Chapter 39: Burned by Fire and Whiskey

It had definitely been cold when it first entered his mouth.

But as the whiskey slid down his throat, a sudden heat surged up, burning his esophagus like fire.

What kind of lunatic drinks this stuff?

Hyunwoo grimaced and raised his hand to cover his mouth.

At least he didn’t make a fool of himself by spitting it back out in front of Cha Kwon-oh.

Of course, judging by the satisfied grin on that man’s face, just watching Hyunwoo suffer seemed entertaining enough for him.

“I didn’t know our esteemed Director was such a lightweight.”

“……”

Fine, laugh all you want.

Hyunwoo sighed in defeat and lowered his hand from his mouth.

The burning in his throat, which had felt like it was on fire, slowly began to ease.

He glared at Kwon-oh, who was smiling at him like a mischievous devil.

That demon was gulping down the same strong liquor as if it were nothing.

Hyunwoo sighed, staring at that steel-like face that didn’t show a hint of change.

“Ha… I’m not much of a drinker, to be honest.”

“Hm, doesn’t drink, doesn’t see omegas… what do you even live for?”

“……”

In the eyes of a libertine like Cha Kwon-oh, Hyunwoo must have looked like an alpha living the dullest, most boring life imaginable.

Hyunwoo gave a faint laugh and set the half-empty glass on the table with a clack.

“Well, judging by how two of my exes barged into my blind date to cause a scene, I guess I’ve had my fair share of fun.”

“Haha.”

“Thanks to someone, rumors spread everywhere. Quite entertaining, really.”

Even at Hyunwoo’s sarcastic words, Kwon-oh just laughed as if he were genuinely amused.

Seeing that smug expression, Hyunwoo frowned.

There was no point trying to have a normal conversation with this man.

Still, he couldn’t just walk away empty-handed.

He had come this far — he needed to at least gain something from it.

Or at the very least, ruin the bastard’s mood.

Hyunwoo smirked faintly, lifting the corner of his lips in confidence.

“You won’t win him over with cheap tricks like that. He’s smarter than you think.”

Things were different now than before his regression.

As long as he didn’t cling to Seunghyuk, that man would never join L&S.

Which meant Cha Kwon-oh was playing a losing game from the start.

“So, that’s why you’re living together with him? With another alpha?”

“……”

There was clear distaste in Kwon-oh’s tone as he said it.

Of course — Kwon-oh was the type who couldn’t stand the idea of two alphas being together.

Even before Hyunwoo’s regression, when he had married Seunghyuk, Kwon-oh hadn’t even tried to hide his contempt.

They’d gotten along surprisingly well, back then — in the worst way.

But honestly, Hyunwoo couldn’t care less what Cha Kwon-oh thought of him.

The man had been jealous of Joo Hyunwoo long before the regression — there was no chance they’d ever get along or cooperate.

“Whether I live with him or roll around with him, that’s none of your business.”

“……”

“Why did you mess with Haesong?”

If Seunghyuk and Hyunjin ended up together, Seunghyuk would definitely join Moonseong in the future.

So whatever dirty games Kwon-oh played didn’t really matter.

But touching Haesong was crossing the line.

Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow and glared straight at him.

“You’re quite greedy, aren’t you, Director? If you take one thing, shouldn’t I get something too? Don’t you think?”

“Are you trying to start a power game with me?”

“Well, hasn’t it always been one?”

“Ha.”

At Kwon-oh’s shameless reply, Hyunwoo let out a small, cold laugh.

Stealing away a good partner company for no reason other than pettiness — utterly ridiculous.

Even before the regression, he hadn’t gone this far.

Losing Seunghyuk must’ve really bruised his pride.

The thought amused Hyunwoo even more.

“Fine. Just don’t regret it later.”

L&S didn’t scare him anymore.

Unless Seunghyuk joined their ranks as before, they weren’t worth fearing yet.

And even if the same events repeated, he wasn’t going to stand still this time.

After all, knowing the future had its advantages.

Hyunwoo picked up his glass again, drained the remaining whiskey in one gulp, and slammed it back onto the table.

Kwon-oh’s mouth curled into a grin as Hyunwoo rose from his seat.

“Let me give you a word of advice, Director. Don’t trust people too much.”

“……”

“There’s no such thing as ‘never’ in this world.”

He must’ve thought he sounded profound.

But to Hyunwoo, it just sounded pathetic.

Why not just hang up a sign saying I’m planning to steal Lee Seunghyuk while you’re at it?

“Sounds like advice you could use yourself.”

Hyunwoo turned around without hesitation.

There was no point talking further — he’d already said enough to count as a declaration of war.

There was nothing else to gain by staying.

Without another glance, he walked out of the suffocating club room that reeked of bad whiskey and worse company.

By the time he stepped outside, the sky had already grown dark.

Hyunwoo hailed a taxi and headed back to the office.

“Ugh, my head…”

He’d only had one glass, yet his head started pounding the moment he sat down in the taxi.

Each bump of the road made his stomach churn.

He still had work left — this was bad.

Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to look out the window, focusing on the distant skyline to calm his stomach.

He’d better grab some hangover medicine before returning to the office.

Drinking in broad daylight — how shameful.

Sure, his team members all knew he was the chairman’s son, but he didn’t want them thinking he was just another spoiled rich kid like Cha Kwon-oh, partying through the day.

“Ugh…”

He got out in front of a convenience store near the office, bought a hangover drink, and gulped it down before heading in.

But one small bottle wasn’t enough to perform miracles.

His stomach still felt awful, and now cold sweat began to form as he walked through the company lobby.

“…Hyung!”

“Huh?”

Still staggering toward the office, Hyunwoo flinched as someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“…Lee Seunghyuk?”

“Hyung, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Uh…”

It was definitely Seunghyuk standing in front of him — but for some reason, his face kept spinning in circles.

Hyunwoo frowned, wanting to tell him to stop moving.

“Urgh…”

“Hyung!”

But when he opened his mouth, something else threatened to come out instead.

He raised a hand to his lips as Seunghyuk’s panicked voice rang in his ears.

“Quiet… urgh.”

“Did you drink?”

“I… I think I’m gonna throw up.”

“……!”

The moment Hyunwoo muttered that, Seunghyuk’s eyes widened.

He quickly wrapped an arm around Hyunwoo’s shoulders and started leading him outside.

“Let’s go home first.”

“I… urgh, I have to work.”

“You can’t work like this.”

Seunghyuk muttered in a low, tight voice.

He sounded angry, but Hyunwoo was too out of it to care.

Just holding back the urge to vomit was taking all his focus.

Even saying he needed to work was pure stubbornness at this point.

“Just hang on. We’re almost there.”

“Ugh…”

“Ha… how much did you even drink?”

Seunghyuk muttered under his breath and pressed the accelerator hard.

Thanks to that, they managed to reach home quickly, dodging the worst of rush hour.

By then, Hyunwoo was barely holding on.

“Hyung, we’re here… are you okay?”

“…Urgh.”

“No, don’t talk.”

“……”

Realizing Hyunwoo’s condition was bad, Seunghyuk hurriedly spoke.

Half-carrying him, he guided Hyunwoo inside.

With his legs giving out, Hyunwoo could only lean against Seunghyuk for support.

“Ugh, urghh—”

“……”

The moment they arrived, Hyunwoo bolted for the bathroom and threw up everything he had.

Seunghyuk followed him inside and rubbed his back as he vomited.

It all happened so quickly that Hyunwoo barely registered what was going on.

“Ugh, ugh… water…”

“Here.”

“…Haa.”

Hyunwoo finally regained a sliver of consciousness as he drank the cold water Seunghyuk handed him.

He blinked up at him in dazed confusion.

“Feeling a little better now?”

“Uh…”

“Should I get you some medicine?”

“No… I already took hangover medicine earlier.”

“Hmm… judging by how you threw it up, I don’t think it worked.”

“……”

Seunghyuk murmured seriously, pulling out his phone to look something up — probably checking if it was safe to take more medicine.

Was he always this attentive?

He hadn’t complained once, just quietly brought him home and taken care of him.

It was… strange.

Then again, in the original story, Seunghyuk was the “gentle seme” type.

He’d only been cold to Hyunwoo back then.

But now, just by softening a little, he seemed like a completely different person.

What had the old Hyunwoo done so wrong to mess it all up before?

Letting out a deep sigh, Hyunwoo set the glass down.

His stomach still churned, and now his head ached too.

All this from one glass of whiskey — pathetic.

“I’ll be fine if I just rest.”

“Wait here. I’ll go buy some medicine and porridge.”

“No, you don’t have to—”

Before Hyunwoo could even stop him, Seunghyuk had already dashed out the door.

Hyunwoo blinked at the closed entrance, dazed.

He really moved like the wind.