DOTH Volume 2 Chapter 4.10

“You really don’t look like him.”

“Chairman Jung? The Director and Chief Nam said the same thing.”

Jung Heeyeon quietly responded while sipping his tea, having apparently overheard Lee Haejin’s muttered comment. His closed lips gave him a neutral expression, but his gentle features kept him from appearing cold. Perhaps that’s why it was hard to associate him with Chairman Jung’s face.

“Oh, that was just me talking to myself… Sorry if mentioning the chairman upset you.”

“Pardon? Oh no, it’s fine. It didn’t upset me at all.”

There wasn’t much conversation, but there wasn’t any time to feel awkward either. In the meantime, the food began to arrive. Jung Heeyeon quietly looked down at the table, now laden with dishes. The variety of dishes arranged on the white porcelain plates was overwhelming, and they looked so beautiful that he didn’t know where to start. Many of them were foods he had never seen before.

“What’s this?”

His chopsticks pointed to a dish where a few pieces of red meat were plated. It was a bright red flesh.

“Have you never tried sashimi before?”

“I’ve never seen raw fish before.”

“It’s tuna, try it. It’s good.”

“How do I eat it?”

It seemed Jung Heeyeon had a habit of asking questions whenever something piqued his curiosity. Rather than finding it bothersome, Lee Haejin smiled faintly and gestured to a side plate of aged white kimchi.

“You can eat it as is or pair it with this.”

“How do you like to eat it, hyung?”

“Why? You’ll follow me?”

“Yes.”

Lee Haejin placed a piece of aged kimchi on Jung Heeyeon’s side plate, topped it with a slice of tuna, and added a sprig of radish sprouts.

“Try it like this.”

Though it was unfamiliar, Jung Heeyeon didn’t hesitate and placed the tuna in his mouth. It was the first time he tried raw fish, so he had worried about the texture, but it wasn’t as strange as he’d thought. The tuna melted on his tongue, and the kimchi wasn’t spicy, making for a delicious combination.

“It’s delicious.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

Mimicking Lee Haejin, Jung Heeyeon placed some kimchi on his plate, topped it with tuna, and ate it again. His cheeks, still soft with a youthful roundness, puffed up slightly. The way he chewed with closed lips reminded Lee Haejin of a small animal. Instead of eating, Lee Haejin simply watched the other.

When he first heard information about Chairman Jung’s grandson, he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

The initial rumor was about ‘Sunha Group’s heir is possibly getting married soon’. Knowing Sunha’s heir, Kang Seohyo, and his dirty sexual preferences, Lee Haejin hadn’t thought much of it. He’d figured the man was looking for some naïve dominant omega to lure in. He’d nearly forgotten that useless rumor when another one reached his ears.

Chairman Jung had an Omega left under his care.

That name sent a chill down Lee Haejin’s spine, and from that day on, he began gathering every scrap of related information. Most journalists who thrived on rumors had passed through his restaurants or bars at some point, and eventually, he pieced together a critical fact.

Chairman Jung had a dominant omega—a hidden grandson he’d raised in secret for nearly 15 years.

The information was so well-concealed that it took significant effort to uncover. Lee Haejin persistently tracked down people in Chairman Jung’s circle, eventually identifying Lee Yootae, the butler tasked with managing the grandson. Once he had this information, he passed it to Nam Soohyun. Everything after progressed smoothly.

Nam Soohyun used Lee Yootae’s acquaintances to pull the beta into a gambling trap. Predictably, Lee Yootae racked up an insurmountable debt, and the desperate gambling addict handed over Jung Heeyeon.

Following the plan, Nam Soohyun received the ‘gift’, and the stolen omega eventually ended up in Director Yeon’s hands. Now, he was sitting across from Lee Haejin.

“Hyung, you should eat too.”

The tuna placed on the plate in front of him brought Lee Haejin out of his thoughts. A piece of aged kimchi and tuna had been stacked on his plate, seemingly by Jung Heeyeon while he was lost in thought. Unlike the way he had prepared it earlier, the stack was a bit messy. Lee Haejin quietly stared at it before picking up his chopsticks.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

“Yes.”

As Lee Haejin ate the tuna, he began offering other dishes to Jung Heeyeon. He could understand why Director Yeon adored him.

Jung Heeyeon ate better than he expected, though not in large amounts. He sampled everything without being picky, his tiny mouth busily chewing. It made Lee Haejin want to feed him more.

“Is there anything else you want to eat?”

“No, I’m full. I ate a lot.”

“Full already?”

“Yes. Thank you for the meal.”

Feeling slightly disappointed, Lee Haejin had the table cleared. As new tea was poured, the sound of gentle rain filled the room through the open window.

“You’re taking suppressants these days, right?”

Only when they finished their meal, Lee Haejin brought up the main topic. He had already heard about Jung Heeyeon’s condition from Kim Jiwon.

“Yes.”

“Do you have them with you now?”

Jung Heeyeon took the medication from his pocket and handed it over. Lee Haejin examined it immediately. While he wasn’t a doctor, he was familiar with all the omega suppressants available on the market. As expected of a dominant omega, the dosage was quite strong.

“To learn how to control your pheromones, you’ll need to stop taking suppressants for a while. Your pheromones need to flow naturally first.”

“Yes.”

“Since you’re a dominant omega, it shouldn’t be too hard. You just haven’t learned how to do it yet. Once you’re taught, it won’t be difficult.”

“Yes. I’ll listen well.”

Lee Haejin pondered over the matter of Jung Heeyeon’s living arrangements. While he wasn’t too worried since the alpha taking care of him was Director Yeon, the fact that he was an alpha still weighed on his mind.

“How about if you stay with me for a while?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you not want to?”

“It’s not that… But I’ll be living with the director.”

He had expected some hesitation but didn’t think he’d be rejected outright. 

For someone as soft and delicate as silken tofu, Jung Heeyeon was surprisingly firm.

“Why?”

The question slipped out before Lee Haejin could stop himself. It wasn’t the kind of response that required a ‘why’, but the words came out reflexively. He considered taking them back, but Jung Heeyeon responded as if it were the most natural thing.

“I made a promise with the director.”

He was holding the warm teacup tightly in both hands as he spoke.

“A promise?”

“Yes.”

Though curious about the details, it wasn’t something Lee Haejin could pry into.

The truth was, Lee Haejin didn’t know much about Director Yeon. He was closer to Nam Soohyun and only had surface-level information about Director Yeon—nothing beyond what was publicly available. Basic information anyone in this industry might know.

Still, Director Yeon wasn’t the type to make empty promises. If he had made a promise to Jung Heeyeon, he would likely keep it. However, Lee Haejin couldn’t be entirely optimistic about the situation. Setting aside his own disdain for omegas, the idea of leaving an omega who couldn’t control their pheromones in close proximity to a dominant alpha felt fundamentally wrong.

“I won’t be forcing you to.”

Lee Haejin spoke slowly. He was aware of Director Yeon’s schedule through Kim Chulwoo and knew it would take some time before he returned here. Until then, Lee Haejin figured he had plenty of time to talk. While he had no intention of forcing his opinion, there was enough time to explain many things to the unaware omega.

“Most alphas can’t handle omega pheromones, so that’s why I suggested it.”

“They can’t handle it?”

Jung Heeyeon repeated the words, looking genuinely curious. He had only begun learning about the world after stepping outside, and there was still so much he didn’t know—especially about alphas and omegas.

Every time he was curious about something, Director Yeon patiently answered his questions, teaching him many things, but they had never discussed this particular topic.

“Oh.”

Lee Haejin belatedly realized just how limited Jung Heeyeon’s knowledge was. Lee Haejin himself had grown up under Chairman Jung’s care and was familiar with the old alpha’s methods. He could only imagine the kind of warped lessons Jung Heeyeon must have been taught, probably along the lines of “an omega exists to spread their legs for an alpha”. Suppressing the unpleasant memories that surfaced, Lee Haejin carefully chose his words.

It had been a while since he’d dealt with a young Omega, who had just turned 20, so he had to think about how much to adjust his tone and word choice.

“When an omega releases pheromones, it triggers an alpha’s sexual desire. Especially in your case, since you’re a dominant omega, your pheromones are stronger.”

“Yes.”

Jung Heeyeon nodded. This much he knew. He’d been taught that omega pheromones were meant to seduce alphas.

“While it’s unlikely Director Yeon would lose control,”

Lee Haejin trailed off, furrowing his brow slightly.

“I feel like ‘unable to handle omega pheromones’ might mean something different for him.”

Despite the vague way Lee Haejin’s muttering lingered, Jung Heeyeon somehow grasped its meaning. It felt like ‘unable to handle’ wasn’t just about triggering an Alpha’s desire; it seemed to suggest a matter of preference rather than tolerance.

“Does the director… dislike omega pheromones?”

“Hmm, it’s less that he dislikes them and more that he doesn’t like it when they’re released.”

He had heard something similar before. While Jung Heeyeon was currently taking suppressants, he had been leaking his pheromones the first time he met Director Yeon. Although he had started taking suppressants the next day, he couldn’t shake the memory of the man frowning and opening the window to air out the room.

“I think someone else mentioned that to me before.”

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