The Unfortunate Omega and the Arrogant Alpha’s Forced Marriage (Completed)

It felt as though the ground beneath Yoichiro’s feet was crumbling, leaving him increasingly unsettled.

But the party was still ongoing. More representatives from business partners, having finished their work for the day, were expected to arrive. Yoichiro’s role as president required him to greet each one and exchange words before offering a final address.

With the unease weighing heavily on him, Yoichiro had no choice but to set it aside and continue his duties.

It was close to midnight when Yoichiro finally left the venue. The drive home, delayed by heavy traffic, took far longer than usual. The slow pace only added to his growing discomfort.

Even waiting for the elevator in the quiet entrance of the high-rise building failed to provide any sense of peace. The silence of the upscale condominium did nothing to calm his nerves. Instead, the tension within him swelled, threatening to consume him with a fear he couldn’t explain.

Why did he feel this way?

The lack of understanding only deepened his dread.

Impatient, Yoichiro tapped the floor with the toe of his shoe, his frustration growing as he stared at the elevator’s digital display.

Hurry up, hurry up, he thought, as if willing the elevator to arrive faster. The moment the doors opened, he stepped in and jabbed the button for his floor.

Despite the familiar ascent at the usual speed, the journey felt unbearably slow. When the doors finally opened, Yoichiro strode quickly down the hall, unlocking the door to his apartment with a sense of urgency.

Typically, Kusunoki would peek out at the slightest sound of Yoichiro’s arrival. But tonight, the silence stretched on, and no door opened to greet him.

(So, he’s finally given up and gone out…)

Yoichiro tried to comfort himself by attributing Kusunoki’s absence to the stereotypical behavior of a “reckless Omega,” but it offered no relief. Instead, his unease only deepened.

The eerie quiet of the apartment felt oppressive. Seeking normalcy, Yoichiro entered the living room, glancing toward the dining table where he expected to find dinner waiting.

But it wasn’t there.

The kitchen sink was dry, the last dish Yoichiro had left there untouched. Such neglect had never happened in the six months since Kusunoki had moved in.

“What… is going on here?”

For the first time, Yoichiro found himself standing before Kusunoki’s bedroom door. His hand rested on the doorknob, but he froze.

What am I doing? he thought bitterly. Why am I so concerned about an Omega I despise?

It was just earlier tonight that he learned Kikuchi shared his disdain for Omegas. Why, then, was he overcome with this relentless anxiety?

His grip on the doorknob tightened.

Don’t open it. Don’t get involved. Don’t dig yourself deeper into this mess with an Omega.

A voice in the back of his mind screamed at him to stop.

Yoichiro swallowed hard, forcing his fingers to release the doorknob one by one.

That was when he heard it—a disturbing noise from the other side of the door.

“Hey! I’m coming in!”

Without hesitation, he turned the knob and shoved the door open.

Cold air wafted out, brushing against his cheeks. The hallway light spilled into the room, illuminating the emptiness within. The scene before him was no different from the day they had moved in: the room was devoid of furniture. Only a pile of cardboard boxes in one corner and a thin futon spread directly on the floor betrayed any signs of habitation.

The futon bulged slightly, and the sound of labored breathing, interspersed with harsh, wheezing coughs, reached Yoichiro’s ears.

Striding quickly forward, Yoichiro yanked the flimsy blanket away.

Curled into a tight ball, Kusunoki lay there, their small frame trembling with each shallow, ragged breath.

“What the hell is this?”

The blood drained from Yoichiro’s face as he took in the sight.

“How… how did it come to this?”

His shout echoed through the barren room.

“Yoichiro, what the hell have you done?”

The stern voice belonged to Inose, an old friend. Seated in a swivel chair, Inose stared intently at the monitor, occasionally squinting at the text on the screen and adjusting his frameless glasses.

“…”

Yoichiro, who had always been quick with words, now found himself unable to respond. He didn’t know what to say.

Glancing briefly at him, Inose turned his chair to face Yoichiro directly. They had been friends since elementary school, attending the same elite schools for Alphas after their secondary gender diagnoses. Now, Inose was dressed in a pristine white coat, working as a physician at a general hospital.

When Yoichiro had carried Kusunoki, burning with fever and wracked with violent coughs, Inose had immediately taken charge. He called for an ambulance and arranged for Kusunoki to be transported to the Ono family hospital. Upon arrival, Kusunoki was rushed to the emergency center.

Yoichiro could only sit on an empty bench, waiting helplessly for news. It was two hours before Inose called him into the consultation room.

“If you don’t explain yourself, I’ll have no choice but to report you to the police.”

“Report me?” Yoichiro’s head snapped up, his confusion plain. Inose’s piercing gaze bore into him.

“Tell me. What did you do?”

“…Nothing… I didn’t do anything.”

Not directly, at least. But Yoichiro knew he had treated Kusunoki with indifference, even cruelty, for the past six months.

Inose let out a heavy sigh, making no effort to hide his frustration as he turned back to the electronic medical records.

“Kusunoki’s diagnosis is severe malnutrition compounded by pneumonia from an untreated cold. They’re unconscious. Fluid has accumulated in their lungs… this didn’t happen overnight. What kind of environment have they been living in? What kind of life have they been leading under your care?”

Yoichiro remained silent, unable to answer.

For the first time, he had seen Kusunoki’s room. It was completely barren, without even a heater to stave off the chill of winter. The upper floors of the high-rise were colder than ground level, and even Yoichiro, who regularly trained at the gym, had shivered in the freezing air.

“When did the coughing start?”

“…I think it was at the beginning of the month…”

“You think? You live in the same house, and you don’t even know?”

Again, Yoichiro had no response.

In truth, he hadn’t known. For the past month, he hadn’t cared to notice. It wasn’t just because of his work—it was because Kusunoki’s existence had never interested him.

Inose sighed again, his disappointment palpable. As Yoichiro’s closest confidant, Inose’s disapproval was like a heavy weight on his chest.

“What were you thinking when you got married? I heard you were the one who pursued them. Was that a lie? Are you still holding onto that… incident?”

Yoichiro clenched his jaw, teeth grinding together. Memories he had locked away resurfaced effortlessly, despite the layers of mental barriers he had built around them.

Inose, the only person who knew the full story, was well aware of why Yoichiro harbored such a deep hatred for Omegas.

“But Kusunoki isn’t them. If you despise Omegas so much, why did you marry one? A business partner couldn’t refuse if you were the one proposing. Did you understand that and still do nothing?”