#80
“Shouldn’t it be under control by now?”
Jaeha was the first to pull away, narrowing his eyes. The loud ticking of the clock had made it difficult to concentrate. Eunhong awkwardly raised his left wrist and unfastened the watch buckle. The beeping sound that had been ringing like a seizure slowly faded away.
“Isn’t it broken?”
Jaeha frowned as he examined the watch Eunhong had removed.
“It was fine when Professor Choi looked at it last time. I wonder if it got damaged when I spilled alcohol on it?”
“It’s not that fragile. It’s supposed to be waterproof and can withstand depths of up to 200 meters.”
Jaeha buried his nose in Eunhong’s nape and inhaled. At first, it seemed like he was searching for traces of pheromones, but the act quickly changed nature. His nose trailed up Eunhong’s neck, and when it reached his ear, he pushed in his moist tongue. Eunhong had to punch Jaeha repeatedly to pry him off as he was nibbling on his ear. The ear that had turned bright red in such a short time looked like it might bleed if touched.
“It’s, it’s because of you. I’m not… It’s not that I’m incompletely developed…”
Jaeha raised his well-shaped eyebrow.
“Because of me?”
“I only react to you. I don’t feel anything from other alphas’ pheromones. It’s because you keep stimulating me, because you’re too sexy.”
Eunhong suddenly thought of Lee Jaesung, Shim AD, and Han Jeongwook. All three were objectively very attractive alphas, but they didn’t evoke any response from him. Especially Lee Jaesung. Wasn’t it strange that he, who had lived his whole life as a beta and only considered relationships with beta women, didn’t react at all to Lee Jaesung’s pheromones, who looked exactly like Lee Jaeha? Even though he perfectly matched both his long-held sexual preferences and appearance.
Moreover, even in front of someone like Han Jeongwook who blatantly emitted his pheromones, Eunhong’s body maintained the same composure as when he was a beta. It just felt unpleasant, like smelling strong perfume from someone passing by. His body showed a markedly different reaction to them compared to Lee Jaeha’s pheromones, which made his watch beep loudly just by thinking about them. He thought that he wouldn’t lose control or be influenced by alphas as those around him – Professor Choi, Shim AD, and Lee Jaeha – worried.
That was the conclusion he had drawn. His body wasn’t clumsy or stupid, but rather, extremely picky.
“If anything, you’re the most dangerous, Lee Jaeha. I’m not affected by any other alphas. If I need to be careful, it’s you.”
Hearing Eunhong’s words, Jaeha somehow looked foolish. His face, devoid of any trace of a smile, was unfamiliar. Eunhong looked at him, wondering if he had said something wrong. After seeming lost in thought for a moment, Jaeha forcibly curved his lips into a smile.
“I’m too sexy?”
“…Don’t take advantage of this.”
Jaeha, who had been smiling with his head tilted, showed his white teeth in a handsome grin.
“Eunhong, you actually don’t want to go to work, right?”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“If not, why do you keep stimulating me?”
Eunhong didn’t know that his genuinely confused expression only fueled Jaeha’s lust. Jaeha wrapped his long arms around Eunhong, pulling him close, and buried his face deep in his shoulder.
“Can’t you take a vacation?”
“……”
“Or just quit altogether.”
“If I quit, what am I supposed to do for a living?”
The pheromones emanating from the embrace holding him were cozy, sweet, and also somewhat pitiful. Eunhong wondered if all alpha pheromones evoked these feelings. He was oddly captivated by the strange thought of wanting to indulge this childish whim. They say people become stupid when they fall in love. He couldn’t believe himself for wanting to throw away all thoughts of deadlines and schedules just to play around together.
To this, Jaeha mumbled an addition.
“We can travel together, try out good restaurants, and when we run out of places to go domestically, we can go abroad. We can visit the national parks you like, go see the aurora, see penguins…”
“What’s all this about?”
“We can walk arm in arm on the streets freely, kiss, and if we get turned on, we can hole up in a hotel and have sex for two or three days straight, kiss until we’re sick of it…”
While his lips were making innocent kissing sounds, his hands were sneakily making their way to Eunhong’s buttocks. Eunhong, who had been listening quietly, clenched his fist and pushed Jaeha away just as his fingers were about to delve between his buttocks.
“……”
“……”
He hit Jaeha’s shoulder with a loud thwack. He had been asking for it since yesterday. Eunhong huffed as he gathered his bag and left. Jaeha followed, clutching his shoulder and letting out a playful laugh.
Despite it being Monday morning, the commute was surprisingly uncongested. As Eunhong gathered his bag to get out of the car, Jaeha pouted dissatisfiedly. So he was really going to work after all. Eunhong pretended not to hear Jaeha’s playful grumbling and just looked out the car door.
Just as he was about to open the car door, Eunhong changed his mind and suddenly pulled Jaeha in for a kiss. The gesture, lacking in composure, was quite rough. There was a clacking sound as their front teeth collided, but they had no capacity to care about that. By the time Jaeha came to his senses, the car door had long been closed, and Eunhong was already running across the crosswalk.
“Eunhong’s being naughty. Really…”
Jaeha sat gripping the steering wheel and staring for a long time. Only after Eunhong had completely disappeared into the company building did Jaeha straighten his back. The slight heat that had risen to his cheeks slowly cooled.
Leaning deep into the driver’s seat, he slowly recalled everything from the past weekend until now. The tight fullness lasted only a moment before Jaeha suddenly opened his eyes wide. He took out his phone and called a familiar name.
– What’s the matter so early in the morning?
“I called because I have something to ask about imprinting. Do you have time this morning?”
It might just be a groundless fear. Jaeha chewed on his lips as he recalled Eunhong’s words. In the society of second-tier trait holders, the higher the trait grade, the more sensitively they reacted to the opposite trait. But Eunhong’s statement about not having any response to other alphas’ pheromones made Jaeha uneasy.
– Even if I don’t have time, I should make time. Where shall we meet?
“I’ll come to your house, Professor Choi.”
Jaeha’s eyes, reflected in the rearview mirror, sank gloomily.
***
Jaeha turned his car around and headed to the outskirts of the city. Han Sejin, who had received the message, couldn’t hide his joy at the CEO’s absence and kept saying nonsense like “Have a good time.” Thanks to that, Jaeha resolved to go to the company in the afternoon.
Despite the well-paved road, the surroundings were all mountains, making for a strange neighborhood. After climbing a long uphill road, there was a cluster of large mansions, each with a spacious lawn, gathered like grapes. One of these was Professor Choi’s house.
“You’ve come. It’s been a while.”
Jaeha was just climbing the stone steps after parking. An elderly man with a benevolent expression greeted him warmly. He had just finished pruning the rose bushes. Proper pruning throughout the winter ensures healthy blooming in summer. The old man took off his thick gardening gloves and offered a handshake. Although not close, the face wasn’t unfamiliar, so Jaeha awkwardly shook hands and exchanged greetings.
The old man almost hugged Jaeha and warmly led him inside. As Jaeha entered the house, three cats that had been sunbathing in front of the living room window quickly disappeared.
“Uijin. Come out. CEO Lee is here.”
Professor Choi, who was walking out of the study, froze when he saw his partner almost embracing Lee Jaeha. Professor Choi noticeably uncomfortable, cleared his throat repeatedly.
“Ahem, come in.”
Jaeha followed Professor Choi into the study and sat on the sofa. Professor Choi took the seat of honor. The person who had followed them in asked what they would like to drink and quickly brought out coffee and bread. As the three sat down, a cat appeared from somewhere and settled on a familiar lap.
“You should go out now. I’m going to have a private conversation with the CEO.”
“Alright. Make sure to have lunch together before you leave.”
Watching Professor Choi gently shoo away the person whose face was habitually filled with an affectionate smile, Jaeha wrinkled his nose. Sometimes, seeing such a long-standing warm relationship made him feel shabby about his own life.
“Anyway, congratulations, CEO Lee.”
“…Your guessing has reached an expert level now.”
Jaeha gritted his teeth as he faced Professor Choi, who was like a sly old fox. Professor Choi might be an omega rather than an alpha. Seeing how he could guess at a glance. Or maybe it showed so clearly on his face. Jaeha clicked his tongue lightly.
On one wall of the study, filling a large display case, was a prominent photo of the chairman of Han Jung Group, who was both Professor Choi’s close friend and Jaeha’s grandfather. Next to it were photos of his mother holding a young Jaeha, and his father standing awkwardly behind them.
“…It’s not about anything else, I came to ask about the method of imprinting.”
“Aren’t you two moving too fast? Imprinting isn’t something to be taken lightly, you know?”
“No. You know me. As if I would. I have no intention of imprinting. However…”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that imprinting held no meaning for alphas. Rather, this magical binding device allowed them to hold the lifeline of their omega. It was a coercive force born from the will to kill rather than lose.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
