“I’d never do something like that to you. The thing I’m most afraid of… is you hating me.”
“Then I guess you won’t really need that forgiveness ticket. Are you sure that’s all you want?”
You know what it is you really want—do you honestly think just that will be enough? When Tae-rim gave him that look, Seon Juho nodded with a determined expression, like he’d finally made up his mind.
”Yeah.”
”Alright then. I, Lee Tae-rim, promise to forgive Seon Juho, no matter what he does—just once, without asking any questions.”
”Promise.”
”Yeah, promise.”
They linked pinkies with a solemn look that felt far too serious for a pinky swear. It made Tae-rim suspicious—was this kid pretending to be innocent after already messing something up? But whenever he imagined Seon Juho doing something wrong, the only image that came to mind was a puppy that had chewed up a slipper and was now guiltily watching for its owner’s reaction. Tae-rim roughly tousled Seon Juho’s hair.
”Hyuuung~”
Only then did Seon Juho finally melt and cling to him. As soon as he did, Tae-rim instinctively glanced at his watch—and froze.
”Sixty-four percent?!”
”Ah… oops.”
”This is why you wanted the forgiveness ticket—!”
”No, no! I’m not using it now!”
”If your level’s over 60%, you should’ve come straight to me for Guiding!”
”But you were—!”
”No excuses. You’re seriously in trouble!”
Tae-rim pressed his knuckle to Seon Juho’s temple and spun it hard. “Ow ow ow! That hurts!” Seon Juho whined, dramatically, though it clearly didn’t hurt that much. Still, Tae-rim, whose fists had been trained through real combat drills, made sure to firmly press and grind his knuckles into Seon Juho’s head.
”You’re way too violent, hyung… sniffle. Even your Guiding hurts.”
Still spinning his knuckle on Juho’s head, Tae-rim began Guiding. Once he finished, the level had dropped to 30%. Seon Juho clung to his back like a koala, and Tae-rim didn’t bother pushing him off.
”If you ever pull something like this again, you really will get it.”
”Okay.”
Like always, Seon Juho buried his nose in the crook of Tae-rim’s neck and let out a long, deep breath, like he could finally relax. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time today Juho had clung to him. Even when they got back to the dorm, he hadn’t run up to him like usual—maybe because he was sulking.
And now, he was practically inhaling his scent. He even sighed like he was starved for it. Tae-rim, still Guiding, found himself deep in thought.
It really did seem like Seon Juho could sense his pheromones. There was no other reason he’d be this clingy and obsessed.
Tae-rim could feel it too—his own pheromones were getting stronger. But maybe because his body was Beta, he had no control over them. He’d given up trying to hide it. And that only made him more anxious. The way Juho had asked for that forgiveness ticket today just made things worse.
The sweet scent coming from Seon Juho lately—it had to be pheromones. Tae-rim didn’t want to believe it, but the scent lingering in his nose was impossible to deny. The only saving grace was that no one else seemed to notice. Thank god.
Still, he couldn’t afford to assume it was safe. Sooner or later, someone who could detect pheromones would come along. Whether it was an Alpha or an Omega, the moment they showed up, everything would get complicated. So Tae-rim prayed. Please… let this end with just the two of us.
And at the same time… he felt guilty. If Seon Juho really ended up Awakening as an Alpha, it would probably be because of his pheromones. And the reason that idea kept sticking in his head was simple: this was a goddamn novel.
Fucking clichés. Is this really going to trigger a flag? He’d denied it over and over, ignored every sign, but reality kept slapping him in the face. Stop running. That’s what it seemed to be saying. Just admit it already. But if he could run, he would. The whole thing was too much of a damn headache.
Seon Juho probably didn’t even know what Alpha or Omega meant. If he actually manifested… it would be a disaster. In a world where those distinctions didn’t even exist, what would Awakening as an Alpha even mean? There were no suppressants, no support system—nothing.
Tae-rim seemed to be releasing Omega pheromones, but his body still functioned like a Beta’s. The fact that he couldn’t regulate his scent was proof. And yet, he couldn’t call himself a full Beta either—not with the pheromones leaking out. His condition was stuck in a frustrating in-between.
But more than his own body, what truly worried him was Seon Juho. Right now, Juho was being exposed—completely unprotected—to Omega pheromones Tae-rim couldn’t control. The Alpha pheromones coming off of Juho were probably a direct reaction to Tae-rim’s scent.
Opposite-sex pheromones didn’t decide someone’s secondary gender, but they could encourage it to manifest. And that was the scariest part. If Juho ended up Awakening as an Alpha, Tae-rim would probably be the cause.
Manifestation was most influenced during one’s growth phase. Juho was already twenty, technically at the tail end of it—but because of his time as a lab subject, his development had been stunted. He’d barely been fed properly, so now he was catching up fast—physically, and as an Esper.
Tae-rim felt a headache coming on. If that forgiveness ticket was meant for this…
If Juho did Awaken as an Alpha, it’d be entirely Tae-rim’s fault. But Juho didn’t know that. So Tae-rim guessed that maybe Juho, scared and unsure, had asked for the forgiveness ticket just in case.
What a cute little idiot. Becoming an Alpha would definitely complicate things, but it wasn’t like he’d get mad about it. If Juho’s pheromones got stronger, Tae-rim could just try to avoid him a little…
Still… what if it really happens?
Tae-rim felt overwhelmed. If Juho turned out like him—with only the pheromones coming out but no other physical changes—maybe that would be manageable. Maybe. But even that, he wasn’t confident about.
Feeling someone’s pheromones as sweet meant you were compatible… and attracted to them. Could he really endure Seon Juho’s pheromones if they kept getting stronger? That uncertainty weighed heavily on him.
The real problem was the physical changes. Tae-rim’s body seemed fixed as Beta, so he was probably safe. But if Juho’s body matured into that of a true Alpha, he could go into rut. And in this world, with no rut suppressants… that would be an actual disaster. Tae-rim could only pray it never went beyond pheromones.
Because if Seon Juho really did Awaken as an Alpha, Tae-rim would be the only one who could take him. He seemed to be the only person in this world releasing Omega pheromones. Seon Juho wouldn’t react to anyone else.
And Tae-rim would be the same. If Alpha pheromones were present, he’d be drawn in, unable to resist. If they were even compatible? There was nothing left to say.
“Hyung… I love you so much.”
The soft whisper tickled the nape of his neck. No matter how he looked at him, Seon Juho was still just a kid—peach-fuzz cheeks, babyish clinginess. What the hell was he supposed to do with him?
Tae-rim sighed. Just being dropped into this novel world was headache enough. If someone really had thrown him into this place, he wanted to scream at them. Really scream. From the bottom of his heart.
***
“As expected of someone worthy of being called S+ rank.”
The Center Director smiled, visibly pleased, as he watched the footage recorded in District 4. Day or night—it made no difference. Seon Juho stood shoulder to shoulder with the district’s veteran S-rank Espers and didn’t look the least bit out of place. His overwhelming power, capable of sweeping through everything in his path, was enough to send chills down the spine.
They called it “training,” but Jung Jae-heon knew better. The Director had sent Seon Juho to another district just to show him off. And it wasn’t just Jung Jae-heon—everyone knew. Even Seon Juho himself.
Now that Choi Jiwoon had returned in that condition and walked straight out of the Center, there was no one left to take the fall. The Gate-related equipment had been taken completely out of the Director’s jurisdiction. It seemed the old man had started flaunting Seon Juho as a way to vent his stress.
Even though analysis reports warned that Molt might be targeting Seon Juho, the senile bastard still hadn’t come to his senses.
What really made Jung Jae-heon bristle was Lee Tae-rim. If Molt was aiming for Seon Juho, it was obvious they’d go for Tae-rim first. They knew Tae-rim was the only one who could Guide him. That meant the two of them should’ve been strictly kept away from external assignments—but no, the senile fool had other ideas.
Jung Jae-heon swallowed yet another curse, holding back the urge to scream.
To make matters worse, Seon Juho’s next destination was none other than District 3—a move so transparent it was laughable. The Director had no intention of letting Seon Juho go, but he was parading him around like a prized stallion. Of course the Directors of Districts 3 and 4 were going to lodge formal requests with Central: Give him to us.
But Central wouldn’t jeopardize its own safety by weakening District 1’s forces. No way they’d agree to that. And once those requests were denied, the resentment would inevitably fall on the Director of District 1. This same man who once fought tooth and nail to gain Central’s favor had now given up entirely, it seemed.
In the end, it was the people under him who suffered for the whims of an old man who didn’t even have the decency to age with dignity. Jung Jae-heon often thought about quitting—but being an Esper wasn’t the kind of job you could just walk away from. So today, like every day, he kept his curses to himself and moved on with his duties. Why did I have to be born an Esper, of all things?
Times like these, he wanted nothing more than to go outside—watch a movie, eat something good, take a relaxing drive and blow off steam. But unfortunately, his face was far too recognizable. Wandering around in public was risky. He couldn’t stop worrying about being caught in a photo.
