Episode 2

Memories faded away amidst the overwhelming sensation that seized his mind. His body felt as if it were being lifted by someone’s touch, and cold water seemed to flow into his mouth, though its bitterness tasted like medicine.

“I’ve taken the sedative….”

“Omega with this face?”

“Even if you cling like that…”

“Sigh… why isn’t it working?”

Voices incessantly echoed in his ears. Was someone making a phone call? Or were they speaking to him?

His body was too hot to think further. Writhing in agony, his clothes seemed to be stripped off, and he felt the coolness of the bedding. It briefly felt like the coolness was stealing away his body heat, but it was only for a moment.

When something cold ascended over his overheated body, it felt like he grabbed onto it instinctively.

It felt like he forced out a voice that wouldn’t come out, pleading for help. Uttering that one word was incredibly difficult. But once he spoke it out, words flowed out like a broken dam. Help me, save me. Please look at me.

“You’ll regret this later.”

Regret? What regret? Right now, all he wanted was to find relief for his burning body. The touch between his legs briefly quenched his thirst, but he couldn’t comprehend it well.

There was no recollection of entering a novel or being a villainous character. It felt like he just screamed.

“Don’t ask me to take responsibility later, kid.”

***

Tae-seo woke up from his sleep and slowly opened his eyelids. The moment he realized he was awake, the first thought that came to his mind was, “Was all of that a dream?”

“It’s strange. Being possessed in a novel…”

It was completely absurd and impossible. So, everything until now must have been a dream. Being possessed as a villainous character…

“Why is there a hole in the ceiling?”

Tae-seo rubbed his eyes in the blurry landscape. Then, as he blinked, it became clearer than before. There was a rectangular window on the ceiling.

“A sunroof?”

“I opened it so you could look at the sky and sober up.”

At the unfamiliar man’s voice, Tae-seo sat up abruptly. Only then did he notice not only the splendid room but also the man who had a more definite presence than anything else.

“Who… no, why are you just wearing a bathrobe?”

What kind of situation was this? Tae-seo looked around with disheveled hair, then suddenly noticed a cellphone and grabbed it instinctively. It was a sleek black phone, and it felt familiar as if it were his own. He instinctively tried to turn on the screen. No, in that moment…

The reflection of his own face on the black screen made Tae-seo freeze in place.

“Am I still not awake from this dream?”

Seeing his own face clearly reflected, Tae-seo was bewildered for a moment before looking back at the man in front of him.

“That’s mine, so put it down.”

The man, with his arms crossed, looked down at Tae-seo with a mocking expression. As if that wasn’t enough, he chuckled as Tae-seo seemed to ponder what he had just said.

“Who did you just call me? You did all sorts of nonsense yesterday, and now you’ve forgotten everything?”

“Forgotten?”

“Who am I?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where do you think this is?”

“…A hotel?”

“Do you remember how you lost consciousness yesterday?”

“After drinking champagne…”

If he was still himself, known as ‘Tae-seo,’ then he did lose consciousness after drinking champagne. More accurately, it must have been the drug in it.

“Come to think of it, am I okay now?”

Tae-seo touched his body. He had thought his body was hot before losing consciousness yesterday, but now he was fine. His body felt light, and while his face was slightly flushed, it was only a bit warmer than usual.

Sitting down, he felt not just light but refreshed.

“What happened?”

“You… were drugged, right? You remember what you drank.”

“I do remember.”

“Why do you remember everything perfectly but forget only me?”

The man slowly approached Tae-seo. Perhaps because he was larger than the average man, he exuded a considerable presence. Moreover, whether it was because of his thick eyebrows or sharp features, his face also left a strong impression, prompting Tae-seo to unknowingly fumble around the bed.

Part of him wanted to step back as the man approached. Then suddenly, Tae-seo’s gaze fell on the blanket, feeling its texture to be different.

“Where are my clothes?”

Why was he completely naked? He couldn’t remember a thing.

“Look up.”

Tae-seo unconsciously raised his head at the man’s firm tone. There was an irresistible force in the man’s voice.

“Name.”

“Tae-seo… Yoon Tae-seo.”

“Age.”

“Twenty-five?”

He couldn’t remember well, but he said what came to mind.

“Occupation?”

“I’m a college student.”

“Subtype.”

“Beta.”

Except for his age, the questions weren’t difficult. So, he answered them easily. However, the man suddenly fell silent.

He looked at Tae-seo’s face, then glanced down under the blanket where Tae-seo’s body was hidden. Then, his gaze returned, and Tae-seo quickly covered his face with the blanket.

“A Beta?”

“Yes.”

“Since when?”

“…Since when? Since yesterday?”

In the world he originally lived in, there were no alphas, omegas, or subtypes. Since he found out about his subtype after entering the novel, he said “since yesterday,” but the man’s expression still looked displeased and wrinkled.

“I’m not in the mood to play with you.”

“I don’t particularly feel like it either. Actually, I just want to be alone because my head is a mess.”

Until now, there hadn’t been enough time for Tae-seo to organize his thoughts alone. When he retorted instead of yielding, one of the man’s eyebrows raised.

“Fine, think about it.”

As if he had nothing more to say to Tae-seo, the man turned away. Then, he removed his bathrobe and began picking up clothes scattered on one side.

Tae-seo, who had been surprised by the sudden appearance of the man in front of him, then curiously glanced at his well-toned body. Even though he was the same gender, a well-toned body always attracted attention, and Tae-seo was no exception.

Then suddenly, he felt a sense of self-awareness, wondering why he was staring at the naked man whose name he didn’t even know.

“Um, I’m sorry.”

“Kang Se-heon.”

As Kang Se-heon picked up a tie, he turned to Tae-seo and spoke.

“Not ‘I,’ it’s Kang Se-heon.”

“Yes, Mr. Kang Se-heon. So, could you please tell me what happened yesterday?”

Summoning his courage, Tae-seo asked Kang Se-heon. He didn’t seem like he would kindly explain, but considering the current situation, it was clear that the man in front of him had helped him. He seemed dissatisfied, perhaps because of the mischief he had caused yesterday.

Kang Se-heon observed Tae-seo’s expression. Was he pretending not to remember yesterday’s events, or did he genuinely not know? Once he got a sense of it, Kang Se-heon approached the bed where Tae-seo was.

Sitting at the end of the bed, Kang Se-heon casually adjusted his tie. Tilting his head to the side and running his hand over the collar of his shirt, Kang Se-heon opened his mouth as he released the tie.

“You went into heat yesterday.”

“…”

It didn’t make sense for him to go into heat, as that only happened to omegas during their heat cycle. Tae-seo was definitely a beta, so he couldn’t have…

“I gave you a sedative, but it didn’t work. There are a few cases where sedatives don’t work. Either you forcibly induced a cycle or it was your first heat cycle…”

If he really had manifested as an omega and experienced his heat cycle, then it made sense that the sedative didn’t work, as Kang Se-heon said.

“You were still boiling and scratching yourself everywhere. So, I took off your clothes, and then you clung to me, asking to be hugged.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

At Kang Se-heon’s casually spoken response, Tae-seo involuntarily closed his mouth. He didn’t know the man in front of him well, but he found it strangely difficult to respond to him.

“So, about us yesterday…”

“Let me finish.”

Kang Se-heon unilaterally interrupted.

“You look young and I don’t even know who you are. Yet you keep snuggling and clinging. Are you trying to cling to me and get something out of me…?”

Kang Se-heon’s gaze turned back to the front as he trailed off.

“So, I was going to just leave you here and go, but then you said something that made me come back.”

“What did I say?”

“You said I didn’t need to take responsibility, so you wanted to be hugged quickly.”

“Who’s hugging whom?”

“I’m hugging you.”

“But I’m a man.”

“And you’re an omega.”

Despite Tae-seo’s playful question, Kang Se-heon skillfully exacerbated Tae-seo’s confusion with kindness, leaving him feeling like he knew what had happened, yet not entirely relieved of his frustration.

“Are all your questions answered now? You wouldn’t happen to be asking if we slept together, would you?”

“I got it. We didn’t sleep together.”

Tae-seo responded in a consistently petulant tone, slightly pouting. Kang Se-heon couldn’t help but chuckle at his childish demeanor. Then, he placed his hand on Tae-seo’s forehead. Taken aback by the sudden touch, Tae-seo leaned back, wary.

“What are you doing?”

“Since your fever seems to have subsided and your mind is back, let me say it again. I only helped calm down your heat cycle because our subtypes matched. That’s all there is to it, so don’t try to read too much into it or think about laying it on me.”

Kang Se-heon emphasized with a smile.

“I have no desire to be manipulated by a little brat.”

Do you understand what I’m saying?