#54
“Heeseung, check your email. I’m going to the hospital.”
At the mention of the hospital, the atmosphere at the table changed instantly, and the two waved with sympathetic looks. They couldn’t even say “Take care.” They misunderstood that Eunhong was going to the peaceful Academic Department. Eunhong quickly left the building, unable to laugh or cry.
The hospital was close to the company. He took a taxi and asked to be dropped off in front of the Han Jung Group Hospital’s Trait Specialist Ward. Sitting in the back seat, he searched on his phone for the distance between the art hall where he had gone to see a musical and Han Jung Hospital. He tried to recall his incomplete memories, wondering what had happened that day and how he had ended up at that hospital. The taxi driver, who had been glancing at Eunhong through the side mirror, spoke up.
“You have to be careful in the early stages.”
“Pardon?”
Eunhong had already been conscious of the driver’s subtle glances since getting in. As Eunhong raised his eyebrows, the driver cleared his throat.
“Your expression looks so bad, you should only think positive thoughts in early pregnancy. Right?”
“I’m not pregnant, driver.”
“Oh, I see. I apologize. It’s just that all the passengers going there from this neighborhood are usually because of pregnancy…”
The taxi driver was visibly flustered by the firm response. Eunhong was tired of being mistaken for an omega. Now, the difference was that he actually was an omega. Eunhong just laughed weakly and took out his phone to check the appointment time with Han Jeongwook. Just then, a message from Jaeha came in.
[Where are you going?]
He read the three-word message again, wondering if he had misread it.
[Having lunch.]
[Oh? Seems like you’re not eating near the office today.]
Eunhong tilted his head.
He always talks like he knows everything. It’s scary…
Eunhong vaguely replied that he was with people and turned off his phone. He chose to avoid either having to confess that he was at the hospital or continuing to lie if he kept answering in detail.
The taxi retraced the path Eunhong had taken when leaving in Jaeha’s car. After paying the fare and getting out, he looked around carefully. Remembering how he had crouched and cried in front of this place that day, his mood sank even lower than when he had set out.
The Trait Specialist Ward was smaller than he remembered. Compared to the main building bustling with patients, it looked more like a quiet nursing home. There were only two or three people smoking in the designated area and one person in patient clothes making a phone call. Eunhong loosened his stiff hands from tension and fidgeted with his clothes.
Heading to the floor indicated in Han Jeongwook’s message, an employee in a two-piece uniform he had seen once before greeted Eunhong. There was no need to say he had an appointment with Han Jeongwook. The employee seemed to recognize Eunhong as if reading his mind and kindly guided him.
“You must be Ban Eunhong? Thank you for coming in this cold weather. The Chief is waiting for you. Please go inside.”
Eunhong carefully entered through the door opened by the employee. As the door clicked shut, cutting off the outside world, a soft voice floated in.
“Ah… as expected.”
The man sitting behind the large black desk stood up swiftly. With his white doctor’s coat and gentle smile, he might have seemed threatening due to his broad shoulders and tall stature. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Eunhong bowed timidly.
Han Jeongwook smiled and pointed to his back with his thumb.
“I saw you getting out of the taxi from the window. I wondered if you might be my patient, and I was right. Nice to meet you, Eunhong. I’m Han Jeongwook.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
Unlike on the phone, his tone was short and friendly, but in person, his voice was lower and more resonant. The warm smile spread across his face and the thin metal-framed glasses softened his strong features somewhat. Nevertheless, Eunhong felt strangely on edge and hesitantly accepted the handshake.
‘He’s an alpha.’
As soon as their fingertips briefly touched, pheromones spread from Han Jeongwook. Eunhong had heard that you could distinguish alphas and omegas by the feeling of their pheromones, and it was indeed true. This was the first time Eunhong had experienced an alpha openly releasing pheromones since his manifestation, apart from Lee Jaeha. Unfamiliar with the sensation, Eunhong blinked slowly. It was quite shocking to instantly and instinctively know the other person’s trait.
“You’re more unusual than I expected from the chart. Is it because you’re extremely dominant? No, that’s not it… You should be more sensitive… You’re not feeling anything right now?”
“Pardon? I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Well, this is a bit embarrassing for me.”
Han Jeongwook furrowed his brow and smiled awkwardly. Seeing an omega who didn’t even change color at his pheromones was an unfamiliar experience for Han Jeongwook as well. Seeing Eunhong just blinking, he quickly let go of his hand and offered him a seat.
“Never mind. I started with puzzling words to someone who just manifested recently. You’ll come to understand these things gradually. Let’s sit down for now.”
Eunhong sat on the sofa as Han Jeongwook suggested and accepted the coffee he poured, but remained tense.
“If I may be so bold… you’re incredibly beautiful. Have you never thought about retaking a trait test in your life? It’s the kind of appearance that might make one wonder at least once.”
The man’s eyes sparkled. They were so light they looked like glass marbles. He took a sip of hot coffee and wrinkled his nose as he smiled. He seemed to laugh easily in general. Eunhong shook his head with a stiff expression.
“No. I’ve never thought about that.”
“But you’ve been mistaken for an omega a lot, right?”
Eunhong looked straight into Han Jeongwook’s eyes and lied, “No.” There was no need to deceive, but he didn’t want to give the impression of being seen through. Despite Eunhong’s attempt to remain rigid, Han Jeongwook burst into loud laughter.
Isn’t he too young to be the chief director? Eunhong glanced around the office while drinking his coffee. Like any doctor’s office, one wall was filled with framed academic credentials, qualifications, and awards.
Apart from the wariness due to his trait, Eunhong felt a bit of trust upon seeing the names of famous foreign universities he had heard of before on the framed certificates. Noticing Eunhong’s gaze, Han Jeongwook joked that he was indeed a real doctor.
“You have an interesting item.”
Being in front of an alpha man, Eunhong was unconsciously aware of the pheromones. His unconscious fidgeting with the watch on his wrist caught Han Jeongwook’s interest. The man smiled ambiguously, seeming to know the watch’s purpose. Eunhong briefly checked the watch with his eyes. Fortunately, his own pheromones weren’t budging at all.
“I took a brief leave from work to come here. I’d like to get to the main point quickly and return.”
“Hmm… is that so?”
“To be frank, I’d like to erase all records of what happened that day, including any evidence collection, if possible.”
“Why?”
“I don’t feel the need to dig into it. I don’t remember anything either. The main reason is that I don’t want to come back to the hospital for this matter again.”
The man who had been chattering suddenly changed his expression and stroked his chin with his finger.
“I understand you’re receiving personal treatment from Professor Choi Euijin.”
Eunhong’s eyes widened at the unexpected name from Han Jeongwook’s mouth. Han Jeongwook nodded and continued speaking.
“If you’re wondering how I know, the professor contacted me first. This information…”
Han Jeongwook paused mid-sentence and handed over a file containing Eunhong’s trait type diagnosis results. For a brief emergency room visit, there was a lot of information densely recorded. The clearly written words “Extremely Dominant Omega” caught Eunhong’s attention.
“You’re saying Professor Choi contacted you first?”
“This… He told me not to sell your trait information. He even threatened me. It was scary. Do I look that easy to push around?”
Eunhong looked up at the man. Despite his words about being scared, his face still showed a relaxed smile. Eunhong asked in a sharp voice.
“What are you trying to say? I…”
“The accident that day… Is your decision not to press charges and cover it up perhaps due to Professor Choi’s advice?” Han Jeongwook interrupted, cutting off Eunhong’s words. The humor had completely disappeared from his tone. Eunhong answered, meeting the interrogating gaze straight on.
“No. Professor Choi doesn’t know about any of this conversation. It’s purely my own will to treat it as if nothing happened.”
“Is that so? Hmm… That’s unexpected. Actually, I had a hunch about something.”
“In any case, please destroy all my files…”
“But what should we do? It’s not that simple to delete or cancel everything.”
He cut off Eunhong’s words again. Eunhong frowned.
“What? But when we spoke on the phone before, you said it could only proceed if I came in person…”
“Separately from the proceedings, the emergency admission records have already been passed on.”
“Are you saying you must press charges no matter what?”
“No, that’s not it. In fact, it’s easier for us if we don’t. But I mean we can’t just change things on a whim without any basis.”
“Isn’t my will the most important factor?”
“The law doesn’t let things slide so easily. If there’s talk of failing to fulfill the duty to report and such, it becomes troublesome for me. I might even lose my job.”
“Then tell me what I need to do to get to the point.”
Instead of answering, Han Jeongwook gazed steadily at Eunhong. His lips were still smiling. After a moment of thought, the man straightened his back and adjusted his posture. This naturally brought him closer to Eunhong.
“Let’s do this.”
