Yeon Yiseo thought he must’ve misheard. His heart sank.
What did he just say?
“It’s fine if it slips out by mistake.”
The subject was omitted, but there was no doubt Ethan was referring to his pheromones. Why would he suddenly bring that up?
Yeon Yiseo glanced at the space between him and Ethan, who sat beside him.
“That was inappropriate. I take it back.”
Ethan spoke in a level, composed tone.
“You might be having a hard time because of the pheromones right after manifestation. If that happens, let me know. Understood?”
“Uh… Yes, understood. I’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere. I apologize for the trouble.”
“No, that’s not it…”
Ethan hesitated, as if searching for the right words.
“I’m not saying it because of that. I’m saying it because you seem to be having a hard time, Yeon Yiseo.”
“…Ah.”
Yeon Yiseo didn’t know how to react to that. He needed a moment to decide how to respond to Ethan’s unexpected concern.
Was he just being considerate because I’m his secretary?
Things had played out differently in the original story, but this situation was already deviating in small ways. Comparing it point by point was pointless now.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Mmh.”
Ethan fell silent again. Despite the car moving, the ride was quiet—no engine sounds, no road noise.
“You don’t have to worry about whether your pheromones are leaking or not. I’m an extreme-dominant Alpha, so your pheromones won’t affect me. Right now, you seem to be managing them pretty well. …Still, I’m a bit curious what your pheromones are like.”
At Ethan’s slow addition, Yeon Yiseo, who had been staring straight ahead, slowly turned to face him. Ethan had leaned forward slightly, facing him.
What’s going on all of a sudden?
Unless Yeon Yiseo was remembering wrong, they weren’t close enough for Ethan to be curious about something like that.
“Mr. CEO…?”
SCREEECH. The car suddenly jolted to a stop.
“Apologies! Are you alright? Another car suddenly cut us off… Are both of you okay?”
The driver looked back and asked. Thanks to their seatbelts, Yeon Yiseo and Ethan were unharmed. Still, the jolt had startled Yeon Yiseo, and he had to calm his racing heart.
“Sir, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Ethan was wearing a seatbelt too, so he should be fine. But he hadn’t taken his eyes off Yeon Yiseo for a second.
As Yeon Yiseo wondered what was going on, Ethan leaned in slightly.
“You’re emitting pheromones.”
“…Ah. Ah—damn. I’m sorry.”
Yeon Yiseo quickly suppressed his pheromones in a fluster. He must’ve unconsciously released them due to the sudden stop. Regardless of how close they were—or weren’t—it was improper to let his pheromones leak out in front of a colleague, especially his boss.
Seeing him so frazzled, Ethan said calmly:
“Take your time. It’s not an unpleasant scent.”
He left Yeon Yiseo with that one line and returned to his documents. Yeon Yiseo was just relieved Ethan wasn’t angry.
Once he’d stabilized, Yeon Yiseo asked carefully:
“Is it alright now?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Ethan responded without lifting his gaze from the paperwork. Yeon Yiseo silently vowed to be more careful from now on. Sure, his stamina had improved and he needed less sleep, but pheromone control was still tricky.
If something like this happened in a critical meeting, it would be a disaster. Yeon Yiseo bit his lower lip and told himself to get it together. Thankfully, while assisting Ethan, he managed not to have another incident.
***
The next evening, while working overtime, Yeon Yiseo’s phone rang.
It was a hectic hour, but when he saw Seo Eunwoo’s name on the caller ID, he kept typing with one hand and answered with the phone wedged between his shoulder and cheek.
—Yiseo. Where are you?
“I’m at work.”
—Dymine really is a cruel company. Making employees stay this late.
“Tell me about it.”
Yeon Yiseo muttered in agreement as he corrected a discrepancy in the documents.
“Why are you calling, anyway?”
—Ah, I meant to ask. Something’s off with Ethan. Thought you might know something. Got any idea?
Yeon Yiseo paused and adjusted the phone. That wasn’t something he could just brush off. It just so happened to be one of those rare days when Ethan had left work early.
Now his name was coming up like this—something really must have happened.
“Mr. Scott? What do you mean…?”
Yeon Yiseo asked cautiously, rubbing his throat. He still couldn’t shake the dry, burning sensation.
He knew the reason behind it. He kept a glass of water at his side and sipped constantly, but it didn’t help. There was no sign it would improve anytime soon. Maybe a few months? Still, he forced himself to focus on the call.
—I went to see Ethan about Sirius, and he was acting weird. Asking strange questions out of nowhere.
“Weird questions? Like what?”
—Something like, ‘Is an extreme-dominant Alpha’s pheromones too much for a recessive Omega to handle?’ I told him, how the hell would I know? He’s clearly not all there. Do you know anything?
A chill ran down Yeon Yiseo’s spine.
Anyone could see—that question had been about him.
He pressed his fingers to his temple and spoke.
“Mm. Yeah. That was about me.”
—What? Huh? …Huh?!
Seo Eunwoo hadn’t connected the dots yet.
“I manifested. As a recessive Omega.”
—WHAAAT?!
Seo Eunwoo practically yelled into the phone.
—What?! When?! How?! All of a sudden?! No—wait. You’re just telling me this now?! Why didn’t you say anything earlier?!
“Hold on. Calm down. I’ve been busy.”
—Forget that. I’m coming to your office.
“Wait—how do you know when I’ll be done?”
—I’ll wait if I have to. See you in a bit.
And just like that, Seo Eunwoo hung up. Yeon Yiseo stared at the screen showing the call had ended and immediately called back—but Eunwoo didn’t answer. Apparently, he was serious about coming over.
With a sigh, Yeon Yiseo was still staring at his phone when Natalie spoke up.
“What’s going on?”
“Huh? Oh, uh. It’s just a friend. He’s coming by the office.”
“At this hour? Must miss you a lot.”
Natalie laughed lightly. Yeon Yiseo didn’t think that was the reason. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before he could leave the office.
Since Eunwoo said he was waiting in the parking lot, Yeon Yiseo headed there.
It wasn’t hard to spot him—most of the staff had gone home, and the lot was mostly empty. Seo Eunwoo greeted him with a slouched posture and a sour expression to match.
“Did you wait long?”
“Not really. Yiseo. Yiseo. You manifested?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
Eunwoo pouted, lips sticking out.
“You didn’t even tell me something that important? And I just happened to hear it in passing? You think that’s okay?”
“Uh…”
Yeon Yiseo glanced around awkwardly. Sure, it was a major event for him, but was it really that significant to Seo Eunwoo? It didn’t feel like something worth calling just to announce.
“Yiseo, that’s cold.”
When Yeon Yiseo didn’t answer right away, Eunwoo’s shoulders slumped and he furrowed his brows. His reaction flustered Yeon Yiseo even more.
“I told you—call me no matter what’s going on.”
His words were steeped in genuine hurt. Yeon Yiseo just blinked. He’d never met anyone who got this upset over him not sharing something personal.
“Uh, wait, hold on.”
“Now you’re being all formal? Wow. Yeon Yiseo, you’re seriously something else.”
That wasn’t what he meant, but apparently, it came off wrong. As Seo Eunwoo spoke like he’d been betrayed, Yeon Yiseo got more and more flustered.
“No, that’s not it—it’s just, I panicked. Give me a sec. Wait, just—wait.”
Trying to defuse the situation, Yeon Yiseo motioned with his hands. Finally, Seo Eunwoo stopped ranting and looked at him. At last, a chance to explain. But Yeon Yiseo was too overwhelmed to figure out where to even begin.
“…Jeez. You look so pitiful I can’t even tease you.”
That snapped him back to his senses.
“You’re teasing me? Right now?”
“Yup. I’m teasing you, right here and now.”
Seo Eunwoo enunciated every word. Yeon Yiseo blinked several times before slowly opening his mouth.
“I didn’t think you’d be that surprised. But seeing you so flustered kinda makes me feel bad. Let’s just call it even for making me feel left out.”
Yeon Yiseo exhaled in a sigh of resignation, finally understanding.
“Messing with me like that is just mean.”
“Please. Not telling me about something this big was worse. Honestly, if you’d acted like it was no big deal, I’d have been even more pissed.”
Eunwoo shrugged dramatically. Yeon Yiseo had no comeback for that and closed his mouth.
