“Jeongmin hyung.”
As if taking over the situation, Lee Yunjae called out to Seo Jeongmin in a subdued voice.
Seo Jeongmin, who had been casting his gaze into the air, turned only his head like a doll to look at Lee Yunjae. Just from that brief exchange of glances, I could realize that they were hostile toward each other.
Clicking his tongue, Seo Jeongmin said.
“Our Yunjae really has no talent for reading the room, huh?”
“That’s enough, hyung.”
“When hyungs are talking, you should know when to step back appropriately.”
The atmosphere turned cold as if doused with cold water.
Seo Jeongmin was showing murderous eyes, trying to make Lee Yunjae submit somehow. Lee Yunjae also seemed to have his feelings hurt, but he didn’t fight back and just quietly stared at Seo Jeongmin.
During the few minutes they confronted each other, I could only be flustered, unable to leave or stay.
‘What is this? Don’t tell me I have to intervene?’
Suddenly, Seo Jeongmin let out a long breath filled with drunkenness, puhoo, then raised himself from his seat.
Holding a liquor bottle in one hand, he staggered toward this way. It looked like he could very well strike Lee Yunjae’s head with the bottle in his rage.
Sensing danger, I quickly stepped in front of Lee Yunjae. Seo Jeongmin puffed his cheeks as if holding back laughter, then barely composed his expression and grabbed my shoulder.
“You should hurry and go, Nam Heejae. Isn’t it time to go fawn over Baek Sahyun? Hm?”
“What?”
“Don’t act so fierce. I’m just worried about you. You go around making it so obvious that even passing dogs would notice. When it’s such an easy problem to solve…, why hide it at all? Hm?”
“What the hell are you even talking about?”
His hiccupping mouth was spewing out unpleasant words. At the meaningless nonsense, my mood turned foul. It seemed like he was spouting some bullshit linking Baek Sahyun and me together, but honestly my head wasn’t working well enough to judge the meaning beyond that.
As if to prove they’re all the same type, everyone just speaks vaguely. Is this the way of speaking among chaebols?
I came here to have a pleasant drink and leave, but it seems that won’t work. I’d even tried to overlook his history of trying to sexually harass me, but if he’s going to come at me like this, I had no choice but to personally correct Seo Jeongmin’s behavior.
Right. Let’s just hit him once, what the hell.
Even someone like me who’d lived a life far from violence was getting itchy fists. Honestly, there wasn’t much difference in build between Seo Jeongmin and me, and at worst, couldn’t I just take that thing, what was it, the alpha manifestation drug or whatever? There’d be side effects, but once I take it, my strength would increase like an alpha’s. Good. I’ll become strong like Baek Sahyun too.
“Hyung, let’s ignore him and go. I’ll see you out.”
At that moment, Lee Yunjae passed by Seo Jeongmin and tapped my arm. I wanted to spit on Seo Jeongmin’s face flickering behind his shoulder, but Lee Yunjae’s face looked quite pitiful, so I eventually nodded.
“Come tomorrow too, Nam Heejae! There are lots of friends coming. I’m telling you there are many decent alphas.”
Even as I was being held by Lee Yunjae and heading to the entrance, that sneering voice reached me without fail. Ah, I really want to punch him just once. Lee Yunjae also grimaced as if disgusted.
Saying “wait a moment,” he sent me out alone, then had a brief argument with Seo Jeongmin inside before walking out with a tired face. He strongly gave off the feeling of a young helper who’d just dealt with a stubborn elderly person.
‘Bastard. You’re having a rough time too.’
Streetlight illumination dotted through the darkness outside. Perhaps because I was feeling sentimental, I was thinking of cigarettes for the first time. Lee Yunjae happened to take one out of his pocket and offered it, but I declined, thinking Baek Sahyun would throw a fit if I came back smelling of cigarettes.
Shrugging his shoulders and putting away the cigarette, Lee Yunjae suddenly started talking about his military service.
“…Actually, I went to the military early. They said they’d let me do public service, but I refused out of pride. I served near Cheorwon, and because it happened to be near the Military Demarcation Line, I patrolled places with mines and such.”
When I cast a puzzled look, he pressed his lips tightly and hesitated, then as if determined, monologued again.
“I was perfect for mine removal work. I often stood as the advance party, and the seniors praised me a lot then. Asking how I could find them so well.”
“Ah, the mines?”
“Yes. Do you know how I identified mines back then?”
An out-of-the-blue question. Whether he found mines with his mouth, nose, or head, what would I know?
When I answered indifferently, Lee Yunjae answered himself.
“I smell them. With my nose.”
He scraped the dirt with the toe of his sneakers.
“Mines often have scents on them. You know, like omega or alpha pheromones. They probably did it on purpose. To lure anyone toward the mines, drawn by that scent.”
It was an interesting story to hear. Putting pheromones on mines. Thinking about the structure of a worldview dominated by traits, it seemed like an idea the military could easily come up with.
But this isn’t even inside a military novel. Why is he telling me this?
I, who had been listening silently, cleared my throat and gave him a hint. Since it was late, I wanted him to get to the point without beating around the bush.
Lee Yunjae, who had been staring at the ground all along, turned his head toward me.
“I was saying my nose is that much of a super nose. The more recessive you are, the more sensitively you react to other people’s body scents and pheromones. Perhaps…, you could call it a talent.”
His eyes were deep and calm, but somehow anxiety could be glimpsed.
“What I want to say is just.”
Lee Yunjae’s gaze dropped back to the ground. Following his lips that opened as if determined, a low voice leaked out.
“Hyung, right now…, it’s all obvious.”
“What is?”
“That you’re not an alpha.”
Those two sentences struck my consciousness. I felt dizzy and my vision blurred. Did I get caught? By Lee Yunjae of all people? In that flustered moment, Lee Yunjae suggested we take a walk since he’d take me to the house anyway.
Accepting it, I trudged along the boulevard near the coastline with him. Though I was so drained it wouldn’t be strange to collapse right there, strangely my nerves were more on edge than ever.
Lee Yunjae said.
“You said your memory comes and goes, right? That you had a traffic accident.”
“…Yeah. That’s right.”
“Do you know hyung originally had an incredibly strong scent? So strong that ordinary alphas couldn’t even approach you.”
Starting with the military story, Lee Yunjae confessed without reservation.
“Actually, that’s why I hated being with hyung. Same with Jeongmin hyung and Jongsu hyung. Those hyungs also preferred to run far away from hyung rather than be with you.”
“……”
“It was such a violent and aggressive scent. Threatening enough that you’d feel danger if you got close.”
The confusion of information came again and again. It was a description with considerable discrepancy from the image of Nam Heejae I knew.
“Dull people would have easily mistaken hyung for an alpha with overwhelming power. But among alphas with keen sense of smell like me…”
Lee Yunjae trailed off. After hesitating for a while, he added, ‘I’ll tell you anyway since I’ll probably get kicked out by Seo Jeongmin tomorrow.’
“It was called an artificial and contrived scent. Like a toxic and sharp pheromone mixed with all kinds of drugs and perfumes of unknown origin…, it was such a chaotic scent.”
“……”
“It would have been fine if it was just my own thought, but unfortunately there are occasionally guys with better noses than me, you know?”
Lee Yunjae smiled awkwardly. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t smile along with him.
Artificial and contrived. There was no passage anywhere in the book that evaluated Nam Heejae in that way.
Nam Heejae, who had felt shame about being beta his whole life. Nam Heejae, who desperately went around pretending to be an alpha because of that. But if what Lee Yunjae said was true, doesn’t that mean it was all obvious?
Even if not openly, it meant people secretly suspecting Nam Heejae’s trait had emerged….
“So, you’re certain I’m a beta?”
“No. Of course I’m not completely certain. I did feel pheromones after all.”
“……”
“Of course, there were plausible rumors going around.”
Lee Yunjae hesitated again, watching my reaction. When I encouraged him to continue, saying it was okay, his mouth opened.
“It’s a rumor. Literally a scandal. Since hyung’s company has been dominating lately, there must be forces trying to check you, right? They would have wanted to bring you down somehow, that’s just how this world is.”
Before I knew it, I was chewing my lips hard. I couldn’t be more afraid of the information gradually taking shape. Lee Yunjae, who glanced at my stiffly frozen appearance, took a big breath and said.
“Baek Sahyun is backing up Nam Heejae. Baek Sahyun is covering Nam Heejae with his own pheromones.”
I furrowed my brow sharply.
Baek Sahyun is backing me up? Why would that bastard?
Ah. Did he show mercy because we’re childhood friends? But that bastard wasn’t kind enough to sacrifice himself for a beta friend who’d been hiding his trait in the first place.
More than that, covering with pheromones? Was that even possible?
I couldn’t understand what it meant to cover and how. Do you just let it flow while exerting force?
When I tilted my head as if I didn’t understand at all, Lee Yunjae sighed.
“Hyung, even your expression has become so stupid…. Why are you like this, really?”
“Traffic acci…”
“Forget it.”
Lee Yunjae, who waved his hands, calmed himself for a moment then continued calmly.
“Hyung disappeared without a trace for about a month or two, then appeared today after a long time.”
“Right? I was… busy because of the accident.”
“I don’t know if it’s because of some aftereffects. Hyung’s scent has settled down a lot compared to before. Light, soft…, just like you’re not an alpha.”
Lee Yunjae emphasized the last words. His eyes, which had reached the crossroads of doubt and certainty, were trembling faintly. He stared at me for a few seconds with a face mixed with apology and curiosity, then concluded.
“In this situation, you happened to go around saying you fought with Baek Sahyun, had a quarrel and such, so we have to consider it over. Kim Jongsu and Seo Jeongmin must have become certain too thanks to that. That hyung has been pretending to be an alpha all this time. Now, do you understand?”
“……”
“Hah. I think that’s all I can explain.”
Watching me just rolling my eyes, Lee Yunjae touched his forehead. Then saying it was late so he’d head back now, he left my side.
Ah, before I knew it I’d arrived in front of Baek Sahyun’s villa.
Did I walk for about 2 hours? Barely supporting my exhausted body, I plopped down in front of the doorway.
Should I ring the doorbell or not? Honestly, even sneaking in like a mouse and lying down was a situation that pricked my conscience.
“Is Baek Sahyun…, sleeping?”
