Aaron Han.

He got everything he wanted. No — even the things he didn’t want, the world had already handed to him.

His entire family were S-rank ability users, and he himself was an S-rank Guide. The whole world had its eyes on the Han family, and from childhood, Aaron reigned as a star.

Some people dismissed their rise to fame as just a product of reality TV, but Aaron disagreed.

Even without the TV show, he would have become a star.

Looks, rank, wealth, secondary traits — he had everything. Perfect in every way.

But envy and resentment only grew stronger with time. Just because his popularity had dipped compared to when he was a kid, people mocked him, and even the networks treated him like a washed-up celebrity.

That day, Aaron was especially irritated. He’d just received an offer to appear on some cheap reality show where “former stars” lived together, became friends, and flirted with each other.

Do they even know who I am? Calling me a has-been?!

Aaron was furious, so he went to a party at a hotel to blow off steam.

But that was a mistake.

He’d expected a glamorous celebrity party — but it turned out to be a promotional event hosted by Lexington Pharmaceuticals for their new drug. Sure, many of the guests were ability users.

Lexington was known for developing ability-related medications, and whenever they launched a new drug, ability users from around the world gathered.

But the highest-ranked ones were only A-rank.

Well, of course S-ranks wouldn’t be interested in drugs. Only the weak cling to this kind of crap for hope.

The whole scene disgusted him — a bunch of trash hoping pills would boost their rank, and scam artists getting rich off that delusion.

And the party itself was boring. All anyone did was drone on about drugs and business. There wasn’t a drop of fun to be found.

No point staying here.

Aaron turned to leave. But as he stepped out, he bumped into someone. He hadn’t been watching where he was going. He nearly fell — but the other man caught him by the hand. In that instant, an intense Alpha pheromone hit Aaron’s nose.

Aaron looked up at the man.

Tall, broad-shouldered, breathtakingly handsome. His looks were just as striking as his pheromones.

The man let go of Aaron’s hand and turned away immediately.

“Hey!”

Aaron called out instinctively. But the man didn’t even glance back as he left the party hall.

“Who is that?”

He turned to Jake, the friend who’d come with him.

“You seriously don’t know? That’s surprising.”

“Who is he?”

“That’s Joo Seunghyuk. Same nationality as you — Korean.”

Aaron flipped him the finger.

“I’m not Korean.”

He hated Korea. Not because it had insulted or mistreated his grandfather. He just hated the place.

He’d learned Korean naturally thanks to his grandfather and father and spoke it fluently, like a native. But not once had he felt drawn to that country.

“Still, I’m surprised you don’t know Joo Seunghyuk.”

“He’s famous?”

Aaron had blocked all Korean news sources. He went out of his way not to see any of it.

“He’s the youngest son of the Sungan Group chairman. An S-rank Esper. Doesn’t seem to like media attention, but with a face and body like that? No way he can live quietly.”

“Is that so?”

“And he’s a dominant Alpha.”

Jake added in a hushed tone.

Youngest son of Sungan, S-rank Esper, and a dominant Alpha...

Aaron went over the information again and again — and smiled.

He’d finally found an Esper worthy of his level.

That night, Aaron set his sights on Joo Seunghyuk.

He thought it would be easy.

Aaron was an S-rank Guide. There wasn’t a single Esper he hadn’t been able to seduce. Joo Seunghyuk would be no different.

But he was wrong.

Aaron tapped every connection he had to get a meeting with Joo Seunghyuk — and failed. Even the chance to meet with an S-rank Guide like him didn’t interest Seunghyuk at all.

That only made Aaron more desperate. The fact that Seunghyuk didn’t care about his rank made him all the more attractive.

Whenever he closed his eyes, Seunghyuk’s face appeared. Every time he sprayed cologne, he longed for that pheromone.

Aaron was falling, deeper and deeper, for Joo Seunghyuk.

And if Seunghyuk wouldn’t come to him — he would go to Seunghyuk.

For the first time in his life, Aaron decided to go to Korea.

Originally, he planned to approach Seunghyuk through Sungan Group.

If he offered to become Joo Seunghyuk’s exclusive Guide — as an S-rank, no less — of course they’d welcome him with open arms.

But Sungan rejected the offer.

Korea’s top company, my ass. Do they even understand how valuable an S-rank Guide is?! I’m Aaron! They should be throwing money at me, not turning me down!

Aaron liked Seunghyuk, sure — but this was an insult to his pride.

Fine. You’ll regret it. Just wait.

Maybe Seunghyuk was playing hard to get. But it wouldn’t last long.

S-rank Espers craved S-rank Guides. Always.

So Aaron backed off — waiting for Seunghyuk to come to him.

But again, he was wrong.

Apparently, some Guide had pulled Seunghyuk back from a berserk state. Name: Lee Yeonsu. Also an S-rank Guide. Matching rate with Seunghyuk: a staggering 93%.

Aaron started to panic.

Could it be... Seunghyuk turned me down because of that guy? No. That’s impossible.

According to Aaron’s research, Lee Yeonsu had rejected an exclusive contract with Seunghyuk in the past — and both Sungan and Seunghyuk had taken a hit from it.

And now they’d accept that guy again?

Torn between pride and insecurity, Aaron went to a hotel pool party to clear his head. Plenty of people tried to hit on him — but none of them could compare to Seunghyuk in looks, pheromones, power, or wealth.

Bored, Aaron lounged on a sunbed, sipping a cocktail, wondering if he should just leave — when A-rank Esper Patrick spoke up.

“Aaron, you know Lee Yeonsu?”

“Lee Yeonsu? Why?”

“There’s chaos among Korean Espers over him.”

Aaron scowled.

“Jesus, you high already? Chaos, my ass.”

“You seriously haven’t heard? Joo Seunghyuk and a bunch of top Korean Espers fought over Yeonsu.”

“What?”

“You really didn’t know? You should check the news sometime.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Annoyed, Aaron pulled out his phone. When he opened the news app, it was flooded with articles about Lee Yeonsu and Joo Seunghyuk.

“Hook me up with Yeonsu.”

“I don’t even know him.”

“You’re Korean too, right? Should be easy to bond.”

“Yeonsu’s trash. He was with Park Geonwoo and then switched.”

“Park Geonwoo?”

“You know—the Hero of the Savannah.”

Park Geonwoo had joined the Africa subjugation campaign as soon as he turned 20, after the S-rank Gate Break turned the continent into a death zone. His legendary feats earned him that nickname.

Aaron dug into Lee Yeonsu’s background too. Apparently, he’d been caught up in dating rumors with Park Geonwoo more than once. But both of them always denied it, and there’d never been solid proof.

The media and the public loved spinning romance stories around S-ranks just standing next to each other. Aaron had been furious over fake tabloid scandals plenty of times, so he figured Yeonsu and Geonwoo were probably nothing more than rumors.

Still, annoyed, he spouted nonsense like he knew something.

“Oh, so he's two-timing with the Hero of the Savannah? Now I’m curious.”

“You filthy bastard. You wanna roll around with that kind of slut?”

“I mean, if it’s just two guys, that makes him about a thousand times purer than you.”

“...What?!”

“Am I wrong?”

“Get lost! Get the fuck out of my face, you bastard!”

As Aaron exploded, Jake stepped in.

“Patrick, don’t rile him up. His Alpha’s stuck on Yeonsu and he’s about to blow.”

“His Alpha? Ohhh, you’re chasing Seunghyuk? Thought you hated Koreans.”

Patrick slung an arm around Aaron’s shoulder and smirked.

“It’s not like that. Don’t act like you know me. Piss off.”

“Perfect. You hook me up with Yeonsu, and you can have Seunghyuk.”

“I said fuck off.”

“Kidding, kidding.”

“If you don’t leave right now, I’ll have you thrown out. I’ll call security.”

“Okay, okay. Here. Peace offering.”

Patrick pulled a small bottle from his pocket and poured it into Aaron’s cocktail. The clear, odorless liquid mixed in instantly.

This was a drug refined from a flower that grew inside Gates — the Crimson Bloom.

Back in the 1990s, Crimson Bloom had taken the world by storm. Research claimed it could increase mana and raise matching rates.

People were ecstatic with hope.

With Crimson Bloom, anyone could grow stronger. Soon, anyone could be S-rank. A world of 99% matching rates was on the horizon.

It wasn’t just deluded dreamers — professors and experts went on TV every day, claiming the age of rankings and compatibility was over. The newspapers were full of it too.

Pharma companies everywhere launched into Crimson Bloom research, releasing new drugs like candy.

The result?

Disastrous.

Ability users who took it experienced hallucinations — some went berserk. Others developed heart disease or newly emerged illnesses.

Worse, the actual effects were minimal.

Eventually, the WHO and the Global Ability User Association labeled Crimson Bloom a hazardous plant. Collecting it in Gates was banned. Naturally, consumption was too.

The craze ended in scars and disappointment.

But in the 2000s, Crimson Bloom returned — this time as a narcotic.

The drug “Dust,” made from the flower, caused intense hallucinations and arousal.

It was wildly expensive, and its effects were weak on regular humans — but that made it all the more coveted in the underground. Its rarity and luxury made it explosively popular.

Dust vanished from drug tests after just three days. That loophole allowed people — even celebrities — to indulge without consequence.

Aaron was addicted to Dust. His family tried to control him, but the more they did, the more he craved it.

He raised the cocktail with Dust to his lips.

***

The next day, Aaron woke from the hallucinations and reread the article about Joo Seunghyuk and the Korean A-rank Espers fighting over Yeonsu.

Even with a clear head, it was hard to believe. But when he sent someone to check, it turned out to be true.

Not tabloid bullshit — actual fact.

Aaron’s nerves were on fire. He immediately began preparing to go to Korea.

I have to meet Joo Seunghyuk myself.

He finished making the necessary arrangements and boarded a plane.

Aaron was confident. He’d never failed to get anything he wanted.

Seunghyuk will be the same. He’ll fall for me the moment he sees me. Some common Beta peasant doesn’t stand a chance.

Upon arriving in Korea, he headed straight for the Ability User Academy.

The moment Aaron stood on the platform, all eyes turned to him. Just as he’d expected. He was the royal-family-level dominant Omega. In contrast, Lee Yeonsu — who had nothing but his Guide rank — looked pathetically small.

But the joy didn’t last.

Even as the crowd buzzed with excitement, Joo Seunghyuk didn’t spare him a glance. He was looking only at Yeonsu.

And it wasn’t just him. The other students were the same.

“Guide Han Minho, this academy doesn’t yet have a true S-rank Guide. Please show us what that means.”

As Professor Oh praised him, the entire auditorium went still. Everyone was watching Yeonsu’s reaction — worried they might’ve hurt his feelings.

Even with Aaron standing right there, all attention was still on the Beta Guide.

Idiots. But it wouldn’t last long.

Aaron masked his fury and looked at Yeonsu.

“Yes. I’ll meet your expectations.”

He answered confidently.

With Professor Oh’s help, he laid a trap — hiding a camera crew and staging a conversation with Yeonsu.

The plan was to provoke him and get some juicy soundbites.

But Yeonsu was a sly fox. He dodged every question that could cause trouble. Worse, he even caught on to the hidden ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) cameras.

As Yeonsu called him out point by point, Aaron’s frustration boiled over.

How do I crush this little bastard?

In the end, he was the one who got crushed.

Joo Seunghyuk crushed Aaron’s hand — literally — and Aaron had to get treatment immediately. Thankfully, with a healing-type Esper and top-grade potions, his injuries healed completely.

But the humiliation lingered. Even after sleeping, he trembled thinking about what happened.

Still, public opinion would be different.

He was an S-rank Guide and global star — and he’d come to Korea. On top of that, he’d declared he was considering changing citizenship. Both the U.S. and Korea should be in chaos over it.

Aaron opened his phone, seething.

The top headlines?

All about Joo Seunghyuk and Lee Yeonsu’s date.

Joo Seunghyuk ♥ Lee Yeonsu spotted on a public date. S-rank couple confirmed.

Blush-colored romance? Joo Seunghyuk makes grand gesture at special auction.

“I only see Yeonsu.” — Joo Seunghyuk [PICK PHOTO]

Joo Seunghyuk sweeps the special auction for Yeonsu.

Aaron’s arrival was buried beneath news about the Academy building collapse.

Trending search terms were no better.

“Joo Seunghyuk Lee Yeonsu dating,” “public date,” “special auction,” “Academy collapse,” “Academy terror attack”—Aaron’s name didn’t even show up.

He’d thought his arrival would flip Korea on its head. That was supposed to be a given.

But reality didn’t cooperate.

Of all days... they go public and clean out the auction the day I land?

Yeonsu must’ve begged Seunghyuk to do it. He’d pulled this stunt just to humiliate Aaron — all while playing innocent.

Guess I’m a real threat to him, huh?

But no matter how hard Yeonsu flailed, it was pointless.

The moment Aaron guided Seunghyuk, he’d fall.

That peasant Beta could never compare to Aaron — a dominant Omega born from S-rank lineage.

Espers are drawn to better Guides. Alphas are enchanted by Omegas. Yeonsu never stood a chance.

Aaron slammed his phone down and pulled out his e-cigarette.

Instead of nicotine, it contained liquid Dust. As an S-rank ability user, his border inspection had been practically nonexistent. Korea wasn’t the only country like that.

This world was endlessly lenient toward S-ranks.

Aaron took a drag.

As the Dust coursed through his body, the rage finally began to subside.

He lay down on the bed. Yeonsu’s infuriating face popped into his mind — and faded.

Just a little longer. Yeonsu wouldn’t be center stage for much longer.