“You don’t have any friends, do you?”
“Pardon…?”
“No, I mean, judging by how you’re giving off such a rotten smell and can’t even control it properly, you seem like a recessive type……. Do you attend a regular school? Or a specialized high school?”
The man quietly answered that he attended a specialized high school. Oh dear. I put on the most sympathetic expression I could manage.
“That must be fucking exhausting. Ah, not for you—for the people around you. It’d be one thing if they were betas, but if you’re at a trait-specialized school……. If anyone gets even a little close to you, it smells like dried squid.”
I pointed at the three alphas with my finger.
“You three should just stay lifelong friends like this. Squid pancake stench, fishy dried-squid smell, rotten egg odor. Is this a land-sea-air combo? You match each other perfectly. Just date each other.”
They frowned, clearly irritated. But because of the pheromones I was releasing, all they could do was let out heated breaths and lower their heads toward the table.
“Excuse me……. sir.”
I was glaring at the trio of idiots when someone tapped my shoulder. Turning my head, I saw a staff member wearing a troubled expression.
“I’m sorry, but we’ve received complaints because of the pheromones…….”
“Ah, I apologize.”
I bowed my head and partially withdrew my pheromones. I gestured to Kim Bo-jin and the two omegas to step outside and gave the staff member a smile.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your business. We’ll leave now.”
“Oh, no! There’s no need to apologize that much…….”
We filed out of the restaurant like a string of sausages.
As soon as the frigid midwinter air hit me, I felt refreshed. Breathing in the disgusting scent of alphas in heat had made my stomach churn. I doused us with the pheromone neutralizer I’d brought, practically pouring it over our bodies. Only after finishing an entire bottle could I finally breathe properly.
“That felt like going through gas chamber training. I can finally live again.”
The moment I said that, the others looked at each other and suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Squid pancake smell…….”
“Right? Those assholes. Not even thinking about their own scent and criticizing us.”
“That was so satisfying. Thanks, Yuri.”
They laughed freely and praised me. I hadn’t done anything that impressive, so hearing their thanks made me a little embarrassed.
“No…… I mean……. it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Well, the blind date’s ruined anyway. What should we do now?”
What to do now. Truly the most important question. But I’d just met these people today. It felt awkward to be the one to suggest something first.
So we all just stood there, reading each other’s expressions.
Kim Bo-jin puffed out his chest like a triumphant general and shouted confidently at us.
“Just follow me. I’ll take you somewhere fun.”
We stared at him with eyes full of anticipation. Looking unusually serious, he led us out onto the main street.
Maybe because it was Christmas, the boulevard was packed with people. My face naturally scrunched up. And judging by their expressions, Kim Bo-jin and the others felt the same.
“……I didn’t realize our country had this many people. That whole low birth rate thing must be a lie.”
“Agreed.”
“But even in a situation like this, there are plenty of ways to enjoy ourselves.”
Kim Bo-jin spoke like an enlightened Buddha.
“What is it?”
“It’s all about changing your perspective, guys.”
Like pitiful little lambs, we leaned in to hear his whisper.
***
“You crazy bastards……. No wonder you’re Kim Bo-jin’s friends.”
Birds of a feather really do flock together.
After celebrating a solo Christmas party with the three omegas, I returned home. The four of us omegas stuck together, clinging to one another while smacking our lips bitterly, went to a karaoke room, wandered along Garosu-gil……. I couldn’t even remember exactly what we did. We roamed around until we were completely drained.
Even though it was nearly midnight, no one was home. The contrast with the noisy fun from earlier made me feel a little lonely.
I went into my room, changed clothes, and flopped onto the bed. As I stared at the high ceiling, I suddenly realized how well I had adapted to this world.
In this world inside the novel, male or female meant nothing to alphas and omegas. Only traits mattered—that was everything—and no one found it strange. And I was no different.
I’d never thought I could like a man……. It wasn’t that I was homophobic, but still.
Just as everyone has their own ideal type, people also had preferences when it came to pheromone scents. Whether to call it instinct or something else.
Kim Bo-jin liked alphas with refreshing scents. As for my preference……. If I compared it to perfume, I liked sweet fragrances. Floral scents were nice. Candy-like smells too.
And the scent of a warm sun.
“Jesus……. what kind of bullshit is that?”
The alpha who looked sculpted enough to slap David’s statue twice flashed through my mind and disappeared. Startled by my own instinctive imagination, I shot upright in bed and raked my fingers through my hair.
“Forget it. Forget it. Anyone else is one thing, but not him.”
Still, his scent really was nice though…….
“No. Absolutely not. Do you want to ruin your life? You want to walk a path full of thorns? The world is wide and there are plenty of alphas. If you hook up with just anyone because you’re lonely, you’ll end up with a stomachache.”
Right. Alphas and omegas were beasts faithful to their instincts. I could feel attracted because of pheromones. But nothing more. Just human-to-human goodwill. Let’s keep it there.
I was muttering to myself, feeling like my brain was short-circuiting, when—
“Knock, knock. Is Yeon Yuri, lost in deep contemplation, in there?”
My older sister’s voice rang out. I turned my head to see her standing there, neatly dressed as if she had just arrived home.
“What? You’re back early. Weren’t you spending the whole day with your boyfriend?”
“Oh? So you’re an adult now, huh? What were you planning to do while I wasn’t home?”
“Let’s not even go there.”
“Reel in your pheromones. Your room smells so strongly of roses it’s like a fart.”
At her words, I looked around. My scent filled the room. I calmed my mind and gathered my pheromones back in.
“So. Why’d you come home early?”
“I came back early in case my precious little brother was having a lonely Christmas. After you lost your memory, I thought you’d have no friends and just stay cooped up at home.”
“That…… hurts my bones…….”
I clutched my chest and made a bitter expression. She scolded me to stop being ridiculous.
“Looks like you had fun after all. I worried for nothing.”
She nodded to herself as if satisfied.
“Oh. You know we have a family dinner this Thursday, right?”
“I know, I know. I was exhausted from turning down Kim Bo-jin when he went crazy trying to drag me to a club because of that.”
“Good. As long as you know. Come to the KP Hotel. Mom and Dad are going straight there from work. Same with me.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Don’t mumble. You don’t want a birthday present next year?”
“My apologies, noona. I am eternally grateful that you have informed your humble younger brother of the location.”
She let out a small laugh and left the room. I rolled around on the bed like a sloth again and sank into thought.
Noona was someone I was truly grateful for. When I had just possessed Yeon Yuri and kept asking “Who are you?” like a lunatic, she dropped everything and stayed by my side. She taught me how to control my pheromones and explained everything about secondary genders.
Yeon Yuri was about to turn twenty, and Yeon Yu-jeong was twenty-seven. Of course she must have been terrified when her baby brother lost his mind and started spewing nonsense.
I curled up into a ball. The bed was soft and comforting. But whenever I thought about the future rushing toward me, all I could do was sigh.
Yeon Yuri and Do Jihoon’s engagement had originally taken place about mid-February.
Since breaking off the engagement was impossible, the only way to avoid Yeon Yuri’s doomed route was simple: don’t become obsessed with Do Jihoon. Maintain a strictly business-partner relationship with him. Then there would naturally be no conflict with Ha Min-young.
“Yeah. I’ll just do that.”
After graduating from university, I’d travel the world once, then laze around mooching off noona like a mosquito with a straw.
I’d get a building, live off the rent. Enjoy my hobbies. Maybe even snag a pretty, well-mannered alpha with a nice scent to keep by my side.
Mm. It was an excellent plan. Just thinking about it made me fucking happy.
Studying and digging deep into academics? No interest. It was way more fun to just read whatever books I felt like at the time.
Unaware that noona was looking at me like I was pathetic as I lay there grinning foolishly, I drifted off to sleep in the warm embrace of my bed.
