4
Chapter 4
Yeon-jun's POV
The night was restless. Sleep eluded him as the beast within clawed at his sanity, demanding answers about the woman who had collided with him the day before. His temples throbbed in sync with the turmoil in his chest, a ceaseless reminder of his disquiet. Morning came, but his mood remained bleak, a stark contrast to the crisp winter sunlight streaming through the windows of his penthouse.
Standing in front of the mirror, Yeon-jun adjusted his tie with an almost mechanical precision, his reflection colder than usual. Even the world-class view of Seoul from his home offered no solace. As the owner of Solace Heights Group, a luxury hotel chain renowned across Asia, his schedule was typically a well-oiled machine. Today, however, he was far from composed.
His footsteps echoed through the pristine corridors of his corporate headquarters. The staff greeted him with their usual deference, but his sharp gaze silenced any attempts at small talk. He seated himself in his expansive office, sleek and modern, but the view of the city failed to distract him from the chaos in his mind.
Her image had seared itself into his thoughts like a brand. Her soft, thin lips, the curve of her flushed, round cheeks, and her wide, innocent eyes danced before him like ghosts. There was something about her—an inexplicable magnetism that gnawed at the foundations of his self-control.
"This is madness," he muttered, running a hand through his dark hair. An alpha of his stature, reduced to obsessing over an omega he barely knew. It was absurd.
His assistant, Ki-jun, knocked lightly on the door and entered.
"Sir, the meeting with—"
"Cancel everything today," Yeon-jun interrupted curtly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "And make sure no one disturbs me."
Ki-jun hesitated for a moment but nodded. "Understood, sir."
Left alone, Yeon-jun leaned back in his chair, his mind consumed by questions he wasn't ready to answer.
---
Meanwhile, Ga-in's POV
Ga-in sat cross-legged on the floor of her tiny studio apartment, staring blankly at her laptop screen. The deadline to register for her semester courses loomed, but she hadn't mustered the courage to confront it. Again.
She'd failed Introduction to Anatomy and Perspective Drawing, the same core subject required for her art major, three semesters in a row. Her professor had been brutally honest last term: "Talent won't get you far without effort, Ms. Ryu."
It wasn't that she lacked effort; life just had a habit of kicking her down. As an omega, the odds were already stacked against her. Society's hierarchy saw her kind as weak, emotional, and less capable. It infuriated her, but fury didn't pay the bills.
Her wallet was almost empty, and part-time jobs were elusive. Employers didn't want to deal with omegas, especially ones as stubborn and vocal as Ga-in. She sighed, brushing her fingers through her messy black hair. Her only friend, Clara, had suggested freelancing, but Ga-in wasn't in the mood to listen to advice.
"Ga-in, what are you doing now?" Clara's voice rang from the doorway as she put on her shoes.
"Nothing."
"Please don't do anything stupid. I'm heading out for my shift," Clara said with a sigh, her beta pragmatism a stark contrast to Ga-in's defiance. "And stay off those apps."
Ga-in waved her off, waiting for Clara to leave before opening her phone.
She scrolled through a dating app, her eyes narrowing at the sea of faces. If society wouldn't give her a chance, maybe she could carve one out herself. Her criteria were simple: the man needed to be rich, attractive, and willing to spoil her.
She swiped left and right, rejecting face after face, until one profile stopped her.
An alpha.
Dark brown hair, piercing eyes, and a tailored suit that screamed wealth and power. His smile in the profile picture was subtle, almost disarming, but there was an undercurrent of danger in his expression.
"Well," Ga-in muttered to herself, "you only live once."
She swiped right.
A moment later, a notification pinged:
You matched with Byun Woo Seok.