A Change No One Expected

Seong Chanyeong had severe affection deprivation.

He absolutely did not want to be left alone in a space.

That was why Ms. Im, who had been working as his housekeeper, had never once taken a vacation.

Even though he didn’t trust people easily, he still stubbornly insisted on keeping others around him for that reason.

Baek Dojun knew this well, having observed him for a long time against his will.

“Is that really true?

Didn’t it look like he was planning something under that excuse?”

[Not at all.

If anything, he’s become quieter.]

“…Quieter?”

[Yes.

Unlike before, there were no signs of him constantly contacting his secretary to follow Seo Eunsu or the other Alphas.]

Even though Chanyeong had tried his best to imitate the real Seong Chanyeong, he couldn’t fool Ms. Im, who had lived in that house for years as a housekeeper.

Of course, she never imagined his soul had been replaced.

Unaware of this truth, Baek Dojun only found himself growing more suspicious of Chanyeong’s changed behavior.

‘What are you thinking, Seong Chanyeong.’

Now that he could no longer place someone inside to monitor him, Baek Dojun had no choice but to observe Chanyeong from a distance.

Through contact with the other Alphas—who shared one thing in common:

they liked Seo Eunsu and disliked Seong Chanyeong for tormenting him.

The one who became his new informant in place of Ms. Im was Chae Yunchan.

“You know something?”

“What.”

“Seong Chanyeong came out of his house.

I slipped some money to the taxi drivers around that area, and one of them reported it right away.”

“You’ve got quite the talent.”

Chae Yunchan, the son of one of the country’s top corporations, was of mixed heritage.

With his bright blue eyes sparkling, he grinned at Baek Dojun.

“Thanks for the compliment.

But you’re the same as me in the end, aren’t you?

Using people to keep tabs on someone.”

“……”

There was no way to deny it.

Baek Dojun and the others were all Alphas.

The kind of people who would do anything for the Omega they had set their hearts on—Seo Eunsu.

Sometimes, that alone was enough to make one sick of themselves.

‘Maybe… we’re not that different from Seong Chanyeong after all.’

It was practically a social norm for Alphas to become obsessed with the Omega they considered their mate.

Yet none of them had actually won Seo Eunsu’s heart.

In other words, a group of fully grown Alpha men were gathering behind the scenes, plotting how to get rid of Seong Chanyeong—who kept clinging to them like a nuisance.

‘I like Seo Eunsu… but is this really right?’

Baek Dojun didn’t like this side of himself.

The fact that he was being dragged around like a dog on a leash—bound by promises made with the other Alphas, and by Seong Chanyeong.

And yet, he hadn’t even managed to confess properly to the person he liked.

Unaware of Dojun’s complicated thoughts, Chae Yunchan lounged on the sofa, playing a mobile game as he continued speaking.

“That taxi driver said something funny.”

“What did he say?”

“You curious?

If you are, try pulling Joo Taegang away from Eunsu for me.

That guy’s kind of creepy, isn’t he?”

“You do it.

Why are you dumping that lunatic on me?”

“Because you’re the most normal one among this gloomy group of unrequited lovers?”

“No thanks.

I’d rather not hear it at all.”

Even among the Alphas who liked Seo Eunsu, Joo Taegang was infamous as the craziest one.

Outwardly, he seemed the most normal—but in truth, he was the most obsessive and desperate for Seo Eunsu.

And in a disturbingly twisted way.

As if he had expected that response, Chae Yunchan tossed his game-over phone onto the sofa.

“Boring.

Knew you’d say that.

So I already told Joo Taegang earlier.”

“……What did you tell him?”

“What the taxi driver said.

That Seong Chanyeong dressed up like he was going to meet someone he liked, even carrying a flower basket—and went to Seo Eunsu’s house?”

There was no way that could be true.

No one knew that better than they did.

Especially Dojun, who knew that Seong Chanyeong wasn’t a Beta, but a recessive Omega.

“Are you insane?

You know that bastard’s been itching to kill Seong Chanyeong!”

“So what?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could send both that mad dog and Seong Chanyeong to hell without even lifting a finger?”

‘This guy’s impossible to reason with.’

Watching Chae Yunchan—who displayed a possessiveness toward Seo Eunsu no less intense than Joo Taegang’s—Dojun ruffled his neatly styled hair.

“Let’s talk when I get back.”

With that, he grabbed his jacket and car keys and immediately headed out.

‘If Joo Taegang loses it again and turns violent, that’ll be a problem.’

It wasn’t out of concern for Seong Chanyeong.

It was simply because Dojun didn’t want to bear the responsibility if something happened to him.

‘I want out.’

He didn’t want to be entangled with Seong Chanyeong anymore.

He didn’t want to stay among these Alphas obsessed with Seo Eunsu either.

Suddenly, he recalled Ms. Im’s words—that Seong Chanyeong seemed a little different.

“She said he wasn’t acting like usual…

but if he still went to see Seo Eunsu, then maybe he hasn’t changed after all.”

He was tired.

Dragging his heavy body and mind, Dojun got into his car and headed toward Seo Eunsu’s house.

‘What is this?’

But contrary to his expectations, the scene waiting for him was completely different from what he was used to.

“I came to apologize.”

“I came to Seo Eunsu’s house today to apologize for all the rudeness I’ve committed.

And to deliver a written pledge that I won’t appear before him again.”

As expected, Joo Taegang had already grabbed Seong Chanyeong by the collar—

but Chanyeong responded calmly to the agitated man.

The sticky, desperate gaze that used to beg for affection no matter how much rejection he faced—

was now completely clear and steady.

And his furrowed brow, laced with anger, didn’t relax.

“I don’t have any interest in you anymore.”

“It’s disgusting to the point it makes me want to curse.

Do you understand?”

He even finished things cleanly.

Seong Chanyeong looked at Joo Taegang as if he were trash, then immediately got into a taxi that had just arrived and left.

Only Joo Taegang remained behind, standing there blankly, unable to process what had just happened.

“Ha…”

It wasn’t a lie.

‘Seong Chanyeong has really let go of Joo Taegang.’

That familiar look.

It was the exact same gaze the Alphas—including Baek Dojun—used to give Seong Chanyeong when he clung to them.

It was too familiar to mistake.

Seong Chanyeong hated Joo Taegang.

And judging from what he overheard, he had completely cut off any interest in Seo Eunsu as well.

Naturally, that thought extended to himself.

‘Will he treat me the same way?’

It was easy to imagine.

From the very beginning, Seong Chanyeong and Baek Dojun had been nothing but a bad match.

Chanyeong never loved him.

He mocked him, belittled him, and used him like a servant.

Even while chasing after the Alphas who liked Seo Eunsu,

Baek Dojun was the only one he paid no attention to.

‘That’s probably why someone like Chae Yunchan looks down on me even more.’

So if Seong Chanyeong rejected him the same way he did Joo Taegang that would actually be for the best.

Because Dojun hated him too.

And yet—

his heart didn’t feel at ease.

‘Is it because something feels off?’

Yeah.

That must be it.

Like a missing piece in a stone structure, something felt wrong but Baek Dojun chose not to dwell on it.

It was also because Chae Yunchan called him just as he was about to leave.

[So?

Did Joo Taegang finally deliver justice to Seong Chanyeong?]

“Nothing like that happened, so I’m hanging up.”

Chae Yunchan shouted over the phone—[I gave you premium info and this is how you treat me?!]—but Dojun ignored him.

‘Trying to use me like an errand boy.’

Even though they cooperated because of their shared interest in Seo Eunsu, they were still Alphas.

They disliked each other’s pheromones and honestly, each other’s existence as well.

What brought them together, despite their mutual dislike and rivalry, was Seong Chanyeong.

“And now he suddenly changes like this…”

It didn’t make sense.

He had believed that no matter what happened, Seong Chanyeong would never change.

So this sudden shift was hard to accept.

“I’ll just watch for now.”

Baek Dojun decided to assign a new person to monitor Chanyeong in place of Ms. Im.

With variables now in play, he needed more concrete data to understand what Chanyeong was thinking.

But the very next day—

Seong Chanyeong shattered his expectations once again.

“Let’s break up.

From now on, we go our separate ways.”

In those clear, light brown eyes—there wasn’t a trace of hesitation.

No hatred.

No arrogance.

Nothing.

‘Why?’

He couldn’t accept the gap.

Angered by the sudden change, he had even released his pheromones—but Seong Chanyeong didn’t react to them at all.

Instead, he covered his nose as if it were disgusting, giving him a look that told him to put them away immediately.

That alone snapped Baek Dojun back to his senses.

‘What changed you this much?’