Salt Society

Summary

Jo Yeon-o—an ultra-dominant Alpha, heir to the Haeseong Foundation, and CEO of Naban Gallery—and So Gi-hyeon, a Beta who has been his childhood friend, have spent years side by side. All the while, Gi-hyeon has nurtured his love alone. What once seemed like an unshakable relationship begins to fracture the moment Gi-hyeon confesses. When he finally reveals the long-held devotion in his heart, Yeon-o responds with a humiliating, retching gag. “Did you forget you’re a Beta?” An Alpha who is physiologically repulsed by the idea of dating a Beta. Under that cruel, bone-deep rebuke, Gi-hyeon quietly tries to bury his feelings—but Yeon-o refuses even that. Driven by a selfish obsession with what he considers his, and an unrestrained need to control, Jo Yeon-o will not allow Gi-hyeon to drift away from his side. “Fine. Let’s date, you fucking selfish bastard.” Instead of cutting ties, they choose the beginning of a deceitful relationship. And because it is Yeon-o’s choice, Gi-hyeon accepts it and goes along. “If you really can’t stand it, I said I’d help you find someone. Stick to omegas, if possible.” Even while they’re dating, Yeon-o’s cruel version of consideration urges Gi-hyeon to sleep with others. As Gi-hyeon’s heart is sliced apart with casual indifference, he finally reaches his limit. And then, at the end of a devastating one-sided love, Gi-hyeon is confronted with a physical change he believed could never happen to him. Jo Yeon-o, armored in twisted possessiveness and denial of his own feelings, and So Gi-hyeon, who swallows his wounds in silence until he finally chooses to run. Where will the misaligned trajectories of these two ultimately lead?