Chapter Text
The humidity in the hallways of Gwanak High always smelled like a mixture of floor wax, cheap cologne, and the sour desperation of a student body that knew most of them were headed for factory lines or the marriage market. It was a crumbling institution where the ceilings leaked and the textbooks were missing pages and only 40% of the students made it to university , but Park Sunoo walked through the corridors like he was strutting down a runway in Milan.
He didn’t just walk, he commanded the air around him. As an omega, the world expected him to be soft, compliant, and tucked away in a corner waiting for a husband to claim him. But Sunoo had turned the princess archetype into a weapon.
His skirt was hiked dangerously high well past the regulations that the tired administration gave up on enforcing months ago and his legs, smooth and glowing with a shimmer lotion that cost more than his lunch, seemed to go on for miles. Underneath his oversized school blazer, which he wore slung off one shoulder, he sported a lace-trimmed camisole that hinted at the soft, feminine curves of his chest.
"Sunoo-yah, did you see the way that senior alpha was looking at you?" one of his friends, a mousy omega named Minju, chirped as she scrambled to keep up with his brisk pace.
Sunoo didn't even turn his head, instead pulling a small, heart-shaped mirror from his pocket to check his glittery pink eyeshadow.
The pigment caught the flickering fluorescent light, making his eyes look wide, doe-like, and deceptively innocent. "They all look, Minju. It’s a biological reflex," he drawled, his voice a sweet, melodic honey that masked a sharp sting. "Besides, his scent was giving 'unemployed by twenty five.' I don't do charity work."
The jocks at the lockers went silent as he passed, their pupils blown wide, the heavy musk of alpha pheromones thickening the air.
Sunoo loved the power of it the way he could make a room full of aggressive Alphas hold their breath just by batting his lashes. He was the Queen Bee, the undisputed head of the cheer squad, and his word was law. If he decided an omega was "out" this week, they might as well move schools. He reigned over the cafeteria with a manicured hand, surrounded by his court of cheerleaders and the high status athletes who thought they had a chance with him.
In the classroom, his desk was a graveyard of unbothered potential. While the few alphas who actually cared about their futures scribbled notes for Pre-Calculus desperate to be part of the 40% that escaped this sinkhole of a city Sunoo spent the hour reapplying his lip gloss. The tube was a vibrant, sticky pink, and he made a show of pouting into his mirror, the pop of the gloss the only sound in the quiet room.
When the teacher, a frazzled man who looked like he hadn't slept since the late nineties, cleared his throat to reprimand him about the dress code, Sunoo simply looked up. He tilted his head, letting a stray lock of dark hair fall over his eyes, and gave a tiny, trembling pout.
"I'm so sorry, sir," Sunoo whispered, his voice trembling just enough to trigger every protective instinct in the room. "My heater broke last night, and these were the only clean clothes I could find. I’m just so cold... I’m having a hard time focusing."
The teacher’s face softened instantly, his lecture dying in his throat. "Just... try to bring a sweater tomorrow, Sunoo. Please."
Sunoo looked down, hiding the triumphant smirk that played on his glossy lips. It was too easy. The world viewed him as a delicate thing to be possessed or protected, a "Mrs." in training, and he played the part to perfection because it kept him at the top of the food chain. He mocked the omegas who dropped out because they got pregnant by some deadbeat alpha, he mocked the ones who studied until their eyes bled just to be rejected by universities that preferred alphas.
He laughed the loudest during lunch, surrounded by the scent of expensive perfume and the high pitched giggles of his clique, mocking the "losers" and the "drabs" who didn't know how to use their assets. He acted like he didn't have a care in the world, like his biggest trauma was a chipped nail or a lost tube of Chanel gloss. He leaned into the "bitch" persona with every fiber of his being, because as long as he was the one doing the hurting, nobody could get close enough to see the cracks in his foundation.
He stayed at school as late as possible, leading cheer practice with a ruthless iron fist, screaming at the girls to get their tucks higher. He stayed until the sun began to dip below the gray skyline of their impoverished town, because as long as he was under the gym lights, he was a queen. He was the most beautiful thing in a ugly place. He was in control.
But as the final bell’s echo faded and the other students headed home to dinners and family chatter, Sunoo’s movements slowed. He lingered in the locker room, staring at his reflection in the cracked mirror, wiping a smudge of glitter from his cheek.
The bravado began to leak out of him like air from a balloon. He adjusted the straps of his bra under his shirt, pulled his blazer tight to hide his frame, and stepped out into the cooling evening air.
The walk home was long, and the closer he got to the outskirts of the district, where the buildings were more plywood than brick, the more his shoulders hunched. The crown was heavy, and it was about to be stripped away the moment he turned the doorknob.
The glamour of the school day evaporated the second Sunoo’s designer sneakers hit the cracked pavement of his neighborhood. The towering skyscrapers of the city center were just a glimmering silhouette in the distance a world Sunoo was determined to colonize, no matter the cost.
As he reached his front door, he paused to wipe the gloss from his lips and buttoned his blazer to the chin, hiding the curves that made him a god at Gwanak High. Inside, the air was thick with the suffocating scent of stale beer and the sour, defeated pheromones of his mother. She was a hollowed out omega, who had long ago traded her soul for a life of being a punching bag. Sunoo couldn't stand to look at her, her weak-willed submission felt like a personal insult to his own survival.
"Sunoo-yah? Is that you?" she whispered from the kitchen, her voice trembling.
He didn't answer. He didn't have to. The heavy, aggressive scent of his father burnt tobacco and rot told him the alpha was already home, slumped in his recliner.
"Princess is home," his father’s voice rasped from the living room. Sunoo felt a wave of nausea. His father was a sleazy, pathetic man who looked at Sunoo with a hunger that had nothing to do with paternal love. He was the kind of alpha who blamed the world for his failures and took it out on the omegas in his house.
"Don't touch me," Sunoo hissed as he tried to dart past the chair, but his father’s hand shot out, gripping Sunoo’s wrist with bruising force. The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his breath stinking of cheap whiskey.
"You think you’re so high and mighty with those little skirts?" his father sneered, pulling him closer. "You're just a hole, same as your mother. Maybe I should remind you who owns this house."
Sunoo’s heart hammered against his ribs, but his face remained a mask of ice. With a sharp, practiced jerk, he ripped his arm away. When his father lunged, fueled by alcoholic rage and the need to dominate, Sunoo was already halfway up the stairs. He heard the crash of a bottle against the wall and the muffled sob of his mother, but he didn't look back. He couldn't afford to care.
He slammed the door to his bedroom and slid the heavy bolt into place. This room was a sanctuary of neglect.
The other half belonged to his older brother Park Jay, an alpha who was rarely there, usually spending his nights in a damp cell or running errands for the local gangs. Sunoo hated him too and hated that his brother had the freedom of an alpha but chose to waste it in the dirt, even though his brother did it to help with money.
Once the door was locked, the "Bitch of Gwanak High" disappeared.
Sunoo pulled a hidden stash of textbooks from under a loose floorboard. He didn't care about the beauty of literature or the logic of math, but he understood the Oxford Study Theory.A theory he had clung on to of being saved by an alpha someone who was rich and safe but to get to these people he needed to be at the same place they were so oxford was the goal.
He sat on the floor, the dim light of a stolen desk lamp illuminating his notes. He studied until his eyes burned, memorizing facts and figures with a cold, calculated ferocity. This was his training for the "gatherings" those elite parties where the rich and powerful picked their queens. He wasn't studying for a degree, he was studying for a title. He was going to be the most educated, most beautiful, and most ruthless omega the upper class had ever seen.
He would find a rich alpha, he would make them obsessed, and he would never, ever look back at this rotting house again.
By the time the sun began to peek through the grime on his window, Sunoo was closing his books. He stood up, stretched his aching limbs, and began the transformation back into the school’s bitch. He applied his glitter, hiked up his skirt.
Back at Gwanak High, the atmosphere was thick with the usual Monday morning misery, but Sunoo arrived looking like a vision in pastel pink and sharp edges. He had a fresh layer of gloss on his lips and a brand new target in his sights.
The victim was a transfer student named Ni-ki. Being a "nerd" in a school that prioritized survival over grades was a death sentence, but being a short, Japanese alpha who didn't fit the local mold of aggressive masculinity made him an anomaly. He was quiet, focused, and wore thick glasses a stark contrast to the loud, hulking alphas of Gwanak.
The bullying had actually started with Heeseung, the school’s star athlete and head jock. Heeseung had been relentlessly pursuing Sunoo for months, trying every trick in the book to get the "Queen" into his bed. During one particularly public attempt, Sunoo had looked him dead in the eye, tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, and sighed.
"Don't waste your breath, Heeseung-ah," Sunoo had said, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "I’m saving myself for a real alpha someone with a future, not someone whose peak is a high school gym."
Instead of backing off, that rejection only lit a fire under Heeseung. He became desperate to prove his dominance, and Ni-ki just happened to be the easiest outlet for that frustration.
The first time Ni-ki saw Sunoo, he thought he was dreaming. He was being shoved against the rusted lockers by Heeseung’s group, his books scattered on the floor. Then, the crowd parted, and Sunoo appeared. Ni-ki’s breath hitched.
To him, Sunoo looked like a goddess the way his blazer hugged his soft, feminine curves, the slight swell of his chest beneath his shirt, and that face... it was the most beautiful thing Ni-ki had ever seen. He felt a biological pull, a desperate "alpha" urge to protect something so pretty.
Those thoughts were brutally silenced.
Sunoo didn't offer a hand. Instead, the sharp, thin heel of his designer shoe came flying toward Ni-ki’s face, catching him right on the cheekbone with a stinging slap.
"Stop staring at me with those pathetic eyes," Sunoo spat, his voice dripping with venom. He leaned down, his face inches from Ni-ki’s, letting the poor boy catch a whiff of his expensive, flowery scent, a scent that promised heaven but delivered hell. "Heeseung is right. You’re a glitch in the system. A nerd alpha? How embarrassing."
Sunoo straightened up, smoothing his skirt and laughing as Heeseung kicked Ni-ki’s glasses across the hallway. Sunoo joined in with a cruel, melodic giggle, stepping on one of Ni-ki’s notebooks with his heavy heel. He loved the way Ni-ki looked at him, the mixture of pain and pure, unadulterated adoration. It was a power trip better than any drug.
Sunoo didn't care that Ni-ki was an alpha. In this school, Sunoo was the one with the crown, and he was going to make Ni-ki’s life a living nightmare just because he could. He enjoyed the way Ni-ki’s face flushed not just from the blow, but from the sheer proximity to the school’s most beautiful, most vicious "princess."
The lunchroom at Gwanak High was a battlefield, and today, Ni-ki was the casualty. He was tucked away in a corner table, trying to disappear into his lunch tray, when a shadow fell over him.
The silence that followed was heavy. Sunoo stood there, flanked by Heeseung and a few other hulking jocks. Sunoo reached out, his manicured fingers grabbing
Ni-ki’s milk carton and casually dumping it over the younger boy’s head. The white liquid soaked into Ni-ki's hair and dripped onto his clean shirt.
"Oops," Sunoo chirped, his eyes sparkling with a cruelty that made Heeseung howl with laughter. "You looked a little thirsty, transfer student. Or maybe you just smelled too much like a loser."
Heeseung clapped Sunoo on the shoulder, his heavy alpha scent marking his territory.He gave Ni-ki one last shove, knocking him off the bench, and the group swaggered away, their mocking laughter echoing off the peeling paint of the cafeteria walls.
But as Sunoo turned the corner toward the gym, that familiar, sharp pang hit his chest. It wasn't pity he told himself he didn't do pity but something about the way Ni-ki had looked up at him, with that mix of shattered heart and lingering devotion, made Sunoo’s stomach churn. It reminded him too much of the look his mother gave his father, and the thought made him want to scream.
"Go ahead to practice," Sunoo told the cheer squad, waving a dismissive hand. "I left my lip gloss in my locker. I’ll be five minutes."
Once they were out of sight, Sunoo’s expression shifted. He didn't go to his locker. Instead, he slipped into the deserted infirmary and snatched a clean towel and a spare school shirt from the lost and found one that was actually high quality, probably left behind by a rich exchange student. He also grabbed an bottled water from his own bag.
He found Ni-ki in the back of the library, hiding behind a row of dusty encyclopedias, desperately trying to scrub the milk out of his hair with rough paper towels.
"Stop it, you're making it worse," a sharp voice snapped.
Ni-ki flinched, looking up to see Sunoo standing there. He expected another kick, another insult. Instead, Sunoo threw the bundle at his face.
"Put that on. You look disgusting and it’s ruining the aesthetic of the hallway," Sunoo grumbled, stepping closer. Before Ni-ki could protest, Sunoo snatched a damp cloth and began rubbing the milk off Ni-ki's neck with surprisingly gentle movements.
"S-Sunoo-hyung?" Ni-ki whispered, his voice cracking.
"Shut up. I'm only doing this because if the principal sees you looking like a drowned rat, he might actually start enforcing the bullying rules, and I’m not losing my cheer captain spot because of a brat like you," Sunoo lied effortlessly, his gaze fixed on Ni-ki’s skin. He pulled a small, tube of ointment from his pocket and dabbed it onto the bruise his heel had left earlier. "And take this water. You’re shaking. It’s annoying to look at."
Ni-ki stared at him, dazed. Up close, Sunoo didn't smell like the sharp, acidic venom he projected in the halls. He smelled like soft peaches and expensive soap. For a second, the "Queen Bee" mask slipped, and Ni-ki saw the exhaustion behind Sunoo's eyes the same exhaustion he felt.
"Why are you being nice?" Ni-ki breathed.
Sunoo’s eyes snapped back to ice. He shoved the water bottle into Ni-ki's chest hard enough to make him wince. "I'm not being nice. I'm protecting my reputation. If you tell a single soul about this, I will make sure you’re expelled by Friday. Understand?"
He stood up, smoothing his skirt and checking his reflection in a window. Without another word, he strutted away, his heels clicking rhythmically. He had a role to play, a rich alpha to hunt, and a house to escape. He couldn't afford to be soft not even for a second.
The sun was setting in a bruise colored purple over the industrial district, casting long, jagged shadows against the chain link fences of the school perimeter. Ni-ki was trying to make a quick escape, his head down, clutching the clean shirt Sunoo had "thrown" at him like it was a holy relic. He didn't see the black sedan idling by the gates or the three men leaning against it until it was too late.
These weren't school bullies. These were alphas from the neighborhood men with jagged scars, heavy gold chains, and the scent of gasoline and cheap cigarettes. They were part of the crew Sunoo’s brother ran with, the kind of men who saw a lone, foreign student as easy sport.
"Hey, little bird," one of them growled, stepping into Ni-ki's path. He reached out to grab Ni-ki’s collar. "You're a long way from Tokyo. Why don't you show us what's in that bag?"
Ni-ki froze, his alpha instincts screaming at him to fight, but his logic telling him he’d be dead in minutes. Just as the largest man raised a fist, a sharp, familiar click clack of heels echoed against the pavement.
"Are you serious right now? My hair is literally frizzing because of this humidity and you’re blocking the sidewalk?"
The gang members froze. They turned, and the aggression in their eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a strange, wary sort of reverence. They straightened their posture, their hands dropping to their sides. They knew exactly who this was. Sunoo’s brother was a legend in the local underworld, a man who had survived more stabbings than most people had birthdays and everyone knew he had a soft spot for his "princess".
Sunoo sauntered up to the group, his hand on his hip, looking utterly unimpressed by the lethal men standing before him. He looked at the lead alpha and let out a dramatic, annoyed sigh, his bottom lip poking out in a perfectly crafted, cute pout.
"Hyung-nim," Sunoo whined, tilting his head so his silky hair caught the fading light. "Tell your boys to move. They’re scaring my property."
The leader blinked, glancing at the trembling Ni-ki and then back at Sunoo’s wide, doe like eyes. "Your property, Sunoo-yah?"
Sunoo rolled his eyes and stepped right into the space between the gang and Ni-ki. He reached out and grabbed Ni-ki’s chin, forcing the younger boy to look at him. Sunoo’s touch was firm, but his thumb brushed almost imperceptibly against Ni-ki’s jawline.
"Yeah," Sunoo drawled, flashing a sugary sweet, dimpled smile at the thugs that didn't reach his cold eyes. "This nerd is my favorite bitch. I’m not done breaking him yet, and if you guys mess him up, I’m going to tell my brother you’re stealing my toys. And you know how cranky he gets when I cry, right?"
The alphas actually looked pale at the suggestion. They stepped back immediately, raising their hands in a gesture of peace. "Our bad, Sunoo. We didn't know he was yours. We’ll leave him be."
"Good," Sunoo chirped, his voice shifting back to its melodic, high-pitched tone. "Now go buy some better cologne. You smell like a grease trap."
The men scrambled into the car and peeled away, leaving a stunned Ni-ki standing in the dust. Sunoo dropped his hand from Ni-ki’s face and let out a heavy breath, his shoulders sagging just an inch. He looked around to make sure no one else was watching before hissing at Ni-ki.
"Get moving, idiot. Before they change their minds or I decide to actually let them have you."
Ni-ki stared at him, his heart doing a frantic dance in his chest. "You called me... yours."
Sunoo’s face flushed a deep crimson, and he quickly hiked his backpack higher over his shoulder. "I called you a bitch. Don't get it twisted. It’s a hierarchy, and you’re at the bottom."
He turned on his heel, his short skirt fluttering in the wind. "Now go home. I have to go study for the entrance exams, and I can't have you lingering around like a lost dog."
The sanctuary of Sunoo’s bedroom was shattered that night. The bolt on the door had held against many drunken rages, but it was no match for a heavy duty crowbar and the blind fury of an alpha who felt his authority being mocked.
Sunoo’s father didn't just hit him this time, he went for the one thing Sunoo actually cared about. When he found the floorboard stash, the man let out a guttural, mocking laugh. "Oxford? You think you’re going to a university with high bloods?" he roared, grabbing the thick textbooks. With a violent twist of his wrists, he began ripping the pages out, the sound of tearing paper echoing like gunshots in the cramped room.
"You're a lowly omega, Sunoo! You're meant to serve your dad " He threw the shredded remnants into the corner, some landing in a puddle of spilled beer. When his father stepped closer, his hands reaching for Sunoo’s throat, Sunoo didn't cry. He waited for the opening, ducked under the man's heavy arm, and ran.
He spent the night huddled in the corner of the 24-hour public library's lobby, the only place with heat. He slept sitting up, his head resting on his knees, clutching his bag. He looked like a fallen angel his glitter smudged, his expensive hair tangled, and his heart hardening.
The next morning, Sunoo arrived at school looking more like a "bitch" than ever. He had spent an hour in the girls' restroom at the train station fixing his makeup, using an extra layer of concealer to hide the dark circles under his eyes. He was on edge, his skin crawling, and he needed a target to feel powerful again.
Ni-ki was waiting by the lockers. He looked nervous, his eyes brightening the moment he saw Sunoo. In his hands, he held a small, beautifully wrapped box from a high end Japanese bakery as a thank-you gift for the previous night.
"Sunoo-hyung," Ni-ki started, stepping forward. "I wanted to give you this. For... for helping me."
The hallway went silent. Heeseung and his crew slowed down, their eyes narrowing at the exchange. Sunoo felt the heat of a dozen stares. If he took that gift, his status was gone. If he was soft, he was a target.
"What is this?" Sunoo asked, his voice a sharp, mocking trill. He took the box with two fingers, looking at it like it was a used tissue. "Are you trying to buy me, transfer student? With sweets?"
Heeseung let out a bark of laughter, stepping up behind Sunoo. "Look at the nerd. He thinks he’s got a chance with the Sunoo."
Sunoo’s heart twisted, but his face stayed cruel. He tossed the box into the air. Before it could hit the ground, Heeseung’s heavy boot came up, smashing the box against the lockers. The delicate Japanese pastries crumbled into a mess of cream and sugar on the dirty floor.
"Aww, did I break your little heart?" Sunoo cooed, leaning into Ni-ki’s space. He saw the flicker of devastation in Ni-ki's eyes and felt a wave of self-loathing so strong he almost gagged. "Don't bring your trash into my school, Ni-ki. I only accept gifts from alphas who matter."
Heeseung laughed, shoving Ni-ki’s shoulder as the group walked away. Sunoo didn't look back at the mess on the floor. He kept his head high, his walk confident, even as he calculated how many hours he’d have to work at a part time job he didn't have to replace the books his father had destroyed.
He didn't realize that as Ni-ki stood there, looking at the smashed gift, the "nerd" alpha wasn't crying. His eyes were cold, and his hand was reaching into his pocket for a sleek, gold plated smartphone that looked wildly out of place in this poor district.
Ni-ki didn't walk home that day, he was picked up three blocks away from the school by a black SUV with tinted windows that cost more than the Gwanak High building itself. As the car drove further into the outskirts, the crumbling apartments gave way to a secluded, high walled villa that looked like a fortress of old-money elegance dropped into the middle of a wasteland.
Stepping through the heavy oak doors, Ni-ki didn't look like the shaking nerd who had been bullied by jocks. He stripped off the cheap, milk stained blazer (Heeseung had given him his daily milk down as the dumb jock had called it.) and handed it to a silent servant.
"Welcome home, Ni-ki," a calm, polished voice echoed.
Walking down the marble hallway was Nishimura Sunghoon, Ni-ki’s older brother. Sunghoon was the embodiment of a high-tier Alpha composed, lethal, and draped in a silk robe that cost thousands. Behind him, leaning against a gold leafed pillar, was his wife, Jake. Despite being an omega, Jake carried himself with a regal air, he was the omega of a global empire, protected by the most dangerous Alphas in Japan.
"You look like hell," Sunghoon noted, his eyes scanning the bruise on Ni-ki’s cheek. "I told you, dad’s business deal is temporary. We’re only here for a year to finalize the merger with the local port authorities. You don't have to let those peasants touch you."
"I'm fine, Hyung," Ni-ki muttered, though his hand subconsciously went to his pocket, where he still held a fragment of the ribbon from the smashed gift.
Jake stepped forward, his scent of lavender and expensive rain soothing the tension in the room. He reached out, gently tilting Ni-ki’s head to inspect the bruise. "An Alpha shouldn't let himself be marked by a commoner, Ni-ki. Unless... you’re enjoying it?"
Ni-ki didn't answer, but his heart was hammered. Ever since he had arrived in this gray, miserable city, he had been bored until he saw Kim Sunoo. To anyone else, Sunoo was a cruel, bratty omega who was way too loud. But to Ni-ki, who had grown up surrounded by calculated, perfect society omegas, Sunoo was a revelation.
Sunoo was a wildfire in a trash can. He was mean, he was gorgeous, and he was the first person to ever make Ni-ki feel a primal, obsessive hunger. Every time Sunoo’s heel hit his skin, or Sunoo whispered a cruel insult into his ear, Ni-ki felt a thrill that terrified him. Sunoo was his first wet dream, a vision of pink glitter, soft curves, and a tongue sharp enough to bleed.
"He thinks he’s a queen," Ni-ki whispered, a dark, small smile playing on his lips. "He has no idea who I am. He treats me like dirt."
Sunghoon sighed, crossing his arms. "Remember the plan. You look poor, you act poor. If the locals find out we’re the Nishimura family, the kidnapping ransom alone will be a headache. Just one year, then we go back to Tokyo and you take your seat at the head of the firm."
Ni-ki nodded, but in his mind, he was already rewriting the plan. He didn't just want to take over the company. He wanted to take Sunoo. He wanted to see the look on that "Queen Bee's" face when he realized the "nerd" he bullied could buy and sell his entire neighborhood without blinking.
He wanted to see Sunoo in the silks Jake wore. He wanted to see Sunoo’s glittery eyes wide with shock when he realized that the "rich alpha" he was hunting for at those gatherings... was already standing right in front of him, disguised as a victim.
"Hyung," Ni-ki said, stopping Sunghoon as he turned to leave. "Can you get me the list of the upcoming 'Selection Gatherings' in the city center? The ones for the elite?"
Sunghoon paused, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Looking for a wife already? You're young."
"I'm not looking," Ni-ki said, his gaze turning cold and predatory. "I've already found him. I just need to wait for him to realize he’s mine."
The weekend didn't offer Sunoo any respite. After a Friday spent at the library until the janitor literally nudged him out the door, Sunoo found himself standing in the cold, sterile lobby of the local precinct. The smell of bleach and unwashed bodies made his nose wrinkle in disgust.
"Case 402, Park Jongseong," the officer grunted, not even looking up.
Sunoo slammed a wad of crumpled bills his secret "escape fund" gathered from odd jobs and "donations" from lovestruck jocks onto the counter. "It’s Jay," Sunoo snapped, his voice sharp even through his exhaustion. "And make it quick. I have better places to be."
When the heavy iron door creaked open, Jay walked out with a split lip and a cocky grin that faded the moment he saw his younger brother. To the streets, Jay was a ruthless enforcer, a "legend" who feared nothing. But to Sunoo, he was just another anchor dragging him down.
"Baby!" Jay called out, moving to wrap Sunoo in a bear hug.
Sunoo stepped back instantly, his expression cold. "Don't touch me. You smell like a cell and failure."
Jay didn't seem bothered by the rejection. He’d lived his whole life trying to protect Sunoo’s "purity" in a neighborhood that chewed people up, even if it meant getting his own hands filthy. "Come on, Sunoo-yah. It was just a misunderstanding with the rival crew. I’ll be back on top by Monday."
"I don't care about Monday! I care that I just spent half my textbook money on your bail!" Sunoo’s voice cracked, the stress of the week finally leaking through his Queen Bee mask. He gestured wildly at his worn-out bag. "Dad destroyed my books, Jay. He shredded them. My Pre-Calc, my English, everything I need to get out of this hellhole is gone."
Jay’s expression darkened instantly. The playful alpha vanished, replaced by a cold, protective rage. "He laid a hand on you?"
"He didn't have to," Sunoo hissed, blinking back tears of frustration. "He took my future. That’s worse."
They walked out into the gray afternoon. Jay watched Sunoo from the corner of his eye, seeing the way his little brother tried to maintain his "princess" stride despite the exhaustion. Jay knew he was a screw-up, but he loved Sunoo more than his own life.
"Look, baby," Jay said, bumping Sunoo’s shoulder gently. "I’ll make it up to you. I’ll get the guys together. We’ll 'find' you some new books. Better ones. The expensive kind from the city center."
Sunoo huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "The least you could do is buy me the Oxford Prep series. And don't steal them, Jay. If I get caught with stolen property, my record is done."
"Anything for my baby brother ," Jay promised, a sad sort of smile on his face. He knew Sunoo hated him for being part of the dirt they lived in, but he’d stay in that dirt forever if it meant Sunoo could eventually walk on gold.
Sunoo didn't say "thank you." He didn't have the energy. He just thought about the quiet, "nerd" alpha Ni-ki and the smashed pastries from the day before. For some reason, the memory of Ni-ki’s disappointed face was harder to shake than the memory of his father’s shouting.
"I'm going to the library," Sunoo muttered as they reached the bus stop. "Don't follow me. And tell your friends to stop hanging around the school gates. They’re embarrassing me."
As the bus pulled away, Jay watched him go, his hands balling into fists. He had work to do. He had to get those books, and he had to make sure suno didn't have to cry over paper ever again.
The public library was a sanctuary of silence, smelling of old paper and the faint, metallic scent of the radiator. Sunoo liked it because the lighting was soft and it made his skin look porcelain even when he felt like he was falling apart. He trudged toward his usual corner, the one tucked away behind the oversized geography books where the "Queen Bee" could hide his vulnerability.
He stopped dead.
Sitting at his table was Ni-ki. The "nerd" alpha looked completely different without Heeseung looming over him. He was wearing a simple, high-quality black hoodie that made his pale skin pop, and he was surrounded by a fortress of books.
Sunoo’s breath hitched. Spread out across the scarred wood were the exact books his father had destroyed: the Oxford Prep Series, the advanced Pre-Calculus workbook, and a thick volume on international economics. They were brand new, the spines uncreased, looking like a million bucks against the grimy library carpet.
Ni-ki looked up, and for a moment, time seemed to stall. He was shocked to see Sunoo here. At school, Sunoo was a whirlwind of glitter and attitude, always surrounded by a screaming entourage. Here, in the dim light, Sunoo looked... soft. His hair was a little messy, his oversized blazer was buttoned wrong, and his eyes weren't filled with malice, but with a raw, desperate hunger for the knowledge on that table.
Ni-ki couldn't help but stare. His gaze traveled from Sunoo’s flushed face down to the curve of his neck. Even in a library, Sunoo was breathtaking. He looked gorgeous, his delicate features illuminated by the desk lamp, but he also looked incredibly adorable like a kitten trying to look like a tiger.
Then, Ni-ki’s eyes drifted lower. He noticed the way Sunoo’s short skirt rode up as he shifted his weight, and the way his snug camisole highlighted the swell of his chest. A sudden, primal heat flared in Ni-ki’s gut. The contrast between Sunoo’s "innocent" study mission and his undeniable, lsex appeal was overwhelming. Ni-ki felt a surge of arousal so sharp it made his hands shake against the pages of his book. He wanted to pull the omega onto the table, he wanted to see if Sunoo tasted as sweet as he smelled.
Sunoo didn't say a word. He didn't yell, he didn't throw a heel, and he didn't call him a loser. He just stared at the books, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. The silence between them was heavy, thick with the scent of peaches and the dark, musky undertone of Ni-ki’s mounting desire.
Sunoo finally moved, sliding into the chair opposite Ni-ki. He didn't ask permission. He just reached out, his small hand trembling slightly as he touched the cover of the Oxford Prep book.
Ni-ki watched his fingers, his voice dropping an octave, becoming a low, gravelly rasp that vibrated in the quiet room. "I'm not using that one yet. You can... borrow it."
Sunoo looked up, his long eyelashes batting slowly. For the first time, he didn't have a witty comeback. He just pulled the book toward him, his gaze locking with Ni-ki’s. The power dynamic was shifting, and in the silence of the library, the "bitch" and the "nerd" were replaced by something much more dangerous.
The silence that followed was unlike anything Sunoo had ever experienced at Gwanak High. It wasn't the awkward, heavy silence of the bullied, nor was it the performative silence of a classroom. It was a shared, focused hum of ambition.
Sunoo didn't thank him. To do so would be to break the fragile glass of his persona. Instead, he simply opened the workbook to the page he had been on before his father’s rampage and began to write. His handwriting was neat and sharp, a stark contrast to the chaotic life he led outside these walls.
Across from him, Ni-ki tried to focus on his own advanced linguistics text, but his eyes kept betraying him. He watched the way Sunoo would chew on the end of his pen when a problem was difficult, the way his tongue would poke out just a tiny bit in concentration, and the way he occasionally tucked his hair behind his ear, revealing the soft, pale curve of his neck. Every small movement felt like a deliberate provocation to Ni-ki's senses. The scent of Sunoo’s omega pheromones, usually masked by heavy perfume, was leaking out sweet, milky, and intoxicating.
Ni-ki shifted in his seat, his jeans feeling suddenly too tight. He was an alpha from a bloodline of conquerors, and every instinct he had was screaming at him to claim the beautiful creature across from him. But he stayed still. He liked this secret, quiet tether between them that no one else in their gray, miserable world knew about.
Sunoo, for his part, was acutely aware of Ni-ki's gaze. He could feel the heat of it on his skin, a warm pressure that made his heart beat a little faster than the math problems warranted. He knew he should say something meant to re-establish the hierarchy, but the weight of the brand-new book in his hands, the sheer cost of it, the kindness of it kept his tongue still.
For three hours, the only sounds were the scratching of pens and the soft rustle of turning pages. It was the most peace Sunoo had felt in years.
As the library’s overhead lights flickered, signaling closing time in ten minutes, Sunoo began to pack his bag. He carefully closed the borrowed Oxford book and pushed it back toward the center of the table. His fingers lingered on the cover for just a second too long.
He stood up, smoothing his skirt and checking his reflection in the dark window. The "Queen Bee" mask was sliding back into place, his expression cooling into one of bored indifference.
"Don't think this means anything," Sunoo whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the heater. He didn't look at Ni-ki as he swung his bag over his shoulder. "I just didn't want your trash to go to waste."
Ni-ki didn't push him. He just watched Sunoo walk away, the omega’s hips swaying slightly under the oversized blazer. "See you Monday, Sunoo-san," he murmured to the empty air.
Sunoo stepped out into the biting night air, his heart heavy. The walk back to the "villa" of his father’s house felt longer than usual. He thought about the rich alphas he was supposed to be hunting and the "Oxford Study" future he was building. For the first time, the image of the faceless, wealthy husband he imagined for himself was being replaced by a pair of focused eyes behind nerd glasses and a scent of expensive rain.
Monday morning at Gwanak High felt grayer than usual. The damp smell of the weekend's rain clung to the lockers, and the tension in the hallway was palpable.
Heeseung was in a foul mood. He had spent the weekend trying to call Sunoo, only to be sent to voicemail every single time. He needed to reassert his dominance, and as usual, Ni-ki was the designated punching bag.
By the time the first bell rang, Heeseung had Ni-ki cornered near the drinking fountains. He had a tight grip on the back of Ni-ki’s neck, forcing the younger boy’s face toward the rusted metal basin. "You were at the library this weekend, weren't you, nerd?" Heeseung sneered, his voice booming so everyone could hear. "I heard you were lurking around Sunoo’s table. You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
Ni-ki didn't fight back he couldn't, not without blowing his cover but his jaw was set tight. He looked toward the end of the hall, where Sunoo was leaning against a locker, surrounded by his usual clique of cheerleaders and high-status betas.
Sunoo didn't even look up.
He was completely engrossed in his phone, his thumb scrolling rapidly through a PDF of advanced linguistics coursework. To any passerby, it looked like he was just checking his social media, but his eyes were darting across the screen with clinical intensity. Every few seconds, a message would pop up at the top from Jay “Baby, you okay?” “Dad’s gone for the day, don’t worry.” “Got those notes for you.”and Sunoo would quickly swipe them away.
"Look at him!" one of Sunoo’s friends, a sharp featured omega, laughed, pointing at Ni-ki. "He's actually turning red. Hey, Ni-ki, did you think your an alpha Sunoo would actually look at? You’re a charity case!"
The group erupted in giggles, several of them throwing balled-up pieces of paper at Ni-ki’s head. Sunoo remained a statue of indifference. He heard the sound of Ni-ki’s body hitting the lockers as Heeseung shoved him; he heard the mocking taunts of his own friends. A cold, sick feeling was rising in his throat, but he didn't let it show. He couldn't afford to be the "sweet" boy from the library today.
"Sunoo-yah, tell this freak how much you hated him," Heeseung called out, looking for validation.
Sunoo finally looked up, his eyes cold and vacant, the pink glitter on his lids shimmering like ice. He didn't look at Ni-ki’s bruised face, he looked just past his shoulder.
"I already told him on Friday," Sunoo said, his voice a flat, bored monotone. "He’s white noise, Heeseung-ah. Why are you wasting your energy talking to him? It’s embarrassing."
He tapped a final reply to his brother Stop texting me at school and shoved his phone into his skirt pocket. "Let's go. The smell of cheap laundry detergent is giving me a headache."
As Sunoo led his entourage away, his heels clicking sharply against the linoleum, he didn't look back. He didn't see the way Ni-ki’s eyes followed him not with hurt, but with a dark, simmering understanding. Ni-ki knew the game Sunoo was playing. He knew about the hidden books and the secret study sessions.
Heeseung gave Ni-ki one last mocking pat on the cheek before following Sunoo like a loyal dog.
Left alone in the hallway, Ni-ki straightened his glasses and wiped a smudge of dirt from his sleeve. He reached into his pocket and felt the cold, hard edge of his black titanium credit card. He looked at Sunoo’s retreating back the sway of his short skirt, the proud tilt of his head and felt that same dangerous, horny heat from the library.
Keep playing the , Sunoo-san, Ni-ki thought, his gaze turning predatory. It’ll make it so much more fun when I finally pull you off that throne.
The SUV ride back to the villa was silent, but the air inside the vehicle felt heavy with Ni-ki’s mounting obsession. The "nerd" persona was discarded the moment the door closed, his posture straightening.
When he entered the villa, he found Sunghoon in the private study, swirling a glass of amber liquid while looking over blueprints of the city’s shipping docks. Jake was nearby, elegantly flipping through a fashion magazine, his legs draped over the arm of a velvet chair.
"Hyung," Ni-ki said, his voice devoid of the stutter he used at school. "I need an address."
Sunghoon didn't even look up from his papers. "Whose? The jock who’s been touching you? I can have a cleanup crew handle him by midnight."
"No," Ni-ki replied, his eyes dark. "Kim Sunoo. I want his house location. Just the address. And I want it now."
Jake looked up from his magazine, a knowing, cat like smirk spreading across his face. "The little feisty omega ? You're moving fast, Ni-ki-yah. Most Alphas just buy flowers."
"He doesn't want flowers," Ni-ki muttered, thinking of the smashed pastries. "He wants out."
Within twenty minutes, a file was sent to Ni-ki’s phone. The location was in the heart of the "Grey Zone," an area so dilapidated that even the streetlights didn't bother to work.
Later that evening, a nondescript black car with untraceable plates sat idling in the shadows of a narrow, trash strewn alleyway. Ni-ki sat in the back seat, his face partially hidden by the darkness, watching a small, crumbling house with a rusted gate.
He saw Sunoo arrive.
The omega didn't look like the head cheerleader anymore. His shoulders were hunched, his pace was fast, and he kept glancing behind him as if he were being hunted. Ni-ki watched through the window as Sunoo paused at the front door, taking a deep, visible breath bracing himself before turning the key.
As the door clicked shut behind Sunoo, Ni-ki leaned forward, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his knee. He could smell the faint, sour scent of the neighborhood poverty, alcohol, and decay. It made his skin crawl to think of someone as exquisite as Sunoo living in such filth.
"Is this where you hide, Princess?" Ni-ki whispered to the glass.
He didn't leave. He stayed in the dark, watching the flickering light of a single upstairs window, waiting to see what kind of monsters Sunoo faced when the glitter came off.
Inside the cramped, suffocating walls of the house, the air was thick with the smell of cheap grain alcohol and the metallic tang of old blood. The moment Sunoo stepped into the living room.
His father was slumped in the armchair, eyes glassy and red. The moment he saw Sunoo’s silhouette, the short skirt, the delicate frame, the man let out a low, predatory grunt. "Come here, you little brat," he slurred, lunging forward with a speed fueled by deluded Alpha entitlement. He caught Sunoo by the waist, his rough, calloused hand squeezing Sunoo’s ass with a bruising force that made the omega let out a sharp, choked gasp of horror.
"Get off me!" Sunoo shrieked, clawing at the man's wrists.
"Don't touch him!"
The front door slammed open. Jay was there, his eyes blown wide with a primal, protective rage that far surpassed his usual gang fueled aggression. He didn't hesitate. He tackled their father off Sunoo, the two Alphas crashing into the rickety coffee table.
"Jay, stop! Please!" Sunoo’s mother wailed from the kitchen doorway, her voice a feeble, useless thin thread of sound. She did nothing but wring her hands, her submission to the "Alpha of the house" so ingrained that she couldn't even move to save her own children.
Sunoo rushed forward, his hands trembling as he grabbed the back of Jay’s leather jacket, trying to haul him off. "Jay, let go! You’ll go back to jail! Stop it!" He was sobbing now, his Queen Bee persona completely shattered, leaving behind a terrified boy in a torn school uniform.
He nearly managed to pull Jay back, his brother’s breathing heavy and ragged, until their father let out a wet, mocking laugh from the floor.
"Go on, then," the older man spat, blood bubbling on his lip. "Take your little 'princess' and run. He’s nothing but a hole anyway. Just like your mother. I should have sold him to the crews years ago... at least then he’d be worth something."
The air in the room turned ice cold. Jay froze. The last thread of his sanity snapped at the insult to Sunoo’s dignity.
Before Sunoo could scream, Jay’s hand shot out to the kitchen counter nearby. His fingers closed around the handle of a serrated steak knife. With a guttural roar, Jay lunged.
The sound was sickening a wet, heavy thud followed by a sharp intake of breath. Sunoo watched in paralyzed silence as the blade plunged into their father’s chest, once, twice, and then a third time.
The silence that followed was deafening. Their father’s body slumped, the light leaving his eyes as a dark crimson pool began to spread across the linoleum floor, soaking into the hem of Sunoo’s white school socks. Jay stood over him, the knife shaking in his hand, his face splattered with the blood of the man who had brought them into the world.
Outside, in the dark alleyway, Ni-ki sat upright in the back of the SUV. His Alpha instincts suddenly flared the scent of fresh blood and high-distress omega pheromones was leaking through the cracks of the house’s window.
"Something’s wrong," Ni-ki whispered.
The living room was a nightmare painted in shades of red. Jay sat on the edge of the frayed couch, the knife clattering to the floor, his chest heaving as the adrenaline began to bleed out of him. He looked down at his hands, stained with the blood of the man who had made their lives a living hell, and for a moment, he looked like a broken child.
Sunoo didn't care about the blood. He didn't care about the "legend" or the "thug" his brother pretended to be. He threw himself onto the floor, wrapping his arms around Jay’s waist, burying his face in his brother's chest. All the bitterness, the biting insults, and the coldness he’d projected for years vanished. He held Jay with a desperate, silent ferocity, his small hands stroking Jay’s arms in a rhythmic, comforting motion.
Jay looked down at the crown of Sunoo’s head and managed a weak, heartbreaking smile. In that moment, he didn't regret it. He had protected his baby.
The silence was broken by the shrill, hysterical sobbing of their mother. While Sunoo held the killer, the mother, the weak-willed omega who could never pick up a shield picked up the phone.
When the sirens wailed outside, the blue and red lights flickering against the peeling wallpaper, Jay didn't fight. As the police hauled him up, his eyes remained locked on Sunoo. "I'll be back, baby," Jay whispered, his voice steady even as the handcuffs clicked shut. "I’m gonna get out. You just keep studying. You get to the city, you hear me?"
Sunoo finally broke. A high, jagged sob ripped from his throat as he watched his only real protector being dragged into the night. He stood in the doorway, a beautiful, ruined thing, watching the tail lights fade.
"Sunoo-yah..." his mother whimpered, reaching out a trembling hand. "Honey, please, he's gone, we have to—"
Sunoo flinched as if she’d burned him. The sight of the woman who had let that man touch him, who had called the police on the son who saved them made his skin crawl. He couldn't breathe. He turned and bolted, his bare feet hitting the cold, cracked pavement of the alleyway.
He ran until his lungs burned, his mind fracturing under the weight of the trauma. The "Queen Bee" was dead. The "Bitch" was gone. As he stumbled onto the main road, the cold night air and the scent of blood still on his clothes triggered something primal. His pupils dilated, his breathing became shallow and sweet, and his thoughts dissolved into a thick, hazy fog. He was falling fast and hard into a deep, vulnerable omega headspace.
He slammed into something solid. Something that smelled like expensive rain and ancient power.
Sunoo’s knees buckled, and he collapsed against the person's chest, his fingers clutching at a high-quality black hoodie. He looked up with glassy, unseeing eyes, his mouth parted in a needy, broken pout. "Help... please..." he whimpered, his scent turning into a cloyingly sweet, distressed peach that screamed for an Alpha’s protection.
Ni-ki looked down at the shaking, barefoot omega in his arms. He saw the blood on Sunoo's socks, the tears tracking through the glitter on his face, and the complete, submissive vacancy in his eyes.
Ni-ki didn't feel pity. He felt a dark, electric surge of triumph. The "Queen" had fallen right into his lap, stripped of his crown, his brother, and his pride.
"I've got you, Sunoo-san," Ni-ki whispered, his voice a deep, possessive rumble. He wrapped his arms around Sunoo’s waist, pulling the smaller boy flush against him, savoring the way Sunoo instinctively chased his scent.
Ni-ki looked back at the shadows of the "Grey Zone" and then at his waiting SUV. He had just won the lottery.
The drive to the villa was a sensory overload for Sunoo. Tucked into the leather seats of the SUV, he was nothing more than a bundle of instincts. The trauma of the blood, the loss of Jay, and the betrayal of his mother had pushed his mind into a protective, regressive fog. He was just a small, needy omega seeking a scent to ground him. He burrowed into Ni-ki’s side, letting out tiny, high-pitched mewls and soft, rhythmic pants that made Ni-ki’s pulse thrum with a dark, protective heat.
When they entered the villa, the atmosphere was silent and heavy. Sunghoon and Jake stood at the top of the grand staircase, watching as Ni-ki carried the barefoot, trembling boy into the light. Sunoo’s feet were dirty, his school skirt was rumpled, and the scent of distress coming off him was so potent it filled the foyer.
Jake tilted his head, his eyes softening with a flicker of empathy for the boy, while Sunghoon remained unreadable.
"Hyung," Ni-ki said, his voice dropping into a low, authoritative command as he adjusted his hold on Sunoo’s waist. "Get his brother the best lawyer money can buy. I want Jay out of that cell and the charges handled before the week is up. Whatever it costs."
Sunghoon didn't question him. He simply nodded and pulled out his phone. He knew that look in his younger brother's eyes was the look of a Nishimura who had claimed something.
Ni-ki carried Sunoo up to his private wing, laying him down on the vast, silk-sheeted bed. The luxury of the room was a world away from the "Grey Zone," and Sunoo reacted to it by curling into a tight ball, his glassy eyes wandering the room before settling on Ni-ki. He let out a soft, needy whine, reaching out a hand toward Ni-ki’s sleeve.
"Shh, you're safe now," Ni-ki cooed, sitting on the edge of the bed. He watched the way Sunoo’s chest rose and fell, the way his pretty face looked so vulnerable and sweet without the mask of malice. He looked like a doll, a "Princess" finally brought to a palace.
Ni-ki felt the urge to lean down and claim those glossy lips, to mark the neck that was currently exposed and pulsing, but he held back. He was a predator with a plan.
He spent the night watching over him, letting Sunoo scent his wrist whenever the whimpers got too loud. He would send him back to that poor city soon enough, but he would do it as a savior.
The next morning, the heavy iron gates of the detention center creaked open, not for a guard, but for a man in a suit that cost more than the precinct’s entire annual budget.
Jay sat in the interrogation room, his knuckles bruised and his heart heavy, expecting a public defender who wouldn't care if he rotted. Instead, the door opened to reveal a sharp-eyed man carrying a leather briefcase.
"Park Jongseong?" the lawyer asked, pulling out a chair. "My name is Mr. Han. I’ve been retained by an anonymous benefactor to ensure your immediate release."
Jay squinted, his alpha instincts on high alert. "I don't know any 'benefactors' who can afford you. Who sent you? Was it the crew?"
The lawyer offered a cryptic, professional smile as he laid out a series of documents. "Let’s just say someone is very invested in your brother’s well being. And as long as you cooperate, you’ll be back home with him by tomorrow. Now, let’s talk about 'self-defense,' shall we?"
Sunoo woke up with a pounding headache and a mouth that tasted like copper and salt. For a moment, he stared at the damp, grey mould crawling up the corner of his ceiling, confused as to why his body felt so heavy as if he’d been submerged in thick honey. The last thing he clearly remembered was the flash of a blade and the deafening sound of sirens. Everything after that was a blur of black silk, a scent like rain, and a feeling of safety that shouldn't have existed.
He sat up, his limbs aching. He was back in his cramped room. His school uniform was folded neatly on the chair, but his white socks were missing the ones that had been stained with his father's blood.
The house was deathly quiet. When he shuffled into the kitchen, his mother was sitting at the table, staring vacantly at a cold cup of tea. She didn't look at him. She didn't ask if he was okay. To her, Sunoo was now just a reminder of the night her world ended. The silence between them was a thick, suffocating wall.
The funeral was a dismal, hurried affair. Only a handful of people showed up mostly sleazy associates of his father who stayed for ten minutes and left. Sunoo stood by the muddy grave, his face a mask of porcelain perfection, his glittery eyeshadow a sharp contrast to the black veil he wore. He felt nothing but a cold, hollow relief. The monster was gone.
At the courthouse, Jay was braced for a sentence that would keep him behind bars for a decade. He stood before the judge, his shoulders tense, waiting for the gavel to drop.
"Based on the evidence of prolonged domestic abuse and the forensic report indicating a struggle," the judge droned, "the court finds the actions of the defendant to be a matter of justifiable self-defense. All charges are hereby dropped. You are free to go, Mr. Park."
Jay froze. He blinked, certain he was hallucinating. Even for his petty street fights, he’d been locked up for months. To walk away from a killing with a full pardon was unheard of in the "Grey Zone."
As he stepped out of the courtroom, dazed and shielding his eyes from the sunlight, the man in the expensive suit—Mr. Han—was waiting for him. He handed Jay a heavy envelope and a sleek business card.
"Your record has been scrubbed, Jongseong-ssi," the lawyer said calmly. "And my employer believes a man of your... protective talents... is being wasted on street gangs. There is a position open for a head of security for a high-profile individual. The pay is ten times what you make now. It includes a relocation package for you and your brother."
Jay took the card, his brain struggling to catch up. He looked at the lawyer, his eyes narrowing with the suspicion of a man who had spent his life in the dirt. "Who are you?" Jay rasped. "And who the hell is your employer? Nobody does this for free. What do they want with my brother?"
The lawyer simply adjusted his tie and smiled. "They don't want anything you aren't already giving him. They just want him to stay... focused on his studies. I suggest you go home, Jay. Your brother is waiting."
An hour later, the rusted gate of the house creaked open. Sunoo was sitting on the porch steps, staring at his chipped nails, when he saw Jay walking down the alley.
Sunoo didn't scream; he just stood up, his knees trembling, and let out a broken sob as Jay caught him in a crushing hug.
"You're out," Sunoo whispered into his brother's chest. "How are you out?"
Jay pulled back, his hands gripping Sunoo’s shoulders. His eyes were scanning Sunoo’s face, looking for marks, looking for answers. "I was gonna ask you the same thing, baby. The lawyer, the pardon, the job offer... some ghost with a lot of money just bought my life and handed it back to me."
Jay’s expression turned hard, his Alpha scent spiking with protective concern. "Sunoo, look at me. Who is the stranger? Who did you talk to while I was locked up? Who has enough power to make a murder charge vanish in twelve hours?"
Sunoo blinked, his mind flashing to a blurred memory of a black SUV and a pair of eyes behind glasses eyes that looked different in the dark. But the memory felt like a dream, a hallucination brought on by trauma.
"I... I don't know anyone like that, Jay," Sunoo whispered, his confusion genuine. "I was here. I woke up here. I don't know anyone rich."
Tuesday morning at Gwanak High felt surreal. For the rest of the world, it was just another damp, miserable school day, but for Sunoo, the world had shifted on its axis. He walked through the gates with his head held high, his pink lip gloss applied with military precision, and his short skirt swaying with every step. He looked every bit the "Queen Bee," but underneath the glitter, his heart was a frantic mess of confusion.
As he reached the lockers, he saw him.
Ni-ki was leaning against the wall, his usual "nerd" glasses perched on his nose and his books hugged to his chest. But something was different. The submissive, fearful hunch of his shoulders was gone. Instead, he looked... smug. As Sunoo approached, Ni-ki didn't look down at his shoes. He looked Sunoo directly in the eyes, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. It was a look that said I know what you look like when you’re broken, and I know exactly how you smell when you’re needy.
Sunoo felt a shiver of pure electricity crawl up his spine. He didn't understand why, but the sight of the nerd looking so confident made his breath hitch. He quickly looked away, tossing his hair over his shoulder and laughing loudly at something one of his cheerleaders said. He ignored Ni-ki completely, or at least he pretended to.
Ni-ki didn't mind the snub. In fact, he savored it. From his vantage point, he could see the faint pulse in Sunoo’s neck and the way his hands trembled just a fraction as he opened his locker. All Ni-ki could think about was the night before how Sunoo had felt in his arms, how soft his skin was, and how perfectly his small body had fitted against Ni-ki's chest. Even in this crumbling school, Sunoo looked like a masterpiece. To Ni-ki, he wasn't just pretty, he was a prize that was already half won.
However, the change in the air didn't go unnoticed.
Heeseung was standing a few feet away, his arm draped possessively over the shoulder of one of his jock friends. He had been watching Sunoo, waiting for the omega to come over and stroke his ego, but he caught the heavy, lingering gaze Ni-ki was throwing at "his" girl. More importantly, he saw the way Sunoo seemed to be pointedly avoiding the transfer student.
Heeseung’s scent soured, a sharp, aggressive Alpha musk beginning to leak out. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing into slits as he looked at Ni-ki.
"What are you looking at, freak?" Heeseung hissed, his voice low and dangerous. He stepped into Ni-ki's space, trying to tower over him. "I thought Sunoo made it clear that you're nothing but white noise. You want me to smash your glasses into your eyes this time?"
Ni-ki didn't flinch. He just adjusted his bag, his eyes shifting from Heeseung to the back of Sunoo’s head with a chillingly calm expression. "I'm just admiring the view, Heeseung-san. It’s a free country, isn't it?"
Heeseung’s jaw tightened so hard it looked like it might snap. He reached out to grab Ni-ki’s collar, but the warning bell rang, echoing through the hall.
"Watch yourself," Heeseung spat, shoving Ni-ki back against the lockers. He turned his gaze toward Sunoo, who was already disappearing into the crowd toward the math wing. A dark, possessive hunger settled in Heeseung's gut. He was tired of Sunoo’s games, and he was tired of this nerd lurking in the shadows.
He decided right then that he was going to corner Sunoo later. He needed to remind the Queen who the King was, especially now that Sunoo’s "legend" of a brother was supposedly tied up in a murder case. He didn't know Jay was already home; he only knew that Sunoo looked vulnerable, and he was going to take advantage of it.
The gym was a cavern of echoes and shadows, the smell of sweat and rubber mats hanging heavy in the air. Sunoo was packing his pom-poms into his locker, his mind a million miles away, when the heavy double doors clicked shut.
Heeseung was leaning against the exit, his eyes dark and dilated. "You've been acting weird all day, Sunoo-yah," he said, his voice dropping into a low, predatory register. He walked toward Sunoo, each step deliberate, backing the omega into the corner of the locker room.
Sunoo’s heart hammered. "I'm just tired, Heeseung-ah. Move."
"No." Heeseung slammed his hands against the lockers on either side of Sunoo’s head, trapping him. He leaned in, his heavy, aggressive scent suffocating Sunoo’s senses. "I heard your brother is in deep shit. You don't have anyone to protect you anymore, Princess. So why wait? You said you were saving yourself for a real Alpha well, I'm right here."
Heeseung’s hand moved to Sunoo’s waist, squeezing the soft flesh above his skirt. Sunoo let out a pathetic, broken whimper, his hands pushing against Heeseung’s broad chest. "Stop it... Heeseung, don't..."
"Make me," Heeseung whispered, his mouth dipping toward Sunoo’s neck.
"He told you to stop."
Both of them looked toward the door. Ni-ki was standing there, but the "nerd" was gone. He had taken off his glasses, and his hair was pushed back, revealing a face that was terrifyingly handsome and utterly lethal. He wasn't slouching, he stood with the poise of a trained killer.
"You again?" Heeseung roared, letting go of Sunoo to lung at the smaller boy. "I'm gonna kill you!"
Ni-ki didn't even blink. As Heeseung swung a heavy, uncoordinated fist, Ni-ki moved with the grace of a dancer. He stepped inside Heeseung’s guard and delivered a brutal elbow to his jaw. The crack of bone echoed through the gym.
What followed wasn't a fight; it was an execution. Ni-ki dismantled the school’s star athlete with clinical precision. A kick to the knee, a palm strike to the throat, and a final, sickening punch that sent Heeseung’s head snapping back against the concrete floor.
Heeseung crumpled, knocked out cold, his nose shattered and bleeding onto the mats.
Sunoo watched from the corner, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He looked at Ni-ki, seeing a stranger, a man who looked like he belonged in the stories Jay told about high level enforcers.
Ni-ki didn't say a word. He walked over to Sunoo, his expression softening just for a heartbeat. He reached out, his thumb brushing a stray tear from Sunoo’s cheek. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Instead, he simply turned and walked out of the gym, leaving Sunoo in the silence.
The next morning, Sunoo arrived at school, his eyes scanning the hallway for a black hoodie and messy hair. But Ni-ki’s locker was empty. The office told him that the transfer student had withdrawn late last night, citing a "family emergency" and a return to Japan.
Ni-ki had vanished as quickly as he had appeared.
Left with nothing but the memory of those dark, protective eyes, Sunoo felt a strange hole in his chest. But he had work to do. Heeseung was too humiliated to ever show his face near Sunoo again, and with Jay’s new, high-paying job, the two of them moved out of the "Grey Zone" and into a clean, safe flat near the city center.
Sunoo buried his grief and his confusion in his books. He stopped wearing the pink glitter, he stopped being the "Bitch." He became a ghost in the library, studying until his fingers bled and his mind felt like it was made of numbers and logic. He used the "Oxford Study Theory" not as a game to catch an alpha, but as a lifeline to save himself.
Two years later, Sunoo stood on the graduation stage, the valedictorian of Gwanak High. He held a thick envelope in his hand a full-ride scholarship to Oxford University. He had done it. He was getting out.
As he looked out into the crowd, he saw Jay cheering wildly, looking healthy and proud in his suit. But for a split second, Sunoo thought he saw a flash of a black SUV in the distance, and a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows.
Oxford was everything Sunoo had dreamed of a world of ancient stone, intellectual prestige, and alphas who smelled of old leather and expensive oud rather than the sour rot of Gwanak.
Sunoo had transformed himself once again. The "Bitch of Gwanak High" had evolved into the "Ice Prince of Oxford." He no longer wore cheap glitter or neon pink, instead, he mastered the art of "quiet luxury" through thrifting. He found vintage wool skirts that he tailored to hug his curves just right, and silk blouses that he bleached and pressed until they looked like they came from a boutique on Bond Street. His makeup was now a sophisticated palette of soft rose and champagne, and his pale pink lipstick made him look like a delicate, untouchable doll.
He was the talk of the campus within a week. Alphas from prestigious families hovered around him, dazzled by his beauty and his razor-sharp wit. Sunoo was finally playing the game he had practiced for years. He was hunting for the perfect match, someone to secure his future forever.
Then, the world stopped spinning.
It happened in the courtyard of Christ Church. Sunoo was sitting on a stone bench, a copy of International Macroeconomics in his lap, when a fleet of black Bentleys pulled up to the curb a sight rare even for Oxford.
Security guards in sharp suits, men who looked remarkably like the ones Sunoo’s brother worked with, stepped out to clear a path. From the center car stepped a man who looked like he owned the very ground he walked on.
He wasn't wearing a "nerd" hoodie or broken glasses. He was draped in a bespoke charcoal overcoat, his dark hair styled back to reveal a face of lethal, aristocratic beauty. It was Ni-ki. But not the Ni-ki from the library. This was Nishimura Riki, the heir to a global empire.
Sunoo froze, his book slipping from his fingers and hitting the grass with a thud. His heart hammered against his ribs not with romance, but with a cold, paralyzing terror.
Ni-ki didn't hesitate. He walked straight through the crowd of gaping students, his eyes locked on Sunoo with a terrifyingly possessive intensity. When he reached Sunoo, he didn't act like a long-lost friend or a former classmate.
"You're late for tea, Sunoo-san," Ni-ki said, his voice a deep, smooth baritone that vibrated through Sunoo's entire body.
Before Sunoo could even gasp, Ni-ki reached out and slid a hand around Sunoo’s waist, pulling him flush against his side. It was the move of an Alpha who was welcoming his spouse home from a long holiday, natural, entitled, and absolute. He leaned down, his nose brushing against Sunoo’s scent gland, and let out a satisfied hum at the smell of sweet peaches and fear.
"I missed your scent," Ni-ki whispered against his skin, loud enough for the nearby alphas to hear. "I hope you enjoyed your little 'scholarship' years. I spent a lot of money ensuring no one else touched you while I was finishing my business in Tokyo."
Sunoo’s blood turned to ice. The scholarship. The pardon for Jay. The house. It hadn't been luck. It had been a cage, meticulously built by the boy he used to kick in the hallways.
"Ni-ki... what are you doing here?" Sunoo choked out, his body trembling under the weight of Ni-ki’s heavy, dominant pheromones.
Ni-ki pulled back just enough to look Sunoo in the eye, a dark, smug smirk playing on his lips. "I told you at the school gates, didn't I? You’re mine. I just let you have a little head start."
Sunoo looked around at the prestigious university, the life he had fought for, and realized with a jolt of horror that he hadn't escaped the "Grey Zone" at all. He had just been moved into a much more expensive, much more inescapable box.
The dinner was held in a private room of a centuries-old estate, where the silverware was heavy and the candlelight made the rubies in Ni-ki’s watch shimmer like blood. Sunoo sat across from him, his hands folded tightly in his lap to hide their shaking.
His first instinct had been to reach for his phone to call Jay and scream for help. But his thumb hovered over the contact name and stopped. He remembered the last time he’d seen his brother; Jay had looked younger, lighter. He was finally living a life that didn’t involve blood or bail bonds. He’d even started talking about a sweet, dimpled omega named Jungwon he’d met at the security firm.
If Sunoo told Jay that he was currently being held captive by the brother of his employer, Jay would burn the world down to get to him. And in doing so, Jay would lose everything. The pardon, the job, Jungwon. Sunoo couldn't be the one to destroy Jay’s first taste of happiness.
"Eat, Sunoo-san. The truffle risotto is excellent," Ni-ki said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he cut into a steak with surgical precision.
"How?" Sunoo finally whispered, his voice cracking. "How did you do all of this? The scholarship, the lawyers... Why?"
Ni-ki set his knife down and leaned forward, his eyes dark and dilated with an obsession that made Sunoo feel like he was being swallowed whole. "You think I didn't see you? Back in that rotting school, wearing those short skirts and acting like a queen while your eyes were screaming for a way out?"
Ni-ki’s hand reached across the table, his fingers tracing the line of Sunoo’s jaw. Sunoo flinched, but Ni-ki didn't let go. "I fell in love with the bitch. I fell in love with the way you’d kick me and then secretly give me your lunch money or a clean shirt. You were the only beautiful thing in that city, and I decided then that no one else would ever own you."
"You're insane," Sunoo breathed, his eyes wide with horror. "You played the victim for two years."
"I played a role so I could watch you without you being afraid of me," Ni-ki corrected him, his thumb pressing firmly against Sunoo’s lower lip. "But the game is over now. You wanted a rich alpha? You wanted to go to Oxford? I gave you all of it. Every book you read, every meal you ate, every penny Jay earned it all came from me."
Ni-ki stood up and walked around the table, looming over Sunoo. He leaned down, his lips brushing against Sunoo's ear. "I’ve been very patient. I let you have your 'independent' college experience for exactly one week. But now, everyone in this city needs to know who you belong to."
Sunoo looked up at him, the realization sinking in. The "Oxford Study" hadn't been his plan to find a husband. It had been Ni-ki’s plan to groom a bride.
"What do you want from me?" Sunoo asked, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Ni-ki pulled a velvet box from his pocket and clicked it open, revealing a diamond so large it looked heavy. "I want you to keep being the Queen, Sunoo. But this time, you'll be my Queen. And if you ever try to run, remember, I gave Jay his life. I can take it back just as easily."
Sunoo looked at the ring, then at the man he used to bully, and felt the familiar, terrifying pull of a deep omega headspace lurking at the edges of his mind.
The car ride to the outskirts of Oxford was a blur of ancient trees and iron gates. When the Bentley finally pulled into the driveway of the Nishimura estate, Sunoo’s breath hitched. It wasn't just a house, it was a sprawling, neo-classical masterpiece of limestone and glass, glowing under the English moon. It made the "villas" of his hometown look like dollhouses.
"Welcome home, Sunoo-san," Ni-ki murmured, his hand never leaving Sunoo’s thigh, his grip firm enough to be a reminder of who was in control.
As they stepped into the foyer, Sunoo’s feet sank into rugs that felt like clouds. The walls were adorned with original Renaissance oil paintings, and a grand staircase of white marble swept upward toward a domed ceiling. But as Ni-ki led him deeper into the mansion, the "luxury" began to feel more like a shrine.
Ni-ki stopped in front of a pair of heavy, carved oak doors. "I spent a long time preparing this. I wanted everything to be perfect for the day you finally arrived."
He pushed the doors open, and Sunoo felt the air leave his lungs. It was a private suite, but it wasn't decorated like a guest room. It was a perfect, gilded recreation of everything Sunoo had ever loved. The walk-in closet was larger than Sunoo’s entire old apartment, filled with the exact designer brands Sunoo used to browse on his phone when he was starving in the library. There were rows of silk skirts, cashmere sweaters in every shade of soft pink and cream, and a glass vanity case filled with more Chanel lip gloss than he could use in a lifetime.
But then, Sunoo saw the wall.
Behind a sheer silk curtain hung a massive, floor-to-ceiling collage of photographs. They weren't just professional shots, they were candid. Sunoo at the Gwanak library, his face buried in a book. Sunoo at his father’s funeral, looking like a broken doll. Sunoo walking into his first Oxford lecture. There were even photos of the smashed pastries from years ago, the ribbon preserved in a small glass frame.
"You... you’ve been watching me every single day," Sunoo whispered, a cold shiver of awe and terror racing through him.
"Watching? Sunoo, I’ve been worshiping," Ni-ki said, stepping behind him. He wrapped his arms around Sunoo’s waist, his chin resting on Sunoo’s shoulder as they both stared at the wall of Sunoo’s life. "Every cent I made for the firm, I made for you. Every rival I crushed, I did it so no one could ever stand in the way of us. I didn't just want a spouse, I wanted to build a world where you never have to see anything ugly ever again."
Ni-ki turned Sunoo around, his eyes burning with a terrifying, religious fervor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, leather-bound book. When Sunoo opened it, his heart nearly stopped. It was his old Pre-Calculus workbook, the one his father had ripped to shreds. Every single page had been meticulously taped back together, the jagged edges lined up with surgical precision.
"It took me months to find all the pieces from the trash," Ni-ki whispered, his voice thick with a dark, needy love. "I fixed it for you. Just like I’m going to fix everything else."
Sunoo looked at the book, then at the diamonds on the vanity, then at the predatory Alpha who had dismantled his entire life just to rebuild it in his own image. The sheer scale of Ni-ki’s obsession was overwhelming. It was beautiful, it was insane, and it was the most "Oxford Study" ending Sunoo could have ever imagined just with a much darker twist.
"You're a monster," Sunoo breathed, though his hands instinctively clutched Ni-ki’s lapels, his omega body betraying him by leaning into the Alpha’s warmth.
"I'm your monster," Ni-ki corrected, his lips finding the soft skin of Sunoo’s neck. "And you’re my Queen. Now, shall I show you the rest of your kingdom?"
The next morning, Sunoo woke up wrapped in 1,000-thread-count Egyptian cotton, the scent of Ni-ki’s expensive, rain-chilled alpha pheromones lingering on the pillows. For a moment, he felt like the princess he had always pretended to be.
Then he saw the folder on the bedside table. It was a sleek, black leather binder embossed with the Nishimura crest. Inside wasn't a breakfast menu it was his new life.
Sunoo sat up, his silk nightgown slipping off one shoulder, and began to read. The "Oxford Study Theory" he had once joked about had been weaponized into a literal manifesto.
The Nishimura Protocol
Academic Conduct: Sunoo is to maintain a First-Class average. Tutors have been pre-selected by the Nishimura Group. Any "study groups" must be approved and monitored by Ni-ki personally.
Social Circle: Interactions with other Alphas are strictly limited to formal academic necessity. No Alpha is permitted to be within a three-foot radius of Sunoo.
The Mark: Sunoo will wear the Nishimura diamond at all times. If the ring is removed, the security detail assigned to Jay’s apartment in Seoul will be "recalled" immediately.
Curfew: Sunoo will be collected from campus at 4:00 PM daily. He is to dine with Ni-ki every evening. No exceptions.
Sunoo’s breath hitched. He looked at the window and noticed a subtle, high-tech shimmering on the glass reinforced security film. He wasn't just in a mansion, he was in a gilded vault.
A soft knock at the door preceded Ni-ki, who entered looking impeccably sharp in a navy three-piece suit. He looked at the folder in Sunoo's lap and smiled, a expression of pure, satisfied adoration.
"Did you read the curriculum, my love?" Ni-ki asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out and tucked a strand of Sunoo's soft hair behind his ear.
"This isn't a life, Ni-ki," Sunoo whispered, his voice trembling as he held up the binder. "You’re literally tracking my every move. You’ve even listed which cafes I’m allowed to sit in."
"I’m protecting my investment," Ni-ki replied calmly. He leaned in, his eyes darkening as they fixed on Sunoo’s pale pink lips. "You wanted a rich alpha, didn't you? I’m just providing the palace and the guards. In exchange, I only ask for one thing transparency."
Ni-ki pulled a thin, elegant gold choker from his pocket. It looked like jewelry, but Sunoo saw the faint pulse of a GPS LED on the clasp.
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to. He just clicked the gold choker around Sunoo’s neck. It fit perfectly stunning, expensive, and restrictive.
"Now," Ni-ki cooed, kissing Sunoo’s forehead. "Let’s get you dressed for your lectures. Your car is waiting."