TRIPLE 20

“Oh, damn it. Forget it.”

Siyeon pretended not to hear him and climbed into the Jeep. A bright fragrance surged forth from inside the car. Not an artificial perfume, but a cool scent as if he were in the middle of a forest in full bloom. It was Chae Yoonoh’s pheromones, which he had smelled once before.

“Did you put your seatbelt on?”

Chae Yoonoh, who had sat in the passenger seat beside him, glanced at him.

“Should I put it on for you?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s creepy for men to do that for each other.”

When Siyeon firmly refused, Chae Yoonoh tapped the steering wheel as if it were unexpected to be turned down.

“You really are unique, dear. Are you doing this on purpose… to get my attention?”

“What… did I do?”

“You’re acting like a Beta. Even though you’re an Omega.”

What does acting like a Beta even mean? As Siyeon sat there with a bewildered expression, Chae Yoonoh didn’t pry further and started the car.

“Well, it’s fine. I like that about you too.”

Smiling as if it were nothing, he pulled the car out. As the Jeep began to race down the road, sunlight filtered through the windows and stretched long across his knees.

Siyeon turned his gaze out the window. Although the tinting was excessively dark like a VIP security vehicle, the scenery outside was visible, perhaps because the day was clear.

Come to think of it, he had been blindfolded when he was dragged to this mansion. Even if he was with Chae Yoonoh, could he really go around like this as he pleased? A question suddenly occurred to him.

“Does the CEO have another schedule?”

“He went out saying he was busy this morning. It’s a good thing, too; if hyung were at home, he would’ve interrogated you about where you were going and what you were doing.”

Just as Chae Yoonoh said, Beom Yisu was an Alpha with an exceptionally strong tendency to control. Whether it was the protagonist’s meals, sleep, or even bodily functions in the original book—it wasn’t enough that he monitored every single move, Beom Yisu was the one who ultimately imprisoned the protagonist in the mansion forever.

Of course, Beom Yisu wasn’t the only one responsible for The Alpha’s Trap being tagged with “#makjang” and “#depraved” rather than just being a simple romance. Even if he was grinning like that now, Chae Yoonoh was just as terrifying a person.

If Beom Yisu suppressed the protagonist’s freedom and devastated his mind, the physical pressure was mostly Chae Yoonoh’s share.

The reason he had skimmed through the explicit scenes without reading them in detail was largely due to him.

Whenever he stimulated his latent sadistic tendencies, he was extremely rough in bed. He was a perverted and possessive guy, to the point where he felt that Beom Yisu, who performed acts closer to mounting, was quite tame in comparison.

Furthermore, there was a big difference between him and Beom Yisu in how they handled relationships. While Beom Yisu grew increasingly harsh and cold seeing the protagonist never give his heart to him, Chae Yoonoh had suffered a rapid collapse in the latter half.

“You don’t know what I gave up. You wouldn’t know. You won’t even think of me, not even a tiny bit. So how dare you… leave me. Should we just die together instead? Hmm? That would work, wouldn’t it, dear?”

In the end, he had even turned to drugs and alcohol. He was a piece-of-trash character who had even threatened the pregnant protagonist while engaging in self-harm.

‘…Was I too laid back?’

Perhaps it was because he had let his guard down slightly due to Chae Yoonoh acting friendly, unlike the expressionless Beom Yisu. It felt like it was becoming difficult to maintain the concept of the gentle and mournful “Hong Siyeon” from the original work.

Even if he was smiling like that now, he hoped he wouldn’t hold a grudge because of the temper he’d shown earlier. He was a guy who could pop up anywhere, so it would be better to be careful.

When he realized this belatedly and checked Chae Yoonoh’s state while driving through the rearview mirror, he noticed and spoke to him.

“Why don’t you ask me?”

“…About what?”

“You didn’t ask if I had other schedules.”

Well, you’re with me right now, so there’s no need to ask, right? If it were his original personality, he would have retorted like that, but it was also pointless to get hung up on something trivial like this.

Would it do any good to act the same as someone acting childishly? Siyeon decided to go along with what he wanted as much as possible.

“Do you not have any other schedules today, Actor-nim?”

“I originally had a profile shoot, but I pushed it back to go on a date with you.”

Was he looking for praise for doing well? Or did he just want to make a show of his sacrifice? There was no way to know, but he felt like he was starting to know how to handle Chae Yoonoh.

“I’m glad you came to the hospital with me.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and I’m looking forward to the date, too.”

As Siyeon obediently conveyed his gratitude, the corners of Chae Yoonoh’s mouth twitched minutely. Fortunately, it seemed all his resentment had dissipated; the black Jeep quietly picked up speed.

They passed through the downtown area and turned into an alley with few traffic lights and little foot traffic. Just as he wondered if they had come to the suburbs, a clean-looking building that looked like an aesthetic shop came into view.

“Alright, we’re here.”

Chae Yoonoh put on a hat and a mask, disguised himself simply, and got out of the car. Thinking that such things must be inconvenient since he was a celebrity, Siyeon also carefully stepped out of the car.

The building lobby they followed him into was deserted, and when he pressed the elevator button, the doors opened immediately. The reflection of the two in the interior mirror overlapped awkwardly.

‘The height difference is bigger than I thought.’

He knew he was tall, but standing side-by-side, there was almost a head’s difference. From his skeletal structure to the feeling that he was a different race entirely. Just as he thought he shouldn’t try to challenge him with strength,

Ding—

As they arrived at the top floor with a clear notification sound, a dedicated nurse approached them.

“I will guide you to the examination room we have prepared.”

They hadn’t gone through any separate procedures, as if they had booked in advance. Chae Yoonoh leaned toward Siyeon and whispered. Just loud enough for only Siyeon to hear.

“Don’t worry, this is my acquaintance’s hospital.”

It seemed he had come to a place that wasn’t under the influence of Beom-young, as if it were true that he wanted to have the check-up without Beom Yisu knowing. The examination room he followed him into was organized more like a small hotel suite than a hospital.

Instead of bright lighting and the smell of disinfectants, there was a faint aroma. Siyeon sat in the chair he was guided to. As a heart rate sensor patch was attached to the inside of his arm, the blood pressure cuff slowly tightened. Numbers flickered on the monitor.

“The dosage was excessive.”

After finishing the simple examination, the bearded doctor flipped through the chart and added,

“We’ll have to do follow-up examinations, but in an emergency, it could cause permanent disability.”

“Permanent disability?”

How could this be such devastating news over a mistake of taking medicine once? At a diagnosis more brutal than expected, Siyeon’s pupils wavered.

“Unhit has a higher intensity of action than regular inhibitors. Instead of temporarily suppressing the heat, the side effects are also significant.”

The tip of his pen pointed to the bottom of the chart. The doctor showed a warning label: ‘Upon overdose, the pheromone cycle may become irregular.’ And below that, a chart drawing a gentle curve.

“Fortunately, there are no acute abnormalities in today’s figures… but by any chance, do you have any plans for pregnancy?”

When the topic of pregnancy came up, Chae Yoonoh answered first this time.

“If there are, is there a problem?”

“Who told you to answer? Stay out of it.”

He said it was an acquaintance’s hospital, so it seemed he was on familiar terms with the doctor. The doctor waved his hand as if annoyed and asked Siyeon again.

“If you have plans for pregnancy, it’s best to postpone them for now.”

“For how long?”

“We suggest leaving at least 3 months until the residual components are completely excreted. Implanting too hastily can lower the probability of maintaining the early stages.”

Simply put, it meant that Unhit, the powerful hormone medication Siyeon had taken, could still remain in his system. It probably meant the risk of miscarriage was high because of it.

‘Three months.’

Siyeon bowed his head and said nothing. Strangely, relief and anxiety washed over him at the same time. Ironically, the suggestion to postpone pregnancy seemed to give him a momentary breath of air. Meanwhile, the doctor continued speaking.

“And since there is a history of overdose, I recommend follow-up check-ups for about 3 months. Check your pheromone concentration once every two weeks, and especially….”

He looked at Siyeon for a moment, let out a long “Hmm…”, and opened his mouth again.

“Your heat cycle could get tangled. Be careful, as there is a possibility of it manifesting unexpectedly.”

“What? Is there no way to prevent it at all?”

“Chae Yoonoh, why have you been interrupting since earlier? Do you want to be kicked out?”

The doctor looked like he had a lot to say, but he seemed to be forcing himself to hold back because the person involved, Siyeon, was right in front of him. Who is that doctor? There shouldn’t be many people who could treat Chae Yoonoh so casually.

Ah, by any chance. Is he the attending physician who treated the protagonist when he was living locked up in the mansion? No. Thinking about it again, that was definitely a person from Beom-young’s side. Furthermore, it was an old woman.

‘Then, who on earth is he?’

While Siyeon was questioning this, the doctor, having finished his brief quarrel with Chae Yoonoh, continued the consultation.

“Stress, changes in body temperature. Or pheromone stimulation from a specific Alpha, etc. There are various triggers for heat manifestation. Since it can be difficult for you to predict it yourself, please accompany your spouse whenever you engage in outdoor activities.”

“Spouse?”

“It would be troublesome if your heat suddenly exploded, right? In a situation where we can’t give you prescription drugs, for now, the best method is to release it with Alpha pheromones.”

“Pheromones….”

“By the way, it’s correct that your spouse also knows about your condition, right?”

For a moment, Siyeon looked at Chae Yoonoh’s side profile. He didn’t know why, but because he was in a position where he had to have the couple’s child, he just happened to look at Chae Yoonoh who was next to him.

However, whatever that was taken as, a desperate exclamation like “Oh my god,” burst from the doctor’s mouth.

“Yoonoh, that’s not it, right?”

“What now?”

“What is your relationship with this patient? You, by any chance….”