Aoto

“No, Genkei. He’s not your grandpa,” I tell Genkei, pulling his hand away from Mr. Yoon’s and scowling deeply. “Come here. Stay with me, both of you,” I add, looking intently at the twins.

“Have you been having sex with Yu-jun? You are covered in his pheromones,” Mr. Yoon accuses, glaring daggers at me. “That bastard of a son only knows how to humiliate and disappoint me. How could he have illegitimate children with a nobody like you?” He points at me, clearly disgusted. “He’s swarmed by the most influential and powerful Omegas, and yet he wastes his time fooling around with—”

“That’s enough, Mr. Yoon. I guarantee I have absolutely nothing going on with your precious son, and I never will. I know my place in your little world, and I would never cross the line,” I snap, my blood boiling as rage gets the best of me. “Now, please leave. This is my parents’ apartment, and they’re not here right now, so—”

“No, Gapa!” Genkei cries, stretching his arms toward Mr. Yoon again. “Gapa, Gapa!”

“Genkei, stop,” I urge, confused and anxious. 

Why is he acting like this toward such a horrible man? Shouldn’t he be scared of him? Can he recognize Mr. Yoon’s pheromones as his grandfather’s? But then why doesn’t he react the same way to Mrs. Yoon? Gaku, on the other hand, is just watching the intruders warily.

“I cannot believe Yu-jun hasn’t told us that he impregnated someone and already has two children,” Mrs. Yoon says, still looking flabbergasted. “I cannot believe he has been hiding something so important from us all this time. That bastard knows he has committed an unforgivable act and is afraid of the consequences.”

Mr. Yoon crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes fixed on me. He snarls, “If I had to guess, I’d say this Omega seduced our son during his heat and forced him to impregnate him when his rut was triggered and he lost his senses. Yu-jun knows better than to get involved with the likes of this one. He would never make such a stupid mistake as having bastard children.”

The words ‘bastard children’ awaken the beast within me. I don’t care if they harass and humiliate me, but calling my buns bastard children? That’s... Argh, I want to punch this stupid man who looks like Yu-jun and yank out all his shiny hair. I want to make him drink toilet water and suffer through one of my mom’s many, many sleep-inducing stories—I mean, amazing stories—from when he was a kid and used to count ants in Grandma’s backyard. According to his boring—I mean, fantastic—tales, he once counted one hundred and six ants under the orange tree. But then, an orange fell and killed them all, and Mom laughed his guts out. Now that I think about it... that’s kind of disturbing, isn’t it? Jeez...

“Mama!”

I blink a couple of times and catch sight of Gaku’s face right in front of mine, his eyes filled with tears.

“Why are you almost crying? Did the bad man and the bad woman do something bad to you?” I hug my bun tightly, shooting a murderous look at the couple from hell, who are still standing nearby with puzzled yet apprehensive expressions.

“Are you referring to us? Are you saying we’re bad people?” Mrs. Yoon asks, her eyebrows knitting together. “How dare a lowly nobody like you be so disrespectful toward my husband and me? Do you even know who we are?”

Unfazed by her hostility toward me—but completely bothered by their behavior toward my buns—I reply, “I know who you are, but I don’t care. As long as you’re in my apartment and standing in front of my sons, it’s my right to respond to your unwarranted and cringeworthy animosity however I see fit. You’re the ones who invaded my home and started insulting me and my sons. You’re the ones who don’t know your place here.” I point an accusatory finger at her, then at Mr. Yoon, enraged and dumbfounded by their arrogance.

It’s not like I expected them to be polite or anything—especially considering I’ve witnessed Yu-jun’s god-like demeanor wherever and whenever—but the disgust and disapproval plastered all over their faces is so blatant, I feel like kicking them out right this second and telling them to go to hell.

“Eeer… Mr. Yoon, Mrs. Yoon, why have you come to Aoto’s apartment?” Marina interrupts, probably sensing that I’m at my limit, patience-wise, and that things are about to get uglier if these people don’t get the hell out of here soon.

Mr. Yoon, whose eyes are still glued to my twins, clears his throat and explains, “My wife and I decided to personally visit the streamer Aoto after his agent turned down my job offer yesterday, and I couldn’t get in touch with her again.” He sounds more composed and professional now, much to my relief.

Following her husband’s lead, Mrs. Yoon adds, “The truth is, our daughter Ji-yeon is obsessed with Aoto and his streams. She wants him in her next music video at all costs. No matter how many times we told her he wasn’t interested, she wouldn’t take no for an answer…” Her voice trails off, and she sighs, suddenly looking tired. “That girl doesn’t shut up until she gets what she wants, so my husband and I decided to speak with Aoto personally and convince him to be in the video just this once.”

As she finishes speaking, Genkei shifts his attention from Mr. Yoon to her, his smile widening and his giggles growing louder as he exclaims, “Gama! Gama! Gama!”

Mrs. Yoon covers her mouth, clearly uncomfortable. “Oh my. Have you told these children about my husband and me? Did you get pregnant by Yu-jun just to force him to marry you and become part of the Yoon family? What do you want? Money? Fame? Connections?” Her demeanor turns colder. “Did you really think we’d give in to your whims just because you had two illegitimate children? The Yoons will never acknowledge you or your children as members of our family, little Omega. You have no place in our world.”

With gritted teeth and doing my best to control my anger, I clap back, “You don’t need to worry about anything concerning my twins and me, Mrs. Yoon. I promise you, I have no intention of being part of your family, and I have zero interest in your money, fame, or whatever else you think I’m after. In fact, the only thing I really want from your family is for you to stay the hell away from mine and never bother us again. Moreover, to give you some peace of mind, Yu-jun doesn’t even know about the twins, and he never will, because I will never tell him. He doesn’t even remember that we got together when I was in heat and he was in rut, and that’s something I’ll carry with me to the grave. So rest easy. My twins have my last name, and their family is my family.”

The couple looks stunned by the revelation, so much so that Mr. Yoon blurts out, “You didn’t tell Yu-jun about them? Not even when you were pregnant? But why not? It’s obvious they’re his offspring. You could have asked him for anything in exchange for your silence. You could have even threatened him into marrying you if he didn’t want a scandal tarnishing the Yoon name. It doesn’t make any sense.”

I shrug. “Why would I tell him about the twins when it would have only made things more complicated and bothersome? The moment I found out I was pregnant and my parents assured me they’d support me if I chose to keep my babies, I decided to be a single mama and raise them the best I could without getting involved with your precious son, much less any other member of your precious family. That was my decision, and I will never go back on it. You have my word,” I assert, tightening my grip around my buns.

Staring at me suspiciously, Mrs. Yoon insists, “How can we be sure that you will never seek any form of compensation from the Yoon family in the future? How can we be sure that you will never reveal those illegitimate children’s existence to the world and ruin my son’s life? How can we be sure you are telling the truth right now?”

Rolling my eyes, I scoff, “How annoying. Do you want me to sign a contract stating that my twins and I will never seek any form of compensation or recognition from the Yoon family until the end of our lives? You can even add a clause ensuring that, even if the twins or Yu-jun find out about each other’s existence for some reason, I’ll keep them apart at all costs and never, ever admit that Yu-jun is their father.”

“Gapa, Gama!” Genkei cries louder, struggling to get out of my lap, his arms still stretched toward the couple.

Finding it too painful to watch one of my buns sobbing for even a sliver of affection from his paternal grandparents—only to be completely ignored in return—I finally lose what’s left of my patience and raise my voice. “Stop, Genkei. They are not your grandpa and grandma. Do you understand me? They are not your grandpa and grandma. Don’t ever call them that again.”

Wailing at the top of his lungs, Genkei buries his face in my chest and clutches my sweater. His reaction upsets his brother, who starts crying as well, resulting in both of them clinging to me, seeking comfort.

Feeling guilty as hell, I hug them tightly and try to soothe them. “I’m sorry, buns. Mama is sorry for raising his voice. I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”

“Aoto, do you think they recognize my wife and me as their grandparents because of our pheromones?” Mr. Yoon asks, looking pensive.

Glaring at him, I reply, “How would I know? Even though your son showered me with his pheromones the day before yesterday, the twins haven’t reacted to them at all. I have no idea why Genkei keeps calling out for you when he usually hates being around strangers.”

“So, despite everything you just babbled about not being interested in Yu-jun, you’re still meeting with him,” Mrs. Yoon comments, her voice laced with sarcasm and accusation.

“I ran into him by accident on Friday when my friends and I attended a business department gathering at a bar near campus,” I clarify, trying to make things clearer than crystal. “We only talked briefly because he was with my brother, but that was it. Honestly, I have no idea why he showered me with his pheromones. We didn’t even have any physical contact.”

Damn that bastard Alpha. I’ve already showered and soaked in the tub six times to wash off his lemon and lavender pheromones, but they’re still stuck to my skin like freaking glue.

“Hold on. Did you say Yu-jun was with your brother?” Mrs. Yoon steps closer to me. “Is your brother’s name Sota Kikuchi, by any chance?”

I nod in response.

* * *