The Second Male Lead Syndrome

WARNING

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, AND MATURE THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SOME READERS.

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As the big nosed waiter proudly showed off the plastic wrapped powder between his fingers, his expression full of smug confidence, the tall waiter grinned beside him—amused and impressed. But his smile slowly faded as a thought struck him. His brows furrowed, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"How are we gonna get them to drink that?" he asked, voice low but tense.

The big nosed waiter let out a dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at the question.

"Obviously, we'll slip it into their drinks," he said, lowering his voice. "I already checked the schedule. They're having some kind of celebration in that private room. Looks like they haven't ordered yet, but once they do…"

He tapped the small packet between his fingers, a sly grin forming.

"…that'll be our chance."

The tall waiter was only half convinced.

"But what if they check the cameras and our faces show up when we go to their door? Wouldn't we become the prime suspects instead?"

He was more cautious this time. After all, he had already spent years in jail—and no one wanted to go back there. 

Especially not him.

The big nosed waiter snorted.

"That's why we'll pin it on someone else, obviously! It's not like we're the only coworkers around, right?" He leaned in, voice low with excitement.

"I found a timid, cowardly beta waitress earlier while I was checking for their private room number. We'll just convince her to deliver the drinks for us—say we're busy handling a VIP customer. That way, the order won't be under our names—it'll be hers."

The tall waiter, hearing that, was now fully convinced.

Aurora stood quietly in the stairwell, just out of sight from the two men below—and the CCTV.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her hand.

She glanced at the screen, read the message, then closed it without a word.

Her eyes shifted forward, locked on the floor below.

Staring straight ahead.

Downstairs, just as the two men were wrapping up their plan, a set of footsteps echoed from the hallway nearby—someone else passing through.

The big nosed waiter stiffened.

"Let's move," he muttered.

Without another word, they stepped away from the open hall and ducked into a quieter corner to finish talking.

After finalizing their plan, the two of them checked the order list. 

When they reached it, their target—room 204 had just ordered a bottle of soju. 

They looked at each other and grinned.

The tall guy headed straight for the alcohol storage room, while the big nosed one stayed outside, casually surveying the area and preparing drinks as he looked for the timid waiter.

Inside the storage room, the tall waiter glanced around carefully to make sure no one was watching.

Once the coast was clear, he pulled out the plastic packet and emptied the contents into the soju bottle.

The powder dissolved quickly—almost instantly. Within a minute, it was gone, leaving no trace behind.

The tall waiter, seeing that his part of the mission was finished, felt satisfied. If he pulled this off and got the bag, he could finally start thinking about what kind of house he should buy—or which woman he should go after.

He even wondered if he should just take that Omega woman from the target's group. He'd seen her earlier—pretty, delicate, and exactly his type.

He smiled to himself, already imagining the future, and fully turned to leave—only to freeze in place.

Standing there was a woman, nearly his height, half of her face hidden under her hat.

He glanced at the uniform, and his mood immediately shifted when he realized who it was—that timid Beta waitress.

"Tsk… When did you get here?" he muttered, annoyed.

He didn't know why, but something about her felt… off. Different. But since he was never close to her to begin with, he brushed the feeling aside without much thought.

"I was going to grab the alcohol for room 204," the waitress said, pointing at the soju bottle sitting behind the tall waiter.

He stood frozen for a brief moment before smirking.

"Alright," he said, stepping aside to make it easier for her to reach it.

As he watched her take the exact bottle he had spiked, a slow smile crept onto his face.

This mission is too easy.

Maybe I can squeeze even more money out of this.

But just as he was lost in thought, staring a little too hard, the waitress's hand hesitated over the soju bottle—as if she had sensed something.

He raised an eyebrow, about to say something, when his companion's voice called out from down the hall.

"What are you still doing there!?"

The tall waiter clicked his tongue.

"Alright, alright, I'm just making sure this waiter was—"

Before he could finish, his companion grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away.

"What are you doing!?" the tall waiter snapped, stumbling slightly.

The big nosed waiter shot him a glare and snorted.

"Be quiet. Are you stupid or something?"

The two of them left the alcohol storage room, the big nosed waiter walking a step ahead, clearly irritated.

His fingers twitched at his side, itching to smack the tall waiter for nearly blowing their cover. But he held himself back. 

As much as his companion got on his nerves, they'd known each other for too long. 

He bit down his frustration and kept walking, muttering under his breath.