Just as a season changes overnight, so too did the relationship between Kwon Yido and me. In the gaze where warm winds once blew, there was no longer any trace of heat directed toward me. The weather still lingered in summer, but only between him and me, a cold wind was blowing.

I thought I would be divorced. That I would be thrown out of this house, left once again with nowhere to go. Perhaps I might be handcuffed again and never be able to leave. Since I had nowhere else to return to, maybe that would be better.

But Kwon Yido simply treated me like I was invisible. Just as he had when I first entered this house as his spouse. He ignored me without exchanging a single word. I shut myself away in the corner of my room as if dead, only coming out when the staff called me to eat.

I didn’t know how long I was trapped in the fear of when he would abandon me. I wanted to go get more of the sleeping pills that had already run out, but I felt too wary to even step outside.

Maybe that was why. Every time I fell asleep, I always dreamed of Kwon Yido. At first, the dreams were ordinary, but as the days went by, they became closer to nightmares. The day he had caught me with those documents, the hand with which he struck my cheek—it all became even more horrific than reality.

'Jung Sejin.'

It was as if I were a river blocked at both ends, stagnant and unmoving. I could neither advance nor retreat, only wait as time passed in place. Even knowing that I would soon rot, there was nothing I could do.

Mending a broken relationship is harder than building a new one. The cause of affection had been insignificant, but stitching together shattered feelings required an immense effort. Even though the heart we had shared could never be restored, I had to imagine returning to the beginning again and again.

If only I had tried to make even a trivial excuse.

If only I had confessed everything to him earlier.

If only I had become an incompetent son, instead of stealing those documents.

It was certain that I had ruined everything with my own hands. I had made that decision because I wanted to belong within the fence of a family, but in the end, nothing remained at my side. I had done something so foolish that I couldn’t even beg forgiveness from the only person who had believed in my innocence.

As the days went by, I withered away in anxiety. It was because of Kwon Yido, who avoided me as if I were something filthy whenever we happened to cross paths. Without receiving even a single glance from him, I was withering like a neglected plant.

I had always lived by adjusting to whatever situation was given to me, but at this moment, I worried about the future. Because, just like the family that had finally abandoned me, Kwon Yido would one day abandon me as well.

Was this what it had been like when I wandered barefoot across the snowfields? With my eyes closed, it felt as though I might stop breathing at any moment. The only difference now was that I no longer wanted to open my eyes again.

“...When is he coming home.”

Kwon Yido only returned late every night, at dawn. My room was tucked in the corner on the third floor, but I learned of it because I would sit near the stairs and wait for him. The reason was nothing special—just the hope that I might feel even the faintest trace of his pheromones.

That night too, I waited for him on the stairs leading to the second floor. I stayed there endlessly until I heard the sound of footsteps climbing. If I were lucky, I might at least see his back. With that thought, I passed the time vaguely.

How long had I waited like that? Footsteps finally reached my ears. Tap, tap—the sound of shoes striking the stairs in steady rhythm. Instinctively, I rose and hid my body behind the railing.

“......”

But was it just my imagination? The footsteps felt somehow strange. His usual stride, measured and precise as if drawn with a ruler, seemed uncharacteristically slow tonight. Even the spacing of his steps felt... off.

Before I realized it, I was peering down the stairs. It was unmistakably Kwon Yido’s pheromones, and the gait was one I knew well. It was indeed him, yet different from usual.

'Is he sick?'

That was my first thought. But when he reached the second floor, I realized what the sense of wrongness really was.

“......”

He was drunk. Judging by the faint but perceptible scent mixing with his pheromones, he had alcohol in his system. He hadn’t seemed like the type to enjoy drinking... even with all the liquor available, hadn’t he only ever taken the occasional glass on the rocks?

As if possessed, I went down the stairs. Kwon Yido wasn’t staggering, but his markedly slower steps looked unsteady enough to make me anxious. Just as he reached the second floor, he lifted his head toward me without thinking.

“......”

“......”

For a long moment, our gazes crossed. His eyes, blinking slowly, were unmistakably those of someone under the influence. Kwon Yido, who had been staring blankly at me, slowly lowered his gaze.

I had come out straight from lying down, so I was barefoot, without even slippers. In contrast to him in his suit, I was in loungewear, looking utterly shabby. Feeling self-conscious, I hesitated and stepped back, but he frowned slightly as if displeased by something.

“...Now I’m seeing things.”

Shaking his head, he passed by me without a second thought. As I watched his retreating back heading toward his room, my lips moved without me realizing it.

“Kwon Yido-ssi.”

“......”

He halted mid-step. Both he, and even I—having spoken his name—were startled. Kwon Yido stood still for a long time before finally turning back.

When our eyes met, it felt like my heart dropped with a thud. His rarely flustered expression etched itself into my chest before my mind. How long had it been since I last saw his face like this? Just looking at him head-on, I felt as though I might cry.

“No, it’s just...”

I blurted it out, thinking I had to say something—anything. It was the first time I had spoken to him since our last conversation. The words I had lacked the courage to say before finally came out now.

“...It wasn’t that I thought it wasn’t worth making excuses.”

I had mulled that line over endlessly. I should have cleared the misunderstanding back then, not while he was angry, but when he was disappointed. I regretted it again and again.

“I just... I didn’t know what I should say...”

“Amazing.”

But Kwon Yido cut me off before I could finish. Amazing? It didn’t sound like praise. At my dazed expression, he spoke in a tone colder than ever.

“Is that the best ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) excuse you could come up with after racking your brain for days?”

“......”

His face was so cold it left no room for even a needle to slip through. That earlier flicker of surprise was nowhere to be found; only a barren gaze, as dry as sand.

“There’s no need for it now.”

With only those words, Kwon Yido brushed past me. My eyes widened blankly, and as if in passing, he added:

“I gave you a chance, Sejin-ah.”

And then I finally understood. No matter what I did, there was no going back. From the moment our timing had missed, the future had already been set.

“...Wait, Kwon Yido-ssi!”

My mind went blank, and I grabbed his arm without thinking. Holding onto him even as he turned his back, I looked up at him with eyes full of fear. I felt that if I let go of him now, I would end up isolated once again, and so I had to seize this chance somehow.

“What should I do?”

“......”

“I’ll do whatever you say... whatever you tell me to do, Kwon Yido-ssi.”

If he needed money, I was prepared to repay it over a lifetime. If he needed documents, I was even willing to steal them again. If he wanted the world to know of my theft, I was ready to accept that too.

“I’ll do anything you tell me to...”

If only that could restore our relationship, I would want nothing more. If only he wouldn’t abandon me, if only I could receive his love intact once again. If only I never had to see his back turned to me.

“So just once more...”

“...Anything?”

Kwon Yido repeated, his voice quiet, almost like he was talking to himself. His tone was so faint that if I hadn’t been focused, I would have missed it. A small laugh escaped him as he asked slowly:

“Then why don’t you try kneeling?”

“......”

“If you’re going to beg for forgiveness, that’s the least you should do.”

Perhaps he had said it thinking I wouldn’t be able to. That was why he shook off my hand and turned his back. But instead, I kept hold of him and sank down onto the floor, knees bending beneath me.

“......”

His heavy gaze followed the crown of my bowed head. With my forehead pressed against his hand, I whispered:

“I’m sorry. I... I was wrong.”

“......”

“I didn’t mean to betray you, Kwon Yido-ssi.”

I had truly never wanted to betray his trust. I had never wanted to wound or anger anyone. I had fully expected consequences, but I hadn’t known they would hurt this much.

“My thinking was short-sighted...”

“I know. I know you didn’t mean it that way.”

Kwon Yido answered more easily than I had expected. His voice was calm, yet it trembled faintly at the end. For a moment I thought—maybe he might give me another chance. I lifted my head, only to hear his next words, edged with scorn:

“You probably didn’t even think of it as betrayal.”

“......”

Sometimes, I wondered if he could really read my thoughts. Because just as he said, even when I first stole those documents, I hadn’t thought he would be disappointed in me. Back then, we weren’t like this. I hadn’t imagined we would ever become like this.

“In Jung Sejin-ssi’s head, there were only two things. Chairman Jung, and Haesin Group.”

I should have denied it. Whatever my father meant to me, Haesin’s glory had no value in my eyes. All I had ever wanted was not to be abandoned by anyone.

“And I wasn’t there.”

But I couldn’t answer that. It was because of the alcohol-dimmed look in his eyes. Because, just for a fleeting moment, his gaze and his voice betrayed the very emotion I had longed for all along.

“...Right. I wasn’t there.”

A breath escaped him like a balloon losing air. He looked down at me in silence. Then suddenly, he reached out a hand toward my face.

“Sejin-ah.”

His large hand slowly brushed against my ear. His thumb grazed along the edge of my cheek, then slid down carefully to my neck. It was the kind of touch one might use with a young animal—excessively cautious, unbearably gentle.

Ridiculously, even in this situation, I craved that touch. I couldn’t tell whether the blur clouding my vision came from his pheromones, or from the surge of emotion welling up inside me. When I instinctively rubbed my face against him, his hand—which had been pressing the hollow beneath my ear—jerked away at once.

“Jung Sejin.”

“......”

His sharp pheromones pressed down on me, filling me to the brim. As if to force me to focus. Ah, so this really is because of his pheromones. With that thought, I panted raggedly, while Kwon Yido stared down at me for a long time.

“......”

“......”

If only I were better with words. I couldn’t find anything to break the silence. Kwon Yido parted his lips several times, then turned his head aside, eyes squeezed shut before opening again. And then he reached his hand toward me once more.

“You said you’d do anything...”

“......”

“There aren’t many things you’re actually capable of.”

I had no time to process what he meant. He seized the back of my head and pulled me down against the front of his pants. My eyes fluttered shut, then opened, as Kwon Yido’s hand slid along the nape of my neck.

“Go on. If I like it, I’ll hand over those documents again, trivial as they are.”

“......”

Of course I understood. I knew exactly what Kwon Yido meant. I knew what this situation was.

“If you want to save your company...”

I felt my hair being seized. The hand that had been carefully cradling the back of my head suddenly turned rough. My head was forced back, my lips parting helplessly.

“...then you’ll have to act like a whore.”

I had no chance to resist. In the blink of an eye, something large pressed against my lips. Before I could even react, it pushed through the gap, so big that even with my mouth stretched to its limit I couldn’t close around it.

“Mmgh—”

It felt as though my jaw would break. More than the shock of his actions, I was stunned by the emotions rising in my chest. Nausea welled up, but even that was blocked by the overwhelming intrusion filling my mouth. His cock pushed forward slowly, pressing hard against the roof of my mouth and the root of my tongue.

“Open properly.”

This wasn’t what I meant when I said I’d do anything. I had only wanted Kwon Yido to give me another chance. Whether it was a chance to explain myself, or to apologize. I had never wished for this kind of vindictive cruelty.

“Jung Sejin.”

His voice was flat, yet it struck me with a chill that cut straight through my chest. At some point, tears began sliding down my cheeks. Not because I couldn’t breathe, but because it was unbearably unfair. My resentment swelled, overflowing against the cold-hearted man before me.

“Mmmf...”

He showed me no mercy. The hand gripping my hair blocked any retreat, leaving me no way to pull back. Tuk, tuk—the corners of my lips felt as though they were tearing as my throat was forced open.

“Haa...”

It felt like my throat was bulging outward. Only when he finally buried himself all the way to the root did Kwon Yido stop. He let out a low breath as he paused, then, after a brief pull back, he drove forward again without warning, his cock spearing through my throat.

“Ugh...!”

My uvula was crushed, and a wave of gagging surged up. As my throat tightened, the lips I had barely managed to part clenched shut again. The instant my front teeth grazed the length I had only been holding in, he stopped moving and yanked hard on my hair.

“...!”

My upper body collapsed sideways without strength. While I clutched at my throat, choking and hacking, Kwon Yido did not withdraw his pheromones. Shaking violently all over, sprawled out, I heard nothing but his cold voice.

“Can’t even do this one thing properly?”

“Hhh...”

The tears broke out before I could stop them. I could count on one hand the times I’d cried in my life. I didn’t even know why they were spilling down my face now, what was so unbearably sorrowful. If I opened my mouth, sobs would escape, so I had to bite down on my lip and even hold my breath.

“If you can’t spread your legs, then at least learn to open your mouth.”

Should I have said I’d rather spread my legs? At first my heart had been filled with guilt, but now it was stained with grief and rage. It felt as though something inside me was being cut apart with a knife.

“What can you possibly do if you don’t even have this skill...”

Kwon Yido acted as though he had deliberately resolved to hurt me. He looked down at me—coughing and curled up—without the slightest feeling. I hadn’t said a word, yet his earlier warning, know your place, echoed in my mind.

“...Ha.”

As I dragged in ragged breaths, the back of my head was seized again. He rubbed his cock against my tear-soaked face, tapped my cheek, then pressed the swollen head against my tightly sealed lips once more. When I lifted my eyes in helpless resentment, Kwon Yido met my gaze steadily.

“Behave yourself, Jung Sejin.”

That one phrase was like shackles. Shackles harsher than anything else—saying he wouldn’t release me unless I obeyed perfectly. Shackles like the handcuffs once locked on my wrists, the kind I could never undo by my own strength. A cage I couldn’t break no matter how I struggled, unless someone else released me.

“...Ugh.”

Kwon Yido seized both my cheeks and forced my mouth open. His half-erect cock shoved back inside, prying my throat open again as before. I tried to steady myself by bracing a hand on his thigh, but even that slipped away weakly.

“Mmgh...”

I couldn’t resist. No—I didn’t want to resist. Because if I pushed him away now, I felt certain I would never be able to see his face again.

With a thrust, his cock plunged deeper, tearing through my mouth without mercy. I couldn’t tell whether the wetness coating my tongue was tears, or something else. The urge to vomit surged again and again, but all I could do was tighten my throat and endure it.

“...Haa.”

It was a wreck of an act. My jaw was stretched to the point of breaking, my vision repeatedly dimming from lack of air. His length had to be scraping against my teeth, yet Kwon Yido didn’t release me, only drove forward harder.

At last, he released deep into my throat. The hot semen that slid down was thickly laced with his pheromones. He stayed there until I swallowed every drop, then finally, without care, let me go and adjusted his clothes.

“Cough, cough...”

And that was the end. Leaving me collapsed on the floor, he went straight back to his room. Clack—the sound of the door closing rang louder than anything I’d ever heard.