V1C4 Part1

Mirae Corporation was one of the biggest conglomerates that represented South Korea. Among the most prominent conglomerates, it's the most active in finding a market abroad and you could say it'd the hand of Midas*, reaching almost every business out there.

The reason why Mirae could grow so successful was largely due to the current chairman and the former chairman. They were all dominant alpha, which were less than one percent of the world's total population, and their pride in their alpha gene was tremendous.

They managed the corporation by placing these same alphas in all the key positions, and in their excellent hands, Mirae spread its branches all over the world.

In particular, Kang Tae-seung, the current chairman, was extremely obsessed with the alpha genes. He got “superior” alpha children by making numerous contracts with omegas without finding himself a spouse, and the sons and daughters he'd made like that were most of the company's key figures at the present moment.

Kang Shi-hyuk was also one of them. It wasn't simply because of his excellent abilities that he was elected in the position of Vice President at a relatively young age. This was all possible because he was the son of Chairman Kang and a dominant alpha with outstanding abilities.

With slightly tense eyes, Shi-hyuk faced Chairman Kang in front of him. Hot steam rose from the teacup between them, but no one brought the cup of tea to their lips. In the midst of the tense atmosphere, only the sound of the clock ticking silently around the room could be heard.

After a while, Chairman Kang slowly opened his mouth. Even though he was almost in his seventies now, he seemed extremely hale and hearty.

"Well then, is everything going as planned?"

A low and solemn voice echoed through the room. Shi-hyuk looked at his father and boss, Chairman Kang. He was well aware of what he was wondering, so he answered in a calm voice.

"Yes. You'll get some news by next year."

"Hmm, that's good."

Chairman Kang murmured in a pleased voice.

He had many children under him, but Shi-hyuk was the most outstanding among them. Moreover, since he looked exactly like his younger self, he couldn't help but feel attached to him. A contented smile formed on Chairman Kang's wrinkled face.

"You're still young, so you can gradually make more children."

"Yes."

It had been a while since Chairman Kang had been putting pressure on his sons and daughters. Because just like how he had done, in order to make the company bigger and more stable, he's twisting their arms to produce "superior" alphas. After all, it was Chairman Kang's one remaining dream to be succeeded by a dominant alpha that had his genes.

Like Shi-hyuk, each of his children appointed to important posts in the company were all pretty much considered his heir. So, as Chairman Kang got older, there was an invisible conflict intensifying among them. It was a clear fact that Chairman Kang would choose his successor not simply by the order of their age, but thoroughly by the one with the competence and aspirations.

That's why the successors were competing by buying omegas in order to grab Chairman Kang's attention, and Shi-hyuk was about to jump into this fight, too. Using omegas to get into a higher position in the company was something that countless alphas were doing.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave now."

He had a private and business related talk with the chairman after that and then he left his office. The weariness he hadn't been able to feel because of the tension weighed down on his shoulders. As Shi-hyuk turned around to go back to his own office, a familiar voice caught his ears.

"Shi-hyuk. Were you also called by the old man?"

There weren't a lot of women in a place swarming with alphas. Yet surprisingly, the person who was speaking to Shi-hyuk was a woman. Shi-hyuk looked at her and frowned.

"Be careful of what you say, Kang Eun-jin."

Eun-jin smiled and approached Shi-hyuk. They were both alphas who had Chairman Kang as their father. Only the mother who had given birth to them was different, as they were what was commonly called in the world as half-siblings. Though, rather than siblings, they were more like friends or business partners, due to the peculiar circumstances, perhaps.

"It's obvious he'll nag me again to seize an omega and make a child. I'm really getting sick of it."

Eun-jin shuddered in disgust. For a person with a “normal” way of thinking like Eun-jin, this was completely unfathomable. She had known for a long time now that he didn't treat his daughters and sons as his children, but it was utterly incomprehensible that he was asking them to produce babies by having sex with omegas without any attachments for the sake of the company.

Eun-jin clicked her tongue while thinking like that when she saw Shi-hyuk and changed her expression.

She asked with a questioning look.

"By the way, what has suddenly gotten into you? You didn't seem that interested in the chairman post either before."

Rumors that Shi-hyuk had purchased an omega had spread widely among his rivals. But above all, Eun-jin had been the most surprised among them. After all, wasn't he that Shi-hyuk? The one who had snorted while watching the alphas struggling to catch Chairman Kang's eyes?

She threw him an odd look as he stood silent to her question. Shi-hyuk's attitude had been subtly changing since a while back, and feeling a little upset, Eun-jin continued.

"You're not telling me either? We agreed a long time ago not to stab each other in the back."

Although it was rare to see a dominant alpha amidst the legion of children Chairman Kang had given birth to, it was still flocking with countless of ordinary alphas. So they had to beat numerous competitors in order to get this far. But Eun-jin wasn't interested in the chairman position. She only wanted to get herself a high position in the company, and seeing that Shi-hyuk seemed to be like her, they had formed a cooperative relationship with each other in secret. That's the reason why they were both able to get promoted quite quickly for their age.

Still, Shi-hyuk didn't give her any answers. He just turned his head away from her after spatting out in annoyance.

"I've no obligation to tell you."

Then, as Shi-hyuk turned to leave, Eun-jin threw one last question behind his back. It was also something she had been wanting to ask him since before.

"Is it because of your little sister who died long ago?"

Just then, Shi-hyuk stopped in his tracks and whirled around. He glared at her with a terrible look that she had never once seen before. Eun-jin swallowed hard without even being aware of it as she faced the anger of a dominant alpha before her eyes. It was way more powerful than she had thought.

Shi-hyuk gritted out.

"Don't you ever bring that up again in front of me, Kang Eun-jin."

Eun-jin couldn't say anything before Shi-hyuk's fierce stare. She could only watch him turn back like that and walk away with apprehensive eyes until the end. It was only after Shi-hyuk disappeared from her sight that she did relax.

And then, while Eun-jin was heaving a sigh of relief, another voice probed into her ears.

"You came to see the chairman too?"

When a languid voice clung to her ears, Eun-jin turned her head in surprise.

"Executive Director Kang Shi-hoon..."

Another dominant alpha, Kang Shi-hoon, who happened to be the last person she wanted to run into inside her workplace, was looking at her with a smile on his face.

While Shi-hyuk gave off the feeling of a ferocious beast like a black leopard, Shi-hoon gave off a different sort of feeling. He was a fellow who made you shudder in creepiness just like a snake. Eun-jin looked at him, nervously. Maybe she was better off with Shi-hyuk gone. Because she was sure they would try to tear each other down again if they came upon one another.

Eun-jin smiled when Shi-hoon approached her. She didn't want to look insecure to him for no reason. Mirae was a place that was no different than a battlefield of alphas. A place where the moment you showed weakness, you'd get eaten alive...

"It's been a while since the chairman has called me out. I didn't know you'd come here as well, Executive Director."

"Really?"

With a shrug, Shi-hoon came closer and closer, and as he got nearer, Eun-jin felt even more under pressure, swallowing nervously without even realizing it.

Flaunting himself around without a point... that's why I despise him. Is that fella bragging that he's a dominant alpha or what? Eun-jin muttered to herself.

Moreover, she heard Shi-hoon was purchasing a lot of omegas and creating what might as well be called a harem, just like how Chairman Kang had done in the past. It was so inhumane that it made her feel sick. He was an individual with whom she never wanted to get close.

However, Eun-jin smiled and entered the chairman's office with Shi-hoon, without betraying her emotions at all. Whatever Shi-hyuk's intentions were, she had no choice but to watch the situation for the time being.

Contrary to the jumble of thoughts in her head, Eun-jin maintained a smiling face.

When Eun-woo opened his eyes again, it was all dark around him.

Waking up at an ungodly hour, Eun-woo lay down for a moment and blinked. There was no one else but him in the dark room, and only the small sound of his breathing could be heard inside the quiet room.

Eun-woo turned his head and looked at the electronic clock by the bedside, from which a faint light was glimmering. It was a little past eleven at night. He hesitated – he didn't know if he should wake up or sleep again. Eun-woo remained inside the bed, worrying himself over what he should do before closing his eyes once again. But there was no way he could fall back to sleep.

Way too wide awake, Eun-woo spent his time on the bed, and eventually, he got himself up. His pajamas were soaked, probably because he had sweat a lot again while sleeping. It also felt like there was an odd smell gradually coming out of his body since he had spent almost two days doing nothing but sleeping.

Feeling uncomfortable, Eun-woo went into the bathroom that was attached to the room. He had also found out about this when he was being guided through the house by Sung-hyun. The bathroom was very neat and tidy with dark blue tiles spread around the floor. The meticulously organized shower goods gave a good idea about the nature of the owner who usually used them.

Eun-woo looked at the skin toners, lotions, colognes, and other items arranged in a row over the bathroom shelf for a while, and then he took off his clothes and got near the shower. The bedroom was spacious and big, but the bathroom was just as formidable. For Eun-woo, who had been living in a small studio flat after his parents had died, it had been quite a long time since he had taken a shower in such a big bathroom with a jacuzzi. Because he couldn't even go to such an ordinary place like a common public bath after he had been diagnosed as an omega...

Taking a shower with hot water, Eun-woo felt his body and mind cooling down. He washed himself clean with a gentle smile on his lips.

After finishing his shower, Eun-woo returned to his room. With a white towel on his head, he came close to the table where he had sat with Woo-bin in the morning. The things on the table had been neatly tidied up. He was sure Sung-hyun had stopped by and left, and felt a little regretful for having missed him.

"Haa."

Letting out a sigh that had suddenly slipped from his lips, Eun-woo raised his head.

There was a large window with an outside view near the table. The large window which usually had thick curtains draped over it... Eun-woo approached it and drew back the curtain.

"Woah..."

Eun-woo couldn't help but utter in wonder after he opened the curtains and looked outside. It was all dark out there, without a single light at all, but there were countless stars and a moon which was sparkling with light over the sky. He recalled Sung-hyun saying when they had gone out some time ago that the area around the house was surrounded by mountains. He hadn't given much thought to it at the time, but as he saw the stars and the moon shining so stunningly like this, he could realize once again that they were on top of a mountain.

Eun-woo stood watching in a daze for a moment and then he reached his hand out towards the lock of the window. It was an impulsive act. It was because he felt suffocated after staying inside the room for all this while. Without much thought, Eun-woo unlocked the window and opened it.

"Ah... it's so cool."

A cold yet refreshing night breeze brushed across Eun-woo's exposed cheeks and neck. It was only for a brief moment, but Eun-woo took delight in the cool and clear air. But soon, as he felt so cold as to shiver, he raised his arm again to close the window.

- Click.

And at the same time, a faint sound of the door opening came from behind him. With his hands raised up like that, Eun-woo turned his head and looked back. There was only one person who would come into this room at this hour.

Wearing a black coat and suit like always, Shi-hyuk looked at Eun-woo. He looked into Eun-woo's eyes in silence for a while, as though he had been surprised to see him awake at such an hour. But then, after seeing what Eun-woo was doing, he hardened his face and approached him.

- Rattle

Shi-hyuk closed the opened window with his hand, and with the window closed like that, he looked down at Eun-woo who stood under him. Seeing Eun-woo's pale face from the cold night air, Shi-hyuk asked with a stiff face.

"What were you doing?"

"Ah, well..."

Eun-woo was suddenly speechless. The faint smell of cigarettes and the scent of cologne abruptly assaulted him and tingled his nose. Eun-woo didn't know Shi-hyuk would suddenly come like this, and taken aback, he started to panic.

Seeing Eun-woo mumbling incoherently at a loss of words, Shi-hyuk heaved a little sigh. And then, a different smell, which wasn't that of cigarettes or cologne, came flowing at him. It was a smell that Eun-woo, who had done many part-time jobs at a convenience store, often had felt at night. A pricking and familiar smell – it was the smell of alcohol.

"You didn't mean to jump, did you?"

"N-no. No way...!"

Shi-hyuk looked down at him with sharp eyes while Eun-woo desperately denied his words. Eun-woo didn't know why, but he couldn't avoid Shi-hyuk's eyes. Perhaps it was the smell of alcohol, but there was something about him that was different from his usual self. Eun-woo twitched his lips and explained.

"It's just– that I felt a little stuffy... so to get some air..."

Although he was telling him the truth, even Eun-woo himself thought this really sounded like an excuse. He felt this was a little unfair. But Shi-hyuk looked down at him without saying anything. The white towel that was on Eun-woo's head slipped down and hung around his neck. Shi-hyuk saw it and realized that Eun-woo had just finished showering. So he just spat out a few words and moved away from Eun-woo.

"Don't open it with your hair wet"

"Yes."

Stepping away from him, Shi-hyuk walked slowly. By the smell of alcohol, he was almost sure that he had drunk quite a bit, but he was walking way too fine. Eun-woo was a little relieved when Shi-hyuk went straight into the bathroom. But it didn't take that long for him to come out again.

Shi-hyuk came near the bed in a more comfortable attire than before. And then he looked back at Eun-woo who was quite tensed up.

"Come here."

"....."

Eun-woo was unable to promptly take a step forward.

Was he... going to do it again?

Without even being conscious of it, Eun-woo clenched his fist in nervousness. He had made up his mind just this afternoon, but he felt himself wavering again. He really hated his feeble self.

"Come on."

Eun-woo watched the intimidating way Shi-hyuk talked to him and swallowed hard. He couldn't refuse Shi-hyuk when he spoke to him while piercing him with those sharp eyes. Eun-woo slowly started to approach him. As he took a step forward, the sound of his heartbeat grew louder.

When Eun-woo got close to him, Shi-hyuk held him with a hand and led him to the bed.

Eun-woo was the first one to topple over the bed and lie down. Anticipating his next moves, Eun-woo closed his eyes tightly while lying down.

A moment later, Eun-woo could feel the mattress jolting and the place next to him sinking. However, no matter how long he waited, he couldn't feel any hands on him.

Huh...? Eun-woo opened his eyes with a curious look. Right next to him, Shi-hyuk was lying on his side with his eyes closed. Eun-woo looked into his chaste face and got embarrassed. Before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth and asked.

"Aren't you... going to do it today?"

Then, Shi-hyuk opened the eyes he had closed. His black eyes stared at Eun-woo. For a moment, he didn't give him any answers. Eun-woo had a strange feeling. Maybe it was because he was drunk? But the current Shi-hyuk was too different from usual.

"I won't."

He spat out and closed his eyes again. Eun-woo blinked his big eyes once. But still, Shi-hyuk didn't move an inch.

He felt a little relieved. Guess he won't do anything tonight. Eun-woo breathed out quietly and relaxed his tense body.

There wouldn't be any problems as long as he just slept like this.

But there was no way he could sleep after he had slept all day like that. No matter how long he stood with his eyes closed, his lucid mind refused to sleep. Distressed, Eun-woo opened his eyes. Unlike himself, Shi-hyuk was sleeping comfortably, and he could see his handsome face before his eyes.

Eun-woo watched Shi-hyuk's sleeping face and blinked. Impulsively, he opened his mouth and quietly asked.

"Are you sleeping?"

Eun-woo covered his mouth, surprised at his own words.

Are you crazy? You should just let him sleep! Why did you talk to him? He chastised himself inwardly and held his breath. He was nervous, afraid Shi-hyuk would wake up because of his voice.

But Shi-hyuk didn't move at all. He was breathing evenly and sleeping in the same way as before. Eun-woo let out a sigh of relief while seeing him like that.

And then, he lifted a little the head he had buried in the pillow and took a closer look at Shi-hyuk's sleeping face. The moonlight outside the window fell down on his face. Now that he saw him again, he actually had quite a handsome face... quite different from his own ordinary face. Eun-woo stared absentmindedly at the sleeping Shi-hyuk. This was something unimaginable for him when he's up and awake.

Eun-woo's opened his mouth again. He murmured in a small voice the questions he had kept inside himself.

"Why did you drink?"

What could have happened to you? Eun-woo whispered the words he hadn't dared to ask because he had been afraid. He let out those words thinking Shi-hyuk wouldn't listen to them.

However, right at that moment, Shi-hyuk, who had been unmoving like a statue, moved his hand. Perhaps it was an unconscious gesture while he was half asleep, but as Eun-woo was half standing with his shoulder a little up, Shi-hyuk brought that shoulder down in an embrace and said.

"Sleep."

Surprised, Eun-woo listened to his thumping heart while Shi-hyuk held him in his arms. A burning heat rose up to his face. Shi-hyuk's white shirt touched Eun-woo's cheek with a rustling sound. Some of the buttons had come off, and when Eun-woo could take a glimpse at Shi-hyuk's firm chest, he shut his eyes tightly.

For a long time, Eun-woo stood in Shi-hyuk's arms, feeling the warmth of his embrace, and before he realized it, he drifted off to sleep.

The "hand of Midas" is based on the famous King Midas in Greek mythology, where everything he touched turned into gold, so it's used to express that you have a good fortune.

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