LIKE A SOAP OPERA

MY FIANCÉ is a high school student?

That sounded like the title of a cliché romance story.

But, for the twenty-one-year-old Park Sohee, that sounded like a crime that could potentially put him behind bars.

This kid isn't even allowed to drink alcoholic beverages yet.

"That's Kim Heedo, my oldest grandson," the old gentleman sitting across from Sohee said proudly. "He's nineteen years old, and he'll be attending Yonhee University this March."

Oh.

So, I'm only two years older than the kid.

Sohee thought this 'Kim Heedo' was a high school freshman since— in the picture he was holding— the kid looked quite petite.

But Yonhee University?

That was one of the top 3 universities in South Korea.

This kid must be pretty smart then.

Sohee envied Kim Heedo since Yonhee University was his dream school.

"Most of all, my grandson is a Dominant Alpha."

Ah.

Sohee raised his head and met the old gentleman's calculating gaze.

This distinguished grandpa just appeared at the café where Sohee worked as a barista, and then demanded that he had to come with him. The old gentleman even brought a few bodyguards wearing black suits as if to intimidate him.

It was like a scene in a noir movie.

Sohee didn't want to cause a scene and scare the customers, so he followed the old man.

That was how the two of them ended up in the private room of a fancy traditional Korean restaurant.

Fortunately, we're still in Seoul.

"Sir, did you choose me for your grandson because you discovered I was an Omega? But that can't be the sole reason," Sohee said politely. "Male Omegas are rare, but I'm sure the chairman of Ilsung Group wouldn't choose just anyone for your oldest grandson."

The old gentleman— Chairman Kim Hyungsik of the huge conglomerate known as Ilsung Group— flinched.

Ah.

This grandpa is guilty, and I know why.

"My grandfather, the old friend you betrayed, passed away many years ago, sir," Sohee said, smiling. The more he talked, the more Chairman Kim Hyungsik looked uncomfortable in his seat. "I think I was only five years old back then."

He remembered because it happened a year after his mother left their family.

Chairman Kim Hyungsik cleared his throat, snapping Sohee out of his idle thoughts.

"Child, do you already know who I am from the very beginning?"

"I wouldn't have followed a stranger otherwise, sir."

"What did your grandfather tell you about me?"

"Nothing, sir. My grandfather just kept cursing you until his last breath," Sohee said, pausing for a moment. "My father told me the story, though. Apparently, you stole the lottery ticket that my grandfather had won."

Yes, Chairman Kim Hyungsik was born with a dirt spoon just like Sohee's grandfather.

Chairman Kim Hyungsik and Park Sung (Sohee's grandfather) were childhood friends who grew up like siblings. Then the two left Busan together and worked as factory workers in Seoul.

One day, Park Sung bought a lottery ticket. But because he had work that day, he asked his friend Chairman Kim Hyungsik to check if he had won.

When Chairman Kim Hyungsik returned, the chairman claimed Park Sung didn't win.

However, days later, Chairman Kim Hyungsik suddenly disappeared.

Park Sung belatedly realized that his old friend didn't return his lottery ticket. And when he checked the winning numbers then, that was when he found out that he had actually won the grand prize.

"It wasn't easy to find a person back then since smartphones and the internet didn't exist yet. Plus, he didn't have the money to hire a lawyer. So, my poor grandfather just gave up and moved on," Sohee said calmly. It was a story that never failed to infuriate his father, but not him. "My grandpa was so devastated when he found out that the friend who betrayed him was the man behind Ilsung Group, though. I heard my grandpa tried everything he could to meet you, sir. But, of course, how could a commoner like him approach a chaebol? Even my father's attempt to "expose" you didn't succeed. All the online posts that he uploaded on the internet had magically disappeared before it even gained traction."

"If you already know the story behind me and your grandfather, then why are you still wondering why I chose you for my grandson?"

"Because it doesn't make sense, sir. If you had a conscience and a generous heart, you would have begged my grandfather for forgiveness. Or you should have at least returned the amount of the grand prize that he won after you made it in life," Sohee said bluntly. "But you didn't. That means you have no intention of helping us, sir."

The chairman fell silent for a moment.

I knew it— there was something sketchy about this situation.

"There are only two things I trust in this world," Chairman Kim Hyungsik said. "Cold hard cash and the esteemed shaman who helped me build my empire. In this world dominated by Alphas, it's hard for a Beta like me to succeed. But I did it— I built the Ilsung Group and expanded it to what it is today. I wouldn't have done it without this esteemed shaman's guidance, though."

Oh, right.

There's a famous shaman who appeared on TV a few years ago. Apparently, the business tycoons of the country would come to her for advice.

"According to this esteemed shaman, my luck is running out. Bad karma is catching up to me, it seems," Chairman Kim Hyungsik said, smiling bitterly while shaking his head. "In order to prevent my downfall, Park Sohee— the grandson of the person I wronged the most in my life— has to marry my grandson."

Ah, so that's the catch.

"Once you become a part of our family, only then would the bad karma stop chasing me. Moreover, if you produce an heir, the luck of our family will get replenished and continue to last for at least fifty more years."

An heir, huh?

As a male Omega, Sohee had the ability to get pregnant and give birth to a child.

"I heard your father is an alcoholic and a gambling addict," Chairman Kim Hyungsik said. "You're deep in debt, thanks to your deadbeat father. You've been juggling three different part-time jobs ever since you graduated from high school. You couldn't afford to go to college, so you just got several certificates to get different jobs. It's a shame since you had good grades in high school— even better than my grandson's."

Sohee just smiled and nodded.

After working in the service industry for years, smiling is like my second nature now. No matter the situation, you have to smile at the customers.

"If you marry my grandson, I'll get rid of your debts," Chairman Kim Hyungsik said as if he was confident that Sohee would accept the deal. "I'll send you to college, and I'll make sure you'll never have to work again. You'll live a comfortable life forever."

"Chairman Kim, you're really heartless, aren't you?"

"You got 'generous' wrong, child."

"I shouldn't have to marry your grandson for you to pay back what you owe our family, sir," Sohee said. He was still smiling, but he was actually starting to get mad. "Clearing my debts and sending me to college wouldn't even put a dent in your wealth. So, why can't you do that for the grandson of the person you're supposed to be sorry for without asking anything in return?"

"Would you marry my grandson otherwise?"

Haaah.

This is how this grandpa got filthy rich— he tramples on the weak.

Sohee opened his mouth to curse, but no words came out when the door to the private room suddenly burst open.

"GRANDFATHER!"

Argh.

Sohee immediately covered his nose with the back of his hand when the strong pheromone hit him.

The scent was coming from the student who entered the room angrily.

Jet-black hair, sharp eyes, tall nose, pale skin— this must be Kim Heedo.

This kid really looks younger than his age.

"Was it you, Grandfather?!" Kim Heedo asked angrily, slamming his hands on the table. "Did you really stop Lee Junsu's group from debuting?!"

Chairman Kim Hyungsik scoffed. "That boy is a Beta— break up with him if you want him to fulfill his dream of becoming a celebrity."

"Grandfather!"

Argh.

The angrier Kim Heedo got, the stronger his pheromone got.

And Sohee, as an Omega, was slowly getting affected.

An angry Alpha's pheromone stinks so bad I feel like fainting.

Ah!

Sohee remembered that he had that thing in his bag.

"Break up with Lee Junsu so that you could marry me off to some Omega I haven't even met yet?"

Chairman Kim Hyungsik suddenly pointed at Sohee. "Good thing the person I want you to marry is here, my dear grandson."

Kim Heedo then turned to Sohee with a glare. "I will not marry you…"

The student suddenly trailed off after making eye contact with Sohee, and then he stepped backwards as if he was spooked.

"What do you think you're doing, Ahjussi?"

Ouch.

I suppose I look older than my age since I always look haggard.

"I'm only two years older than you, student," Sohee said, still pointing the mini fan at Kim Heedo. The mini fan was making a noise, but they just all ignored it. "I'm sorry for doing this, but I need your pheromones away from me. Angry Alphas' scent makes Omegas sick."

"Oh."

It seemed like Kim Heedo was a good kid since he immediately controlled his pheromone until it completely disappeared.

What a good control of pheromones.

This kid is really a Dominant Alpha.

"Thank you," Sohee said, turning off the mini fan. "I'm Park Sohee, and I'm not here to force you to marry me."

"Ah," Kim Heedo said, looking awkward before bowing his head. "I'm Kim Heedo, and I'm not here to be forced to be married to you either, sir."

At least he's polite.

"Chairman Kim, you heard us," Sohee said calmly, turning to Chairman Kim Hyungsik with a judgmental look in his eyes. "Please don't approach me again unless you're willing to pay what you owe to my grandfather for free. If you bother me again, I'll curse you— I'll pray hard to my grandfather to punish you, sir."

His threat seemed to have worked.

After all, Chairman Kim Hyungsik turned out to be a superstitious person.

"Thank you for the meal. I'm going ahead," Sohee said while getting up, and then he bowed to the chairman before turning to Kim Heedo. "Oh."

Sohee was surprised when he realized Kim Heedo wasn't as small as he thought he was.

I'm 177cm, and we're almost the same height.

"Park Sohee-ssi?"

"Good luck on your love life, student," Sohee said, smiling. "If your grandfather continues messing with you and your boyfriend, tell me— our family's grudge towards Chairman Kim Hyungsik is strong enough to manifest as a curse."

Chairman Kim Hyungsik scoffed out loud, but didn't say anything.

Kim Heedo, on the other hand, laughed as if he was delighted. "Thank you, Ahjussi!"

Ouch.

***

I SHOULD have at least asked for cab fare.

Sohee stopped in front of a convenience store after walking for a few minutes.

He bought a can of cider, sat on the chair outside, and checked his phone.

To be precise, he was checking his bank account.

The café boss gave me a bonus, so I have extra money to buy inhibitors.

Fortunately, he was a Dominant Omega.

That meant he had good control of his pheromones, so he didn't have to buy expensive medicine to hide his strong scent.

Omegas that have a hard time controlling their pheromones often attract Alphas.

Since Sohee was a Dominant Omega, all he had to worry about was taking an inhibitor during his Heat. Omegas would go on a Heat once a month and when they do, their sexual arousal would be through the roof.

Hence, a need for inhibitors that would suppress their libido.

It's also to avoid accidentally attracting suitable Alphas. Even Dominant Omegas like me release a strong scent during our Heat.

Whew.

Sohee was relieved that he was safe for this month.

"Ahjussi!"

Sohee wasn't an ahjussi, so he ignored the call.

"Park Sohee Hyung!"

Sohee raised his head. "Yes?"

It was Kim Heedo— the chaebol that Sohee had just met earlier.

The student obviously ran, but he didn't even sweat. Moreover, the kid still looked refreshing and not haggard.

Ah, youth.

"Thank you for not accepting my grandfather's offer, Hyung," Kim Heedo said, his eyes sparkling. "Thanks to you, Grandfather said he doesn't care anymore even if I continue dating my boyfriend."

Aww, young love.

Sohee smiled and nodded. "I'm happy for you, student."

"Hyung, this is supposed to be a secret. But I'm sharing this with you because you saved my love life," Kim Heedo said, and then he showed his phone to Sohee. "This is my boyfriend— Lee Junsu. He's going to be an idol soon. Grandfather has given up on marrying me off, so he won't stop Lee Junsu's group from debuting anymore."

"Good for you and your boyfriend."

"He's cute, isn't he?"

Sohee looked at the picture of a cute boy with light blue hair. "He has that flower boy aura. Like he's born to be an idol."

Kim Heedo grinned proudly as if he was the one who got praised. "Hyung, do you need money? I'm sure you do since Grandfather tried to bribe you."

"Are you going to give me money if I say I need it?"

"How much do you need?"

"Twenty million won."

"Okay," Kim Heedo said casually. "Give me your bank account."

Sohee almost choked on his cider. "Oh. You were serious?"

"Hyung, don't think about taking it back. You deserve this for having to put up with my grandfather. And it's not pathetic to accept money from a younger person. You didn't beg for it anyway."

"Ah, don't worry, I won't feel pathetic about this. I've long thrown away my pride."

"Hyung, you're making me cry."

"I'll accept your feelings through the money you're sending me," Sohee said, and then he shamelessly gave his bank account information to Kim Heedo. "I'm sorry for taking advantage of your generosity, student."

"I've been surrounded by people who only want to take advantage of me, Hyung. You're not like them. I respect you, and that won't change just because you accepted the money I offered," Kim Heedo assured him while typing on his phone, and then he raised his head. "Hyung, you would have easily earned billions of won instead of a few millions had you accepted my grandfather's offer to marry me. Won't you regret your decision?"

"I'll probably regret it," Sohee said bluntly, and then he smiled at Kim Heedo who looked surprised by his answer. "But, at least for now, I can sleep with a clean conscience."

***

I REGRET it— I should have married that student back then.

That was Sohee's thoughts while lighting the cigarette between his lips— his bruised hand shaking a bit.

To be fair, his entire body— which was covered in black and blue— was shaking.

The loan sharks that came to collect money really beat him to a pulp that night.

It was a miracle that Sohee managed to come home to his rooftop apartment.

He didn't have the appetite for dinner, so he just lay down on the wooden bench while smoking— staring at the night sky, regretting the fact that he chose his pride over an easy life.

Was it three years ago?

Fifty million won.

Sohee was surprised when Kim Heedo, the student that he was supposed to marry, actually sent him fifty million won instead of twenty million won.

It may have been a small amount for a chaebol like that kid.

But that money actually saved his life.

At the time, they were deep in debt because his father sold some "premium tea" that, apparently, could turn Betas into Alphas. His father even encouraged investors to invest in his product.

Of course, that "premium tea" turned out to be just normal herbal tea.

I spent 35 million won out of the 50 million won I got to pay back the investors and clients who wanted to sue my father.

The ten million won was then stolen by his father before leaving him.

Fortunately, Sohee managed to save and hide five million won from his father. He used that money to survive alone.

He was doing fine…

… until a year ago.

That damned father of mine borrowed money from loan sharks, and then he disappeared.

Sohee refused to pay his father's debt, but the loan sharks kept bugging him.

I already lost two part-time jobs because of those bastards.

He was already tired from running away, only to be caught and beaten to a pulp.

At this point, I'm ready to accept the gang leader's indecent proposal.

The leader of the loan sharks was an Alpha in his mid-thirties.

Just like most Alphas, the gang leader was pretty good-looking.

But he's violent, and it's obvious he just wants to knot me because I'm an Omega.

Pregnancy usually followed after an Alpha knotted an Omega, and Sohee had no intention of giving birth to a violent man's child.

But what could he do?

Should I just kill myself?

Ah, negative thoughts.

Sohee gently slapped his face. "I should eat— my brain can't function without food."

***

BUT IT won't hurt to prepare for the worst-case scenario, right?

Sohee just wanted to get a boxed meal for dinner, but the display of condoms and lube got his attention.

He wondered if he should start preparing himself.

That gang leader will definitely jump me as soon as I surrender, and I don't think he's the type who'd loosen up his partner first. Judging by his violent personality, I'm sure he'd stick his "killing weapon" in my poor hole as soon as he gets the chance to do so.

Most (bad) Alphas would skip foreplay because they relied on the Omegas' 'slick.'

It's the substance that Omegas secrete when aroused— it's a semi-translucent fluid that smells and tastes sweet.

Slick made it easy for male Alphas to have sex with male Omegas.

That's why the gang leader is desperate to sleep with me.

"Ah, look— it's Kosmos' Jamie."

Oho?

Sohee secretly listened to the conversation of two male high school students behind him.

From their scent, they seem to be young Alphas.

The conversation caught his attention because the students were talking about Kosmos— arguably the top K-pop boy group at the moment.

And he kind of knew who 'Jamie,' the group's visual and leader, was.

As far as I remember, Jamie is Lee Junsu— Kim Heedo's boyfriend.

"Jamie really looks so breedable."

Sohee raised an eyebrow.

These kids…

"The hell are you saying? Jamie is a Beta, and Betas don't get pregnant, stupid."

"I'm just saying that hyung is fuckable."

Aigoo.

Is this really how kids these days talk?!

Sohee pulled out his phone and started recording the kids behind him. He used the phone's front camera, and it showed the back of the heads of the two students.

He could also see Kosmos' Jamie's face plastered on the cover of a famous chocolate pie.

Ah, so that's why these kids are talking about Jamie.

"If Alphas like us can play with Omegas, why can't we play with Betas?"

"Are you really that horny for Kosmos' Jamie?"

"Why? Can you help me?"

"My uncle works in a broadcasting station, so he has connections. Since your family is hella rich, I think my uncle can help you book Kosmos for a private meeting. I heard Kosmos' company is trash— the CEO accepts private bookings from wealthy clients."

"Really? I'd like to meet and fuck Jamie then."

Hah.

Sohee couldn't keep quiet anymore, so he turned around to give the kids a piece of his mind.

But…

CRAAASH!

A tall, intimidating man who came out of nowhere hit the two students with two bottles of soju at the back of their heads.

The two students screamed in pain, but the attacker wasn't done yet.

Shit.

Sohee covered his nose with his hand when the attacker's scent hit his sense of smell.

Yes, the assailant was an Alpha— a dominant one, at that.

Is he trying to kill the kids?!

The assailant grabbed the students by the head and then slammed the poor kids' faces on the rack in front of them.

Yep, this dude is trying to kill the kids.

And Sohee got everything on video.

Dammit.

"Hey, stop it!"

Surprisingly, the attacker stopped— dropping the two (now) unconscious students to the floor— before turning around to face Sohee.

Hmm?

That face looks familiar…

No way!

Why was Sohee looking up at the man?

We used to be the same height!

Jet-black hair.

Sharp features.

Pale skin.

Huge build.

Intimidating aura.

Dressed in all black, the grown-up Kim Heedo looked like a death reaper— his crazy strong pheromones enough to make inferior Alpha tremble in fear, and weaker Omegas faint.

Fortunately, Sohee could withstand it.

But not for long.

"I understand why you're angry, but you can't kill those kids. I'll help you sue them with the video I recorded, so calm down for now," Sohee said, trying to sound brave even though Kim Heedo's strong pheromones were making his knees buckle. "Do you hear me, Kim Heedo?"

"You remember me, Hyung?"

Hmm?

Sohee felt a shiver down his spine when Kim Heedo smiled.

It wasn't the boyish grin that he remembered from a few years ago— Kim Heedo's smile looked creepy.

Actually, this kid looks gloomy now compared to how bubbly he was years ago.

Even Kim Heedo's eyes had a glint of madness in them.

"I've been looking for you for quite some time now, Park Sohee Hyung."

"Why?" Sohee asked, stepping backward when Kim Heedo took a step forward. "Why are you looking for me?"

Kim Heedo tilted his head to one side while looking at Sohee as if he wanted to devour him. "Hyung, let's get married."

Just what the hell happened to this kid for the last three years?

***

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