The rain had been falling since evening, soft and steady, coating the streets in silver light.
Seoul looked different these days too many faces that didn't belong, too many names whispered on the news.
Inside a black sedan,
Kim Taekyun sat in silence, eyes fixed on the blurred city through the window. The world outside moved, but he didn't.
The stillness around him was heavy the kind that made even words afraid to come out.
From the driver's seat, Lee Lihan spoke carefully.
"Sir, did you hear about that new Omega?"
Taekyun didn't respond.
Lihan glanced in the mirror before continuing,
"Another one appeared last week. But this one's different."
"Different how?"
Taekyun's tone was flat, low.
"They've been appearing for a year now Travelers from another world. But this Omega no record, no background, no trace of where he came from.
Just appeared one night, then vanished again."
Taekyun finally turned his gaze.
"And?"
Lihan hesitated, lowering his voice.
"People say he's the most beautiful Omega since the phenomenon began."
Taekyun's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Neopharm's already after him,"
Lihan added.
The name alone changed the air.
Neopharm the rival pharmaceutical company that built its empire by crossing every moral line possible.
"They're working on pheromone synthesis again,"
Lihan continued.
"Every Traveler they capture disappears before results come out. This time they want him alive.
Rumor says his pheromone type doesn't match any known variant."
The Alpha's hand rested against his knee, fingers still.
"Find him before they do."
"Yes, sir."
The phone rang. Lihan pressed the button. "Yes, Miss Bora?"
The assistant's voice came through gently.
"Mr. Kim, Miss Haru's been asking since morning if you'll bring her the strawberry cake again."
Lihan turned slightly. "Sir?"
Taekyun's face didn't move.
"Stop by the bakery," he said.
"Yes, sir."
The car slowed to a stop near a quiet street. Taekyun stepped out, tall frame disappearing under the yellow glow of the small bakery sign.
Lihan watched him go and sighed quietly. "He still can't smile," he muttered.
It had been two years since the accident the one that took his wife and left his daughter mute.
Haru lived surrounded by warmth but grew up without laughter.
Taekyun gave her everything except what she really needed a father who could feel.
Rain dripped from the roof, tracing lines down the car windows.
That's when he heard it faint, uneven footsteps from the alley beside them.
An Omega stumbled out of the shadows. His clothes were soaked, his breathing shallow, face pale as if drained of life itself. Fear made his hands shake.
"Don't let him get away!"
voices echoed from behind.
Haneul didn't look back. His lungs burned,
His body felt like it could collapse at any moment. He'd been running for days from people who called him a miracle.
He scanned the street desperately. Then his eyes caught the sleek black car parked near the bakery its back door slightly open.
He didn't think. He just ran.
The moment his hand touched the handle, he slipped inside and closed it silently behind him.
Even lihan hadn't noticed,
The car was warm. It smelled faintly of cedar and clean soap and now, of rain.
He crawled low, curling into the shadow beneath the seat.
His hands covered his mouth as he tried to quiet his trembling breath.
Outside, the shouts faded into the distance.
Seconds stretched.
The only sound was the rain.
Then the door opened again.
Taekyun stepped inside, the scent of fresh bread following him.
He set the small cake box beside him and adjusted his coat.
And then it hit him.
A scent. Soft, fragile, almost unreal. It brushed through the cold edges of his senses like a whisper, warm and trembling. His chest tightened without reason.
It wasn't just an Omega scent. It felt like calm after a storm. Like something he hadn't felt in two years peace.
His gaze sharpened.
"Lihan," he said quietly.
"Yes, sir?"
"Did anyone come near the car?"
Lihan frowned. "No one. Why?"
Taekyun's voice was low, steady.
Then why there's an Omega scent in here?
Under the seat, Haneul froze. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might give him away.
The rain outside drowned everything except the quiet inhale of the Alpha above him, sensing something he shouldn't.