TL | Chapter 27 | Sex Partner

Iden arrived at Luciano Corp after 9, but no one dared to scold him for being late. Maybe they were only surprised at first, or perhaps Iden had done something about it, but people had stopped whispering about Seowon as much as they used to. Thanks to that, Seowon didn’t feel as affected by the stares as before.

“We checked all people related to us or in hostile relations within the past week, but no one entered South Korea. We even extended the period to two weeks, but no one noticeable has shown up,” Min reported, handing a file to Iden, who skimmed through it. It listed the recent whereabouts of key figures in the organizations they were monitoring. None of them had entered South Korea.

“If you’re looking for the person who visited the memorial park, it wasn’t a foreigner. Based on their build, hair color, and facial features, they’re most likely Korean,” Seowon added his thoughts while listening.

“Either way, it was probably someone hired to run errands,” Iden replied, setting the document down. Was ‘errand boy’ really just a word for someone running simple errands? Seowon shivered, feeling as though the job title might also encompass a ‘killer’ role.

“Find all the errand boys active within Korea. Check if any of them are taking requests from abroad, especially the U.S.,” Iden instructed, to which Min nodded and exited. Only Iden and Seowon remained in the office. Feeling Iden’s gaze fixed on him, Seowon turned his head, only to find Iden, arms crossed, staring intently at him.

He almost asked why Iden was looking at him that way, but he held back. Iden’s eyes were already brimming with discontent.

“Come here.”

Iden gestured with his eyes to the spot right in front of him.

“I can hear you just fine from here.”

Seowon maintained a distance of about five steps from the desk where Iden sat. It was close enough for a conversation. His message was clear: he had no intention of moving closer. Iden let out a short, sarcastic chuckle.

“So, you’re going to act like this.”

“…We’re at work.”

Regardless of the fact that he’d chosen Iden, and that they’d spent the entire Heat Cycle tangled in bed, business was business. Seowon was here as his bodyguard in the Luciano building.

“I don’t get why you insist on this pointless stubbornness, knowing it’s meaningless.”

Everyone in the building knew Seowon wasn’t just a bodyguard. No one was unaware that he was someone special to Iden. Even the security guard in the lobby treated Seowon differently. Even the executives he’d occasionally met in the corridors, seemingly high-ranking, would nod respectfully to him.

He wasn’t used to it; it was downright uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do. Even if they were confused, wondering if a dead man had come back to life, they treated Seowon with utmost respect. Their behavior was a small but telling example of how much they feared Iden.

“Most employees can’t even make eye contact with the Director,” Min had once casually remarked. Luciano Corp wasn’t a normal company. Everyone working here knew that all too well, and to them, Iden was more than just a director. He was the heir to a mafia organization, and the unspoken premise was clear: one misstep and they might disappear without a trace.

That reverence extended to Seowon. So, even if Seowon alone insisted on separating personal from professional matters, it was largely pointless, just as Iden said.

Everyone knew he wasn’t here to simply protect Iden as his bodyguard. Drawing a line with polite speech at work didn’t really mean much. But Seowon himself couldn’t cross that line.

Iden, who had risen from his seat, closed the distance himself, coming right up to Seowon, who refused to budge. He reached out, taking Seowon’s hand.

“I told you, it was your choice.”

Iden’s fingers intertwined with Seowon’s between his own. Seowon took a deep breath and yanked his hand away.

“Right. I chose it.”

Iden gave a slight smirk, seemingly pleased when Seowon finally spoke without formality, given they were alone.

“We didn’t really have a choice during the Heat Cycle. Come to think of it, both you and I don’t have any other way to deal with the Heat or the Rut. That’s why I decided there’s no point in pushing you away.”

As Seowon continued with a calm tone, Iden’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he tilted his head.

“So what you’re saying is…”

“A sex partner.”

Iden’s face visibly hardened at the word that slipped from Seowon’s lips before he could say anything. Seowon’s heart churned too. He never imagined he’d be referring to Iden as a ‘sex partner.’ His chest ached as he said the words, and he wondered if Iden felt the same.

But right now, there was no other way to define it. Even if he had accepted having sex with him, it didn’t mean they were lovers. In Seowon’s eyes, Iden was still not his “Iden hyung.”

“Ha!”

Iden, who had been glaring at Seowon with a fierce gaze, let out a breathless laugh as if he couldn’t believe it.

“A sex partner…? That’s how you define it?”

There was a trace of mockery in Iden’s voice. Seowon met his gaze without flinching. If he wavered now, it felt as though he’d be surrendering even his feelings to Iden’s control.

Iden smirked, turning his head away first. It seemed he’d accepted Seowon’s definition, whether he liked it or not. As Seowon exhaled the breath he’d been holding, Iden suddenly turned and gripped Seowon’s neck, closing the distance abruptly.

“What the hell are you doing…!”

“Do you want me to show you how I used to treat my sex partners before I found you?”

Iden’s voice was so flat it was hard to tell if he was asking or talking to himself. Seowon frowned and met Iden’s gaze. After a few seconds, Iden sighed deeply, releasing his grip.

“As you said, the only person I can have sex with right now is you. But I didn’t hold you because I needed a sex partner. I could’ve managed just fine with suppressants.”

Seowon understood what he was saying.

“Maybe you could, but I couldn’t.”

At Seowon’s short, resolute reply, Iden’s face turned cold. He clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding. It seemed as if an icy blue aura flickered around him. It wasn’t just an illusion; Iden’s pheromones were spilling out. It was a chilling scent, baring the wrath of an Alpha, not the sweet fragrance of desire.

“So, you’re going to keep me as a sex partner? To calm your Heat Cycle?”

It was a voice colder than anything Seowon had ever heard from him. He didn’t respond, just met Iden’s gaze. Iden’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

“You’re probably the only one who’d dare say they’d use Iden de Luciano as a Heat Cycle suppressant.”

It was the first time Seowon had heard Iden use his full name. To Seowon, he was always “Jeong Iden,” his mother’s surname. Mentioning the Luciano name was a reminder of his identity as a mafia heir.

Who would dare claim they’d make the Luciano heir a mere sex partner? No one, unless they were utterly fearless. But Seowon knew he could get away with it, because he knew that he was the only one Iden could sleep with.

“If you don’t like it, you can refuse. I’ll find a way to get suppressants somehow.”

This wasn’t about him wanting to handle his future Heat Cycles with Iden. He intended to get suppressants through Jian anyway. But he needed an excuse for the past few days, not to Iden, but to himself.

“If there’s nothing more to say, I’ll be outside.”

As Seowon turned to end the conversation, Iden grabbed his arm and pulled him in with force. His other hand wrapped around Seowon’s neck as he pressed their lips together. Seowon resisted, clenching his lips shut, but Iden bit down, and a groan slipped out. In that vulnerable moment, Iden’s tongue forced its way in, roughly exploring his mouth.

For a split second, he considered biting down but knew he couldn’t. No matter what, he couldn’t bear to hurt Iden.

Iden finally let Seowon go after thoroughly invading his mouth.

“Fine. Let’s call it sex partners.”

Iden wiped his saliva-slicked lips with the back of his hand, staring at Seowon.

“But in that case, we’ll have sex whenever I want, not just during your Heat Cycles. In true sex partner fashion.”