought on a whim.

Since Gyujin, the third son of the NW Group, was seeing someone while talking about marriage, she was naturally from a wealthy family.

“Hmph, he said all that didn’t matter before. Bastard.”

To Yihyun, who was born as the eldest son of a poor family with only a slightly better brain than others, Gyujin had always been a miracle.

He met him at a university that was slightly below top-tier, where he had entered on a full scholarship, as a senior by one year.

Although Gyujin was a chaebol’s son, he always said he was just the third son who wasn’t even allowed to take management classes—a disowned child.

He insisted it was wrong to treat him like someone from a different world, and Yihyun had believed those words literally.

‘It’s not enough to just not treat me like someone from a different world. I want to be a person in your world, Yihyun.’

When he heard that, he was so happy and excited, as if he held the whole world in his hands.

But in the end, it was all just a meaningless dream.

“Some person in his world. It was just a chaebol son’s amusement.”

You’re a beta. And you don’t have enough background to make up for it.

It was unfair, but he couldn’t deny it.

Compared to Gyujin, who had everything—being a dominant alpha, coming from a good family, possessing handsome looks, and having excellent social skills—Yihyun had nothing.

All he had was a slightly better brain and a face that people called cute.

Compared to that lovely dominant omega lady, who was decked out from head to toe in what seemed like Yihyun’s annual salary, Yihyun had no merit.

Yes, I admit it.

I admit it, but if that was the case, he should have at least said he wanted to break up.

If he had, then no matter who he slept with, Yihyun would have just thought he was a fool for expecting anything from someone from a different world.

He wouldn’t have felt this pathetic.

“Ugh…”

Yihyun couldn’t hold back the tears that surged up and stood still, tears dripping down his face.

“You said you were busy as hell… You said you were sorry for not being in touch…”

[Baby♡: I think I’ll have time tomorrow. I get off at 7, so wait for me at home, baby.]

He had never doubted it even once, even though it had been two months since Gyujin said he was busy with work, causing their contact to become sporadic and their meetings to grow rare.

Just last night, he had been so happy that he kissed the phone screen, thinking they could finally meet tomorrow, only to get this in return.

After seven years of calling each other honey and baby, how could it end like this?

“Hwaaah…”

Yihyun stopped in the middle of the street and cried out loud like a child.

But this time, even the blizzard that blocked people’s view didn’t seem to completely hide Yihyun, as passersby started glancing at him.

“Sniff, sniff.”

Feeling the stares belatedly, Yihyun started walking again, sniffling.

A moment later, the blizzard that had been so strong that he couldn’t see ahead began to fade.

But Yihyun’s tears showed no sign of stopping.

“Sniff.”

As the blizzard lessened and people began to lift their heads, Yihyun finally seemed to feel a bit embarrassed and started to mind the stares.

His tears didn’t seem like they would stop soon, he still had a long way home, and he didn’t want to go inside a building to cry.

In the end, Yihyun chose to cry secretly in a deserted alleyway, deciding that once the tears subsided a bit, he would go back home.

Entering a quiet alley, Yihyun sniffled with his head bowed.

‘If I go home with my eyes all swollen, Yeseo will worry. What should I do?’ he thought belatedly, just as someone ran into the alley.

“……”

‘They’re running, so they’ll probably pass by quickly.’ Yihyun thought nothing of it and lowered his head a bit more.

But contrary to his expectation, the man who ran straight into the alley suddenly grabbed Yihyun’s chin and lifted it.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“!!”

The man’s next action was even more rude.

“Mph, ugh!”

Without hesitation, the man kissed Yihyun.

Yihyun, suddenly being kissed by a stranger, squirmed in his arms in utter confusion.

But it only looked like he was throwing a tantrum within that firm embrace.

“Pfwah, what the hell are you…”

“Shh, honey.”

As soon as their lips parted, Yihyun tried to confront him.

But the man just placed a finger over Yihyun’s lips, acting sickeningly sweet.

‘Honey…’

Why did that word remind him of Gyujin acting cute sometimes?

Suddenly angry, Yihyun tried to push the man away, struggling against his grip.

“Are you crazy? Why am I your honey? Let go, won’t you?”

“Honey, are you that upset? I’m sorry for everything. So stop being mad and look at me, okay?”

But the man tried to soothe Yihyun with a gentle voice, as if he didn’t even feel Yihyun’s struggling.

Considering he had said “excuse me” when he first approached, it didn’t seem like he had mistaken Yihyun for someone else.

Then why on earth was he doing this?

“My honey, are you really mad?”

“I said I…”

[Ding.]

Just then, a small sound effect came from somewhere nearby.

Startled, Yihyun turned his head while still trapped in the man’s arms, and saw another man holding a phone with trembling hands.

“A-A scoop.”

“What?”

Muttering something incomprehensible, the man turned and ran away.

A scoop?

Although the man in front of him seemed crazy, there were plenty of crazy people in the world, so how could this be a scoop?

“Hey, wait!”

“Not so fast.”

Yihyun, feeling a bad omen even though he didn’t know what it was, tried to chase after the running man.

But his movements were stopped by the man who had kissed him out of nowhere.

Grabbed by the scruff of his neck, Yihyun looked up at the man’s face and tried to get angry.

“What…”

‘What the… he’s damn handsome.’

Only then did Yihyun properly face the man, the thought flashing through his mind.

But that was only for a moment.

Thinking that no matter how handsome he was, he was still a psycho, Yihyun started to confront him properly.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“You don’t know me?”

“How would I know someone I’ve never met?”

At that, the man pointed at himself with a surprised expression.

‘Who does he think he is, expecting me to know him?’

Annoyed, Yihyun glared at the man.

“I can’t believe there’s still someone in Korea who doesn’t know me. I need to work harder.”

The man said something incredibly cocky and wiped the sweat from his forehead, letting out a laugh.

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