JADE 55

As he sprayed the one with a blatant picture of an orange and a flower, particles containing the scent from his memory filled his nasal cavity.

“Ah, smelling it makes me think of the scent I smelled in Seville again. I thought I wouldn’t like floral scents because I’m not a fan of rose, but I like orange blossom. Though it’s not as good as the fresh flowers on the tree.”

There was no reply from Kwon Joowan, so Jin Sejun kept his eyes fixed on the perfume shelf and rambled on.

“Haven’t you heard that Koreans like citrus scents? I think I’m like that too. They say what you feel depends on your emotions, but seeing how peach is a popular scent for omegas, it seems there are definitely preferred scents.”

What in the world was he even talking about? Trivial knowledge about scents flowed out as if he were an expert.

It was because, scent aside, the reason Kwon Joowan had shooed away the employee like a fly was constantly bothering him. Regardless of Kwon Joowan’s attitude, the employee’s attitude felt like someone who had hit on a person who was taken, realized the situation, and then backed off.

He had to cut off the train of thought, the wishful thinking!

“Do you want to smell it too, Mr. Joowan? I’m going to buy a bottle of this.”

His voice came out in a strangely high tone. But when he finally turned his head to face Kwon Joowan, his expression was odd.

“…What is it?”

“I’m just asking out of curiosity, with no other intention.”

What kind of question was he going to ask to lay such a foundation? As he tilted his head, Kwon Joowan stared at the perfume in his hand.

“Mr. Sejun, by any chance, do you not know your own scent?”

“My pheromone?”

Here? Suddenly?

Jin Sejun’s cheeks flushed uncontrollably. Why was he so embarrassed after acting so cool about everything? Thanks to that, he gave a defensive answer that was awkward to the point of being strange.

“Why should I tell you? Do you know your own scent, Mr. John?”

“I… I do.”

“What is it?”

“Scentless.”

“……”

It was a ridiculous answer, but he had nothing to say since he had experienced it himself. If he had to be precise, it felt like something beyond colorless and odorless.

But why did he really ask about the scent? He had always considered talking about pheromones to be embarrassing, but being asked by Kwon Joowan made him even more embarrassed.

“Why are you asking about mine?”

“That…”

Kwon Joowan uncharacteristically fidgeted with his fingers, looked at the ceiling, then the floor, and even sighed. The answer came out with difficulty only after a series of miscellaneous rituals.

“Listening to you talk, Mr. Sejun, you surprisingly… don’t seem to like talking about pheromones on a main street like this.”

“You’re taking too long. There are no Koreans around, so just tell me.”

“The bitter orange flower you just sprayed… the one that was all over Seville, I mean, the neroli scent.”

“Yes.”

“It’s similar to your pheromone, Mr. Sejun.”

“……”

He couldn’t even blink, let alone speak. If this were a manga, it would have been a black and white scene with the tones blown out. As Jin Sejun’s body froze like a stone, only his brain was spinning furiously.

He had vaguely heard that people are attracted to those who are similar to them. Did that apply to scents as well? It was embarrassing to have his ignorance of his own scent revealed like this after turning thirty, and it was even more embarrassing that the one who told him was Kwon Joowan.

“……”

He had always thought critically about pheromone scents, saying they feel different depending on one’s emotions, but Jin Sejun had also been secretly curious about his own scent. He could have just asked someone like a madman, but he had controlled even himself out of sheer stubbornness.

“It’s not exactly the same, but it’s similar anyway. It also seems a bit similar to the gardenia scent I smelled on Jeju Island a long time ago… A sweet, white flower scent.”

Among white flower scents, the only ones Jin Sejun knew were lily and maybe the scent of chestnut blossoms. And even that was just trivial knowledge he had picked up while browsing the internet, rather than having smelled it himself.

If it was going to be like this, he should have asked the omega he had only touched lips with as a kid for the scent instead of trying to act cool. If he had known back then, this situation wouldn’t have happened, would it? Then again, unless gardenias or orange blossoms were common nearby, there wouldn’t have been many people who could answer right away. Even Jin Sejun still didn’t know the scent of gardenia well.

But… The situation of having someone he likes tell him his scent seemed nice, too.

What is this? Did he like such romantic things? He could understand the romance of an alpha cherishing an omega, but soaking in this kind of cheesy emotion felt awkward.

Kwon Joowan watched Jin Sejun turn bright red and then pale repeatedly before adding.

“That’s why I felt a bit strange in Seville. It was all your scent, Mr. Sejun…”

How can a person say such blush-inducing words so nonchalantly? This was something to be said on a bed sprinkled with rose petals, not inside a shop bustling with tourists.

And only after a glass of red wine with chocolate!

“Wait a minute, no, then you’ve smelled my scent before we came on the trip…”

“A long time ago, at the hotel… I’ve caught a whiff of it since then too, but I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe it belonged to someone you were seeing, Mr. Sejun. I’m also really dull to other people’s pheromones. That’s why I went to see my omega friend, Ahn Saeha… that’s why I went to see her without knowing she was covered in Saeha’s scent.”

“……”

“If it had been another alpha, they probably would have known you were in heat that day much earlier.”

He could feel the blood rushing to his face to the point of dizziness. It was a golden opportunity to ask why he had run away from the hotel that time long ago, but Jin Sejun just staggered and entrusted him with the shopping basket.

“I… I need to go to the bathroom.”

“If you’ve picked out everything you want, I’ll pay for it.”

“Thank you…”

“Ah, are you going to buy this perfume too? It’s your pheromone scent, Mr. Sejun…”

“Buy it, just buy it.”

“Oh, right, you can’t smell it yourself.”

Can’t you just shut up and go pay? But there was no reason for Kwon Joowan to shut up. Jin Sejun wanted to at least wash his face, but since it wasn’t a store with a bathroom, he just stood outside, endlessly cooling his hot cheeks.

He had acted cool in the beginning after the ambiguous incident with Kwon Joowan, but as time went on, he felt like he was going to die of embarrassment. If he was this frantic just on the verge of sex, how on earth could a person live after doing the main event? How does everyone date and have physical relationships?

He thought it would be no big deal, but at the same time, it felt like everything would change. On the other hand, he also thought it was unfair that only Kwon Joowan could perceive his pheromones.

Since nothing had bothered him during his rut, was he just an alpha with no pheromones? For that, it made sense why his nerves were endlessly frayed whenever they got into a verbal fight, but only after he found out Kwon Joowan was an alpha.

‘Then did I really leak some usually…’

Well, Kwon Joowan said he himself was dull. In any case, he was already conscious enough to die, but after hearing about the pheromones, he couldn’t look Kwon Joowan in the face anymore.

He had never been this shy before, except for his preschool days when he was strangely shy around strangers, so it was difficult to calm down.

“You were outside. I thought you would come back in, so I was waiting by the cashier.”

“Ah.”

The smiling face of Kwon Joowan, who was holding up the shopping bags, was strangely bright. Apart from being refreshingly handsome all the time, he had a gloomy side, but it seemed he liked swiping his card.

Or maybe he just found it funny that Jin Sejun, who had always tried to tease him about everything, was embarrassed.

In any case, seeing Kwon Joowan smile made him feel better again. Hearing about the pheromones was embarrassing, but it was nice too.

“How about steak for lunch?”

“You said your tooth hurts. Shouldn’t we eat something moderately soft?”

“Ah…”

Kwon Joowan’s cheeks were slightly red. He gave a faint smile and pointed to a restaurant with a picture of red soup on it. All the table seats were taken, so they had to sit at the bar, but a meal where their forearms occasionally touched wasn’t bad.

They ordered a suitable menu, and as they were about to finish, a dessert they hadn’t ordered arrived. Before Jin Sejun could ask, Kwon Joowan asked in Spanish, and the answer also came in Spanish. Kwon Joowan smiled slyly and nodded, then sat a little closer to Jin Sejun.

“What did they say?”

“Um… let’s just eat it first.”

“Anyway, it feels nice to eat for free. Is it crème brûlée?”

“It’s called crema catalana… it’s similar, but the ingredients are a little different.”

“I see.”

They both knew that they were sick of the incredibly sweet desserts here, but no one whined or hesitated. Kwon Joowan broke the caramel on the dessert that came in a large, flat bowl, mixed it with the cream layer, and held it out on a spoon.

“Ah.”

“What?”

“Say, ah.”

“Ah…?”

What is this? Does this bastard like me? He’s feeding me dessert? He’s cherishing me so much?

The sweet taste only added to the confusion. As he was melting the dessert that jolted him awake from the first bite, he turned his eyes and saw the person who had served them watching from a distance with a pleased expression.

Somehow, the surrounding area was filled with tables of people on dates. And without fail, the same dessert was placed on their tables.

“…Is this by any chance a couple’s service?”

“You’re quick on the uptake.”

No way. Even if there are cultural differences, who would look at Kwon Joowan and Jin Sejun and immediately think they were a couple? Jin Sejun was still confused, but he didn’t miss the opportunity. He immediately leaned on Kwon Joowan’s shoulder like a baby bird and opened his mouth.

“Ah.”

“……”

“We have to act affectionate. Hurry up, Mr. Joowan, ah.”

“At this rate, we’re going to end up kissing here.”

“And we can’t?”

“……”

Kwon Joowan, who couldn’t even get his money’s worth, obediently scooped up the dessert and delivered it. Only when the bowl was about half empty did Jin Sejun sit up straight and push the bowl towards him.

“I ate most of it, so now you eat, Mr. Joowan.”

“…Aren’t you going to feed me?”

“My blood sugar is so high my hands are shaking, so I might drop the spoon. Just eat it yourself.”

Honestly, it was because he felt like he would just lunge for his mouth if he tried to feed him. Jin Sejun stroked the nape of his neck and waited for Kwon Joowan to finish eating.

…It was delicious.

Kwon Joowan, who didn’t enjoy sweets and was perplexed every time dessert came out with a meal, also calmly finished the bowl.