These were all unfamiliar foods to Ian, who had only been thinking about black bean noodles.
“Pick whatever you want to eat. I’ll ask them to prepare black bean noodles for the meal.”
Ganghyuk didn’t seem to have any intention of looking at the menu. He savored the tea the staff member poured and watched Ian’s brow furrow and relax.
“If it’s hard to choose, we can do the course menu.”
“Then let’s go with that.”
Seeing Ian struggling so much, Ganghyuk offered an alternative. Ian lifted his head and nodded quickly. The price of the course menu briefly flickered before his eyes, but he erased it.
He was learning that the value of a few hundred thousand won to Ganghyuk was similar to the few thousand won held in his own hand. Ganghyuk pressed the call button. The staff member who had guided them here appeared, pulling back the curtain.
“Please prepare the Full Moon course.”
“Yes. Is there anything else you need?”
“Hmm. Do you want to drink too?”
Ganghyuk looked at Ian and asked. Ian shook his head. At fancy restaurants, alcohol prices were also substantial.
“Please just make sure we don’t run out of tea refills.”
“Yes. Understood.”
After the staff member who took the order left, Ian wrinkled the bridge of his nose. The flower scent he had caught earlier wafted over once more. It was different from perfume.
It was an omega’s pheromone containing subtle seductive intent. Rather than being pleased to learn that Ganghyuk looked wonderful not just to his eyes, he felt a bit displeased.
Because Ian had been firmly holding Ganghyuk’s hand ever since they entered the restaurant. Even though they would know the two were in a romantic relationship, the staff member’s attitude of releasing pheromones made him feel upset.
He also felt hurt, wondering if perhaps he and Ganghyuk looked like an older and younger brother with an age gap rather than lovers.
“Why that expression?”
“What kind of expression do I have?”
“Mm…”
Ganghyuk, who had been leaning back comfortably in his chair, stroked his jawline with his fingertips. How should he describe it?
“Like a hamster that had its sunflower seed stolen right in front of it.”
A short video he had seen once came to mind. Had Sucheol shown it to him saying it was funny? He remembered being amazed that such a tiny creature had expressions as rich as a human’s.
“What kind of expression is that even?”
Ian, who had laughed as if dumbfounded, felt his mood lighten a bit thanks to Ganghyuk’s joke. It wasn’t a big deal. Perhaps it was something he might experience often in the future.
Ganghyuk was an alpha attractive to anyone who saw him. Whether omegas or beta women, there would continue to be people expressing interest.
Wondering if he had been sulking alone, he kneaded his cheeks with his hands. Ganghyuk had brought him to a nice restaurant saying he would buy him delicious food, so ruining the atmosphere was out of the question. So he spoke honestly.
“The staff member who guided us. They’re an omega and it seems like they keep releasing pheromones toward you, hyung.”
The end of his voice sank gloomily. His heart was full of wanting to become someone suitable for Ganghyuk, but there was a realistic gap that made it difficult.
Currently, Ian was practically living by leeching off Ganghyuk. Of the money he had earned from doing business, he only gave Ganghyuk 10 percent of the net profit according to the contract and put the rest in his bank account.
Since Ganghyuk also paid the utility bills, he had no reason to spend money separately, so quite a bit had accumulated, but it wasn’t even enough to cover the monthly rent deposit for an officetel in Seoul.
Because of this, Ian had developed a worry lately. He suddenly felt anxious about whether it was okay to keep living like this. He knew well how much Ganghyuk liked him, but there was no guarantee that a person’s heart would last a lifetime.
Of course, he had no intention of liking anyone other than Ganghyuk. He could be certain because it was his own heart. But it was impossible to look inside Ganghyuk’s heart.
Seeing what the omega staff member was doing toward Ganghyuk just now ignited the anxiety that had been accumulating in his heart knowingly or unknowingly.
Around Ganghyuk were people overflowing with more charm than himself. Being handsome, wealthy, and having social status made him someone everyone coveted, so he could guess that in places he didn’t see, there would be even greater temptations than this.
“Come here.”
When his thoughts that had been trailing one after another were heading in an increasingly gloomy direction, the sound of a chair being pulled rang out. Ganghyuk, who had moved his body back, spread both arms toward Ian.
Ian, who hesitantly stood up from his seat, sat on Ganghyuk’s thighs. Sitting sideways with both legs together and leaning his cheek against Ganghyuk’s chest, his stirring heart became much calmer.
“Baby.”
An affectionate resonance transmitted through his skin. A large hand stroked from Ian’s head down to his back.
“Give me a pheromone shower. So that everyone else can tell.”
“A pheromone shower?”
“Yeah.”
When Ian raised his head in surprise, Ganghyuk smiled as if it was fine. While they unconsciously poured out tremendous amounts of pheromones when having sex with each other, they had restrained themselves in public places.
It was good manners, and also because he didn’t particularly want to broadcast his pheromones to other people.
“You need to let them know I’m taken. That you’re my lover, not my younger brother.”
Ganghyuk seemed to know exactly what Ian had been thinking alone. His face flushed as Ian fiddled with Ganghyuk’s clothes.
He glanced toward the door for a moment. The curtain was pulled back, so it wasn’t even an enclosed space. As if knowing he was hesitating, a deep musk scent wafted over.
“Should I give you a pheromone shower every morning from now on?”
Ganghyuk whispered softly, pressing his lips to Ian’s ear. At the thrilling sensation running down his spine, Ian swallowed dry saliva.
The deep and enchanting pheromone permeated his skin. If his eyes were covered, people would mistake it for Ganghyuk rather than himself to such a degree.
“Yes, please do.”
Ian smiled contentedly at the possessiveness filled with pheromones. As if in return, he also released his own pheromones. His heart pounded as this was the first time giving someone a pheromone shower like this.
Like the fresh scent of young tree branches swaying in the breeze, the refreshing pheromone soon spread densely and burrowed deep into the alpha’s lungs. The fragrance that had been like tender grass blades gained allurement with each passing day.
Though not as splendid as petals in full bloom, the pristine scent as if bearing dew spread between Ganghyuk’s pheromones.
The air in the room changed heavily with the pheromones flowing from the two. Ian pulled Ganghyuk into an embrace and rubbed his reddened cheeks against his chest.
He could feel the hot body temperature beyond the shirt. His breathing gradually grew rough at the genitals rapidly swelling beneath his buttocks.
In a space anyone could enter, exchanging pheromones fully clothed made him nervous as if committing some misdeed, yet his heart tickled.
“Executive Director…”
His voice calling Ganghyuk trembled finely. The anxious thoughts that had filled his head crumbled like a sandcastle meeting waves.
What filled the empty space instead was yearning for Ganghyuk. The childish possessiveness that this person was his boiled up inside his heart.
“Ahem.”
He came to his senses because of the throat-clearing sound coming from outside the room. When Ian raised his head in surprise, Ganghyuk chuckled and kept Ian’s head leaning against his chest.
Ganghyuk slowly gathered his pheromones. Ian also followed Ganghyuk and collected his pheromones as if turning off a faucet.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
The staff member with a flushed face came in pulling a golden food cart. On the cart, gleaming golden dome covers were neatly arranged.
The cold metal surface reflected in the lighting, and golden and reddish lights softly spread to the surroundings.
“I’ll prepare the first course for you.”
The staff member stopped the cart beside the table. A brief silence flowed through the room. Ian, feeling embarrassed, couldn’t even look at the staff member and just stared at the wall intently.
When he was forcibly appreciating the patterns carved into the wallpaper, the staff member began explaining the dishes one by one. As the covers were lifted, delicious smells came wafting out.
If they were betas, they would have only smelled the food, but all three people currently in the room were manifestants. Only Ganghyuk’s complexion was peaceful.
The staff member, who had taken a few deep breaths to regain composure, explained the dishes placed on the pure white plates one by one.
“This is the Three Abundance cold dish with jellyfish, abalone, and five-spice pork, an appetizer with pine mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and Chengdu-style beef slices.”
