# 21
“The smell…”
“Yes, that terribly sweet scent.”
“Sweet scent?”
“It definitely wasn’t there before.”
Jin-ha, momentarily lost in thought, recalled the body wash he had been using recently. He typically preferred unscented products, but since collapsing and staying at Mrs. Cha’s house, he had been using the products available there. It was called Floral… something.
“It’s just body wash fragrance.”
“Body wash fragrance?”
“Soap for washing your body.”
“Why does it have a scent?”
“On Earth, soap usually has fragrance added.”
At Jin-ha’s calm response, the man wrinkled his nose as if trying to smell it again.
Just as Jin-ha thought, ‘There’s no way he could smell it from this distance,’ water poured down on his head.
Jin-ha tightly closed his eyes and once again suppressed his irritation deep inside.
‘Think about the documents…’
When he opened his eyes, the man was extending his hand. Jin-ha, completely soaked, sighed quietly and approached him, offering his neck. The man buried his face against Jin-ha’s neck again, took a deep breath, and groaned.
“It’s true. The smell has faded.”
“Yes, because it’s body wash fragrance.”
“…No one here uses such things.”
“I imagine not.”
As Jin-ha straightened up, the man averted his gaze slightly and grinned. He appeared remarkably subdued compared to his previous sensitive and violent behavior, almost to the point of seeming shameless.
“Anyway, welcome. I’m glad you’re here. Of course, you’ve come to keep your promise?”
“Yes. Having received your invitation, I couldn’t refuse.”
“I’m pleased my invitation was to your liking.”
I didn’t say that.
As Jin-ha narrowed his eyes, the man said, “You should go wash up. You look terrible.”
Jin-ha kept his mouth shut, unable to voice his criticism. The man burst out laughing. He had clearly been deliberately provocative.
“I told you before I’m not easily satisfied. Try harder.”
“Understood.”
When Jin-ha replied with clenched teeth in an extremely polite manner, the man laughed. He was someone who laughed at strange moments. Jin-ha’s head ached at the thought of how exhausting it would be to humor him in the future.
“Legas, guide our guest to the annex. You personally.”
“So you’re leaving the aftermath to me.”
“Explain what an omega is, too.”
“You’re not even listening to me anymore.”
“Now get out. I’m tired after recalling unpleasant memories. I need more sleep.”
After saying this, the man fake-yawned and wrapped himself in the blanket. Jin-ha frowned as he watched the man already preparing to sleep alone. Is this really the end? He hadn’t even mentioned what he wanted to ask yet.
“Guest, I will continue our conversation from here. As I explained earlier, I am the Master’s secretary, but I am also a 5th Circle magician and the Floor Master of the 16th floor, essentially serving as the Tower’s vice-master, so I am more than qualified.”
Wasn’t the explanation backward? The Tower’s vice-master should have been mentioned first, but Legas seemed to take more pride in being the man’s secretary. Perhaps it was evidence that the man was an even more remarkable magician than Jin-ha had thought.
Jin-ha nodded obediently and began walking toward where Legas had gestured.
“Lee Jin-ha.”
What now? Jin-ha concealed his irritation and turned around. The bundle of blankets on the bed seemed to inflate slightly before the man spoke to him.
“I’ll pay sufficient compensation for what happened earlier, Legas will.”
“…”
“…”
“…Under, stood.”
When Jin-ha barely managed to reply, the bundle of blankets sank down. The man had apparently lain down. Jin-ha stared at the scene for a moment before sighing quietly and turning around again.
* * *
Having moved to the 16th floor directly below, Jin-ha received an explanation about the other world while being served warm tea in the reception room. First was what an omega was.
“…So, genders here are divided into alpha, omega, beta male, and beta female.”
“That’s correct.”
“Alphas and omegas have pheromones.”
“Right.”
“Both have what you call rut and heat cycles, essentially mating seasons.”
“Yes.”
Jin-ha rubbed his forehead with a dry expression.
“Then earlier that—”
After briefly considering what to call the man, Jin-ha recalled the term Legas had used.
“Did the Master think I was an omega, using pheromones to seduce him?”
“He wouldn’t have thought you were deliberately seducing him. Omegas don’t only release pheromones when trying to seduce someone. They leak out slightly even normally.”
“Then why did he get so angry?”
“Because the Master dislikes omegas.”
“But you said alphas typically pair with omegas?”
“People have their circumstances.”
Circumstances that couldn’t be explained by someone else’s mouth. Still, judging from the man’s reaction earlier, Jin-ha could infer it wasn’t a trivial matter.
In a gender system of alphas and omegas, circumstances that would make an alpha hate omegas. Not very pleasant speculations filled his mind.
Jin-ha recalled how the bundle of blankets had inflated, waiting for his response, and only sank down after hearing his acknowledgment. He also remembered how the knuckles of the hand that protruded slightly from the blankets had been tense before relaxing.
However, Jin-ha soon shook his head lightly to dismiss these thoughts.
“…Anyway, in our world, there’s nothing like alphas and omegas. That’s not a lie, truly.”
“Yes. I know.”
“You know…?”
“Yes. Just in case, I’ve been releasing my pheromones since earlier, but seeing no reaction from you, you’re clearly neither alpha nor omega. If I had to classify you, beta. But you can’t really be called a beta either—more like a completely different gender.”
Legas said while drinking black tea with lemon. Jin-ha felt a chill at his casual response. Carefully considering what he had just heard, he asked a question.
“What would have happened if I were an alpha or omega…?”
“If you were an alpha, you would have been flattened to the ground, and if an omega, you would have gone into heat.”
Jin-ha stared blankly at the young man with a boyish face who was smiling sweetly. The words he had just heard didn’t seem to match that innocent face. Legas hadn’t even blinked after doing something that could have resulted in a miserable situation if Jin-ha had been lying.
Perhaps this young man was more frightening than the man he had thought was trash all along. As if confirming his suspicion, Legas spoke.
“Here in the Tower, the Master is an absolute being. Since he intends to keep you by his side for a while, I couldn’t take this lightly. Please understand.”
“By ‘absolute being’, you mean…”
“The magic and magical theories the Master invented changed the landscape of the magical world. His knowledge, ideas, magic control methods, everything is on a different level from before. Here at the Noon Moon Tower, he inherited the position of Tower Master just seven years after entering. Moreover, he went to the battlefield alone and in the Tower’s name…”
The seemingly mild-mannered young man recited the man’s achievements with an expression showing passion, even bordering on fanaticism. Jin-ha struggled not to show his shock as he calmly listened to Legas’s explanation.
While he didn’t know much about magic, if Legas held the position of 5th Circle magician and vice-master at his age, he must be an extraordinary genius himself. Seeing such a genius acting like a devoted fan really drove home the fact that the man was someone who couldn’t be taken lightly.
There were such people on Earth too. Geniuses among geniuses. Those who received envy, admiration, and even fear from other geniuses.
William from America, known as the most outstanding combat Hunter in the world, and Dr. Jo Sung-hyun, unparalleled in the field of otherworld biology, were such examples.
And people like Legas who passionately followed such geniuses were generally very dangerous beings. These enthusiastic fans typically couldn’t stand seeing others treat their idols carelessly.
“Therefore, Lee Jin-ha, you are also an important person.”
Legas continued with a sweet smile.
“For a while.”
“…I understand.”
Jin-ha smiled back. “For a while.” In other words, they would give him proper treatment and appropriate compensation as long as that man considered him an interesting toy.
When someone is this blatant, it actually becomes easier. Isn’t a transaction with clear desires cleaner than one where both parties gauge their interests while watching each other? Moreover, such people were usually not stingy in paying for their idols. They believed that even the payment reflected their idol’s worth.
“Then in return for fulfilling such a role, what I want is…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
