The Hunt Begins

It was something Baek Dojun had already pointed out through pheromones—

But Joo Yunchan still couldn’t believe it.

The very same Seong Chanyeong he had hated and despised—

A pathetic stalker who did nothing but cling to him, begging for affection with those sticky, desperate eyes—

Was dying?

Had he really…

Felt even a shred of sympathy for someone like that?

If that were true—

Yunchan wanted to grab himself by the collar and scream.

“F*ck…”

Bang—!

With a dull, explosive sound, the punching bag finally burst.

The stuffing inside—fine sawdust—spilled out in a chaotic cloud, scattering through the air and clouding his vision.

‘This is driving me insane.’

For a split second—

As he stared at the torn-open punching bag—

An image overlapped in his mind.

A broken body.

Weak.

Falling apart.

Seong Chanyeong.

Dying.

He didn’t even know what illness it was.

But if it was serious enough for him to cut off all contact and disappear like that—

It had to be something severe.

Chanyeong hated anything that exposed his flaws.

Anything that could be used as a weakness.

The fact that he wasn’t a dominant Omega.

That he had been labeled a Beta.

That even within his own family, he wasn’t particularly loved.

Those things alone had driven him mad before.

So if he was sick—

Of course he’d hide it.

‘What the hell am I doing?’

‘Why am I thinking about him just because of a broken punching bag?’

Why?

Why did that disgusting stalker still linger in his head like this?

Why did it make his mood so foul?

It was unbearable.

He had thought working out would clear his mind—

But it had only made things worse.

“Clean this up.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The gym staff, who had been watching from a distance, rushed over immediately.

They quickly gathered the torn remains of the punching bag.

Within moments, the mess was gone.

Swept clean.

As if nothing had ever been there.

The floor looked spotless.

No trace.

Nothing left behind.

They had simply done it to avoid provoking his temper—

But to Yunchan, it meant something else.

‘So he’ll disappear like this too?’

Just like that.

Gone without a trace.

People with terminal illnesses didn’t last long.

He knew that better than anyone.

His grandmother—

She had died of cancer when he was young.

Too fast.

Too suddenly.

Once she was diagnosed,

She barely lasted a few months.

She had wasted away in a hospital bed—

Until one day, she simply… stopped breathing.

Back then,

Yunchan had prayed.

Desperately.

But nothing changed.

God had never answered him.

And just like that—

She was gone.

Reduced to nothing but a handful of ash.

Even now,

Her presence still lingered vividly in his family’s memories—

But she wasn’t there anymore.

And that fact—

Had crushed him as a child.

Seong Chanyeong would probably meet the same end.

Hiding his illness.

Suffering alone.

Dying somewhere no one could see.

‘…I should be happy about that.’

After everything he had done—

After all the trouble he caused—

This should be something to celebrate.

So why—

Why did it make him so angry?

He needed to see him.

He had to.

He needed to hear it directly from him—

Why he left like that.

Why he disappeared with nothing but a single message.

Only then would this suffocating feeling go away.

“This is pissing me off.”

‘You were the one begging for my attention—’

‘And now that you’re sick, you just throw everything away like I meant nothing?’

And worse—

That half-hearted apology.

Like it was supposed to erase everything.

Everything he had done to them.

To all four of them.

Unacceptable.

“Sir… should we clean it more thoroughly?”

“…Forget it.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Y-Yes, sir…”

The staff member shrank back, discouraged—

But Yunchan didn’t care.

At all.

If something bothered him—

He got rid of it.

That was his rule.

‘Seong Chanyeong.’

‘I don’t know what you’re planning—’

‘But you’re going to regret this.’

Getting in was easy.

Getting out wasn’t.

That’s how it worked.

Chanyeong might have started this twisted connection between them—

But ending it?

That would be Yunchan’s decision.

‘Even if it ends—’

‘I’m the one who decides when.’

He hated being controlled.

More than anything.

And so—

He moved.

Immediately.

Calling in every resource he had.

“Find him.”

“Do whatever it takes.”

He threw a photo onto the table.

Light brown hair.

Bright hazel eyes.

A small mole near the eye.

Seong Chanyeong.

“Bring me information on this person as fast as possible.”

“I’ll pay generously.”

“First one to find him gets fifty million won.”

“Understood, Young Master!”

The room lit up instantly.

Excitement.

Greed.

Motivation.

But Yunchan’s face—

Only grew darker.

‘This is just because he didn’t pay for what he’s done.’

‘That’s all.’

Nothing more.

He had every right to take revenge.

That was the only reason.

That’s why—

He needed to see his face again.

Once he convinced himself of that—

His chest finally felt a little lighter.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Joo Taegang.

Yui Seo.

They each came up with their own reasons.

“Never hunted a sick animal before…”

Yui Seo smiled lazily.

“This might actually be fun.”

For him—

It was entertainment.

Curiosity.

Nothing more.

“That bastard would never truly leave Seo Eunsu alone.”

Taegang’s gaze hardened.

“This is probably another scheme.”

He didn’t trust the agreement Chanyeong had signed.

Didn’t believe it for a second.

So he would find him.

Back when they were chasing Seo Eunsu—

They had worked together.

Even if they disliked each other.

But now—

There was no cooperation.

No discussion.

Each of them moved separately.

In their own way.

To find one person.

‘Where are you, Seong Chanyeong?’

Following Chairman Seong—

Four Alphas began sweeping the entire country.

“Alright!”

“Let’s start the day properly!”

Meanwhile—

Seong Chanyeong—

Had no idea.

His days were peaceful.

Simple.

Fulfilling.

He woke up at 7 a.m.

Opened the curtains.

Stepped outside into the yard.

Watered the vegetable garden.

Fed the stray cats that visited every morning.

And every time—

He felt genuinely happy.

The food wasn’t as luxurious as before—

Not like when he lived in the apartment.

But it was better.

Much better.

Better than the meals made under surveillance.

Better because he made it himself.

‘Sometimes one of the people Secretary Choi hired brings side dishes too.’

It wasn’t part of the contract.

But one of the older women would come by once a week—

Bringing things like stir-fried fish cake or pickled perilla leaves.

At first—

He had tried to refuse.

-You really don’t have to bring these.

-You remind me of my eldest son…

-You look too thin. Please eat well. It would make me happy.

Her sincerity made it impossible to reject.

-…Then I’ll accept it. Thank you.

Since then—

He couldn’t refuse her anymore.

‘Seriously… what did Secretary Choi tell them?’

They treated him like they had to take care of him.

Like they couldn’t leave him alone.

‘…Maybe it’s because I’m around their kids’ age.’

Their warm gazes—

It wasn’t unpleasant.

If anything—

It felt… nice.

Receiving food wasn’t just about eating.

It meant accepting someone’s care.

And that made him oddly shy.

‘…Maybe that’s why he arranged all this.’

Thinking about it—

He felt less alone.

And somehow—

Grateful.

“Today… I should go buy some seedlings.”

He wanted to get flowers.

Maybe plant something new.

Strawberries.

Tomatoes.

Something fresh.

But then—

A truck sped past him.

Fast.

Too fast.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

He stumbled back—

Nearly falling.

As he dusted off his clothes—

Something dropped from the back of the truck.

A small body.

Rolling.

“—!”

Without thinking—

He ran.

“Whimper—! Kkeng—!”

A puppy.

It hit the ground and rolled across the dirt road.

Crying.

Weakly.

“Hey, hey… it’s okay.”

He scooped it up immediately.

The small body trembled in his arms.

It didn’t resist.

Too busy whining in pain.

“Is something broken…?”

It was filthy.

Covered in dirt.

But beneath that—

Its fur was pure white.

Tiny.

Still a baby.

Barely opened its eyes.

‘Why would anyone throw away something like this…?’

He looked up sharply—

Staring at the truck disappearing in the distance.

But it was too far.

Too fast.

He couldn’t even read the license plate.

And then—

He realized.

The truck.

It wasn’t empty.

Inside—

Dozens of cages.

Dogs.

Stacked.

Covered with cloth—

But for a brief moment,

The wind had lifted it.

And he had seen them.

‘…A dog trader.’