Chapter 15: The Nape and the Wrist.

“…What the hell, why are you here?”

Min Gihwan, his eyes already half-lidded as if he were drunk, slowly looked up at Shin Joowon.

The two freshmen sitting across from them were stiff to the point of awkwardness, and Jin Yooha—pushed into the corner by Min Gihwan and curled in on himself—was flushed even redder than before, looking like he might burst at any moment.

“I was gonna come get you since you were sitting here, but you stepped out to take a call. I was wondering what was so fun about this place, so I thought I’d check it out.”

Min Gihwan spoke in an overly excited tone, a lazy grin plastered across his face.

“But—f*ck, this guy can’t drink for shit. He’s boring as hell too, so why’s he even here? Everyone else is over there.”

Laughing openly as he pointed at Yooha, Min Gihwan braced himself on the table and stood up.

The sight of him staggering around, unable to keep his balance, was briefly ridiculous but when he looked like he might topple over onto Yooha, Shin Joowon grabbed his arm and yanked him outward.

Min Gihwan didn’t fall, but he slammed his back hard into the wall and twisted his face in pain.

“Hey, everyone’s over there. You not coming?”

“I like it here. It’s quiet. I’ll go later if I get bored.”

From the sharp, irritated way he spoke, it was clear Min Gihwan was too drunk to have any sense left.

Shin Joowon forced a smile as he replied, suppressing the anger boiling up inside him.

Between Chairman Shin’s call and Min Gihwan’s drunken antics, nothing seemed to be going right tonight. As he ran a hand through his hair and swallowed a sigh, a panicked voice burst out from across the table.

“Ah—ah…! Sunbae!”

Turning his head, he saw Yooha’s upper body pitching forward.

He looked like he was about to smash his head straight into the table.

Shin Joowon rushed over and caught him.

Leaning Yooha back against the wall, he checked on him—Yooha was breathing hotly, eyes squeezed shut. Anyone could tell he was completely wasted.

“How much did he drink after I left?”

“I think… about two more glasses….”

Only after shooting a quick glance at Min Gihwan, who was grumbling while rubbing his back, did one of the freshmen cautiously answer.

There was no way Jin Yooha—who’d said he couldn’t drink—had suddenly decided to down two shots of soju on his own. Anyone could see Min Gihwan had come over, thrown his weight around, and forced him to drink.

‘f*ck. So he passed out after just three shots of soju?’

A hollow laugh escaped Shin Joowon at the absurdly low tolerance.

He pressed his fingers to his forehead for a moment, then slowly shook Yooha’s shoulder.

“Yooha.”

“…Mm…….”

“Jin Yooha.”

“Yeees… sunbaee….”

“Try to wake up.”

Only after his whole body was shaken did Yooha blink his bleary eyes open.

Seeing him this completely out of it hadn’t been part of the plan, and Shin Joowon felt nothing but disbelief.

In this state, someone could kidnap him and he wouldn’t notice a thing.

“Haah…….”

f*ck… this is such a pain.

He’d planned to probe Yooha’s true thoughts once the alcohol loosened him up a bit, but before he could even try anything, Jin Yooha had completely lost consciousness.

It was beyond ridiculous.

With Yooha out cold and his plan in ruins, there was no reason to stay here. For a moment, Shin Joowon felt like leaving Yooha collapsed right where he was—but after considering his public image, he changed his mind.

“This won’t work. Yooha, let’s go home.”

“Yeees…….”

He answered obediently, but Yooha clearly had no grasp of the situation. He just clutched the bag he’d taken off, making no real move to get up.

He’s not acting, is he?

He’d said he’d take him home if it got late—was Yooha pretending to get drunk quickly on purpose to cling to him?

It was an old trick, but one Shin Joowon usually couldn’t refuse.

It wasn’t like no one had ever tried that on him before. And Jin Yooha was an omega, no less.

Thinking his suspicion was fairly reasonable, Shin Joowon watched Yooha for a moment. Yooha’s unfocused eyes blinked slowly as his upper body swayed.

His face, ears, the back of his neck—even the fingers peeking out from his sleeves—were flushed red.

“Sunbaee… but, um… I’m really dizzy…….”

“…Let’s step outside first. I’ll hold you.”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…….”

If that was acting, Jin Yooha might as well debut as an actor and change his fate.

Shaking off the pointless thought, Shin Joowon stood up first.

Yooha tried to get up too, but his body—long past the point of control—refused to cooperate. His eyelids kept drooping, his mind growing foggier by the second.

“Sunbae… waait… just a sec…….”

He lifted his hips, only to slump back down again, repeating the motion uselessly. Shin Joowon let out a dry laugh and roughly ran a hand through his hair.

Trying to mess with someone and ending up stuck in the mud himself—this was a first. In this absurd situation, Jin Yooha seemed to be the only one at peace.

“I’m sorry… sunbaee….”

“…….”

“Um… my eyes keep… closing…….”

As if giving up entirely, Yooha relaxed and slumped down, his eyes finally sliding shut.

Shin Joowon banged the side of his head lightly against the wall, then looked down at Yooha sprawled forward and laughed emptily.

‘Ah, f*ck. I really got played.’

****

After handing his card to Sung Hyerin, Shin Joowon left the barbecue restaurant and immediately lit a cigarette.

Thankfully, he’d parked his car in the restaurant’s lot—if it had been at the Management Building, this would’ve been even more annoying.

Leaning lazily against the trunk, he inhaled and exhaled smoke deeply. He hadn’t had a single drink, yet his temples throbbed—proof of how intense the stress had been.

After tossing the barely smoked cigarette into a nearby trash can, he got into the car. In the passenger seat, Jin Yooha was fast asleep, his head bent sharply to the left.

So I deal with all the cleanup while you sleep peacefully, huh.

Turning on the interior light, Shin Joowon leaned his head against the steering wheel and stared at Yooha.

He could’ve fixed the uncomfortable position, but he deliberately didn’t.

Whether Jin Yooha woke up sore the next day had nothing to do with him.

“Hey.”

“…….”

“Jin Yooha.”

“…….”

“f*ck… you’re something else.”

He must be sleeping deeply.

Snorting softly at Yooha’s complete lack of movement, Shin Joowon continued to study his sleeping face. I

t was the first time he’d seen Yooha this relaxed, free of tension. With all the strength gone from his expression, he looked even more docile—and the sight filled Shin Joowon’s head with the urge to torment him even more cruelly in the future.

Unfortunately, today wasn’t the day for that.

He couldn’t be the irresponsible senior who abandoned a passed-out junior.

Remembering Chairman Shin’s words—never forget you’re part of the Taemun Group—Shin Joowon was strict about managing his image.

Even though he’d been rotten and hollow inside for a long time, he’d lived carefully hiding it so no one could tell from the outside.

He’d never done something stupid enough to ruin that effort on a whim.

Alright then—let’s play the good senior for now.

Sitting up straight, Shin Joowon started the engine. Remembering Yooha had said he lived in Sanyeong-dong, he entered Sanyeong Station into the navigation first.

With traffic slowing things down, the estimated arrival time showed 9:30 p.m.

It was just past 8:40 now—about fifty minutes away.

Depending on the exact location, he might have to go past the station or take another route, so he figured an hour would be safer.

“Jin Yooha.”

“…….”

“Wake up.”

“…….”

“I need to know where you live to take you home.”

“…….”

“f*ck… I’m the crazy bastard for bringing you along.”

Even shaking his arm got no response.

Growing up around people with high alcohol tolerance—and hanging out with the same kind—he’d underestimated this completely.

Turning bright red after a single shot was bad enough, but passing out like this after barely drinking? It was unbelievable.

Maybe that was why he kept letting out short, incredulous laughs.

“Mm…….”

Yooha, who hadn’t reacted at all before, shifted slightly and made a sleepy sound, like a child fussing in their sleep. His unnaturally bent neck must have finally bothered him.

Just as Shin Joowon thought this was his chance to wake him, he froze.

A scent—one that should never exist inside his car—reached him.

“…….”

After squirming a little, Jin Yooha relaxed again, slipping back into sleep.

Forgetting entirely that he needed to wake him, Shin Joowon leaned closer to confirm whether his instincts were right.

The easiest places to sense pheromones were the nape of the neck and the wrists.

Choosing the exposed nape over the wrist hidden by sleeves, Shin Joowon brought his face closer.

Closing his eyes, he focused and inhaled slowly.

There it was—a faint pheromone so weak that an ordinary alpha would never detect it.

He inhaled again.

A subtle, nondescript floral scent brushed his senses.

So he really is an omega.

Smiling soundlessly, Shin Joowon then lifted Yooha’s arm.

He pushed the sleeve back slightly, fingers idly tracing the protruding wrist bone before pressing his nose to the inside and breathing in.

The soft omega pheromone seeped deep into his lungs.