“Let’s do the work that came in first.”
For the past five years, living only at home, Soohyun did work he could do at home. Though he hadn’t attended university, having some talent for writing, he wrote short articles that internet newspapers published like advertisements, or wrote product descriptions that went up on websites.
Though there wasn’t much work, it was enough to pay monthly rent and utilities, so Soohyun worked hard without rest.
But gradually that alone became insufficient. Not having money was sad, and after worrying for quite a long time, Soohyun found the center.
“It’s hot.”
Though it was only May, it was hot like early summer. Soohyun turned on the fan and tapped the laptop keyboard. After sitting for several dozen minutes, his concentration dropped and as he stretched, he picked up the leaflet he’d received from the Omega Home Care Service Center.
“Surely… there won’t be another encounter…”
There were two types of work at the home care service center. A type where you stayed at the client’s house and worked 12 hours a day, or a type where you worked 6 hours a day and commuted—Soohyun chose the latter. Also, seeing the item to check whether pheromone care service was possible, he worried and carefully asked an employee.
‘By any chance… if I don’t check this, is it difficult to find work?’
At Soohyun’s question, the employee’s expression changed very subtly, but Soohyun calmly waited for her answer. She hesitated for a moment, then carefully opened her mouth toward Soohyun.
‘Though it’s better than before… it would probably be better if you check it. That way the job search range widens too. And there are people who want irregular care rather than regular care. Anyway, you make the decision.’
In the end, Soohyun checked the box that said ‘agree’ on the pheromone care item. Though work at the home care center was despised in society, for Soohyun who couldn’t be with many people or use public transportation, it was the best option. After registering, Soohyun received a kit containing things like pheromone suppressants and birth control pills along with the leaflet, and though he felt miserable, tried to shake it off.
To escape from a life confined only at home, Soohyun gathered courage.
‘Pheromone care…’
Inside the leaflet was detailed information about pheromone care methods, advantages, and precautions. It was written in such blatant detail, including how it usually proceeded and content about contraception and pregnancy, that even Soohyun’s face, which didn’t show emotions well, reddened.
The standard for one pheromone care session is usually one instance each of oral sex and penetrative sex.
In the case of regular care, it’s included in monthly salary, and in the case of irregular care, the payment method is decided through consultation with the employer.
When writing a contract, you must clarify this part so disputes don’t arise later.
We recommend that employers use contraceptive devices, but take the provided birth control pills just in case.
The employer does not take responsibility for a fetus created during pheromone care.
If you become pregnant during pheromone care, request a consent form from the employer. The center will provide a prescription for oral abortion medication.
…
Reading the leaflet’s contents, Soohyun recalled what happened with Seojun. Eyes filled with disgust and contempt came to mind and his body shrank involuntarily.
‘It’s not that I didn’t know but…’
His cold treatment came as quite a wound. On the bed, he who handled him was rough and there was no feeling of consideration for himself at all, making his situation sad. And there was something else that made Soohyun sad. His always precarious bank account balance. The long life of seclusion made poor Soohyun even more impoverished. Though there was the fact that it was time to go outside, the greater reason was financial hardship. Though living wasn’t easy, he owed his life to someone and couldn’t quite die.
‘Rain…’
Soohyun checked tomorrow’s weather forecast. It said it would rain. The commute on foot would be quite arduous, so he sighed softly. And he put his hands on the laptop again—to earn even a little.
* * *
“Jinwoo hyung!”
“Yeah, Seojun-ah. Let’s go.”
Early in the morning, Seojun met Jinwoo for a CF shoot. Jinwoo, who had been waiting for him in the basement of the officetel where Seojun lived, handed him an Americano with an extra shot as he just got in the car.
“Thanks.”
“Yeah. And if you don’t like Lee Soohyun-ssi, I’m thinking of trying to find someone again…”
“…Huh?”
“I ended up making you uncomfortable.”
“Jinwoo hyung.”
“What?”
“Don’t tell me… you said something to Lee Soohyun-ssi?”
Jinwoo, who was about to depart for the shop, turned his head toward Seojun. Jinwoo asked again with a face that said he couldn’t understand his question at all.
“No, not particularly yet, but since you were uncomfortable.”
“It does bother me a bit but… like hyung said, there’s no reason to make him quit when we won’t run into each other anyway. Honestly, besides that, I liked everything else too.”
“That’s a relief then. That person seemed sincere.”
“…Yeah, hyung.”
After all, he’s an omega from the center. His appearance was a bit, actually quite to his taste though. Compared to the pretty and handsome people around Seojun, Soohyun’s appearance was ordinary level. Feeling like he was a delicately carved sculpture must surely be a mistake. It must have felt special because it was the first time meeting an omega from the center that he’d only heard about in rumors. Seojun came to his own conclusion.
While Seojun was getting makeup and hair done at the shop, Jinwoo called Soohyun.
[Hello?]
“Lee Soohyun-ssi? This is Kim Jinwoo. Haha…”
[Yes, hello. What is it?]
“Haha… well…”
Jinwoo apologized for not contacting him in advance about Seojun’s schedule and earnestly asked him to continue coming.
[…I’d like to write a contract.]
“Yes, of course. It’s been a month. We’ll write it up with the center’s standard contract…”
[…I’d like you to confirm the pheromone care-related content with Choi Seojun-ssi as well.]
“What… what did you say?”
Jinwoo’s eyes widened in disbelief and his voice rose along with them, but Soohyun’s voice remained calm.
[Did I… make some unreasonable request?]
“N-no. It’s just, Seojun… pheromone care… Ah… anyway. Yes, I understand. Then can you continue coming?”
[Yes. I understand. I’ll keep the same hours as before.]
“Yes yes… thank you, Soohyun-ssi!”
After finishing the call with Soohyun, Jinwoo approached Seojun with a hardened face.
“Choi Seojun, let’s talk for a moment.”
Seojun made an expression asking what was wrong toward Jinwoo, and Jinwoo, with his mouth closed, took Seojun, who had just finished preparing, and headed to the car. The moment Seojun got in the car, Jinwoo lowered his voice.
“Choi Seojun, did something happen between you and Lee Soohyun-ssi?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Seojun furrowed his brow and raised his voice slightly. Jinwoo turned his head, glared at Seojun for a moment, then continued speaking as if he’d made a decision.
“Lee Soohyun-ssi. It’s been a month now, so we have to write up a formal contract, right? So I called… and he asked about pheromone care today.”
Seojun became anxious that Soohyun might have confided in Jinwoo about what happened that day. Though he was confident in hiding his expression like an actor, he couldn’t hide the corners of his mouth that twitched on their own. Seojun even coughed repeatedly and asked Jinwoo back in a nonchalant tone.
“Isn’t it because he came from the center? And… receiving pheromone care isn’t actually illegal.”
“Choi Seojun!”
“I’m not saying I’ll do it, I’m saying that’s the principle.”
“That’s… true but…”
To Jinwoo, who kept tilting his head as if suspicious, Seojun quickly added more.
“Just put it in appropriately. So there’s no trouble later. That’s all. And about Lee Soohyun-ssi…”
“Lee Soohyun-ssi, what?”
About to say his appearance wasn’t bad, Seojun closed his mouth.
“N-no. Then that clears things up, right? Handle the contract yourself, hyung. It would be better to keep it… secret from the company. This is my private life.”
“Okay. I understand what you’re saying, but still. Be careful. It’s an important time.”
“We’ll be late for the shoot. Let’s go quickly.”
When Seojun deflected, Jinwoo eventually closed his mouth. Jinwoo was worried, knowing that the man named Lee Soohyun, though a bit older than Seojun, was quite a beauty and quite to Seojun’s taste. But since Soohyun came during times when Seojun wasn’t home anyway, he decided to think it would be fine.
* * *
After the call with Jinwoo, Soohyun let out a shallow breath. Thinking that he didn’t have to walk at least two hours to go back to the center to find work made him feel at ease. After confirming that the money he’d received for working at Seojun’s house for a month had been deposited in his account, Soohyun left a message for Chaeho.
