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Hwang In-ho and Seong Gi-hun were not together.
At least that was the golden and unspoken rule in the criminal organization known as ‘Squid’.
“Sir, I believe we should address the security concerns in the ‘Ddakji’ area. Our manager, the ‘Recruiter’ will not want to be exposed to a second attack after someone came in to steal supplies,” informed Kang No-Eul, reading the report of the previous night’s incident.
In-ho frowned at that problem, thinking that he would have to deploy more security to meet the demands of that idiot Kim Shin.
However, the young alpha’s attention was broken when one of his most trusted guards, other than Kang No-Eul, entered his office.
“Excuse me, boss. You have a visitor. He just dropped by to see you quickly; he didn’t want to interfere in today’s schedule,” said the alpha Kang Dae-ho with a regretful gesture.
No-Eul complained impatiently, “He’s busy, this is important, and I don’t want to deal with Mr. Kim’s tantrums again.”
“Dae-ho, how important is it?“ asked In-ho, reviewing the reports of the attack on the Ddakji warehouses, thinking that perhaps if Kim Shin hadn’t requested the red and blue paint, because they were his favorite colors, they would attract less attention.
“It’s Mr. Seong.”
As if it was a spell from which the young Front Man had awakened, In-ho’s head turned his attention to Dae-ho, wondering if he had heard correctly.
“Gi-hun is here?” asked In-ho to him.
No-Eul arched an eyebrow in annoyance as she noticed how even the mafioso’s pupils had expanded in joy at the man’s name.
“Oh, yes. Mister Gi-hun said he just stopped by to remind you about the medical appointment today at one o’clock in the afternoon. He said he didn’t want to intrude,” Dae-ho admitted with a smile at the thought of how much he liked the old yet cute omega.
In-ho firmly placed both feet against the floor to push his swivel chair back and step out from behind his desk at a gallant pace. The alpha grabbing his black coat to leave the office at a hurried pace.
“And he’s leaving. Well done, fool,” grumbled No-Eul, growling through her teeth.
Dae-ho looked with confusion at the remark of the boss’s assistant and best sniper, furrowing his eyebrows in disagreement. “You want me to lose my job if I didn’t tell him anything related to Mister Gi-hun?”
“The one who will lose her job will be me when I quit for being harassed even in my dreams, by the idiot Recruiter,” complained No-Eul in frustration.
Dae-ho sighed, “I’ll deal with him. Don’t worry about him that much, my dear noona.”
No-Eul gestured in a scandalized manner as she handed the stack of documents to the taller alpha, teasingly tapping him on the shoulder. “I’m just one year ahead of you, you bratty idiot! And you had better calm down that fool, or I’m going to assign you to desk duty for 6 months!”
Dae-ho laughed, trying to placate the anger of the petite alpha, who looked exhausted, wanting to help her coworker from her heavy workload.
“Gi-hun-hyung!” called In-ho, trying to hurry his pace but without appearing to be running up to the taller man.
The thirty-five-year-old man turned to look at the young alpha, smiling ruefully. “Ah, I was just supposed to give you an errand because I was on my way. I didn’t want to bother you.”
In-ho frowned at those words and wanted to clarify things. “Gi-hun, you have never been bothersome to me. Wait,” he stopped when he noticed the omega cutely wore an oversized cardigan in a soft pink color, with his hand on his seven-month-pregnant tummy. “Why hasn’t anyone offered you a seat?”
The two guards Gi-hun had been talking to tensed in fright at the alpha’s claim about the delicate state the omega was in. Their enthusiastic participation had smoothed every wrinkle from their black formal suits, each accented with a pink tie and a white circular pin on the right breast.
“Boss, we didn’t-“ stammered nervously one of the guards, after the alpha’s clear anger. Both men could swear that even the mobster’s irises changed to a sinister reddish.
Gi-hun interjected a snort and grabbed the younger man’s right forearm, who immediately turned his attention to him. “I told them I didn’t need to sit down, I drove here. And I was just dropping off an errand. They even gave me an iced tea,” he admitted, pointing to the bottle on the reception table where Geum-ja was still working, even though she was listening to everything.
“Are you really alright, Gi-hun? They know they need to take excellent care of you,” In-ho admitted, worried about the condition of the omega or the baby in Gi-hun’s womb.
Gi-hun released his grip on In-ho, who twisted his mouth downward, disappointed to lose that contact between them. “I promise I am fine. I know that I can call a friend or an Uber. But so far, I am good. Now that I have reminded you about your appointment with the gynecologist, I can go. In case you can’t go, I understand where-”
“Have you had lunch yet, hyung?” asked the Front Man, interrupting the omega.
The young mafioso’s sudden, irrelevant question, took aback Gi-hun “Wait, how does that relate to my previous statement? I know that you must be pretty busy right now!”
The Front man was reluctant to leave the matter, to turn completely to the man taller than him, waving his left shoe impatiently, rattling the black marble floor beneath him.
“You haven’t had lunch, hyung? Do you want me to order you something to eat, or would you prefer me to request something from my chef? How are your cravings?” In-ho bombarded the pregnant omega with questions.
Gi-hun let out a mumbling groan to bring his hand to his head. That was the same reason it was difficult to talk to the overprotective alpha.
Unfortunately, that micro gesture of annoyance had caused even more concern in the young alpha.
“You two, call my doctor,” In-ho scolded them, coming over to check on the condition of his baby’s father. The guards looked upset, thinking of talking to In-ho’s private doctor in his office one floor below.
Geum-ja had stopped typing on the computer to turn her attention to her boss and his non-partner.
Gi-hun sighed, reaching over to In-ho’s shoulders, who seemed to be vibrating with anxiety, to look him in the eyes in annoyance.
“In-ho, I’m fine. Stop ordering everyone around like they’re there to attend to me all the time. I know you’re busy, and I didn’t mean to interfere with your routine. It’s already a lot for you to come to the monthly checkup with me every month if I had been strong enough to resist my heat.” Gi-hun had whispered almost sadly the last to caress his belly, trying to calm his mood.
In-ho meant something else about Gi-hun or his baby being the most relevant to him. Also, he had never blamed Gi-hun for the unexpected, yet desired, pregnancy, which was getting them together.
“Boss, why don’t you take Gi-hun-nim to the Vietnamese restaurant that opened a few blocks from here? I understand it is almost lunchtime,” said Geum-ja, interrupting her boss, although her voice sounded firm and motherly.
In-ho blinked in surprise to remember the place he had discovered days before. “That’s right, I can have something to eat with Gi-hun-hyung before the medical appointment.”
“You’re the one who didn’t eat and yet you scolded me.” Gi-hun chuckled at how stubborn the younger man was.
Geum-ja turned to look at the omega, smiling with a cheerful smile, “Gi-hun-nim, please take my boss to eat something delicious, okay? Besides, that baby needs to eat well too, so he can grow up healthy and graceful.”
“Agreed,” admitted Gi-hun, nodding slightly, gently loosening his grip on the mobster’s shoulders.
In-ho gazed at Gi-hun’s profile, to confess something in a determined way, “The baby will already be born appealing by having Gi-hun-hyung’s genes. I just gotta make sure that both my baby and his father are safe, and they have whatever they need.”
The omega looked at the alpha, who held his gaze, smiling slightly warmly. Gi-hun knew how different Hwang In-ho was in every facet of his life. Including how feeling those dark eyes could gaze at him with such affection and longing.
The omega had to look away most of the time because he felt suffocated by all those emotions.
That, plus being able to distinguish how In-ho’s scent changed from being fresh to being barely sweet, like a soft tingle spreading from his skin to his throat.
“Come on, In-ho. Let’s get lunch. But I’ll pay,” warned Gi-hun, diving for his backpack when it was already on the mobster’s right arm.
“No, this is also my meal. And don't forget that an alpha must provide for his family.”
Gi-hun took a deep breath at the younger man’s behavior, tired of having to fight his every decision.
As they exited through the office doors, and the guards hurried to report that the boss was on his way out, Geum-ja smiled victoriously.
Output: And that’s that. Everyone knew the alpha and omega weren’t a thing. At least in the eyes of both In-ho and Gi-hun. But, everyone knew sometimes feelings and actions said it all.
Gi-hun sat on the chair in the waiting room after having gone to the restroom in the company of the watchful alpha, who had ensured that he was free from any threat.
He waited to make sure the omega was alright, then In-ho sat, pulling out his phone—it had just double-rung with a special notification. That setting he had set for three people because of the relevance they had in his life: his assistant No-Eul, who just happened to be sitting in one of the chairs in front of him, reading a paperback book; the other was his older brother Jun-ho, and the last was the adorable omega himself sitting next to him.
“Has the baby been kicking?” In-ho quickly replied to a couple of messages from Jun-ho, despite paying attention to Gi-hun’s answer.
“Not today, I think the baby is asleep,” admitted Gi-hun, catching In-ho’s astringent scent, thinking that he must be discouraged at not being able to spend much time with his baby, and therefore not being able to feel him just like Gi-hun did, “But if you put your hand on it, you can feel it move a little as they sleep.”
In-ho looked at him at once with a look of surprise and a glint of innocence in those normally calculating eyes. “Can I touch you? I mean, just to feel our baby.”
Gi-hun smiled stifling a yawn at how sleepy he was, thinking about how young his baby’s father was, despite the profession he had, “Yes, go ahead.”
In-ho put his cell phone in the inner pocket of the jacket he was carrying, to bring his left hand close to Gi-hun’s belly, trying to feel the baby.
“It almost feels like a massage,” Gi-hun admitted, smiling as he felt that hand caress with firm gentleness. In-ho looked at that moment like a young man his age, not the leader of a powerful mafia in his control.
“Are you still in pain, hyung? I can get you a few massages at a nice spa if that helps,” offered In-ho, worriedly searching Gi-hun’s face, noticing how the omega closed his eyes in a tired gesture.
“I’m fine, I already have two swimming lessons a week, but I guess it will be harder and harder to move as time goes by,” smiled Gi-hun, and nodded and said the last words almost incoherently.
Gently, In-ho kept making circular motions, before feeling the slow breathing of Gi-hun, who looked tired with some dark circles under his eyes. While In-ho didn’t feel good to think that the omega had sleepless nights, he was also trying not to harass his baby’s father so much. The young alpha was trying, despite his impulse, to even want to get the moon if Gi-hun’s mouth asked him to.
Feeling Gi-hun’s soft breathing nearby, In-ho settled him with gentle movements so that the omega could lie on his shoulder and doze for a few minutes before they were called to the doctor’s office.
No-Eul smiled tenderly at the sight of the young alpha crossing his arms protectively, even though In-ho had a soft, satisfied smile as he felt Gi-hun’s body so close to him. She thought of how cute was behaving the Front Man of the criminal group ‘Squid’ should have the same courage he presented to face a raid. And man up to start a relationship with the dazzling omega.
“Don’t they look adorable? This is one of my job’s best perks,” Dae-ho whispered, discreetly trying to photograph the adorable boss and father of his child.
“You’re going to be suspended if the Front Man catches you,” No-Eul crooned, despite feeling jealous of the younger man’s boldness in wanting to preserve the moment in a photograph.
“You’ll see that I won’t-“ Dae-ho contradicted her, trying to capture the best angle.
“Dae-ho, just take the picture and send it to me. I need it in a minute, or I’m going to cut a week’s pay,” In-ho ordered him, trying to appear composed despite his agitated heart at feeling so close to the omega whose sweet citrus scent had a sweetness akin to the sugar of a Dalgona sweet.
“No, boss!” complained Dae-ho in a frightened gesture to take several pictures and send them to his contact.
In-ho, for his part, smiled, as every ‘pink’ guard working for the twenty-four-year-old mobster nicknamed the ‘Front Man’, knew that if something mattered to their boss, they should not interfere or go against him. That included everything related to Seong Gi-hun and his future son. And better yet, they were to protect him as if he were important to them as well.
He could still remember how their paths had crossed because of the coincidences in life. And how despite the difference in age, social status, and work environment they had, both had coincided in life after a flat tire had landed him near the Ssangmun-dong area.
After they met, In-ho sent all the cars in his empire to be fixed at the company, bringing a new and important customer for Dragon Motors. While Gi-hun was only an employee, In-ho paid extra to ensure that Gi-hun would be the one to supervise other employees. In-ho also didn’t want the strenuous labor to be too much for the omega.
A low point in his life was when In-ho was nearby and could ask Gi-hun for an oil change as an excuse to see him. And naturally, some time chatting with the adorable omega would be great.
Discovering the tall omega among the crowd after a customer sabotaged his lemon tea while fixing his car triggered a sudden surge of protectiveness in him. When the near-fifty-year-old alpha male began to undress the trembling Gi-hun, In-ho intervened, pulling Gi-hun away to furiously beat the older man.
“In-ho, stop it,” Gi-hun begged him despite how unclear his mind was.
Only that request in the omega’s voice had stopped the mafia leader from assaulting the unconscious older alpha, who had abused the trust of the hardworking Gi-hun.
“Gi-hun-hyung, are you all right?" asked In-ho in distress, catching a whiff of Dalgona’s sweet candy aroma tickling his throat hungrily.
“No, I am not," admitted Gi-hun, trying to focus on something, despite the fever he had and feeling the damp clothes clinging to his body uncomfortably.
In-ho could have made the omega his own by seeing him in that state, admitting the sexual attraction he had felt for the older man. Of course, if his heart hadn’t felt helpless when he saw Gi-hun suffering.
The omega cried out in pain, his body rebelling, causing him to fight himself and act against his nature.
“Gi-hun," In-ho asked, keeping a cool head before the helpless omega, “Tell me what you need. Please.”
The omega’s eyes had looked at him pleadingly, trusting the alpha as his lifeline. “Please don’t leave me alone.”
The memory of Gi-hun’s tearful plea—eyes that had brought them together for three days amidst his rising body heat—caused In-ho to take a deep breath. Despite precautions and care, an unplanned pregnancy ultimately led to their union.
Perhaps the situation was unusual, but at least now Gi-hun and he had a unique bond to share together that would last a lifetime.
With an indulgent smile, In-ho tried to remain calm as he felt the soft tingle of Gi-hun’s hair on his skin.
Oblivious to this, he was unaware that not only Dae-ho had been one guard who had taken photographs of the event between the two. And now the unnamed pink guard was sending a text message to an unknown number.
The answer came immediately.
‘Try to enter the room during the appointment. We need to know the due date of the future heir of Leader Hwang. We need the date to send condolences to him for a funeral.’
‘Agreed, boss.’ sent back the message of the mole.
THE END (?)