NAME 6

“It was never intentional.”

Seowon denied it for now. Even though he had just been caught red-handed, it was right to say no for the time being. It was true that he had avoided his gaze. Rather than being intentional, it just happened naturally.

“An average of 39 times a day; if you add up the number of times Assistant Manager Jung has avoided my eyes until now, it would be at least a thousand.”

He gasped internally at the mention of an average. It was evidence that Baek Kanghyun had been observing him for a long time. The question of ‘why’ filled his head to the brim. Why is he doing this to someone who is just an assistant manager? What am I supposed to say right now? Just like his face, which had turned pale, his mind was a complete blank, so Seowon just blinked his eyes like an idiot.

“If it were once or twice, I’d think it was a coincidence, but that’s not the case, is it?”

In an instant, Baek Kanghyun’s speech dropped into informal honorifics. Seowon’s shoulders flinched.

“No, it is a coincidence and a misunderstanding. Such a thing would never…”

“And Assistant Manager Jung, you don’t do this when talking to other people, but your expression isn’t very good when you talk to me. You look exactly like someone who just chewed on a bug. I remember very well that your expression wasn’t great from the first day I arrived, even if I hadn’t mentioned it.”

“Team Leader, what do you mean by…”

Even as Seowon tried to make an excuse, Baek Kanghyun did not stop talking.

“Is Assistant Manager Jung dissatisfied that I took the Team Leader position through nepotism? Were you particularly close with the previous Team Leader, Hong Deok-su? I feel very unpleasant every time Assistant Manager Jung greets me. I think I’d feel more comfortable receiving a formal bow while someone is prostrating. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know the reason. Why Assistant Manager Jung is the only one who acts stiffly toward me when others don’t.”

It was a storm. No, this was a tsunami. Baek Kanghyun’s speech was a mess, alternating between short and long forms. The questions and anger he had built up over a month tightened around Seowon’s neck. His eyes felt hot and heat rose to the top of his head, making it feel as if his brain would cook like tofu. While his lips trembled and the inside of his mouth went bone-dry, his palms became drenched in sweat.

<Are you dating him?>

<Dating? No way, it’s nothing at all.>

Shameful memories reared their heads like snakes and flicked their tongues.

“For now… I apologize.”

Seowon is twenty-eight years old, a proper member of society. He was at an age and seniority where he shouldn’t be so clumsy or foolish as to cry in front of his superior. However, because it was the first time he had been pushed this hard while working at the company, even if he could somehow hold back the tears, he couldn’t control the trembling in his voice.

“I really didn’t know you were observing me so closely. It is absolutely not that I have any grievance against you, Team Leader.”

He had no grievances. It was just that memories he thought had faded were weighing Seowon down; he thought he had matured a lot, but it seemed he hadn’t changed much from seven years ago.

While hoping he wouldn’t remember anything, on the other hand, he felt sorrowful and resentful at the fact that the man had completely forgotten him. Because it felt like he was being confirmed as having been truly nothing to him in the past.

He felt the time he had once spent passionately burning for this man was a waste.

“As for avoiding your eyes, honestly, it was an unconscious action, so I have nothing to say. I also didn’t realize my expression was bad. I suspect it might be due to my shyness…”

“Shyness?”

Baek Kanghyun asked back as if it were absurd. A snickering sound was heard. However, that was the only excuse Seowon could make, so he nodded diligently.

“I looked at Assistant Manager Jung’s personnel evaluation from last year. Work ability, potential for growth—everything was excellent without exception. But what stood out the most was your relationships with others.”

“…”

“Your reputation among colleagues and superiors alike was wonderful. To the point that you even became the Outstanding Employee of the Month. And three times at that.”

“It is the result of my efforts.”

“Why don’t you try making that effort for me too? If you’re acting stiff because of your sub-gender, there’s no need to do that. I have my own tastes, too.”

Seowon clenched his fists and trembled. He was hearing the words he had caught in passing on the man’s first day of appointment right to his face again. It was like saying that no matter how much he performed tricks, someone like him wouldn’t catch his eye, so there was no need to try any nonsense. Since he had no desire to appeal to Baek Kanghyun with his sub-gender, he felt wronged and, beyond that, angry.

“What you just said was out of line.”

The anger flared up and finally turned to ash. He felt a sense of calm that bordered on futility. Was Baek Kanghyun originally this kind of man? Thinking back carefully, his true nature was always like this. While pretending to be a good person, he would scratch the weak—the Seowon who liked him so much—with a smiling face.

“It is very offensive that you seek the reason for my rudeness toward you in my sub-gender, Team Leader.”

<Sunbae, what is our relationship?>

<Do I have to put it into words?>

Once, he had asked him because he was afraid of the ambiguity of a relationship that remained unresolved over time. At that time, Seowon was just being cautious, fearing that bad words might come out of the mouth of the person he liked. However, to Seowon, who had gathered the courage to ask for clarity even if it was cold, he glossed over it with a question disguised as kindness and took Seowon’s body. Whispering that he felt good today and that he was different from the others, he bit Seowon’s earlobe.

What was Baek Kanghyun thinking back then? No, did he even think at all? He might not have thought of anything because he was too busy forcing open a dry Seowon to satisfy his own lust.

Seowon raised his head. His scarred ego screamed that this man was nothing anymore. But Baek Kanghyun looked at Seowon as if he were pathetic and smiled crookedly.

“Then do something about your pheromones at least.”

For a moment, he was speechless. His condition had only been a bit bad on the first day they met, and after that, Seowon’s pheromone glands had been relatively quiet, so pointing them out specifically felt like it could only have one clear intention. To make Seowon feel ashamed.

‘How dare someone like you.’

It seemed he wanted to say that. Seowon struggled to maintain his composure.

“Right now… there is no problem.”

The conversation, which had felt like a battle, snapped shut, and only an awkward silence remained. Seowon was still making eye contact with Baek Kanghyun. He realized that a person could actually become calm when they were too angry. If he could add a smile to this, he felt he could finish this very cleanly… but Seowon didn’t have that kind of strength left.

“I understood your points well, Team Leader. I will make an effort so that you are not uncomfortable in the future.”

Because he didn’t want to say he was sorry, he intentionally excluded it. Lunch break was coming to an end, and continuing a wasteful conversation any longer would only be a minus for Seowon’s evaluation. So Seowon just bowed his head deeply.

Baek Kanghyun didn’t answer. Soon, the image of him pulling his chair back and standing up abruptly shimmered on the glass table.

“…”

He stared at the back of Seowon’s head for quite a while before walking out of the meeting room. Seowon waited until he was far enough away before raising his head.

“Son of a bitch.”

An insult escaped him involuntarily, and at the same time, heat flared up in his back. Seowon wrapped his hands around his neck and collapsed onto the table. Damn it, harsh words burst through his lips.

His pheromones, which had been quiet for a while, were running wild.

“Son of a bitch.”

Seowon muttered while pulling the hospital blanket over his head. You have your own tastes, too? As expected, Baek Kanghyun was a son of a bitch. He hadn’t known at all when he was blinded by the guy, but now he knew for sure.

Why did he have to do something to get caught by that guy… And why on earth is that jerk counting the number of times I avoided his eyes? Isn’t he a pervert?

Seowon’s reputation being too good had actually worked against him. He should have worked a little less hard at company life. No, should he just up and change jobs?

“Absolutely not.”

He couldn’t change jobs yet. To receive treatment similar to Samin at another company, he needed five years of actual experience. A career move in the fourth year might lead to being treated worse than a new recruit. And, of course, the biggest problem was money. Sadly.

In the end, there was only one way: to endure. He might be annoyed, but he wasn’t at a loss. Because enduring was one of the things Seowon was good at.

As soon as he entered the house, he dove into bed. Fortunately, the IV he received at the hospital was effective, so the fever had subsided and his pheromones were somewhat stable.

He was rolling around in bed when his consciousness was suddenly cut off, and when he opened his eyes, the surroundings were deep blue. It seemed he had slept straight through until dawn, so Seowon fumbled around to find his mobile phone.

5 Missed Calls

He skimmed through the KakaoTalks and messages. A good number of them were left by Jaehwan. They hadn’t been in touch for a while, but for some reason, he had sent both calls and messages.

Seowon washed his face without water and stretched. His whole body felt heavy and stiff as if he wasn’t back to normal yet, but his condition was better than yesterday.

[Assistant Manager Lee Jaehwan: Are you okay? I heard you left early.]

He threw the phone aside without sending a reply. Checking the time, it was 6:00 AM. It was an awkward time to either go back to sleep or get up, so he lingered on the mattress for a long while. Perhaps his body was this heavy because his heat was approaching.

Usually, Omegas go through heat regularly, but Seowon is different. His heat was like a time bomb without a timer, making it difficult to predict when it would explode.

‘When should I take heat leave…’

He felt he should take at least one day. An even bigger problem than that was the lack of an Alpha to spend time with. Although he was pheromone partners with Jaehwan, they weren’t in a relationship where they shared bodies. He was worried that if he gave him an opening, Jaehwan would quit being partners and rush in asking to date.

‘Should I just find a heat cycle partner?’

That might actually be better. Honestly, he wasn’t keen on it, but this was a matter of survival. Which meant, he had to do it to live.

Sex. And with an Alpha, at that.