Jung Heeyeon took in every passing moment outside the window. As it was rush hour traffic, cars were crawling along at a snail’s pace.
While some might grumble in frustration over Seoul’s notorious traffic, he appreciated the slow pace. It allowed him to observe the cars, the buildings darkening shades, the people briskly walking by, and the sculptures scattered along the streets.
Though it had been a week since he first started traveling through these streets, he never grew tired of the scenery. Today, the streets sparkled even more brightly.
The yellow and white lights reminded him of the day he first met Director Yeon. The glowing lights outside right now resembled the first time he saw the view from the director’s house.
“It’s so pretty.”
Jung Heeyeon murmured to himself, gazing at a potted plant in front of a building. Small string lights coiled around a modest tree, glowing softly. Suddenly, the lights flickered and sparkled, creating a dazzling display. Mesmerized, Jung Heeyeon stared at the shimmering tree.
To an outsider, his face might have seemed indifferent, but Director Yeon knew better—this was Jung Heeyeon’s expression of intense focus.
“Heeyeon.”
“Yes?”
Jung Heeyeon turned his head immediately upon hearing his name called. He was getting used to hearing his name spoken in Director Yeon’s voice.
“We’re making a stop somewhere else today.”
“Why…?”
“To get some nice baby clothes.”
Jung Heeyeon didn’t know what ’nice baby clothes’ meant, but he understood the word ‘clothes’. Lowering his head, he glanced at what he was wearing. His cardigan caught his attention first. The oversized cardigan, sleeves folded twice, wasn’t his but belonged to Director Yeon. Even with wearing a couple of thick clothings inside, the cardigan still hung loose on him.
“Yes.”
Jung Heeyeon nodded while fiddling with the sleeve. Despite the folds, the sleeve covered half of his hand.
The reason he wore Director Yeon’s cardigan, even though he had a coat, was due to his pheromone problem.
On the second day after leaving the walls of his previous home, Jung Heeyeon had started accompanying Director Yeon to his company, where he met a doctor specializing in pheromone management.
‘Your pheromones are quite unstable.’
Even though Jung Heeyeon knew little about the outside world, he understood that a company with a pheromone testing facility wasn’t common. While connected to various machines for testing, Jung Heeyeon overheard bits of the conversation between the doctor and Director Yeon.
’He doesn’t seem to realize he’s releasing pheromones.’
‘It’s not a common case, but it’s not unheard of either. At what age did he present?’
The doctor, who looked to be in his mid-30s, had a gentle demeanor and a warm expression.
Jung Heeyeon hesitated for a moment, his lips slightly parting as though counting the seconds. Then, he responded slowly to the doctor, Kim Jiwon, who had asked the question.
‘When I was five years old.’
The unexpected answer left Kim Jiwon wide-eyed. He pushed up his slipping glasses with an expression of surprise.
‘Is it because you’re a dominant omega? That’s not a common occurrence. Presenting that early is highly unusual.’
‘Did the pheromone problem arise because of that?’
‘The test results don’t show anything alarming. The problem is more about his inexperience with pheromone control.’
Kim Jiwon furrowed his brows as he reviewed the chart and then rubbed his temples.
‘How is your heat cycle going?’
‘Heat…?’
Jung Heeyeon repeated Kim Jiwo ‘s question, buying himself time to recall its meaning. As his delay stretched on, he failed to notice the dark shadow crossing Director Yeon’s face.
‘I’m not sure about my heat cycle… I’m sorry.’
His voice trailed off, and Kim Jiwon let out a soft groan, seemingly taken aback. Wondering if he’d said something wrong, Jung Heeyeon searched through his past memories for any useful information and finally offered.
‘I did get regular pheromone injections.’
‘…Injections? Even when you’re a dominant omega?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you know what kind of injections they were?’
Jung Heeyeon shook his head in response to the continued questioning. At that moment, Director Yeon left the room, phone in hand. As he exited, Kim Jiwon focused on detaching the equipment from Jung Heeyeon’s body instead of paying attention to the unaffected Alpha.
‘I’ll prescribe you some medication. Make sure you take it regularly.’
‘Yes.‘
‘Oh, and just in case, it would be better if you wore Director Yeon’s clothes for now. You don’t have to wear everything, just the outer layer would do.’
Jung Heeyeon furrowed his brow slightly in confusion at the suggestion of wearing someone else’s clothes.
‘Director Yeon’s clothes?’
‘Yes. While I’m prescribing you medication, its effects vary by individual, so we’ll need to observe for a few days. If your pheromones leak during that time, wearing the director’s clothes should mask it.’
What do clothes have to do with pheromones? Before Jung Heeyeon could voice the question, Kim Jiwon preemptively explained.
‘Think of pheromones as body scent if you compare them to Betas. Even if Director Yeon has perfect control of his pheromone, as a dominant Alpha who goes through ruts, some pheromones inevitably get absorbed into his clothes. Since you’re dominant and he’s also dominant, his pheromones will cover yours.’
‘Ah… I understand. Thank you for the explanation.’
‘Don’t mention it.’
‘But won’t Director Yeon feel uncomfortable with it?’
Jung Heeyeon asked cautiously, fidgeting with his fingers. Having never shared clothes with anyone before, he felt like asking someone who wasn’t even his family to lend him clothes might make them uncomfortable.
‘Director Yeon?’
‘Yes. This happened because I’m not good at controlling my pheromones…
As Jung Heeyeon was voicing his thoughts, Director Yeon returned from his call. Kim Jiwon turned to him and stated decisively, cutting off any protest from Jung Heeyeon.
‘I recommend Jung Heeyeon-ssi to wear your clothes for the time being.’
And without giving Jung Heeyeon a chance to stop him, the doctor went ahead and prescribed a solution. Feeling flustered, Jung Heeyeon looked at Kim Ji-won with his lips slightly parted. When their eyes met, he gave a grin and held up his thumb. It seemed to mean, “I spoke on your behalf.”
‘My clothes?’
‘Yes. If any problems arise, your pheromones will cover his. It’s a temporary solution, so to speak.’
Jung Heeyeon slowly got down from the reclined chair, glancing cautiously at Director Yeon. Their eyes met almost immediately as the other also happened to be looking in his direction.
‘Looks like we’ll have to postpone buying you some nice baby clothes.’
Today, Jung Heeyeon had finally heard the doctor say that his pheromones had stabilized to some extent. This didn’t mean he had suddenly mastered pheromone control. It only meant that the current medication seemed to be working for him.
“Director.”
“Yeah.”
Jung Heeyeon called out to Director Yeon, fiddling nervously with the cuff of his sleeve. The soft, silky texture of the fabric brushed against his fingertips.
“That… I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
Director Yeon furrowed one brow at the sudden apology.
“I feel like I’ve caused trouble for you because I can’t control my pheromones properly.”
Jung Heeyeon spoke carefully, his thoughts coming out in a calm, deliberate tone as he met Director Yeon’s gaze directly. Despite his clear expression, his fingers peeked out from his sleeve and fidgeted restlessly, betraying his unease.
“Heeyeon.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not your fault. Those bastards are to blame.”
The soft tone suddenly spurt out a sharp expletive, and Jung Heeyeon blinked in surprise. His long lashes cast delicate shadows under his round eyes, which slowly returned to their normal position.
“Bastards…?”
“Yeah, those bastards.”
Director Yeon enunciated each word clearly, a grin forming as he watched Jung Heeyeon’s startled reaction. It was the first time he’d seen Jung Heeyeon so flustered.
“How can you be expected to do something you were never taught?”
”…”
“Teaching you is an adult’s responsibility.”
Jung Heeyeon didn’t respond but simply stared at him. The adults he’d known weren’t like Director Yeon. They were always harsh and domineering. He had thought that was normal, but now, hearing the man’s words, he realized it might not have been.
“The only reason you’re like this is because those people were trash.”
Director Yeon easily guessed why Jung Heeyeon couldn’t control his pheromones. Chairman Jung had likely orchestrated this outcome intentionally. Planning to sell Jung Heeyeon to a conglomerate family as soon as he became an adult, the chairman must have deliberately cultivated conditions where the Alpha who bought him would be drawn to Jung Heeyeon’s pheromones.
It was really a nauseating scheme.
“So, there’s no need for you to apologize to me.”
“Yes…”
“And, Heeyeon.”
“Yes?”
“Didn’t I say I like things that require a lot of attention?”
The Alpha’s eyes narrowed slyly.
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