Vol 1 Ch 5

A week after the family dinner at the main house.

 

It was two more days after that when Yeonho received a call from Seojin again.

 

“…Hello.”

 

Unlike Yeonho, who was still mumbling sleepily, Seojin’s voice was as sharp as ever today.

 

「What is this? Still in bed?」

 

Yeonho checked the time with a frown. 7 a.m. It was an unfair time to be scolded for being lazy.

 

「No. Why are you always waking up late? Aren’t you a rooster? Doesn’t your neck hurt?」

 

All the sleepiness that had been clinging to the end of his words vanished, Yeonho, who had touched his swollen eyelids, gritted his teeth.

 

“Get your facts straight. The anima is a rooster, not me.”

 

「Hmph. It’s the same thing.」

 

Their claims were each right and each wrong.

 

Generally, Morphers have some of their inherent traits.

 

For example, Morphers whose anima is a canine are particularly sociable, or Morphers whose anima is a reptile are particularly vulnerable to the cold.

 

From that point of view, Yeonho, who is a ‘rooster,’ should not be sleeping in.

 

Isn’t crowing at the top of your lungs every morning the essence of a rooster?

 

However, humans are also creatures of will.

 

In fact, until he was in his teens, Yeonho used to wake up bright and early every morning. And when he woke up from sleep like that, as if by instinct, he was deeply struck by the bleak reality outside the dimly lit window.

 

‘It’s not like I have an alarm clock inside me…’

 

He decided then.

 

‘Okay. Let’s try to go to bed as late as possible! If my body is tired, there’s nothing I can do, right?’

 

The effort finally paid off. Now in his 30s, Yeonho had made it a daily routine to wake up late into the morning. Because of that, he was being scolded for ‘not being like a rooster.’

 

“Don’t pick a fight from the morning. What, why did you call?”

 

「Have you thought about it?」

 

“Thought about what.”

 

「Abertone. How are you going to talk about the marriage thing.」

 

He shouldn’t have answered if it was such a trivial matter.

 

But it was difficult. Like many animals, chickens have a wider range of frequencies and a greater ability to sense vibrations than humans.

 

That meant he couldn’t ignore the phone buzzing by his head and sleep.

 

Yeonho, who had now completely raised his upper body, stretched and left the bed, heading for the refrigerator. He opened the Rumba and found water.

 

A habitual action that he unconsciously did when he woke up. He avoided opening the early morning by reflecting his will… but this much was unmistakably a chicken.

 

Replenishing body fluids is an instinct akin to survival.

 

Seojin raised her voice and shouted, “Are you listening?” when he was quenching his thirst. Yeonho, who had carelessly thrown the empty glass into the sink, finally returned a sullen answer.

 

“What am I going to do? How can I do that as I please? If I say I’ll get married, will they immediately say okay?”

 

Seojin closed her mouth at the pinching words. Although Abertone had sent a marriage proposal, as she guessed, it was not a matter that would directly lead to marriage.

 

‘Maybe they sent it to most houses and forgot about us.’

 

Beyond the hopeful thought circuit, Yeonho also closed his mouth. After a while of doing so. Seojin collected her breath.

 

「Half right and half wrong. Even if they don’t immediately say okay, they definitely want to meet us. They contacted us again.」

 

“Contact?”

 

「The third son of that house is coming to Korea next month, I heard.」

 

The feet that had been leaving the kitchen and heading to the living room stopped in their place.

 

“What… don’t tell me he’s coming all the way here to see me?”

 

「Yes. Seeing you say ‘me,’ it seems you’ve narrowed down the marriage target to ‘you’?」

 

It was a mistake. And Seojin didn’t miss that mistake. Seojin, who had smiled shallowly, changed her voice.

 

「Unfortunately, he’s not coming to see ‘you,’ but he has some business to attend to for the company. He said he’d like to see your face while he’s at it.」

 

“Ha. How great. They sent that kind of card first, and now they’re saying ‘while they’re at it’?”

 

「Don’t be so cynical. Whatever it is, there’s no harm in getting acquainted with that house, is there? Of course… the best connection is marriage.」

 

“I haven’t said I’m meeting yet, okay? You’re not even thinking about the person who’s going to give the rice cake.”

 

「Well, strictly speaking, that’s what they should be saying.」

 

“What?”

 

「You said it too. Honestly, is there any guarantee that they’ll like you? Will he fall head over heels for you as soon as he sees you? Now that I see it, Do Yeonho, you’re incredibly confident?」

 

“Did you really call to pick a fight? Is that how you persuade someone?”

 

「I looked it up a bit, and the people in that house are no joke. You like handsome men, don’t you? Who knows. Maybe you’ll end up begging him?」

 

It wasn’t a fight, it was teasing?

 

It was a statement that added fuel to the already cynical mind. Without looking any further, Yeonho pressed the end button in rapid succession and threw the phone onto the sofa.

 

As Seohee had confidently said, Yeonho had completely forgotten the name Abertone for the past week. But the golden eagle that came to mind again with the name he heard again scratched his insides anew and still.

 

‘While they’re at it? Do they think I’m waiting in line!’

 

The marriage proposal they sent unilaterally, and the subsequent response. The more he thought about it, the more arrogant they were.

 

Just because you’re an eagle, does that make you everything? You’re still a bird with a beak and two wings.

 

‘I’ll never meet him!’

 

The determination, with its unfounded fault-finding and solid stubbornness, was very firm.

 

***

 

“Huh? Who is this? Isn’t it the executive director who’s harder to see than the CEO?”

 

The man, who was entering the office with a coffee in one hand at 10 a.m., joked with a surprised look.

 

Yeonho, who had been sprawled out more comfortably than the owner in the ownerless room, turned his head.

 

“You’re late.”

 

The usual commuting time was 9 a.m. But no one would blame the company’s top executive for being an hour late. The man, Seungwon, who checked the clock that had just added 1 minute to 10 a.m., scoffed.

 

“You’re one to talk. You’re the one who skips work like it’s a meal.”

 

The two, who were nominally the CEO and executive director but were practically the company’s co-owners, had been together for over 10 years.

 

As Seungwon naturally sat down on the opposite sofa, Yeonho, who had reached for the coffee he had put down, frowned slightly.

 

“Smells like alcohol…”

 

“Huh? Still? I went to the sauna.”

 

“You should have changed your clothes instead of going to the sauna. Don’t tell me you stayed up all night and just went to the sauna?”

 

Now that he looked at it, Seungwon’s suit was strangely wrinkled, unlike his neatly washed face. The tie was nowhere to be seen.

 

There were no particular regulations on attire, but his brow furrowed once more at the strong smell of alcohol.

 

“How much did you drink to be like this?”

 

“When do I ever count when I’m drinking? More importantly, what’s really going on? Even coming to work on time at this hour?”

 

“Just. I had something to wake up early for.”

 

He was curious about what that something was, but judging from his expression, he didn’t seem like he was going to explain. Seungwon, who had snatched back the coffee that Yeonho had taken, took off the lid and gulped down the still steaming coffee.

 

“Ugh, I feel a little better now.”

 

“Is that going to be enough? Shouldn’t you have a proper hangover cure?”

 

“No thanks. I’ve eaten too much one way or another, so my stomach is bloated.”

 

He had waited for nothing. He had come to the company thinking he would have breakfast with Seungwon for the first time in a while, since he had woken up early…

 

Yeonho, who was grumbling inwardly at the messed-up plan, spoke in a sharp voice.

 

“Who did you drink with?”

 

“The CEO of Yeollim. I thought I was going to die trying to deal with him until dawn.”

 

The first thing that came to mind before the wide face that returned the answer was the name Lee Horim.

 

“Because of Lee Horim?”

 

Lee Horim’s news of giving birth, which had swept through various entertainment sections a while ago. He was the de facto face of Yeollim. The CEO of Yeollim looked like he was dying when Lee Horim said he was taking a break from his activities… This time, it would be more, not less.

 

Seungwon, who had put down the coffee cup he had drunk a few more sips from, rummaged through his pockets and took out a cigarette.

 

“Don’t even mention it. He’s lost so much weight in just a few days. CEO Kim didn’t even know.”

 

“Pregnancy, or childbirth?”

 

“Both.”

 

“……”

 

“Luckily, he doesn’t have any projects lined up right now, but commercials are a different story. I heard some places are talking about penalty fees. I mean, CEO Kim wouldn’t have expected Lee Horim to do that, he’s not even an actress.”

 

“If they signed with a Morpher, they should have expected that kind of risk. Did they seriously not know their actor was a Morpher?”

 

Seungwon took a long drag of his lit cigarette and shrugged.

 

“Apparently, he didn’t disclose it himself. They probably just assumed he was a regular.”

 

When signing a contract, there are naturally many documents exchanged. Among those documents, there are some that indicate an individual’s gender.

 

The official term for Morphers is usually ‘Polmel,’ derived from Poly. CEO Kim might not have asked, considering it a private matter.

 

“Careless.”

 

As Yeonho coldly commented, Seungwon scanned him once and hesitantly opened his mouth.

 

“Could it be… that’s why you insisted on it?”

 

“Insisted on what?”

 

“We get all gender documents, whether they’re Morphers or not.”

 

It was one of the rules they set when establishing the company. To carefully consider contracts with Morphers if possible.

 

Thanks to that, how many talents have they missed out on… Seungwon was secretly feeling regretful.

 

With some exceptions, Morphers generally had superior appearances compared to regular people. Due to genetic traits, they often possessed unique abilities, making them good material for various entertainment programs.

 

As such, many agencies prominently promoted their artists as Morphers from their debut.

 

Yeonho, understanding the implication, gave Seungwon a crooked look.

 

“Are you still regretting about the Morphers after seeing what happened to CEO Kim?”

 

“If we’re talking about profit and loss, there’s no marketing strategy as great as Morphers. You only criticize what you’re interested in.”

 

“……”

 

“Speaking of which, that girl group that debuted from TY this time. One of the members is a Morpher. A… rabbit, was it? Anyway, the publicity is going really well thanks to her. I heard she already signed a contract for some health drink commercial.”

 

“What. You want to see a rabbit gulping down vegetable juice?”

 

“Come on, man. I’m just saying, from the company’s perspective, there’s nothing bad about it.”

 

“Looking for marketing, you could end up like Lee Horim, going down in one shot. If they put their minds to it, avoiding the company’s eyes is nothing to them. Can you handle that?”

 

Seungwon tilted his head as if asking what he meant, and Yeonho scoffed, taking out his phone. He searched for something and held the screen out to Seungwon.

 

It was an SNS photo of someone, or rather, a fairly famous male actor.

 

The feed contained several photos of everyday scenes featuring his pet dog. Seungwon, moving his finger aimlessly, looked back at Yeonho.

 

“It’s Ji Changsu. What about him?”

 

“Look at the photos closely. Does that just look like dog photos to you?”

 

“……?”

 

“That’s not a dog, that’s Ji Changsu himself.”

 

“…Wh, what?”

 

Seungwon’s eyes widened at the shocking words that came out so casually. He didn’t even bother looking for an ashtray and quickly stubbed out the remaining cigarette on the bare floor. This time, he grabbed the phone again with both hands.

 

[Today’s walk. Everyone, try taking a night walk. The weather is nice.]

 

[Delicious. Yum yum. This food passes.]

 

[The small happiness of running in the fields. Isn’t freedom something else?]

 

[A dog’s life is the best~]

 

Seungwon’s eyes, wandering up and down, were very busy. The ordinary sentences briefly written on each dog photo now caught his attention. When Yeonho took the phone back, Seungwon, who had a blank look, swallowed hard.

 

“…Is it real? Is this really Ji Changsu?”

 

“If you don’t believe it, check with his company. Oh, I wonder if this company knows either?”

 

“How did you know? I thought Morphers couldn’t recognize each other?”

 

“I ran into him once at a restaurant. He was drinking so much like you, he couldn’t control his pheromones and was leaking them everywhere. Judging by the look of him, he was ready to crawl home on all fours.”

 

“……”

 

“So don’t trust them easily. Who knows what’s inside.”

 

Seungwon looked at Yeonho’s phone screen again, even though it was already off. Then, he moistened his dry lips and spoke awkwardly.

 

“By any chance… are there others besides Ji Changsu? Kids who are hiding their identities and working?”

 

“Well. There’s one kid I suspect.”

 

“Who?”

 

Seungwon moved closer to the table. The lingering smell of alcohol, mixed with the smell of coffee and cigarettes.

 

Chickens have fewer olfactory receptors than humans, but unfortunately half of Yeonho is human. Yeonho frowned and leaned back on the sofa before speaking.

 

“Jo Inyoung.”

 

“Jo Inyoung? You mean Jo Inyoung from C&G?”

 

“He filmed a vacuum cleaner commercial this time. There’s a cat in it.”

 

“…So?”

 

“Think about it. Do you think a normal cat would stay still and focus on filming for that long? Especially while a vacuum cleaner is running? Don’t they look alike too? Maybe they’re relatives. If they’re relatives, there’s a possibility he’s a Morpher too.”

 

“……”

 

“Besides, I saw him jumping on some variety show before, and that height for a human is a bit… unusual.”

 

Vertical lines appeared on Seungwon’s forehead. Yeonho, confirming this, added indifferently.

 

“Well. This is just a guess, so I’m not sure.”

 

But it was an unnecessary addition. Seungwon, who had been silent for a while, said something unexpected.

 

“No… you might be right.”

 

“……?”

 

“I had a chance to have dinner with the Changbyul Production team before? The topic of Jo Inyoung came up briefly at that time, and they were the ones who did that CF. But they filmed the cat separately.”

 

“Separately?”

 

“There was originally a cat they had secured, but it wasn’t cooperating well, so the filming was delayed. So Jo Inyoung suggested that they film him first and then bring his cat later to film the scene of it riding the vacuum cleaner….”

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

“Creative economy. His model fee plus the animal model fee. He’s going to be rich.”

 

Yeonho was the first to offer a cynical comment among the two who had been silent for a while. On the other hand, Seungwon’s feelings were complicated.

 

Listening to it, Yeonho’s words were not wrong. If it was a small species like a rodent, it would be easy to hide from the manager’s eyes, and it might be impossible to control a large species.

 

Above all, if they released their anima and caused an accident, how would anyone know if they were thier kids or not.

 

As his thoughts continued, he suddenly became suspicious. Seungwon looked at Yeonho cautiously and lowered his voice.

 

“Um… I’m asking just in case, but have you ever done that?”

 

“Done what?”

 

“You know. Like Ji Changsu or Jo Inyoung, secretly wandering around here and there after releasing your anima….”

 

“What are you talking about? How can you say that?”

 

“They can’t recognize you when you transform, right?”

 

“Huh? It depends on the species! Try letting a chicken wander around in the middle of Seoul. Not only would they recognize it, but they’d take pictures right away. Do you think I’m crazy enough to become someone else’s eye candy?”

 

“Ah……”

 

He was right. It might be different if it was a common pigeon or sparrow. A rooster walking around in the middle of the street… The owner of a chicken restaurant would be thrilled.

 

Seungwon belatedly backed away at the words he was chewing on. Even so, the way he looked at Yeonho was unfamiliar, and Yeonho’s handsome brow furrowed repeatedly.

 

‘Why did I reveal that I was a Morpher to this guy! Could it be that this guy also told Lee Sungmin that I’m a Morpher?’

 

Basically, Yeonho doesn’t reveal that he’s a Morpher. He certainly doesn’t mention that his anima is a chicken.

 

But there were exceptions. Yoon Seungwon, who he met as a senior and junior in college at the age of twenty and is now a business partner. He is one of those exceptions.

 

Seungwon, who happened to find out the school Yeonho graduated from, asked, ‘You were a Morpher?’ That was the trigger.

 

Although not all, for various reasons, just as boys’ and girls’ high schools are separated, the schools that regular people and Morphers attend are also often separated.

 

In the teenage years when pheromones are not stable, there is a risk of unfortunate accidents.

 

The high school Yeonho graduated from was famous for only accepting Morphers. After learning that Yeonho’s family was Keirim Foods, his anima was naturally revealed.

 

Seungwon was more amazed by this part than the fact that Yeonho was a Morpher.

 

‘I knew it…. You were from a well-off family…….’

 

And yet, now he’s treating him like a chicken he’s seeing for the first time.

 

Yeonho, who had become twisted, jumped up from his seat.

 

“Anyway, stop worrying about other things and do your work.”

 

“Leaving? Hey. Wait, just a minute. I’m not done talking yet.”

 

Yeonho shot a cold look at Seungwon, who was hurriedly grabbing him.

 

‘Hick. Look at his eyes. He’s not a chicken, he’s a beast of prey~.’

 

Seungwon, who swallowed the thought that Yeonho would peck him with his beak if he knew, hurriedly cleared his throat. A somewhat servile smile followed.

 

“It’s not that…. What’s your schedule like on Friday? You don’t have anything busy, do you?”

 

It’s not something you should say to someone with the title of Managing Director. Usually, they’re busy.

 

But when starting the company, Yeonho had declared. I’ll provide the initial capital. Instead, you do the work, hyung. I’m going to play and eat as much as possible.

 

Yeonho had been faithfully keeping that promise for several years. That’s why he was surprised to see Yeonho at the company early in the morning.

 

But whatever the reason, it was an opportunity that had come on his own two feet.

 

“I was going to call you later anyway…. If you have time on Friday, go to Paju. No. Show your face even if you don’t have time.”

 

“What are you talking about. What suddenly Paju?”

 

“What do you mean what Paju. It’s the ‘Next Icon’ crank-in that day, right? Surely you haven’t forgotten that we invested in the production?”

 

“……Ah.”

 

It was an ambiguous exclamation, whether he had forgotten or not. Then, Yeonho finally frowned.

 

“There’s a staff member.”

 

“Aren’t you perhaps that staff member?”

 

“……”

 

“Hoo. Don’t you know? People around me keep asking me if I haven’t submitted my resignation yet. This is just a representative in name only, and what I do is almost a company slave. From work to practical affairs, to even being a drinking buddy instead of a real Managing Director! Look at me now. Why else wouldn’t I have time to change my clothes!”

 

“……”

 

“It’s a joint production in name, but you just showed your face at the first meeting and left. Go and pretend to check on things at least!”

 

“Just me…?”

 

“I have another meeting that day.”

 

“If you go after it’s over….”

 

“Do Yeonho. I’m human. A normal and pitiful human with physical limitations! Do I have two or three bodies? If you’re going to act like this, let’s break up the partnership! Break it up and catch a cow or horse Morpher and put them in as the representative. They’ll have the strength!”

 

The voice that slammed the table at the end pierced the ceiling. Seungwon is usually a nice person, but it was right to back down when he showed these signs.

 

‘I came to eat breakfast and inadvertently got a job…….’

 

Anyway, nothing good ever comes out when Morphers are mentioned! Yeonho’s face, self-reproaching and self-deprecating, became blurred.