TIN 7

“Ah, this one…”

The boss’s face showed clear distress, as if he wished he could hide me away at that very moment.

I understood. After losing his temper and beating me, the aftermath must have left him in an awkward position. With the comment about sloppy item management, presenting me as an item had become awkward. He had been planning to sell me all along, but now he had single-handedly ruined everything.

“This one is… not for sale.”

The boss had no choice but to hastily backtrack. Even without checking, I could tell how bitter he must have felt inside. Especially with the way his lips twitched as if he were barely holding himself together.

“Regrettably, he’s still undergoing training. I’ll show you a different item instead.”

“Ohh.”

Whether it was fortunate or not, the man responded with a light hum, seemingly unbothered by the hastily made-up excuse. He might have even considered what had just happened as part of that ‘training.’

“Please, come inside first.  Let me offer you some drinks while you wait…”

True to his nature as a born salesman, the boss quickly ushered the man deeper into the shop. As the man passed by, a sweet, bubblegum-like scent briefly tickled my nose. It was addictive, almost as if it were a drug, though I knew full well that it was pheromones.

After they left, the lobby was left with only me, the employees, and Lingling. In the silence, a soft muttering eventually broke through.

“…A dominant Alpha?”

It was a short phrase, but it was enough to start a conversation.

“That’s a dominant Alpha, isn’t it?”

With that single remark, the stifling atmosphere erupted into a commotion. The employees discreetly began exchanging glances and whispering to each other.

“Not just dominant, but a hyper-dominant one.”

“Did you see the color of his eyes?”

“Those weren’t just contact lenses, right?”

Even the Alphas among them seemed to have never witnessed such a vivid golden hue. A mix of curiosity and tension, tinged with a barely concealed excitement, permeated their murmurs.

“If he’s a hyper-dominant Alpha… is he that person?”

“That person?”

“You know, the one who’s supposed to be the only one…”

Though no names were spoken, it was clear who they were referring to. Not only did I know, but even Lingling, who stood silently, must have understood as well.

“Wow, damn, who’s he going to buy?”

“God, I’m so jealous. I wish he’d take me.”

“Look at your face. You think he’d buy you?”

As the conversation continued, the comments grew increasingly explicit. Comments about how one would need to be exceptionally skilled to be chosen, or how someone like me was the ideal, or even crude jokes about my potential fellatio skills. They shamelessly gossiped about me right in front of my face, until Lingling slammed her hands down on the counter, silencing the room.

“All of you, shut up and get back to your posts.”

No further words were necessary. The employees meekly returned to their stations, wary of Lingling’s gaze. No one was foolish enough to defy the boss’s woman, no matter how disgruntled they might be.

“Are you okay?”

After everyone had dispersed, Lingling examined my face with genuine concern. Her warmth-filled gaze felt unusually comforting today.

“Just… fine.”

Truthfully, it hurt, but I couldn’t say I was not okay. Even if I wasn’t, it wouldn’t change anything.

“Come this way. Let’s clean up the blood.”

Swallowing a sigh, Lingling gently took hold of my wrist. Fortunately, aside from my face, the rest of me was unharmed. Usually, they hit everywhere except the face, but I guess this time, the boss was furious enough to forget that.

“Bada!”

Before I could follow Lingling, someone called out to me in a loud voice. Rushing out was none other than Theo. Striding across the hallway, his eyes were wide with alarm.

“That blood is yours, isn’t it?!”

His uniform buttons were half-undone, likely from just finishing an appointment. The strong Omega pheromones surrounding him made it clear what he’d been doing. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, so I waved him off half-heartedly.

“It’s not my blood.”

The blood soaking my hair mostly belonged to Wang Wei. It wasn’t even that much, but mixed with the liquor, it looked more severe than it was.

“Bullshit, this is your blood, damn it!”

Yet Theo still roughly grabbed my chin. My split lip stung where he touched it. I instinctively frowned, and Theo angrily spat out a curse.

“That bastard. Even if he’s the boss, why the hell could he hit a kid like this…”

“Hey.”

I swatted his hand away. The helpless touch still lingered in the air, the eyes darkly rippling – a sight I could never get used to, no matter how many times I saw it.

“Don’t overreact. It’s not like this is the first or second time.”

This might’ve been the first time I’d been hit, but I’d seen plenty of other employees get beaten. He never cared back then, so why the sudden fuss now?

“If you don’t want to get hit too, watch your mouth.”

Even though the boss was a lunatic, there were employees at Ocean’s who supported him. If Theo wasn’t careful, it wouldn’t take long for word to get back to the boss. While Theo might not get beaten, he needed to be more careful if he wanted to keep playing the role of an employee.

“Yeah, Theo. Watch what you say.”

“But… how did this happen?” 

With Lingling intervening as well, Theo asked in a slightly muted voice, his brow still deeply furrowed.

“What did you do to get beaten like this?”

“I hit a customer over the head with a liquor bottle.”

“What?”

Theo blurted out in shock. I rubbed the area he had touched, giving my chin a slight tilt.

“I cracked Wang Wei’s head with a glass bottle.”

He probably won’t die. As an Alpha, Wang Wei’s recovery would be faster. The problem was just that Ocean’s would have to cover his hospital bills.

“Sounds like he deserved it, huh?”

“…”

Theo didn’t respond to my subtle question. It was obvious he was thinking, “You did something like that and got off this easy?” He couldn’t bring himself to say no, so he asked something else instead.

“…Where did the boss go?”

“He went to attend to the customer.”

Lingling answered in my stead. She carefully wiped my lips with the handkerchief that had been tucked into Theo’s chest. It still stung, but it was much better than when Theo had touched it.

“The guy’s head is cracked, and he went to attend to the customer?”

Theo repeated, clearly unable to comprehend. It was strange that with the situation as it was, the boss had gone to greet the customer.

Normally, when an employee caused trouble, they would temporarily close the shop and not receive any customers. Especially for an important guest, they would need to at least pretend to be repentant. If Theo hadn’t already been inside a room, the day’s business might as well have been considered over.

“What kind of important customer showed up? Did the 4Hae Group chairman himself come?”

He was probably joking. Wang Wei was already a big enough deal that it’d take someone of that caliber to get the boss’s attention. Of course, he didn’t expect Lingling to nod in agreement.

“Not the chairman… more like the heir.”

Theo froze at her casual reply. He stared intently at Lingling, then let out a scornful snort, as if telling her not to mess around.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Lingling casually retorted, using her index finger to indicate her own eyes.

“Who else could a VVIP guest with golden eyes be but the heir of 4Hae Group?”

The more dominant the trait, the more likely it was for the eye color to develop uniquely as one grew up. For Alphas, that color was golden. For it to be as vivid as the man earlier, one would have to possess an exceptionally dominant physique – a rarity in modern times. In fact, there was only one hyper-dominant Alpha in the entire world.

“I’ve never seen his face before today either. I don’t know his name, though…”

So it was understandable that they had deduced the man’s identity. The rumored 4Hae Group heir. The chairman’s sole bloodline, hidden from the media. The one whose name had not yet been revealed…

“Joo Do-hwa.”

At my words, both of them turned their gaze toward me. I ran a hand through my blood-soaked hair and glanced between Theo and Lingling.

“His name is Joo Do-hwa.”

“…How do you know that?”

Theo asked skeptically. It seemed strange that I would know the name, when I didn’t even know Wang Wei’s, who I had seen many times.

“Just… because.”

“…”

“Just because I know.”

‘Are you afraid of the dark?’

The lips that once asked me that no longer smiled innocently like they did when we were children. Now they held a smirk full of disdain, mimicking polite speech in a way that dripped with condescension.

‘Is that the item you were going to show me?’

It didn’t seem like he remembered.

When our eyes met, I wondered for a second if he did. But it was probably just curiosity about a new ‘item.’ The look in his eyes wasn’t familiarity—it was interest and a hint of intrigue. I wasn’t disappointed because I hadn’t expected much, but there was still a strange emptiness I couldn’t explain.

“No matter what, even I wouldn’t be ignorant about 4Hae.”