CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45

Yu Jin’s POV

The car hit a red light, and I noticed it immediately. Min’s hands had gone rigid on the wheel. His eyes, the ones that had been dark and dangerous a second ago, flickered unfocused. His jaw twitched.

"Min?" I reached for him. His head jerked toward me, but not fully conscious.

He blinked, slowly, like someone was yanking him back into himself. The scent rolling off him was thick, heavy as usual, and it pushed against my chest. My stomach dropped.

"Don’t..." he rasped, voice low and strangled. "Don’t touch me."

I froze, but the bond between us pulsed hard. I could feel it in my chest, tight and sharp, like it was dragging me into his blackout with him.

"What the hell’s happening?" I muttered, almost to myself.

He blinked again, focusing, and then everything snapped back. He gripped the wheel so hard I could see his knuckles whiten. "Nothing. Forget it."

I didn’t. I will never forget these things. Not anymore. Not after the motel.

By the time we pulled into HQ, my nerves were taut. The valet didn’t even flinch. Everyone else in the lobby did, in little ways I caught: the subtle recoil, the tilt of the head, the scent recognition that they thought they were hiding.

"Yu Jin," Min said quietly once we were in the elevator. "You’ll be working here again."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Back at the company. Full time." He didn’t look at me, but his hand brushed the small of my back as we entered the board floor. "I built this company with my sweat, I won’t let any fucker tell me what to do."

I swallowed hard, heart stuttering. That wasn’t just an announcement, it was a declaration. And everyone could feel it. Board members stiffened in their chairs, assistants held their breath, and someone muttered under their breath just loud enough for me to catch: "He’s serious?"

I had no time to think about it because Min froze mid-step. Not stopped. Frozen.

His chest didn’t move for a heartbeat I could count. I realized my stomach flipped at the same time his jaw clenched. The bond pulsed, dragging me into the blackout with him.

Then he shuddered, exhaling sharply, and the world tipped sideways for a fraction of a second. People around us noticed. Some covered it with polite coughs. Others glanced at me like I was the trigger.

"Min?" My voice was sharp. "You okay?"

He shook his head, like trying to reset. "Fine." But the way he gripped the armrest suggested anything but.

***

By the time the board meeting started, tension had doubled. The room had gone quiet, because Min was here and because they could feel the bond too, even if they didn’t know what it meant. The board was made of humans and very few Alphas who had learned the art of properly masking their scent, everyone knew about the hatred of Park min for the ABO world.

I sat down across from him, noticing the first trace of it: a folded piece of paper slid across the table toward him. Something felt off about the texture, heavier than normal. My hand twitched before I realized I’d reached for it.

"Don’t touch that."

He looked at me, eyes narrowing. "You see it too?"

"Yes," I said flatly, picking up the paper. Thicker section sealed in. Someone was trying to test him. I didn’t know what yet, but instinct screamed danger. I laid my hand over it, just enough to block him. Min nodded once, like he was approving my choice even though he didn’t say it out loud.

The CEO of another company, seated at the corner, smiled politely. "Mr. Park, we’re curious how your...companion..." He gestured to me, "...fits in the corporate world. Full-time, I hear?"

Min’s jaw flexed. His hands tightened, subtle but violent. I felt it in my chest, tight and clawing. I could see the other CEO’s smile falter. They had no idea what they’d triggered.

"Yes," Min said finally, voice smooth, calm. "Full-time. He works for me, he always dod. Except now it’s full time."

The room stiffened. Not just because of the words, but because the danger in his tone wrapped around everyone. They could see it in his posture. I could feel it.

***

After the polite introductions, the first confrontation hit. Someone; a senior board member approached my side. His smile was tight. "Yu Jin," he said. "A word."

I followed him into a side room, heart thumping. He closed the door, leaned back, crossing his arms. "You don’t belong here," he said softly. "You think you’re safe, but you’re not. People like you, attached to people like him..."

I didn’t flinch. Instead, I realized the bond reacted before I even fully felt the words. My stomach turned, my pulse spiked, my chest tightened. He didn’t know, couldn’t know, but the warning traveled through me anyway. Park’s anger wasn’t something controllable. What a weird thing to contract.

"I’m fine," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"No," he whispered. "You’re not. And if he keeps letting you walk around like this, you’re going to pay for it. You’re weak."

I laughed, bitter and sharp. "Exposed? You think I don’t notice what’s going on? You think I don’t see y’alls little game?" my heart wasn’t even with me as I was talking but I kept talking.

He froze, like I’d hit him with a knife. "What are you.."

"I noticed the paper he didn’t touch. I noticed the micro-scan glitching when you moved. I noticed your damn perfume and nervous glances. And I noticed the second he started to blackout, you’re forgetting I’m his omega and my body answers before I even understand it."

His face went pale. He tried to hide it with a cough. "That’s impossible..."

I smirked. "Nothing about this world is impossible anymore. You should know that."

***

Back in the main room, Min’s jaw clenched in subtle frustration. I could see it in the corner of my eye.

Then it happened again. Another blackout. This one sharper, shorter. He froze mid-sentence, eyes glazing. My chest tightened. I could barely think.

"Yu Jin." His voice was low, rough. "Cover me."

I blinked, and the board member watching noticed the shift too. His eyes narrowed. They weren’t supposed to feel that. But they did.

Min pulled himself together, exhaling slowly. "Everyone sees you now," he said softly, voice low but deadly. " Don’t react...you’ll draw my attention."

I clenched my fists. "I can handle it."

"You don’t know that yet," he muttered, jaw tight.

"Everyone out!!" He said as I struggled to calm him. This bond was one of the most difficult I had ever noticed.

After shielding Park min for so long I needed to use the restroom to wee off much of what I inhaled when I overheard the phone call.

"Yes madam Park, I’m doing my best to ensure that Park min is completely broken."

What the actual hell?