But then—still being practically carried down by the security team—Yeon Yiseo caught sight of Alexander. At first, he wondered if he was seeing things. And understandably so—there was no reason for Alexander to be here.
Yet here he was, without any reason.
“I came as quickly as I could. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah, no. I’m fine.”
Yeon Yiseo answered while still staring at him. Alexander’s gaze followed his.
“Please be careful coming down. And the gentleman with you… ah, CEO Scott, isn’t it? My goodness. I’ll make sure this place is thoroughly re-inspected, sir.”
“Hyung.”
It was Ethan who spoke up, having just spotted Alexander.
“You were taking too long, so I came up. I heard the elevator broke down and got worried.”
Alexander spoke in his usual calm tone but kept glancing between Ethan and Yeon Yiseo.
“One scent is yours, Ethan. The other… I don’t recognize.”
He muttered to himself. Then his eyes fixed on Yeon Yiseo.
“I thought you were a Beta.”
Yeon Yiseo couldn’t answer right away. He kept his mouth shut. But honestly, no matter what he said, there was no way to hide it from someone like Alexander. His sharp eyes widened briefly before he spoke again, his voice sounding like someone who had just confirmed everything.
“Why didn’t you contact me?”
“……”
“What are you two talking about?”
With Yeon Yiseo at a loss for words, Ethan stepped in. Alexander shot him a glance before turning back to Yeon Yiseo.
“Seems we have something to discuss. Don’t we?”
“There’s nothing to discuss.”
“After you’ve mingled pheromones with my brother, I doubt you really expect me to believe that.”
Yeon Yiseo’s face flushed at the light rebuke.
He was right. It wasn’t hard to imagine what Alexander, an extreme-dominant Alpha, must be seeing right now between him and Ethan.
“Shall we move somewhere else? I don’t think this is the right place for this conversation.”
That snapped him back to reality. The inspection team had arrived and were focused on repairing the elevator, but there was no doubt they were eavesdropping with ears perked.
The building was mostly empty by now—almost everyone had gone home—so every word the three of them exchanged echoed loudly. Yeon Yiseo didn’t want to become anyone’s gossip.
“I’d love to hear this little conversation of yours, but I guess I won’t get to.”
Ethan, who’d been silently observing, finally spoke. Alexander glanced at him briefly, then turned to Yeon Yiseo.
“You should probably talk to him,” Ethan said, giving Yeon Yiseo a gentle push on the back.
Shouldn’t he be opposing this right now? But then Ethan added something that made Yeon Yiseo question his own ears.
“If you’re going to end it anyway, might as well make it clear.”
“That’s a strange way to put it, Ethan.”
“Is it?”
Something was off between the two brothers. The atmosphere grew tense.
“You always did like things to be clear-cut, didn’t you, Hyung.”
“……”
Alexander and Ethan stared at each other in silence. The moment seemed like it would stretch on forever—until Yeon Yiseo finally broke it.
“President Scott—Scott Industries’ CEO—I understand what you’re worried about. But nothing you’re afraid of is going to happen. That day was an unexpected situation, and I approached your brother entirely of my own accord.”
His clear voice rang through the air. Alexander narrowed his eyes slightly, as if studying his intentions.
“And what exactly do you think I’m worried about?”
“You’re concerned about being held accountable… or having to deal with something bothersome.”
Ethan let out a quiet chuckle beside him. Wondering if he’d said something weird, Yeon Yiseo glanced over, only for Alexander to respond.
“Do I really seem like someone who’d worry about that?”
“Well, I think that settles the conversation, doesn’t it?”
Before Yeon Yiseo could answer, Ethan cut in. Honestly, if the conversation ended here, that’d be ideal. And judging by the fact that Alexander didn’t argue, it seemed he agreed.
“Everything’s wrapped up here, so you should go, Mr. Yeon.”
“Yes. Then I’ll excuse myself.”
Yeon Yiseo bowed politely and left. Just before rounding the corner, he glanced back and saw Alexander and Ethan standing face to face, deep in conversation.
Even after leaving the building, his heart was pounding. Too many things had happened too quickly. As he walked briskly—almost at a run—he suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky. His shoulders rose and fell with his heavy breaths.
“pheromones… just a little more…”
He remembered what he’d said to Ethan and grabbed his head with both hands, crouching down on the spot.
Why the hell had he said something like that? What the hell had gotten into him? It was such a strange impulse it made him question whether he’d lost his mind.
He could swear on his bank balance: he had never, not once, felt a sexual attraction to Ethan. But he had no idea what happened in that elevator. And then Alexander had shown up too. Nothing about this matched how things unfolded in the original story he remembered.
What the hell was going on? He wanted someone—anyone—to explain it to him.
What he felt back there was the overwhelming urge to hold on to Ethan’s pheromones. He wanted to feel them more deeply. The scent seemed to quench a thirst he hadn’t even fully realized he had. It was an intense craving.
“……”
So was that the reason behind his behavior? The pheromones? Nothing else made sense. His face was still burning.
Was this what pheromones did? Did all trait-bearers go through this? The idea that he was now one of them terrified him.
He was also still anxious about the fact that he’d run into Alexander while practically drenched in Ethan’s pheromones. It’s not like he expected to run into him often going forward, but even so—it was awkward. The way Alexander had looked at him had burned itself into his brain.
Yeon Yiseo bit his lip in frustration.
He had to admit—seeing Alexander again had stirred something deep inside him. But he knew what it was. Just a reaction to the pheromones. Nothing more.
The whole reason he’d joined Dymine in the first place was to build strategic connections—not romantic ones. He wasn’t chasing some lucky break. That kind of fortune was reserved for a chosen few. And Yeon Yiseo wasn’t one of them.
All he wanted was to quietly, steadily earn what he worked for. Even that was already a pretty big dream for someone in his position.
This isn’t it. This isn’t the kind of future I envisioned.
It had all started with that impulsive decision to sleep with Alexander. If only that night hadn’t happened, none of this would have followed.
But—he didn’t regret that night.
The kiss and the embrace he’d received from Alexander had left behind feelings that words couldn’t fully describe. Just having experienced that was enough to satisfy him.
And regret wouldn’t change anything now. He couldn’t turn back time. He couldn’t undo his manifestation.
Running a hand down his face, Yeon Yiseo tried to pull himself together. He had no idea how he’d face Ethan tomorrow.
And yet, despite everything—he was hungry.
Honestly, he wanted to just call it a day and go home. But if he did, tomorrow’s Yeon Yiseo would suffer dearly for it.
“…Ugh.”
First things first—he messaged Natalie to let her know he’d gotten out of the elevator safely. Then he shoved his phone into his pocket and stood up.
Letting out a sigh, he made his way toward the food trucks to pick up dinner for him and Natalie. There was usually one nearby.
He caught the truck just before they closed and bought two kebabs, then turned to head back to the building.
That’s when a voice suddenly called out from behind him.
“Excuse me.”
“……”
“Hey, wait a second.”
Startled by a tap on the shoulder, Yeon Yiseo flinched.
The person was a man—taller than Yeon Yiseo.
At first, he was confused—what would a stranger want with him? But then, he quickly figured it out.
“I don’t usually do this, but… your pheromones are incredible. Are you looking for a partner? A hundred bucks—would that do it?”
“…What?”
The moment he heard the word pheromones, Yeon Yiseo’s nerves spiked.
He’d been wandering around with his pheromones leaking like an idiot. And he knew what it usually meant when a trait-bearer let their scent out in public.
Panicked, he quickly reined it back in.
Then he looked at the man who had approached him.
“I’m not that kind of person. You’ve got the wrong guy.”
He blurted the words out quickly, not giving the other man a chance to respond, then darted away like he was fleeing.
Ever since his manifestation as a recessive Omega, everything felt like it was spinning out of control.
If not for the pheromones, that random guy wouldn’t have made such a disgusting proposition. If not for the pheromones, that strange tension with Ethan in the elevator never would’ve happened. And if not for the pheromones, his heart wouldn’t have skipped a beat the moment he saw Alexander again.
