Cheon Tae-seong curled his lips into a faint smirk as he continued.
“First, I’ve never met an Omega as scentless as you, Lee Ha-jin. That alone makes you tempting.”
But that still didn’t explain why he’d gone to such lengths to seek him out.
“Second reason’s similar, if you think about it. I’ve never seen such extreme heat suppression before. I don’t want some so-called manager coming into my house and soaking their panties at the whiff of my pheromones, stinking up the place like an Omega in heat.”
“……”
“I just confirmed it myself—you really don’t react. Honestly, I’ve never met an Omega who’s this unresponsive to my pheromones.”
Even after hearing him out, Ha-jin’s brows remained furrowed. Tae-seong, unfazed, pulled out the contract. As if he’d said all he needed to say, he scribbled a figure into the salary section. Then, spinning the paper around, he slid it over to Ha-jin.
The amount written was double what Kwak Mari had told him earlier.
She’d said Tae-seong had offered three times Ha-jin’s usual rate. That meant the figure in front of him now was six times what he normally earned.
“…This is…”
Still wide-eyed and frozen in place, Ha-jin was interrupted by Tae-seong’s voice.
“What’s wrong? Not enough?”
“I’m just shocked it’s this much.”
With this kind of money, he could more than survive until the new medication for Yushin came out. Hell, they could move somewhere more comfortable for Yushin’s sake.
“The original offer was just bait—to get you, the elusive Lee Ha-jin, to show your face for an interview. Now that I’ve seen your value for myself, this is what I actually want to pay.”
As if it was a done deal, he even held out a fountain pen. But Ha-jin, pushing the contract back a hand’s length, shook his head.
“No. I can’t accept this much.”
“Why not?”
“Because with money like this, there’s always a price. And I’m certain what I’d have to pay in return won’t be cheap.”
Ha-jin lowered his gaze.
“Even with the two reasons you mentioned, it doesn’t add up. Sure, I’m excellent at pheromone management. But I’m not worth this much.”
“So you’ve got the skill, but not the confidence to accept the pay? Why undervalue yourself when someone’s willing to pay what you’re worth? You know how rare your condition is—hell, it might not even exist elsewhere.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I—”
Ha-jin lifted his head to firmly decline—but the moment he met Tae-seong’s eyes, he flinched. The intensity of that stare was enough to bore a hole right through his forehead. Instinctively rubbing his brow, Ha-jin was met with a breathy chuckle.
“You really are kind of fun.”
There was no doubt in Ha-jin’s mind now—Tae-seong wasn’t enjoying this. Was it his imagination, or did the all-powerful Cheon Tae-seong actually seem anxious?
Ha-jin started to retract the hand he’d boldly stretched out. The contract, stuck to his damp palm, came along with it.
“If you insist, I’ll take it with me, read it over slowly… and think about it before deciding.”
“What’s there to think about?”
Did he read his mind? Tae-seong abruptly stood and stepped beside Ha-jin. Resting one sculpted hand on the table, he forced the fountain pen into Ha-jin’s hand. Then, he pointed directly at the signature line.
“Let’s decide right now.”
“…Why?”
“I’m about to go into rut.”
The seductive bloom of an Alpha nearing rut wafted through the air. Still wearing that picture-perfect smile, Tae-seong looked down at him. He hadn’t touched him—not even a fingertip—but Ha-jin felt like his skin was already being caressed by Tae-seong’s pheromones. He drew a careful breath.
With half-lidded eyes, Tae-seong added in a languid voice, every exhale laced with sweetness.
“Feels like I’ll start leaking pheromones today. I’m cutting it really close.”
“……”
“You’re going to help me, right? You will, won’t you?”
The tone was soft, but the words were anything but. Tae-seong was clearly threatening him—there was no way out. Ha-jin didn’t respond immediately, his throat working as he swallowed dryly. It felt like he was being hypnotized by Tae-seong’s scent.
***
“Why’d you glare at him like that if you were gonna sign anyway?”
“It’s just a trial period, not an official contract yet.”
Kwak Mari snapped her chopsticks apart and held them out.
“Here. I ordered galbi-jjim—your favorite. Now quit pouting and eat.”
Ha-jin accepted the chopsticks and lifted the lid off his rice bowl. Apparently, she was trying to make up for earlier—the braised short ribs she’d ordered were unusually extra-large.
If it weren’t for the money, he would’ve quit long ago. Right after regressing, he’d seriously considered it. But the harsh truth was—nothing else paid this well for someone with his specs and skill set. So like a leashed dog, he’d come crawling back. Even under the worst possible terms, pheromone management paid at least two to three times more than any other job he could get.
Even now, with every instinct screaming to run from Cheon Tae-seong, quitting wasn’t an option. Tae-seong had asked him point-blank if he was planning to turn him down and go manage some other Alpha’s pheromones instead.
“If you’re thinking about going to take care of another Alpha’s fucked-up condition, then go ahead. Let’s see what happens.”
Under the glass table, Ha-jin could see his feet clad in those yellow bear socks.
He needed the money.
Fucked-up condition…
Even in their entire last life together, Tae-seong had only ever used language that crude with him a handful of times. Most of those came on the day he died. So for him to say “fucked” right from the first meeting in this life—it was honestly shocking.
“Kwak Mari noona.”
“…What’s with the serious tone?”
She couldn’t even swallow her drink, afraid Ha-jin might suddenly say he wanted to back out of the contract. In her head, she was already calculating how many times the penalty fee would multiply—and how much of that Ha-jin would be stuck paying.
“It’s about Cheon Tae-seong.”
“Huh? Oh. What about him?”
“That rumor he heard about me—is it true? Do those elite Alphas really pass around manager info in the backchannels? Are there actual rumors about me floating around?”
His expression was hard to read—was he annoyed the rumor existed, or hoping it did? Kwak Mari, on edge, sipped her water before responding.
“I mean, they do have these secret Alpha meetups, yeah. The kind where nothing’s off-limits. But I’ve never seen it myself, so…”
“So you’re not totally sure?”
Relieved, she started unwrapping side dishes one by one. Then, pulling out her phone, she flipped through her SNS feed and shoved a party photo under Ha-jin’s nose.
“Look—recognize anyone? All these guys are top-tier Alphas. You see how rare it is to have this many of them in one room? They’ve got nothing in common—jobs, schools, neighborhoods—but they still gather like this.”
There’s no such thing as a rumor-free world. She smiled like Ha-jin was being naive.
“While we’re on the topic, can I just say? Watching you hide out behind that anonymous ID doing underpaid work—it drove me nuts. You really think those clients who canceled their contracts didn’t go blabbing their mouths off? Come on.”
“So you’re happy about this? Even though we don’t know what Cheon Tae-seong is really after?”
Ha-jin glared at her.
“I’m just saying… we both wasted too much time and effort to walk away now…”
No point in fighting about spilled milk, and Ha-jin sighed quietly. Besides, Tae-seong had said something similar himself.
“Those assholes who got Lee Ha-jin through random draws really lucked out. Don’t you think?”
“Anyway, Ha-jin. Lee Ha-jin.”
“Ugh, when you call me like that, it always makes me nervous.”
“With this much money, you could finally afford Yushin’s meds. Maybe even move to the countryside, just like you’ve always dreamed—somewhere peaceful, near your grandma. So since things turned out this way, forget the trial. Just sign the full contract already, and stick by Tae-seong until he finds a spouse and gets married. Make bank while you’re at it. And this time, try not to break anything.”
Cheon Tae-seong wasn’t the type to get handsy. Ha-jin shook his head.
“He’s not like that. Nothing’s gonna break.”
“Oh my god… You really just trust people based on their face, huh? Is that how you ended up signing the damn contract on the spot?”
Seeing her grinning slyly, Ha-jin waved his hands frantically.
“No, no! It’s not like that!”
“Sure, whatever. Just don’t let your guard down. I don’t care how extreme your condition is—you’re still an Omega. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Some managers do get into trouble with their clients, you know.”
“I’m not gonna do anything! Don’t you know me at all?”
