AOA Chapter 1

“Are you Hwang Yeonseo?”

 

Yeonseo’s shoulders flinched as the man called her name. 

 

With her eyes blindfolded, and her hands tied behind her back, Yeonseo shrank further into the corner. She couldn’t tell who it was just by the voice. 

 

‘Was he one of the men who had kidnapped her, a rescue team member who had received a report, or just a passerby?’

 

Whoever he was, it was clear that he was a high-ranking alpha who had no intention of hiding his pheromones. 

 

The scent he was emitting freely, without restraint, reminded her of deep oakmoss.

 

It was a scent that seemed to come from an ancient tree, both serene and profound. The damp, penetrating aroma was so intense that it shook her rationality and made her bow her head to him.

 

After being confined for three days, her dry nostrils felt as if they were being pricked by needles. 

 

Yet, like burying her head in an oasis found in the desert, Yeonseo kept inhaling the violent scent.

 

He was different. This man couldn’t be one of the dirty thugs who kidnapped omegas without backing, nor could he be a righteous ABO rescue team member. 

 

This scent proudly declared that he had lived without bowing to anyone and had dominated others beneath his feet. In short, he was dignified and arrogant.

 

“Who…”

 

Yeonseo’s voice, parched from enduring thirst for so long, was as cracked as the bottom of a drought. 

 

But as she inhaled the man’s scent, her body temperature naturally rose, and saliva gradually returned to her mouth. 

 

As she moved her tongue, swallowed the dry saliva, and cleared her throat, the man’s hand moved to her head.

 

Her sense of touch had dulled, so she only realized it after the blindfold fell away. Suddenly, her vision cleared, but fortunately, the room was dark, so it wasn’t painful.

 

Yeonseo forced her dry eyes open and looked at the man. 

 

Though it was hard to see clearly since he was backlit, she thought her gaze met his deep, intense eyes—eyes that matched his scent. 

 

Or, at least, she thought they did.

 

“Third child among one son and four daughters. The only omega in your family. A Grade A special management target under the protection of ABO, yet kidnapped two days ago. Hwang Yeonseo, a student at Korea University. Am I right?”

 

Yeonseo’s chapped, cracked lips trembled slightly. 

 

The fact that he knew her personal information so thoroughly meant he was undoubtedly connected to the people who had kidnapped her.

 

Omegas were rare. Though the genetic traits of alphas, betas, and omegas had become deeply ingrained in society, the number of omegas had been steadily decreasing over the years.

 

To protect these omegas, the international organization ABO, dedicated to alpha and omega affairs, provided strict management and support. 

 

Yet, the darkness of society had enveloped Hwang Yeonseo faster than the light could reach her. She couldn’t even remember how she had been kidnapped. 

 

It was as if someone had taken scissors to her memory, cutting out that part entirely. She had been shopping with her sister, and the next thing she knew, she was trapped here. 

 

She hadn’t even realized she was being kidnapped, let alone had the chance to press the emergency button on her smartwatch. 

 

Now, instead of a smartwatch, a rope was tied around her wrist.

 

“Yes… I’m Hwang Yeonseo…”

 

Yeonseo nodded obediently, sensing the man’s expectation of an answer. 

 

Whether this was a premeditated crime or he had researched her after the kidnapping, his words implied that two days had passed since her abduction, and the rescue team still hadn’t found her.

 

“Hwang Yeonseo. Hwang… Yeonseo.”

 

He seemed to like the sound of her name, rolling it over his tongue several times. 

 

Being toyed with by such an arrogant and powerful alpha wasn’t a good thing. Her body was already reacting.

 

“You gave me quite the trouble to find. Whoever hid you knew kidnapping an omega was insane. They made sure not a single strand of that pretty hair was visible.”

 

But then he said something unexpected, as if he wasn’t the mastermind behind her kidnapping.

 

‘Hng… Ugh…’

 

Only then did Yeonseo notice the faint groans in the background. 

 

They came from the figures writhing like insects beneath the feet of the bodyguards surrounding the man. 

 

The smell of blood, which she had missed earlier due to being overwhelmed by his pheromones, also reached her senses.

 

Her mind, which had been sluggish until now, quickly grasped the situation. 

 

The man truly was a third party—neither one of the kidnappers nor affiliated with ABO. Yet, he had known who she was and had come looking for her…

 

“Without your phone or smartwatch, ABO has no way to track you. If they drug you enough, you won’t even remember who you are, let alone try to escape. ABO really hit a weak spot this time.”

 

His words added a chilling reality to the fear she had been carrying since her abduction.

Despite being a ‘special management target’ under ABO, she had been kidnapped. 

 

Her sister, Naeun, must have reported her disappearance immediately, and the rescue team would have spared no effort to find her. 

 

Yet, it was this man before her who had managed to locate her.

 

“P-please, help me.”

 

Knowing that ABO would struggle to find her, she had no choice but to escape with this man. But the problem was his attitude. 

 

Even after her plea, he remained silent, as if he had no intention of helping her out of goodwill. 

 

If he had, he would have at least asked if she was okay. He had only confirmed her identity, showing no concern for her condition.

 

Yeonseo forced her weak, unresponsive legs to move, crawling toward him. Her knees scraped against the floor, red and torn, but she finally reached his feet.

 

He stood there, impeccably dressed in a clean suit and black leather gloves, completely out of place in this setting. 

 

A single drop of blood on the polished tip of his shoe felt jarringly out of sync.

 

“If you save me… I’ll do anything.”

 

He had come for her with a purpose. Whatever that purpose was, she had to cling to him, no matter what.

 

For the first time, a hint of satisfaction flickered in the man’s eyes as he looked down at her. His intention was clear—he would only extend his hand if she fully admitted her desperation.

 

“Are you really willing to do anything?”

 

His question, as if testing her resolve, threw her into confusion. 

 

It felt like he was asking if she could accept even the most horrifying outcome. His gaze, patient yet cold, made it clear that if she hesitated, he would leave her behind without a second thought.

 

If he walked away now, she didn’t need to imagine what those writhing figures in the corner would do to her. 

 

Closing her eyes tightly and then opening them again, Yeonseo barely managed to speak.

 

“Anything is better than staying here… Promise that…”

 

“Anything would be better than being drugged and crushed by those disgusting old beta women, right?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Before she could even finish, the man laughed aloud, his clear laughter ringing out in the room.

 

Yeonseo couldn’t tell if she had made the right choice. 

 

After two days in complete darkness, pushed to her limits, her rational judgment was practically nonexistent. 

 

And even now, his pheromones were soaking her, making her body react uncontrollably.

 

She might regret this decision as soon as she escaped. He could very well be the mastermind behind her kidnapping, lying through his teeth. 

 

But Yeonseo chose to believe him. Those who always stood at the top had no reason to deceive or manipulate others—everything already went their way.

 

“Since I’ve received such a willing answer, I suppose I should reward you.”

 

The man reached out, stroking her head as if petting a dog, then gripping the back of her neck.

 

“Hng…!”

 

The moment his large hand wrapped around her neck, Yeonseo was overwhelmed by the pheromones that seemed to pierce her brain, soaking her to the point where her thighs were visibly wet. 

 

The man inhaled deeply, his eyes narrowing as he took in her scent.

 

“You’ve been in heat since you smelled me, yet you pretended to be so rational.”

 

“Ah, ahh…”

 

Like the stepping-stone effect, her extreme psychological distress had pushed her body to its limit. 

 

It was as if she had been hanging off a cliff by one hand for two days before being rescued. 

 

And now, without any warning, his alpha pheromones were poured over her, accelerating her heat.

 

As the man undid his pants, the raw scent of a male poured out amidst the overwhelming pheromones. 

 

Yeonseo, unable to look away, was consumed by a strange longing. Her breath quickened, and her body trembled. The slick between her legs dripped heavily, releasing a sweet, primal scent.

 

Unlike the dignified man’s usual aroma, this was a raw, sugary sweetness. 

 

It might have been considered cheap by some standards, but the simpler the scent, the more addictive it was. 

 

Yeonseo’s pheromones, now fully driven by instinct, were simple, intense, and dizzying. Exactly what he had been searching for.

 

“Get out.”

 

The command wasn’t directed at her. 

 

As soon as he spoke, the others in the room exited with disciplined movements, even dragging the writhing figures out like baggage.

 

Once the door closed, the man grabbed Yeonseo’s arm and roughly pulled her up. Her emaciated body was light, easily lifted. 

 

As he tugged her pants down, she lost her balance, burying her face in his shoulder and gasping for breath.