Chapter Text
Jake was an absolute disaster. And he knew it. Or at least, he thought he knew it. Because if failing not one, but two exams in a row, spilling coffee on his mom’s new blouse, and nearly tripping over his own shoelaces in front of his father’s prestigious guests was a disaster, then yes, Jake was the human embodiment of chaos.
At twenty-one, with a mop of unruly hair and eyes too bright for his own good, Jake had a talent for turning even the simplest situations into a full-blown catastrophe. His parents had finally had enough—after the third stern warning and a very pointed glare from his father, they’d delivered their ultimatum: either straighten out or… well, Jake knew what the “or” meant. He was now an intern. At Lee Corps.
The thing was, Jake didn’t exactly know what Lee Corps did. He knew it involved money and big people in suits and that it was important. What he didn’t know was that the CEO of said empire—the man whose glare could probably bankrupt entire countries—was about to become the most inconvenient, frustrating, and infuriating person he’d ever meet.
Heeseung Lee, alpha, CEO. Twenty-nine. Infuriatingly handsome. Rude. Grumpy. Terrifying. And, for some reason, carrying the weight of the world on his broad shoulders like it was perfectly normal. Heeseung didn’t do smiles. He didn’t do jokes. He didn’t do patience—especially not for clumsy, awkward omegas who couldn’t string two coherent sentences together without face-planting into their own words.
Which made Jake’s first day a complete trainwreck.
“Mr. Lee… sir… I mean—hello,” Jake said, bowing in what he hoped was an acceptable blend of respect and charm.
Heeseung raised an eyebrow, lips pressed into a straight line so sharp it could cut glass. “Are you always this… chaotic?”
Jake flushed. “I… uh… only on Mondays.”
It was Thursday.
That, unfortunately, was just the beginning. From missed deadlines to misread emails, from tripping over the office carpet to nearly spilling someone’s latte on Heeseung’s immaculate suit, Jake’s presence was like a livewire of trouble. Yet, somehow, the alpha’s sharp eyes always lingered a fraction too long, always noticed the tiny ways Jake tried—however poorly—to redeem himself.
And Jake noticed, too. Oh, he noticed.
He noticed the way Heeseung’s jaw tensed when Jake leaned too close, spilling words and apologies like confetti. He noticed the way the alpha’s breath hitched, just a little, whenever Jake laughed—careless, bright, and full of life. He noticed the way Jungwon, Heeseung’s adoptive son, watched him like he was the sun itself, eyes sparkling with some secret approval that made Jake’s chest ache.
But… feelings were complicated. Especially when the alpha in question was painfully off-limits. Heeseung was grumpy, sharp, intimidating, and apparently too good for someone like Jake. And yet… even after a night that neither of them could forget—an embassy event, a drink too many, a heated argument that had ended in whispered confessions and reckless touches—Heeseung had shut down. Pushed Jake away. Broke his heart into tiny, jagged pieces.
Jake had tried to move on. He really had. He’d even agreed to an arranged marriage with Juseong—the brute alpha who had once humiliated him and whom he absolutely, did not trust. Heeseung had warned him. Tried to make him understand. Tried to fight the invisible war of emotions behind his stoic mask. And Jake… he just stared, cold and unreadable, hiding the truth behind a wall of silence.
A wall that no one knew hid a secret. A tiny life, growing quietly inside him, born from a night of reckless mistakes and forbidden desire.
And now… the day of his wedding. A day meant to be filled with pomp, pride, and fear, was instead… empty. Juseong was missing. The doors of the grand hall opened to reveal not his so-called groom, but Heeseung Lee, chaos incarnate, perched on a plush couch like he owned the world—and maybe, Jake realized, he did. His smirk was infuriating. Confident. Cocky. Dangerous.
“Looking for someone?” Heeseung’s voice was low, teasing… and somehow, terrifyingly intimate.
Jake swallowed. His heart betrayed him with a thundering pulse. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be furious. But the truth—deep, stubborn, messy truth—was that he still wanted this alpha more than anything else in the world.
And Heeseung? Heeseung was never going to make it easy.
Because love, in their world, was always messy. Chaotic. A storm that neither of them knew how to navigate.
And somehow, neither of them would ever want to let go.