What was attached to the text turned out to be a ten-thousand-won points voucher for a specific coffee brand. The world really has come a long way. Hee-won let out a sigh. If I don’t bring it, he’ll have something to say about that too.
[Yes, I’m on my way to work now so I’ll stop and buy it on the way.]
In the end, he bought one large iced Americano and one regular iced Americano, and showed up to work with a coffee carrier in one hand and his bag in the other.
“Oh…….”
“Ah…….”
The person he ran into right in front of the building was the beta he’d briefly crossed paths with during orientation. Lee Hyung-woo, if he remembered right. Their gazes met, and a look of mutual understanding passed between them before dissolving.
This person had probably come in early for the same reason he had. Timing his arrival for the window with the least chance of running into alphas and omegas, then folding himself up so small he might as well not exist and getting to work.
It was a sixth sense that any beta who’d spent even a little time around alphas and omegas had picked up. If you couldn’t smell the pheromones, the only option was to move faster than them.
“Excuse me, would it be alright if I asked which department you’re in……”
“Oh, I’m in, um — HR. And you…….”
“Marketing and Sales…… department.”
Another brief silence followed. Hee-won looked at Hyung-woo’s face. A beta getting into HR means the company is probably trying to project some image of being at the forefront of equality.
And what good does that do? Picking two betas out of twenty. What would change with one beta in HR? Maybe they’ll pick three next year? In that case, the new hire headcount for that year would probably be thirty.
Hyung-woo was probably thinking the same thing. That beta thrown into the marketing department — where creativity and initiative are needlessly demanded more than most roles with heavy outside interaction, like HR — is pitiful too.
As if by prior agreement, they looked at each other and smiled, then exchanged a small nod.
“When you have some free time later, maybe we could grab a meal…….”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Hyung-woo nodded and turned away first. His nicely bronzed skin looked like the kind you’d get from professional tanning somewhere. Broad shoulders too, and tall — he’d probably do well in sports.
The athletics world, where ruts and heats had a critical impact, was one of the few places alongside medicine where betas could hold their heads up a little. If he’d gone that route from the start, he wouldn’t have had to go through any of this either.
Even in a situation where he had his own problems to deal with, Hee-won thought about it all quite peacefully. And only after Hyung-woo disappeared from view did he start moving. I’m weirdly anxious the coffee will melt.
Thanks to coming in early, he had the elevator to himself. Nerves getting the better of him for no good reason, he stepped out the moment the doors opened. The marketing office was situated toward the back of this floor, so there was quite a bit of walking to do.
“You’re later than I expected. You said you were on your way, so I figured thirty minutes.”
And then Hee-won nearly fainted on the spot because of Ha-geon, who was waiting right in front of the marketing office. Why is he standing out here when he has a perfectly fine desk of his own? It’s indoors too, so he can’t even smoke.
Ha-geon swung his long legs over and approached Hee-won. Even for a beta, if the other person’s expression was stiff, you’d naturally assume they were upset. Hee-won instinctively took a step back and held up the carrier.
“I brought the coffee. Iced Americano, large.”
“And yours?”
“The same thing…… regular.”
“Why didn’t you get a large? You must have some points left over. I’ll send you something different tomorrow, so buy yourself a cookie or something with it.”
It would be a grave misunderstanding to think I’d turn that down. Hee-won intended to catch every bit of crumbs that fell his way. This was a person he’d be parting from in six months anyway. Don’t refuse what’s offered.
Ha-geon took his coffee out of the carrier and looked like he was about to step back — then abruptly bent toward Hee-won’s nape and inhaled. What on earth is he doing now. Too flustered to step back, Hee-won just stood there.
Ha-geon, who had been sniffing with his nose almost touching skin, blinked slowly, then pulled back and looked at Hee-won’s face.
“I thought something smelled different and wondered if someone had gotten to you again…….”
“Did something get on me again without me knowing…….”
Was that why he looked upset? But no matter how hard he racked his brain, the only person Hee-won had had any real contact with or received attention from today was Hyung-woo.
The only people who could have accidentally transferred pheromones onto him were Chae-won or his mother — and both of them had been sleeping in separate rooms, so that was unlikely. Hee-won was turning the problem over in his head, trying to trace the source of an unidentified scent, when Ha-geon laughed.
“Looks like it was just your shampoo. Or your body wash.”
“Oh…….”
“It’s a nice scent. Smells like pheromones.”
As if he was already at it anyway, he went ahead and ruffled Hee-won’s hair too, then while Hee-won was standing there in a daze, pulled his share of coffee from the carrier and walked off. Whether it was for Hee-won’s sake or not, he left the marketing office door open as he went in.
It took Hee-won roughly ten seconds to come back to his senses with the distinct feeling that he’d been properly toyed with, though he wasn’t entirely sure how. This person really loves to play with people.
He let out a quiet sigh and followed after him, pulling the door shut. When he turned his head after that, Ha-geon was standing there with his coffee, watching him in silence.
Hee-won tilted his head as if to say what?, and Ha-geon shook his coffee cup.
“I should at least get a thank you. Enjoy it — beta.”
Hee-won awkwardly pulled his own coffee out of the carrier and gave a small, light bow. This was bought with your money though…… But saying that out loud would obviously come across as oblivious, so he swallowed it.
He glanced around for a moment and then just gave a casual nod and made his way to his desk. As he walked, he didn’t forget to press his nose to his wrist and collar to check if anything smelled off.
What body wash did I use this morning — what shampoo? One thing was certain: it hadn’t been mint, chocolate, or anything in the orange family. Well, Ha-geon seems to like it, so I’ll stick with it for the next six months.
He was setting his bag down at his desk when a thought struck him and he turned his head toward Ha-geon’s seat. Whether Ha-geon had been watching him the whole time or it was just coincidence, their eyes met immediately.
“Team leader, I’m asking this on account of our contract — can I ask two questions? You’re free not to answer.”
“As long as it’s not something like my sex life or rut cycle, I suppose I should answer.”
I wouldn’t want to hear about that even if he got on his knees and begged me. It hadn’t even been that long since they’d met — there was no way Hee-won would be curious about his sexual preferences or rut cycle details, how intense it got, any of that. This isn’t a blind date.
Ha-geon’s joke — the kind Hee-won had no immunity to — made Hee-won’s expression crumple, and Ha-geon tapped the corners of his own mouth as if to say ease up. Right. Cry when told to cry, smile when told to smile, crawl when told to crawl.
Hee-won forced a smile onto his face — stiff and awkward as it was — and lobbed his questions at Ha-geon with that same unnatural expression.
“Are you dominant? And…… what does your pheromone smell like?”
“That’s what you wanted to ask?”
“Yes — is that also something I shouldn’t be asking?”
“No, it’s not that…….”
Just wondering whether you can keep a secret. Ha-geon tilted his head. A secret? Hee-won blinked. Ha-geon shrugged. Because I’m an alpha who conceals his pheromones. Hee-won’s eyes darted quickly. Did I step in it?
Should I retract it? You can pretend I never asked.
He barely managed to hold those words in and blinked innocently instead. Ha-geon rubbed his chin. I already know that’s a habit of his. After seeing him for only a single day. How much does he rub that chin of his.
“To start with — yes, I am dominant. My mother, my father, myself, and my younger brother are all alphas. You’d have to go back to my grandfather’s generation to find an omega.”
He’d only been curious about what kind of person Ha-geon was, and he’d ended up receiving a full family history. Hee-won’s eyes moved in bewilderment. Why is he being so excessively forthcoming? And apparently there are no betas in that household.
All I have to do is put up with this TMI man for six months. Hee-won drew in a slow breath. In the meantime, Ha-geon was still rubbing his chin and staring somewhere into empty space, apparently still thinking.
Is saying what his own pheromone smells like really that difficult? Is it somehow tied to his rut cycle? Having never looked into alphas in any real depth, Hee-won suddenly felt uneasy.
What if this loses me points. That would be a real disaster. But from the perspective of a perfectly ordinary beta, pheromone scent didn’t seem to have much connection to rut cycles or sex life, did it?
Living as much like a beta as possible — that had been the condition of their contract.
“Mint.”
“Oh, I see.”
He’d been about to tell Ha-geon he didn’t have to answer since he’d been deliberating for so long, when Ha-geon finally gave his answer. Hee-won had been so thrown off by the hesitation that he’d half expected it to be something like durian. Mint doesn’t seem like something worth hiding.
Could it be that he hates mint chocolate and just doesn’t like having a mint scent? Even as his own speculation, it was so absurd that Hee-won let out a small involuntary laugh.
Misreading that laugh, Ha-geon’s face briefly tightened before smoothing out again. Even after being so careful — did he end up irritating him? Hee-won shrank back.
Ha-geon had already returned to his usual expression and was calmly drinking his coffee. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he pulled his lips off the straw and looked at Hee-won.
“Beta — just so you know, I put a little mint scent on your desk. Keep that in mind.”
Ha-geon met Hee-won’s baffled face and jerked his chin as if telling him to go sit down already. The atmosphere made it clear he wasn’t going to explain further even if asked. Hee-won gave up quickly and went back to his seat.
It’s about time to stop dawdling and actually get some work done.
“Beta.”
“Yes.”
“You have a partner, don’t you?”
The man sitting to Hee-won’s right spoke up. Was he an alpha, or an omega? Either way, he’d be chocolate or orange. Asking whether he’s recessive or standard on a first meeting would be rude.
Not that rudeness had stopped this person. There was an actual job title to use, and yet he’d deliberately chosen “beta” — the attitude was plain to see. Hee-won glanced sideways at his employee ID.
Ha Yeong-min. From the name alone, there was no way to tell alpha or omega. Not that traits would change based on names anyway — if they did, Hee-won would have already changed his name to Jin Chae-won.
