Chapter 3: Do You Need a Man Every Day?

“Move.”

The doorman was not even given a chance to protest or apologize.

At a single jerk of Chae Woo-seok’s chin, the man retreated as if fleeing.

Watching that, Go Ha-jin quietly slipped free of the arm draped over his shoulder.

Hadn’t he been so cold just moments ago, and now he was offering kindness?

The sudden shift in Chae Woo-seok’s attitude was enough to leave Ha-jin genuinely taken aback.

“…Then I’ll be going first.”

“I can’t tell whether you’re fearless or just lacking a sense of danger.”

“Pardon?”

“Rude, too, for someone who doesn’t look it. You’re missing quite a few things.”

Spitting out his words irritably, Chae Woo-seok climbed into the back seat of the black sedan that had just stopped in front of the hotel.

“Get in.”

Go Ha-jin’s mind began spinning at full speed.

He had no idea what kind of nonsense this bastard was suddenly on about, but one thing was clear.

There was hope, real hope, that his connection with Chae Woo-seok might not end as a fleeting encounter.

After all, the man was telling him to get into the car even though his clothes were still damp from the water dumped on him earlier.

“I’m fine.”

He had gone so far as to pretend he was furious enough to have water poured over his head, wouldn’t it be ridiculous to get in the car this easily now?

Deliberately flattening his tone, Go Ha-jin refused outright.

Inside, though, he was desperately begging him to ask just one more time.

“Do I look like I’m making a suggestion right now?”

So this was what “burning with anger” meant.

A deep crease formed between Chae Woo-seok’s brows, irritation blazing unmistakably in his eyes.

Rumors about his terrible personality were widespread, but it seemed his patience ranked among the worst of the worst.

For a fleeting moment, Ha-jin wondered if refusing one more time might land him in the trunk instead of the back seat.

Was that paranoia, or self-preservation?

Either way, he quickly abandoned the idea of playing hard to get and got into the car.

What was with those eyes, they were terrifying.

“…Thank you.”

“You’ve got some nerve. Just earlier you dumped water on me, and now you’re climbing right into my car.”

Chae Woo-seok was irritated in his own way as well.

When he’d had cold water poured over his head, he’d been too startled to process much else.

But as time passed, the irritation kept bubbling up, and he’d chased after him all the way to the lobby to vent it.

“You told me to get in…?”

“Do you usually just hop into any stranger’s car like that?”

And to think he’d been chatting with some other guy in that short span, an omega, no less.

If he’d been left alone, would he have handed over his number?

From what he’d seen, the guy clearly couldn’t refuse people, so it seemed likely.

Maybe he would’ve gone even further.

The thought made Chae Woo-seok’s irritation spike in a very different way than before.

“P-Please drop me off at the nearest bus stop…”

And what about that stubborn refusal to apologize, even once?

Despite being clearly terrified by Woo-seok’s icy voice, he still responded with a trembling, defiant edge.

It was like he was trying to show that he was sulking.

“Fine. Then so be it. You heard him, stop at the nearest bus stop.”

“Yes, sir.”

If he had just apologized for what happened in the lounge, Chae Woo-seok had planned to drive him all the way home.

After all, even by his own standards, the things he’d said earlier had been trash.

And it wasn’t as if he could start brawling with someone this scrawny.

No joke, he could beat him with a single finger.

Besides, even if this omega wasn’t the one he was looking for, he didn’t like the idea of letting one wander alone late at night.

It might not be outright dangerous, but who knew what could happen?

Especially with a face like that, walking down a deserted road alone was practically inviting trouble.

But Go Ha-jin’s oddly irritating attitude stirred up a petty, impulsive spite.

“Manager Kim, they haven’t caught that serial killer yet, right?”

“You mean the omega killer? It doesn’t seem like it.”

Even while casually chatting with Manager Kim at the wheel, Chae Woo-seok’s attention stayed fixed on the omega beside him.

The car wasn’t small, yet Ha-jin was pressed up against the door as if trying to fuse with it, his discomfort painfully obvious.

His fingers fidgeted endlessly on his thigh, unable to hide his anxiety.

Exactly what Woo-seok wanted.

“That’s a problem. They’re already past ten victims, aren’t they?”

“Twelve. They found another one behind the tunnel yesterday.”

Whether Manager Kim was perceptive or just naturally stoic, his emotionless delivery of facts made it sound even more chilling.

It was a childish prank, but it worked.

Even when the car stopped at the bus stop, Go Ha-jin remained frozen, one hand gripping the other tightly.

“You’re not getting out? We’re here.”

“…I-I’m getting out…? Here… here?”

The location was perfect.

A lone bus stop stood only a few hundred meters from the tunnel where a new body had been found the night before.

The hotel itself was nestled deep in the mountains, meaning anyone heading toward the city had to pass through that tunnel.

No cars passed by.

The only sound was the quiet hum of their engine.

“You said to drop you off.”

No, scratch that.

It wasn’t just irritation anymore.

Seeing Go Ha-jin’s hands and eyes trembling so badly that it was obvious even under the dim interior light filled Chae Woo-seok with satisfaction.

For some reason, whenever he dealt with this omega, he felt an urge to play cruel little games.

“Get out.”

At those final words, sorrow flooded Go Ha-jin’s eyes.

Tears welled up, threatening to spill over at any moment.

His fingers fidgeted again, as if speaking in place of his mouth.

‘Can’t you take me home?’

“What are you doing?”

At this point, he should say it.

That he was wrong.

That he was sorry.

Looking at the damp night air outside, rain threatening to fall at any moment, common sense dictated that outcome.

How could he possibly walk through this road in that state?

Seeing how frightened he was, Woo-seok was sure he’d have no choice but to apologize.

And just as expected, Go Ha-jin’s small lips began to tremble as they parted.

“…I’ll go.”

Then he opened the car door and stepped out.

“Shall we depart?”

“Huh? …What…?”

Chae Woo-seok felt like he’d been smacked in the back of the head, twice in a row.

Hard.

****

After getting out of the car, Go Ha-jin was too stunned to speak.

Not that there was anyone around to hear him, stranded as he was in the middle of the mountains, but still, he was speechless.

What kind of lunatic built a bus stop in a place like this, and what kind of lunatic dropped an omega off right in front of where another omega had been found dead just the night before?

Was that bastard actually insane…?

He watched the car drive away without hesitation.

His chest felt tight, and he wanted nothing more than to light up a cigarette, but he forced himself to wait, wearing a pitiful expression just in case the car came back.

It didn’t.

The vehicle was swallowed by the tunnel, disappearing without a trace.

“Haah, f*ck… that crazy bastard.”

He hurriedly rummaged through his bag and pulled out his card case.

Instead of business cards, three cigarettes had been stuffed inside.

He took one out, lit it, and drew the smoke deep into his lungs before exhaling it slowly along with the irritation piled up inside him.

No matter how much white smoke he blew into the darkened sky, the anger clogging his chest refused to fade.

“…This is f*cking ridiculous. That son of a b*tch.”

This was a first, an utterly humiliating record.

Never before had he failed to even properly approach his target.

Never before had he been rejected twice by the same man.

When Chae Woo-seok appeared in the lobby, Ha-jin had thought his old-fashioned trick, dumping water on him, had worked.

Clichés were clichés for a reason.

They worked.

And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t prepared.

He’d spent months meticulously laying the groundwork, never once considering failure.

He’d researched every one of Chae Woo-seok’s past scandal partners, perfectly grasping his tastes.

He’d been confident.

Besides… well.

His looks weren’t exactly lacking.

“Bastard… you could’ve at least driven me a little farther….”

The harder he’d been sure of success, the more unbearable the present situation became.

Even as the cigarette burned down to the filter, he couldn’t find an answer.

He had to decide, was this opportunity truly gone, or was there another way?

Was there still a chance left, or was he just clinging to false hope after everything was already over?

His mouth felt painfully dry with anxiety.

****

“For an omega, you’re a bit old. I don’t usually mess with anyone over twenty-five.”

“Yes… I stayed in school for a long time, so that happened.”

He swallowed the urge to snap back, ‘And for an alpha, you’re pathetically small-minded.’

He couldn’t afford to throw away the identity he’d spent months perfecting because of trash like this.

Go Ha-jin wasn’t lacking the patience to ruin everything with a single careless remark.

“Still, your face is usable. Seems like you’d be worth keeping around.”

The man leaned back arrogantly, spewing even more offensive words.

His tone was that of someone appraising merchandise, choosing a decorative object to place in his home.

No matter how many times Ha-jin experienced it, he could never get used to that uniquely alpha brand of arrogance.

“Thank you for thinking kindly of me.”

The man was quite pleased by the sight of Go Ha-jin lowering his head obediently, ears flushed red.

Meeting the omega everyone talked about among marriageable alphas, he found him better than expected.

Submissive, good-looking, enough that he honestly considered marriage.

Love aside.

“f*ck, listen to that cheap mouth. ‘Usable face,’ my ass.”

That pleasant mood shattered instantly at the voice from the next table.

“Which asshole-Huh? W-Woo-seok…?”

It was Chae Woo-seok.

The man’s face drained of color.

Just a few months ago, at a drinking party, he’d misspoken once and ended up beaten black and blue on a rainy day.

He hadn’t dared complain, not when it came to strength, and certainly not with Chae Woo-seok’s background.

In the end, he’d had to kneel and apologize, bloodied and humiliated.

The darkest stain on his life.

“S-Sorry, Woo-seok… I should’ve greeted you first, but I didn’t realize. But what brings you here…?”

“What are we, friends? Save the greetings. Just move.”

Circling the table he’d been sitting at, Chae Woo-seok walked over and dropped himself into the seat across from Go Ha-jin, the seat the man had just vacated.

His tone sounded like a request, but his actions were nothing short of a command.

“Huh? What did you say…?”

“And while you’re at it, take the guy from my table home.”

Even as he barked orders at will, Chae Woo-seok’s gaze never left a single point.

It was as if he meant to pierce straight through his target, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.

“Y-Yeah. Sure. Have a good time. Let’s grab a meal sometime…”

A dissatisfied grumble escaped from the female omega who had come with Chae Woo-seok, but he sat rigidly still, staring only at the face across from him.

After a long, unbroken stare, Chae Woo-seok finally spoke, his tone as crooked as his expression.

“Go Ha-jin, do you seriously need a man every single day just to survive?”