Yeonjun/Yeonjun

The clink of coins, the hum of slot machines, and frustrated sighs filled the casino. The air was thick with cigarette smoke, and the bright flashing lights were blinding, but the man at one of the machines didn't even blink. Beomgyu's fingers gripped the joystick convulsively, his knuckles white with tension.

“Come on…” he whispered, crossing his fingers.

The screen flickered, the symbols spun, slowed… and then missed again. "LOSS" appeared on the screen.

Beomgyu cursed under his breath, leaning back in his chair. His last bill was in his pocket, and his debts had long since swelled beyond reasonable limits. "One more round… maybe I'll get lucky?" but the rational part of his brain insistently insisted, "You lost. Again."

Besides, Beomgyu was an omega. In this world, that meant not only disdainful glances but also closed doors. Good companies didn't hire omegas—except for the dirtiest jobs, and even then, for pennies. But the casino... the casino hired everyone. It didn't ask whether you were an alpha, a beta, or an omega. As long as you had the money.

But they weren't there.

"So, Choi, did you screw up again?" a mocking voice came from behind.

Beomgyu didn't turn around. He would recognize that voice in any nightmare. Yeonjun, the alpha and one of his loan sharks.

“I… I’ll get everything back soon,” Beomgyu muttered, but he didn’t believe it.

"I'm sure you will. But the question is, how?" Yeonjun leaned over, his breath fanning Beomgyu's neck. "You haven't even finished your diploma. You don't have a job. And no one takes omegas seriously, you know."

"You owe me a very large sum of money," Yeonjun continued, taking out a cigarette. "And you have no job and no chance of getting it back. But I have a proposition."

"What?" he whispered, already guessing that he wouldn't like the answer.

"You'll work for me," Yeonjun smiled, blowing out smoke. "It's simple. You're an omega. Handsome." His gaze slid over Beomgyu, appraisingly. "My clubs need people like him."

Beomgyu's blood ran cold. He understood what they were talking about.

• I... can't.

"The alternative is your kidneys in the fridge at the local loan shark," Yeonjun's voice turned icy. "Choose."