Yeon Yiseo concluded that everything that had happened stemmed from his lack of pheromone control. He shut his eyes tightly, then opened them again. Now that he’d identified the cause, figuring out a way to fix it felt easier. He just had to manage his pheromones better. Easier said than done, of course.
Still, he had to find a way to improve. He couldn’t just leave things as they were. First, Yeon Yiseo brushed off his body, letting the wind carry away any lingering trace of Ethan’s pheromones.
“Yiseo! You’re back! Are you hurt at all?”
“No, I’m fine. Thanks for worrying.”
Yeon Yiseo handed the kebab he’d picked up to Natalie. Despite his reassurances that he really wasn’t hurt, she couldn’t stop fussing over him. Even when he was leaving the office, she insisted that when he got home, he should skip everything else and get some proper rest.
He’d planned to do that anyway, but it wasn’t a bad feeling—knowing someone cared. People don’t say those things unless they’re genuinely concerned. And that kind of concern comes from affection. It was a little embarrassing, sure, but he was still grateful to Natalie.
After showering at home, Yeon Yiseo lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t fall asleep right away—Seo Eunwoo kept coming to mind.
Should he tell him what happened today? It felt awkward to bring it up over a phone call. He decided to send a brief message instead, something short and simple, then tapped at his phone screen.
[The elevator broke down today and I got stuck with the CEO. We’re both fine. Also ran into the CEO of Scott Industries.]
He stared at the screen after writing that. Should he also mention the part where he almost kissed Ethan? He decided against it. Same with the conversation between Ethan and Alexander—he’d leave that out too.
He rarely sent personal messages to anyone, so he wasn’t sure how to end it. After writing and deleting a few sentences over and over, he finally settled on something.
[The elevator broke down today and I got stuck with the CEO. We’re both fine. Also ran into the CEO of Scott Industries. Sleep well.]
With that, he pressed send. As soon as the message showed as “Read”, Seo Eunwoo called. Did he check it that fast? Yeon Yiseo hadn’t expected him to look at his phone so quickly, and it caught him off guard.
“Hello?”
—I saw your message. What happened? The elevator broke down? I’m glad you’re safe, but what do you mean the three of you were together? What’s going on? …Wait, did you just get off work? You sound exhausted.
“Yeah, I just got in. That’s when I texted you.”
—Really…?
He’d been gearing up for a barrage of questions, but Eunwoo’s voice softened as soon as he heard Yeon Yiseo’s reply.
—I can’t keep someone who just got home from work, so I’ll let it go for now. Hearing your voice is enough. Just tell me the details next time. Thanks for reaching out.
That caught him off guard. Yeon Yiseo glanced at his phone and replied,
“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t mention it.”
—It means a lot, coming from you. Anyway, get some rest. I’ll talk to you later!
Eunwoo’s playful tone lingered to the end of the call. Yeon Yiseo set his phone down.
It felt strange. It was just a text message, but that reaction… it made him feel oddly warm, maybe even a little ticklish inside. He found himself thinking that maybe next time, he should ask if Eunwoo’s eaten or something—and then, without realizing it, he drifted off to sleep.
***
After what happened yesterday, the thought of the elevator breaking down again made him hesitate before stepping in. But climbing dozens of floors to get to the executive secretary’s office wasn’t exactly realistic—time and stamina were both against him. He had no choice.
He checked to make sure the elevator was operating normally and took a deep breath, steeling himself. Just as he was about to step in, the doors slid open—and there stood Ethan.
It was a shared elevator, but no one else was around. Then again, it wasn’t strange that no one wanted to ride the elevator with the CEO.
“What a coincidence. Come in.”
“Yes. Hello, sir.”
Yeon Yiseo greeted him politely as he stepped in.
Running into Ethan here of all places. Today, of all days, he really didn’t want to see him. But then again, there’s that saying about ripping off the bandage quickly. Avoiding Ethan at work was impossible anyway.
In that light, maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing. It could even be a good thing.
“Did you get home okay yesterday?”
“Yes. Did you make it home alright as well? I’m sorry for rushing off like that.”
“Hm. No need to apologize. I don’t dwell on things like that.”
That was a relief. Yeon Yiseo looked up at the rapidly changing floor numbers.
“Are you afraid of taking the elevator?”
“Ah. Yeah, a bit.”
Ethan must’ve noticed the way he inhaled sharply. Yeon Yiseo rubbed at his nose awkwardly.
“Can’t blame you. Yesterday was a lot.”
“Heh…”
The word yesterday struck a nerve. Ethan hadn’t said anything specific, but the memory came rushing back anyway. Yeon Yiseo covered it with a small laugh, trying not to let his unease show.
“Are you alright, sir? I was worried the incident might’ve startled you too.”
“Startled, huh… well, there were some surprises.”
“Sorry? Surprises?”
Ethan’s gaze slid toward him.
“Your recessive Omega pheromones were better than I expected.”
“….”
The low whisper was so intimate it tickled his eardrum. Internally, Yeon Yiseo was jumping out of his skin. Thankfully, his body wasn’t reacting the same way.
Was Ethan teasing him about begging for more pheromones yesterday? If not, then what exactly was he trying to say? …No. He wasn’t going to try to interpret it. He shouldn’t even think about it. In one ear, out the other.
“I-I see. Well, I’m just glad you didn’t find it unpleasant. By the way, after you left… I mean, the CEO of Scott Industries—did he get home safely?”
Trying to stay composed, Yeon Yiseo kept his tone casual. He was relieved that his voice came out steady. The most important thing right now was not letting Ethan see him flustered. No reaction, just play it off naturally. That was the only defense he had.
“Yeah. He got back fine.”
Ethan gave him a look heavy with unspoken meaning, as if he saw right through him. But even so, Yeon Yiseo had to pretend he didn’t know anything. That was the only way to keep himself safe. He couldn’t afford to get tangled up any further.
Ding. The elevator reached their floor. Yeon Yiseo stepped out and exchanged a normal greeting with Ethan, but inside, his mind was spinning. It was just a passing remark about the pheromones this time—but what if he brought it up again? What if it went further?
***
But contrary to Yeon Yiseo’s worries, the rest of the day passed without incident. Ethan acted as he normally did. Maybe he was letting the whole thing go, pretending it never happened.
Honestly, thinking someone like Ethan would try to get involved with him had been far-fetched from the start. Yeon Yiseo’s reality wasn’t a novel or a game. Ethan was surrounded by people far more attractive and from better backgrounds than him. There was no reason for someone like that to come after Yeon Yiseo.
Natalie had already left work, so Yeon Yiseo was the only one left, working overtime. That was when Ethan stepped out of his office.
“Oh, sir. Heading out now?”
“Thinking about it. Still working?”
“No, I’m almost done.”
Just as Yeon Yiseo was about to tell him to have a safe trip home, Ethan spoke first.
“Then shall we head out together?”
“Excuse me? …Ah, no. I can’t leave just yet. Please go ahead.”
“Hm. I was asking if you’d like to have dinner together.”
Yeon Yiseo tried his best to process Ethan’s words. He racked his brain trying to figure out how to turn him down gently.
“Thank you very much for the dinner invitation, but I still have some work left to finish.”
He added a smile to soften the rejection, careful not to offend him.
“Just like yesterday—I see you’re not easy to deal with.”
Ethan smiled, a charming grin playing on his lips. For a moment, Yeon Yiseo worried—what if Ethan tried to use his pheromones to persuade him? But he didn’t push that far.
“That kind of resistance isn’t so bad either. In that case, I’ll let it go for today.”
Thankfully, he gave up easily. Yeon Yiseo had been afraid he’d keep insisting, but it turned out fine. His lips curled into a quiet smile.
“Please get home safely.”
“You too, Yeon Yiseo.”
Ethan left with a polite farewell. The sound of his footsteps faded into the distance. Only when he was completely out of sight did Yeon Yiseo finally relax his body. All the stolen moments he’d used to search for pheromone control techniques had definitely paid off.
Reviewing the last of his paperwork, Yeon Yiseo focused on his monitor.
And just as he’d expected, the task didn’t take long. Stretching out his aching body with a big yawn, he shut off his computer and began getting ready to leave. By the time he finished tidying up and stepped out of the office, the building was quiet—he seemed to be the only one left.
