Chapter 61: Twisted Reflections

Kwon Oh yanked at his necktie as if tearing it off in frustration.

A violent pheromone aura poured from him.

“Put more people on surveillance.

Not this vague half-done nonsense.

Bring me something concrete.

Got it?”

“…Yes, Director.”

The secretary, who had hesitated, had no choice but to bow his head and answer.

Saying something like Wouldn’t that be dangerous? would be useless to the currently agitated Kwon Oh.

After watching him carefully, the secretary cautiously left the office.

Kwon Oh lifted the photograph again and stared holes through it, then threw it down on the table irritably.

“Damn it.”

A harsh curse burst out of his mouth.

For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off the picture of the two people.

It was unbearably irritating.

His teeth clenched on their own.

When he first found out about their relationship, the first feeling he had was sheer disbelief.

To learn that the ever-proud Joo Hyunwoo had used his own body to seduce an Alpha and steal talent—it was just laughable.

“…….”

Kwon Oh suddenly recalled the day he first saw Hyunwoo.

At that time, Kwon Oh was a division head at L&S, and Hyunwoo had just joined Munseong.

‘Director Cha Kwon Oh?’

‘……?’

‘Nice to meet you. I’m Joo Hyunwoo of Munseong.’

‘Ah….’

Hyunwoo had known who he was.

Just as Kwon Oh already knew Hyunwoo.

The treasured golden child of Munseong.

A man similar to him, yet in a completely different world.

A golden spoon from birth.

Kwon Oh’s gaze darkened as he looked at Hyunwoo.

‘We’re alumni, but I suppose the timing never matched, so we never met.’

‘Is that so.’

To be honest, Hyunwoo’s first impression wasn’t bad.

His voice was friendly, his face neat, his Alpha pheromones subtle.

If they had met outside of work without knowing each other’s backgrounds, they might have gotten along quite well.

But that illusion shattered almost instantly.

Hyunwoo would soon be an executive of a rival company.

Eventually, he would be the owner of it.

The two of them were like oil and water—never able to mix.

‘Then, I’ll see you next time.’

‘…….’

Unlike himself, Hyunwoo was bright and confident.

Kwon Oh felt something strange toward him.

Unlike him, who was scorned for being an illegitimate child, Hyunwoo had everything simply by being born.

Like a refined cat walking gracefully away—Hyunwoo’s back made Kwon Oh’s mind churn with complicated emotions.

Since then, whenever he saw Hyunwoo, he couldn’t control his emotions.

He logically understood that maintaining a polite surface relationship would be beneficial.

But he couldn’t stop himself from saying sharp, cutting words.

The mask he wore so easily in front of others fell to pieces in front of Hyunwoo.

Joo Hyunwoo.

He hated him.

Of course he did.

Anyone would, when comparing his own filthy past to Hyunwoo’s shining life.

He could have kept it that simple.

So why…

“Damn it!”

He cursed again and grabbed the photo.

Then crushed it with bitter force.

He exhaled sharply.

What kind of expression had Hyunwoo made under that bastard?

With that cold, arrogant face—what disgusting expression did he make while crying under another Alpha?

“Hah… f*ck.”

He should only feel disgusted that Hyunwoo seduced an Alpha with his body.

So why…

Why did his lower belly burn when imagining Hyunwoo excited?

Kwon Oh laughed bitterly to himself for a long time.

“Just eat this before you go.”

“Okay.”

Hyunwoo had repeated those words countless times.

At this point, it felt less like he was speaking to Seunghyuk and more like he was trying to convince himself.

Realizing that, Hyunwoo bit his lip and swallowed a sigh.

His gaze dropped to the dining table.

The room service dishes were neatly arranged.

Seunghyuk seemed to have an eye for presentation too—everything was placed in a way that made the food look even more appetizing.

Or maybe Hyunwoo was just hungry.

He swallowed his saliva and sat down at the table.

“Go on, eat.”

“…Yeah.”

Seunghyuk had ordered a brunch set: Eggs Benedict and French toast.

Especially the Eggs Benedict with bacon and soft poached eggs—Hyunwoo loved that dish.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but the Eggs Benedict was placed closer to Hyunwoo’s seat.

“Ah… are you not eating this one?”

Hyunwoo asked after he had already cut into the egg.

Seunghyuk bit into his toast and nodded.

“No, I prefer this one.”

“I see…”

Sweet French toast did suit Seunghyuk better.

Hyunwoo nodded, then put egg and bacon into his mouth.

“……!”

Delicious.

Like fireworks going off in his head.

The egg melted softly in his mouth, and the bacon was perfectly crisp.

The salty bacon and soft egg were an amazing combination.

He had reincarnated into the life of a chaebol heir, yet had been too busy to eat properly every day.

He felt robbed.

Hyunwoo quickly cut another bite of bread and savored it.

“Well, it’s not bad.”

“…….”

Seunghyuk replied as if he were some Michelin judge, chewing slow and indifferent.

The French toast looked amazing too, yet hearing Seunghyuk speak like that made Hyunwoo suddenly feel pathetic.

“Do you want a bite?”

“N-no.”

Seunghyuk asked because Hyunwoo had been staring.

Hyunwoo flinched and shook his head.

Now he was even being treated like some hungry stray.

He scowled and continued eating.

“Why didn’t you order coffee?”

“Stop drinking so much coffee.”

“Tch.”

He really wanted one in the morning.

Hyunwoo sighed and drank orange juice instead.

It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t coffee.

Seunghyuk spoke offhandedly:

“Too much coffee is bad for your body.”

“Are you nagging me now?”

“You’ll end up collapsing with gastric ulcers.”

“Hmm…”

He had collapsed once with a gastric ulcer—before his regression.

He remembered the pain, collapsing at the office, being rushed to the hospital.

And Seunghyuk, being called as his legal spouse, came with an irritated expression—not out of worry, but out of inconvenience.

That had been before regression.

Now, he hadn’t developed ulcers yet.

And even if he did, that was still in the future.

He had time.

Hyunwoo waved it off.

“I’m fine. Drinking coffee won’t kill me.”

“It won’t kill you.

It’ll just make you suffer like hell.”

“Wow. Thanks for the blessing.”

“Ha…”

Seunghyuk sighed and shook his head.

The gesture carried too many meanings, and Hyunwoo narrowed his eyes.

Look at him.
He was the one who lived on sugar.

Hyunwoo pouted.

“You should stop drinking so many whipped-cream-loaded drinks. You’ll get diabetes.”

“I don’t drink as much as you.”

“And the chocolates and candies you snack on every day?”

“…….”

“And the jelly you chew on to stay awake?”

“…….”

In the previous timeline, Seunghyuk never got sick.

Of course he wouldn’t—he was the protagonist.

But who knew?

Maybe in old age, it would all catch up.

In any case, neither of them had good eating habits.

So why was he the only one getting lectured?

Hyunwoo grumbled internally as he cleaned his plate.

“Fine. Then I’ll cut back on sweets.
So you cut back on coffee.”

“What?”

“And you eat proper meals three times a day.”

“…….”

Why was the conversation turning into this?

Hyunwoo glared.

But Seunghyuk didn’t back down.

Their gazes met, charged and tense.