Four Alphas, One Target

If there was one topic no one wanted to bring up right now, it was Seong Chanyeong.

Chae Yunchan was certain that Joo Taegang’s troubled state and Chanyeong’s disappearance had to be connected somehow, so he deliberately began to needle him.

“Hey, Joo Taegang. You know something, don’t you?”

“About what.”

“Seong Chanyeong. You’ve been acting out of character, so something’s clearly up.

Not sleeping—does it have something to do with him? Hm?”

His striking, bright blue eyes locked onto Taegang.

The kind of gaze that wouldn’t back down without an answer made Taegang feel drained.

“I said it’s nothing, Chae Yunchan.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me. Why? Don’t want to share? Is it important information?”

Like a snapping turtle that refused to let go once it bit down, Yunchan circled him persistently, being a nuisance.

Watching the two, Yoo Iseo simply smiled faintly, unreadable.

“Yunchan, curious? About why Joo Taegang looks like that.”

“…Yoo Iseo. Didn’t we agree not to share what I saw?”

“Did I? You only asked me not to tell. I don’t recall agreeing.”

In exchange for finding out Seong Chanyeong’s location, Joo Taegang had told Yoo Iseo everything he had seen.

Every last detail, without hiding anything.

That was their deal.

– “Seong Chanyeong… looked happy. Even if his complexion was bad, he seemed more satisfied and lively than ever.”

– “Really? What else?”

– “That bastard… no, he adopted a puppy. And he dotes on it a lot.”

That image had stuck in his mind so deeply it wouldn’t fade.

But he couldn’t say that.

Ever since hearing the term ‘denial phase of falling in love,’ Joo Taegang had been in shock.

‘Me? Having those kinds of feelings for Seong Chanyeong?’

He denied it again and again, yet the image of Chanyeong smiling brightly with that pale face wouldn’t disappear.

The more he tried not to think about it, the more it resurfaced.

Trapped in that endless loop, he had lost his appetite and was drowning in stress.

‘I like Eunsu. So why… why someone like that Beta…?’

To calm his discomfort, he even went to the café where Seo Eunsu worked, trying to settle himself with coffee.

It didn’t help at all.

The only thing that had changed was Joo Taegang himself.

After seeing Chanyeong looking unwell, everything around him felt the same—yet not the same anymore.

The biggest change was when he saw Seo Eunsu.

The sweet floral pheromone—a blend of lavender and citrus—was still there, but the urge to possess him wasn’t as strong as before.

“Don’t say anything, Yoo Iseo.”

Joo Taegang didn’t want anyone to see him like this—confused and shaken.

To think he had developed unfamiliar feelings toward someone he once despised more than gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

He couldn’t understand himself.

“Nope.”

As if deliberately provoking him, Yoo Iseo ignored his wishes and spilled everything to Chae Yunchan.

“Taegang found out where Seong Chanyeong is and went to see him.”

“What? How?”

“Well, it just means he’s that capable, doesn’t it?”

Taegang shot him a look of disbelief.

“…Yoo Iseo, you’re the one who told me. You handed me Chanyeong’s address and told me to check it out.”

“Seriously? If you found him first, you should’ve said something!”

Yunchan didn’t like that Yoo Iseo had only shared Chanyeong’s location with Taegang.

He spoke as if he were just playfully sulking, but his messy blond hair framed cold, glinting blue eyes.

‘Why only tell Taegang? You know Dojun and I have been searching everywhere too.’

Under Yunchan’s sharp gaze, Yoo Iseo casually sipped his drink.

“Relax. I was going to tell you and Dojun after Taegang checked things out first. We all benefit more by cooperating, right?”

What nonsense.

Since when were they close enough for that?

The only thing tying them together was their shared interest in Seo Eunsu.

“You should’ve said something earlier. Would’ve saved time and money.”

In other words—don’t hoard the information. Share it.

His tone was gentle, but his eyes burned like a wildcat demanding its prey.

Yunchan was pissed.

Baek Dojun felt the same.

‘That bastard definitely kept quiet on purpose to test the waters.’

Yoo Iseo had used Joo Taegang—who was gloomy and somewhat simple-minded—to verify the lead.

Ever since they released notices offering rewards for Chanyeong’s whereabouts, tips had poured in.

Most were unreliable, driven by the reward money.

But the most credible lead had likely been given to Taegang.

Pretending ignorance, Yoo Iseo responded with a lazy smile.

“Well, you never know until something’s certain. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Disappoint? Why would we be?”

“….”

Yunchan bristled, while Baek Dojun stayed silent, lost in thought.

“Then why are you so upset? You’re making me feel bad.”

Even if you couldn’t spit on a smiling face, Yunchan felt like he could hurl something much worse at Yoo Iseo’s annoyingly perfect one.

“Just spill it already. So what’s Seong Chanyeong doing now?”

“…Is he even okay?”

Yunchan and Dojun asked at the same time.

Taegang closed his eyes, looking exhausted.

He already knew Iseo would run his mouth anyway.

“From what Taegang said, he seems to be doing well. I did some follow-up checks too—it appears to be true. He’s living quietly in a rural area, farming.”

“…Farming?”

“Farming?”

Both Alphas stared in disbelief.

Blue eyes and black eyes blinked like they’d just heard something absurd.

Even Yoo Iseo remembered how ridiculous it had sounded at first.

“He also adopted a dog he rescued. Apparently, he dotes on it a lot.”

Unbelievable.

Yunchan and Dojun’s expressions only grew more confused.

“Isn’t that a scam? Are you sure it’s really him?”

“Taegang confirmed it in person, and I verified it myself. The source is solid.”

“…This doesn’t fit at all. Seong Chanyeong, farming? And he’s sick too, right? Didn’t you say it was terminal?”

This is why misinformation is dangerous.

Between Chairman Seong’s misunderstanding, Chanyeong’s changed behavior, and Taegang’s account, they had already accepted it as fact.

“He probably is sick. The farming might just be a cover—or some kind of eccentric behavior. Who knows what goes on in a sick person’s mind?”

Even Yoo Iseo had no explanation for Chanyeong’s strange actions.

He genuinely wanted to know what was going on inside his head.

‘It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to get our attention.’

Which meant… was he really just farming because he wanted to?

That seemed more likely, but even Iseo couldn’t be sure.

‘Guess I’ll have to see for myself.’

Seong Chanyeong.

A foolish Beta who once had nothing but money and inferiority complex—what exactly was he planning now?

Baek Dojun wanted to visit for an entirely different reason.

‘Is he eating properly?’

He hoped that meal they had at the Korean restaurant wasn’t the last.

If Chanyeong really was that sick, he wanted to find him, drag him out if necessary, and make him get treatment.

It wasn’t because he liked him.

It was just… if Chanyeong died, it would leave a bad taste.

As a former fiancé, he felt responsible enough to save him.

‘We’ve known each other a long time, whether I liked it or not. I don’t want him turning up as a corpse somewhere I don’t know. That’s all.’

Each of the four Alphas had different thoughts, but on one thing, they agreed.

‘We find Seong Chanyeong. As soon as possible.’

With the information Yoo Iseo had already gathered, they decided they would go to him soon.

“When should we go?”

“The sooner the better. We’ll need to catch him on-site.”

Seong Chanyeong wasn’t a criminal, yet he was already being treated like one that needed to be apprehended.

If he heard this, he’d probably foam at the mouth in outrage.

“He’s already run once. No guarantee he won’t do it again. We’ll grab him and take him straight to the hospital.”

Anyone listening would think they were chasing down a runaway house cat.

“Hm… if he doesn’t listen, we might need to discipline him a little.”

At Yoo Iseo’s words, the server bringing drinks flinched.

‘…I should report this to the chairman.’

The Alphas weren’t the only ones watching Chanyeong.

Chairman Seong, unable to sleep out of worry for his grandson who refused to return, was keeping a close eye on these suspicious men.

“My grandson wants freedom… then I’ll clear out the trash around him.”

In Chairman Seong’s eyes, Baek Dojun, Joo Taegang, Chae Yunchan, and Yoo Iseo were nothing more than disgusting cockroaches.

If they dared harm Chanyeong—

He was fully prepared to crush them.

All for the sake of granting Chanyeong his wish.