Actually, while Seonjae got so many cooking licenses for me, I felt quite uncomfortable feeling like I was doing nothing for him and just lazing around. I should live doing my part as one person too, but I didn’t want to inherit a furniture factory I wasn’t particularly interested in.
If that’s the case, it would help Seonjae and Dad someday, and I could take care of myself, and it’s a ‘professional job,’ so I thought this was my calling.
But…
When I held out the certification with a proud face, Seonjae’s face literally became an expression like he was eating shit.
And what came out were those words I recalled earlier.
Saying why work when you’re going to live with him—where does such talk come from?
“Baby, aren’t you happy? I’m a professional. I got this in one try, and that’s not easy.”
“No, I’m happy. It’s not that I’m not happy, but Yeoul. Are you really going to go out to work?”
“Well, I work at an office, not at home, right?”
“You could do remote work.”
Yoo Seonjae continued to be stubborn with a stiff expression.
“You’re going to work too, so what am I supposed to do working from home alone?”
“I’m not going to work though.”
This time, I was the one who was flustered. I knew that Yoo Seonjae was in a position where he had to inherit the company, so he needed to go to work to learn the business and had a lot of things to do, but he’s not going to work?
“Yeoul, you seem to have forgotten, but I’m the third son.”
“…So?”
Yoo Seonjae sighed.
“My eldest brother takes care of everything.”
…Doesn’t Yoo Seonjae fight over management rights or anything? In dramas, siblings fight over shares and management rights, and it gets bloody—chaebols do that.
“Our family isn’t as huge a chaebol as you think, Yeoul—”
No? If you’re in the top 5 business groups, that’s definitely huge.
“My brothers aren’t so greedy about shares that there’s really no reason for disputes to happen.”
That’s… something you don’t know.
“Besides…, I’m not interested in company work, Yeoul.”
…That does seem kind of true.
“Still, my father said I can’t do something completely unrelated, so I chose my major under the condition that I’d design furniture, and we already agreed that after graduating from school, I’d marry you, set up a studio at home, and work remotely.”
“When? You never said a word to me about it.”
“…Yeoul, honey. I was planning to talk about it when we were seniors. But we’re only juniors right now. First semester at that. Don’t you think you’re deciding on your career path a bit too fast?”
Well… that’s true, I guess. Actually, I didn’t expect to pass the exam this quickly.
“The professor also said they’d count attendance if I got a job, and there’s no problem, Seonjae.”
“No, I can support you for life even if you don’t do anything, so why would you—”
“Yoo Seonjae. I’m not dating you with the intention of marrying you to leech off you.”
At my serious words, Yoo Seonjae closed his mouth with a flustered expression. I was sincere. I didn’t want to live completely dependent on Yoo Seonjae. Because I wanted to show him that there were things I could do with my own strength too.
Anyway, that’s how I ended up going to this thing called an ‘interview,’ and although Yoo Seonjae grumbled until the end about why I was leaving my own home to go work like a servant at someone else’s place, that conversation ended there for the time being.
That was a few days ago, and it seemed like Yoo Seonjae’s pheromones were running wild because of it.
He probably wasn’t happy about the change in our lifestyle. I understand that. Still, I wanted to take the ‘next step’ in my life anyway. Wouldn’t Yoo Seonjae understand eventually?
“Do you really have to go to an interview?”
“Why again.”
“What if there are weird guys at the company?”
“There are more good people in the world, Seonjae.”
I felt a deep sigh from my neck where Yoo Seonjae’s breath touched.
“Just, why don’t you open an office right away? I’ll pay for it.”
“…Who’s going to hire a patent attorney with no experience? And I haven’t even gotten hired yet, Seonjae. I’m just going to an interview.”
“Our honey is so sharp and pretty that it’s obvious you’ll pass the interview right away.”
Again, again with that.
“That’s only how it looks to you, Seonjae.”
I need to make this clear before I go. I released the arm that was holding me and looked straight at Yoo Seonjae.
“Look me straight in the eyes, Yoo Seonjae.”
He looked straight at me as I said.
“Until now, has there ever been an alpha who followed me around saying they liked me besides you?”
“……”
“Or has there ever been an alpha who even once said out loud that I was pretty?”
“……”
“If not that, have I ever dragged along anyone while leaking pheromones outside?”
“……”
“See. Not even once.”
Yoo Seonjae couldn’t answer a single one of my questions. As if any of that had ever happened. He chewed on his lips nervously and fidgeted but couldn’t answer anything. Even he knows it doesn’t make sense. He’s certain that his omega only looks pretty to his own eyes.
“Please stop worrying. I’m not popular, okay?”
Yoo Seonjae let out a sigh deep enough to sink the ground. That’s serious, seriously serious. Why is he acting like this when he’s not even lovesick, really? Every time he comes home with omegas following him around while I just stay put. Well, of course that’s also because Yoo Seonjae cuts them off himself.
“And who passes an interview on the first try? Instead of worrying about that nonsense, go get ready for school.”
I laughed and teased him while putting on my interview suit, but that day I really did pass on the first try, and the company that hired me as an intern became the company I’ve been working at ever since.
*
Along with getting a job, my school life inevitably became neglected. I submitted employment paperwork and replaced exams with reports. Since I was a commendable student who raised the employment rate by getting a job on my own without being told to, the professors had no hesitation in providing various accommodations.
Among them, there were even people who appealed that they were potential clients, saying they’d have things to consult with me about regarding patents later.
Anyway, thanks to that, things were comfortable for me. Though it didn’t seem that way for Yoo Seonjae at all.
“Yeoul, just a moment.”
“No.”
As I was putting on my shoes at the entrance, Yoo Seonjae spoke to me, but I coldly refused. He was trying to give me a pheromone shower. Or should I call it marking?
At first, I thought it was just because he hoped I would adapt well to the new environment. After all, being surrounded by a familiar scent would make me less nervous.
I realized it was going too far when I finally shed my intern label after 3 months at the company.
“You know, that new intern.”
“Hm? Oh, that omega?”
“I thought that person was an alpha at first. I said they were too pretty for an alpha.”
“True. I also thought they were an alpha when I briefly passed by them at first.”
“The pheromones were intense…”
“Right.”
At first, I couldn’t really understand the meaning of the conversation I overheard by chance when I went to the break room. That’s because I had always been in this state.
I had been glued to Yoo Seonjae since before manifesting, and started dating Yoo Seonjae as soon as I manifested.
Being apart from him all day like this was the first time in my life.
Because we were always together, I was naturally familiar with his pheromone scent. Every time he drenched me in his pheromones, my heart tickled because it felt like being warmly embraced. My own pheromone scent was faint, so the pheromone scent coming from me could only be felt a little when I entered a heat cycle. What covered me was always Yoo Seonjae’s scent.
I thought all couples were like that.
I thought when an alpha and omega dated, it was natural for the alpha to lovingly cover the omega with plenty of their pheromones.
I only learned after entering society that ordinary alphas and omegas, even when dating, would inevitably have pheromones rub off on each other from being together, but that was at a minimal level. Cases like mine where pheromones were drenched on were limited to giving a pheromone shower when the other person’s pheromones were unstable, and unavoidably marking with one’s own pheromones when thinking the other person was in danger.
When I learned that Yoo Seonjae not only marking me but also giving me pheromone showers wasn’t normal, I was quite confused.
