The Invitation

“I don’t even want to pretend to seduce an alpha like him, even as a joke.”

Chae Yoonchan grumbled as they headed toward Moon Kyungsik’s house, his cheeks puffed with annoyance. The other alphas felt much the same, but unlike him, they kept it off their faces.

“If you hate it that much, you can leave now, Chae Yoonchan,” Joo Taegang said casually, instantly setting him off.

“W-who said I wanted to leave? I’m allowed to complain if I don’t like something.”

“I’m just saying. You don’t seem capable of controlling your expression whenever Moon Kyungsik comes up. You’re going to cause trouble.”

“…I know.”

It was ridiculous. They all knew this was a trap set by Moon Kyungsik, yet they still had to walk right into it.

“I still don’t get why Seong Chanyeong asked us to do this. Even if Moon Kyungsik was throwing weird signals at us back then, a normal person wouldn’t go along with it.”

“…You’re not wrong.”

“If it were me, I would’ve run the second I stole Seong Chanyeong’s inhibitors. That bastard used Chairman Seong Gongun’s illness as an excuse to come here, but he hasn’t even visited him once.”

The information Secretary Choi had gathered on Moon Kyungsik had already been shared with the others.

Moon Kyungsik, who claimed he came to the village because of his sick grandfather, had kept an unusually low profile ever since arriving. Aside from occasionally buying necessities, he only moved between his own house and Chanyeong’s.

“The real reason Moon Kyungsik came here is Seong Chanyeong. Otherwise why would he keep watching him? Whatever his reason is, he’s obsessed with Chanyeong.”

“It doesn’t feel like normal alpha possessiveness toward an omega…”

“Exactly! That’s what’s creepy about it. According to the information we found, he and Seong Chanyeong never even knew each other before this. I seriously can’t figure out what he wants.”

“In the end, you just dislike Moon Kyungsik and don’t want to get involved, right?”

Yoo Yiseo cut in with his usual teasing smile, immediately hitting the mark. Chae Yoonchan shouted in frustration.

“That’s not it!”

“Then stop whining already. At this rate, Moon Kyungsik’s going to hear you from inside the house.”

“…It’s not that loud.”

Even as he argued back, Chae Yoonchan quickly covered his mouth. Still, the deep crease between his brows made his irritation obvious.

“Seong Chanyeong asked us for help. We’re not stupid enough to mess this up.”

His voice came out muffled beneath his hand, but the sincerity behind it was unmistakable. The others quietly agreed.

“Right.”

“Same here.”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

The five alphas were willing to grant Chanyeong’s request now not because they had learned he was a recessive omega, but because they no longer wanted to lose him.

They didn’t want to watch him suffer again. Seeing him smile while working on the farm he loved made them unexpectedly happy. Even if they had to wring themselves dry to do it, they were willing to help if it meant keeping that smile on his face.

The weight of their guilt dragged down every step, making the walk to Moon Kyungsik’s house feel far longer than it really was.

“We’re here.”

The black front door before them looked painfully ordinary for the home of someone so unsettling. The five alphas adjusted their clothes and carefully schooled their expressions. Then Baek Dojun stepped forward and rang the bell.

Ding-dong.

[Who is it?]

A deep male voice answered through the intercom. Formal. Polite. Even though they had never met him face to face, they immediately knew it was Moon Kyungsik.

“Oh, hello. Moon Kyungsik, this is Baek Dojun. We met briefly at the market before. The others with me are Yoo Yiseo, Chae Yoonchan, Joo Taegang, and Seo Eunsu.”

[…What do you want?]

The tone wasn’t cold or threatening like they expected from a dominant alpha. If anything, it sounded strangely restrained, almost overly polite. Baek Dojun paused for a moment before continuing smoothly.

“We regretted turning down your invitation last time. If you’re available, would you like to come to our house for dinner tonight instead? We wanted to apologize properly by preparing a meal for you ourselves.”

He deliberately emphasized the words our house.

The house technically belonged to Seong Chanyeong, but this had all been Chanyeong’s instruction.

— I know I’m asking you to lure him in… but if my guess is right, just seeing your faces will already soften him up. Getting him here will be easy. The important part is digging into whatever’s buried in his heart.

— What exactly are we supposed to do?

— Act close with each other. Keep it simple. Calling my house our house should be enough. And if you make it seem like you want to extend that closeness to Moon Kyungsik too, even better.

— …You really think that’ll work?

— It will. Definitely.

Back then, Chanyeong’s eyes had gleamed with absolute certainty.

Will this seriously work…?

Baek Dojun followed Chanyeong’s instructions exactly, but like Chae Yoonchan, he still doubted Moon Kyungsik would react the way Chanyeong predicted.

He’s probably going to refuse.

After all, this was the man who had orchestrated the theft of Chanyeong’s inhibitors.

But Baek Dojun’s expectations were completely wrong.

[What time should I come?]

…What?

He agreed?

“Tonight, if possible. Is there anything you’d prefer for dinner?”

[As long as it isn’t seafood, anything is fine. I’d appreciate good wine too.]

…What the hell is wrong with this guy?

Moon Kyungsik’s voice gradually softened over the intercom. It was as if nothing had ever happened between him and Seong Chanyeong. There wasn’t even a trace of guilt in his tone. All his attention was focused on the fact that the five alphas had personally come to invite him. If anything, he sounded pleased.

Baek Dojun disliked how casually Moon Kyungsik accepted the invitation after everything he’d done, but he kept smiling anyway.

“That should be fine. I’ll let the kitchen know.”

The others also maintained their pleasant expressions. Every single one of them played their assigned role perfectly.

Just as they thought things had gone smoothly, Moon Kyungsik suddenly asked:

[Does the owner of the house agree with this invitation too?]

“Yes. We were the ones insisting on inviting you, Moon Kyungsik-ssi. Chanyeong couldn’t really refuse us. He’s soft-hearted like that.”

Behind his practiced smile, Baek Dojun could practically feel the others staring daggers into him.

Since when has Seong Chanyeong ever been soft-hearted toward us? We’re the ones always giving in to him.

It’s acting. Relax.

This level of lying feels criminal.

As long as he buys it, who cares?

Moon Kyungsik fell silent for a moment. When he finally spoke again, his voice had dropped lower.

[Oh? Sounds like you’re all very close.]

Something in his tone scraped unpleasantly against their nerves. Baek Dojun felt both relieved and unsettled hearing it.

“I’d like to accept the invitation. What time should I arrive?”

Even though the acceptance still caught him off guard, Baek Dojun maintained his composure.

“Around six would be good. We’ll be waiting for you.”

[Alright. I’ll see you then.]

That’s it?

Baek Dojun almost couldn’t believe how easily everything had gone exactly the way Chanyeong predicted.

But just as they were about to leave, Moon Kyungsik spoke again through the intercom.

[Excuse me. Did you say Seo Eunsu would be there too?]

“…Yes?”

[I’d appreciate it if neither he nor Seong Chanyeong stood out too much tonight.]

Baek Dojun’s expression stiffened slightly.

[I’m only interested in the four alphas. The others don’t really catch my attention. I trust the hosts will keep that in mind.]

A chill crawled down his spine.

Moon Kyungsik wanted Baek Dojun, Yoo Yiseo, Chae Yoonchan, and Joo Taegang. He never said it outright, but the implication was obvious.

So that’s why Chanyeong said just showing our faces would be enough.

This strange alpha almost sounded jealous of the bond between Seong Chanyeong and the four of them. The way he spoke made it seem as though he wanted to take Chanyeong’s place beside them.

But he’s nothing to us. So why…?

Moon Kyungsik’s behavior reminded Baek Dojun of someone else.

The old Seong Chanyeong before he changed.

Does he seriously think he belongs where Chanyeong is? Is he delusional?

Disgust churned in Baek Dojun’s stomach, but he still played his role flawlessly.

“Of course. We’ll make sure to accommodate your preferences.”

[Thank you.]

His gratitude only made the atmosphere feel more suffocating, like a snake slowly coiling tighter around them.

The five alphas found themselves wanting to get rid of Moon Kyungsik as quickly as possible.