#81
“Manifestation has not yet been accurately proven in terms of method or phenomenon.”
“You mean you don’t know?”
“As you’re aware, CEO Lee, there have been cases where manifestation occurred through repeatedly stimulating an omega’s heat cycle with psychotropic drugs…”
Professor Choi continued carefully.
“Generally, manifestation occurs when an alpha repeatedly knots an omega. In a natural, ordinary relationship, this progresses very slowly, and it takes time for the parties involved to notice…”
Professor Choi glanced cautiously at Jaeha, who was sitting with a rigid expression. He counted on his fingers how many days had passed since he last visited Jaeha’s house and met Eunhong. It seemed like only about two weeks had passed, though he wasn’t certain.
Professor Choi furrowed his brow deeply and asked Jaeha.
“Have you already had that kind of relationship? Enough to suspect manifestation?”
“You’re quite casual about treating people like animals.”
“That’s because you don’t experience rut like a typical alpha, CEO Lee.”
His tone was calm as he spoke while drinking coffee. Jaeha knew that Professor Choi, being an alpha himself, wasn’t speaking without basis. Jaeha recalled the past weekend when he had restrained himself, grinding his molars. If he were to lose that self-control when his rut came, he would certainly become the beast-like person Professor Choi always talked about.
“…Eunhong seems to be showing symptoms of manifestation.”
Professor Choi’s eyes widened at these words, which Jaeha spoke painfully, as if confessing a sin. He scratched the edge of his gray eyebrow for a moment before standing up. He paced in front of the bookshelf, then pulled out several thick medical textbooks and papers.
Sitting down again, he examined the books briefly before opening several pages and handing them to Jaeha. As Jaeha patiently read through pages marked with highlights and sticky notes, he looked up.
“It’s all just saying nothing is certain.”
“It only states that we know the phenomenon exists but can’t define it precisely.”
“What about my mother? …I mean, her symptoms?”
His expression showed pain as he tried to recall dim memories.
“She became insensitive to pheromones. By the time I was completely certain of the manifestation between you two, she couldn’t even distinguish between alphas and betas.”
Manifestation, which is often portrayed in media as an eternal love pledge, might seem romantic at first glance because omegas become unable to sense other alphas’ pheromones. However, the truly frightening aspect of manifestation becomes apparent only when the partner disappears.
An alpha who loses their manifested omega can find another omega, but the reverse isn’t possible. Once the pheromone exchange with the manifestation partner disappears, the omega slowly begins to die. Omegas who hastily manifest due to whispers of love pay a harsh price if they change their minds.
Professor Choi gazed intently at Jaeha, who was rubbing his pale face. He still vividly remembered when he first met Jaeha’s mother.
‘You don’t look at me with those eyes, doctor.’
‘What kind of eyes do you mean?’
For someone carrying a four-month-old fetus, her expression was biting and cold. She muttered that she was tired of doctors who tried to lecture her without understanding.
‘It’s my body, I don’t understand why people criticize how I use it.’
Despite her young age, she had been through a lot in life. Who could dare criticize her for gambling with her body, her only asset, when the burden she carried was too heavy? Besides, Professor Choi had been constantly taught to avoid subjectively interfering in patients’ lives. He only felt pity for her, an omega like his own mate.
‘Everything will be fine. Just focus on staying healthy.’
It was a shallow hope circuit. While mocking himself for breaking the principle of presenting the worst-case scenario and offering hope he couldn’t guarantee, he had still expected a happy ending like those seen in dramas.
‘Once I pay off all my debts, I can do anything. I can go back to school and start drawing again.’
‘You draw?’
‘When I’m finally free, I’d like to give you a gift too, doctor.’
For her, dreaming of a fresh start with the compensation she would receive after giving birth to a child with dominant traits, the pain of pregnancy and others’ judgmental gazes seemed bearable. She was even genuinely delighted, like someone who had just scratched a winning lottery ticket, when test results suggested the baby in her womb would be a boy, and likely an alpha. Whether she hadn’t yet developed affection for the child or had cut it off from the beginning, Professor Choi didn’t know. But seeing her face brightened with anticipation made him wish for a happy ending for her.
‘Let’s do that. I’ll look forward to your drawing.’
Her life went off track even before her belly had begun to swell.
As she entered the middle stage of pregnancy, Lee Suhyeok began appearing at her appointments. The look in his eyes as he rushed over, putting aside all his busy affairs to check on the woman carrying his child, was that of someone deeply in love. At that time, Professor Choi believed things had turned out well, that she would build a happy family in her future. He even felt an inexplicable sense of pride for having contributed to that.
Since her death, Professor Choi had carried an unexplainable sense of debt toward her. He wondered if, by encouraging her to think positively while she was swayed by hormones, he had prevented her from properly seeing her own emotions, causing her to be momentarily deceived by hormones.
Meow~ A cat burrowed between his knees, breaking Professor Choi’s reverie. Before him sat an alpha whose face showed no trace of his mother, with a pale, stiff expression, lost in thought. He looked like he needed alcohol more than coffee.
“Between Eunhong and you, CEO Lee, the only suspicious thing is long-standing feelings. But we already know that affection doesn’t play a major role in manifestation, don’t we? So instead of jumping to conclusions, I think we need to observe a bit more.”
After speaking, Professor Choi clicked his tongue. It seemed that being optimistic was his chronic illness.
“Also, considering he’s an extremely dominant omega, and given the lack of data…”
As Professor Choi continued, trying to comfort Jaeha, he suddenly looked up. The silent man’s gaze was fixed on his mother’s painting.
“That painting is mine. She drew it and gave it to me before you were even born. So the rights belong to me. You shouldn’t covet it.”
“…I know.”
The voice that finally responded was completely devoid of strength. Since the topic of paintings had come up, Professor Choi changed the subject.
“Will you be going there with Eunhong this time?”
“…”
Professor Choi would also be joining the business trip due to Lee Suhyeok’s health issues. It was the son’s duty not only to deal with the painful task of checking his mother’s paintings stored in the gallery and deciding their fate but also to take care of his ailing father.
“It’s going to take a long time to handle the paintings and everything else.”
Not realizing that Professor Choi was looking at him with tenderness, Lee Jaeha exhaled a shallow sigh and smiled weakly. Whether due to his downcast eyes or tightly closed lips, his expression was only cold. His low voice flowed out slowly.
“I don’t have the luxury of being apart. Not me.”
***
With the update approaching, the company’s busy work had come to a temporary halt. Eunhong took advantage of the lull to accelerate the completion of his competition entry, and managed to finish it to his satisfaction and submit it on time.
Shim AD’s generous praise of the work through messenger before submission made Eunhong excited. While he didn’t expect the grand prize in such a prestigious competition, he hoped that even placing would raise his value in the industry a bit—actually, a lot. Like any person, he had the same feeling of waiting for the results of an unscratched lottery ticket. Of course, the results would take longer than a lottery, but still. Since he had worked hard, Eunhong felt a sense of achievement just from having completed it, regardless of the outcome.
Whether it was company work, freelance projects, or the competition, things were progressing one by one, giving him a sense of stability. It meant he could move forward with a lighter heart.
Moreover, the change in his relationship with Jaeha was better than he had imagined. If life had a graph, this would definitely be an upward curve. Even Woohyun’s recent troublemaking felt like a blessing in disguise.
Eunhong threw down his pen and flopped onto the long sofa. Stretching out his body that had been cramped from intense concentration felt refreshingly good as blood began to flow properly. After checking the time, he picked up his phone and called Sunhong.
– Yeah? What? Speak.
Sunhong answered the call, shouting over a noisy background.
“Where are you at this late hour? I was calling to ask if you and mom finished all the preparations.”
– Department gathering. Is Ham at home? What about Jaeha Ham?
After substituting a brief question for a greeting, Sunhong soon provided the answer Eunhong was hoping for. Despite being busy playing around before returning to school, he had prepared everything Jaeha Ham had asked for. He assured Eunhong not to worry, as he had completed not only their mother’s passport application but his own as well. Indeed, Eunhong had been very concerned. When Jaeha suddenly said he would send their mother and Sunhong on a trip, Eunhong had been so shocked that he spat out what he was eating.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
