NAME 45

“Assistant Manager Jeong, your condition looks so good lately. Has something good happened?”

“Nothing special in particular… but it’s a relief to hear I look good.”

As Seowon had just arrived at work, Assistant Manager Seo Jiyeon struck up a conversation with a beam.

“Really? I thought maybe you were dating or something. Your face has suddenly brightened up so much.”

“Dating? No… it’s nothing like that.”

“Anyway, I’m glad. For a while, Assistant Manager Jeong, you didn’t look well at all, so I was quite worried. I couldn’t even say anything…”

Seowon responded with a smile instead of an answer and sat down. While the coffee in his tumbler cooled, he booted up his computer. Then, he took a thermometer out of his drawer and put it in his mouth.

36.7 degrees Celsius; it couldn’t be better. Both his temperature and his pheromones were perfect. He even slightly loosened his tie today, which he used to keep tied tightly for fear that pheromones might leak out.

He told Assistant Manager Seo Jiyeon that nothing was up, but a very big thing had happened to Seowon recently.

‘The effect is so good it’s almost annoying.’

He had entered into a pheromone partner relationship with Baek Kanghyun, whom he detested so much. By periodically receiving the pheromones of that Dominant Alpha, his body felt light as a feather. It wasn’t just that his condition had improved; he could clearly feel that his pheromone glands had calmed down.

‘Is it because he’s a Dominant? How can it be like this?’

Seowon slightly lifted his shirt collar to check for any scent. He was checking to see if Baek Kanghyun’s pheromone scent was coming from his body. There was no scent, but it felt as if heat was lingering where the man had touched him.

‘He’s well-behaved at times like this.’

His body scent, the look in his eyes, and even the low-pitched whispering.

Even this morning, Seowon received pheromones from Baek Kanghyun. In fact, it wasn’t just today, but a routine that had been repeated almost every day for the past two weeks. The location was inside his car. To meet him before work, Seowon had to leave thirty minutes earlier than before, but he had no choice. That was Baek Kanghyun’s requirement.

<Receive my pheromones every morning before going up to the office.>

Seowon tried to argue that it wasn’t strictly necessary to go that far, but his words didn’t stand a chance. Claiming he would no longer tolerate pheromones leaking during work hours, Baek Kanghyun demanded that Seowon meet him in the company parking lot before clocking in.

The time, the place, and the frequency of receiving pheromones were all completely different and more cumbersome than when he was with Jaehwan, but since he could feel his body noticeably improving, he couldn’t say anything. Furthermore, since Baek Kanghyun was just as inconvenienced as he was, Seowon had no choice but to listen to his demands. It meant Seowon wasn’t the only one who had to come to work thirty minutes early.

However, just because the man was putting in effort didn’t mean Seowon felt particularly sorry. Becoming partners was by no means something Seowon wanted, so the inconvenience was a burden Baek Kanghyun had to bear.

Every morning, the pheromone exchange inside the car with its dark window tinting was never simple. Unlike with Jaehwan, where they just hugged, it was accompanied by kissing or even more suggestive acts. Baek Kanghyun satisfied his own secret desires while releasing his pheromones. He entwined his tongue with Seowon’s, fumbled over his body, and even reached his hand into private areas to rub them. Then, if Seowon let out a pained “Hng,” he would whisper in his ear.

<Keep your crying down. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if someone heard?>

“They’re so swollen.”

His lips, which Baek Kanghyun had sucked on to his heart’s content this morning, were puffy. It had become a common occurrence for his lips to swell due to the man’s persistent kisses that felt like they would never end.

Seowon spread lip balm evenly over his feverish lips. While rubbing his lips with his fingers, he stuck a silicone straw into his tumbler. Then, he spun his mouse wheel while sipping on the coffee that had cooled to the perfect temperature.

“Team Leader, have you arrived?”

About ten minutes after Seowon arrives at work, Baek Kanghyun enters the office. It was an implicit rule that had settled between the two lately.

“Good morning.”

Seowon glanced at him and gave a slight nod. Baek Kanghyun passed by Seowon’s desk without much of a word. Having completely erased the image of himself becoming excited while pouring out pheromones, he had his usual neat appearance. There wasn’t a single disarray in his shirt, tie, or jacket. Compared to Seowon, his lips were perfectly fine.

After exchanging pheromones for as short as ten minutes or as long as twenty, Seowon would get out of the car as if fleeing and go into the emergency stairs to catch his breath. Fearing that others might notice, he would take out pheromone deodorizer, spray it all over his body, and walk slowly up to the first floor.

His routine after that was similar to before. He’d buy a 1,500 won Americano with an extra shot from a cafe, go to the office, and after a bit of light conversation with Seo Jiyeon, Baek Kanghyun would arrive.

While Seowon went through that series of steps to reach the office, he didn’t know what the man did in the car. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested, but he wasn’t curious enough to ask directly, so he just stayed quiet.

The discomfort of doing such things with Baek Kanghyun faded faster than expected. This was because the effect was so good that he could endure the awkwardness. He no longer had to take suppressants that didn’t work and only upset his stomach, and he was able to sleep much better at night than before. His pheromones were practically a panacea for Seowon.

He didn’t know if his pheromones worked well specifically for Seowon or if the effect was good because Baek Kanghyun was a Dominant Alpha. However, if his pheromone glands became normal through this, it would certainly be a benefit to him. If he received his pheromones for another few months, wouldn’t he be fine…?!

‘Wait, a few months?’

He snapped to his senses at the sight of himself making future plans, even though he had hated being partners with Baek Kanghyun so much.

It was true that he was desperate for his health, but it was also true that Baek Kanghyun was uncomfortable. To end the partner relationship with him, he had to get healthy as soon as possible. But to do that…

‘For the time being, I have no choice but to obediently receive the Bastard Therapy.’

Seowon was calling the act of receiving pheromones from him “Bastard Therapy.”

“Assistant Manager Jeong, you know there’s a meeting in the afternoon, right?”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Check the documents again. It’s even better if you cross-check. We’re leaving as soon as lunch is over.”

“Understood.”

Since starting the “Bastard Therapy,” Baek Kanghyun’s nitpicking had also decreased significantly. There was also the influence of Seowon’s work ability improving greatly as his physical condition got better. Since the two were clashing less, the atmosphere in Sales Team 3 became much more comfortable than before. In particular, Assistant Manager Seo Jiyeon, who is close to Seowon, welcomed this change the most.

“Assistant Manager Jeong, are you going out to the meeting with the Team Leader?”

“No. I’m just preparing the documents.”

“Aha… I thought you were going out together.”

Assistant Manager Seo Jiyeon nodded with an expression that said, “I figured as much.” Seowon looked at her with a faint smile and then turned his head. He hated field work as it was, but accompanying Baek Kanghyun—the mere thought of it made him shudder.

‘The amounts are correct, so I should just re-check for typos and see if there are any missing English spellings. Should I ask Assistant Manager Seo to cross-check?’

Lunchtime was slowly approaching. Seowon sent the forty-page document to Baek Kanghyun and left a short comment.

[Assistant Manager Jeong Seowon: I’ve finished the meeting documents and sent them over. Have a good trip.]

He hesitated on whether to add the last sentence but did it anyway. He figured this much was fine. If he was out in the afternoon, it would be much more comfortable to work. The other employees also seemed to welcome the boss’s absence in the afternoon. It wasn’t that they were going to slack off, but it was the psychology of an office worker to feel at ease just by the fact that the boss wasn’t there.

[Team Leader Baek Kanghyun: ?]

However, not long after, Baek Kanghyun sent a reply. Curious about the message with only a single question mark, Seowon looked up. And he locked eyes with him across the partition.

“Assistant Manager Jeong, prepare for the meeting and come out now. We’re having lunch outside.”

“Pardon? The me—meeting?”

At the same time Seowon stood up, he also stood up and swung his jacket on. Then he put his tablet, phone, and the documents that had just finished printing into his bag.

“For the Haewang Industry meeting, Assistant Manager Jeong is going too.”

“Me? No, why would I…”

A look from him flew in, as if telling him to shut up and just get ready. Seowon kept his mouth shut and tried his best to hide his discomfort.

“Assistant Manager Jeong, you were the one who prepared the documents, weren’t you? It’ll be easier to handle the Q&A if you go in person. Get ready.”

“Ha—but I still have work I was doing…”

“Push it all to tomorrow.”

Having said that flatly, Baek Kanghyun looked around at the other employees.

“Assistant Manager Jeong and I will be heading straight home after the field work today, so if there’s anything urgent, send a message. Don’t contact us unless it’s quite urgent. We’re heading out first.”

He dropped that bomb on Seowon and left the office.