Scentless
He hated the sweet scent. Whenever that sweet fragrance—not the scent of sugar or syrup, but the sweet smell mixed with body odor—tickled the tip of his nose, a deep vertical line formed between Seojun’s brows.
If asked when he started disliking that scent, he could answer, but it wasn’t really a story he wanted to share. It was nothing more than a trivial matter buried in memories that now felt fleeting.
Seojun wished to live an extremely ordinary life. In this world where alphas, betas, and omegas lived mixed together, he wished to remain a beta—the most common designation—and live without any ups and downs. He wished he could erase that sweet scent from his memories, which he wanted to forget but remained vivid, and live quietly. However, contrary to his wishes, Seojun grew up to be an alpha and lived a life where he was more sensitive to sweet scents than anyone else.
Life is always like that. Even when unwanted, it creates a path as if predetermined for that person and moves forward in one direction. It was from that day that he began to feel uncomfortable with the scent that came from his mother’s body all year round.
‘Goodbye, Seojun-ah.’
The very day she left his side with just a short farewell. That scene from back then still comes to mind when he closes his eyes. At only seven years old, he smiled innocently at her as she waved goodbye, not knowing what was happening.
‘Bye, Mom.’
“……”
And very occasionally, he dreams of that day. Even knowing it’s a dream, when the small arms struggling to grab the hem of her skirt brushing past his fingertips enter his field of vision, he shudders involuntarily in disgust.
“……”
To escape from the dream, Seojun concentrated strength at his fingertips. If he could move just a little, the dream would break. Gathering energy at his fingertips and breathing deeply to awaken the invaded cells—this was Seojun’s way of escaping nightmares.
“…Damn it.”
Today’s struggle lasted longer than usual. The fine goosebumps spreading throughout his body along with a long sigh were terrible. In the reality he returned to by pulling himself together, there was no sweet scent unpleasantly tickling his nose, nor the ceiling of the facility where two fluorescent lights hung precariously. The place with stylish recessed lighting installed regularly was unmistakably his bedroom.
“…How annoying.”
He remembered up to barely lying down in bed with his exhausted body after the filming was suddenly canceled last night. But perhaps because he was deeply asleep, he had no memory of anything after that. Moreover, having dreamed the dream he hated most, his mood had sunk to rock bottom.
“What… sound is that?”
While Seojun blinked his eyelids, a regular noise drummed against his eardrums. It wasn’t a tremendous noise, but it wasn’t a sound that could be ignored either. Moreover, no matter how much he thought about it, the source of the sound was undoubtedly his own home. The sound was too loud and clear to say it was noise from another house seeping in.
‘No way…’
Was someone who shouldn’t be there now inside doing something? Seojun’s chest suddenly went cold.
A stalker? One of those sasaeng fans that attach themselves to idols these days? As the thought crossed his mind that an unknown stranger had entered his space, he snapped awake. Seojun got up, roughly threw on a hoodie and pants, and looked around the bedroom. He spotted a baseball bat he’d received as a gift in the corner of the room and picked it up.
“……”
Seojun slowly turned the handle so the intruder wouldn’t notice. It seemed the culprit was up to something in the kitchen area. Leaving the bedroom and turning his eyes toward the kitchen, Seojun slowly moved his steps toward the source of the sound.
‘It’s a person!’
There was someone in one corner of the kitchen. The person wearing a white shirt and black pants was a man slightly shorter than Seojun. Seojun readjusted his grip on the baseball bat and crept closer so the man wouldn’t notice.
“Are you awake?”
“Wah!!!”
But the unfamiliar man’s mouth opened first. Seojun screamed in surprise, and the man turned around casually, looked at Seojun, put down the knife, and gave a polite greeting.
“Nice to meet you.”
“What… what are you!!”
Without permission, and holding a knife while cutting something! It was too suspicious. Seojun even stuttered as he pointed at the man, but there was no change in the man’s expression. The man with a face as white as a blank sheet of paper silently gazed at Seojun’s eyes before opening his mouth very slowly.
“I’m preparing a meal for Choi Seojun-ssi.”
“Who… who said you could?”
Facing Seojun whose expression asked why are you preparing my food, the man hesitated for a moment wondering how to explain, then as if remembering something, took out his cell phone from his pocket.
“Is Kim Jinwoo-ssi your manager, Choi Seojun-ssi?”
“Jin… Jinwoo hyung is… my… my manager, but…?”
Unlike himself who was excited and flustered, the man’s attitude was surprisingly calm, so Seojun found himself adding the polite ending to his words without realizing it. The man held out his cell phone to Seojun.
“Please check.”
“What… what is it?”
Seojun inadvertently took the man’s phone and checked the contents. The number saved in his phone was unmistakably that of Jinwoo, Seojun’s manager.
—Thank you again today. Seojun says he likes the cleaning and the food.
—You don’t need to come tomorrow. It’s a day when Seojun will be home.
—Filming suddenly got scheduled, so I’ll need to ask you for tomorrow. Sorry!
“What on earth is this…?”
Even while checking the text message contents, Seojun couldn’t understand what was going on. What did this man standing in front of him and Jinwoo talk about? Then he suddenly remembered a conversation he’d had with Jinwoo recently.
‘Jinwoo hyung, the person coming this time seems to do the work well.’
‘Really? You’re extremely picky. This time must be okay then. That’s good.’
‘Yeah. The organizing is perfect and the food is delicious too. You worked hard, hyung! Thanks.’
He’d been continuously using helpers who would clean and make meals or side dishes whenever he was away from home, but it was quite difficult to meet someone who suited Seojun’s taste exactly. When he thought someone was somewhat okay, a hair would come out of the side dishes, or dust would be piled white in invisible areas, making Seojun uncomfortable. Because of that, Seojun had no choice but to tell his manager about such complaints, and each time, the manager had to work very hard to find someone new.
“Then could it be… the person who’s been cleaning and cooking lately is…”
“…Lee Soohyun.”
Only then did Seojun put down the baseball bat and sat down awkwardly, pulling out a dining table chair. Since Seojun didn’t particularly like letting other people into his home, he had told Jinwoo that the person doing home care could only clean and cook during times when he wasn’t there. So why was he here when Seojun was home?
“I understood you wouldn’t come when I’m here.”
“…I know.”
“Then why today?”
“I didn’t receive contact.”
“Ah!”
Another stupid sound burst from Seojun’s mouth. Due to the sudden filming cancellation, Jinwoo hadn’t been able to contact him in time.
Soohyun turned his body again and started cutting. He cut zucchini, onions, and mushrooms into uniform sizes and scooped a large spoonful of doenjang into an earthenware pot.
“Will you eat?”
“Yes? Yes yes… please.”
Seojun belatedly confirmed that it was almost noon and sat up straight. He took off the hood of the hoodie he’d thrown on for defensive purposes and observed Soohyun’s back as he cooked. The sight of him standing in the kitchen wearing an apron without any dishevelment was unfamiliar. Since moving into this house, this was the first time he’d watched someone work in the kitchen while he was present.
“It’s ready.”
Soohyun’s hand movements were very fast. Along with freshly cooked warm rice, he placed four appetizing-looking side dishes and doenjang jjigae with an excellent savory aroma on the table in the earthenware pot. Seojun picked up his spoon with an excited face, as it had been so long since he’d had simple Korean food at home.
“I’ll eat well.”
“Yes. Then I’ll go do the cleaning.”
Seojun recalled how he’d deliciously eaten meals with the side dishes Soohyun had made whenever he was home over the past month. They weren’t stimulating yet preserved the natural taste of the ingredients, and especially there were many side dishes seasoned with perilla oil and sesame powder that Seojun liked, which was very good. Until just moments ago he thought he’d have no appetite, but once he picked up his spoon, hunger came.
Whirrrr—
He heard the sound of a vacuum cleaner running on the opposite side of the kitchen. Seojun went into the bedroom and came out with his cell phone. He finally checked that a text from his manager Jinwoo had arrived.
—The person from the home care center probably came today. I couldn’t contact them! Sorry, Seojun-ah.
At first it wasn’t very pleasant, but Soohyun’s attitude was surprisingly calm and neat, so Seojun wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. Moreover, eating something freshly made was much better than taking out and eating the food he’d left in the refrigerator, so his mood softened.
—These things happen, hyung. Don’t worry about it.
When he sent a short reply and finished the remaining food, he saw Soohyun coming back into the kitchen. Seeing that he’d cleanly emptied everything from the side dishes to the jjigae, Soohyun smiled faintly and began clearing the table.
