The thought became so overwhelming that, for a ridiculous moment, Hyunseok found himself wishing he could simply open Yihan's skull and read his thoughts directly.

A few minutes later, Hyunseok stepped out of the bathroom with damp hair, carefully drying it first with a towel before using the hair dryer, and once he was finished, he put on a perfectly tailored suit and prepared himself for the office.

He gathered everything he needed and headed downstairs, slowly making his way down the steps, but the moment he reached the living room, his eyes immediately fell on the couch.

Yihan was still sleeping there.

Hyunseok stopped for a moment and simply looked at him before walking closer, bending down and lowering himself onto his knees beside the couch as he watched Yihan sleep peacefully, his face relaxed and free from the irritation and confusion he so often carried when he was awake.

For several minutes, Hyunseok remained there without saying anything, simply watching him as though he wanted to memorize the peaceful expression on his face.

Slowly, he reached out and gently brushed his fingers through Yihan's hair, carefully moving the messy strands away from his face.

He wanted to touch him for a little longer.

He wanted to stay there and watch him sleep.

But he was already getting late for work.

Just as Hyunseok was about to pull his hand away, he noticed that Mr. Kim, his secretary, had arrived at the mansion and was waiting for him near the entrance.

Hyunseok glanced toward him before looking back at Yihan, and after thinking for a moment, he took a small piece of paper and wrote a short note telling Yihan that he had gone to the office and might come home late, adding a tiny heart at the end almost without thinking.

He placed the note carefully on the tea table where Yihan would easily notice it after waking up, then took one last look at him before quietly walking toward the entrance.

A few moments later, Hyunseok stepped outside and got into the waiting car, and as soon as he settled into the back seat, the driver started the engine and began driving toward Cha's Group.

Cha's Group was one of the largest and most influential companies in Seorin, the capital of the Haneul Republic, and much of its enormous reputation had been built under the leadership of Mr. Cha, Hyunseok's father.

Thousands of people dreamed of working for Cha's Group, and getting hired there was considered an achievement in itself, because even positions that required little experience were highly competitive, with countless applicants willing to do almost anything for the opportunity to become part of such a prestigious company.

After approximately forty-five minutes, the car finally arrived at Cha's Group.

The moment Hyunseok stepped inside the building, the previously calm and quiet atmosphere of the office seemed to change, as conversations suddenly became louder and employees began stealing glances in his direction.

There were plenty of people in the company who secretly dreamed of becoming Hyunseok's partner, regardless of whether they were alphas, betas, or omegas, but their interest in him wasn't simply because he was the heir to Cha's Group.

It was because Hyunseok was a Crown Alpha.

Crown Alphas were extremely rare, and their pheromones were said to be powerful enough to overwhelm even Dominant Alphas, making them an existence that most people had only heard about through rumors and confidential records.

There were many things about Crown Alphas that ordinary people knew nothing about, and most of those details were kept strictly confidential.

Hyunseok ignored the attention surrounding him and walked directly into his office, where he sat down behind his desk and looked at the files that had already been placed in front of him.

A few minutes later, Mr. Kim entered the office carrying a large espresso and carefully placed it on Hyunseok's desk.

"Your coffee, sir."

Hyunseok simply nodded before picking up the cup and taking a slow sip, his attention already returning to the documents in front of him.

He went through every file carefully, reading each page from beginning to end before signing the documents that met his approval and setting aside the ones he believed needed further consideration.

Even the smallest mistake could create serious problems for the company, so Hyunseok refused to rush through his work, carefully checking every detail while occasionally taking another sip of his coffee.

After going through several more files, he finally noticed one that contained the details of an important meeting scheduled for that afternoon.

Hyunseok leaned back in his chair and slowly closed his eyes.

He had intended to rest for only a moment.

But after several minutes of sitting in the quiet office, surrounded by the faint hum of the air conditioner and the muted sounds of people working outside, his exhaustion gradually caught up with him.

Before he realized it, Hyunseok had fallen asleep.

And once again, a strange dream found him.

This time, he was walking along a narrow path covered entirely in thorns.

Every step was painful, and the sharp thorns tore at his feet as he continued forward, yet Hyunseok didn't stop.

There was blood beneath his steps, but he kept walking.

Ahead of him, a mysterious figure  completely in black was walking farther and farther away.

Hyunseok couldn't see the person's face clearly enough to recognize him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand why he felt such a strong need to follow him.

Still, without knowing who the stranger was or where he was going, Hyunseok continued after him.

"Wait..."

He stretched out his hand, desperately trying to reach the figure.

But the farther he walked, the greater the distance between them seemed to become, as though the path itself were stretching endlessly between them.

Hyunseok tried to move faster, continuing forward despite the thorns beneath his feet, desperately trying to close the distance, but the figure only seemed to move farther away.

"Wait!"

He reached out again.

His fingers almost seemed close enough to touch the stranger, but before he could reach him, the figure suddenly vanished into thin air.

Hyunseok stopped.

He stood there alone, surrounded by nothing but the endless path of thorns.

Yet even then, he continued walking.

Step after step.

Until eventually, the path came to an end.

Hyunseok stopped at the edge of a cliff and looked ahead, but there was nowhere else to go.

There was no path beyond the edge.

Only empty space stretching into darkness.

Then, without warning, someone suddenly appeared in front of him.

The figure was standing in midair, with nothing beneath his feet.

Hyunseok stared at him in disbelief before slowly looking closer.

His breath caught.

The stranger looked exactly like Yihan.

He was wearing nothing more than a simple T-shirt and shorts, and there was blood coming down from his shorts, while his hands were held tightly together in front of him.

Tears filled his eyes as he stared directly at Hyunseok, his expression carrying a sadness that Hyunseok couldn't understand.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Yihan slowly opened his mouth.

"Hyun..."

He was about to say something more when the sound of the office door suddenly opening shattered the dream.

Hyunseok's eyes snapped open.

He immediately lifted his head from the chair, his breathing uneven as he stared toward the person who had just entered the room, while the strange image of Yihan standing alone in the air remained hauntingly vivid inside his mind.