The Bodyguard

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/50447755.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category: M/M
Fandom: ENHYPEN (Band)
Relationship: Kim Sunoo (ENHYPEN)/Everyone
Characters: Kim Sunoo (ENHYPEN), Park Jongseong | Jay, Park Sunghoon
(ENHYPEN), Lee Heeseung, Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki, Yang Jungwon
(ENHYPEN), Sim Jaeyun | Jake
Additional Tags: Happy Ending, Polyamory, Pack Dynamics, Alpha/Beta/Omega
Dynamics, Omega Kim Sunoo (ENHYPEN), Alpha Lee Heeseung,
Alpha Park Sunghoon (ENHYPEN), Alpha Park Jongseong | Jay, Alpha
Sim Jaeyun | Jake, Eventual Smut, Violence, Graphic Description of
Corpses, Omega Yang Jungwon (ENHYPEN), Beta Nishimura Riki | Ni-
ki, english is not my fist lenguage
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-10-01 Updated: 2023-12-27 Words: 42,487 Chapters:
14/?
 The Bodyguard
by HalleRozally

Summary

Kim Sunoo is one of the top secret agents of the criminal organization known as Olympus,
which operates in the shadows of the South Korean government. His life is marked by
dangerous missions and deep secrets. However, when a new mission thrusts him into the
world of the Korean elite, everything begins to change.

Sunoo is tasked with infiltrating SPES and keeping a close watch on Jaehyun, the enigmatic
owner of the company, and his pack. As he gets closer to his target, dark secrets come to
light.

While Sunoo grapples with moral dilemmas, dangerous attractions, and the weight of his
mission, he must also navigate the complex dynamics of the SPES pack. As the danger
escalates and alliances are tested, Sunoo finds himself torn between his own safety and love,
between loyalty to Olympus and his growing passion for members of a pack to which he
doesn't belong.

Work inspired by Who's The New Bodyguard? by Binxy99

Notes

Unlike most of my English works where I write directly in English, this one was written in
Portuguese and translated into English. Because of this, the narrative may come across as
somewhat dramatic, so please be aware of that as you read. This work was also heavily
inspired by the fanfic 'Who's the New Bodyguard' by Binxy99.
I tried to put this as a present, but her account doesn't accept presents .

Inspired by Who's The New Bodyguard? by Binxy99

 The storm raged outside

The storm raged outside, unleashing its furious rain and winds that disrupted the surrounding
pine forest. Amidst this hostile background, a concrete monument stood with pride. A
colossal circular building, its gigantic metal doors seemed to mock the nature around it, like a
brutal scar in the heart of the forest.

Inside it, a room devoid of essence housed Kim Sunoo, his body engaged in a series of
stretches resembling a silent dance, each movement calculated and graceful. The room,
echoing the minimalism of a prison, was a tangible reflection of isolation.

Modern architecture provided just enough to maintain an air of contemporaneity, with no

room for human warmth. The impersonal walls and light wood floor lent an almost clinical
aesthetic. Everything, from the neatly arranged furniture to the absence of personal trinkets,
spoke of a life solely focused on survival and obedience.

There was a smart TV in the room, contrasting with the overall atmosphere of the place, a
luxury not all agents possessed, a special gift Sunoo received for being top-tier in the agency.
A reminder that if he performed well, they would indulge him with frivolous items and treats.
The TV also served as a constant reminder that he needed to strive, it was the agency's way
of saying "do well" by gifting him a window to a world of illusions, a connection to the
outside world. It was a portal to distraction, a temporary refuge from the dark secrets that
permeated Kim's life, and a one-way path to the outside world.

The latest technology computer had also been a gift, another instrument of connection to the
outside, with a dual purpose - a link to a world that was growing increasingly distant and a
means of accessing the knowledge necessary for his operations. Of course, although no one
had explicitly told him, the gift came with constant monitoring, and everything he did on it
was watched by someone on another screen somewhere in the world, probably in another one
of the agency's Olympus branches. Not that he could do much even if he weren't constantly
monitored; most websites were blocked for Sunoo, and even if they weren't, the various
cameras around his small apartment recorded his every move.

The room's wide windows, on the other hand, framed a view of a training ground surrounded
by imposing trees. The scene, which at first glance might have seemed like a breath of fresh
air, was actually a constant reminder of his solitude, just as his entertainment items were a
constant reminder that he had to execute every mission flawlessly. The tall, pointed pine trees
that bent with the strong winds seemed like sentinels of a world to which he had restricted
access, stretching for miles and miles.

At the height of his stretches, Kim Sunoo was abruptly pulled out of his rhythm by the distant
metallic sound of the mailbox hatch being manipulated, a subtle signal that a new delivery
had been placed in his delivery box. The small metal box, securely affixed to the wall next to
the door, contained his other means of connection to the outside world, his link to the
missions that awaited him. He paused, his muscles still stretched, as his senses adjusted to the
sudden shift in focus. A chilling sensation, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, ran down
his spine. He was well acquainted with the routine of these deliveries, the harbinger of a
mission concealed in the shadows.

Leaving behind his fluid movements, Sunoo rose from where he was positioned on the floor
and approached the small metal box. It was a clever device designed to deliver vital
information without revealing the identity of those who placed items inside, a way to prevent
lower-ranking agents from seeing the faces of higher-ranking ones. It was a kind of
anonymous link, a bridge between Sunoo and the rest of the agency.

The same concept applied to the windows, which were allowed only to Class S agents since
they provided a view of the training field, allowing agents to observe others. When Sunoo
was still starting out, he could only see the faces of a select group of agents at his own level,
a clever way for the company to prevent them from joining together and rebelling.

With a careful touch, he slid the box open, revealing a sealed envelope as impersonal as the
box itself. The paleness of the paper contrasted with the urgency of the message contained
within. Without hesitation, Kim slid his nail under the seal and opened the envelope as he
walked around the room, his bare feet silent against the light wood.Inside the envelope was a
sheet with details for his mission and a badge. The mission description was direct and devoid
of many details: infiltrate the Sim pack, a pack that had been growing within the Korean elite
in a peculiar manner over the past year, rapidly ascending with a particularly young leader.

The objective was straightforward but not simple. Inside the envelope were also various
sheets with information about all the group members: names, ages, parents, birth dates, but
nothing more, which was unusual since Sunoo usually received missions with detailed
information about his targets, indicating that they were likely protected by a heavy security
system. It was a dangerous dance, trying to infiltrate a pack with so little knowledge, a deadly
choreography in which Kim was a reluctant protagonist. He could feel the weight of his
choices as the words penetrated his consciousness, especially considering the group's
abnormal rise and the lack of information about the mission's ultimate goal.

As for the badge, he held it between his fingers, feeling its cold, metallic weight. It was a
relic he was familiar with, and it served to unlock restricted access areas on his computer, an
item that would open doors that would normally remain closed.

Every time a new mission approached, Sunoo received a badge like this one. The badge had a
standardized design but was customized with his photo and code name, always the same in
every mission. From the chosen font to the photo and the agency's watermark in the
background, accompanied by instructions: "Use this badge to access your computer fully.
Everything you do will be recorded."

Furthermore, there were no further instructions in the envelope. This meant that he would
have to chart his own path to the pack. This wasn't exactly his area of expertise. Normally,
Sunoo was involved in more physical operations—robberies, assassinations—with
information and planning already laid out, whether it was a fake job where all he had to do
was show up for a pre-arranged interview, a party where he had to embody the role of a
socialite, a ticket acquired by the company and handed to him, or even blind romantic dates
with people whose names he would only discover the day before the supposed meeting. But
that wasn't the case this time.
The last time he had to orchestrate his own infiltration from the base was in a dark case
involving an organization called Damian. This was because the previous agents, three to be
exact, had been killed and their information erased before reaching the agency, leading the
case to be assigned to Sunoo. An exception to the rule, which seemed to be happening for the
second time, apparently.What left Sunoo with a lingering sense of unease, however, was the
absence of any mention of previous infiltration attempts in the entire file he had received,
indicating that he had been the first choice for the mission.

With no other options, he put on the slippers that were lying in the corner of the room, as his
exercise routine had been interrupted, and headed for the computer table. He pressed the
power button, watching the device come to life in an extremely quiet manner, with only the
faint hum of internal ventilation in the room's silence.The CPU he had was small, resembling
an Apple model rather than a traditional one, but it was exclusive company technology, so it
had a specific slot for the card. Sunoo inserted the card into the slot, hearing the click of
engagement. A signal of acceptance echoed on his widescreen display, and soon his photo
glowed on the monitor, below his code name, along with a message: "Welcome, Caesar. Card
accepted, access granted."

With the computer in front of him, Sunoo had the reins of information in his hands. The
virtual restraint had been broken.

He placed the few files he had on the pack members next to him on the table, even though the
information was minimal. Initially, searching for the names on the internet didn't yield many
results, which was to be expected; if the information were easy to acquire, it would be in his
files. However, he had the opportunity to see various distinct images, which helped him
become familiar with their faces, and despite having little written information, the pieces
began to fit together in his mind when it came to what "wasn't" written.

The images of the pack members seemed to echo in his mind, each revealing a fragment of
their story. The leader, Jake, stood out as a central figure, a presence that shone in the
spotlight. The other members seemed like shadows on the sidelines, discreet and elusive,
only present when the leader was, indicating a discreet and reclusive lifestyle.

Jake was the founder and CEO of SPES, an entertainment company that had gained renown
for debuting some famous actors and soloists in Korea over the past two years. The company
itself started in a financially sound position, without debts, loans, or things alike, which was
uncommon in Korea, where entertainment companies were as much of a craze as the trading
market in the West. In a market where thousands of people invested their money and dreams,
often ending up in debt, a few were lucky and smart enough to succeed. Starting with a
positive balance, albeit small, indicated that Jake began with a good financial capital, but not
enough to take risky bets.

In its first year, SPES Entertainment debuted three actors and a soloist who played ballad-
style music, artists who didn't require the massive investment needed for an idol group, for
example. Whoever was scouting talents for the company deserved praise because all three
actors became extremely popular names in just a few months, and within a year, they were
landing lead roles in highly anticipated dramas. The money generated from this popularity
seemed to have been invested in the stock market, and it appeared that Jake had a keen eye
for the market because the investments he made multiplied rapidly, and all the companies in
which he became a shareholder took off, explaining the rapid and unchecked growth.Aside
from this, the fact that the alpha was particularly handsome helped with the company's
popularity. He was like a sub-celebrity, and his photos tended to go viral on social media
when he made public appearances, further boosting the company's popularity.In the past six
months, they had debuted a girl group based on a reality show, and the girl group was a total
success, giving the company even more prominence among the public, which explained the
pack's influence.

Aside from this information, there was nothing particularly interesting or relevant that Sunoo
could find. Jake was popular, sure, but there were several other Korean CEOs who were
famous for their appearances. He had famous actors under his label, but many other
companies did too, some of which had been in the market for many more years. Sunoo could
even entertain the idea that his employer might be from a rival entertainment company, but
with new companies popping up every day, it was hard to believe that was the case, unless it
was a rival seeking a trade secret. But if that were the case, Sunoo wouldn't have been the
chosen agent for the mission.

There was virtually nothing else online about the pack, just small snippets of Jake
commenting briefly about them and some photos taken by paparazzi that went viral on social
media for various reasons, the main one being that they were all very attractive. However,
Jake's apparent desire to keep his life completely private seemed to pique people's curiosity.

The only exception to this was Jungwon, who had a brief modeling career until the age of 16
when he abruptly stopped. Therefore, there were more solo photos of him on the internet. Not
that they were easy to find since he didn't seem particularly famous and posed for more indie
magazines. The agent didn't have to think too hard to figure out why his career had come to
an end since 16 was usually the age when one's second gender was discovered. Both he and
his parents probably knew what his class would be long before his 16th birthday since the
body usually showed clear signs long before that. Still, it was probably a choice to extend the
experience as far as it was safe, only to finally shatter the boy's dreams when it was no longer
possible to postpone the inevitable.

Sunoo spent a few seconds staring at the boy's photo. Delicate features, pale skin, and big,
charming eyes. He wondered if he had cried when he realized his career was over or if he had
simply accepted it with resignation.

This was, by the way, another peculiarity of the pack: several alphas and only one omega. It
wasn't particularly common to have omegas in elite packs like the Sim, and the fact that there
was more than one alpha in the same pack was extremely rare. Alphas usually fought for
leadership, and their instincts often clashed in routine environments like work, for example.
The tension within a pack should be much higher, and with an omega in the mix, things
should get even more complicated. But somehow, the pack seemed to make it work, and
Sunoo was particularly intrigued by this notion, and there weren't many things in this world
that could intrigue him.

Thinking about it obviously wouldn't help him get anywhere, so he tucked the information
away in the back of his mind, like a pebble hidden behind his ear, and continued his research.
And there was nothing, no information about the school they had attended, whether they were
in college, address information, nothing. No social media either.Necessity pushed him into
the gray area of digital ethics. Sunoo knew that to learn more about the Sim pack, he would
have to use his hacking skills. However, he tried to avoid direct access to SPES systems,
knowing that a hasty attempt could arouse unwanted suspicion. Although he doubted anyone
could trace him back with an Olimpo computer, they could become more cautious and
reserved about their security.

So, he turned his attention to the modeling agency where Jungwon had worked, as credited in
one of the few magazines he had worked for. The doors opened easily. Sunoo sifted through
the records, his fingers typing with precision on the keys, following the trails of information.
That's when he found an old record that seemed to have been used for magazine submissions,
with basic data about the models. The names of Jungwon's legal guardians were there,
probably because he was still a minor at the time, a discovery he wasn't expecting. His eyes
ran over the words, and surprise mixed with recognition. The names were familiar, although
the mother didn't trigger any memories, the father was simply one of the candidates for the
upcoming presidential election. A relatively new politician in the system, part of a popular
extreme-left party and the main opposition to the current president seeking reelection. The
connection was so unexpected that Sunoo needed a moment to assimilate what was in front
of him.

The data flowed before Sunoo's eyes, fragments of a puzzle he was trying to piece together.
With a touch of wit, he delved deeper, unearthing family pictures where Jungwon appeared at
different stages of his life, old memories preserved on a long-forgotten Facebook profile that
seemed to have belonged to his mother.It was a strange and unexpected connection, yet even
with his abilities, his attempts to unearth more information were fruitless. The void stretched
before him, an insurmountable barrier. He knew it was time to admit defeat; persevering in a
dead-end wasn't wise. With a resigned sigh, he acknowledged that the quest for answers
through digital means had come to an end.The new phase, however, took a form with which
he was more familiar. While he had no objections to digital work, infiltrating personally was
territory where he had much more experience.

Now, the question was how he would do it.

Sunoo returned to the SPES website, and nothing significant stood out. There were photos of
actors, pictures of attractive young individuals promoting auditions and music trailers, and
some initial institutional text. There was even a job offer section with various positions, but
as expected, all the roles were directly related to the administration of artists, from creative
areas to hair and makeup professionals. Nothing related or that even hinted at an approach to
the company's leader.

However, it was on the page of partner companies that he found his most promising lead.A
website for an HR company that Sunoo didn't bother memorizing the name of. Sunoo
scrutinized the inner workings of the HR company's website, a subtle detail that seemed to
catch the agent's eye, as companies the size of SPES didn't usually outsource their human
resources.
The company's website opened, and the illuminated screen before Sunoo displayed a list of
companies the HR company had previously served, big and renowned names, indicating that
the cache there shouldn't be cheap. Among the names, SPES stood out.

Sunoo narrowed his eyes, a spark of intuition igniting within him. His instincts were alert.

He also knew it was safer to delve into the depths of an HR website than to venture into more
heavily monitored territories like the website of the leader of one of the most financially
successful wolf packs in the past year, whether or not it was related to an entertainment
company.

The hacking itself was a relatively simple task since the digital barriers were less robust.
Information flowed to him like rivers converging into a delta. The website, designed to gather
candidates, also contained valuable information from companies seeking new talent. And
there, among the files, were the traces he was looking for — forms filled out by partner
companies.

An exciting emotion ran through Sunoo when his eyes landed on the relevant information.
The forms related to SPES were what he needed. A pattern emerged before him — job offers
for personal bodyguards, which he found strange. In a company like SPES, hiring
bodyguards was usually done by contracting an entire security company that would manage
the security of the entire company or establishment, not through an external recruitment
process with individual candidates. Since this job offer wasn't indicated on the company's
website, it most likely had nothing to do with the artists there.

It was a stroke of luck that might lead to nothing, but it was his best guess so far. If the job
offer were not directly related to the wolf pack, he could continue his investigation from there
and think of something else.

Without further ado, he searched his files for various resume templates he had saved,
choosing one of the few he had in Korean. He thought for a moment about what identity to
assume and, for fun, decided to use the name Kim Sun Woo, with the nickname Sunoo. His
"birth" name. It's not like anyone could trace him from that, as for all intents and purposes,
there were no records of his existence anywhere in the world.

He always liked to make his fake identities some kind of joke, although he imagined that
whoever took care of producing his fake records didn't find it as interesting an idea. Or
maybe that person didn't care, Sunoo didn't know.

Efficiently, Sunoo created a resume filled with references that exceeded the norm, as
expected for becoming a bodyguard for a member of high society, just like the Sim’s wolf
pack. After completing this endeavor, he transferred the document into physical form through
printing, along with a letter requesting the essential elements: a fictitious work activity
record, a false identity, a forged birth certificate, a fake driver's license, and the acquisition of
a South Korean passport.

Sunoo also requested the orchestration of fictitious corporate entities where he was presumed
to have worked, along with the forging of recommendation letters and diplomas that aligned
with the skills he highlighted in the resume. The list of requests also included booking airline
tickets and sufficient monetary resources to support the rental of a modest accommodation
for a period of no less than six months.

Finally, the printed letter was inserted into an envelope that he retrieved from one of the
drawers of his polished wooden desk. The envelope was sealed with a tape bearing the
emblem of Olympus.

With that done, he didn't linger and quickly returned to the metal box positioned beside his
door, opening the hatch with familiarity. The slight noise was common to his ears.

He placed the envelope inside and closed the small hatch, making sure to move away from it
quickly, aware that in a few minutes, thanks to constant monitoring, someone, more precisely
a Risak, would come to retrieve it and ensure that his request reached the right hands.

It was a rule to avoid any kind of interaction with Risaks, and in general, it was practically
impossible to see them; the agency made sure of that. Sunoo, of course, was a special case.
But that didn't matter, and there are certain things in life that are better forgotten, or in this
case, ignored.
 Seoul
Chapter Notes

I have the story ready up to chapter 10, but I need to translate it.

The airplane glided smoothly through the night skies until it landed in Seoul. Sunoo watched
his reflection in the window as the ground grew steadily closer. His earphones remained in
his ears, but they were disconnected. He enjoyed staying focused on the environment around
him, regardless of where he was, a crucial skill for someone in his position. However, the
earphones also played a strategic role, helping him blend into the crowd—Sunoo, despite
having grown up in Russia, had an Asian phenotype, which made his infiltration into a
country like South Korea easier. Still, his delicate, almost fox-like features and extremely
pale skin, a trait Koreans often admired, drew attention.

He was a handsome young man anywhere in the world and had used his appearance in
missions more than once. However, in Korea, precisely because of his Oriental features, he
stood out more, which was not his intention. The earphones, in addition to bringing him a
touch of humanity in the eyes of those who saw him—normal people, especially young ones,
liked music, right?—also conveyed the idea that he did not want to be disturbed.

Upon exiting the aircraft, he walked amidst the bustling crowd and collected his modest
luggage. His cell phone, provided by the agency, the newest Samsung, was used to call a taxi.
When it arrived, Sunoo provided the address of a discreet neighborhood where he had rented
an Airbnb. Typically, the agency would handle accommodations, but given the unique nature
of this mission, he preferred to maintain some distance from direct communication with the
Olimpo. It was a precautionary measure to avoid leaving any traces that could be traced back
to them in case anything went wrong.
He understood that Olimpo was skilled at erasing evidence, but he also knew they
manipulated information to keep their agents in line. Sunoo was aware of the organization's
control game, and in this peculiar situation, he was determined to safeguard his own
privileges.

The neighborhood he was heading to was simple but not disadvantaged. It was strategically
close to the city center and conveniently located near a subway station. The plan was to start
the search for the perfect apartment during the week. While waiting for a response regarding
his job aplication, which he had sent two days ago, he was already considering alternatives in
case he didn't receive a call for an interview by the weekend.

The taxi ride proceeded without complications. The night enveloped Seoul with its dark
cloak, and the lights of the buildings bathed the enormous, clean, and well-paved streets.
Sunoo had traveled through many different countries in his life—large capitalist monopolies
like the United States, third-world countries, war-torn nations, and countries famous for their
tourist attractions. He had seen it all on the streets, but there was no denying that the bustling
night in the major Korean centers had its charm. It wasn't just any country where people
could come and go normally after midnight.

Not that it didn't have his share of problems, of course, but every country did.

The driver never suspected anything, as Sunoo conversed naturally in Korean. All agents
were trained in various languages from a young age, but depending on their phenotype, in
addition to the "common" languages —they were taught the 10 most spoken languages in the
world, and all the agents spoke them fluently, leaving no trace of an accent— they were often
trained in languages of countries where infiltration was easier. This meant that Sunoo, with
his Asian phenotype, was fluent in several Asian languages.

Upon arriving at the Airbnb, the owner was already waiting outside, holding the key. The
transaction was quick and smooth. Sunoo politely declined an invitation for a guided tour of
the apartment, citing travel fatigue. Once inside, he confirmed that everything was in order
and stored his luggage in the small closet available. The interior space was modest,
containing only the essentials for a functional stay. It was a discreet choice, a place where he
could temporarily take refuge.

Despite being trained for adverse conditions, sudden trips were always tiring, and his feet
were sore, as was his back from the hard economy-class seat. However, he knew that a night
of rest would resolve these discomforts. Sinking into the bed, he allowed himself to relax, his
cell phone and watch placed on the wooden bedside table.

Sleep, however, didn't come quickly. His ears were trained to pick up any minimal
movement, especially when most of his time was spent inside the closed and silent box that
was his room at headquarters. Besides that, there was always the possibility of being
followed; the assassination of spies was not exactly uncommon, so any little noise he heard
would jolt him awake. But after a few hours, he managed to slip into a deeper slumber.

When he woke up in the morning, with the sun streaming in through the small window next
to his bed, the first thing he did was check his email on his cellphone. He felt satisfied when
he finally received an email response, scheduling the first phase of an interview for the
position of bodyguard.

He replied to the email and began to get dressed while awaiting a response. The bathroom
was small, and the mirror had so many stains that it was nearly impossible to see oneself in it,
but it was enough to brush his teeth and comb his hair after taking a shower. In the meantime,
he received an email response, asking when he would be available for a practical test, which
made him arch his eyebrows.

Usually, if practical tests occurred, they would come after a first interview.

Without delay, he replied to the email confirming that he would be available that same day
and throughout the week at any time. The person handling the emails was probably keeping
their inbox open because, within a minute, a response email arrived with a time slot for the
same day, which Sunoo confirmed.
Sunoo made a mental note to himself that the person in charge of this was probably a
workaholic because responding to emails at six in the morning could only be the work of
someone addicted to their job.

He had scheduled the test for two in the afternoon, giving him enough time to prepare and,
for all intents and purposes, make his small rented apartment habitable during his stay. First,
he made sure to reschedule the meeting he had with a real estate agent for that afternoon to
the next day, as he didn't know when he would return. With that resolved, he grabbed his
documents, tucked them into the pockets of his jeans, along with his phone and the apartment
key, and left, walking among the few pedestrians who were out at that early hour.

Sunoo walked to a nearby convenience store, one of the advantages of being in South Korea
where there seemed to be one on every corner, with many operating 24 hours a day. He
surveyed the shelves, carefully choosing eggs, rice, and whatever he could find in the limited
variety of vegetables available, which wasn't much but would do the job. The simplicity of
the purchase contrasted with the importance of the choices he made to keep himself
nourished. Olympus used every possible means to control its agents, including restricting
their meals to these basic options.

Back at the Airbnb, Sunoo organized the ingredients in the small kitchen and prepared his
breakfast. Boiled eggs with vegetables.

With the first bite, he felt a wave of nausea – Sunoo despised eggs. He had been trained to
endure any type of food, and this was part of the menu that Olympus mandated they eat for
its nutritional value. However, that didn't mean Sunoo didn't have to make an effort to finish
it. While eating, the exhaustion from the previous night manifested in his muscles, a constant
reminder of the responsibilities he carried. His thoughts oscillated between the mission and
how much he wished he didn't have to eat his meal.

He ate, and after the meal, he devoted a few minutes to his usual stretches. His fluid and
controlled movements demonstrated the discipline with which he took care of his body. A
comforting shower dissipated some of the fatigue, and Sunoo emerged from the shower
wrapped in a towel. His wet hair fell over his forehead as he approached the small wardrobe
where he had merely stuffed his suitcase. He pulled it out and rummaged through it to find a
tailored navy blue suit provided by the agency and worn on several missions.

Sunoo removed the wrinkles with a portable iron quickly but meticulously before starting to
get dressed. Carefully, he put on the white shirt and slipped into the blazer, adjusting every
detail with precision. The black tie was skillfully tied, completing the impeccable look.
Sunoo slicked his hair back into an elegant and discreet hairstyle with the help of his long,
slender fingers, making sure every strand was in its proper place. With one last look in the
mirror, he gave a brief nod of approval to himself.

Leaving the apartment behind once again that day, Sunoo began his journey. He made a brief
stop at a nearby bakery, choosing a natural sandwich and a bottle of water for lunch.

After the meal, he headed to the subway station near his home. Gliding through the
underground depths, he boarded a subway train that would take him to the nearest station to
SPES Entertainment.
Upon emerging from the station, Sunoo paused for a moment to gaze at the towering
skyscrapers that majestically rose against the sky. The city's grandeur never failed to impress
him, and the ease with which these buildings could be destroyed by wars and the devastating
impact of bombing in densely populated areas with skyscrapers like these was also
alarmingly astonishing. Shaking off his thoughts, he resumed his path through the bustling
streets, focused on his objective.

Finally, he reached the entrance of SPES Entertainment. His eyes scanned the imposing
building in front of him. With multiple floors, the building was larger than most that
surrounded it. The polished concrete, gleaming metal, and reflective glass gave it an aura of
modernity and sophistication.

Sunoo pushed through the entrance doors of the building and entered the lobby. The space
was expansive and well-lit, with a modern and minimalist design. Glass walls allowed natural
light to flood the area, highlighting the simple and elegant furnishings. A dark wood
reception desk was strategically placed, while exotic potted plants added a touch of green to
the atmosphere.

He approached the reception desk, where a tall alpha with long black hair was seated. He
walked up to the receptionist, who exuded an air of confidence and authority.
"Good afternoon," she greeted with a firm voice, raising her gaze to meet Sunoo's eyes.

"Good afternoon," he replied, maintaining his neutral expression.

"How can I assist you?" she inquired.

"I'm here for an interview. I was called for the position of a bodyguard," Sunoo explained.

The receptionist nodded, reaching for a tablet at her side. "Your name, please?"

"Kim Sunoo."

After a quick search, she found the information she was looking for. "Ah, yes, Mr. Kim
Sunoo. The interview is scheduled with Miss Lee. She's waiting for you in meeting room
103, just down the hall on the ground floor." She said, pointing with her long fingers to a
corridor on the right. Her well-manicured nails looked like the work of a professional. Sunoo
imagined she must be well-paid, as beauty salons were particularly expensive in Korea.

Sunoo nodded, silently thanking her. He stepped away from the reception desk, following the
receptionist's instructions. Meeting room 103 wasn't far down the hallway, and Sunoo could
still see the receptionist's desk when he found the door.

Upon entering the room, Sunoo was met with a large space with white walls and a marble
floor—something he wasn't expecting from the unassuming door. The space was filled with
several chairs, all already occupied by men and women dressed elegantly in suits and ties. It
was clear they were the other candidates for the same position he was applying for.

His eyes quickly scanned the crowd, capturing the atmosphere of tension that hung in the air.
He could feel the nervousness and anticipation swirling around him. At the back of the room,
facing the already occupied chairs, there were two simple empty chairs. Sunoo deduced that
they were probably intended for Miss Lee, the interviewer, and perhaps another companion
of hers, although the woman was not visible in the room at that moment.

He searched for an empty seat with his eyes, diverting his gaze from the occupied chairs until
he found some empty seats further ahead. Sunoo made his way there, sitting in one of the
chairs next to, from what his sense of smell indicated, two alphas and a beta. However, it was
a bit difficult to be sure—the security career was predominantly contested by alphas, given
their clear physical advantage, and the room was filled with them, who were, rather rudely,
using their pheromones in an attempt to increase tension in the room.
It was not considered good etiquette to use pheromones in interviews like this, although they
would come in handy for the position, potentially being used in attempts to subdue other
alphas—if your alpha was strong enough, of course. It was not exactly legal to try to
intimidate other candidates who were competing for the same position as you, so Sunoo
assumed that the situation was only like that because the interviewers had not yet arrived.

Next to him, the beta wrinkled his nose, sniffling in disgust. The agent smiled inwardly,
sympathizing. Although betas were not affected by pheromones, they could sense nuances
based on smell. If an alpha emitted a very bitter smell or any smell that was clearly bad, it
was a big sign of "I'm angry," which meant that even though they weren't affected, they could
understand the atmosphere enough to know whether to stay or run from a situation.

Sunoo, on the other hand, had the misfortune of being an Omega, which meant that he not
only was affected by pheromones but suffered from them tenfold and in completely different
ways.

When he finally discovered his sub-gender, Sunoo received specific training solely to build
resistance to pheromones, as it was one of his major weaknesses. His suppressors also helped
weaken his pheromone detection senses, as if he had been submerged underwater, and
someone was trying to talk to him, but all he could hear was muffled and out of tune.

This allowed him to maintain a calm and confident demeanor, even amid the chaos of scents
and pheromones being spread and permeating the room.

It didn't take long for the interviewer to arrive. She was a tall, sturdy woman with a stern face
that exuded authority. Her wavy hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a black
suit and tie ensemble, elegantly matched. An alpha, undoubtedly, whose presence in the room
was enough to capture everyone's attention.

Accompanying her was a smaller woman with delicate features and straight hair that flowed
down to her back. She was dressed in a tailored skirt and blouse set, presenting a refined
style. Even though Sunoo couldn't sense the characteristic sweet scent of omegas from that
distance and amidst the sea of scents around him, he could tell by her appearance that she
was, indeed, an omega.

Both entered the room with polite smiles on their faces, although the smaller woman
wrinkled her nose in disgust for a second before quickly composing her expression. If Sunoo
wasn't trained to observe people, he would have missed it. They briefly greeted those present
and then took their seats in the empty chairs. The pheromone battle around Sunoo diminished
along with the noise, and within a few seconds, the room fell into total silence.

The alpha began with a sharp look, "Good afternoon, everyone. I am Mrs. Park, head of
security at SPES Entertainment. My responsibility here goes beyond the company's general
security. I am also in charge of Mr. Sim's personal security team, the CEO of SPES. In other
words, I ensure that our team maintains the integrity of operations and the confidentiality of
our projects as well as the safety of everyone involved in them."

The omega then added, "And I am Miss Lee, the Manager of the Human Resources
department. My role is to ensure that SPES Entertainment has the best minds and talents. I
am here to ensure that employees have a productive and rewarding experience and to manage
all personnel-related matters."

It was a rehearsed and empty speech that she probably didn't even believe herself, but it was a
formality, a corporate world etiquette. With a forced smile on her face and a calm,
professional tone of voice, she continued, "I would like to explain in detail the opportunity
for which you are here today," she said as her eyes settled on the candidates with an attentive
gaze.

She went on, revealing the specific focus of the position. "We are looking to fill three private
security positions. However, these positions are not intended for the protection of the
company itself but rather for the direct protection of the Sim Pack," she declared,
emphasizing the name of the pack. The candidates' eyes turned to her, curious and attentive.
Sunoo had guessed correctly.

Miss Lee continued this time by explaining the unique approach to the selection process:
"Typically, in our selection processes, we conduct individual interviews first and then a
practical test for selected candidates, when the position requires it, of course. However, due
to the high demand and the specific interest of the pack leader, Sim Jaehyun, he has chosen to
personally assess candidates in the formal interview. This led us to reverse the traditional
order, conducting a preliminary selection first to narrow down the list of candidates."

The omega emphasized the importance of this approach. "This is a highly selective process in
which only those who meet the criteria set by the pack leader will be invited for the formal
interview. So, view this step as an opportunity to stand out and demonstrate your potential
from the beginning."

Sunoo was a bit intrigued. There had to be a reason for such an approach. If he had to guess,
he would bet on issues with previous employees. It made sense that the pack's alpha would
want to choose the candidates himself if he had problems with previous ones, ensuring that
those he chose fit his criteria.

The two interviewers stood up and politely asked the candidates to follow them. Sunoo
joined the other candidates, following the crowd of applicants behind them, which was a bit
complicated at first because 50 people trying to leave a room at the same time was not
exactly a smooth and organized process.
When they finally found themselves in the hallways, he could follow them more calmly. The
group crossed the tall and modern corridors of the company until they reached one of the
escalators. The fact that the building had an escalator was surprising in itself. Sunoo assumed
that the choice of the escalator instead of the elevator was due to the large number of people
participating in the selection process.

The interviewers led the group to a special room. Two imposing wooden doors guarded the
entrance to the room. When the doors opened, it revealed a spacious training room, probably
used by the security personnel. The dark wooden floor and the black curtains covering the
walls gave the room a unique atmosphere. It was evident that this space was primarily used
for training, as indicated by the stacks of blue gym mats piled in the corners, as well as some
small areas covered with blue mats that seemed to delineate individual training areas. The
size of the room resembled that of a school gymnasium, which, again, was impressive for any
company and indicated a certain perfectionism on the part of the SPES director.

He was brought back from his thoughts by the alpha, who continued to explain the process.
She was positioned at the front of all the candidates, next to the omega. The group of
candidates was lined up side by side, listening attentively to the instructions that were about
to come. With a firm and confident posture, she began to explain the procedure.
She revealed that they would call in security personnel from the company, individuals who
were already part of the security team. The dynamics would be as follows: the candidates
would face these security personnel in individual fights, allowing the alpha to directly assess
each person's self-defense skills.

Easy.

She didn't wait for questions, taking the lead in the process. With a gesture, the alpha invited
the security personnel to enter the room. A group of men in black suits entered afterward,
positioning themselves behind her in a solid formation. The dynamics were clear and ready to
begin.

The alpha established the order of the tests following an alphabetical order, giving each
candidate a chance to face one of the security personnel. Sunoo watched attentively as the
confrontations unfolded. However, as the fights played out, his expectations were not exactly
met. With his training and experience, he was several levels above the fighters present, and
this wasn't him boasting but a consequence of how he had grown up. Furthermore, it became
evident that the job candidates did not possess particularly remarkable talents in terms of
combat skills. Even by security standards, their fighting abilities were limited; they might
serve in security positions at concerts or events, but they were certainly not qualified for the
elite type of work they were applying for.

Not that Sunoo could blame them; the job itself had been presented with limited information,
a clear attempt to limit gossip, or the appearance of candidates with at least suspicious
intentions.

After nearly half an hour, it was finally Sunoo's turn, and he was paired with a robust alpha
with long hair and a goatee. As he looked around the room, he could tell from the glances
directed at him that no one really expected him to do well in the test. His opponents often
underestimated him because of his delicate features. He wasn't exactly short and was
considered tall for an Omega, at 5'9" — one of the main reasons why he had been caught off
guard by his categorization as an Omega — but he certainly fell on the shorter side when it
came to alphas. However, even though he wasn't as short, Sunoo was slim and had small
shoulders. Overall, he appeared smaller than he really was.

Even the evaluator and his opponent seemed skeptical of his ability. Sunoo didn't take offense
to that. It was understandable; after all, the alpha was tall, and his shoulders were twice the
width of Sunoo's. However, there was an advantage to appearing non-threatening. People
often underestimated those who seemed less threatening. Sunoo was fully aware that even if
he wasn't being underestimated, he would win the fight without difficulty. But the fact that
his opponent didn't believe in his ability made things surprisingly simple.

The fight unfolded quickly, almost in the blink of an eye. Sunoo hardly had to exert himself.
His opponent, a relative "nobody" in comparison, advanced towards him, simulating an
attack. Sunoo seized the opportunity, delivering a precise punch to the chest area, near the
armpit of his opponent. In a fluid motion, he grabbed the opponent's left arm and, with a
precise movement, threw him over his shoulder, taking him to the ground in a controlled
manner.

Before the man could try to struggle, Sunoo acted swiftly. He held the opponent's arms
behind his back and knelt on him, applying pressure to the lower back with one knee and
pressing the back of his legs with the other. Almost all his weight was on the opponent,
rendering him completely immobilized.

With a slightly raised eyebrow, Sunoo looked at the evaluator, awaiting her approval. Not to
his surprise, the evaluator nodded, displaying some astonishment. With that, Sunoo stood up,
releasing the man who had been under his control. The efficiency and control of the situation
were evident, even though his small stature and delicate appearance might suggest otherwise.

It wasn't a brutal fight, not even a showcase of his best martial arts skills, but rather a quick
and efficient demonstration, entirely suitable for the situation at hand.
After the series of assessments, ranging from good to reasonable and even some terrible
performances, the alpha concluded the tests. With a gesture, she dismissed the company's
security personnel who had been called in for the test and announced the names of the
candidates who would advance to the second phase.

More than two-thirds of the candidates left the room, a surprising proportion. Sunoo noticed
with surprise that some of the names that had performed relatively well in the tests were not
called for the next stage. He considered that maybe these candidates had been discarded due
to some behavioral factor, something beyond the physical skills demonstrated.
 The second practical test
Chapter Notes

This specific chapter, I felt that it came out a bit odd when translated into English, so
maybe I'll edit it later.

After the selection, there were 14 candidates left in the room, the majority of them being
alphas. Alongside Sunoo, there were only three more betas among the chosen ones. The
alpha interviewer once again took the lead in front of the group, her posture firm. With an
authoritative voice, she announced the second phase of the selection process: a direct
confrontation between the candidates. She explained that she would personally choose the
pairs of opponents, and the winners of each match.

Sunoo could tell that only the best had made it this far, and certainly, those who remained
were much more qualified for the type of work they were competing for than the majority
who had been disqualified. However, he also noticed several flaws in their postures,
openings, and mistakes they made in their one-on-one fights.

When it was his turn to act, Sunoo adjusted his stance, adopting a confident expression,
aware that this time he wouldn't have the advantage of the other candidate's ignorance
regarding his abilities. With a polite smile and a smooth movement, he stepped into the center
of the room, onto the blue mat, while the other candidates and the interviewers observed
attentively.

However, his gaze remained steadfast on his opponent's eyes. Sunoo was strong, but he
would never let himself be caught off guard by a false sense of security.The alpha security
candidate, on the other hand, didn't seem to share the same mindset. Confident in his physical
superiority, he advanced toward Sunoo, attempting to intimidate him. He emitted a low
growl, accompanied by a slight release of pheromones in an attempt to establish dominance.
Nevertheless, Sunoo remained unshaken, showing no signs of weakness. He was certain that
this disrespectful behavior probably wouldn't earn him any points with the manager.

When the security candidate finally launched his first strike, Sunoo gracefully evaded it,
moving with agility and elegance. His opponent's eyebrows furrowed, but he hadn't made it
to the finals for nothing. Sunoo noticed how he straightened his posture, positioning himself
better on the blue mat.

Sunoo remained as he was, waiting for the next attack. The man advanced, first throwing a
punch towards his face, which Sunoo easily blocked, and then attempting to punch his
abdomen, which Sunoo also dodged. The man then tried to sweep his leg from behind his
ankle, the punches being an attempt to distract him and simultaneously get close enough to
execute the move. However, Sunoo was better than that and quickly dodged while managing
to slip one of his hands under the arm the opponent had tried to use to punch him, forcing it
upward and creating an opening in his stance.

Sunoo then delivered a kick right to the alpha's stomach, causing him to take two steps back,
feeling the blow. Sunoo didn't wait for him to recover and used the same move the man had
tried on him, essentially sweeping his legs out from under him, making him fall backward
with a thud.

The test didn't involve fighting to the death or anything like that. So Sunoo could say he had
won that round, but he looked to the alpha in charge for guidance on whether to continue or
not. The alpha overseeing the test discreetly raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised, and simply
pointed on the clipboard she carried to the empty spot next to another participant.

However, Sunoo knew that courtesy was important in environments like this, and although he
didn't often use it in the missions he typically went on, this wasn't one of the missions he was
accustomed to. That's why he approached the fallen security alpha, extending a hand to help
him up. The alpha security guard looked at him, a little embarrassed, a little angry, but above
all, resigned, and he took Sunoo's hand with a sigh. Accepting the help, the two exchanged a
brief look. Sunoo offered a respectful nod before returning to the other candidates.

After the last fights had concluded, the alpha requested the candidates to form a line again,
marking the end of this round of battles. With all the confrontations over, she approached the
candidates, maintaining a stern yet evaluative expression.

"I want to express my gratitude to all of you for participating in this phase of the selection
process. You have demonstrated various valuable skills throughout these confrontations," she
began, analyzing each candidate with critical eyes. "In the upcoming stages, our team will
carefully evaluate the performances, and those who are chosen to advance will be duly
notified by email. Thank you for your time and dedication."

Sunoo bowed in appreciation when she finished speaking, a sign of respect, and then
followed the line of candidates towards the exit.

After leaving the company, Kim Sunoo glanced at the watch on his wrist. The hands pointed
precisely at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, but the overcast sky and stormy weather deceived,
giving the feeling that night was about to fall. Raindrops began to fall intermittently,
splashing on the ground and adding to the already somber atmosphere of Seoul's corporate
center.

The melancholy of the scene did not go unnoticed by Sunoo. He stood there for a few
moments, allowing himself to take in the sight of the overcast sky and the urban
environment. It wasn't often that he could wander those streets, let alone allow himself to
appreciate such details. It was ironic. Sunoo hadn't had many missions in South Korea, even
though he was supposedly working for them, and whenever he wasn't on a mission, he was at
a headquarters in Russia.

He didn't like to dwell on it too much, but sometimes he wondered what it was like to live in
his home country, what it was like to spend his life there. Wasn't this the country he was
supposed to defend? He had been raised for that purpose, to defend his own country, but at
the same time that he belonged to the country, Sunoo didn't belong in it.

Sunoo could feel the sensation of loneliness that often accompanied him, covering him like a
familiar shroud. It was a visceral and cruel feeling that from time to time gnawed at his
insides without mercy. More often than he'd like, he found himself having to make the
conscious decision not to drown in the abyss of the hole in his chest. After all, there was no
more human decision than pretending the problem wasn't there.

Shaking off his thoughts, he forced himself to move. His leather shoes echoed against the
asphalt, which was starting to get wet as he made his way back to the Airbnb where he was
staying. He hadn't taken an umbrella, but since the metro station was only two streets away,
he wouldn't need to stop anywhere to buy one.

Upon returning to his apartment, Sunoo felt the need to relax and detach from the hectic day
he had experienced. First, he took off his tailored clothes and carefully folded them under the
bed, aware that he would have to put them into one of his separate bags to take to a laundry
service. His Airbnb didn't have one inside the apartment, and the building didn't have one
either, but Sunoo had already seen one on a corner of the neighborhood during his morning
commute, so that was sorted.

Next, Sunoo took a cold shower. He had never really gotten used to hot showers; to be
honest, for a long time, he didn't even know that hot showers were something "common." He
only discovered this after his first infiltration mission. As he grew up, Sunoo had been taught
about the advantages of cold showers, and it was the only type of water he had available in
his rooms at headquarters, so he never got accustomed to the hot showers that civilians used,
even when he had access to regular showers.

When he emerged from the shower, he dressed in a comfortable, unbranded black sweatshirt
and pants warm enough to help him relax. It was already around 5 in the evening, and he
needed to prepare his dinner, but before that, he did another session of stretches to help
loosen his tense muscles. Unfortunately, when he finished, he still felt some neck pain, but it
wasn't anything extraordinary.

In the evening, he made scrambled eggs and salad again. A sad dinner, and undoubtedly the
worst part of his day. But he forced himself to eat it all and not vomit, plus he was following
the dietary schedule recommended by the agency.

With that done and the dishes washed, Sunoo headed to his bed and grabbed his phone from
where he had placed it to charge near the nightstand. He checked his emails, first confirming
once again the appointments with the brokers, and then checking if he had received any
response from SPES's HR. To his pleasant surprise, the awaited response was already in his
inbox. An interview was scheduled, promptly at 10 a.m. the next morning, which still left
him with free time in the afternoon to deal with apartment matters.

After confirming his attendance, Sunoo had nothing else to do but sleep. So, he settled into
his bed, allowing his eyelids to gently close. Sleep, as always, took a while to arrive, but
eventually, it came, and he surrendered to unconsciousness.
 Sim Jaehyun Part 1.
Chapter Notes

This chapter may undergo revisions in the future, more focused on English language
corrections than on the story itself.

On the day of the interview, Sunoo followed his usual routine. He had a quick breakfast and
prepared himself for the upcoming moment. Wearing a black suit with a navy-blue tie, he
slicked back his hair and added a pair of sunglasses, a bit of an overplay for the look, but
Seoul, after the rainy day it had been the day before, now had a radiant and hot sun hovering
over the skyscrapers.

As he placed his used clothes in the bag, which he would later have to take to the laundry,
Sunoo contemplated how the sky in Korea was different, bluer, as if the sun were always
covered by a bluish haze, completely different from the vibrant sky he had seen in Latin
American countries.

He chose to use the subway again to reach SPES, and there was no denying that it was
probably one of the cleanest and most organized in the world, very different from most of the
subways he had used. Not that it made up for the men, especially alphas, who thought they
were being discreet in their attempts at harassment.

Upon arriving at the company, he didn't let himself be carried away by the exuberant
grandeur of the building and went straight to the reception, where he encountered the same
receptionist with her hair pulled back. He informed her that he was there for the second phase
of the selection process. The receptionist responded with a warm smile, handing him an
authorization card and giving him a brief explanation of how to get to the interview room,
which was in a different location from the previous one.

Sunoo thanked her with a polite smile, aware that if he got the job, he would probably see her
more often, and being friendly could help him in the future.

Following the instructions, Sunoo used the card to access the elevator she had indicated.
Although he had taken the escalator a few floors down in the previous test, there was no
indication that there was any area requiring an access card. In the rooms he had visited, he
hadn't recognized any card reader either, which probably meant that only the most important
parts of the company were secured behind identification badges.

Sunoo was observant, and he knew that in the opposite direction from where he had gone the
day before, there was a huge corridor leading to a pair of elevators, and at the entrance of this
corridor, there were a series of turnstiles, most likely that was an entrance for employees of
specific departments.
The elevator he took, however, was practically in front of the hall entrance, just behind the
receptionist's desk, which was in the middle of the huge reception area. Unlike the case with
employees, there were no turnstiles preventing his entry, but to open it, he needed an
identification badge that would be placed on the reader next to the call button. There was no
floor indicator anywhere that Sunoo could see, but the door opened almost immediately when
he swiped his badge.

Inside the elevator, he pressed the button for the tenth floor and found himself having to
swipe the badge again for the elevator to start moving. Inside, there was an indicator, unlike
on the outside, and Sunoo watched it instead of focusing on the mirror. Generally, Sunoo
tended to feel unnerved by his own appearance when he saw himself, and he limited mirror
use to the necessity of grooming and ensuring he looked presentable.

He descended to the indicated floor and found himself in an elegant, well-lit corridor with an
atmosphere of seriousness and professionalism that seemed almost artificial, as if it belonged
in a magazine or a 3D model in an architect's Behance profile, and most likely it had been
designed to be just like that, extremely perfect. Sunoo would bet that the area was probably
cleaned three times a day. A leather sofa accommodated some of the candidates Sunoo had
observed the day before, most likely the rest of them would be called in at a different time.

The omega from the previous day, standing near the last door of the corridor, gave him a
friendly smile when she saw him walk over to an empty leather armchair. She was wearing a
dress that reached her ankles and a pair of high-heeled pumps, exuding refined confidence.
When Sunoo finished sitting down, she approached and offered another courteous smile,
handing him a clipboard containing a form and a pen.

Sunoo thanked her and accepted the clipboard. She soon moved away, and he returned his
gaze to the paper in his hands. The other candidates didn't seem particularly interested in
what he was doing and already had their forms in hand, apparently already filled out.

The form contained simple questions about basic data and information: name, address,
nationality, and such. After carefully filling out the basic information on the form, Sunoo
turned the clipboard to find the personality test that was usually on the back, at least in most
of the interviews he had attended. The questions there weren't exactly intriguing; he knew
they were supposedly designed to probe deeper into one's psychology and inclinations. This
was one of the roles of human resources: to define candidates' profiles based on this type of
question. However, there was no guarantee that people would answer truthfully, and in
general, people tended to respond with what they thought would be most useful for the
position. So, in Sunoo's opinion, it wasn't very functional.

Apart from that, Sunoo, being raised the way he was, most likely had some personality
deviation. Nobody did what he did and came out of the situation as a normal person.
However, he always had good results in his interviews, and no one ever suspected his
intentions at any point. He quickly finished his answers and waited for her signal to collect
the forms, which she did within a few minutes.

Once all seven present candidates had submitted their forms, she offered them a warm smile
and informed them that she would call them individually for an interview with Sim Jaehyun,
the owner of the company. It wasn't exactly new information; they had been informed about it
the day before, but Sunoo couldn't help but notice how the other candidates straightened up in
their chairs, adjusting their postures as if the director had X-ray vision that would indicate
which of the three had the worst posture. An aura of anticipation and anxiety hung over the
corridor as the candidates awaited their turn, all nervously seated in their places.

The first to be called was a stern-faced alpha with long curly hair and an imposing stature of
at least 1.80 meters. Despite her tough appearance, her interview was conducted incredibly
quickly, and Sunoo noticed that she left the room slightly disconcerted, which he assumed
meant she hadn't done very well.

Unfortunately, despite being very good as a spy, he was still a human being, and he couldn't
hear anything that was happening in the next room. The sound was completely muffled
behind the large wooden doors, overly muffled, most likely the walls were soundproof, not
very surprising these days. Besides helping with internal acoustics, it also allowed the
president to have more private meetings.

As the alpha moved away, the HR representative, maintaining her professional demeanor,
gave her a rehearsed speech, mentioning that she would receive a response by email,
regardless of whether it was positive or negative.

A beta was the next to come out of the room, and her confident expression was noticeable.
She walked with determination, offering a polite smile to all the candidates waiting for their
turn. The gesture was seen as a way to share positive energy with the other candidates,
creating a more relaxed atmosphere in the hallway that had been somewhat tense after the
first interview.

The next candidate, an alpha, emerged from the room with a confused expression, as if trying
to process what had happened during the interview.

Then it was Sunoo's turn, and he was called to enter. Regardless of whether he was a trained
assassin or not, Sunoo would never lose the butterflies in his stomach he felt every time he
did things like this as if the victim would jump out of the chair and shout, "Aha! I know who
you are!" as soon as they locked eyes with Sunoo, as if they told a story for anyone who
wanted to see them. It never happened, obviously, but it was still stressful. On the other hand,
he was also slightly curious, he always was.

He had always wanted to know what these men had done to be pursued by Olympus, what
had put them on the pedestal or in the pit they found themselves in, and with Sim Jaehyun, it
wouldn't be any different.

As he entered the room, his eyes quickly scanned the environment, noting that despite it
being an interview with the CEO, the room didn't seem to belong to the man in front of him.
The space was relatively small, with more than one desk occupying the place, and the
minimalist decoration contrasted with his expectations.

His brain even offered a solution to the problem: the room was probably borrowed from some
other employee, maybe even from HR, which made sense because there were two more
floors in the building, and the management usually occupied the top one. Besides, security in
the area was relatively low for the protection of a man like the alpha leader of the Sims.
There were no nameplates on any of the desks or doors, but Sunoo imagined that the CEO's
door probably had a sign with bold letters that read "C.E.O."

The second thing Sunoo noticed was that Sim Jaehyun was a very, very handsome man.
Sunoo had seen many beautiful people in his life and met actresses, idols, and models, but he
was probably at the top of his list of people whose faces were clearly favored by God.

Seated in a simple office chair behind one of the desks, his upright posture denoted a mixture
of professionalism and restlessness. His keen eyes roamed over the figure of the man in front
of him, the much-talked-about CEO of the company. Sim Jaehyun exuded an air of
sophistication with his tailored suit—not made by the skilled hands of Risakis with calloused
fingers, toiling away in a dark room sewing endlessly, but by tailors, the kind only people
with a lot of money had access to, and whose cuts only enhanced the beauty of their bodies.

His blonde-dyed hair gave him an even more intriguing look, and overall accentuated his face
—Sunoo had seen pictures of him before, and while he wasn't by any means unattractive,
blonde was clearly his color—while the gray-blue contact lenses created a pleasant contrast
to the eyes. Jaehyun was clearly mixed-race and not 100% Korean, which helped because
hardly a Korean would match blue lenses as well as he did. Around his neck hung a Prada
necklace, and on his wrist, an invaluable watch shone with the promise of a fortune that could
easily surpass the price of a house.

Everything about him contrasted with the simplistic yet modern environment of the room.
His suit alone seemed too expensive to be worn while sitting in the padded chairs of that
room; it stood out like a sore thumb amidst the decor that was certainly much more expensive
and modern than that of most offices in Seoul but still didn't quite match someone who wore
a Prada necklace and a Rolex on his wrist.

Jaehyun raised his head to greet him as Sunoo approached, bowing and introducing himself.
However, when Sunoo lifted his head, an intense wave of pheromones hit his nostrils,
momentarily threatening to undermine his composure. It was as if the atmosphere in the room
had changed dramatically; his stomach churned for a second, and the world went out of
focus. His long-dormant instincts murmured inside him for a second, almost imperceptibly,
but Sunoo hadn't felt that in so long that the shock was as great as if he had been punched in
the stomach. His insides stirred, almost causing his legs to give way, but out of pride and self-
preservation—Sunoo didn't go through months of hellish training to crumble in a situation
like this—he kept his knees firm and his back straight.

He raised his eyes to the director, blinking a little slower than normal, extremely confused.
Jaehyun's eyes, however, were slightly widened for a brief moment, until he seemed to come
to his senses, and the pheromones that had once simply saturated the room in a second were
securely back within Jaehyun. The sudden and swift cessation of that absurd amount of
pheromones was almost as strange as the sensation of receiving them all at once, out of
nowhere.

Jaehyun and Sunoo stared at each other for a long 15 seconds, both confused. Jaehyun,
however, appeared to be the more perplexed of the two, his face pale as if he had seen a
ghost, which was ironic because the one who had behaved completely oddly was him, yet he
looked at Sunoo as if he had done something utterly bizarre.
Not knowing what else to do after another few seconds of being stared at by the director,
Sunoo tried, "Ah, Director Sim?"

Jaehyun blinked, seeming to snap out of a stupor, shaking his head slightly before focusing
his eyes on Sunoo once again.

Then he smiled and commented, "Ah, my apologies, I don't know what happened." His voice
sounded velvety and smooth in a way that probably wasn't fair to other people. His eyebrows
furrowed slightly, and his eyes once again locked onto Sunoo as if he were the big question
mark in the room. But he soon offered a forced smile and continued, pointing to the chair
across from the desk where he was sitting, "Please, have a seat. You've already introduced
yourself, but I believe I haven't. My name is Sim Jaehyun, and I'm the founder of SPES."

"Good morning, Mr. Sim," Sunoo replied, taking the indicated seat. His gaze met the alpha's,
and for a moment, the palpable tension between them created a kind of electricity in the air.
Jaehyun then blinked a few times, as if trying to force himself to dispel whatever he was
getting confused about.

"Good morning," a pause that was too long for what would be comfortable in a normal
conversation. "Well, back to the focus, I've already read your file, Mr. Kim, and to be honest,
you were one of the top performers in the evaluation by the head of security. According to
her, your skills are precise, but you're not overly confident or showy, which doesn't seem like
a big deal, but it is in your line of work."

Sunoo didn't know if he should nod or not to that statement because it was undeniably true.
The bodyguard industry was generally dominated by alphas, as they had genetic advantages
for it, just like fields such as martial arts or basketball—famous teams were filled with alphas
with scandals up to their necks due to their misbehavior, but at least they were winning, that
was the logic people followed, at least. He, obviously, couldn't say that, so he just restrained
himself with a response, "Unfortunately, having a good temperament should be one of the
main requirements for the profession, I believe."

Jaehyun still seemed a bit out of it, and Sunoo noticed that he wrinkled his nose a few times,
as if sniffing, or sensing the smell of something strange. The agent resisted the urge to take a
stronger sniff to try to figure out what he was smelling.

"Yes, there are several things that are important for your profession but are unfortunately
overlooked by people," he commented, jotting something down on a paper in front of him on
the desk. Sunoo assumed it was his file. Jaehyun then raised his intense eyes again, his
blonde hair swaying slightly with the movement. Sunoo wondered if by bleaching his hair
like that, he could keep it as hydrated as the director did. He doubted it.

"Tell me, Sunoo, you have extensive experience as a bodyguard, but in general, you've
worked more in the corporate field. You have some experience with private jobs," he then
made what seemed to be a circle on another sheet on the table, most likely marking one of his
various fake jobs listed on his resume, "but it's minimal compared to the time you've spent as
a security guard in establishments. So tell me, do you have experience working with
omegas?"
"No," Sunoo replied honestly, not because he loved telling the truth, but because he wasn't
expecting this specific question, and in this case, he didn't think lying would solve his
problem.

"Okay," Jaehyun clasped his hands, one still holding his head, in front of his body, his elbows
resting on the table, and then rested his beautiful and delicate face on his slender fingers,
staring at Sunoo a bit more seriously than before. "So tell me, what's your opinion on
omegas?"

Sunoo raised an eyebrow and sat up a bit straighter in his chair, understanding somewhat
what was happening. "That depends," he commented, and it did depend. "What do you really
want to ask? Being an omega can encompass many things... Your question was really vague."

Jaehyun's eyes narrowed slightly at the edges, and the right corner of his mouth lifted slightly
as if he found the response amusing.

"That's a controversial question. Usually, either you give a speech in favor of omega rights, or
you explain to me why you think they're just ordinary people but with this, this, and that, and
that they're dramatic and not as victimized as they seem to be, and so on," he gestured with
his hands with obvious disdain.
Sunoo felt somewhat bold and commented,

"You seem to have asked the same question several times, then," Sunoo observed.

Jaehyun straightened in his chair, returning to writing whatever he was working on with the
papers in front of him. "Perhaps I have, but you still haven't answered me."

Sunoo blinked, somewhat dazed. "Yes, but you didn't ask me. I apologize, Director Sim, I
might sound rude, but do you want my opinion on omega rights? On their instincts? How do I
think they fit into today's society? I'll need you to explain a bit more."

"Don't worry," he reassured, "you're not being rude. Let's do it this way, then. What's your
opinion on omega's natural instincts? Their protests have been growing increasingly over the
past few years; I'm sure you must have an opinion."

Sunoo blinked again and then sat up straighter in his chair, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
He didn't like thinking about omegas, talking about omegas, or hearing about omegas
because it reminded him too much of things he didn't want to remember. However, it was
truly impossible not to see the revolutionary movement that had been happening in recent
years. Sometimes, in the quiet of his sleepless nights, Sunoo would torture himself by
watching news reports on the subject. Even if he didn't have masochistic tendencies, even if
he wanted to protect himself from exposure to the subject, Sunoo had been sent on missions
amid true revolutionary wars led by omegas in countries where things were much more dire.

Sunoo had probably seen the worst of humanity present in those wars, so he kind of had
several somewhat extremist opinions. This didn't mean he felt comfortable sharing them.
Talking about the subject made him feel exposed as if his thoughts revealed his true nature to
others. Infiltrating here was his mission, and once again, the truth seemed to be the best path.
"I think many of the speeches we have today are all wrong," he began, and Jaehyun raised
one eyebrow, probably imagining a not-so-great ending for a speech that starts like that.
Sunoo continued, "The biological disparities between subgenres are normal, and natural, but
do they really mean anything today? Women are naturally weaker, but nowadays, that doesn't
make a difference in anyone's daily life."

Jaehyun blinked and then leaned back in his chair, his back against the cushioned backrest,
which Sunoo would call almost casual.

"I'm not sure I follow your reasoning."

Sunoo licked his lips, nervous, and in his mind, he remembered a group of omegas he had
encountered during a revolution in Arabia. It was the first time he had seen nesting up close,
although obviously, they hadn't allowed him to enter the room where they made their nests.
Whenever he remembered the care with which they, together, took care of each other and
passed pieces of clothing to each other, Sunoo felt his mouth dry.

"When we're talking about gender or sub-gender differences, there are several things at play,
specifically regarding subgenres. We have what is natural and what is shaped by our society
and culture, after all, we come into the world naked and have to learn to wear clothes and
shoes. The way we understand the gender and subgender hierarchy today, especially here in
East Asia, is entirely cultural. So why do people in our protests try to make omegas reject
their nature?"

"I've never seen one omega telling another omega to reject their own nature."

"Have you ever seen an omega protesting with a sign that omegas shouldn't nest because it
creates emotional dependence on their partner?"

"Okay, you have a point. I'm sure that sign went viral on social media for a while."

Sunoo nodded and then sighed.

"It's complicated; the idea is that people want to help because, for all intents and purposes,
they're not lying. Do you want to be a toxic boyfriend? Threaten your partner's nest; it's not
difficult, it's not uncommon, but does it make any sense to want an omega to repress their
instincts?"

"And what you mean is..."

Sunoo laughed, a little embarrassed by his enthusiastic speech.

"I completely understand the need for the revolutionary movement, don't get me wrong, but I
believe it often focuses on shallow discussions when the hole is much deeper. Sometimes the
discourse is even counterproductive." he hesitated, "I don't think omegas are gaining anything
by rejecting their instincts."

Jaehyun crossed his arms over his chest.

"I think I understand what you mean a little. I've seen some works with omegas commenting
that they've never submitted to alphas because they're their own people and things like that,
but I've also seen stories where alphas proudly declare themselves submissive to other alphas
because submission is a matter of loyalty." He moistened his pink lips with the tip of his
tongue. "I never really stopped to think about it, and Jungwon never mentioned it."

"He's your omega, right?"

Jaehyun nodded, as his entire pack was public knowledge.

"Do you think he'd be happier denying you submission?"

"Jungwon loves our pack," Jaehyun replied, somewhat indignantly.

"It's natural, it's part of every omega's instinct. And when an alpha abuses that ability to hurt
an omega, it's a problem caused by the person's character deviation, not by their instincts,"
Sunoo said. He considered adding more, but when the silence stretched longer than was
comfortable, he continued, "Well, I just don't know if that's what you were expecting."

Jaehyun smiled. "Not exactly, no, but I liked your logic. And it implies quite a bit as well."
He tapped the pen on the table, pondering. "You seem to know a bit about omegas and their
instincts as well."

"I had a friend in my teenage years who ended up being categorized as an omega," he lied
effortlessly.

"Had?" Jaehyun inquired.

"She passed away," Sunoo continued, "she was murdered by a jealous ex-boyfriend."

Jaehyun looked a bit pale. "Oh, I'm sorry, an alpha, I presume," he commented, clearly
uncomfortable but at the same time maintaining his composure.

Sunoo nodded, pretending to have the best look of discomfort and sorrow he could muster,
his eyes slightly teary. This allowed him to have an excuse for his various opinions on alphas.
 Chapter 5

Before the atmosphere could get awkward once again, Jake continued without taking his eyes
off Sunoo's face: "Do you believe that omega society should strive for equality with alphas,
or do you see merit in maintaining the differences?" That was a very specific question and
could be interpreted in different ways.

Sunoo rubbed one hand against the other before responding.

"It depends. What differences are we talking about? As I said, I don't see the point in omegas
forsaking their own instincts," Sunoo clearly had knowledge on the subject, "But if we're
talking about how we establish hierarchy..."

He scribbled something on his form and rested his chin on his intertwined fingers once again.

"Would you trust your life in the hands of an omega?" That was a rhetorical question,
obviously, but the irony of the question put a small smile on Sunoo's face.

"I wouldn't trust my life in anyone's hands but my own." Jaehyun raised an eyebrow but
seemed to accept the answer.

"Okay, last question," he hesitated for a moment while looking at Sunoo's face, who resisted
the urge to raise an eyebrow at the sudden pause. "Do you believe that ethics and morality are
flexible depending on the situation, or are they constant in all circumstances?"

Sunoo tilted his head slightly to the side; this was probably the trickiest question of the day
because both options had their own merit. Sunoo didn't know enough about the CEO to play
a guessing game and speculate which of the two options the alpha would prefer to hear.
Sunoo decided to share his own opinion.

"Flexible," Sunoo straightened up before elaborating, "After all, who can blame a mother, for
example, for killing to protect her child?" The answer was rhetorical, obviously, but it
illustrated the basic logic behind his thoughts. The reality, however, was much more
complicated than that.

Sim Jaehyun stared at him for a few more seconds before finally sitting up straight in his
chair. "Well, I think that's it." Sunoo watched closely as Sim Jaehyun concluded the interview
with a polite smile, their hands meeting in a courteous handshake. However, the clasping of
hands once again triggered a subtle stream of pheromones emanating from the CEO. It was
like a gentle breeze sweeping through the space between them, searching for an answer
somewhere deep within Sunoo.

However, Sunoo now stood firm, resisting the tides of attraction that threatened to flood his
mind and senses. Despite his position of power, the CEO momentarily showed a rare
vulnerability, his gaze betraying embarrassment.
As Sunoo rose to leave, Sim Jaehyun accompanied him to the door, opening it with a graceful
gesture that allowed Sunoo to depart. Crossing the threshold, Sunoo made a polite bow,
demonstrating impeccable etiquette.

As he returned to the hallway where the interviews took place, Sunoo was greeted by the
Director of Human Resources, whose expression displayed a slight glimmer of curiosity.
However, she simply followed protocol, repeating the rehearsed speech about the response
that would be sent via email. Her words fell like a cascade of meticulously trained formality.

Sunoo returned to his apartment after the interview, choosing to prepare a vegetable soup for
lunch, avoiding the carton of eggs stored in the fridge.

After carefully washing his dishes and letting them dry, he discarded the suit and tie,
replacing them with more casual attire: a black sweater and jeans. This change of clothing
made him appear more in tune with his own age.

His suit was hung carefully on the coat rack, and after placing his phone and wallet with his
false documents in his pocket, Sunoo picked up the bag containing the clothes he needed to
wash. He headed to the small laundry room he had noticed near his apartment.

Although he only had a few pieces to wash, his wardrobe itself was quite lean, so he couldn't
afford to let dirty clothes pile up. However, this minimalist approach also meant that the
laundry would be quick and efficient.

He placed the pieces and the cloth bag in the washing machine, knowing that he would soon
have them back, fresh and clean.

Sunoo followed with his next stop of the day, the meeting with the real estate agent. As he
had predicted, the broker's office was located in the bustling center of Seoul. He took the
subway there, and upon arrival, encountered a somewhat peculiar scene. The place that
served as the broker's office was a converted residential house. This gave the place an
unexpected touch of coziness but also hinted at a certain lack of resources.

The real estate agent, an alpha in his thirties, exuded a strong scent of cigarettes. He tried to
initiate a more personal conversation with Sunoo, as many often did in similar situations.
However, Sunoo, accustomed to such advances, promptly put an end to the alpha's attempts,
establishing a silent and slightly uncomfortable atmosphere as the two focused on the task of
finding suitable houses. After all, there's nothing more awkward than trying to flirt and being
blatantly rejected. Sunoo thought that the discomfort he caused was well-deserved because if
the alpha had tried to invest in him, then he was willing to make other clients equally
uncomfortable.

The real estate agent initially presented Sunoo with some housing options in the city center,
but Sunoo explained his preference for something close to the area where he was staying on
Airbnb due to its convenience. With this new directive, the broker adjusted his strategy and
began showing houses and apartments in more remote neighborhoods, as long as they
maintained the same convenience in terms of proximity to subway stations within walking
distance and were not too far from the city center, in addition to being affordable.
On that same day, they scheduled some visits and went to some of the houses. Sunoo ended
up choosing a small house located in a quiet neighborhood, about 20 minutes from the city
center. The location was ideal, as it was close enough to the center to have some shopping
options in the area. Furthermore, it was only a 5-minute walk from a subway station.
Although it was a lower-middle-class neighborhood, it was clean and did not have a
significant history of violence.

The house itself was modest, with a cozy bedroom, a functional bathroom, and a fitted
kitchen that came equipped with appliances, which raised the rent slightly but saved Sunoo
the hassle of searching for such items. From the outside, the house had a simple appearance,
someone's grandma would probably say it was charming—Sunoo never met his own
grandmother, so he didn't know what she would say—and it had a small green area in front,
perfect for those who enjoyed gardening or simply appreciated outdoor space. Which wasn't
exactly Sunoo's vibe. He didn't particularly enjoy his confinement at headquarters, but that
didn't mean he had developed an appreciation for anything green and natural.

Of course, forests were beautiful, in photos. And they had insects that made his skin itch.

The negotiation and legal process were completed on the same day, with Sunoo depositing
the security deposit and receiving the keys to his new home.

He wasted no time and decided to move into the new house on the same day. His only
luggage was his suitcases and the food he had bought the day before. So the process was
straightforward; he just called the Airbnb host to come collect the keys and waited on the
sidewalk with his bags by his side and a cloth bag under his arm with the food he would take
to the house.

The young man, a handsome and friendly guy, seemed surprised by the sudden departure, as
he had made the reservation for several days, and asked somewhat concerned if something
had happened.

Sunoo assured him that nothing had happened and thanked him for the comfortable, albeit
short stay. The young man didn't seem particularly convinced but left when the taxi Sunoo
had ordered arrived.

When he left, the sun was about to set, casting its last rays that reflected off the modern glass
windows of Seoul's buildings. However, when he arrived in front of his new house, the sky
was already taking on shades of dark purple, indicating that night was about to fall over the
city.

Inside his house, he simply leaned his suitcases in a corner and stored the food he had
brought in the bag in the refrigerator. Then he grabbed his phone to look for something to eat
on an app, as the house was devoid of kitchen utensils, cutlery, and pots.

The silence that permeated the house was a strange reminder of his days at headquarters, a
sense of familiarity that he embraced with a touch of melancholy. At the Airbnb, there was
always the sound of people in the other apartments, TVs on, doors opening and closing,
elevators in motion
Sunoo placed an order for an executive dinner from one of the restaurants available on the
app, and while he waited, he organized where he would sleep that night. One of his suitcases
contained his clothes, while the other held the items he deemed necessary for his mission,
ranging from basic survival kits, easily acquired on any budget website, to his weapons and
other equipment.

For all intents and purposes, Sunoo was a government agent, even though, at the same time,
he wasn't. What mattered was that he had permission to bring all the equipment he had at the
airport, which avoided major problems.

One of the things he possessed was a small box with a sleeping bag, which would have to
suffice for the night.

His dinner arrived in twenty minutes, and after eating and rinsing the dirty containers—
making a mental note to buy trash bags the next day—he went to bed. It was still relatively
early, especially considering his age, but it's not like he had other things to do besides
waiting.
 Sim Jaehyun part 2
Chapter Notes

I translated this chapter with the help of the GPT chat, but there are some parts that I feel
turned out awkward...

Sunoo woke up at five in the morning the next day, still with the sun about to rise, casting its
first light through the curtainless windows of his new temporary residence.

His first act upon waking up was to stretch, preparing for the new day. After that, he headed
to the bathroom for his morning hygiene routine before checking his emails, only to find an
empty inbox.

Deciding to take a shower and start the day, Sunoo chose a blue sweater and the same jeans
he had worn the day before as his outfit for the day. With his hair in order, he once again
surveyed the house and made notes on his phone of the things he needed to buy for his stay in
the new place.

Next, he researched how the garbage collection system worked in the area. An interesting
curiosity when exploring new places was discovering that waste disposal was never the same
everywhere. Therefore, he needed to learn about local procedures, such as buying specific
garbage bags and taking the trash to designated locations. There were no overly complicated
rules in the area, except for the need to pay for organic waste disposal and deliver it to
specific collection points, for which he would need to acquire the appropriate bags.

The sun was already rising when he finally started walking through the streets of Seoul, but
most shops were still closed, so his subway car was still empty, allowing him to enjoy a quiet
and seated ride.

As he passed through the city, Sunoo tried to get some shopping done quickly, attempting to
buy as many things as possible from the same place. He picked up small items from Daiso,
including pots, cutlery, cups, and storage boxes.

For larger items, he had to go to a more specialized store, but he managed to sort everything
out quickly, even though he was carrying an absurd number of bags. He scheduled the
delivery for 3 p.m. He bought a bed, a small round wooden table with a set of simple chairs,
and a mattress that seemed comfortable enough.

There was no need to buy anything else, and his kitchen, in addition to the appliances,
already had countertops for food preparation, so there was nothing more to see there. The
attendant seemed satisfied with the sale, and he didn't try to push anything else.
On the way back home, with the midday sun scorching the back of his pale neck, Sunoo had
no choice but to walk, knowing that trying to ride the subway at noon with all those bags on
his arm would be more trouble than it was worth. That didn't mean the trip was particularly
enjoyable, so when he finally arrived at his new residence, almost one in the afternoon, he
just unlocked the door and dropped the bags in the corner of the entrance, taking off his shoes
in the hallway.

He wasn't particularly accustomed to the Korean custom of removing shoes when entering a
home, although he was used to walking barefoot around his room in the headquarters—he
hardly ever left it, so he didn't bring in dirt from outside, not that he could, as before entering
both the headquarters and his rooms, they went through a rigorous cleaning process in a
specific room for that purpose, entering their rooms with clean clothes and shoes provided by
the Olympus. In addition to that, the risaks cleaned their accommodations at least twice a day,
so it wasn't as if he was walking in a dirty place. However, he would need to start adopting
Korean customs, not that anyone would see him in his home, but he had always been the type
to be better safe than sorry.

He sat on his mattress casually thrown in the corner of the living room and decided to ignore
the bags for now, pulling out his phone once again and finally finding the email that wasn't
there in the morning. It was a job offer confirmation, requesting his return the next day for
the finalization of formalities and job orientation.

Sunoo quickly responded to the email, confirming his presence at the office and taking a
screenshot of the list of documents they had asked him to bring along for later separation.
With no way to delay the inevitable any longer, Sunoo had no choice but to get up and
organize the things he had bought.

At the scheduled time, the assemblers arrived and set up the furniture Sunoo had purchased,
which was scarce, practical, and lifeless. A reflection of the man he was.

Sunoo took advantage of the moment when the bed was fully assembled to carefully hide his
weaponry under the bed frame. It wasn't the best hiding place in the world, definitely, but he
had no intention of bringing any guests to his home anyway.

The next day, Sunoo took care of all the legal formalities related to his new position with the
omega in charge of HR. He felt a considerable relief knowing that he wouldn't need to resort
to alternative methods to infiltrate the pack's life, which would undoubtedly complicate the
situation and involve much more work. However, he still had a few days off before officially
starting his job at the company, which left him partially bored.

He decided it was best to use this time to familiarize himself with the city. It was highly
likely that he would have to accompany the pack to different places, and even if it wasn't
necessary, it was important to know the area where he was working. This was crucial for both
emergency situations and to appear as an ordinary resident, avoiding standing out or showing
confusion with simple questions about location, landmarks, or other related information.

Of course, he had put on his resume that he was new to the city, transferred from a company
that had closed in the interior of Korea, from a city large enough to have a company that
needed his work but small enough for any confusion amid the grandeur of Seoul to be
justifiable. However, it's not as if a young person his age usually stayed locked inside, so
having basic knowledge about the city's main locations was ideal.

Starting with the neighborhood where his new home was located, Sunoo dedicated himself to
exploring the streets, shops, and landmarks. He studied the alleys and shortcuts, preparing for
any situation that might arise during his mission. You never know when you might need to
enter a situation of escape or pursuit. He also became familiar with the neighborhoods near
the company, where he would likely spend most of his working hours.
…

On the day of the interview:

Jaehyun arrived at his residence after a tiring day at work. His house, located in the most
affluent part of the city, displayed a discreet grandeur even to those who saw it from the
outside. Surrounded by high walls, an electric fence, and enough security cameras to
intimidate anyone with ill intentions, the property was a haven of privacy. A guardhouse at
the entrance, manned by security personnel, was the first obstacle for any intruder.

Jaehyun's white Rolls Royce PHANTOM reflected the wealth and good taste of the owner, an
expensive car that didn't draw as much attention as the sports and extremely extravagant
models on the market, but still indicated his status with ease. He parked in front of the
imposing metal gates, whose presence contrasted with the elegance of the vehicle. He
lowered the car window, allowing the security personnel to identify him.

Like a well-rehearsed choreography, the gates began to open slowly, creaking to life and
revealing the path that led to his, for all intents and purposes, mansion. Twilight framed the
scene, casting golden hues on the immaculate facade of the residence.

He followed the path of stone, lined with robust trees. The landscaping of the residence paid
homage to European diversity, but the main road had a particularly Italian inspiration. The
narrow, tall trees that lined the path evoked the atmosphere of great Italian mansions and
castles.

The road culminated in a majestic circle before the residence, which branched into paths
leading to different parts of the property. Jaehyun parked the Rolls Royce at the house's main
entrance and got out, handing the car key to one of the waiting security personnel. The
security promptly took the car and headed to the underground garage through one of the
paths.

The house itself was an architectural masterpiece, a beautiful two-story mansion built in the
style of a European château. Its imposing facade displayed refined details with elements that
evoked an almost aristocratic splendor. Ivory bricks contrasted with limestone details,
creating an appearance of grandeur and sophistication.

In front of the residence, a large and majestic dark wooden French door made a statement of
power, guarded by two security personnel.

As Jaehyun approached, the bodyguards opened the massive door, allowing him to enter.
Once inside, the door was closed behind him with a solid and reassuring sound, sealing the
house against the outside world.

Jaehyun took off his shoes in the entrance hall and followed barefoot through the house. His
steps echoed softly on the polished wooden floor, creating a serene soundtrack as he followed
the familiar path.

He passed through the social areas of the house and continued to the private area of the
house, where the main kitchen, the pack's dining room, the cinema room, the TV room, and
other rooms for the personal use of the residents were located.

Jaehyun headed to the TV room, confident that he would find the pack members there. As
expected, they were all gathered, occupying the available seats in the center of the room. The
room itself, like the entire house, was a haven of comfort and luxury. In the center, a large
imposing fireplace displayed an elegant combination of dark stone and polished marble,
creating a focal point that radiated warmth and sophistication.

A large brown leather sofa, on which they were sitting, dominated the space, offering a
comfortable place to relax. Equally luxurious and upholstered armchairs, carefully positioned
around the room, invited occupants to settle in and enjoy their moments together.

A large screen TV was strategically mounted on the wall opposite the sofa, ready to entertain
the viewers. The room, tastefully decorated with attention to detail, exuded an atmosphere of
calm and intimacy. Jaehyun had spent a fortune on the entire architectural design of his
house, and it was definitely worth every penny.

A questionable movie was playing on TV, but no one was really paying attention, either
engrossed in private conversations or fiddling with their respective cell phones.
Jaehyun stopped at the entrance of the room, silently observing the scene before him. His
eyes swept the room, capturing every familiar detail and every beloved face. For a moment,
he simply absorbed the image, appreciating the comfort of his home and the presence of his
pack.

His pheromones, now released freely, permeated the environment, filling it. However, the
pack members were so accustomed to each other that they sometimes didn't notice the sudden
arrival of one of them.

Jaehyun cleared his throat, and immediately, five pairs of eyes turned to him. When they
looked at him, they realized that the matter was serious, whether from the determined
expression on his face or the pheromones he was releasing. The scent of lemon and vanilla
was still present, but now it carried a more bitter undertone.

He removed the blazer he was wearing and carefully placed it on one of the armchairs. Then,
he walked to the sofa and sat next to Jungwon, who was as impeccable as always, wearing a
colorful striped sweater and jeans.

"Guys, I need to talk to you," Jaehyun spoke, and the members who were farther away got up
and approached, forming a circle in the room. Niki sat on the other side of Jaehyun, wearing
a black sweatshirt, while Sunghoon leaned on the arm of the nearest armchair. Heeseung and
Jay remained where they were, sitting in the chairs closest to the coffee table, where some
drink cans and soda were resting.

"What's wrong, Jake? Does it have something to do with my father?" Jungwon asked, placing
his hand on Jaehyun's leg in a comforting gesture.
The atmosphere in that luxurious room, with the fireplace crackling softly in the background,
seemed strangely calm in contrast to the tension building between Jaehyun and his pack. The
silence weighed in the air as everyone waited.

Jaehyun sighed deeply, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Jungwon's light
brown eyes, so comforting at other times, were now a mirror of the concerns that haunted
Jaehyun. The omega's silent support, however, was a balm for his restlessness.

The silence seemed like an insurmountable barrier, but finally, Jaehyun broke it with his soft
and serious voice. "No, it's not that," he began, his expression showing the gravity of the
matter. His gaze met Jungwon's, who offered him a reassuring smile.

Jake loved Jungwon's smile. It was a smile that warmed his heart and dispelled many of the
world's problems. But at that moment, not even the pack omega's smile could alleviate
Jaehyun's confusion and tumultuous feelings.

"To be honest, I don't even know where to start," Jaehyun admitted, his words filled with
uncertainty.

"Start from the beginning, Jake," Sunghoon encouraged one of the alphas of the pack, dressed
entirely in black, his posture erect. His gaze was firm, directed at Jaehyun's eyes. "Just say
what you have to say. You know that walking in circles usually doesn't get us anywhere."

Jaehyun, or Jake as he was known, released another tense sigh, an almost automatic gesture
as he tried to calm his nerves. His fingers ran through his blonde hair, a habit that displayed
his inner nervousness. The room, once spacious, now felt confined, with all eyes focused on
him.

"I... I..." Jaehyun began, his voice initially trembling. He swallowed hard, aware of the
weight of the words he was about to utter. His gaze was firmly fixed on Sunghoon's
determined eyes as he continued, "I underwent an imprinting."
 Imprinting

"An imprinting?" Sunghoon asked, his voice rising an octave, and he nearly stood up in
surprise.

An imprinting, also known as bonding , was, for all intents and purposes, a rare phenomenon.
Most people go through life without experiencing one. Romance books and movies love to
explore the theme, describing it as a deep, unbreakable bond that formed between two
individuals, usually between an omega and an alpha. Supposedly, the bond transcended all
barriers and limitations, connecting the souls of two people uniquely and irrevocably. In
practice, it was a bit more complicated than that.

No one in the pack had imprinted on each other, not even Jungwon. They, like the
overwhelming majority of people, went about their lives without expecting it to ever happen.
That didn't mean they didn't love each other. On the contrary, Jaehyun knew he would give
his life for them, and he knew the feeling was mutual. That's why imprinting made things
incredibly complicated.

"Believe me, I'm as incredulous as you are," was what Jake managed to say.

The room was steeped in an atmosphere heavy with tension. Niki, visibly nervous, sat on the
edge of the sofa, his trembling hands betraying his anxiety.

"Are you sure?" Niki asked.

Jake looked at Niki with seriousness and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sure," he replied, his voice laden with emotion. "Believe me, I've never felt anything like
this in my life."

No one dared to ask what he exactly meant by that. Jay, sitting in one of the armchairs near
the fireplace, kept his gaze firmly on Jake and Jungwon. His expression was a mixture of
curiosity and concern.

"But who have you been bonded to?" he finally asked.

Jake, clearly stressed, nervously ran his fingers along the length of his thigh in a repetitive
motion. His mouth was dry, and the scrutiny around him didn't help.

"Today, the interviews for the security candidates were conducted, and one of the
candidates... a beta... I interviewed him today," Jake began to say, confused and disoriented.
He paused for a moment as if gathering the strength to continue. "His name was SunWoo,
Kim SunWoo."

The revelation fell quietly over the room. SunWoo's name hung in the air, and for long
seconds, no one dared to break the silence. All the members of the pack looked at Jake,
waiting for him to continue, until Jungwon gathered the courage to look Jake in the eyes and
ask the question that was on everyone's mind:

"And what does this mean for us?" He kept his gaze fixed on Jake's eyes, eagerly awaiting
the answer. Concern was written on his face: "Are you going to leave us?"

Jake didn't hesitate for a second before responding:

"Never, ever, no matter what happens, you'll only leave my pack if it's your choice," he
kissed Jungwon's forehead, then continued, "I still don't know what I'll do about SunWoo, but
I won't leave anyone behind."

The entire room seemed to breathe easier. After all, while imprinting was rare, from time to
time, there were cases here and there, and when it happened with members of established
packs, things didn't always go smoothly without anyone getting hurt.

"Can't we just add him to our pack?" Niki asked, somewhat confused by the situation.

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," Jay said, stretching in his armchair. He was visibly
calmer, but his face was still serious.

"Jay's right, it's not that simple," Heeseung added as he took a sip from the soda can in his
hand. "You may not know this because you were the last to join the pack, but it's not so easy
to add someone to the pack. Everyone has to agree that you belong to it, that you fit in."

"If it were just a beta he met and took an interest in, it would be less complicated. Now, when
it comes to imprinting, things get trickier because the dynamics of the pack with only one
'imprinted' member can end up being quite complicated," this time it was Sunghoon who
spoke, looking into Jake's now blue eyes. "And something tells me you haven't told the whole
story yet."

"I hate how well you know me," Jake sighed deeply, throwing his head back on the couch as
his words echoed in the room. His tone was filled with frustration and discomfort as he
admitted, "I think the imprinting was one-sided."

The impact of the revelation weighed on the room like a cloak of distress. There was a reason
why imprinting was widely used in romantic literature. In theory, the idea was that you would
find the perfect person for you, your soulmate, and live a long and happy life together.

"What do you mean one-sided? Imprintings can't be one-sided; that's not how it works,"
Jungwon said, squeezing Jake's leg in an attempt to comfort him. Jake then placed his hand
on top of Jungwon's and squeezed it back, grateful.

No one there had ever heard of a one-sided imprinting. It didn't even make sense. What was
the point of irrevocably binding yourself to someone if that person didn't bind back?

Jake explained with a heavy sigh, "I don't know; he just didn't seem affected. At first, he
seemed confused, but it was more because of my pheromones being all over the place than
anything else. He could have been trying to be professional, but I honestly doubt it."
As Jake shared his concern, Jungwon nestled into his chest, his face against Jake's shirt
pocket.

"That's weird... I definitely never heard of anything like this. I don't even know if it's
possible," he said. He then placed a chaste kiss on Jake's collarbone before continuing, "But
don't worry, we'll figure this out. One way or another," Jungwon assured him, his voice firm.
They would face this challenge together, as they always did.

Suddenly, Jungwon lifted his face and gazed at Jaehyun with his big eyes, which Jake
believed was one of the most adorable things in the world. "So, did he pass the interview or
not?" He swiftly shifted the conversation's focus to the practical matter. All eyes turned to
Jake, waiting for the answer about the candidate in question.

"Well, actually, yes, he was the best candidate in the practical part, and I really liked his
interview," Jake's response brought a note of positivity to the situation.

Jungwon, with an excited smile, said, "Well, then at least we know where to find him; we can
go to the company to meet him." However, before Jake could respond, Jay got up from his
chair and placed his hand on Jungwon's shoulder.

"I know you're excited, love, but let's take it easy. Let Jake get used to all of this first," Jay
advised.

Heeseung added his opinion, saying, "Not only do we have to wait for things to settle down,
but it's important to remember that we still don't know if we're really going to accept another
member into the pack. You need to keep that in mind." While his words were directed at
Jungwon, Heeseung looked into Jake's eyes as he spoke, and Jake nodded, accepting the
message for what it was: a warning.
 Jungwon

During Sunoo's first week working at the company, everything remained surprisingly
mundane and organized. He was formally introduced to the pack's team, but according to the
plan, Sunoo and the two new security guards who would join the team spent this first week
working at SPES without direct contact with them. It was as if they were undergoing initial
training before fully integrating into the team's dynamics.

Additionally, this week was also dedicated to resolving all legal matters related to Sunoo's
hiring. It was important to ensure that all contractual and bureaucratic details were in order
before he became an official member of the security team. Of course, there wasn't much to
resolve, but HR-related matters always took longer than they should.

He was accustomed to the pragmatism of Olympus, and various labor bureaucracies tested
his patience a bit, but aside from that, his first days had been peaceful.

In the first four days of his work at SPES, his primary responsibility was to stand in specific
locations, observing the crowd for any threats or suspicious behavior. There was an incident
in which he had to intervene and push away a curious teenager to prevent her from
approaching a famous artist who was exiting the building—through the private entrance,
mind you, not the main entrance where teenagers usually waited, carrying cameras worth
more than a house. However, apart from this episode, his workdays consisted of long periods
of inactivity.

Sunoo had no contact with the pack members, nor did he meet the company's CEO again. He
was aware that some security missions could take weeks or even months to fully unfold, so
he wasn't overly concerned about the lack of interaction.

Things finally began to change on the fifth day when Sunoo was assigned to serve directly
under the company's CEO. He joined the other two newcomers and a senior security guard,
and together, they were responsible for ensuring the security of the SPES office suite, where
the CEO conducted his daily activities.

The SPES suite was noticeably different from the rest of the building and, obviously, a
different place from where his interview had taken place. Unlike the traditional layout with
multiple doors in a wide corridor, this place presented itself as a spacious and elegant area. In
the center of this space was an imposing stone-carved reception, adding an atmosphere of
luxury to the environment, which Sunoo found a bit excessive. Seated behind the reception
desk was a young beta in his mid-twenties. He didn't offer any greetings to the security
guards, displaying an unfriendly expression, which seemed to be accentuated by his attractive
features. Sunoo didn't pay him much mind, but he was aware that this beta was Jaehyun's
direct secretary, so he also had no interest in sowing enmities with him. However, he seemed
to want to sow enmity with everyone present.

Sunoo would have to think about what to do about that later.

Behind the reception desk, the only available entrance led to a massive pivoting door made of
frosted glass. The opaque door prevented anything from being seen inside the room,
maintaining a certain degree of privacy and mystery regarding the interior of the CEO’s
office.

On that morning, Sunoo watched Jaehyun make his entrance into the SPES penthouse with
his characteristic elegance. Wearing a black turtleneck sweater that accentuated his slim
figure and impeccably tailored trousers, he didn't need formal attire to capture attention. Even
without the blue lenses that had highlighted him during the interview, his charisma remained
undeniable.

Jaehyun stepped out of the elevator—it was exclusive for artists and high-ranking executives,
while other employees used conventional elevators—and his warm "good morning" filled the
room. Everyone responded promptly, including the usually unfriendly secretary, who wore an
unexpectedly friendly smile. Jaehyun crossed the room, but when he reached Sunoo, he
hesitated. He stopped in the middle of the hall, and Sunoo could feel his eyes resting on him.
Sunoo maintained his gaze on the CEO and had to restrain himself from raising an eyebrow
when he noticed that Jaehyun seemed visibly confused. After a few seconds, Mr. Sim finally
continued on his way, looking somewhat awkward.

With the door to Jaehyun's office closed, Sunoo felt the curious glances of the other security
guards on him. The secretary, already naturally unfriendly, seemed even more sullen, and
Sunoo tried to avoid making eye contact with him for the rest of the day.

The morning followed its usual course after the strange moment, with random conversations
among the security guards and the secretary quietly carrying out his tasks. Sunoo, aware of
corporate dynamics, tried to strike a balance between reserve and cordiality. He smiled
politely, answered with yes or no when necessary, and occasionally gave his opinion to avoid
appearing unfriendly. It was a delicate dance he had learned to perform a long time ago.

Consequently, since he didn't derive any pleasure from the game of false cordialities, Sunoo's
morning had dragged on monotonously, with him remaining practically immobile at his
solitary observation post. The top floor of the building seemed to offer an extra layer of
security, making it almost untouchable for any potential threat. Any intruder daring to
approach the CEO would have to face a veritable army of security guards on the first floor
before even getting close to Sunoo and his colleagues.

However, the atmosphere began to subtly change shortly before lunchtime. The executive
elevator, which usually brought only the CEO and his secretary to that floor, opened its
majestic doors once more. The sound of the sliding door mechanism echoed through the
room, announcing the arrival of someone important, and the security guards, with their
postures relaxed after spending so many hours standing around chatting, straightened up
nervously.

From the interior of the elevator, a tall and sturdy security guard emerged first, his blue badge
identifying him promptly. Behind the security guard, Sunoo immediately recognized a figure
he had seen in photos on the computer: Yang Jungwon, the only omega in the pack.

Sunoo wondered once again how a pack could be assembled with so many beautiful people.
Jungwon had delicate features and a small figure, although he wasn't as short as he appeared
in his photos with the other members. He wore jeans and a black dress shirt, and his steps
were confident as he stepped out of the elevator. However, as soon as his eyes met Sunoo's,
he abruptly halted his steps, his face taking on an expression that the security guard couldn't
understand.

Sunoo, before he could fully process the situation, found himself following the protocol of
the other security guards and the secretary, making a respectful bow toward the newcomer.
However, while doing so, he was suddenly assaulted by the omega's pheromones. Sunoo
straightened his posture, confused yet remembering what had happened during his interview
a few days ago.

Just as in the interview with Jaehyun, Jungwon's eyes fixated on him in a way that made his
skin tingle and a warmth settle in his neck. The omega kept his eyes on him for long seconds,
and it was inevitable to feel a bit disconcerted under Jungwon's scrutiny. He wanted to say
something, break the awkward silence that hung in the air—especially aware that the people
around were watching and feeling the omega's pheromones, as indicated by their rigid
postures—but without the freedom to do so due to not knowing him, he simply arched one
eyebrow, pondering whether or not he should ask if he needed anything.

Suddenly, Jungwon took a deep breath, furrowing his black eyebrows in contrast to his pale
skin, and his pheromones were pulled back so abruptly that it was as if the people present had
been slapped. From the corner of his eye, Sunoo could see the security guards shifting
uncomfortably in place, just as confused as he was.

Jungwon then blinked his brown eyes, looking around, and his cheeks tinged with pink, an
indication that the release of pheromones had not been intentional. He then nodded in a shy
acknowledgment and walked quickly, lowering his eyes to the ground and heading towards
the CEO's office. He entered the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the
accompanying bodyguard outside.

The door closed with a hollow, echoing sound, filling the room with a brief silence. The
curious looks of everyone else present turned to Sunoo, their expressions clearly reflecting
confusion. Sunoo could feel the expectation in the air as if their throats were itching to ask
questions, but they all demonstrated the decency not to address what had happened. Sunoo
felt a wave of gratitude for this discretion because, honestly, he wouldn't have answers to
give even if he wanted to.

......

Jungwon entered the room and closed the door behind him quickly, leaning his back against it
as if he could keep someone from entering it with just the weight of his body, his eyes
widened.

Jaehyun was sitting in his brown leather chair at his desk, reviewing a report that Jungwon
would never in his life know how to read, on his expensive computer—Heeseung liked to call
it a playboy's computer—and raised his finely groomed eyebrows in surprise. Very finely
groomed, because Jungwon was the one who did them, he could confirm his expertise.
"Shit" was all the Omega said, looking up at his Alpha, completely desperate. "Shit, shit,
shit."

Jaehyun, still lost, started to get worried. He had explicitly agreed with the pack that no one
would enter SPES without his approval, but there was the pack's omega, standing on his
brand-new imported rug like a sore thumb, which wasn't exactly unexpected. Jungwon was
never the type to follow the rules, his personality was too rebellious for that, even if it would
get him into trouble later.

"Jungwon?" he questioned, making a move to get up.

"Jake!" Jungwon scolded and whined at the same time, pushing away from the door and
spinning on his heels to face it as if it were his new arch-enemy.

Jaehyun found himself having to look at the boy's back, but he calmed down and sat back
down. If it were something really dangerous, like him or someone from the pack in danger,
he would have said so already. So, he just sighed resignedly and watched, still confused, the
omega.

Even when dressed in formal clothes, Jungwon didn't fit into corporate environments like his
office. Although his office reflected his personality, with walls covered in discreet and
elegant wallpaper, and contemporary artwork hung in dark frames, the office was still, well,
an office. It was filled with high-quality furniture, all carefully selected to reflect Jaehyun's
taste because, for all intents and purposes, he was, according to Heeseung and probably Nick,
a spoiled playboy who appreciated architecture. Consequently, his office was luxurious,
featuring a stunning solid wood desk strategically positioned near the window, covered in
impeccably organized papers and documents. A state-of-the-art computer, just not as good as
the ones the pack members had at home, for playing video games on top of it. The office's
lighting was subtle and pleasant, coming from sophisticated fixtures on the ceiling, and a
bookshelf filled an entire wall, containing a vast collection of books on music and art, as well
as folders upon folders of important documents and reports from that year.

Jungwon was like a big dissonant spot in that environment, even though he had been raised
among the Korean elite, his rebellious personality seemed to go against any idea that evoked
an environment like that. He belonged on runways, hotel rooms, and luxury resorts, not amid
boring documents and men dressed in black.

Suddenly, the omega turned again, his face dismayed, and repeated once more, "Fuck."

Jaehyun blinked slowly before giving in and asking, "May I know what I owe this existential
crisis to?"

"The existential crisis, you owe to that guy right behind that door."

Jaehyun blinked, and understanding seemed to pass through his eyes. "Ahh, Kim Sunoo." He
straightened in his chair, checking the time in the corner of the computer screen. He would
have to leave for lunch in a few minutes. "Look, Jungwon, I know it's not the best situation,
but we can't decide anything yet. I haven't even talked to him, you haven't talked to him. I
know it's not exactly ideal-"
"Shhh," Jungwon grunted, raising his delicate hands as a sign to stop. "Okay, I admit, I was a
little scared when I came here, a little apprehensive, even jealous, I would say." Jungwon
started, walking over to Jaehyung's desk and placing his pale hands on his desk, his words
coming out quickly from his nervousness, and Jaehyun's heart softened because, of course,
Jungwon, considering his category and position in the pack, would feel insecure. "But what I
didn't expect, Sim Jaehyun is to have a damn imprinting with your bodyguard!"

Jake was about to comfort Jungwon and explain that he didn't need to worry when his brain
short-circuited when he finally understood the last part of his omega's almost hysterical
speech.

"Wait, what?" It was all his now practically dead brain could muster in response to the shock.

"Yeah, exactly, what!" Jungwon grunted, clearly in shock, his pheromones started to be
released due to his lack of control, showing how scared he was. He took a deep breath,
forcing his body to stop betraying himself. In any other situation, Jaehyun would have tried
to comfort him, but right now his brain was buried six feet underground and struggling to
resurrect, trying to process what on earth Jungwon was saying. "I came here just to take a
look at him, to see what he was like because I was tired of sitting at home wondering if my
alpha would bring home someone I don't know. And you can say whatever you want, Jake,
but it's an Imprinting we're talking about, nothing beats an Imprinting, and I know you, you
would be the good guy and try to bring him into the pack, and we would accept him, but he
would always, always be special because it's a fucking Imprinting!"

Jungwon probably wouldn't have said any of this if he hadn't been in the middle of a
hysterical crisis. After all, he had only gone there to see who the bodyguard was, to spy on
who would most likely be the beginning of his downfall, because he would be, Jungwon had
no doubts, and he knew that everyone in the pack was thinking the same way. Although they
didn't want to admit it.

"Then I get here," Jungwon continued, "and this super bizarre feeling hits me when I lay my
eyes on him, and suddenly..." Jungwon took a deep breath, his voice lowering in tone.
"Suddenly it's like everything turns upside down, one moment chains are binding you to the
world, the next it's like they've broken and attached to a guy who seems to have no idea what
just happened."

At the end of his little speech, his voice was low, almost gloomy, Jaehyun would say even
hurt, and he honestly didn't know where to start with that whole speech. Whether it was the
part where Jungwon was worried that he would favor a man he barely knew or the fact that
he had an Imprinting with the said individual.

Not knowing what else to do, he had only one option left: Jaehyun got up and went around
the desk, opening his arms to receive Jungwon's tight hug. Jungwon placed his head against
his alpha's chest. Jake heard the boy sniffle and responded by releasing his pheromones to
comfort him.

"You were worried," he commented finally, after a few minutes of holding his partner in his
arms, running his nose through the crown of his head.
"Of course, it's an Imprinting, Jake, you know that," Jungwon murmured against the alpha's
chest, resigned. "You all like to pretend you're not seeing the elephant in the room, but an
imprint is a connection between souls."

"Hmm," Jake murmured, looking at the sky in the distance through the large windows behind
his desk. "It might be, but wouldn't that be a good sign, then? Since it happened to you too?"

"I wasn't expecting this plot twist when I came here, you know?"

Jaehyun chuckled softly, the wind of his laughter tickling Jungwon's head.

"I was expecting to find a cute guy," he continued, and Jaehyun could feel his sadness, even
though the omega's pheromones were strictly under control, "who would be nice, funny, and
everything you needed."

Jake swallowed hard before continuing, pulling away a bit to look into his boyfriend's
beautiful face. Jungwon looked up at him from below, between his neck and his shoulder, a
bite scar gleamed against the artificial light, almost silver.

"And then what?"

"Then I would recognize our differences and accept them, and pretend it was all okay."

Jaehyung sighed and kissed the tip of his boyfriend's nose.

"I can't guarantee you anything because I don't know how Imprintings really work, Jungwon.
I've never been through it," he then kissed the pink lips of the boy, who sighed, and then
looked back into his eyes. "But I don't think that's what would have happened."

Jungwon shook his head, resigned.

"You think that way because you're too kind, and you don't believe you have the ability to
hurt anyone, but sometimes we hurt people without even knowing, Jaehyun, and sometimes
things are simply beyond our control.

Jaehyun knew he couldn't argue with that, and in this case, actions spoke louder than words.
However, there was still another problem.

"Indeed, sometimes we have no control over some things."

Jungwon then looked at the door of the room, thinking about one of the men behind it.

"This is very strange," he admitted finally. "He didn't seem to notice the imprinting."

"Welcome to my world."

Jungwon pinched the sides of his body, making Jake grunt, and stepped away.

"We need to get to know him, regardless of whether this feels strange or not. The rest of the
pack needs to get to know him too," the boy paced around the room, crossing his arms over
his chest as he thought about how terrifying it was to simply feel that his world was attached
to another person he didn't even know. "Did you talk to him?"

Jaehyun shook his head, observing Jungwon's defensive posture.

"It's the first day he's even worked directly for me, and I haven't had many opportunities. It's
not like I can just go out and chat with the security guards."

Jungwon snorted, laughing a little.

"Of course you can, you just care too much about social norms and stuff."

Jake rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Not everyone can be a rebel artist."

"Hmnhmn," Jungwon agreed, picking up one of the papers from the obsessively organized
stacks of the alpha and reading it, understanding absolutely nothing of what was written on it.
He was never a man of exact sciences. "And that's exactly why you're the pack alpha."

Jaehyun chuckled a bit more, raising one of his perfectly arched eyebrows, which translated
to "Seriously?"

"Okay, and also because you're much stronger than them... and more mature too, but that's
not the point I was trying to make."

Jake quickly flashed his red eyes at the omega, who rolled his eyes and grumbled:

"Show-off."

"Very much a show-off," Jaehyun agreed, approaching the boy again and pulling him by the
waist, stealing a quick kiss. "Shall we have lunch? Then we can think about this; we need to
talk to the others before anything else."

Jungwon sighed, nodding, feeling nervous. They really needed to have another conversation.
To be honest, they should have had another conversation in these past few days to clarify
things, but everyone seemed a bit hesitant to bring up the subject, so no one talked, they just
pretended like nothing had happened.

However, now it was impossible to do that.

With not much else to do, he intertwined his long fingers with Jaehyun's and decided it was
time for lunch.
 Conversations in the living room

They had lunch at an expensive restaurant that Jungwon loved. It was a private restaurant
where you could not only reserve a table but an entire exclusive room for yourself. The food
was good, although Jake thought there were better options, but on that day, he decided it
would be best to spoil the omega. They ate in silence, which was somewhat unusual for the
two of them since meals with pack members usually involved a lot of small talk or exchanged
flirtations between glasses of wine. But Jake knew that Jungwon was still processing
everything—he was processing too.

Jake chose to cancel their appointments for the day and return home with Jungwon after
lunch. Both of them were nervous, their minds filled with thoughts, and delaying that
conversation wouldn't do any good for either of them. So, he drove in silence, one sweaty
hand firmly gripping the steering wheel, the other rested on his boyfriend's leg, who was
restless beside him, playing with his fingers and gazing out the window. The afternoon sun
painted the sky in golden hues, but the tension inside the car was palpable. The silence
between them was not serene; it was laden with anticipation and uncertainty. There was no
need for words to express what they felt, but the absence of words hung heavy in the air.

Jay was the first pack member Jake and Jungwon encountered when they got home. He was
in the smaller kitchen they used when they wanted to cook or just have snacks—although
there was another, much larger kitchen in the house with industrial-grade appliances; it was
usually used by the staff. As Jay rummaged through the fridge for something to eat, he saw
Jake and Jungwon enter and immediately raised an eyebrow. Neither Jungwon nor Jake
should have been there at that hour, each for different reasons. "What are you doing here?" he
asked directly to Jungwon. "Aren't you supposed to be at your parents' house?"

Jungwon immediately averted his eyes, somewhat embarrassed, and Jake raised an eyebrow
as if to say, "Seriously?" while catching his partner in his lie. Jungwon didn't bother to
answer and just went towards Jay, gave him a kiss on the neck, and with a serious look in his
eyes, asked, "Can you call the others?"

Jay returned the gaze for long seconds, sensing the tense atmosphere between the two
partners, let out a long sigh, nodded, and planted a quick kiss on Jungwon's forehead. "Wait
in the TV room; I'll go get the others."

Jungwon and Jake went to the TV room while Jay took care of fetching the other pack
members. When the two settled on the sofa, Jake couldn't help but ask, genuinely amused,
"Your parents' house?" He cast a curious look at Jungwon, although he received a
reprimanding look in return. Jungwon decided to explain, "I know that if I explained, they
would understand, but I didn't want to worry anyone," he admitted. Jake looked at him once
more and sighed. It was painful to know that the whole situation with Sunoo was bothering
the pack members much more than they let on. Much more than they felt comfortable
revealing to themselves. And he knew it would only get worse by adding Jungwon to the
equation. However, before he could gather the courage to discuss it, the other members
started arriving one by one.
They seemed genuinely surprised by Jungwon's presence there, but they didn't ask questions.
Jake's presence wasn't as surprising since Jaehyun had a well-established work routine, but he
was still his own boss, and from time to time, when he was fed up with work, he would show
up at home at unconventional hours. The members arrived and spread out in the room. Niki,
with a cold cola in hand, lounged in one of the armchairs near the fireplace, watching the
scene with curiosity and an intrigued expression on his face. Sunghoon and Heeseung shared
the sofa, with Sunghoon still wearing his sweat-soaked tank top from the gym. Jay, always
present and loyal, settled next to Jungwon, hugging his waist as a silent show of support.

The atmosphere carried an uncomfortable silence, only interrupted by the gentle crackling of
the fireplace. Everyone waited, aware that something important was about to be revealed,
especially after what had happened a few days ago. Jungwon let out a sigh heavy with
resignation before he began to speak: "First of all, I want to apologize," he began with a
sobriety not commonly seen in him. "I lied about going to my parents' house today," he felt
Jay squeeze his waist and tried not to get distracted by the warm hand stroking him there. "I
went to SPES today; I went to see the bodyguard."

Immediately, the tension in the room tripled, and the temperature seemed to drop a few
degrees. Before the members could start talking over each other, Heeseung raised his hand in
a request for silence. He looked into Jungwon's eyes and, with a serious tone, asked:

"Why exactly, Jungwon? I thought we had been clear about this,"

"I know," Jungwon replied in frustration. "But let's be honest, we've been ignoring the
fucking elephant in the room since that day, and no one really wants to talk about it. It's a
damn imprinting... Our pack is already complicated to handle with three alphas in it. Maybe
you guys don't feel that way, but for me, it seemed inevitable that we would have to start
dealing with some favoritism sooner or later." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his
mouth and looked at his scattered packmates in the room. "I may be selfish, but I felt I had
the right to confront the problem that no one wanted to face, to see how he was, if he was
more handsome, if he was kinder, if he was funnier than me, than us."

Jake's heart grew heavier as he listened, but more than that, he felt it shatter when he looked
at the faces of the other members and saw understanding and empathy. When he looked at
Niki's face, if there was any part of his heart that was still intact, it was completely shattered
by the desolate expression on his face. Jake realized that, of all the people in the room, the
news had probably been the most devastating for the two, the only beta and the only omega
in the pack, and the youngest members as well, who carried distinct insecurities due to their
subgenders.

"I know I shouldn't have lied, but someone needed to face reality, and everyone was
pretending everything was fine and that all of this would be resolved with a few
conversations," Jungwon continued, licking his dry lips. "No matter how indifferent you
pretend to be, I know everyone here is worried." He then bit his lips. "And that's why I know
you'll like what I'm about to say even less."

If the atmosphere was heavy before, now Jake felt like he was carrying the weight of the
world on his shoulders. Jungwon's words had cast an even darker shadow over the room, and
the omega felt the weight of the situation as never before.
As Jungwon got up from the couch, Jay approached Jake and placed his hand on his waist,
making the same gesture he had made with Jungwon a few seconds before. Jake felt his
muscles relax a bit and pressed the side of his body against his partner's warm body, seeking
comfort.

Jungwon, on the other hand, began to pace back and forth in the middle of the room, as if the
movement could help alleviate the tension that hung in the air.

"I also experienced an imprinting," Jungwon finally said, his soft voice dragging heavily
through the silent room. "I went there, expecting to find a handsome boy, maybe funny, with
beautiful blue eyes or something like that, as it always is in the books. I don't know... Instead,
I set my eyes on him, and my world simply collapsed."

Jungwon's revelation hung in the air like a storm that finally breaks after a long period of
silence. The omega looked into the eyes of the pack members, seeking some kind of
understanding or support, but what he found was a mixture of shock and confusion. The
room was shrouded in heavy silence, interrupted only by the sound of everyone's nervous
breathing and the crackling of the fireplace.

Jay, who was next to Jake, tightened his grip on the alpha's waist, as if holding back a torrent
of questions and emotions. Jake, on the other hand, felt his heart tighten even more in the
face of Jungwon's revelation. He was the only one who could imagine the confusion and pain
that the omega had gone through.

It was one thing to experience an imprinting in books, as a young, single warrior waiting for
his beloved. It was entirely different when it happened when you had a family waiting for
you at home.

Before anyone could speak, Jungwon continued, his nervous fingers playing with the dark
strands of his hair.

"The worst part of it all..." Jungwon began to say, his voice heavy with emotions and his
expression tormented. "The worst part is that he didn't even seem to notice. I felt like
suddenly my life was supposed to revolve around him, and he didn't even seem to notice.
Seriously, it was the weirdest situation of my entire life, and he just stood there, as if I were
crazy."

The words came out strained, angry, and pained in a way that made everyone's chests tighten.
The pack was witnessing Jungwon's anguish, and the weight of the situation felt almost
unbearable.

Inevitably, some tears began to trickle down Jungwon's delicate face, but the others didn't
know how to react. Should they hug him? Should they keep their distance?

Jay remained at Jake's side, looking at him with a concerned expression, while the room
remained immersed in a heavy silence, broken only by Jungwon's muffled sobs as he buried
his face in his hands, desperate.
Jake, hearing the desperation in his partner's anguished crying and feeling that it was time to
take charge of the situation, since he was, for all intents and purposes, the pack leader, finally
began to speak with seriousness and frankness.

"Jungwon is right," he began, looking around with a serious expression. "During this week,
all we've done is ignore the elephant in the room. All of you had concerns, and no one felt
comfortable enough to talk about them. Besides, it was naive of me to think that you were
completely fine with the situation. I should have paid more attention, and for that, I also owe
an apology."

Jake felt guilty for not realizing how much the situation had uniquely affected each member
of the pack. He was the alpha, the leader, and it was his responsibility to take care of
everyone. This moment was far from easy for them, but it was essential to face the truth and
deal with the emotions that had been avoided.

Jake gave Jay's leg a reassuring squeeze before getting up and approaching Jungwon.

"We need to talk about this, really talk," Jake said seriously, placing a hand on Jungwon's
trembling shoulders. Jungwon looked up at him.

Jungwon nodded and hugged his alpha back when Jake enveloped him in a hug, sniffling as
he tried to calm down. However, he soon pulled away, sitting down again with Jay and
wiping his eyes on his shirt sleeve, giving Jake space to do his job. Jake then approached
Niki and sat on the arm of his chair, placing his arms over the younger man's shoulders.

"Talk about how you're feeling and what we're going to do, because I believe that, given the
situation now, the rest of the pack will have to meet him as soon as possible."

Surprisingly, Niki was the first to speak, staring at his own shoes.

"I was worried, really worried," Niki began. "Throughout this whole week, all I could think
about was that he's a beta too, and I would be replaced." He continued before Jake could
respond. "And I know you would do your best, your best not to leave me behind, but it's an
imprinting, Jake. How could I compete with your soulmate? And again, I know you would do
your best, that you would never hurt me by choice, but sometimes... things are just out of our
control."

Jake sighed and placed a kiss on Niki's blonde hair, caressing his face affectionately, ignoring
the burning sensation in the depths of his eyes. It was a common misconception that betas
were not as affected by their instincts as omegas and alphas were, but this was a gross fallacy.
Betas were protective of their omegas and alphas, and their space, desires, and needs needed
to be respected just as much as any subgender.

"Your words and Jungwon's words were extremely similar, my angel," Jake said sincerely.
"And all I can tell you is that I don't think that's what would happen, but this is the kind of
thing that's much better to show than to talk about."

Niki snuggled into his chest but continued speaking:

"Now, with Jungwon in the equation, all I can think is, am I going to lose my omega too?"
Jake hugged him even tighter, feeling frustration and guilt consuming him completely, and
Jungwon sniffled on the other side of the room.

"I know that, in the face of everything, it's hard to believe, but I will never, ever replace you."

And he wouldn't, he would never be able to.

Niki didn't say anything more, and silence settled for a few seconds until Heeseung spoke up.
Jake adjusted himself so he could look at Heeseung, still keeping his arms around Niki. Even
from where he was, he could see that the other alpha's hands were trembling.

"I was worried too, Jake. I am worried," Heeseung began, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Heeseung got up, and just as Jungwon had done before, he began to pace around the room.

"I was living my life normally, and suddenly, my alpha comes home saying he suffered an
imprinting. And now... now my omega comes home saying he suffered an imprinting?"
Heeseung's eyes briefly flashed red, with anger, frustration, or sadness, it was hard to say.

"It's as if out of nowhere, a guy I don't even know shows up and steals you right from under
my nose," he ran his trembling hands over his face, with restrained anger. "I know you would
never leave us, but I know that I, that the rest of us, would always be in the background. It's
so frustrating."

Jake got up, leaving Niki and approaching Heeseung cautiously. He extended his hesitant
hands toward the other alpha, aware that Heeseung didn't always like to be touched when he
was in that state. Heeseung nodded, allowing Jake to hug him. It was a tight, almost painful
hug, which conveyed the intensity of the emotions that everyone was experiencing.

"I know it's hard to believe, but please, believe me, we can make this work," Jake whispered
sincerely.

Heeseung responded with a weary voice:

"I know you can, Jake, I know you will. The question is: can you make this work without
making anyone miserable?"

Jake stepped back and placed both hands on Heeseung's face, gently caressing it. Even
though they were partners, such gestures weren't exchanged between the alphas in the pack as
often, being more reserved for the two younger members. Jake thought he should do it more,
caress them more, hug them more. He nervously licked his lips and with trembling fingers, he
tucked a strand of Heeseung's hair behind his ear.

"I don't know, my angel, I don't know. From the bottom of my heart, I hope so. Because
there's nothing that would destroy me more than making you unhappy."

Heeseung seemed to calm down and hugged him again, burying his face in Jake's neck and
kissing the area, more to soothe his own nerves than to calm Jake's.
"I'm scared, Jake. Scared of what this means for our family."

"I know."

Silence settled for a few more long minutes as Jake gently swayed Heeseung around the
living room. Jake knew that Jay and Sunghoon had their own concerns, but Niki and
Heeseung had spoken enough to represent them, and they didn't seem to want to add anything
for now, at least nothing about their concerns. Sunghoon soon spoke up, shifting the
conversation to a more practical matter:

"We have to meet him," he crossed his arms, and from where he was, Jake could see that his
eyes were red. "I think postponing it will only cause anxiety, and I'm not willing to have an
anxiolytic overdose." The last part was supposed to be a joke, but it came out so melancholic
that all Jake could do was reach out for Sunghoon to join the hug.

He hesitated for a moment, being the shyest of them all when it came to showing affection
outside their private rooms, especially among the alphas. However, he relented when Jake
raised an eyebrow, left his spot on the couch, and went to the other two alphas, hiding on the
other side of Jake's neck.

"We have an event on Monday," Jake said, serious, enjoying the kisses he was now receiving
from both sides of his neck. "I can request to have him scheduled to cover the event, so
everyone can meet him all at once."

...

Sunoo's day continued as usual after the meeting with Jungwon and Jaehyun. The CEO and
his omega went out for lunch, accompanied by another security team, and Sunoo had no
further contact with them in the afternoon. When his workday came to an end, Jaehyun had
not returned to the office. Sunoo left after bidding farewell to his coworkers, politely
declining their invitation to go for drinks so they could "get to know each other."

In South Korea, it was traditional, not as much as in Japan but still common enough, for
colleagues to go out for meals or drinks to improve their relationships with each other. In a
normal situation, Sunoo would have accepted because it was better to have a good rapport
with as many people as possible; you never know when a contact might come in handy.
However, as it was still too early to determine if he would be working on the same team with
those people in the future, he decided it wasn't worth the effort just yet.

In the evening, he strangely received an email from work, later than what should be
considered polite for sending a corporate email. What was even more curious was that it
entailed a significant change in his schedule for the next week. Upon examining the dates, he
realized there would be an alteration in his next shift following his day off. Instead of
working the daytime shift as usual, he was scheduled for a nighttime shift.

The following week, after his day off, Sunoo would be part of a security team responsible for
the pack's security during a nighttime fashion event. Some high-fashion brand that Sunoo
didn't bother to remember the name of was hosting a runway show for their new autumn
collection, and the entire pack would be participating in the event. It wasn't exactly the type
of event that would be useful for him. Sunoo had no interest in the idle chatter of Korean
socialites, and he doubted Olympus did either. It would be more interesting to observe them
at business dinners or even family events where crucial information tended to circulate more
frequently. This was one of the things he honestly disliked about this type of mission;
everything seemed to move at a snail's pace, but it was still progress.
 For a brief moment, Sunoo thought he was going to die.

Sunoo woke up on Monday with the hazy memory of a nightmare he couldn't recall correctly.
Fragments of disturbing images haunted his mind: red masks, skillful hands holding sewing
threads, and the sound of children being dragged across the training ground. Unwanted and
blurry memories.

Awakening with an uncomfortable feeling, he decided to get up and, before even getting
dressed properly, paid a visit to the nearest convenience store. There, he bought a can of
Coca-Cola, conducting the transaction in cash so that the small purchase wouldn't be traced
by Olympus. Still, he discreetly checked to ensure he wasn't being followed. It was an
indulgence he rarely allowed himself, as, despite being superfluous for any ordinary citizen,
it went against the rules. However, the effervescent taste of the drink was the only way to
dissipate the bitterness that the dream had left in his mouth.

Sunoo rarely dreamed, and when he did, they were never good dreams. They were always
disjointed nightmares conjured by a disturbed mind or overwhelming memories—sometimes
a bizarre mix of both. Sometimes he wondered what it felt like to have a good, fun, or even
funny dream. But he never let himself delve too deeply into those thoughts, considering that
perhaps his mind was simply no longer capable of projecting them.

By lunchtime, Sunoo had managed to put the disturbing dream behind him. In his line of
work, the ability to forget and ignore terrifying events was essential for survival. He had
learned this lesson early on because in the world he operated in, forgetting was a self-defense
weapon as important as any other. Ignoring the shadows of the past, present, and future was a
necessity, as anyone who couldn't do that risked perishing, either by their own hands or by
the hands of others.

Sunoo continued his day as usual, determined to maintain his routine despite the
uncomfortable start. Physical training and discipline were crucial for his survival as a soldier,
so he followed the exercise and stretching routine he usually did at headquarters. It was an
extensive and heavy routine, but mostly long enough to fill his afternoon. As an agent, Sunoo
didn't have much in the way of entertainment and often trained his body as a way to pass the
time. He sought to maintain the same routine when on missions and avoided using the forms
of entertainment commonly used by civilians. He didn't want to get used to them and then be
forced to return to his white box to suffer in silence. One of the few things he used was the
Smart TV, and even that, he tried to use it cautiously, aware that the device could be taken at
any moment.

After long hours of exercise, Sunoo dressed up and left the house. Wearing his black suit and
tie, he resembled a businessman returning from work, a young man in his early twenties in
his first or second job.
This time, he had to take his car, using the small white Picanto he had rented precisely for
such needs. There were no subway stations near the pack's house, and the distance was too
great, causing most Ubers to decline the ride. Thinking about this during his free time, Sunoo
had to go to a car rental and hastily rent a car.

Surprisingly, the Sim family's house was located in an area that could be considered rural, but
this was far from meaning simplicity. On the contrary, he quickly realized that he was
surrounded by the cream of Korean society. It wasn't just wealthy families living in luxurious
apartments but rather high society occupying mansions on spacious grounds that stretched
over acres of land.

The area was luxurious but sparsely populated, almost on the outskirts of the city. It was also
an exclusively residential neighborhood, where local commerce seemed unnecessary, as it
was simply a matter of calling a private driver for any needs.

Sunoo stopped in front of the gates and lowered the car window to speak with the security
through the intercom. He quickly identified himself, and the gates opened with a metallic
creak. The entrance structure was impressive, with concrete pillars and security cameras
everywhere, a clear sign that he was about to enter a territory where privacy and security
were taken seriously. If at any point he needed to infiltrate or get his hands on something
important, he would have to be extra careful—Sunoo was always cautious, but he noticed as
he drove along the indicated path that the security guard who greeted him remained vigilant,
his eyes tracking the car's movement. The security team was probably instructed to keep an
eye on each other. Nothing he couldn't handle, but it was still irritating.

Sunoo parked the car in a designated space and turned off the engine. Surveying the
surroundings, he noticed that the mansion had a romantic French-style architecture with
elaborate details, ornate windows, and a slate roof that added a touch of elegance to the
scenery. It was as if he had been transported into a 19th-century fairy tale.

The sky began to tint itself with shades of orange that gradually gave way to a deep purple,
resembling the hue of a bruise. Despite the night falling, the view of the house remained
enchanting, especially the serene garden stretching in front of him. For a brief moment,
Sunoo allowed himself to contemplate the beauty of the landscape before turning his
attention back to the mission that had brought him here. However, a thought lingered in his
mind: It wasn't exactly what he expected from a wealthy young man.

If one were to guess, they might have thought that they would choose something more
modern, with large glass windows and details in dark wood and burnt cement. Jaehyun had a
rather regal appearance and seemed to be a very elegant guy, considering his suits and cars,
which undoubtedly leaned towards the discreet and refined rather than the more modern side,
which would probably suit someone of his age. But from the photos he had seen of the pack,
he didn't imagine that everyone followed the same line. So, he wondered if the architecture of
the house was a choice only by the alpha or something in which everyone had the opportunity
to give their opinion.
Approaching the security guard positioned in front of the house, Sunoo maintained his
impeccable posture and serene expression. With a polite gesture, he requested the necessary
instructions to proceed, his identification badge attached to the chest pocket of his jacket
being all the identification required. The security guard, courteous, pointed the way to the
mansion's underground garage. He also informed Sunoo that the security team's control room
was on that floor, where the team members gathered at the beginning of each shift.

Sunoo walked down to the mansion's garage, his steps echoing on the tiles as he observed the
imposing collection of luxury cars occupying the space. There were at least 14 or 15 vehicles,
each more expensive and impressive than the other. The agent reasoned that maybe it wasn't
so absurd, considering there were six members in the pack, all men. For some reason Sunoo
couldn't understand, men seemed to have a strange obsession with luxury cars, a preference
that was usually not shared by women.

He had no difficulty finding the room, thanks to the large glass doors that clearly identified it.
He entered the security room and greeted the head of security and his colleagues seriously but
still friendly.

The curious and slightly intriguing expression in Mrs. Park's eyes—her presence there was
not a surprise, given her speech the other day, he imagined she should spend part of her time
managing the security of the Sim family's house—made Sunoo wonder if he had somehow
attracted her attention unfavorably. However, he quickly dismissed this idea, realizing that
her curiosity seemed genuine, without any trace of disapproval.

With a determined tone, the head of security gave her instructions. "Today, we're going to
form two teams: one car with security in front and another with the pack members,
accompanied by two security guards behind," she declared, including Sunoo and the other six
security guards in her communication. Then, her eyes directly fixed on Sunoo, the curiosity
still present in her gaze. "Although normally, in events like this, my deputy and I travel in the
car with the pack, today, Sunoo, I want you to accompany me."

The sudden choice left Sunoo somewhat perplexed, and, observing the other security guards,
he noticed that they shared the same confusion. Being the only newcomer taking care of the
pack's private security was strange enough. However, as a good employee, Sunoo did not
hesitate to nod.

Mrs. Park quickly delved into the detailed explanation of the routine, schedules, and schedule
for the event, outlining how the teams would be divided and the rotations of positions. With
the guidance completed, she led everyone out of the room and deeper into the garage. It was
then that Sunoo realized with some horror that his initial observation was far from capturing
the extent of the fleet of available vehicles. The garage extended even further, housing a
diverse collection that included simple popular models to high-end luxury sports cars and
vans, both common and high-end models.

Perhaps his initial opinion about the Alpha's style wasn't quite right.

Perplexity invaded Sunoo's thoughts as he wondered why a family would need so many cars.
He simply couldn't formulate an answer.
Mrs. Park indicated that he should sit on the bench of one of the luxury vans. The vehicle was
black on the outside and boasted white leather seats on the inside. For a brief moment, Sunoo
had a flash of memory of his room at Olympus, but he quickly pushed that memory to the
darkest corner of his mind. The alpha, who took the wheel, awaited him.

Sunoo got into the car, somewhat surprised by the fact that the pack, with that abyssal
number of vehicles, did not use a private chauffeur. He imagined that someone with so much
money would indulge in having someone to open and close their door, as well as the
functionality of the driver itself. Mrs. Park, however, seemed to be there only because it was
convenient as security. But it's not like Sunoo understood the minds of rich people—he didn't
know if he would even be able to understand the mind of an ordinary civilian, who had their
limitations of money, time, and needs. It was hard to imagine living like one of those young
people, with free time to come and go, money to meet any demand, and freedom.

Before he could get lost in his musings—something that happened more often than it should
—he could hear the noise of several footsteps, accompanied by laughter and shrill whispers.

"Behave, how old are you, 12?" Sunoo heard Jaehyun say.

Through the rearview mirror, he managed to spot the boys approaching from behind the
vehicle. Leading the group were Niki and Heeseung, both pushing each other while laughing,
trying not to fall at the same time.

"I would say you're being generous; for me, they're 5," Jungwon said, and Sunoo could see
him speeding up to give Heeseung a light kick in the butt, who dodged it and started walking
faster, smiling. Sunghoon came right behind, with Jay and Jaehyun on each side of him,
hands in the pockets of their tailored pants.

While observing them, Sunoo wondered if one of the requirements to join the pack was to be
attractive, as everyone seemed to have stepped straight out of a TV drama. Sunoo wasn't
accustomed to watching dramas, avoiding consuming too much civilian entertainment in
general, but he had watched an episode or two of any random drama. Korea was always filled
with posters and promotional billboards for different dramas, and Sunoo could imagine any
of them on one of those posters.

They were all well-dressed, though it was evident that each had their own style, even though
they were all limited to the etiquettes of the evening event. While Jaehyun and Soonghoon
wore elegantly cut and delicate clothes that fit perfectly, Niki and Heeseung wore more
casual formal wear, with looser shapes. Niki even wore a suit that was obviously oversized.

Jay and Jungwon certainly stood out from the rest. Jungwon wore an all-white suit, even his
shirt. But the edges of the sleeves had golden details, which from that distance Sunoo
assumed to be stones, but somehow they didn't seem extravagant or exaggerated. The color of
the clothing itself was what made him stand out, being a white spot amidst a dark wall.

Jay, on the other hand, seemed to have a kind of "bad boy" vibe going on, if you could say
that about someone wearing formal clothes. His hair had been styled to look messy, and
unlike all the others, he didn't wear a tie, just a black shirt with the first two buttons open. His
suit, like Jungwon's, had gemstones on it, but silver and not only on the edges but
surrounding specific points on the sleeves.

Sunoo had no doubt, those two were definitely the ones with the strongest personalities
among them, although not in the same way.

It took a few seconds for them to approach the car. Sunoo, who was sitting in the front of the
van, turned in place to be visible between the passenger and driver's seats. Since he didn't
know the other members, he would have to greet them appropriately.

The door made a "click" sound when they got close enough to open it, and a second later,
Jaehyung was pushing it to the side. The van's door slid into place, and Sunoo bowed — as
much as he could at the angle he was in — as soon as their eyes met, greeting him.

Jaehyung nodded, smiling awkwardly.

Jungwon was next to him and smiled a bit more excitedly when he saw him, accepting the
hand Jaehyun had extended to help him into the vehicle.

"Good evening, Sunoo," Sunoo blinked, watching as the omega settled in the front row, in the
middle seat, very close to Sunoo. "It's Sunoo, right?"

"Ah?" Sunoo questioned, somewhat bewildered, having been lost in the intricate details of his
suit. And yes, there were indeed gemstones embroidered on the sleeves. "Yes, good evening,
sir."

Before Jungwon could continue, he was interrupted by Jaehyun passing in front of him and
sitting by the window. And then, since apparently this was becoming a tradition with that
pack, he was attacked by unknown pheromones.

It was like getting punched in the stomach, it was so strong. Strong alphas released strong
pheromones, and once again, Sunoo found himself upright only by sheer force of will,
because every cell in his body was screaming at him to let his body soften against the seat
upholstery.

However, what Sunoo did was furrow his brow unconsciously. Mrs. Park beside him
groaned, bringing her hand to her nose.

Jungwon, who was sitting, slumped in his chair and looked around disoriented.

"What the hell, Heeseung!" Sunoo heard someone grumble from behind him, standing in
front of the van's door, one arm leaning on the seat's support and the other on the door frame,
as if preparing to enter the van. His face, however, was frozen in an expression of confusion.

Behind him, Jay tried to see what was happening over his shoulder, and when their eyes
connected, it was like getting another punch. Sunoo held onto the back of the passenger's
seat, lost. His vision blurred, and two more figures appeared at the door, sticking together to
try to see what was happening.
Sunoo saw everything black for a second, and his ears were ringing. His vision went out of
focus, and the only thing he felt was a firm hand pushing him in the chest until his back was
against the passenger's seat again.

Some commotion was happening inside the car, but everything he heard seemed to be
muffled, as if they had put him underwater. Sunoo started to panic a little.

The commotion behind him increased, and Sunoo recognized Jungwon and Jaehyun's
pheromones entering the middle of the confusion. It definitely didn't help; his body was now
sweating cold, and Sunoo felt one step closer to passing out.

His panic increased. Being unconscious near anyone left Sunoo desperate; the mere idea gave
him chills down his spine and made bile rise in his throat. Still dazed, he blindly hit the
buttons of the door until one of them opened the window, seeking to breathe some fresh air,
but the pheromones were too strong, especially in the state of panic they seemed to indicate
— except for the omega and the main alpha, who were trying to use calming pheromones.

An excruciating pain in his stomach began to make itself present, and Sunoo was reminded of
the fact that no matter how much he pretended, how much he hid, he was still an omega. He
wondered if this was where he was going to die, why the Olympus had sent him specifically
to do whatever his mission was there: they were too strong.

In modern days, the strength of an alpha was not a concept that had much importance in the
daily life of a civilian. Just as the physical differences between a man and a woman didn't
interfere much in the daily life of most people. Sunoo was not like most people; in fact, he
was part of a select minority of the population. He was an agent of Olympus, a thief, an
assassin, a government soldier. Although it was considered rude, and by some even as an
archaic gesture, one of the ways to intimidate your opponent was by using your pheromones;
their strength reflected their physical strength, and it was a great way to send a message when
you wanted to scare someone without making a mess.

It was horrible for omegas, of course. Alphas did have the power to calm or even excite
omegas with their pheromones, but there was a process, when that omega was not used to
them, of adaptation. In general, when an alpha was very strong and simply released their
pheromones like that, out of nowhere, on an unsuspecting person, whether omega or even a
beta, the only thing you would feel is as if someone had punched you in the chest to the point
of losing your breath, and there was no capacity to even understand what type of pheromone
the person was releasing.

Sunoo had been trained to withstand strong and large amounts of pheromones; he needed that
if he wanted to keep a functional agent within Olympus. But apparently, against that pack, his
years of training were useless , as he was two steps away from losing consciousness.

Seeming to hear his thoughts, the commotion died down, and suddenly, as quickly as the
sequence of scents hit him, it was gone. His senses returned so abruptly that it was almost
like he had been slapped. His stomach churned at the same time his eyes and vision came
back into focus.

Reflecting his thoughts, one of the voices that were still outside the van declared:
"I think I'm going to throw up."

Sunoo thought so too, so he opened the car door somewhat abruptly, taking a gulp of fresh air
as he leaned partially seated on the seat, partially supported on the door. Not that it made any
difference to breathe there, since the pheromones returned from where they shouldn't have
left, but the act was more for the placebo effect than anything else.

"Quick, fan him," Sunoo heard someone say, and the sound of footsteps and concerned voices
surrounded one of the members.

Mrs. Park, with red eyes due to the pheromone commotion that had occurred, had moved to
the back through the front seats and was talking to someone.

Sunoo was trying to focus on getting his heart to beat right.

It took a few long minutes: his abdomen hurt, literally as if he had been the victim of
consecutive punches, and his heart was beating fast as if he had just come out of a
particularly difficult training fight.

When he could finally say he was calmer, Sunoo looked over his shoulder, noticing that most
people were outside, except for Jungwon, who was in the seat closest to the door, one knee
resting on the seat, half standing, half leaning forward to observe who Sunoo thought was
Niki, who was sitting on the van's door frame with his head down, also seeming to recover
from whatever had happened.

Junghoon and Heeseung fanned him with the event invitation they were going to, and
Jungwon did the same from where he was, but with a real fan, white and gold with intricate
designs that seemed to match his outfit, which Sunoo would later recognize as another way of
showing his sense of fashion, but at the moment, it didn't matter.

Looking around, he saw over the shoulder of the crowd at the door that farther away, Jay,
Jake, and Mrs. Park were having an animated conversation — at least for Jaehyun and Mrs.
Park, Jay seemed a bit uncomfortable but didn't seem to want to participate in the discussion
beyond listening. The alpha probably had distanced himself while trying to recover, which
was a carelessness on his part, but this was not the time to criticize him.

"Um... are you guys okay?" Sunoo decided that now was not the time to wonder about
anything but to be proactive.

The situation was at least strange, but considering how everyone was acting, it didn't seem
like any of them had any malicious intentions against Sunoo, which was his initial concern.
So many pheromones in such a strong way at once could indicate an intimidation attempt,
and he thought that at first, his disguise had been discovered, but they had had the
opportunity to attack him when he was dizzy, not only that, but they wouldn't bring him near
the pack's residence if they considered him a threat in any way.

Thinking about that, it was better to wonder what the hell was going on later and act as
quickly as possible to make a good impression on them, so that he would have more
opportunities to get closer. He just hoped he wouldn't have to go through something like that
again.

"Ah, I believe so," Jungwon muttered, but he didn't seem sure. "I'm sorry." He looked at
Sunoo's face, specifically at the cold sweat running down his forehead, and seemed to ponder
whether to get closer to him or not, but in the end, decided to stay in place. "It must not have
been a pleasant experience."

Before Sunoo could reassure the other, he was interrupted:

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Niki murmured, stopping the fanning from the two alphas in front of him
with his hands as he began to stand up, more secure on his own feet.

"Sure?" Soonghoon asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, and now don't all act concerned when you caused this," he declared, looking at
them with a glare.

"It's not like we wanted, you know damn well what's happening," the other replied,
whispering to the other part but not low enough for Sunoo not to hear.

"Hush," Jungwon glared at Soonghoon. "You three, back there."

The three obeyed, grumbling and grumbling.

Sunoo was confused. They were still going to the event even after that commotion.
Especially considering that the younger boy, Niki, still seemed quite shaken?

Soft voices were heard from the last row of the van, and Sunoo couldn't hear them well, but it
seemed that a small argument had erupted.

Sunoo wanted to ask Jungwon if he was sure they should go, if it wouldn't be better for them
to go to the doctor — sudden exposure to harmful pheromones, when very strong, could
cause physical damage, and even lasting, depending on the case. Still, Jungwon didn't seem
worried, returning to his position in the middle seat. Sunoo turned more to the back of his
seat:

"Ah, Mr. Sim, isn't it better for us to go to a doctor to check the condition of..." Sunoo
stopped, pondering how to call the other member, who was also a Sim.

"Ah, don't call me that, please, I kind of didn't take the pack's name, no one did, we find it too
confusing. I think you're worried about Niki; he'll be fine, he's a beta."

Sunoo had almost forgotten that, which made everything even worse. You see, it's not that
betas are immune to pheromones, but they have an extremely low sensitivity to them. In
general, it's practically as if they were immune. However, extremely strong pheromones
could affect betas. It was somewhat similar to the effect of continuous and uninterrupted use
of suppressors for an extended period. Their sensitivity to feeling pheromones was dampened
but not completely blocked.
Which spoke for itself in relation to the strength of the pheromones he had been hit with.

"Yes

but he got sick even though he's a beta; wouldn't it be better to take him to the doctor?"
Sunoo commented, still looking over his shoulder at the boy. He was also a little curious
about why the omega didn't seem as affected as the other boy, even though he should be
much more vulnerable to pheromones than him.

"Nah, he's getting used to the pheromones little by little; it's not the first time this has
happened to him," Jungwon explained. The conversation in the back seat still continued
intensely, through muffled but clearly exasperated whispers. "Medical advice is that unless
he's in pain or has a fever, he doesn't need to go to the doctor." He then hesitated again,
looking at Sunoo's pale face. "But you, are you well enough to work? I know you're a beta
too, but still... so many pheromones at once..."

Sunoo gave a polite smile to the omega but made a point to move away a bit in his seat,
increasing the distance between them in case any of the alphas were bothered by it. Yes,
Jaehyun had hinted at having a healthy relationship with the pack's omega during his
interview, but Sunoo knew he couldn't rely on first impressions, and he didn't really know
any of the other alphas. He didn't want to annoy anyone by being too friendly with their
omega.

"You caught me off guard, but it's nothing I can't handle," Sunoo had been trained to endure
much worse than the pheromones of some alphas, but the feeling of almost dying for a
moment made him wonder if he was being honest.

Jungwon still analyzed his face and seemed to want to continue the conversation, but
Jaehyun, Hay, and Mrs. Park returned at that moment. Jay took his place next to Jungwon,
but Jaehyun didn't sit down; he walked to the front door of the van — which Sunoo had
already closed — and opened it. Sunoo looked him in the eyes and felt a shiver down his
spine when he saw his eyes glow red for a brief second. He wondered if he had done
something to annoy him, but before he could say anything, the alpha asked:

"Is everything okay? You look really pale." His eyebrows were furrowed in a serious
expression, and for some reason Sunoo, unaware, felt warmth flooding his neck.

"Yes, Mr. Sim," he smiled politely again. "It caught me off guard, but it's nothing I can't
handle." Again, Sunoo found himself questioning if he was being sincere.

Jaehyun seemed to ponder, observing his face for long seconds before nodding and closing
the door. He went to the back of the van, sitting on the other side of Yang Jungwon.

Sunoo then realized that because of the commotion, he hadn't really introduced himself to the
other pack members and so adjusted himself again in the seat and greeted them again, bowing
slightly in his seated position in the car.

"Pleasure to meet you all; my name is Kim Sun Woo, I'm the new bodyguard, and I'll take
care of your security tonight."
Jaehyun looked a bit pale, and there was sweat accumulated on his forehead. But he greeted
Sunoo again with a yellowish smile.

Jay greeted him with a brief nod.

Mrs. Park then closed their door and soon entered again in the driver's seat, her face
wrinkled. She then looked Sunoo up and down as if meeting him for the first time. Sunoo
didn't question, although he wanted to, considering the whole weirdness of the situation, just
put on the seatbelt with a soft click and settled better into the leather seat.

The journey to the event continued without further interruptions; all that could be heard was
the slight noise of the air conditioner and the nervous whisper happening in the back of the
van.

Midway through the trip, the hum of conversation rose an octave and still totally lost, Sunoo
tried to observe the commotion through the rearview mirror.

The conversation, however, stopped when Jaehyun muttered something over his shoulder.

Sunoo was still eternally lost, trying to understand what the hell happened.
 Chapter 11
Chapter Notes

I have the chapter ready up to 14, and I'll be translating it bit by bit to post it here

Sunoo observed through the rearview mirror that all members of the pack were absorbed in
their respective cell phones, most likely conversing privately among themselves, probably a
consequence of whatever Jaehyun had said to them. They didn't want the security guards to
overhear, obviously, since Sunoo wasn't dumb or anything; he knew they were talking about
the situation from a few minutes ago.

The atmosphere around him was tense and charged after the incident, and Sunoo couldn't
shake the feeling, stupidly, that the blame was on him. Well, not stupidly, it was a basic rule:
twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. And Sunoo had a clear pattern: every time
one of them met him for the first time, they hit him with a strong wave of pheromones. The
big question was why, and Sunoo didn't know. He didn't have enough intimacy with the pack
to ask indiscreet questions, which immediately ruled out any chance of inquiring about
pheromones since the topic itself is considered intimate, even taboo, depending on the culture
you belong to.

Any attempt to find out what really happened would be risky. Being a good agent, Sunoo
preferred not to press the matter. He knew his mission required discretion and patience, and
he couldn't risk being fired over something trivial. Well, Sunoo hoped it was trivial.

The journey was relatively short, even though Seoul wasn't a small city. In just twenty
minutes, they arrived at their destination, a restaurant rented for the event. The place was
massive, with a two-story hall, minimalist and contemporary décor, large glass windows, and
a burnt cement facade.

They queued up in a line of cars on the side of the building, waiting for Jaehyun to step onto
the red carpet. In front of the red carpet, a line of photographers and reporters was positioned.
Jaehyun wasn't a celebrity per se, so he wasn't one of the main attractions of the night. The
real stars were the brand ambassador actresses and singers, whose careers were directly
linked to their social media followers and the ability to create controversies in public.
Jaehyun, however, still had modest fame, enough to attract curious looks and cameras hungry
for any detail worth a click.

The security guards from the front car were already waiting outside, moving with the grace of
dancers who had rehearsed every step a thousand times, as if they were a separate show,
ensuring that nothing would hinder Jaehyun's arrival. Their firm hands were ready to
intervene in any situation, ensuring that the highlighted star wasn't bothered unless it was for
the perfect photo or the autograph that would fatten their bank account.
Jaehyun's turn came, and he and the rest of the pack made their entrance. Sunoo couldn't
watch since he and the other security guards patiently waited backstage. While cameras
flashed, and questions were fired at the pack members, Sunoo and his colleagues remained in
the background, invisible to the eyes of the public.

Finally, after a few long minutes, the photo session ended, and the pack reunited with the
security guards backstage, behind the gigantic stands that separated journalists from the
private part of the event. Guided by the event team, they headed inside the restaurant. The
transition from the excitement of the red carpet to the quiet interior of the restaurant was
almost surreal. The atmosphere was pleasant, with soft lighting, low background music, and
elegant décor. Instead of the usual arrangement for meals, there were rows and rows of chairs
facing a black runway.

Sunoo felt a bit out of place amidst such sophistication, but feeling out of place was a
sentiment that always settled in the depths of his chest when he needed to blend in, whether
as an ordinary middle-class civilian or someone from high society. Sunoo— as always—
ignored all the negative feelings that formed at his core and marched alongside the pack
members, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings for any signs of agitation. The
confusion that had happened earlier had been momentarily forgotten.

The pack followed one of the rows of chairs, and the security guards stood, positioned on the
sides of the rows alongside the security guards of many other celebrities, ready to act if
necessary. The pack had reserved seats in the front row, giving them a privileged view of the
models who would be strutting down the runway.

The fashion show started without a hitch, with models showcasing their luxurious creations,
but the pack didn't seem very interested in the passing clothes. Instead, they were immersed
in an intense and discreet conversation that flowed among the seven members. They tried to
disguise it, not wanting to draw attention while whispering to each other at the same time in
an attempt to pretend they were entertained by what was happening, but it was obvious to
Sunoo— who, to be fair, had been trained in body language— that they were distracted.

If he had to guess, he would say it was about what had happened earlier since they had been
discussing it throughout the journey. Sunoo was a bit worried that all this talk indicated that
they suspected him in some way, but at the same time, he had the impression that it wasn't the
case, and the mere idea that they suspected him, despite all the earlier weirdness, was just
paranoia in his head.

The night progressed, and after the fashion show, which fortunately took much less time than
Sunoo thought it would—despite being accustomed to infiltrating high-society groups, it was
his first time attending a fashion event; his usual targets were businessmen who preferred
more "polished" environments like business dinners and charity balls—it was time for the
after-party. There was a rotation of security, and Sunoo positioned himself behind Jungwon
and Jay, who navigated the party together. The music thumped loudly, and conversations
blended in the lively atmosphere. Sunoo remained vigilant, observing everything around him.
After all, he hadn't received his next objectives yet, meaning his mission could involve theft,
elimination, or protecting the pack. Without knowing what would come next, his only choice
was to stick to his role as a bodyguard.

The noise of the party was deafening, and the words of conversations got lost in the midst of
the loud music. Sunoo couldn't hear what Jungwon and Jay were saying, but from time to
time, they cast glances in his direction. Sunoo noticed these looks and felt a strong urge to
raise an eyebrow. He was 99% sure that the alpha would have removed him from the pack if
he thought Sunoo had malicious intentions. So, he was just wondering what they were
plotting or discussing so discreetly amid the chaos of the party.

The night continued in a whirlwind of loud music, laughter, and animated conversations.
While Jay and Jungwon enjoyed their glasses of wine in front of them, still limping like two
retired old ladies, Sunoo maintained a watchful gaze around, observing not only the two in
front of him but also the rest of the pack scattered throughout the party. The atmosphere was
charged with excitement, and the guests seemed to be having fun as the party continued.

Waiters moved elegantly, offering a variety of drinks, from refined champagnes to colorful
cocktails. However, Sunoo remained sober, obviously. Drinking on the job would probably
get him a dismissal letter on his desk in less than a day. As he watched the guests dance and
chat, he noticed that the pack members occasionally exchanged glances, sharing meaningful
looks even after they had stopped the constant whispering. They seemed to talk in smaller
groups of two or three, trying not to attract attention.

After a few hours of standing and watching the pack—apparently, the real event was the
after-party, lasting much longer than the fashion show itself—Sunoo was starting to get
bored. After the first hour, Mrs. Park released the security guards to perform their duties from
a greater distance, waiting in the corners of the hall and giving more space for the celebrities
to converse among themselves. It seemed to be a general rule, and soon it looked like the
guards of all the guests were starting to gather in strategic places in the hall. Some even
began group conversations while the celebrities enjoyed the party with each other, free from
the black-suited walls.

As far as Sunoo understood, the event itself had its security, and the area was already
considered safe. In other words, no obsessed fan had managed to enter or anything like that.
Therefore, the guards could relax a bit while their bosses drank and danced. Despite the
release, Sunoo decided not to get too close to the groups that the pack's guards had formed
near one of the speakers. After so much time watching rich people doing rich people things,
he felt little desire to socialize. So, he decided to keep a bit apart, still attentive to the pack, so
his behavior could be excused as an attempt to make a good first impression on his bosses.
However, in a surprising moment of the night, Jay and Jungwon approached Sunoo, standing
on each side of him. Their proximity caught him off guard, and his first reaction was to offer
his assistance. "Do you need anything, sirs?" he asked politely.

Jay remained silent, his expression serious, while his dark eyes ran up and down Sunoo. His
silence was unsettling because Sunoo's question was being directly ignored. On the other
hand, Jungwon displayed a warm smile, but his piercing gaze never wavered. He took a step
forward, getting even closer to Sunoo, increasing the agent's discomfort. However, Jungwon
maintained a respectful distance, demonstrating good manners. "Nothing much, Sunoo,"
Jungwon replied with a soft and friendly voice. "We just want to get to know you a bit more.
Jake mentioned that you're not from around here; is that true?"

"Jake?" Sunoo asked.

"Oh, right," Jungwon smiled, revealing dimples. "Employees usually learn his Korean name,
but at home, we're used to calling him Jake."

Before the conversation could progress beyond that, Sunoo felt a sudden change in the
atmosphere, an uncomfortable sensation that made him squint. Many might dismiss it, but
Sunoo's years of experience taught him never to ignore what he called intuition—others
might call it a "sixth sense." Life had long taught him that the body senses an impending
threat. It was then, from the corner of his keen vision, over Jungwon's shoulder, that he
noticed a shiny object in the hands of a man about half a meter away, trying to hide the
weapon with the other arm draped over it, directed at Jungwon.

With the agility of an experienced predator and reflexes honed by years of the torture his
superiors called training, Sunoo pulled Jungwon forward, throwing him towards Jay, whose
nimble hands caught him skillfully, although his expression was one of surprise. At the same
instant, Sunoo executed a quick and precise movement, delivering a well-aimed kick to the
attacker's hand. The weapon he held flew away, hitting the floor with a metallic noise.

People made way in the commotion, giving Sunoo a better view of the surroundings. The
assailant, disoriented by the unexpected counterattack, tried to regain composure and move
toward Jungwon almost desperately, ignoring the attack he had just received from Sunoo.
However, Sunoo, with skill, held the man's arm, preventing him from advancing further,
keeping it extended and immobilized. Then, with a precise movement, he struck the attacker's
elbow. The sound of bones breaking echoed in the environment, accompanied by the
attacker's deafening scream of pain.

The man's arm was now useless, and ligaments were likely torn, rendering him incapable of
offering any resistance. The party turned into a scene of chaos and panic. Terrified guests
tried to move away from the scene as the event security team approached. Sunoo remained
alert, holding the attacker and looking around for any other indication of danger, while Jay
embraced Jungwon, which Sunoo found curious but would analyze separately in the future.

In a few seconds, the rest of the pack approached, concern on their faces.
 Police station

The news of the incident spread like wildfire. The party guests were confused, stunned, lost
in the chaos that followed the attack. The loud music and joy gave way to rampant panic.
People ran away from the scene, phones in hand, trying to capture what they had witnessed.

Meanwhile, Sunoo remained steadfast, immobilizing the attacker while the pack gathered
around Jungwon. Jake approached Jungwon and hugged him tightly, pulling him away from
Jay's arms momentarily. The rest of the pack stood around, visibly shaken by what had just
happened.

"Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" Jake asked Jungwon and then looked at Jay, making it clear
that the question was for both of them.

"No," Jungwon replied. "Sunoo... Sunoo acted quickly; he didn't even get close."

Sunoo thought the attacker had definitely gotten closer than should be considered
comfortable but chose not to comment on the matter. Jake's eyes then turned in his direction,
briefly landing on the attacker, gaining a furious scarlet glow. For a moment, Sunoo thought
Jake would approach the attacker, but he only took out his phone and called the police,
explaining the situation.

The atmosphere was electrically charged, everyone trying to understand what the heck was
happening. Sunoo, in turn, used the time to ponder the strangeness of the situation.

Jungwon was a public figure, but not exactly a famous celebrity, and despite his connections
to political figures, his family seemed to have taken extreme care to keep such connections
from public knowledge. He had no apparent reason to be the target of an attack, especially at
an event where there were much more prominent personalities. The person who ordered the
attack had to have access to important information. The question echoing in his mind was:
who could want to harm Jungwon, and why? Sunoo had some vague ideas, but without
information, he couldn't formulate any concrete answers.

The arrival of the police brought a mix of relief and unease to the scene. While the security of
other celebrities hurried to remove them from the venue, Jake, with a serious expression, had
a quick conversation with the party organizers and the police team. The pack remained alert,
eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of potential danger.

The police chief approached, a tall and robust alpha with a stern look. From the way he
walked, Sunoo knew he was the type to bureaucratize and complicate things for anyone filing
a simple police report. However, considering the high-profile individuals present, he was
surprisingly cooperative, seeking quick explanations to understand the situation.
Explanations were given, though incomplete due to the imminent chaos.

"Everyone will have to give statements at the station. This includes the pack and those
involved. It's essential to understand what happened here tonight," he said, with an open
posture and false concern. Jake nodded in agreement, aware of the need to cooperate with the
authorities to clarify the events that had occurred.

The police explained that, due to the chaos at the party, statements from other guests would
be obtained later, based on information provided by the event organizers, as a significant
portion of the people had fled in panic.

The attacker was placed in a police car under strict escort, while the pack members and
Sunoo were ordered to split into other vehicles to go to the police station. Sunoo would wait
for the pack to decide and take the available seat in the last car. However, he was surprised
when Jungwon approached him, standing closer than Sunoo knew most people would
consider appropriate.

"I'm going in the car with Sunoo," Jungwon said, and Sunoo tensed for a moment, feeling the
eyes of the other pack members on them. To his surprise, no one objected.

"I'll go with you two in the back, and Jake will be in the front," Jay added.

Organizing themselves to go to the police station took longer than Sunoo would consider
ideal, but it was expected with so many people. The adrenaline drained from everyone's
bodies, replaced by contained anger. Sunoo noticed that the eyes of the pack members began
to glow as the frustration set in, including the beta's eyes, which shone in gold, even though
pheromones were under control. Sunoo reasoned that it was natural; not everyone had the
training he possessed to control every single instinct, and it was natural to feel possessive of
one's omega after such a situation. Jungwon, in turn, allowed himself to be pampered by
gentle hands on his back or hair.

For a brief moment, Sunoo wondered, as he observed Jungwon from the corner of his eyes,
with small hands between Jay's large ones, if one day If he would experience that sensation.
But he quickly dismissed those thoughts. It was the kind of thing he didn't like to think about,
as it always left an uncomfortable emptiness in his chest.

The car journey was silent and tense, with Jungwon beside him and Jay by his side

with an arm over his shoulders. Jake was in the front, and Sunoo could see that he used the
rearview mirror to cast his red eyes over the back seat, frequently focusing on Jungwon,
sometimes on Jay, and sometimes on himself.

At the police station, Sunoo was the first to be called into the interview room. It wasn't
exactly an interrogation but rather a white room with some chairs and a computer on the
table. If the furniture weren't colorful, he might have felt like he was back on Olympus, but
wooden-toned furniture was enough not to evoke any uncomfortable memories.

Sunoo revealed the events in detail, omitting nothing, as he saw no reason to do so. When the
detective expressed skepticism that someone of his size could cause such damage — which
was tremendously rude in itself — Sunoo simply directed him to check the event's security
cameras.
After him, the pack members were called one by one, as well as other members of the
security team. They remained at the police station until the early hours of the morning,
providing detailed statements about the incident.

When they finally left, it was past 3 a.m. Fatigue was evident on the faces of the pack
members, but the atmosphere was calmer, though still filled with concern, especially for
Jungwon. The protection around him was palpable, with large hands playing with his hair,
delicate caresses on his youthful face, and kisses left on the crown of his hair from time to
time. Most of the other security had been released once they finished their interviews, but
Sunoo chose to stay until everyone had completed their respective statements, attempting to
gather some useful information. However, besides not discovering anything substantial, he
often felt like he was intruding, witnessing a moment he was not part of.

When everyone finished their interviews, Sunoo decided to leave, as his shift had exceeded
the expected time. Politely, he bid farewell to the group as they were leaving the police
station. The van was waiting with another team of bodyguards ready for transportation, a
testament to the efficiency of Jake's hired team. Before he could head home, though, Jaehyun
stopped him.

"Sunoo, wait." His eyes no longer glowed scarlet, but the tension was still evident in the rigid
lines of his shoulders. He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before continuing, shifting his
weight from one foot to the other. "We'll give you a ride; it's too late for you to walk home."

Sunoo briefly pondered the fact that Seoul was a bustling and generally safe city, even at that
late hour. As a man, he rarely felt the need for an escort. However, he accepted Jaehyun's
offer out of courtesy.

In the van, Sunoo ended up sitting between Niki and Jay. He offered a polite smile and
promptly received a big smile from Niki in response; Jay just nodded, and Sunoo considered
that enough. After settling into the car, he expected a silent trip, but to his surprise, Niki
initiated a conversation with him.

"We're very grateful for what you did, Sunoo. The situation could have ended very differently
if it weren't for you," he then seemed to hesitate, "You're really skilled. That kind of ability,
speed... Not every security guard has it." His voice was gentle and relatively low, but Sunoo
felt the temperature in the car drop a few degrees with the tension that settled with the boy's
words.

Paranoia briefly set in for a millisecond, and he wondered if the pack wasn't playing some
kind of mind game with him, but he quickly dismissed the possibility. The chances of them
knowing something about him were practically nil, even with all the financial and political
power he suspected the pack possessed. But at the same time that he knew he shouldn't let his
paranoia take over, he also knew that he had received a clue about something, about some
topic. What exactly, he had no idea.

"I was just doing my job. And, well, as my mom usually says: I'm not everybody, or in this
case, not every security guard," he smiled politely, making the humorous tone of the response
clear. The part about his mother, of course, was a blatant lie, but no one needed to know.
Niki just gave him a forced smile, and the rest of the trip continued in silence. When they
stopped in front of Sunoo's house, for some reason Sunoo couldn't comprehend, all the
members got out of the van and stood on the sidewalk in front of his house. Sunoo could see
them looking around and examining the exterior of his home. Sunoo guessed it wasn't every
day they had to visit such modest places.

"Thanks for the ride."

"We're the ones who should thank you, Sunoo," Jake said. "The night could have had a more
tragic ending if it weren't for you."

"I was just doing my job," Sunoo replied politely, but Jake's eyebrows furrowed as if he didn't
quite like the response. Sunoo had to restrain himself from raising an eyebrow in response.

"Well, thank you very much nonetheless," he bowed, and Sunoo returned the gesture. They
all started to make their way back to the van one by one, but Jay stopped halfway and looked
in his direction.

"Once again, thank you, Sunoo. And don't feel obligated to come to work tomorrow; you can
take a day off." The gesture was one of consideration, but if he stayed at home, the only thing
he would do was get bored.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll decline the day off. Like I said, it was just my job."

Jay simply nodded, gazing at him for a few more seconds before getting into the van and
closing the door.
 Chapter 13

It was almost time for the event, and the house was silent as everyone got ready in their
rooms. Jungwon looked at himself in the enormous mirror of his closet, in his white suit, and
wondered if the calmness of the past few days was just a facade. A way the pack had found to
make sure he and Jake wouldn't suffer more from the situation — something he would do
himself, to be honest.

The atmosphere had improved after the conversation they had and the weekend they had
spent together, but Jungwon knew it was impossible for all the members' concerns to be
resolved, not even his own. It was a delicate moment, where emotions intertwined with the
need for protection, and he wondered if everyone understood the weight of the circumstances
surrounding them. He took a final breath and finished adjusting his clothes and hair in front
of the mirror. With the events he knew they were about to witness that night, he felt a bit
vulnerable. Being alone in his closet didn't exactly help improve his mood.

The space was generously spacious, with impeccably polished wooden shelves displaying an
impressive collection of designer clothes. The soft lighting from discreet fixtures in the
ceiling enhanced the colors and textures of the clothes, creating an almost magical
atmosphere. The walls were covered with wallpaper with a subtle, almost imperceptible
texture, standing out for its discreet yet elegant design. Full-length mirrors reflected the
perfection of the clothing, amplifying the sense of opulence. Carefully organized shoe racks
showcased an enviable collection of footwear, from elegant high heels to designer sneakers.

Each piece of clothing was hung or folded with surgical precision by the house staff,
demonstrating a level of attention to detail bordering on perfection. Sliding drawers held
accessories, jewelry, and other fashion treasures, keeping everything in impeccable order. It
was the dream of any young person interested in fashion or anyone aspiring to a wealthier
financial life, but at that moment, alone in that spacious room, Jungwon just felt lonely.

Before he could sink into negative feelings and start questioning his actions, Jake entered the
closet, and Jungwon could see him through the mirror. Jake approached him from behind,
wrapped his arms around his waist, rested his chin on his shoulder, and looked into his eyes
through the mirror.

"Are you okay?"

"As much as possible, yes, but I won't pretend I'm not nervous," Jungwon was honest. Jake
remained silent for a moment, planted a quick kiss on his neck, and stepped back, taking his
hand so they could go join the others.

"You know, I keep imagining, hopeful, that they have an imprinting too, just like we did, but
at the same time, I don't want to create false hopes to be disappointed later," he said.

"I feel the same way," Jungwon commented, more solemn. "But I know the chances are low,
and I think the best way to avoid disappointments is not to create expectations."
No one added anything more to the conversation, and they both left the closet, passing
through Jungwon's bedroom, which was probably the most modern part of the house. It was a
giant room filled with clean lines and neutral tones, with a minimalist and cozy atmosphere,
but at the same time, it had Jungwon's personality, with decorative pieces here and there and
colorful bedding that stood out from the room's color palette. The simple-designed
upholstered headboard provided a touch of sophistication. Decorative cushions in soft tones
accentuated the cozy feeling.

An entire wall was covered with a dark wood panel, hiding a large built-in closet, providing
generous space for bed linens, blankets, and personal items. On one side of the room, there
was a large white wooden door with simple details, and on the other side were large glass
doors with black frames and oval handles that opened onto a balcony with a stone railing.

They didn't linger in the room for too long and went to the living room, where the other
members were already waiting. They were all ready, well-dressed, chatting animatedly in one
corner of the room, smiling and joking with each other, and Jungwon wondered how much of
it was genuine happiness and how much was acting. Jungwon noticed that Jake absorbed the
scene for a few seconds before letting his voice be heard.

"Ready?" Jake asked, and a slightly more serious atmosphere settled in.

"Honestly? No," Heesung replied, completely honest. "But dragging out this meeting will
only worsen my anxiety, so..."

Jungwon heard Jake sigh next to him and had to fight the urge to release his own sigh.

"Well, then let's go."

The way to the garage was graced with a bit more genuine happiness, which lifted a bit of the
weight off Jungwon's shoulders. When they approached the vehicle they would use that night,
Jake took the lead, not because he was the pack leader, but because he had had more contact
with Sunoo — even if that contact was minimal — and opened the door, greeting the
somewhat bewildered bodyguard.

Jungwon was the next to see him and couldn't help but break into an excited smile. He was
— is — handsome, even in the standard attire of a security guard that day. Jaehyun helped
him get into the van, and Jungwon intentionally sat in the front row between the two front
seats to be closer to the bodyguard and tried to strike up a conversation with him, probably
closer than would be comfortable.

"Good evening, Sunoo," Sunoo blinked, watching as the omega adjusted in the front row. "It's
Sunoo, right?"

"Huh?" Sunoo questioned, a bit stunned. Jungwon noticed that he had noticed the gemstones
on his suit, and for a moment, he wondered if he had made the right choice for that day.
Although he definitely wasn't the type to change his dressing style to please others, he knew
that first impressions counted a lot, and he also knew that many could consider his style too
extravagant, too superfluous. But before he could sink into his own insecurities, the
bodyguard replied:
"Yeah, good evening, sir."

Jungwon almost raised an eyebrow at the "sir." It wasn't exactly uncommon to be called that
by staff, but hearing it from Sunoo's mouth felt wrong in so many different ways. Before
Jungwon could continue, he was interrupted by Jaehyun passing in front of him and sitting by
the window. Despite Jaehyun's status, it was evident from the stiffness of his shoulders that
he was nervous. It was cute, honestly, and Jungwon remembered he had been exactly the
same when they were getting to know each other. To his own surprise, he didn't feel jealous
about it. On the contrary, watching Jake from the corner of his eye and Sunoo's delicate face
in front of him, his stomach twisted in a way that made him want to scream into a pillow the
same way he did when reading a particularly good romance book. He couldn't reflect much
on the fact because, next thing he knew, he was attacked by Heesung's pheromones and
melted in his chair. He looked around disoriented.

"What the heck, Heeseung!" someone exclaimed, and Jungwon looked at the van's door,
where Heesung was standing with a look as if he had seen a ghost. He was standing in front
of the van door, one arm resting on the seat's armrest and the other on the door frame, as if
preparing to get in.

Behind Heesung, Jay tried to see what was happening over his shoulder, and Jungwon saw
the moment he looked in Sunoo's direction and felt another wave of pheromones invade the
vehicle. More figures appeared at the door, and the situation only got worse, with so many
pheromones at the same time that even Jungwon, who was particularly used to dealing with
them in large quantities, felt disoriented. It took a few seconds for Jungwon to process what
was really happening. But before he could really reason about it — maybe even celebrate —
Niki staggered a few steps, affected by the absurd amount of pheromones he had received at
once. From there, everything descended into chaos for a few minutes until Jake finally
managed to bring the situation under control.

For a brief moment, in the midst of all the chaos that had ensued, Jungwon had even
forgotten that Sunoo was in the car — even though he was the cause of the entire situation —
but was suddenly reminded when his gentle voice made itself present again.

"Um... are you guys okay?"

Jungwon's desire was to say, "No, it's not okay at all, and it's all your fault," but despite his
rebellious reputation, he had manners and ended up settling for saying:

"Oh, I believe so," he observed Sunoo's face and continued while still fanning Niki sitting on
the car floor, "I apologize; it must not have been a pleasant experience."

Before Sunoo could appease the concerns of the others, he was interrupted:

"I'm fine, I'm fine," mumbled Niki, stopping the fanning of the two alphas in front of him
with his hands as he began to stand up, more secure on his own feet.

"Sure?" Songhoon questioned, looking concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, and now don't all act concerned when you caused this," he declared finally,
looking at them sternly.

"It's not like we wanted to; you know what the heck is going on," the other replied,
whispering to the other party but not low enough for Sunoo not to hear.

"Xiu," Jungwon glared at Sunghoon, "you three, to the back."

The three complied, grumbling and growling. Jungwon returned to the seat he was in before
the commotion, and Sunoo turned more towards the back in his own seat.

"Ah, Mr. Sim, isn't it better if we go to a doctor to check the condition of..." Sunoo paused,
pondering how to address the other member.

"Ah, don't call me that, please. I sort of haven't adopted the pack name, no one has. We found
it too confusing. I guess you're worried about Niki; he'll be fine, he's a beta."

"Yes, but he felt unwell, even being a beta. Wouldn't it be better to take him to the doctor?"
Sunoo commented, still looking over his shoulder at the young man.

The conversation in the back seat continued intensely through muffled but clearly
exasperated whispers.

"Nah-ah, he's gradually getting used to the pheromones; it's not the first time this happened to
him," Jungwon explained. And it was indeed true. Niki was a relatively recent addition to the
pack, and the alphas in the pack weren't what you'd call weak — something Sunghoon liked
to boast about. "Medical guidance is that unless he's in pain or has a fever, he doesn't need to
see a doctor." He then hesitated, looking at Sunoo's face, pale with sweat droplets suspended
above his eyebrow. If Niki, who was already getting used to the pack, felt unwell, Jungwon
could only imagine how uncomfortable it must have been for Sunoo. "But what about you?
Are you well enough to work? I know you're a beta too, but still... so many pheromones at
once..."

Sunoo gave a polite smile to his colleague and shifted away a bit. Jungwon found it strange
but didn't comment.

"Caught me off guard, but it's nothing I can't handle," he gave a polite smile, but Jungwon
still had doubts as he analyzed Sunoo's pale — and very handsome — face. Before Jungwon
could press him further, Jake and Jay returned to the car. The two, along with Mrs. Park, were
talking a bit away from the car earlier.

Jay sat next to him, placing his hand on his thigh in an affectionate gesture, but Jungwon
could see his nervousness in the slight trembling of his hands. Now, after the commotion had
ended and tempers had calmed, Jungwon started to feel a slight tremor too. Jake glanced into
the van for a few seconds, checking once again if everyone was okay, and then went straight
to the passenger seat door, opening it and facing Sunoo.

From his angle, he couldn't see Sunoo's reactions, but he could see Jake's face and had to hold
back a genuine laugh seeing his eyes glow red for a few seconds.
"Is everything okay? You look really pale," his eyebrows were furrowed in a serious
expression. Instead of envy or jealousy for the concern over the bodyguard, Jungwon felt his
chest warm a bit. It reminded him of when his chest warmed when he saw the other members
being affectionate with Niki. The feeling was just stronger, more intense.

"Yes, Mr. Sim," Sunoo gave the same response as before, "Caught me off guard, but it's
nothing I can't handle."

Jaehyun seemed to ponder, observing his face for long seconds before nodding and closing
the door. He went to the back of the van, sitting on the other side of Yang Jungwon.

Sunoo then turned, doing what he probably wanted to do before all the commotion happened.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Kim Sun Woo. I'm the new bodyguard, and I'll take care of
your security tonight."

Jaehyun looked a bit pale, and there was sweat on his forehead. But he greeted Sunoo again
with a strained smile.

Jay greeted him with a brief nod of his head.

Mrs. Park then closed their door and soon got back into the driver's seat. Sunoo adjusted
himself in the seat, fastened his seatbelt, and Mrs. Park did the same. It was the opening that
Jungwon needed to finally start paying attention to the conversation happening in the back
seat.
 Chapter 14
Chapter Notes

Hello everyone, some people seemed confused with the last chapter, but it was in the
correct order; it was just a different point of view. I also wanted to mention that there
will be a conversation through messages in this chapter, but I definitely don't intend to
make it a habit. It was just a resource that made sense at the moment.

"But he didn't even seem to notice," someone whispered, exasperated. From the deep voice, it
was Niki.

"I know, I noticed," another person replied, equally frustrated. Jungwon and Jake shared the
sentiment.

"But why didn't he notice? Why isn't it reciprocal?" Sunghoon's voice sounded hurt, even a
bit resentful. Among them, he probably had the biggest ego, and the lack of reciprocity had
definitely hit a place it shouldn't.

"And do you think I know?" replied Heesung, equally hurt.

"Do you think he's pretending?" Niki asked, looking at the back of the front passenger seat.
Jungwon had wondered the same thing in the early days, but no matter how much he thought
about it, he couldn't see a reason why someone would hide from their soulmates.

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, but imprints shouldn't work this way," Niki's voice came out low and hurt; any
topic involving relationships was relatively sensitive for him. His arrival in the pack alone
was an event, and they were still working on their insecurities in that complicated
relationship. Jake knew that the whole situation with soulmates placed a burden on Niki's
shoulders that none of them could truly understand or share.

"He didn't seem to be pretending to me," Heesung commented.

"But it just doesn't make any sense. I've never heard of a bonding that wasn't reciprocal,"
Sunghoon said. "And I also never heard of someone with so many soulmates."

"What, do you think we could be wrong? That we're not bonded?" Niki asked, confused.

"What? No! I know what I felt!" Sunghoon spoke louder than he should, prompting Jake to
request silence from the front seat.
"Use the messaging group," he declared, his voice deeper than usual, leaving no room for
arguments

Everyone immediately grabbed their respective phones, opened the app, and entered the
pack's group. Jake didn't like discussing serious matters through messages. He believed that
discussing complicated issues through texts left room for misunderstandings that could be
avoided in face-to-face conversations, where you could distinguish the tone a person was
really using, the kind of expression they were making, and how they were behaving. But at
that moment, it was the only means they had, and he knew everyone was too nervous to wait
until they were home again to talk.

Jake: Ok, ok, I need you guys to calm down. I need to be sure. Everyone felt it too, right?
Everyone underwent an imprint?

Jay: Yes.

Sunghoon: Everyone back here did too.

Jake: Ok.

Things are not okay.

Jake: That makes things easier.

No. It didn't.

Jay: Easier? This situation doesn't seem easy to me.

Niki: He doesn't seem to have felt it either. The bonding. The way he looked at us... He
seemed completely confused.

Heesung: I didn't feel him release anything either. Beta or not, he should have released
something. It seems one-sided.

Jake: Apparently, everyone is in the same situation regarding that. And I really don't have
answers for it. But it's good because it makes things easier among us. Within our pack. It
makes the relationship easier. Among ourselves and with him.

Jungwon: You seem very confident that there will be a relationship with him, Jake.

Jake: But that's what we're going to pursue, isn't it?

Jay: For us, you know we will. You were the first to be bonded. You know how it feels.

Jake knew. Every tiny detail was etched in his memory. The feeling of the world stopping and
suddenly spinning at full speed again, the breathlessness, the overwhelming desire to just get
up and passionately kiss the man he hadn't even known.

Jay: But what about him?

This, too, was something that had been etched in his memory—the briefly confused and then
totally indifferent face, the impeccable politeness of a perfect employee, the pheromones that
didn't fluctuate for even a second as his world seemed to crumble before his eyes, and the
delicate face of someone who seemed to be on the sidelines of everything that was happening
but never close enough to feel anything.

Jungwon was the one who answered:

Jungwon: I don't know about that. But we'll at least try, right? Right?

Jake looked at the rearview mirror of the car, where, from the angle he was at, he could see
the delicate face of the bodyguard in the front seat. Right.

Jake: It was my plan. We can't know unless we try. Anyway, we're bonded. I don't know if
giving up is an option.

And he really didn't know. He had never seen a case like this. They were soulmates, they
were meant to be together.

Heesung: You have a point, but how do we do this if he didn't even seem to notice
everything that happened? Our world turned upside down, and he's up there as if nothing
happened.

Jungwon: Well, that's an easy question. We talk to him.

Jake smiled as he read the message and couldn't resist looking to the side, where Jungwon
was typing with an expression that said, "for the love of god, use your brain." Jungwon made
the whole situation seem simple. It didn't even seem like he was the one crying in the middle
of the living room just a few days ago.

Heesung: But won't we just end up scaring him away?

And that was the golden question of the day. When they decided to take things slowly in
their recent conversations, it was more to resolve internal conflicts and gradually adapt the
pack. Jake needed to get used to the idea of having a soulmate and what that meant for
himself and the pack, and with patience, understand why he had imprinted. However, now the
situation was a bit more complicated. There were six of them, specifically four alphas in a
pack, while there was only one omega and one beta. All six of them had undergone
imprinting, but apparently, Sunoo had not. If they had to take it slow before, now they
definitely needed to be careful where they stepped. They didn't want to end up frightening the
security guard.

Jungwon: But we can't just approach him and talk about the imprinting. For all intents
and purposes, we are the only ones who felt something. If we talk to him, he might even
think we're lying. We need to talk to him to get to know him and let him get to know us.

Jake: But we can't just talk to the security like that out of the blue.

Jungwon: Of course, we can. You're literally his boss.

Jake: Exactly, it would be inappropriate.

Jungwon: We're going to talk to him, not hit on him. Relax. And changing the subject,
what were you talking to Mrs. Park about?

Jake: I had to tell her about the imprinting.

Jungwon: Wait, why?

Jake: Because she needed to understand what that commotion was about, and it won't
happen again. I also thought it would be good to have her in the loop so she can keep an
eye on him. Ensure his safety too, more discreetly.

Jay chuckled from his side, and Jungwon lifted his face to see what he was laughing at. He
saw that Jay was looking at Jake, who had suddenly blushed, feeling embarrassed, and
couldn't help but laugh too.

The conversation continued in the same tone for the rest of the night, with discreet whispers
or messages in the pack group, discussing what they would do and how they would handle
the situation. They even decided that Jungwon and Jay would be the first to try talking to
him. Everything was going well until Jungwon was attacked, and everything went haywire.

The next day, the first rays of sun broke through the darkness, flooding Sunoo's house with a
soft and welcoming light. The tranquil melody of birds outside contrasted with the buzzing of
the phone, abruptly interrupting the morning serenity. Sunoo picked up the phone he had left
charging next to the bed and answered the call. The voice on the other end of the line was
firm and authoritative. It was Mrs. Park.

"Hello, Mr. Kim."

"Mrs. Park, good morning," Sunoo briefly took the phone away from his ear to check the
time. There was still an hour and a half before the start of his day shift. He had barely slept
for two hours and imagined that the head of security probably hadn't slept at all, as she stayed
to sort out the mess from the previous day. "Is there something you need?"

"I apologize for the early hour of the call, but with the overnight chaos, I needed to rearrange
the security schedule. You mentioned you were willing to work today. Are you sure about
that?"

"I am sure, Mrs. Park. You don't need to worry about it. I'll be there on time."

The woman on the other end of the line hesitated again before continuing.

"Okay then, if you say so," she hesitated once more. "I'm going to put you on the night shift.
The pack has another event today that they need to attend, and we'll implement a similar
system to yesterday, just with different security personnel. I need you here at seven."

This time it was Sunoo who hesitated as he sat up in bed, now fully awake.
"But are they having another event so soon?" He didn't hesitate to continue, bringing up the
topic himself. "Is it safe? And what about the man from yesterday? Any information?"

"It's an important event that has been planned for months, and as it is for the company, it's
crucial that they attend. Similarly, the likelihood of them being attacked two days in a row is
very low." Sunoo pursed his lips, because whether this information was true or not depended
much more on the attacker than anything else. If the person planning the attack had the means
and resources to carry out two consecutive assaults, mundane things like probability lost their
meaning. Having said that, any sane person would expect them to take a few days off after
the incident, so Sunoo could understand his boss's line of reasoning. "I, at least, managed to
convince them that it wasn't necessary for everyone to attend, so only Mr. Sim and both Mr.
Parks will be present. The rest of the pack will stay at home, resting," she let out a heavy
sigh. "As for the man, he didn't provide any relevant information, but we have our own
suspicions about the mastermind behind the crime."

Sunoo straightened up in bed, all ears.

"However, I can't provide any information regarding that at the moment," she hesitated, and
Sunoo couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment for the lack of substantial
details. "At least not yet. Having said that, can I count on you tonight? The offer of a day off
is still on the table, so don't feel pressured to accept, but..." she hesitated once again for a few
seconds, and Sunoo asked what she was hiding from him. "But I believe Mr. Sim and the Mr.
Parks would be happy to have you on the team tonight."

Sunoo hesitated for a brief second, finding the conversation more suspicious than it should
have been, but he didn't let his suspicion prevent him from doing his job.

"Of course, Mrs. Park. You can count on me. I'll be there on time."

"It's a dinner with shareholders, some sponsors, and high-ranking employees, such as
marketing managers, general art directors, etc. So come especially dressed up today," she
added as an afterthought, with a certain humor in her voice that Sunoo couldn't quite
understand why it was there.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind," Sunoo said, and in return, he received a short, nasal laugh from
the other end of the line.

"I'll be going, Mr. Kim. Rest well."

"Until then, Mrs. Park."

When Sunoo hung up the phone, he stared at it for a few seconds, wondering if he had missed
any important information but was unable to come to conclusions on his own, so he decided
to dismiss the feeling.

He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep easily, despite the very few hours of sleep.
He had been trained to be as alert as possible, and coupled with the constant paranoia that his
position provided, shutting his eyes was always a challenging task. He decided to just get up
and start his day.
For breakfast, he ate bread with eggs and a vegetable salad, and as always, he had to fight the
urge to vomit that hit him full force as soon as he smelled the yellow monstrosity. He cleaned
the small house, dusted the furniture and kitchen appliances, and did his exercise routine. He
made a brief stop at the laundry to wash a few more pieces and went to the convenience store
to buy items for lunch, as the groceries he had bought were running out. He bought the same
as last time: rice, vegetables, greens, and eggs. He briefly looked at the sweets and soda
section but didn't take anything. The risk of punishment wasn't worth the momentary pleasure
of a chocolate bar. He returned home and had a vegetable soup for lunch—ignoring the eggs
once again—and did another exercise routine after lunch.

He did a brief search about the Spes team on his phone, looking up the shareholders and
high-ranking employees who would be at the dinner. There wasn't anything particularly
interesting or suspicious about any of them, and Sunoo didn't think it was worth spending
time on a deeper investigation. He also researched the incident from the previous night, but
the pack seemed to have a good marketing team taking care of their image because despite
the incident being plastered on practically every online newspaper and gossip site, there was
no information about who had been attacked. The names Jaehyun or Jungwon were not
mentioned in any articles.

Sunoo glanced at the clock, and it was already 3:00 PM. It was relatively early to get ready
on any given day, but Mrs. Park had asked for a relatively formal attire, so he took a long,
cold shower. He put on what he considered to be his best suit, an elegant navy blue one with
golden cufflinks. He took a deep breath before looking at himself in the mirror, placed in
some corner of his room, and styled his hair with much more care than he usually would. He
grabbed a cushion foundation from the first aid kit and covered the dark circles from the
poorly slept night as well. The use of foundation was usually for hiding bruises rather than
dark circles, but Sunoo wanted to make a good impression, so he was following Mrs. Park's
advice. When he finished getting ready, he wrinkled his nose, uncomfortable with the
reflection in the mirror, grabbed a clean towel, and covered it as if hiding his reflection would
somehow change something.

He waited another half-hour just to not arrive exceptionally early at work, but as soon as the
clock struck 6:00 PM, he was leaving his house in his white Picanto. He glanced at the car's
rear view mirror one last time, reluctantly, and felt a bit too self-conscious about his vampiric
appearance. He ended up stopping at a pharmacy and buying a tinted lip balm just to avoid
looking like a ghost. He applied the moisturizer inside the car, looking in the mirror to avoid
smudging, and remembered Jungwon's delicate face and the makeup he had worn the day
before. For a moment, he wondered if he would ever look beautiful that way, if he would ever
do a smoky eye and paint his cheeks pink with a large, fluffy brush. The thought left a bitter
taste in his mouth, and he licked his lips in an attempt to taste the flavor of the balm. It didn't
work, obviously, so he just continued his way to the Sim mansion.

When he arrived at the security room in the basement of the mansion, the clock already read
6:35 PM. Mrs. Park was there, accompanied by the bodyguard Sunoo believed to be her
second-in-command. From what he understood, they usually alternated shifts and had a third
and fourth who worked only when they didn't. But on special events, Mrs. Park was always
present. When she saw him, she gave a strange, somewhat awkward smile and wished him
good afternoon.
She waited for all the security personnel to arrive, and a little before 7:00 PM, she called
everyone to form a semicircle to explain how things would work that day. Sunoo noticed that
none of the security guards from the previous night were there, except for him, and realized
that probably none of them even knew that the pack had been attacked the night before.

Before the meeting, he had even overheard a conversation:

"Did you see there was an attack at the event the Sims were at yesterday?" one of them
commented while gossiping with a shorter colleague.

"Yeah, I did. Do you think it was someone they know?"

"I don't know; they didn't mention the name of the person who was attacked."

"Don't you think it might have been one of them?"

His voice came out low, as if trying to be discreet, but the room was too small, and the sound
circulated without problems.

"Of course not, if they had been attacked, they wouldn't leave like that the next day."

Sunoo let out a weak laugh through his nose. He knew it was basically common sense for a
civilian, but he couldn't help finding some humor in the irony of the situation. He knew Mrs.
Park had also overheard the not-so-discreet conversation of the coworkers, but she hadn't
made any effort to correct them. Her second-in-command also seemed to be aware of the
situation, judging by the eye roll he gave to the pair of colleagues.

When Mrs. Park started her speech, she was quick and to the point:

"Today we will follow the same scheme we usually follow, but with a larger team. Instead of
2 cars, we'll have three. One with security guards in front, one with security guards behind,
and in the middle, the pack accompanied by three more security guards." She then looked at
Sunoo, and a strange expression crossed her face once again. "Mr. Kim will go with me and
my second in command." She nodded in the direction of her vice, Kang Daniel, a tall, blond-
haired man. "The rest of you will divide as you see fit into two groups of six."

She gave a more detailed explanation about formation and how the event would work,
providing the security guards with an email containing the floor plan of the banquet hall,
explaining the locations and what would happen inside. It was a private event organized by
SPES itself, so Mrs. Park had control over the entire organization of the event's security
service. Once she finished the brief speech, the teams started to split. Sunoo simply
approached the head of security and her second-in-command.

He didn't know her vice, so he made a brief polite introduction. It would be expected for
Daniel to return the greeting, but instead of introducing himself, he looked Sunoo up and
down and, as if unimpressed with what he saw, asked, "Was he the one who prevented the
attack yesterday?"
Sunoo was not impressed with the lack of manners or the fact that he completely ignored his
presence, addressing his boss instead of him. The rudeness did not go unnoticed by Mrs.
Park, who raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, it was him. And greet him properly, Mr. Kang," she shot a stern look in his direction,
which seemed to surprise him by the stern tone. "I usually ignore your diva syndrome
because in terms of skills, you're probably one of the best we have here, and despite your
antipathy towards your colleagues, you've always managed to work relatively well in a
group." She then glanced quickly in Sunoo's direction before looking back at Daniel. "Be
polite with Mr. Kim, Daniel, or you'll find yourself in a difficult situation."

Mr. Kang looked visibly embarrassed, and with a stern expression, he greeted Sunoo politely,
if that could be considered polite. Sunoo just gave a forced smile. He had much more
important things to worry about than a narcissistic employee who thought he was the boss.
The three of them headed to the parking lot, and Sunoo once again cataloged the absurd
number of cars. The car they would use today was a black, unused-looking BMW X7, freshly
polished.

"You'll sit in the back, Sunoo," she opened the door for him. "You can sit in the middle seat."
She pointed to the middle seat in the front row. Sunoo complied, although he thought it made
more sense to go to the last row where there were only two seats and let the three pack
members sit together in the three-seat row. "Daniel and I will be in the front," she said,
heading to the driver's seat.

Kang Daniel didn't say a word, just sat in the passenger seat, silent and still looking
displeased. Despite Mrs. Park leaving the back door open, Sunoo first heard them before
seeing them. The conversation wasn't loud and fun like the day before; on the contrary,
Sunoo could tell by the tone of voice that the topic they were discussing was serious,
although he could only distinguish a word or two. As they got closer, he began to make out
small phrases like "What if everything goes wrong?" "Stay calm," "Do you think..." and other
disjointed sentences. When they finally entered his field of vision, Sunoo realized that he had
also entered theirs because he immediately heard a "Quiet, they're right there" from Jaehyun.

They all wore formal suits, this time relatively similar to each other and more formal than the
outfits from the day before. Sunoo looked in their direction and smiled politely. The tallest of
them, Sunghoon, stumbled over some imperfection on the floor, leaning on the two
companions to avoid falling. His face burned scarlet for a few seconds, and Sunoo found it
amusing. Shame was something Sunoo had never really felt, maybe a few years ago when the
opinions of his educators still mattered. It was funny to think that civilians were ashamed of
such simple things as tripping.

They made their way to the car, and Jake returned his polite smile with a somewhat puzzled
one. When they were close enough to the car, Sunoo heard him say to the other two, "Get
ready."

An immediate itch settled behind his ear. Get ready for what? He didn't have time to reflect
on this, and Jaehyun approached.
"Hello, Sunoo," he stopped in front of the car door for a moment, looked him up and down,
and somewhat uncertainly entered the car on his side. "I'm glad you came today, even though
you didn't need to," he said from his side.

"Don't worry about it, as I said, I'm fine," Sunoo smiled at him, but quickly turned his face
when he heard a clearing of the throat.

"We couldn't properly introduce ourselves last night, but I'm Park Jong-seong, but you can
call me Jay." He then looked meaningfully at Jaehyun, who nodded, and extended his hand
towards Sunoo. Sunoo reached out his hand, and when their hands shook, he felt a brief
shock that left him breathless for a second, soon followed by a strong wave of pheromones.
But as quickly as it came, it was gone. "Sorry for that," he said and quickly moved to the
back row, sitting behind Jake.

Park Sunghoon didn't stop at the door, just sat next to him, closed the car door, and still with
a flushed face, reached out his hand toward Sunoo.

"Park Sunghoon, but you can just call me Sunghoon." His smile was sharp, like a vampire's;
his neck was long, and his hair was slicked back. He was obviously charming, so charming
that Sunoo almost didn't hesitate to shake his hand, almost. But he couldn't help feeling a bit
nervous at the moment of contact, already preparing for the shock and the punch of
pheromones he would take in the stomach. Why did this happen to him and the people in that
pack? He had no idea, but the way Sunghoon said, "Sorry for that," with a smile on his face
after the wave of pheromones hit him squarely, led him to believe that they didn't really care.

Kang Daniel looked back, indicating that maybe he was about to say something, his face
contorted in a rigid scowl, but Sunoo saw Mrs. Park elbowing him from her seat beside him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said as his boss started the car. "It was truly a shame that my
first day working with you ended like that," he added politely. "Is Jungwon okay?"

"Amazingly, yes," Jaehyun answered, and Sunoo looked in his direction; he was wearing the
blue lenses again, and his blond hair was casually styled back. Under the suit, instead of a
dress shirt, he wore one of his high-necked sweaters and a gold necklace with the Padra
emblem. "It's not the first time an attack has happened, honestly, although it's the first time
such a bold one has occurred." Sunoo noticed how his eyes traveled over his face and then
down to his hands resting in his lap, and for a moment, he wondered if he was dressed
appropriately or if he had gotten dirty somewhere. But before he could ask, Jaehyun
continued, "It's tragic, honestly, but you can say he's used to it. And well, Jungwon is a strong
person regardless of the situation; it's hard to shake him."

Sunoo tilted his head to the side, thoughtful, ignoring the eyes that were glued to him. For
some reason, Sunghoon and Jake seemed to find his figure very interesting, and he could
even feel Jay's eyes on the back of his neck. The scrutiny made him ultra-conscious, and the
only way not to let paranoia consume his thoughts completely was to completely ignore the
three pairs of eyes focused on him. He began to reflect on the behavior of a civilian, more
specifically Jungwon's behavior, but then came to the conclusion that even among civilians,
there were nuances, even more so in such an extreme situation as an attack, and Jungwon was
a person person in a very specific situation, the son of politicians, rich, with all the freedom
that money could provide, but at the same time, confined in his position as an omega.
Suddenly, he wondered if Jungwon liked being an omega, if he liked making nests and
relaxing with his alphas. But he concluded that this would be another question that he would
never have an answer to.

"I'm glad, then. I imagine leaving home would be much more complicated for you and for
him if he had gotten stressed," he said politely.

"Definitely," Jay added from the back seat. "If we were already worried on a regular day,
after yesterday, the stress is through the roof. If Jungwon weren't such a resilient person, I
don't know if I'd be able to leave him alone so soon."

After that, the conversation died down, and although the ensuing silence wasn't necessarily
uncomfortable, Sunoo could sense a kind of tension that he couldn't quite describe but was
definitely present.

The dinner venue was a banquet hall, situated away from the city center. It had tall walls, a
broad entrance guardhouse, and an overly excessive number of security personnel around it.
The hall itself was basically a large white box, although the landscaping was elaborate,
visually more interesting than the structure itself. They handed the car over to the chauffeur
at the entrance and positioned themselves outside, but when Sunoo took his place beside Mrs.
Park, she looked him up and down, took him by the arm, and guided him to the back, placing
him between Jaehyun and Jay. He raised an eyebrow at her, but all she said was, "You stay
here." Sunoo didn't question; he just followed his path between the two alphas, with
Sunghoon right behind him by a few inches. This time there was no triumphant entrance or
red carpet, not even an announcement. They simply entered through a side entrance. Mrs.
Park and Kang Daniel stopped next to the door, and for a moment, Sunoo thought he would
accompany them, as he noticed that no one was really being accompanied by their security,
and the entire security team was scattered around the corners, allowing their bosses to
converse freely. But his boss quickly corrected him: "We'll stay here; you can join them,
Sunoo." She gave him another of her strange smiles, and Sunoo could see the perplexed look
that Daniel sent his way. Sunoo, in turn, was visibly confused, but before he could question,
he felt a large hand on his back, a little above his hip, guiding him forward. It was Jake's
hand, and when he looked in his direction, he just gave him a bewildered smile. Sunoo didn't
ask; he wasn't in a position to question. He continued to be guided by him as they circulated
through the hall, greeting people.

The hall itself was minimalist, but the decoration was extravagant, like wedding décor. He
had only attended one wedding in his life, on a mission he participated in the U.S., and
although the event's decoration was still more elegant and minimalist, both events shared
many similar elements, such as numerous round tables with light tablecloths, meticulously
arranged cutlery and glasses, and white flower arrangements in the center of each table. To
greet the guests, they had to circulate among the tables, stopping here and there so that the
cream of society could exchange a few minutes of small talk and pat each other on the back.
At first, he tried to pay attention to the conversation, but soon realized that he wouldn't hear
anything interesting there, at least not at that moment, as the topics never went beyond
uninteresting conversations about the weather, compliments about the decoration, or
congratulations on the success of the company. Eventually, he tried to give more space to the
alphas, feeling that his presence there was making the guests a bit uncomfortable. He
gradually fell behind the small group, but as soon as he was a step away from Sunghoon, he
turned in his direction, and without saying anything, he placed his hand on his back, gently
pushing him forward.

"It's boring, I know, but soon we'll sit down," was all he said, as some form of explanation.

He did not remove his hand from his back after that, and while they greeted the guests, the
slender fingers guided him through the hall. Eventually, they arrived at the reserved table for
them. It was different from the others, larger, but despite that, it had fewer seats. While all the
other tables in the hall had 8 chairs, this one had only 4. He thought he would be allowed to
observe the members from some corner near the table, but Jaehyun pulled a chair for him. He
was confused but sat down, and the three members of the pack sat down shortly after.

"Is there anything you don't like?" Jaehyun asked. Sunoo tilted his head, confused, and
Jaehyun blinked slowly at him twice.

"He's talking about food. Is there something you definitely don't like to eat?" Sunghoon
clarified, giving a stern look in Jaehyun's direction that Sunoo didn't understand. Sunoo
disliked various foods, but he had gotten used to tolerating them. However, if there was
something he had never gotten used to eating, it was eggs.

"Eggs," he replied, still with his head tilted to the side, somewhat confused about the reason
for the question.

"Do you drink?" This time, Jay asked. He had a closed face, but not necessarily unfriendly,
just... serious.

"No, sir."

"Without the sir, please," he said, but didn't give Sunoo time to apologize. "Prefer juice or
soda?"

Sunoo blinked a few times.

"Coke."

As if waiting for his cue, the waiter arrived. Jaehyun just raised his head and said, "You can
start serving us, please. Bring wine for three and Coke for the security. For the dish that
contains eggs, I believe it's the soup, you can remove them." He then made a gesture with his
hand, indicating that he was done.

"Of course, sir," the waiter bowed and left. Sunoo took the opportunity to look around and
examine his surroundings. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kang Daniel and Mrs. Park,
who seemed to be having a serious conversation in the corner of the room. He wondered if
the conversation could be important for the mission in any way, but as he couldn't know, he
just continued to look around. He quickly realized he was the only security guard sitting, and
he also noticed that many eyes were on the table they were at. He knew many of the looks
were just curiosity, after all, Jaehyun was the center of the party, basically the owner of the
company, but he also noticed that some of the looks came from other security guards and
were unfriendly glares. Not everyone there knew he was a security guard; some probably just
thought he was an additional guest or even a pack member. However, there were those who
knew he was a new security guard in the company, and he was the only one sitting, engaging
in small talk with the bosses. Great, he was already making enemies. He wrinkled his nose
and turned his gaze forward, realizing that the three alphas were looking at him. A little voice
in his head whispered that they suspected something, and that's why they were staring at him,
but Jaehyun smiled at him, seemingly without any apparent reason, and the voice was
momentarily silenced.

The first dish to arrive was the appetizers, which Sunoo didn't exactly know what they were
made of, but they were incredibly delicious. Soon after, the waiter served the drinks and the
starter. This time, Jaehyun noticed that he didn't know what the dish was, and he took the
trouble to explain it to him:

"Bruschetta with burrata and tomato, focaccia with beef tartare." Sunoo ate without any
issues, and it was really delicious, but he found the long name unnecessary. After all, it was
basically bread with cheese and bread with meat. He felt a bit overly conscious of the gazes
on him, but he had never eaten so well, not even on his other missions, so he savored every
bite.

"Did you like the dish?" Jaehyun asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yes, sir. I'm not used to varying my menu much," he gave a polite answer that seemed to
satisfy Jaehyun, although he furrowed his eyebrows at the "sir." The title had slipped out
unintentionally, and Sunoo corrected himself mentally.

Jaehyun seemed like he was about to ask another question, but the waiter returned, this time
bringing the soup — without eggs — and refilling his soda that had already run out. The
members' glasses were still relatively full, and Sunoo wondered if he wasn't drinking too fast,
but the members didn't seem bothered — and people always showed signs when they were
uncomfortable — so he continued to drink normally. After all, it wasn't every day that he
could afford this luxury without the risk of punishment.

"Well, Sunoo. Can I call you Sunoo?" Sunghoon asked, and Sunoo simply nodded as he took
a spoonful of soup. It was definitely tastier than what he normally ate, but it was well, soup.
"I'm curious, where did you learn to fight?"

Sunoo hesitated a bit, even though he had fabricated an entire false story about it, supported
even with fake documents and photos forged in Photoshop.

"I've been practicing martial arts since I was a child, and I've done practically every type of
martial art that exists. From capoeira to Kung Fu, I know practically everything," he spoke in
a tone of false narcissism that most civilians seemed to find amusing for some reason.
Sunghoon didn't find the answer particularly funny, but he gave him a polite smile. Jay tilted
his head to the side, stared at him with a serious face, and Sunoo inevitably wondered if he
knew he was lying.
"And what made you choose to be a security guard?" Sunghoon asked.

Sunoo also had this answer rehearsed:

"Honestly? Just convenience. I was already fighting, easily graduated from a quick security
course, and promptly made myself available for the job market," he smiled at him, taking
bites of the soup.

He briefly looked at their plates and noticed that they ate much more slowly than him. For a
moment, he wondered if he was being rude or tactless, if he was making a bad impression
since the etiquette of high society wasn't really taught in Olympus. However, when Sunoo
raised his eyes from their plates back to their faces, they gave him a smile. He really hoped
he wasn't doing anything wrong.
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