“Did you just say the smell of bread?”
It was Leo who broke the silence.
Evan and Siwoo were alpha and omega with unique traits. Evan was a Golden Alpha who couldn’t sense omega pheromones at all, and Siwoo had lived a long time as an ordinary beta.
The only pheromone in this world that Evan could sense was Siwoo’s pheromone, a Hidden Omega. After meeting Evan and spending a long time with him, Siwoo’s Hidden Omega traits manifested and she became a complete omega who could only sense Evan’s pheromones.
Leo, the child of a Golden Alpha and Hidden Omega, also couldn’t escape having unique traits. Until he was born, he showed dominant alpha traits, but the determination he received after birth was beta.
However, Siwoo knew Leo’s pheromones from the beginning, and Evan also knew his pheromones, but they officially left Leo as a beta.
For the two who had lived through many incomprehensible phenomena, this kind of thing was quite trivial. What importance did traits have in living one’s life?
In any case, Evan, who couldn’t smell omega pheromones at all, didn’t say anything, but Siwoo, who couldn’t sense anyone’s pheromones in the world except Evan and Leo’s, was now sensing someone else’s pheromones from Leo.
“The smell of freshly baked bread completely covered up your coffee scent.”
“He said he was a beta. The official records say so too.”
“Officially, I was also a beta. If I hadn’t met Evani, I would have lived as a beta the whole time. I thought I’d spend my whole life only smelling Evani’s pheromones, but this is quite something.”
“It’s not like unique traits are common either.”
Leo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Hyedam has unique traits, so he could be an alpha or he could be an omega. If Komom, a Hidden Omega, knows the pheromones, then is he a Hidden Alpha?
As his head suddenly throbbed, Leo pressed his lips tightly together and looked at the fishing float that showed only slight movements.
“Leo, I’ve always told you. This world can’t all be explained by medicine and technology. Trust what your feelings tell you. There’s always more hidden than what’s visible and clearly revealed.”
“Daddy, a Golden Alpha, found Komom, a Hidden Omega, and even imprinted on her to become a pair, right? The probability of finding each other was abysmal, but it happened. You’re going to tell that story again?”
“Hey, come on. I said you’re blocking my view, and I’m talking to Leo right now.”
“You’ll catch a cold and suffer again. If the story’s going to be long, just go inside.”
Leo took off his own coat and put it on Siwoo, then shook his head while watching Evan bickering about whether to wear the hat or not.
“Shh. Let me talk. And Leo, I’m not just talking about traits like alpha and omega. There are many more incomprehensible things in the world.”
“Koko, that’s a story only we know.”
“I got it. That aside, who knows? Since he also has unique traits, maybe he’s blinded someone without knowing it? Or even imprinted. If they were ordinary alphas and omegas, even if they imprint, they can still smell other people’s pheromones.”
“Neither blinding nor imprinting are easy.”
“Wow. Evan Lewis. Are you arguing with me right now? Are you going to say that blinding only exists in books? I’m a Hidden Omega who only exists in books too, you know?”
“Ah… Please don’t fight again, you two. If you do that again, I’m just leaving.”
“Leo may be an alpha with unique traits, but why would he be desperate enough to blind someone? There’s no reason for him to blind an omega to make their traits appear like a beta.”
“I was saying anything is possible. If you argue with me one more time, you won’t be able to come to bed tonight. So what does our son think about that person full of bread smell?”
Though it was rocky and the conversation frequently went off on tangents, the three’s conversation continued late into the night.
* * *
After two knocks and waiting briefly, Hyedam opened the door to the team leader’s office but couldn’t readily enter and stopped in front of it. It was because he couldn’t tell whether he had come to the team leader’s office he always frequented or to a newly opened bakery.
On the long table, several pieces of each type of bread were arranged on pretty trays. There was usually bread on the desk, but not to this extent. Hyedam’s gaze, now fully taking in the bread smell instead of the coffee scent that usually subtly permeated the room, hurriedly searched for Leo.
If it were a company related to baking, he would somehow try to understand, but this was a place completely unrelated to food and beverages.
Finding Leo standing by the window, Hyedam looked at him with a gaze full of questions, then slightly pointed toward the table with his chin.
“Tea? Latte?”
“Should I prepare coffee?”
Since he was looking for a drink, Hyedam readjusted his grip on the tablet he was holding to report the schedule.
“I asked you.”
“Ah, I bought some on my way to work.”
Hyedam slightly raised his hand to point toward his own seat, then slowly lowered the hand he was holding awkwardly as Leo’s expression, which had been showing a bright smile just moments ago, darkened.
“I’ll brief you on today’s schedule.”
As an awkward atmosphere flowed between them, Hyedam turned on the tablet even though he had already memorized his schedule, kept his gaze on the schedule, and read through his schedule from top to bottom.
“Should I understand that today’s 7:30 PM meeting will proceed as planned?”
“Ah, Hyedam-ssi doesn’t need to accompany me, so you can leave on time. More than that, does Hyedam-ssi not like bread?”
“I thought Team Leader-nim liked bread… But may I ask why all this bread is here? Robert-ssi didn’t give me any special notice about it.”
“What about breakfast?”
“For breakfast, I have a drink…”
“Then what do you like?”
“I don’t know what you’re asking.”
“What’s your favorite food? Other than tea or lattes.”
“I eat well without being picky about anything.”
“You can leave.”
At the end of the puzzle-like conversation, when Leo gestured to indicate he could leave, Hyedam turned around without hesitation and left the team leader’s office.
Returning to his seat, Hyedam silently stared at the takeout drink cup placed on his desk. He slowly reached out his hand and lifted the cup that still had warm heat remaining, taking a small sip. The Americano he was having after a long time was more bitter and delicious than expected.
The first day it was bread, the next day it was fruit.
The bread from the first day was used as a snack for the Marketing Team that day, and the remaining bread was also in their hands on their way home from work.
The next day, various fruits were prepared ready to eat. At the words that it was fine to eat comfortably, Hyedam took a few tangerines. The meeting snack that day became fruit, and likewise, the employees had fruit in their hands on their way home from work.
After that, he couldn’t encounter the long table and excessive bread or fruits in the team leader’s office, but fruits were always prepared on Leo’s desk instead of bread. And Hyedam, who entered the team leader’s office as his first task after arriving at work to brief the schedule, sometimes came out with tangerines or bananas.
* * *
“You’re not using a drone taxi and will go by car? It will take much more time though.”
Hyedam checked the distance from the company to the filming location on his tablet. Until he mentioned the morning schedule, there was nothing special said, but at Leo’s sudden words that he would go directly to the CF filming location, Hyedam was hastily revising the schedule while talking with Robert.
“That’s true, but I heard a strong wind advisory was issued for the filming location area.”
“Then I’ll prepare the car. Since you’ll leave work directly from the filming location time-wise, how about preparing a drone for at least the one-way trip back if possible?”
“Please handle that part and today’s afternoon schedule, Hyedam-ssi.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Then, Team Leader-nim, I’m counting on you.”
With the end of the year, Leo had many personal schedules so it wouldn’t be easy to move them around, but Hyedam was still thinking about fitting them in here and there when he slightly tilted his head at Robert’s words.
Did he mishear the request to handle the schedule adjustment well?
“Yes?”
“I have to prepare for the year-end party…”
Hyedam’s eyes widened as he looked at Robert showing a gentle smile.
“Robert-ssi won’t be accompanying him?”
“Yes, don’t you know that area well, Hyedam-ssi?”
Could he say he knows it well? The filming location was near Grandmother’s house, but that didn’t mean he knew the entire area. How could he know all about a place he only visited a few times a year for nearly 10 years?
Unlike the rapidly changing city, even if it remained in its old appearance, that and this work felt like separate matters. More than anything, if Robert’s words were true, Hyedam would have to go to and from the filming location alone with Leo. Since that awkward lunch, they had never been alone together for more than 5 minutes.
Hyedam’s gaze turned toward the team leader’s office with the blinds down.
Let’s use the drone taxi that flies quickly. Wouldn’t that be beneficial for both of us? A strong wind advisory and all. The technology is good these days.
When Hyedam, who contacted the meteorological agency with a desperate heart, his shoulders drooped downward. It’s a strong wind advisory in the morning, but it becomes a strong wind warning in the afternoon. Feeling depressed was only momentary; when he raised his head after busily organizing his schedule, Leo was in front of him. Standing in front of the latest model electric car, Hyedam naturally looked at him heading toward the driver’s seat.
“Team Leader-nim?”
It didn’t matter what seat in a self-driving car, but still, in the position of attending to his superior, he couldn’t hand over the driver’s seat to him.
“Yes.”
“Here…”
Standing in front of the open back door, Hyedam quickly conveyed with the movement of his eyes the meaning to get in the back seat.
“I don’t like things blocking my view. You get in there, Hyedam-ssi.”
Watching Leo speak as he got into the driver’s seat, Hyedam quietly closed the back door and sat in the passenger seat.
