The waves roared endlessly through the open window deep into the night.
Lying sideways on the bed in a room darkened by turned-off lights, Ha-jin stared blankly out at the sea beyond the window. His lips, swollen and chapped, stung each time they twitched—likely from peeling. He’d been touching them absentmindedly for hours, the lingering heat refusing to subside, and now they were a mess.
Cheon Tae-seong, who had chased after a non-existent Omega pheromone and deluded himself into thinking Ha-jin had feelings for him, only came to his senses after begging two or three times. It was only then that he finally let Ha-jin go.
He never apologized for the unsolicited sexual contact, nor did he retract the absurd claim that “You like me, don’t you?” Instead, he went on to drop a bombshell.
“I swear I felt your pheromones.”
After a brief silence, as if some unspoken agreement had passed between them, Ha-jin quietly fixed his clothes and returned to his own room. Tae-seong didn’t say much either, letting him go without protest. And just like that, the evening’s chaos came to a close.
Two accidents in just two days—one every single day.
Had it even been ten days since he resolved to deal with Cheon Tae-seong strategically, fully convinced that their “first meeting” was no coincidence but fate itself?
That thought jolted Ha-jin upright. He ran his hands roughly through his hair.
Forget strategy—he was being dragged around like an idiot.
What was Cheon Tae-seong, anyway? In all his years as a pheromone manager, he’d never seen or even heard of an Alpha going off the rails like that. Plenty of Alphas had chased after him before, sure, but never the other way around.
“There’s no way I like him. Me, liking Cheon Tae-seong? That makes zero sense.”
The nerve—claiming Ha-jin had feelings for him, like some entitled brat who thought he was owed affection. It was nothing short of absurd.
He was so far beyond what Ha-jin could comprehend. Ha-jin had already decided to avoid even the version of Tae-seong he knew, let alone deal with this stranger in the same skin.
It felt like he’d signed a contract with a ticking time bomb, not a person.
Honestly, someone that unhinged should be in therapy…
Pheromones, therapy—following the trail of thoughts, Ha-jin naturally found himself thinking of his brother.
Bzzzt—
His phone lit up and vibrated in the dark. The name on the screen read Kwak Mari. Glancing at the time—3 a.m.—Ha-jin felt a chill of unease as he answered.
— “Ha-jin, Yushin’s in the hospital.”
Her panicked voice blasted through the speaker. Ha-jin couldn’t even form a response, his breath caught in his throat.
— “His fever spiked suddenly. I rushed him to the ER, but his inflammation markers are off the charts, and his vitals are unstable. They moved him straight to the ICU.”
“……”
— “Are you listening?”
“…Yeah… yes. I’m listening.”
— “I didn’t call to make you rush over right now, okay? You know that, right?”
He was already off the bed, fumbling for his bag. But he answered her with a quick “I know.”
— “There’s no transportation at this hour anyway. Calm down. I called because you’re listed as Yushin’s legal guardian, not because there’s anything you can do right now. You won’t even be allowed to visit until morning.”
“Is he conscious?”
— “On and off. Just wait until morning, report it to Cheon Tae-seong properly, and head back up. I’ll stay with Yushin and keep an eye on everything.”
“Okay. Thanks, noona. I’ll do as you said. Please take care of him.”
— “Ha-jin… Lee Ha-jin.”
“I said I got it.”
Kwak Mari had known Ha-jin for too long to trust such an easy answer. He could hear her muttering under her breath on the other end, clearly regretting having even called.
While offering mechanical “okay”s to her worried nagging, Ha-jin packed his things and quickly tidied up the hotel room. Only after he was fully ready to leave did he end the call. What happened after that, Mari would never know.
“……”
Staring at the now-black screen for a moment, Ha-jin opened his messaging app and began typing a note to Cheon Tae-seong.
[Hello, sir. I just received news that my younger brother has been admitted to the ICU, so I’ll be heading back immediately. Also, regarding what happened earlier this evening, I have something to discuss with you concerning the contract. I’ll visit your office once you return from your business trip.]
After pressing send, Ha-jin left the room without hesitation, took the elevator down, and walked toward the hotel lobby.
He didn’t feel guilty for announcing the end of their contract via text. It wasn’t the time to knock on Tae-seong’s door, nor a matter urgent enough to rouse the secretaries at this hour.
After all, they were nothing more than private contractors bound by rut and pheromones.
Compared to the darkness outside, the hotel lobby was brightly lit, like daytime. Yet it was completely empty, eerily so. Ha-jin approached a tired-looking staff member and asked if they could call a taxi, but the man simply gave him a local call number and told him to do it himself.
Phone in hand, Ha-jin stepped outside to make the call—only to find the street completely deserted. Not a person, not even a passing car in sight.
Just as Mari had warned, transportation was a dead end. The auto-link system that detects your location and connects you to the nearest taxi was down. Even trying to reach a human operator led nowhere.
But Ha-jin wasn’t someone who gave up easily. If he were going to turn back, he wouldn’t have left the room or sent that message in the first place.
None of the beachside shops were open—it was the off-season, after all. So Ha-jin pulled up the map app, picked a direction that seemed likely to have more foot traffic, and started walking. He planned to find a bar still open and ask if anyone there knew a taxi driver.
With the phone still pressed to one ear as he tried to connect to a taxi service, he kept walking aimlessly down the street when—someone grabbed his left arm from behind.
“…!”
Already on edge, Ha-jin didn’t hesitate. He immediately twisted the wrist that had grabbed him, yanking the arm into a joint lock. The person was heavier than expected, but still manageable.
“Ah! Aagh! It hurts! Lee Ha-jin!”
The strained groan sounded oddly familiar. Ha-jin had the stranger’s arm pinned behind their back, elbow locked down, when it finally clicked. A soft, floral pheromone scent drifted toward him.
Snapping back to his senses, Ha-jin quickly let go.
Cheon Tae-seong straightened up, breathing heavily, and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He looked like he’d run straight from the bedroom—his clothes were loose, his hair a mess, his whole appearance utterly different from usual. Ha-jin blinked in surprise.
“…Sir?”
“My shoulder’s about to pop out, you punk.”
“What are you… doing here?”
Still rotating his sore arm, Tae-seong suddenly pulled out his phone and shoved it in Ha-jin’s face.
The screen displayed the message Ha-jin had sent earlier:
[Hellp sr. M y y0ungber brotehr is in tje ICU so I’m leving n0w in a hurr y…]
It was barely readable, riddled with typos.
“Ah… I’m sorry. I was in a hurry, not thinking straight.”
“You sent that after some pheromone whiffing? I thought it was your damn suicide note.”
“‘Some pheromone whiffing’…?”
The shameless, teasing tone momentarily made Ha-jin forget about his brother as he stared up at Tae-seong. The man, ignoring the look, shoved his phone back into his pocket and extended a hand.
“Don’t waste time looking for a taxi that doesn’t exist. Come with me.”
“…What?”
“I wasn’t sleeping anyway.”
Without waiting for a reply, Tae-seong grabbed Ha-jin’s hand and started walking back toward the hotel like he owned the place. Ha-jin, as if hooked by the nose, had no choice but to follow.
“Wh-what does you not sleeping have to do with me leaving?”
“You got a car? No? Then ride with me.”
“Then at least lend me a car!”
Tae-seong, who’d been walking briskly without looking back, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Ha-jin’s face collided squarely with his arm.
“Ugh!”
Solid as a rock. His nose stung so bad his eyes watered. As he rubbed it, he looked up—Tae-seong wore a strange expression. Was it really that shocking to ask to borrow a car?
“That’s not happening.”
Because it was too expensive?
“Look at yourself right now. You’d wreck it.”
With that cold remark, Tae-seong firmly seized Ha-jin’s hand again and marched down toward the underground parking lot. He held on so tightly, Ha-jin’s hand turned white, blood nearly cut off.
One side of the garage was filled entirely with sleek, black sedans. The largest and flashiest among them lit up as Tae-seong approached. He opened the passenger door and shoved Ha-jin inside.
BANG! The door shut with the force of a gunshot. Flinching, Ha-jin watched as Tae-seong calmly climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You’re driving?”
“Over ten years, zero accidents.”
Giving Ha-jin a look that seemed to say, You worry about the weirdest things, he leaned in and buckled Ha-jin’s seatbelt himself. The black strap felt more like restraints than safety gear.
“You got your license, but you’ve barely driven, right?”
“How would you know that?”
“I just do.”
Feeling uneasy, Ha-jin reached into his pocket, thinking about calling Kim Dae-hong. But then, Tae-seong placed his hands on the wheel.
VROOM! The car growled like a beast. The once-elegant engine roared as it revved up hard. Tires squealed across the garage floor.
“EEK!” Ha-jin, startled, instinctively grabbed the handle. Tae-seong, foot pressed on the accelerator, glanced over with a smirk.
“Watch the road!”
There was nothing he could do but shout. Tae-seong found his panic hilarious and burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Ha-jin looked on the verge of tears.
He was getting to Yushin. That much was certain. But whether he’d get there alive or as a ghost… that remained to be seen.
CRASH! The Rolls-Royce jolted over a speed bump as it sped out of the parking lot. Ha-jin squeezed his eyes shut tight.
