Alexander’s expression froze mid-sentence as he looked down at Yeon Yiseo.
The warmth and familiarity that had radiated from him just moments ago vanished in an instant. Startled by the sudden shift in mood, Yeon Yiseo instinctively pulled his shoulders in slightly.
“You must’ve found someone else.”
“Mm… I suppose so.”
It wasn’t something he wanted to go into detail about, so he left it at that. There was no reason to explain every little thing to Alexander.
“Well, that’s good then.”
It wasn’t exactly good news from Yeon Yiseo’s perspective, but explaining how and why things ended up that way felt awkward too. So he just gave a vague nod in response.
The atmosphere turned a little strained.
Yeon Yiseo figured it would be best to say his goodbyes and leave, but Alexander spoke up before he could.
“Is it someone I know?”
It was a curious question.
He wasn’t sure why Alexander would want to know, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t answer. If it was Hugo Cruz, then probably not just in America—people all over the world would recognize the name.
So he answered, “Yes.”
And immediately noticed Alexander’s expression shift.
“I see.”
He’d expected something more, a different sort of reaction—but that was all Alexander said.
“I mentioned before that I have good instincts, remember?”
“Yes. You did.”
With a soft smile tugging at his lips, Alexander continued.
“You always manage to surprise me, Mr. Yeon.”
Alexander slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.
“That’s what makes you so interesting.”
“…Ah. I see.”
It didn’t feel right to say thank you, so he replied as plainly as possible.
“Was it the same man who left his pheromones on you last Sunday in the Upper East Side?”
That came out of nowhere.
Yeon Yiseo had expected Alexander to brush it off, like he always did.
“…Do I need to answer that, sir?”
“So you’d rather not tell me.”
The words felt like a subtle jab.
Yeon Yiseo averted his gaze.
Alexander looked at him for a moment, then turned away with a finality that said never mind.
Only then did Yeon Yiseo realize he’d missed the window to respond.
The elevator arrived just in time.
They rode down together in silence, no further conversation exchanged. If there was one thing to be grateful for, it was that Scott Industries’ building wasn’t very tall.
As the elevator reached the ground floor and Yeon Yiseo moved to step out, Alexander subtly extended his foot, just barely enough to brush the tip of Yeon Yiseo’s shoe.
It wasn’t blatant, barely noticeable really.
But even that small gesture was enough to stop Yeon Yiseo in his tracks.
“Take care out there.”
The farewell felt strange—unnecessarily dramatic, even.
And the way Alexander slightly lowered himself to meet Yeon Yiseo’s eyes only made it feel more loaded, as if he were saying something far more significant than a simple goodbye.
“…Yes. You too, sir. Get home safe.”
At Yeon Yiseo’s polite response, Alexander’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Once he straightened back up, Yeon Yiseo finally stepped out of the elevator.
Even as the doors closed, Alexander didn’t take his eyes off him.
It was all very strange.
Yeon Yiseo puzzled over Alexander’s behavior for a moment but quickly dropped the thought.
Assigning meaning to something that might’ve meant nothing at all felt ridiculous.
***
The address Hugo had given him was 432 Park Avenue, located in Manhattan.
It was such a tall building that Yeon Yiseo had passed by and noticed it many times before.
Apparently, Hugo had given advance notice because the guard at the entrance, initially stiff and suspicious, switched to a courteous demeanor almost instantly.
Hugo’s place was on the 70th floor.
As the elevator ascended, Yeon Yiseo’s ears popped.
The moment he stepped out, he was at Hugo’s doorstep.
“Welcome. Hope the trip up wasn’t too rough?”
“Hello. No, it was fine.”
Yeon Yiseo returned Hugo’s friendly greeting.
His tone was distant, but Hugo didn’t seem to mind, keeping his voice and manner as sociable as ever.
Still, Yeon Yiseo couldn’t bring himself to treat Hugo casually like before.
After all, the way Hugo had behaved in the past made it impossible to lower his guard.
He was only here now because Hugo had threatened to reject the Dymine ad contract unless Yeon Yiseo complied—and had even dragged Natalie’s name into it.
By agreeing to Hugo’s demand, Yeon Yiseo had at least protected Natalie from undeserved trouble, and he’d secured a solid commitment for the Dymine campaign.
But none of it was actually to his benefit.
Meanwhile, Hugo wasn’t really losing anything.
At most, he’d need to coordinate with his film production schedule—but even that was his management’s job, not his.
And once the contract was signed, Hugo would be raking in a massive endorsement fee.
So really, he had nothing to lose.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I have. Where should we begin the pheromone supply?”
Hearing the blunt question, Hugo gave a wry smile.
“Don’t be so businesslike, like you’re just here to get this over with.”
“This is a business arrangement. There’s no reason for me to stay long.”
…
Hugo looked a little hurt by that, but Yeon Yiseo didn’t owe him any sympathy.
He had no idea what Hugo might try, and there was no one to call for help here.
He had no desire to linger.
With a shrug, Hugo gestured for him to follow.
The ceiling was high, and the luxurious furnishings matched the scale of the apartment, exuding a sense of refined ease.
From the large windows, Central Park stretched out far below—a rare and breathtaking view.
But Yeon Yiseo wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it.
They stopped at the massive couch in the living room.
“I was originally going to take you upstairs, but I figured you wouldn’t like that.
You look like someone forced to clock in at a soulless corporate job.”
Yeon Yiseo didn’t react to that.
It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t exactly right either.
All he wanted was to get this over with and leave.
The comparison wasn’t entirely off the mark.
He sat down beside Hugo, who had already taken a seat.
It was undoubtedly an expensive sofa, but it felt strangely uncomfortable—probably because of what this setting implied.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
Yeon Yiseo gave a silent nod, and Hugo began to release his pheromones.
The sensation they carried was unmistakably that of a dominant Alpha.
Hugo’s pheromones were like flowers blooming in a wide open field—
Fresh, clean air under a clear blue sky, mixed with the gentle fragrance of wildflowers.
It was soothing, even pleasant.
But Yeon Yiseo reminded himself again and again not to let his guard down.
Unlike when he’d felt Alexander’s pheromones, he didn’t grow dazed right away.
Still, the effect was the same—his strength slowly drained from his body.
Perhaps it was because his manifestation was still recent.
His body’s response to this kind of stimulation still triggered a visceral aversion.
He kept telling himself he needed to adjust and get used to it, but it was easier said than done.
“…Ugh.”
He tried to sit upright, but his body wavered.
When Hugo reached out to steady his shoulder, Yeon Yiseo attempted to pull away—
But it was no more than a slight twitch.
He could feel a burning pressure settling deep inside him,
And before he could stop himself, he exhaled.
He’d experienced this sensation enough now to understand what it was urging him to do.
“You can… stop now.”
Yeon Yiseo forced the words out slowly, trying to conceal his labored breath.
His recessive Omega pheromones were reacting to the dominant Alpha’s.
No, they’d already started flowing on their own—
Uncontrolled, pouring out to attract the Alpha.
He wanted to stop, but he couldn’t.
It was like a sneeze—completely involuntary.
No one questions why the sky is blue; it just is.
This was the same—pheromone reactions were just a matter of instinct.
He had to see it as a grace period: a brief window before instinct fully took over,
A moment in which he could still try to regain control.
He just hoped Hugo would stop and walk away before that window closed.
“…Please let me go. You don’t need to release any more pheromones.”
Yeon Yiseo moved to push Hugo’s hand away, but it was useless.
His body was limp, sluggish.
And in the back of his mind, an alarm blared—
If Hugo didn’t stop soon, things could get dangerous.
The fact that Hugo remained silent only heightened the fear.
Yeon Yiseo’s swaying body was pulled into Hugo’s arms.
His embrace was warm, but not reassuring.
It was a suffocating kind of comfort—unsettling.
Yeon Yiseo squirmed again, struggling against it.
“Let go of me.”
“I’m not going to do anything. You can relax.”
Even as he said that, Hugo didn’t loosen his arms.
Instead, he inhaled deeply, as if savoring Yeon Yiseo’s scent.
A soft, reverent sigh escaped him, as if he were moved by the fragrance. Panic flared.
Hugo’s pheromones danced at the edge of Yeon Yiseo’s nose—alluring, seductive.
A desire to return the embrace stirred within him—rising, gaining strength.
No. This isn’t right. I don’t want this man.
He knew that.
With the last of his strength, Yeon Yiseo shoved Hugo away. Finally, Hugo released him. As if trying to be considerate, he moved to lay Yeon Yiseo down gently. But Yeon Yiseo shook his head firmly.
“Just… leaning back is enough.”
His clear refusal drew a helpless chuckle from Hugo, who instead adjusted him so he could rest against the back of the sofa. Only then could Yeon Yiseo see his face properly.
The flush around Hugo’s eyes was obvious. A blatant sign of how aroused he was. The swirling lust in his gaze looked ready to overflow at any moment.
If Hugo decided to cross the line now, Yeon Yiseo wouldn’t be able to stop him.
