Chapter 4 — "If You Were Going to Sell Your Body, You Should’ve
Sold It to Me."
"These days all the rich people get married that way. Nothing illegal about it, nothing weird either. You think I’d tell you to do something weird? I’m still your uncle, punk. I’m just saying let your uncle play matchmaker for you."
"……"
"I-if you still don’t trust me, ask that chaebol hyung of yours, the one you trust with your life. He’d tell you it’s no big deal too, wouldn’t he? He’d say, why agonize over it — take the chance, marry an alpha with great terms, and turn your whole life around."
"They say it’s nothing to rich people. They’ve always done arranged marriages and whatnot with each other. Th-that’s basically contract marriage too — what’s so different?!"
These were the words the uncle had blustered out, straightening his back and going on the offensive, after watching Eunwon’s face for a while once the loan sharks had left.
Eunwon, of course, said nothing in reply. He wasn’t even really listening. All he could think about was wiping up the coffee and footprints the thugs had spilled and tracked across the floor as fast as possible.
"Think it over, Eunwon. You’re smart. If a little hardship now could make us all a lot of money, how good would that be? Just help your uncle this once… I swear I’ll never do anything shameful again."
"……."
"And whatever’s left after that is all yours, I’m telling you. If you get rich, you can take better care of your sick sister-in-law and Yiwon living abroad — how great would that be? Right? Your father would be proud too."
With no thought at all for what the silent Eunwon might be feeling, the uncle — who’d been chattering on, oblivious to the mood — finally noticed how quiet it had gone outside, and slipped away without so much as a goodbye, making sure to pull on the new socks Eunwon had given him the night before.
It was so quiet it felt like everything that had just happened was a dream. Standing blankly for a moment in the eerily silent house, Eunwon walked slowly to the bathroom. What he came back with was a freshly rinsed rag.
Crouching down, he cleaned the room the uninvited guests had dirtied. He felt like crying his eyes out, yet strangely no tears came. Guess I’m tougher than I thought. Clinging to that unfitting thought, Eunwon scrubbed away even the faintest remaining footprints.
So hard was he trying to look away from the despair right in front of him.
That he once again failed to hear anyone approaching his home, or the sound of the door opening. His back to the front door, absorbed in scrubbing the floor, he startled at a sudden presence and whipped his head around —
To find, for some reason, Muyoung standing there in comfortable clothes, as if he’d just rolled out of bed, head tilted as he looked down at him.
The face Eunwon had skillfully kept blank and composed until then crumpled the instant his eyes met Muyoung’s. Shame and sorrow he hadn’t even felt while being humiliated by the loan sharks soaked into his heart, and emotion began spilling over.
"Wh-what are you doing here… at this hour…?"
That was all the stammered question he managed. What he really wanted to ask was something else entirely. Whether he’d seen all of it — him being treated like a cheap omega by those garbage humans — whether he’d heard that disgusting proposal… That was what he most wanted to confirm.
But Muyoung only looked down at him in silence as Eunwon bit his lip, unable to ask.
His temples burned hot. He couldn’t see a mirror, but his blotchy, bright-red face had to look awful.
Wanting to crawl into a mouse hole and hide, Eunwon froze in his scrubbing crouch, unable to get up.
His head bowed on its own. Into the vision of Eunwon, barely breathing, came Muyoung’s toes — in slippers, on bare feet, of all things.
…Did he come all the way here from home like that? Waking up suddenly, for what reason?
Puzzled, he hesitantly lifted his head and met Muyoung’s eyes — unreadable as he stared back. Muyoung said nothing. Then, abruptly, he held something out. It was Eunwon’s phone, left behind at his place.
"Came to return what you so clumsily left behind."
"Ah…"
Of all timing.
Sighing at the absurd coincidence, Eunwon simply accepted it. It was easier on his heart to believe that being caught in this miserable state by the person he had a crush on — even if he was in the middle of giving it up — was nothing more than an accidental mishap.
Of course, that didn’t mean he could be shameless about it.
He’d hated being found out as an omega; now he’d even been seen being looked down on, treated like cheap collateral. Unable to bear the shame and sorrow, Eunwon fidgeted with the rag in his hand, pointlessly scrubbing the already-clean floor again and again.
Then Muyoung’s low voice drew close, right in front of Eunwon’s nose — he who stayed curled up, shrunk as if glued to the floor. For Eunwon, who couldn’t seem to get up, Muyoung had willingly folded his huge frame to crouch beside him, meeting his eyes.
That naturally kind voice felt infinitely tender.
"……."
"Come with hyung, baby."
Instead of asking why he’d been treated that way, instead of digging at his shame, Muyoung simply and quietly held out a big hand — and Eunwon was so grateful he couldn’t readily answer.
Muyoung waited calmly for him.
Hand still held out.
Looking into Eunwon’s eyes — drained of all their usual sparkle — made his chest ache heavily. This was clearly his own failure.
I should’ve come to get him yesterday. I let the kid sleep here alone without knowing what was happening. He looks so crushed it’s pitiful — our Seo Eunwon.
Just as Muyoung was burning up inside, the faintest nod came back from Eunwon. At that small, weary gesture, Muyoung rose without hesitation — and scooped up his omega, still curled like a pill bug, into his arms.
Startled by the suddenly higher view, Eunwon squirmed briefly, then melted, going limp and soft. And then, as if it were the most natural thing, he buried his face deep in Muyoung’s nape.
Fuck, he’s cute.
Drunk on the heavy satisfaction spreading hot through his chest, Muyoung whispered playfully into Eunwon’s ear.
"Want hyung to punish those bad guys who came into someone’s house without even taking their shoes off?"
At the childish remark, so unfitting for that fine voice, a small smile spread even across Eunwon’s exhausted face.
"But, sir… you came in with your shoes on too…"
Not expecting to be called out in this situation, Muyoung burst out laughing and made a shameless claim.
"I’m fine. This isn’t Seo Eunwon’s house anymore."
"You should move, don’t you think? How can the baby live alone, scared, in a place where vermin like that come and go as they please?"
The "vermin" Muyoung spoke of naturally included Eunwon’s uncle, Seo Jonghyeok. Loan sharks were easy enough to deal with, by money or by law — the uncle was the real headache.
Trash he couldn’t deal with freely, for sharing blood with Eunwon. One wrong move and it was obvious the only one who’d get hurt was kind-to-a-fault Seo Eunwon.
Thinking of Seo Jonghyeok — who’d fled in a panic like he’d seen the grim reaper the moment they’d crossed paths in front of the house — Muyoung ground his teeth. He’d make sure the man never approached Seo Eunwon like that again.
With that fresh vow, Muyoung hugged the silent Eunwon tighter.
"What, are you going to be stubborn again and keep living here?" — just as he was about to sulk that he’d stay here too, Eunwon shook his head first.
"No… I won’t."
Whispering in a fading voice, Eunwon panted as if truly at his limit. Even that faint movement sent sweet apple scent blooming up to Muyoung’s nose. The lovely, chest-tickling fragrance was enough to melt even the anger Muyoung had been holding back for not dealing with the trash on the spot.
"You can sleep. I’ll carry you gently all the way to the bed."
Muyoung whispered in a much softer voice, but Seo Eunwon — stubborn as a contrary tree frog — blinked and lifted his head instead.
"Are you feeling a bit better, sir…? Did you drive yourself all the way here…? If you’re still unwell, maybe I should drive instead…?" Honestly, it was so absurd he laughed.
"As if I’d have you drive right now."
"B-but I’m your secretary… I’m in the position of serving you—"
"You tiny thing, always stepping up to worry about a dominant alpha? Do you even know what you look like right now, worrying about others?"
It was meant as a scolding, but Eunwon answered earnestly, unyielding.
"…I’ll still worry about you, sir. Even if you tell me not to."
"Then let me worry about you in peace too." "……."
"If you keep telling me not to, I get upset and hurt."
"…A dominant alpha gets hurt over something like that?"
"What? Of course I do." "……"
"Every time you’re prickly with me, it scrapes my insides raw."
Thinking Muyoung was joking, Eunwon — who’d looked worried for a moment — smiled, eyes curving. It was clearly a smile, yet today even that looked pitiful and forlorn, and Muyoung had to swallow the rest of his anger, picturing again the faces of those who’d tormented his poor omega.
He’d already put people on all three of them; he’d deal with them later, without the frightened Seo Eunwon knowing.
"Let him sleep a bit. He’s been through a lot."
"But…"
"Listen to me, you little poop-puppy."
"……Yes."
Eunwon, who’d been struggling to stay conscious to the end, finally surrendered and closed his eyes. Soon came the sound of even breathing. Asleep as if he’d been waiting for it — and he’d been talking about driving.
Eunwon, face buried in his arms, had fallen asleep in an instant, and was so unbearably lovely that Muyoung pressed his lips firmly to that soft forehead and whispered.
"Hyung will take care of everything, so please don’t think about anything… sleep well, Seo Eunwon."
***
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