“Oh my, what are you saying? Meeting Executive Director Choi, I have to show at least this much sincerity.”
Walking toward the room following Representative Ha, Wookyung swept the corridor with indifferent eyes. The club interior decorated with a restrained feel had such a luxurious atmosphere that it hardly seemed like a simple entertainment establishment. A thick, ripe fragrance hung in the corridor, and the upper part of the door attached to each room was elegantly decorated with fresh flowers. If not for the ominously shining reddish lighting, it would look more like a high-end spa facility than an entertainment establishment.
“Please come in. I’ll treat you very properly today.”
Representative Ha spoke in an exaggerated tone and guided Wookyung inside the room. The manager smiled with a business-like expression and bowed, then politely indicated the beta man and omega man waiting inside.
“These are the ones who will attend to the presidents today.”
“Hello.”
The two men standing in the room bowed deeply. However, seeing the omega inside, Wookyung fiercely scrunched his face and gestured toward Representative Ha.
“…Tell him to leave.”
“Pardon?”
To Representative Ha asking back with a dumbfounded expression, Wookyung, covering his face with one hand, swallowed and spat out with a fierce expression.
“Tell him to leave. That omega.”
“Ah… if you don’t like him… I understand.”
Representative Ha wasn’t a trait holder, so he couldn’t know why Wookyung was scrunching his face. But being somewhat perceptive, he hastily called the manager who was about to leave the room to take the omega out.
Only the omega leaving the room hurriedly as if being chased knew the reason. The dominant alpha male who had just expelled him was in his rut cycle, and though the omega was also suppressing it with suppressants, he was in his heat cycle. Even with suppressants, there was no way the alpha wouldn’t notice. The fierce male sensitively picked up that smell, and he chose to expel the omega from the room instead of dragging him to the next room.
“…Executive Director. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. …Being a trait holder, it’s sometimes uncomfortable.”
Only after the omega who had been giving off a suffocating sweet scent left did Wookyung sit down. Though he hadn’t done anything, he already felt completely drained. Wookyung, who raised his wrist from which heavy pheromones were flowing like a spring and roughly swept his hair up, spat out coldly.
“So, please don’t set places like this as appointment locations from now on.”
“Ah! Yes, I understand. I’m truly sorry.”
Representative Ha jumped up and bowed, unable to hide his awkward face. There’s no need to go this far, normally he would have told him with a gentle expression that it’s okay and to sit down, but right now Wookyung wasn’t in good enough condition to accommodate his mood.
When the beta hostess remaining in the room tried to pour alcohol, Wookyung extended his hand toward Representative Ha before that.
“Let’s look at the documents first.”
“What? Ah, yes.”
Usually, whether or not to contract is already decided before even coming to the entertainment venue. That’s why the documents are pushed aside and time is spent lavishly, and only when they’re drunk and the other party’s body is almost collapsing do they barely coax them with “Excuse me, a signature please…” and obtain a signature on the contract.
However, the man before him who looked displeased seemed to have no intention of being entertained at all. Perhaps his condition was very poor, as he didn’t even seem to think about hiding his frowning expression. Representative Ha inwardly resented himself for choosing such a day and such a place and glanced at Wookyung nervously.
Receiving the documents with indifferent hands, Wookyung meticulously turned the pages and checked the text. Meanwhile, Representative Ha sat beside him needlessly tense, swallowing saliva. The beta hostess sitting next to him was similarly reading his mood.
About five minutes passed, and Wookyung slowly took out a pen from inside his jacket. Wookyung, who scrawled his name in thick handwriting on the signature line, handed the contract to Representative Ha.
“Our people will visit during Monday morning. You can brief them on the details about field activities then.”
“Ah, yes! I understand.”
Representative Ha, who had successfully concluded the contract, jumped up with a moved expression.
“Thank you. Thank you! Executive Director. How can I repay you for this…”
“Repayment. This is a contract made because there are mutual benefits, isn’t it? We look forward to working with you as well.”
Grasping Wookyung’s dry yet warm hand respectfully with both hands and shaking it, Representative Ha smiled broadly. Though it was an answer that somehow sounded a bit mechanical, anyway seeing his face smiling with slightly raised corners made him feel somewhat relieved. Representative Ha poured a drink directly into his glass with a much lighter heart.
“But… you seem to be in very poor condition today. Shouldn’t you rest…”
“…I was thinking I should do just that.”
Speaking in a slow and heavy tone, Wookyung received the bottle and poured into his glass.
“I seem to have chosen the wrong day and place. Next time in another place… I’ll treat you properly.”
“It’s fine.”
Slowly bringing the glass to his lips and tilting his head, he swallowed the alcohol. The sharp and strong taste and scent familiarly scratched past his throat.
In the quiet atmosphere, each other’s glasses were filled. Exchanging talk about business sporadically, Wookyung and Representative Ha drank several glasses of alcohol. The one remaining beta hostess perceptively sat beside the two and took care of the alcohol and snacks. The room without even a sound of music was extremely quiet whenever the talking ceased.
—Uh, heu, uung, mm….
Then a suppressed-sounding moan was heard faintly from the next room. At the desperate sound as if his mouth was being blocked, Wookyung frowned. Soon after, another man’s intimidating voice was heard.
—Do you like it? You’re going crazy liking it, completely. Follow me out. I’ll tear you apart properly.
The stern voice barked at the other party. Soon with the sound of the next room’s door opening, the moaning stopped. Though they couldn’t see the hostess being dragged out by the man’s strong hand, it was naturally conjured in the minds of the three people sitting in the room.
Watching Wookyung’s fiercely frowning expression, Representative Ha read the mood once more.
“Haha… this is really, the soundproofing… isn’t working.”
However, the reason Wookyung frowned wasn’t simply from displeasure. Some sense of déjà vu kept precariously stimulating some point in his mind.
It was a voice he’d heard somewhere. The man’s voice that had been ordering the omega whose mouth was blocked with a forceful tone.
“Where do they usually go when they’re like that?”
“Ah, there are rooms on the upper floor.”
The hostess answered Representative Ha’s question while pouring alcohol into his glass. With natural movements, Representative Ha received and drank the alcohol while reading the mood of Wookyung who seemed lost in thought.
However, Wookyung soon dismissed the unpleasant sense of déjà vu as nothing significant.
It’s none of my business. I must have met him somewhere in passing. People in Wookyung’s same industry often entertain and are entertained at places like this, so it’s not particularly surprising. Thinking this, Wookyung again grasped his glass with indifferent hands. Hands perceptively pouring from the side followed.
Had an hour passed? Even the scent of the alcohol he usually liked, his body in rut wasn’t receiving very welcomingly. Wookyung slowly got up with a rough sigh.
“I’m sorry but… today, I think I should stop here and get up.”
“…Ah.”
Representative Ha, who had been turning his head and swallowing alcohol, hastily put down his glass and jumped up following Wookyung.
“You’re leaving already? This is because I chose the wrong day… I’m so sorry today, what should I do.”
“Not at all. I enjoyed the drinks today. It’s because I’m personally not feeling well, so you don’t need to worry.”
Wookyung raised the corners of his mouth dryly and offered a handshake. Solid and thick hands grasped Representative Ha’s hand with appropriate grip strength.
“Next time I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Oh my, I’d be so grateful for that.”
Wookyung, who put on the coat he had taken off, slowly left the room. Representative Ha, who had successfully landed the contract anyway, also followed him out with a broadly smiling face.
Wookyung moved his steps while rubbing his fatigue-laden eyes with his hand. His body tinged with heat felt heavy and burdensome like waterlogged cotton especially today. Thinking he wanted to throw himself on the bed as soon as he got home, while trying to leave the corridor lined with rooms, not taking a few steps, Wookyung’s footsteps stopped in front of a certain room.
It was precisely the room next to where Wookyung had been drinking. Where the man’s moaning had been heard.
“……”
His sense of smell, more sensitive than usual, keenly caught the pheromones flowing from inside the room. Wookyung narrowed his eyes as much as possible with a stiff expression.
It was a pheromone smell he was smelling for the first time.
However, it was a scent that strangely gouged at his chest.
He couldn’t lightly shake off and pass by these pheromones that had stopped his footsteps. No, to be precise, he was captivated by those pheromones and couldn’t move. Standing still as if a trap had caught his ankle, Wookyung slowly turned his gaze toward the inside of the empty room.
It was truly strange. Though even he didn’t understand it, the thought that he wanted to enter this room intensely captivated Wookyung. Wookyung opened his mouth while still fixing his gaze on that door.
“…Representative Ha.”
“Ah, yes! Executive Director.”
“Please go ahead. I’ll leave shortly after.”
“What?”
Representative Ha widened his eyes and made an expression of not understanding, but seeing Wookyung who seemed to have no will to answer further, he soon quickly bowed. The contract had been concluded anyway and there was no reason to object to his words.
“Ah, I understand! Then please take care on your way out, Executive Director! Thank you so much!”
Wookyung, who roughly nodded to send off Representative Ha, stared piercingly at the inside of the room.
Regardless of Wookyung’s reason, his body in rut was strongly drawn to those pheromones. As if bewitched, Wookyung’s legs moved and grasped the slightly open door handle. In his mind was only the thought that he must enter this room right away.
At that moment, someone gently grabbed his clothing from behind.
“Excuse me… Executive Director Choi? That room is empty…”
The manager with a slightly surprised face was standing behind him.
