He didn’t know how much he could trust it. The fact that his body would heat up and his mind go hazy after pheromone transfer was enough to make Yeon Yiseo wary.
Hugo was a dominant Alpha. If he used his pheromones on Yiseo, a recessive Omega, there’d be no way to resist it. Now that Yiseo had experienced firsthand what pheromones could do, it wasn’t a question he could answer lightly.
Maybe sensing that Yiseo’s silence meant he was being cautious, Hugo continued.
“I’m not doing this just because I want to sleep with you. I’m thinking beyond that. You know what they say—all’s well that ends well. I won’t deny that what I did wasn’t exactly gentlemanly, but I believe that one day, we’ll look back on this and laugh about it together.”
Yiseo stared quietly at Hugo’s face, then pressed his lips together and gave a small nod.
“Alright then… Let’s do that.”
A flash of relief crossed Hugo’s face. The tension of the situation seemed to melt away.
“What’s the usual interval for pheromone transfer?”
“Probably about a week from now.”
“I see. Got it. Then how about next Friday evening?”
The implication of a Friday evening made Yiseo pause, and Hugo—sensing the reaction—quickly followed up.
“It just so happens that my schedule is open that day, that’s all.”
There was no way to confirm whether that was true or not, so Yiseo had no choice but to take it at face value. Hugo seemed to realize that too and gave a faint, wry smile. He didn’t say anything else—perhaps knowing that piling on words like honestly or really would only make it sound less believable.
“…Alright then. I’ll see you that day.”
Just as Yiseo was about to stand up and leave after saying that, Hugo reached out and held his hand.
“So next time… can I consider it a meeting between friends?”
“You know better than anyone, Mr. Cruz, that after this conversation, it’d be hard to still call us just friends.”
Yiseo twisted his hand free as he answered. Hugo didn’t try to stop him again. As Yiseo turned to leave, something came to mind. He paused and returned to Hugo.
Seeing him come back, Hugo’s eyes brightened. That expression made Yiseo feel slightly guilty for bringing up what he was about to, but he reminded himself—after everything Hugo had said, there was no need to feel bad.
“So I can assume you’ll be moving forward with the Dymine ad deal?”
Hugo had looked hopeful, clearly wondering what Yiseo had come back to say—but at the question, he blinked, then let out a quiet chuckle. His reaction, free of any pretense, somehow suited him.
“Yes. You don’t have to worry about that.”
With that answer, Yiseo left without a hint of hesitation.
***
Yiseo didn’t head straight home. He wandered the nearby streets for a while instead. He felt like if he went home right away, the weight of everything would sink in too heavily. The clear sky and the cheerful sounds of people’s laughter were a small comfort.
No matter how long he thought about it, there wasn’t a clear answer. Things had already turned out this way, and he’d just have to live with it. If there was any silver lining, it was that Hugo was a publicly known figure—he likely wouldn’t go too far. That meant Yiseo didn’t have to put himself at greater risk, which was a small relief.
As he watched white clouds drift across the sky, Yiseo turned inward and examined his own feelings. Why had he hesitated when Hugo offered to provide pheromones?
The thought that came to him was, What am I supposed to do? It felt more like a quiet panic than resistance.
He wasn’t in a relationship with Alexander. There was no reason he had to receive pheromones from only him. Yiseo knew that. And yet, something about Hugo’s offer made him feel faintly uncomfortable.
Why?
Was it just because he’d started to take it for granted—that it would be Alexander giving him pheromones?
…That was probably it. With that conclusion, Yiseo tried to steady himself.
He rose, thinking it was about time to head home—but then spotted someone who didn’t belong in that scene.
Alexander.
And he wasn’t alone. A tall, slim blond man stood beside him.
Even accounting for his extreme-dominant Alpha status, Alexander’s height made him stand out. Paired with a strikingly attractive blond man, the two were impossible to miss—even in a crowded street. From the affectionate air between them, it was obvious they were on a date. The man’s shimmering blond hair looked almost identical to the type of partner Alexander had dated before—clearly his type.
This was a street lined with popular brunch spots, so it wasn’t strange for Alexander to be here. After all, Yiseo himself had come here to meet Hugo.
The blond man tugged lightly at Alexander’s collar, and Alexander leaned in. They whispered to each other, their closeness looking like a scene straight out of a romantic film. Others nearby also stole glances at them—it wasn’t just Yiseo who noticed.
So he’s on a date.
Of course he was. It’d be stranger if someone like Alexander wasn’t dating. Even though Yiseo had made peace with that, he couldn’t deny the odd weight settling in his chest. It caught him off guard.
Maybe it had been a long-standing plan, but something about it left a bad taste in his mouth. It wasn’t about whether Alexander was dating while giving pheromones to someone else. If Yiseo had known he had a partner, he never would’ve agreed. Even if they weren’t officially dating—if they were just getting to know each other—it still mattered.
Yiseo frowned. Determined to avoid running into them, he started to leave, but as luck would have it, Alexander spotted him.
Yiseo thought they’d just exchange a nod and pass each other, but Alexander actually said, “Mr. Yeon Yiseo?” and even raised a hand in greeting. He strode over with his long legs, and in the blink of an eye, they were standing face-to-face. Alexander smiled.
“What a coincidence, meeting here of all places. So this was where your meeting was today?”
“Yes. But, CEO… aren’t you on a date right now? Should you be over here?”
“Ah. I wouldn’t call it a date, exactly. It’s someone I’ve known for a while, and they just wanted to see the area, so I was showing them around. Are you here alone?”
So they’re not dating? Yiseo recalled the scene from earlier. For “just someone he knows,” they’d looked awfully close—but since Alexander said otherwise, he couldn’t exactly press him. They didn’t have that kind of relationship.
“No, I just finished up and was about to head home.”
“I see.”
A scent lingered around Alexander—one Yiseo hadn’t picked up before. Was it the pheromones of the man he’d been with?
“Mr. Yeon Yiseo.”
“Yes?”
“You’ve got someone else’s pheromones on you.”
“…Ah.”
It must’ve been Hugo’s doing. Even though he’d been told not to, somehow it had ended up on him. Yiseo frowned slightly, then quickly corrected his expression, realizing Alexander was right there. Before Alexander’s hand could touch his shoulder, Yiseo instinctively flinched away.
It was a reflexive movement, but it surprised even Yiseo—and Alexander’s eyes widened.
“Is this… something I shouldn’t be involved in?”
“Mm… yes.”
Yiseo didn’t owe him any explanation about what had happened with Hugo, so that was all he said. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Alexander’s companion watching them from across the street, probably wondering if they were done.
“You should probably get back to your friend.”
“Are you heading home now, Mr. Yeon Yiseo?”
“Yes. I’m thinking I’ll go rest.”
And it was true—he felt emotionally drained. He just wanted to lie on his bed and read for a while.
“Alright then. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“I’ll be heading off first, CEO.”
“About that—”
“Yes?”
Yiseo had thought the conversation was over, but Alexander stopped him.
“Since we’re not at the office, being called ‘CEO’ feels a little odd.”
“? But… you are the CEO, aren’t you?”
“I am, but…”
Alexander gave a bitter smile at Yiseo’s matter-of-fact reply.
“Still, we likely won’t be seeing each other outside of work much, so there’s probably no need to change what I call you.”
At those words, Alexander’s brow twitched faintly. Yiseo didn’t have any supernatural abilities, but he could tell Alexander had taken it personally. Still, he had no intention of taking back what he’d said.
