Isn’t that obvious? I wasn’t particularly surprised. I just thought, what was bound to come has come. Han Yeoul seemed quite disappointed that I said ‘congratulations’ with an indifferent face. As if he thought the reason I wasn’t jumping with joy like him was because I disapproved of his employment.
It was the truth.
I disapproved of Han Yeoul’s employment. If I had known he was thinking of getting a job, I would have started a company and taken him with me.
Right. Why didn’t I think of that? I should have registered the business first and prepared.
You’re stupid, Yoo Seonjae.
I registered the business right away. Although I had decided on furniture designer as my career path, I had no intention of just remaining an ‘artist.’ In any case, I had to go in a direction that would help Father’s company, so I too had to become a businessman.
Whether it’s a one-person business or expanding the business site, the beginning is alone anyway.
Because only then can I do everything my way.
I sought a way to find a point of contact with the work Han Yeoul does. I couldn’t be more grateful that I’m aspiring to be a designer and Han Yeoul is a patent attorney.
In an era where IP is important, all rights require certified ‘certificates.’ Then I just need to make all those certificates through Han Yeoul.
That way, I can let Han Yeoul do independent work as he wishes while I can be with Han Yeoul in my own way. Under the name of ‘client.’
Of course, a few months’ gap would be necessary in between.
Work proceeded step by step. To make the person named Yoo Seonjae, who is still a student and has no merit other than being the third son of Pine Furniture, known to the world, certified ‘certificates’ were needed even if the method was different.
I had lived keeping myself low as much as possible because I didn’t want to hear that everything I did was thanks to Father’s halo. But now it was time to reveal myself to the world. No, I must reveal myself. Because only then will the power I wield when I go to Han Yeoul as a ‘client’ become stronger.
First, I submitted a work to the most prestigious design competition.
I had many works already made. The sofa, chairs, bed, cabinet, dining table in the house that Han Yeoul thought were just ordinary furniture and handled carelessly—all of them were my works.
In fact, our house was one small gallery, but Han Yeoul didn’t know that. That’s why he was cute. Because he was cute, asking every time when I would show him the furniture I was working on, I didn’t tell him ‘the chair you’re sitting on now, the dining table where you eat, the bed where you sleep, even the reading stand you use while doing assignments—all of them were made by me.’
I submitted one of the things at home to the design competition. It would take some time for the competition results to come out, but I was confident I would get reasonably good results. Because I was that confident.
Even if Han Yeoul runs far away, even if he runs out faster than me, I just need to chase him. Because my feet are much faster than Han Yeoul’s.
The problem arose from an unexpected place.
It was a day when everything was proceeding smoothly.
I was putting effort into the dinner table to feed Han Yeoul when he got off work. I heard the sound of the front door lock being released and I went out with a smiling face to greet Han Yeoul coming home from work. But…
“Yeoul-ah, honey. Why are you crying?”
Han Yeoul was crying.
Fuck, which bastard is it?
This is why I didn’t want to send you to a company. There are more good people in the world? Look at this, there are humans who make you cry like this. There are bastards who make Han Yeoul cry, bastards I wouldn’t be satisfied with even if I ground them up and drank them.
“Yoo Seonjae.”
Standing tall in the living room, looking straight at me, Han Yeoul called my name. Yoo Seonjae. Clearly with the surname attached.
What is it? Could it be that the fucking bastard who made Han Yeoul cry is me?
“Why didn’t I know that alpha pheromones were vibrating from me?”
Not good. Did Han Yeoul find out something?
In fact, I had been marking Han Yeoul every day as he went to work. Not only that, I wrapped him tightly with my pheromones. It was possible because Han Yeoul was recessive. If he were a normal omega, he would have noticed the moment I did such things that alpha pheromones were dominating him, but because Han Yeoul was recessive, he didn’t notice at all that the degree was intensifying. Moreover, because I was a dominant alpha, it would have been even harder to notice.
Dominant alphas could hide the signs of pheromones from the person they were marking or showering with pheromones. So he would have just thought it was the same as always.
I thought this was also proof that we were destined. I thought that because Han Yeoul was recessive and I was a dominant alpha, we were given an environment where I could freely show off that ‘Han Yeoul is mine.’
So there was no hesitation.
It was something I had always done since manifestation. I had never once thought that what I was doing was wrong.
I had never received Han Yeoul’s consent, but I didn’t think he would dislike it. Father knew, Han Yeoul’s father knew. No, everyone except Han Yeoul knew. Because my alpha pheromones wafted more strongly from him than omega pheromones, there was no way not to know.
The only one who didn’t know that fact was Han Yeoul alone.
Even if Han Yeoul found out that fact someday, I thought I would be happy. Because it’s proof that I tried to protect Han Yeoul. Because the world is too harsh for an omega as pretty and kind as Han Yeoul to walk around, I always wanted to protect Han Yeoul even in moments when we couldn’t be together.
Is that… so wrong?
“Explain.”
With his whole face soaked in tears, Han Yeoul’s voice as he spoke was trembling. This was the first time in my life I had seen him this angry. This was also the first time I had seen him cry this much. He looked distressed. I couldn’t believe that the person making him distressed was me.
I was upset. I thought I was born to make Han Yeoul smile, but the fact that Han Yeoul was crying because of me was so painful.
“I did it because I was afraid Yeoul would be in danger.”
It was the truth. But it wasn’t the whole truth.
The truth was that I didn’t want Han Yeoul to be in danger, and I didn’t want other alphas to swarm around him. So what I’m saying now isn’t a lie. I just didn’t tell the whole truth, but what I said wasn’t untrue.
“Yoo Seonjae. Do you even see me as a person equal to you?”
No. I think you’re a much more amazing person than me. You and I were never equal from the start. Because I like you so much more.
“How could you deceive me for all that time?”
“I didn’t deceive you, Yeoul-ah.”
“What?”
“I put a lot of my pheromones on you because I like you so much, is that such a wrong thing?”
“Yoo Seonjae!”
Looking at Han Yeoul crying and shouting, I felt a bit wronged. It was all for Han Yeoul’s sake. I didn’t do a single thing that would harm Han Yeoul. But what is he so angry about? Is it something to dislike so seriously, that my pheromones have become part of him?
“You knew too. My pheromones vibrating from your body, you knew too.”
“That’s—”
“Then how is that deceiving you?”
Of course, I didn’t tell him that there were even more pheromones clinging to him. Just because I didn’t tell him doesn’t mean I deceived him, right? I did nothing wrong.
“If other people hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known. Were you planning to never tell me for the rest of my life?”
“Other people?”
“There were rumors at the company. An omega with terrible alpha pheromones.”
Fuck. Those bastard dogs running their mouths.
“So. How did you hear that?”
“……”
Unable to answer and biting his lips, Han Yeoul’s large eyes filled with tears. Did he hear gossip behind his back? That’s why there’s nothing good about going to places where lots of people gather. When you’re with me, I made you see only good things and hear only good things, but see. Look what happens to you the moment I’m not there.
“I don’t know why you and I have to raise our voices because of other people.”
“Other people?”
“When it’s just you and me together, it wasn’t a problem at all.”
“Ha! Are you calling that—”
“So. You’re being unreasonable about something so obvious right now, Han Yeoul.”
