PAO 20

As time went on, a sense of betrayal crept in, making him wonder, ‘Why doesn’t he mention leaving without a word to me?’ So he thought it would be a loss for him to share his story with Junghoo. He judged it that way on his own, even though the weight of the emotions he shared with Junghoo wasn’t something to be measured on a two-pan balance.

Now, it was too late. The more Junghoo sought him out, the more he revealed his affection for him, the more reasons Seowon had for not being able to reveal his trait. Now he was in a position where, upon revealing he was an Omega, he would also have to reveal that he had never had sex before.

“Is it that serious? Still, I think he’d listen to you.”

“Minsung, you’re the only one at school who knows my trait.”

Park Minsung nodded in acknowledgment. Unlike himself, who was a Recessive and thus went unnoticed even if he didn’t bother to hide it, Seowon thoroughly concealed his pheromones. Being a ‘Dominant’ was both convenient and inconvenient. The ease of pheromone control was a significant advantage, but there were many Alphas who wanted a Dominant Omega for the sake of their offspring. Not particularly wanting to be swayed by them, he found it most comfortable not to reveal his pheromones.

“Is that the only reason?”

“…Because he’s not someone I can rely on?”

Seowon scratched his nose, as if he found his own words strange.

“We’re in a situation where we can’t rely on each other.”

Park Minsung sorted through Seowon’s cryptic words.

“Still, if a situation comes up where you have to tell him, will you?”

“If it’s a situation where I have to, I guess I will, right?”

Seowon gripped his shoulder and rotated his arm, as if it were still stiff. His gaze naturally fell on a car parked in front of them, a model Seowon had really wanted. As the driver’s side door opened and a young man got out, Seowon gave a wry smile.

He felt pathetic for being captivated by a car when he was currently crashing at Junghoo’s place.

Thinking he had made eye contact with the man, he turned his head away. There was no need to make the man uncomfortable by staring.

“I haven’t been sleeping well at night lately, so I keep dozing off in class. If only I could just rest my head somewhere….”

Park Minsung looked back at Seowon, who had abruptly stopped talking. Seowon’s expression was slightly hardened as he stared intently at something. Following his gaze, Minsung turned his head and spotted a familiar person.

“Yoo Junghoo.”

A familiar face was seated in the cafe. And at the same time he recognized him as Yoo Junghoo, something happened. The man who had gotten out of the car in front of them went into the cafe and, upon seeing Junghoo, immediately hugged him.

Junghoo just frowned and couldn’t push him away. The man stroked Junghoo’s hair and caressed his shoulder before slightly bowing his face to the nape of his neck.

That meant only one thing.

That he was a manifested person who could smell pheromones.

It wasn’t that he was flustered because Junghoo was meeting someone he didn’t know.

‘Where are you going?’

‘My dad called for me….’

‘So you’re going to the company?’

‘Yeah.’

‘When will you be back?’

‘I think I’ll probably be held up all day.’

In the conversation he had with Junghoo in the morning, there was no mention of meeting someone else.

“Seowon, let’s go. We need to eat.”

Park Minsung tugged at Seowon’s sleeve.

“Minsung, just a second.”

Seowon gently pulled his sleeve out of Minsung’s grasp.

“Why?”

“There’s something I want to eat before our meal.”

Minsung looked at him as if to ask what it was.

“Cake.”

“What? Cake?”

“Yeah. I want to eat cake. I feel like I need to eat it before I can get a meal down.”

“…Does cake grease your throat or something?”

“Yeah. It’s cream, isn’t it?”

Minsung’s eyes flickered to the cafe for a moment before returning. He then stared intently at Seowon’s face, which claimed to want cake, and nodded.

“You know what? That’s a good idea.”

“And the cream at that cafe is really rich and delicious.”

“Maybe that’s why the cafe’s exterior looks so rich.”

“Right?”

Two university students were having a conversation that even middle schoolers wouldn’t have. But the faces of Seowon and Minsung as they had this conversation were serious.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Okay. I’ll decide what to eat and contact you.”

Minsung tapped the screen of his phone, signaling for Seowon to check his. When Seowon nodded, Minsung turned to leave first.

He said he would contact him, but he probably wouldn’t send anything until Seowon called him first. Left alone after Minsung left, Seowon looked toward the cafe.

And he saw the man sitting across from Junghoo. The man was smiling so brightly that his teeth were showing, looking to be in a good mood. It’s not like he knew all of Junghoo’s social connections.

But still….

*

“Move.”

Junghoo spoke to the man who remained unmoving with his nose buried in his nape. It meant he should get off him, but whether he was dense or doing it on purpose, the man didn’t move away.

“Stay still.”

The man, Sung Hangyul, placed a hand on Junghoo’s shoulder and bowed his head even deeper. It was only after enough time had passed for all the other people in the cafe to turn their gazes toward them that Sung Hangyul finally pulled away.

“Still the same.”

Sung Hangyul clicked his tongue and shrugged. Taking off his sunglasses, he went to his seat and sat down, then took Junghoo’s coffee and sipped from the straw. Junghoo, waiting for him to continue, endured it even though he knew Sung Hangyul was deliberately dragging it out. After taking a leisurely sip, Sung Hangyul leaned back in his chair and said.

“Your pheromones are still not great.”

“Haa.”

Junghoo didn’t hide his annoyance.

“Are you getting treatment?”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

At Junghoo’s dismissive words, Sung Hangyul shook his head as if he couldn’t do that.

“You can’t do that. You’re such a precious patient at our hospital. We need to give you constant attention. Don’t you think?”

Sung Hangyul quickly added. As he waved his large hand, his brightly dyed blond hair fluttered.

Perhaps because of his large lips, just smiling seemed like a bright laugh. The problem was that he used that face as a weapon to turn his dark intentions into something seemingly pure.

“Don’t make things worse by going in sporadically. Come back to me.”

“I told you clearly. Mind your own business.”

“How can I not mind when it comes to you?”

Sung Hangyul retorted with a smile.

“My younger brother almost died because of you.”

Junghoo’s hand, which had been running through his messy hair, paused. Sung Hangyul was smilingly pointing out the very thing he wanted to hide.

“I’m telling you not to endanger innocent people with your pheromones. Unless you want me to save you again this time.”

Sung Hangyul mumbled playfully with the straw between his teeth. It was an innocent reaction, even though he knew how much it would hurt Junghoo.

“I think I’m just too kind-hearted. To think I’m here trying to treat the bastard who almost destroyed my younger brother….”

“Stop it.”

At Junghoo’s subdued reply, Sung Hangyul let out a scornful chuckle.

“Junghoo, you can’t grasp the situation right now, can you?”

He instead smiled and pushed Junghoo into a corner.

“My younger brother was almost in big trouble because of your manifestation. If it wasn’t for me, my younger brother would have….”

The smile vanished from Sung Hangyul’s face, and the playful conversation grew increasingly hostile.

“Haa, try your best not to provoke me. I want to treat you as a doctor, not as a victim’s family member.”

Sung Hangyul pointed it out piece by piece. That now was not the time for Junghoo to act as he pleased.

The only thing that was Junghoo’s fault in this whole process was his manifestation. He manifested as an Alpha, and in the process, an Omega within the sphere of influence of his pheromones collapsed. It was just a big deal that the Omega happened to be Sung Hangyul’s younger brother, and that he almost died because his pheromone gland was damaged, throwing his hormonal system out of whack.

“Stop whining to Taeha for a shot and get admitted again for treatment.”

Junghoo narrowed his eyes and stared at Sung Hangyul.

“I’ve been discharged.”

“Get back in.”

“You’re not my doctor.”

“Want to take this opportunity to come back to me?”

At Sung Hangyul’s retorts, which didn’t back down an inch, Junghoo glared at him. It was then.

“Yoo Junghoo.”

At the familiar voice, Junghoo turned around.

“Seowon.”

Junghoo, uncharacteristically unable to hide his flustered expression, stood up from his seat. He glanced around for a moment before approaching Seowon.

“Is class over?”

“Yeah. What are you doing here? Did you have something to do?”

As Seowon spoke to Junghoo, he bowed his head to the man who was looking at him.

“Hello.”

The man greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hello. I’m Sung Hangyul. I’m an… acquaintance of Junghoo.”

Seeing Junghoo’s expression, Sung Hangyul added.

“I’m Han Seowon. I’m his friend.”

Seowon returned the greeting normally and gave Sung Hangyul a quick glance. He was a person who stood out even from a distance, but up close, he was even more striking.

He was a man with large eyes and full lips that stood out on his small face.

“First time seeing a friend of Junghoo’s. Hi.”

Sung Hangyul, who immediately switched to informal speech, stared at Seowon and then belatedly raised his index finger.

“I think we’ve made eye contact before. Right?”

“Um… yes.”

He had stared blankly at the man who had gotten out of the car earlier, not knowing he was the one Junghoo was meeting. They had made eye contact then, and Sung Hangyul had recognized him at once.