Every sound around him faded away. The world continued moving...But for Heesung, everything had come to a stop.
Elsewhere...The cries of a two-year-old child echoed throughout a luxurious mansion. The house was unusually quiet. Apart from the child's caretaker, there was no one else around. She tried everything she could to calm him down. She gently rocked him in her arms, offered him a bottle of warm milk, and even sang him a lullaby. But the little boy refused to drink. Instead, he cried even harder. She couldn't understand what was wrong.
At first, she thought he would eventually tire himself out and fall asleep. But even after half an hour...He was still crying nonstop. After hesitating for several minutes, she finally picked up her phone. She knew she wasn't supposed to disturb him over such matters...But she had no other choice. She dialed his number. The first call went unanswered. She took a deep breath and called again.
This time...
The call connected.
For a few seconds, only silence filled the line.
"Young Master..." she spoke nervously. "The young master has been crying nonstop for over thirty minutes. Could you... please come home and take a look?"
A deep, cold voice came from the other end.
Even hearing his voice was enough to make people's hearts skip a beat.
"I've told you before."
"Don't contact me over small matters."
"Give him some milk. He'll stop crying."
The caretaker swallowed nervously.
Despite her fear, she gathered the courage to speak again.
"Young Master... I already tried. I gave him milk and tried putting him to sleep, but he won't stop crying. I don't know what's wrong with him."
Without another word...
The call ended.
She stared at the phone before letting out a helpless sigh.
A while later, the mansion's family doctor arrived.
He carefully examined the child.
"No fever..."
"No signs of illness..."
"The diaper is clean..."
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
Yet the little boy continued crying without stopping.
Unable to figure out the cause, the doctor picked up his phone and called the child's father.
"Hyun."
"I've examined your son. Physically, there's nothing wrong with him. But he won't stop crying."
"I think... he needs you."
Cha Hyunseok's calm voice came through the phone.
"Jeewon."
"I'm in an important meeting."
The doctor sighed.
"Hyun, work can wait."
"Your son can't."
"Come home. I'll stay with him until you arrive."
There was a brief silence.
Then—
The call disconnected.
Cha Hyunseok lowered his phone and looked toward his secretary.
"Mr. Kim."
"Cancel all of today's meetings."
"I'm going home."
His secretary immediately bowed.
"Yes, Young Master."
"Shall I prepare the car?"
"No."
"I'll drive myself."
"Finish the work I assigned you."
"Understood, Young Master."
Without another word, Cha Hyunseok picked up his suit jacket and walked out of the meeting room.
Soon after, Cha Hyunseok arrived at the mansion.
The moment he stepped into the grand hall, he heard his son's cries echoing throughout the house.
Without wasting a second, he walked over and gently picked up the little boy.
"It's alright..."
He softly patted his son's back, trying to comfort him.
Then he turned to the doctor.
"What should we do if he doesn't stop crying?"
Jeewon sighed.
"I honestly don't know. Let's wait for a while. Now that you're here, he might calm down."
Hyunseok gently rocked his son and tried feeding him a little milk.
The child turned his head away.
He refused to drink.
After thinking for a long moment, Jeewon suddenly spoke.
"What about his mother?"
Hyunseok looked at him.
"Yihan is here, isn't he?"
"Why don't we take the child to him?"
The moment those words were spoken...
Hyunseok's gaze slowly shifted toward the closed bedroom door on the second floor.
His expression darkened.
"I don't know..."
"Ever since the baby was born..."
"Yihan has fallen deeper into depression."
"He rarely leaves his room."
"I'm not even sure if he'll hold the child if we bring him there."
Worry filled his face.
Jeewon looked at him before speaking calmly.
"Hyun."
"What parent wouldn't hold their child when they hear them crying?"
"And maybe..."
"If Yihan sees his son again..."
"It might help him."
Hyunseok remained silent for a few seconds.
Finally, he nodded.
"Let's go."
The two men climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Jeewon slowly opened the bedroom door.
The room was completely dark.
Not a single curtain had been opened.
The air felt cold and lifeless.
The baby's cries echoed through the silent room.
Hyunseok reached for the light switch.
Click.
The room instantly became bright.
Yet...
Yihan didn't move.
He lay motionless on the bed.
Hyunseok carefully handed the baby to Jeewon before walking over.
"Yihan..."
He gently shook his shoulder.
There was no response.
"Yihan."
Still nothing.
As Hyunseok touched his arm, his expression changed.
His clothes were soaked with sweat.
His skin felt unnaturally hot.
Panic flashed across his face.
"Jeewon!"
"Come here!"
"I think something's wrong!"
The doctor immediately rushed over.
As Jeewon examined Yihan, the baby continued crying in his arms.
The little boy stretched both of his tiny hands toward the bed as if trying to reach his mother.
After a thorough examination, Jeewon finally let out a relieved sigh.
"Don't worry."
"He has a high fever."
"And judging by his condition..."
"He hasn't eaten anything for several days."
Hyunseok lowered his head.
"I think... you're right."
Jeewon prepared an IV drip before looking at him.
"As for your son..."
"I think he's crying because of his mother."
Hyunseok glanced at the child.
Even though Yihan rarely held him...
The little boy remained deeply attached to his mother.
"...Yeah."
"I think so too."
Jeewon packed his medical bag before standing up.
"Make sure Yihan eats when he wakes up."
"And take good care of both your omega..."
"...and your son."
Hyunseok quietly nodded.
"I will."
About an hour later, the little boy finally stopped crying and drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Jeewon carefully handed him to the housekeeper.
"Take him to his bedroom," Hyunseok instructed. "And don't leave him alone. He might wake up and start crying again."
"Yes, Young Master."
The housekeeper gently carried the sleeping child upstairs.
With the mansion finally quiet, Jeewon and Hyunseok sat on opposite sofas, each holding a cup of coffee.
After taking a sip, Jeewon spoke.
"I heard Cha Group is developing a drug that can turn betas into alphas."
Hyunseok nodded.
"That's true."
"But the trials haven't been successful yet. It'll take more time."
Jeewon frowned.
"If that drug is ever completed..."
"The entire world will fall into chaos."
Hyunseok remained silent for a moment before replying,
"I know."
"But you also know how obsessed the Chairman is with alphas."
"He believes alphas are born to rule."
"That's why he wants to create more of them."
Jeewon let out a quiet sigh.
"We can't stop him."
"He's the one ruling this country."
Silence settled between them.
After finishing his coffee, Jeewon stood.
"I'll get going."
"Call me if anything happens."
Hyunseok gave a slight nod.
"Take care."
The mansion became quiet once again.
Hyunseok remained on the sofa, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone.
Without realizing it...
He slowly fell asleep.
By the time he opened his eyes again, the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
The lights outside illuminated the mansion.
Dinner had already been prepared.
Housekeeper Sook-ja approached him carefully.
"Young Master..."
"Young Master..."
Hyunseok slowly opened his eyes.
"...Sook-ja."
"What is it?"
"You fell asleep on the sofa."
"I've prepared dinner."
"You should eat before the food gets cold."
Hyunseok rubbed his eyes.
"I must have dozed off."
Sook-ja quietly smiled.
She had worked for the Cha family for over fifteen years.
In all that time...
She had never once seen Cha Hyunseok fall asleep outside his bedroom.
He was always working.
Always buried in meetings or documents.
Seeing him asleep on the sofa made her realize just how exhausted he truly was.
Her expression softened.
"Young Master..."
"Please don't overwork yourself."
"The Chairman won't be pleased if you collapse."
Hyunseok gave a faint smile.
"I'll be fine."
After changing into more comfortable clothes, Hyunseok walked to Yihan's room.
He gently called his name.
"Yihan."
There was no response.
The IV drip continued to flow quietly.
Seeing that he was still asleep, Hyunseok closed the door and headed downstairs.
He ate a small portion of the dinner Sook-ja had prepared.
Afterward, he stepped into the balcony outside the corridor.
Taking a cigarette from his pocket, he lit it.
The smoke slowly disappeared into the night sky.
His thoughts drifted back to the past.
A younger Yihan...
Begging his father to stop.
Tears streaming down his face.
The Chairman showed no mercy.
The sound of blows...
The terrified cries...
Those memories continued to haunt him.
Hyunseok silently finished his cigarette.
He crushed it in the ashtray before returning to his room.
Tonight...
Sleep didn't come easily.
After a long and restless night, hyunseok finally drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning...
The sun slowly rose above the horizon.
The cheerful chirping of birds echoed outside the mansion.
Chirp... Chirp...
Yihan slowly opened his eyes.
Still half-asleep, he sat up and rubbed his face.
Without thinking, he slipped into his slippers and walked toward the window.
He pulled the curtains open, allowing the warm morning sunlight to flood the room.
Yawning, he stepped out of his bedroom and walked straight to the room next door.
Without even knocking, he pushed the door open.
A young man was sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Without hesitation...
Yihan walked over and lightly kicked him.
"I told you to wake up early!"
"Why don't you ever listen to your hyung?"
"Your exams start next week."
"If your rank doesn't improve this time..."
"I'm going to kill you, you little brat."
"Now get up!"
The boy merely turned over and buried his face deeper into the pillow.
Yihan clicked his tongue.
"Fine."
"I'm going to freshen up."
"But if I come back and you're still sleeping..."
"I'll pour an entire bucket of water over your head."
"Don't test me."
With that, he turned around and walked out of the room.
He walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the sink.
Still half-asleep, he turned on the tap and splashed cold water across his face.
He let out a quiet sigh before slowly raising his head.
His eyes met the mirror.
"..."
He frowned.
For a split second...
He thought the mirror was broken.
The reflection staring back at him...
Wasn't his.
His heart skipped a beat.
"...What?"
He took a step closer.
The stranger in the mirror did the same.
He reached up and touched his own face.
The man in the mirror copied every movement.
His breathing grew heavier.
"This..."
"This isn't me."
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