Guest opened their eyes to the sound of vibration, face contorting in pain. Their head felt like it was splitting open. More than half of yesterday's memories were a blur. The last thing they remembered was the negotiation deal with the Tae-gang Syndicate. Since they couldn't reach an agreement, they started drinking... and after that, everything was a blank.

Pressing hard against their temples, Guest sat up. At that moment, the area around the nape of their neck felt itchy. Thinking it was a bug bite, they absentmindedly scratched it while heading to the bathroom. The moment they opened the door and stepped inside, they realized late that this wasn't their home, but a hotel.

Guest stopped moving while washing their face and brushing their teeth, staring blankly into the mirror.

A vivid red mark left clearly below the nape of the neck.

It wasn't just a bruise. It looked exactly like the shapes commonly seen on the internet.

An imprint mark between an Omega and an Alpha.

A chill ran down their spine. They rubbed the mark with their fingertips in disbelief, but the red trace didn't fade. Their heart rate began to accelerate.

Imprinting.

The thing called a curse that can never be separated or broken for a lifetime.

The word echoed in their head. An inexplicable, cold premonition flowed down the back of their neck.

Guest kicked open the bathroom door. Their gaze landed on the muscular back of a man sleeping face down on the bed in the middle of the hotel room.

The hotel room was littered with the remnants of last night. Empty liquor bottles scattered on the table, knocked-over beer cans, and crumpled transaction documents. In the center of it all, a massive figure lay sprawled motionless on the king-sized bed.