Three days earlier—Friday morning. It had all started with a visitor.
After finishing the morning pheromone measurements in the penthouse, Ha-jin headed to the 16th floor, where the CEO’s office was located, to prepare for Cheon Tae-seong’s workday. As he walked, he found himself idly thinking, Living where you work… convenient, but kind of miserable, too. Despite his determination to stay alert, his guard had already dropped far too quickly.
“Is this the famous pheromone manager?”
Both Tae-seong and Ha-jin, about to enter the CEO’s office, turned their heads at the same time.
A man leaning casually against the secretary’s desk sauntered toward them with exaggerated, model-like steps. He was an Alpha—dressed in a sleek designer suit and radiating a strong pheromonal presence.
Ha-jin immediately recognized who he was and instinctively took a step back, positioning himself behind Tae-seong. He hadn’t meant to, but it must’ve looked like he was hiding from some lowlife. The Alpha’s eyebrows drooped dramatically, as if hurt by the gesture.
“Look at that, Manager. Word’s all over the place—Cheon Tae-seong getting his cock managed during rut. Ever heard of cock massage? ‘Cause I have.”
The Alpha’s high-pitched snickering was shameless and crass. Unlike how he normally responded to Kim Dae-hong’s comments with a calm, “I’m a pheromone specialist, not a manager”, Ha-jin didn’t say a word. This wasn’t the kind of man worth exchanging words with. He simply shot back a cold, contemptuous glare.
“You get your dick pampered and still waltz into the office? Must be a different kind of Omega. Or do you do it in the office, too?”
The Alpha moved in close beside Tae-seong, throwing out sleazy questions and gross hand gestures. He clapped his curled fists into his palms in a mock rhythm, grinning like a scumbag.
Ha-jin stood behind them but could see everything clearly. Tae-seong remained completely silent. Strangely enough, it wasn’t the disgusting gestures that upset Ha-jin most—it was Tae-seong’s silence.
The Alpha, undeterred by the lack of response, pushed further.
“C’mon, baby. Let me in on it.”
What a trashy bastard. He has to stay close when rut’s coming, you moron. Ha-jin cursed inwardly, only to flinch when Tae-seong suddenly turned toward him. His eyes curved with a smile.
“……”
Wait—did I say that out loud? Ha-jin panicked for a second, but the flashy Alpha didn’t react, so it must’ve stayed in his head.
What the hell? Does he have radar or something? He made a mental note to record all this in his notebook later.
Tae-seong led the way, flinging open the glass door to the CEO’s office. The Alpha followed him inside, and after a moment’s hesitation, Ha-jin stepped in too.
While the secretary brought in tea and exited, the Alpha wandered around the office, looking bored. He didn’t wait for the tea to cool—just drank it straight and plopped down next to Ha-jin.
Ha-jin instantly sprang to his feet and moved to the other side of the room, prompting another burst of obnoxious laughter from the Alpha.
He seemed to enjoy Ha-jin’s reaction, twirling a cigarette from his jacket pocket. Just as he flicked the lighter, Tae-seong snatched the cigarette, snapped it in half, and tossed it onto the table with a crack.
“Why are you here?”
Finally, Tae-seong spoke. The Alpha’s face hardened for a moment before he let out a crooked chuckle. He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek, making the scar on his swollen face stand out more prominently.
“You’ve got rut coming up, don’t you?”
“Why are you so obsessed with my dick schedule?”
“God, you’re fucking rotten.”
As the Alpha’s slick eyes narrowed with a sneer, Ha-jin’s memory suddenly clicked into place.
Han Sa-jang. He couldn’t be sure about the full name, but he was certain about the family name—Han. Tae-seong’s subordinates always referred to him as President Han. The reason he hadn’t immediately recognized the guy was simple: Tae-seong never treated him like a human being.
He was the son of Tae-seong’s uncle—his father’s older brother. The difference in surnames was because Tae-seong used his mother’s last name.
Swatting away the Alpha’s hand, which had started rubbing his thigh, Tae-seong let out a dry scoff.
“Tell my uncle this: worry about raising his own kid properly.”
“Jeez, the way you talk…”
President Han glanced sidelong at Ha-jin and grumbled,
“I mean, look at me. Didn’t I turn out pretty damn well? What more could they want?”
Just as he said, the Han family wasn’t exactly a clean bunch. Even at a glance, Ha-jin could tell they were involved in shady business. Whenever they needed funding, they seemed to leech off Cheon Han-jo, Tae-seong’s maternal grandfather and Chairman of I&CH Holdings.
In return, it looked like they helped clean up some of the Chairman’s dirt—but that was none of Ha-jin’s concern.
At President Han’s establishments, Alphas would pay to spend their ruts with infertile Omegas. The place was filthy, and illegal substances were rampant. That part—that part stuck with Ha-jin.
Was he the one enabling rut management through illegal drugs…?
Tae-seong didn’t fit in with that type of person. Yet, compared to his past life, he seemed strangely tolerant of President Han. Given how powerful his maternal family was—powerful enough that he took their name—it was odd that someone from his father’s side could come and go from the company like this.
Maybe they’re closer than I thought…? Or maybe something changed after I returned…
“Tae-seong, seriously. Have you thought about what my dad mentioned the other day?”
“The casino?”
“God, don’t play dumb. You’re not that dense.”
“If it’s about the Na-sung Group Omega, I said I wasn’t interested.”
“You have any idea how much my mom worked to set that up?”
As the conversation veered into more personal territory, Tae-seong’s patience visibly thinned. Ha-jin shifted uncomfortably, feeling it might be time to excuse himself—but there was no good opening. All he could do was stare intently at his teacup.
Suddenly, President Han called out to him.
“Don’t you think so, Pheromone Manager?”
“…Sorry?”
Ha-jin, who had been counting the floating flower petals in his cup, looked up in a hurry. Both Alphas were looking straight at him.
“I’m not a manager, I’m a specialist. And sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“You’re still a manager. But shouldn’t we call you a Rut Manager?”
Tae-seong answered before Ha-jin could respond.
“He’s here to make sure I don’t lose my mind and knock someone up. Someone’s gotta manage a superior Alpha’s cock, right? It’s basically livestock-level. That’s why we need someone to leash us.”
His voice was razor-sharp, tearing down not just himself but the concept of Alpha superiority as a whole. He raised his cup like a toast, as if seeking Ha-jin’s agreement. President Han nodded along awkwardly.
“Right, right. I do the same. We do breeding stock management for our racehorses. It’s important stuff.”
President Han’s eyes glazed slightly as he clapped his hands.
“Anyway, Manager! Don’t you agree? I mean, from your point of view, it’s just work. But if you get close naturally, right? Work leads to connection, connection leads to dating, dating leads to marriage. Simple!”
For the last time—it’s not ‘manager’, you shitbag. Ha-jin lowered his gaze deliberately.
As if unable to survive without being vulgar and crude, President Han continued bouncing his hips as he spoke.
“Tae-seong needs to show some cracks in his armor. Otherwise, no one gets in. If he’s worried about knocking someone up, then outside of rut, he should swing by my place once in a while. Ju-young’s been dying to see him—”
That was the last straw. Tae-seong finally snapped. He stood up abruptly and grabbed President Han by the collar. Whether Han didn’t resist or Tae-seong’s grip was just that strong, the man was lifted like a ragdoll.
With a furious energy, Tae-seong dragged him out of the office.
“Tae-seong, swing by after your rut, alright?! I’ve got some really nice girls—”
SLAM. The office door slammed shut, cutting off his voice.
Why does he even tolerate that guy…?
Still mulling over the question, Ha-jin pulled his notebook from his bag. He made notes on President Han, then flipped to the calendar page.
Based on the pheromone levels, rut was expected in two or three days. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… He traced the dates with his finger and scribbled a small note in the corner.
[Visit expected after rut?]
Tae-seong, perhaps disgusted by the lingering scent of President Han, lifted his sleeve to cover his nose and opened a window. Then he grabbed a remote and cranked the air purifier up to max.
The machine, usually quiet, roared to life. While Omegas couldn’t detect each other, Alphas tended to perceive each other’s pheromones much more harshly.
That whole “swing by after rut” thing was likely about something sexual. Ju-young, whoever that was, had to be an Omega. Come to think of it, even Kim Dae-hong had once mistaken him for some Omega plaything.
Outside of rut, having sex wasn’t exactly unusual. And who Cheon Tae-seong slept with—or how—wasn’t really Ha-jin’s business.
In his past life, he had never given much thought to Tae-seong’s personal time after hours. Ha-jin frowned slightly. Something in this timeline didn’t quite sit right with him.
Just then, a shadow fell over his notebook.
“Ha-jin.”
He turned his head to see Tae-seong leaning over the back of the sofa, gazing down at him. One hand rested on the sofa’s backrest, just beside where Ha-jin had been leaning.
“You think so too?”
It was a simple question, but the meaning wasn’t immediately clear.
“Think what, sir?”
“That I’m rotten.”
“……”
Tae-seong lifted his delicate hand and mimicked the vulgar gesture President Han had made earlier—tapping his closed fist with his palm. Ha-jin frowned deeply, which only made Tae-seong laugh in amusement.
“Should I do it, then?”
“……”
It was obvious he was teasing. Ha-jin hesitated—should he be shocked? Offended? Scold him for being inappropriate? Which response did Tae-seong want?
But Tae-seong just smiled—brightly, beautifully—as if none of it was serious.
