The moment a man had suddenly leapt into his car, pheromones the man couldn’t control — because of the heat cycle inducer — had spread out thickly around him.
The scent was sweet without being overwhelming, and it softened Jaehyeok’s mood by a degree. At the time, Jaehyeok had found himself pressing the accelerator deep without thinking, in order to shake off the car pursuing that man.
Jaehyeok drove in a frenzy and barely managed to lose the car tailing him. Once he slowed down on a bright, busy street, he glanced briefly at the man still trembling beside him. The slight frame of the man with his face buried between his knees left quite an impression on him.
“It’s okay now.”
“…….”
“They’re not following anymore.”
Reassured by his words that they were safe, the man had slowly lifted his head and looked at Jaehyeok. The man, who still looked young, was a beauty with fine, delicate features that anyone would recognize at a glance. Jaehyeok had seen countless people called the most stunning of their generation. And yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off Haneul.
What is it? What’s different about him?
Jaehyeok drew in a deep breath without realizing it. Air carrying a faint trace of pheromones seeped deep into his lungs. Recalling the memory from moments ago, his head tilted on its own, slightly to one side.
“……rector, Executive Director?”
“Ah, yes.”
Called back by the police chief, Jaehyeok’s consciousness returned from wherever it had wandered off to. Jaehyeok looked back at the chief, who gave an awkward smile and continued.
“I’ve just received word from Inspector Seo.”
“Did you catch them?”
Jaehyeok asked for the conclusion first, tersely. The chief offered an appropriately measured compliment of Jaehyeok’s contribution, then delivered the result at the end of a long explanation.
“Thanks to the route saved in your navigation system, we were able to locate their secret hideout more easily than expected. On top of that, we were able to obtain their license plate from the dashcam footage. So fortunately, we rescued the other three omegas being held there and apprehended all of the perpetrators. Once again, thank you for your cooperation.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
The furrow between Jaehyeok’s brows eased, and he gave a brief affirmation.
“Ah…… so, about that — our agency would like to present you with a Brave Citizen Award…….”
“That won’t be necessary. I’d like this matter kept confidential.”
“But…… we can’t take all the credit for ourselves.”
“I don’t mind. Just proceed that way.”
Jaehyeok cut the chief’s proposal off cleanly and rose from his seat. The chief rose after him with a reluctant look.
“But still…….”
“I only did what anyone would have done. I’m afraid I have an important meeting, so I’ll have to excuse myself now.”
“Ah, is that so. We’ve kept you far too long. My apologies.”
The chief couldn’t quite hide the disappointment on his face. While he lingered, reluctant to let him go, Jaehyeok stepped swiftly out of the office. The flustered chief hurried after him to see him off.
“Thank you once again for what you did.”
“Not at all.”
Cutting short the conversation that threatened to drag on with a brief reply, Jaehyeok got into his car as the entire police agency staff saw him off. The moment he was inside, he called someone.
— Yes, this is Team Leader Go Hyeonjae.
“Go.”
— Go ahead, sir.
“Name is Yun Haneul, twenty years old. Look into everything about him — don’t miss a single thing.”
— I’ll have the report ready for when you return from Incheon to headquarters.
“Get back as quickly as you can.”
— Yes, understood.
Team Leader Go Hyeonjae was the head of the Strategic Secretariat and Jaehyeok’s dedicated secretary. This was the first time Jaehyeok had ever given him instructions for something personal. On top of that, once Jaehyeok left the office, he rarely contacted his staff. The fact that he had broken that unspoken rule made it clear that this was something of significant importance. Go Hyeonjae immediately pushed back his chair and got to his feet.
Meanwhile, Jaehyeok felt an inexplicable sense of urgency. He pressed down gently on the accelerator and began picking up speed. He was thinking that he had to finish the morning’s meeting and return to the office before the day was out.
Passing through the secretariat — empty now that everyone had gone home — Jaehyeok entered his private office. He didn’t sit at his desk but strode directly to the window. He had been told the full account of the previous incident by the police. Through that, he had also learned that the name of the man he had given a ride to the night before was Yun Haneul.
“Yun Haneul.”
Jaehyeok gazed quietly out the window, settling the turbulence in his mind. As he did, the tangle of thoughts swirling through his head seemed to sort itself out, one by one.
A surrogate?
The man had nearly fallen into serious danger after seeing a ridiculous advertisement looking for a surrogate. Recalling that oblivious look on his face that night, Jaehyeok felt a laugh escape him again despite himself.
Not a care in the world about how dangerous it is.
At the police agency, Jaehyeok had meticulously checked whether the remaining members of the trafficking ring posed any risk of further crimes, and made sure the safety of the victims was fully secured.
Hm…… why am I going this far?
But Jaehyeok was not the kind of saintly volunteer who offered sympathy to anyone and everyone. He was a cool-headed businessman who weighed practical benefit more carefully than anyone. He began methodically working through his reasons for getting personally involved. Just then, the name of the Chairman’s Office chief secretary lit up on his phone screen.
— Jaehyeok, get up to the Chairman’s Office right now.
“What’s the matter?”
— I heard you turned someone down again?
“Ah…… that? But what time is it — is that old man still not gone home yet?”
— The Chairman is furious, so come up immediately.
The voice on the other end of the line was thick with urgency. Jaehyeok had just been about to leave the office to head up to the Chairman’s suite when the door flew open, and Chairman Kwon appeared, his face dark with rage, the chief secretary in tow.
“Kwon Jaehyeok.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“The meeting I went to such lengths to arrange…… you turned them down again.”
Chairman Kwon’s voice was low, like a growl.
“I stated my position clearly. To say it once more without any ambiguity — I have no plans to marry.”
“Kwon Jaehyeok!”
But Jaehyeok, who had always had an extreme aversion to omegas, did not back down. Chairman Kwon pressed a hand to the back of his neck and gripped the nameplate sitting on the desk.
“Do you say such things knowing full well what this position means?”
“What does the chairmanship of Hangang Group have to do with my marriage?”
“You’re past thirty now, Jaehyeok — isn’t it time you found a partner? And I’ll be eighty-seven this year. It’s long past the time I should have stepped back from management.”
“…….”
Even under Chairman Kwon’s heavy pressure, Jaehyeok said nothing. Chairman Kwon called his name softly, trying to move him.
“Jaehyeok.”
“I truly cannot stand omegas.”
“Does it even make sense for an alpha to keep omegas at arm’s length? You’re young now, so you’re managing somehow with suppressants — but one day that’s going to take a serious toll on your body. Besides, you’re an extreme dominant…….”
“…….”
As Chairman Kwon’s words stretched on, Jaehyeok fell silent again. Chairman Kwon readjusted his grip on his cane, then gestured toward Chief Secretary Kim and continued.
“Bring that.”
