DOTH Volume 2 Chapter 6.2

A phone vibrating broke the silence.

[Sir, Lee Haejin has contacted us.]

It was a message from Kim Chulwoo.

Lee Haejin had reached out to him. Director Yeon glanced at the message and, as expected, it was about Jung Heeyeon.

[He needs to stop taking suppressants for now.]

Though Lee Haejin likely didn’t know the specifics of the injection Jung Heeyeon had received, his recommendation matched Kim Jiwon’s prescription. Director Yeon recalled his earlier conversation with Kim Jiwon, his expression remaining unreadable.

‘He needs to go through his heat with an Alpha.’

The problem was Jung Heeyeon’s first heat.

Sensing movement from the living room, Director Yeon slowly lifted his gaze. Freshly showered and dressed in pajamas, Jung Heeyeon was heading toward the kitchen—likely to take his medicine. Even though he was technically an adult, to Director Yeon, Jung Heeyeon still looked like a fluffy, baby-faced omega.

And now, that same Omega was about to go into his first heat—completely unguarded in front of an alpha. He couldn’t possibly leave Jung Heeyeon to another alpha, nor did he have any intention of doing so. But did that mean he wanted to claim the omega himself? That, he wasn’t so sure of.

If he thought about it rationally, there was only one answer. Even if it was just a biological reaction, the fact remained that he had felt aroused toward Jung Heeyeon before. Using heat as an excuse, he could simply take him. However, Director Yeon’s approach to sex had never been gentle. No matter how he went about it, Jung Heeyeon’s fragile body would inevitably get hurt.

More than anything, he wasn’t so devoid of conscience that he would devour someone so young without hesitation. Wait, the moment he had kissed Jung Heeyeon, hadn’t he already crossed that line? With a twisted smirk, the man mocked himself. Someone who had branded a delicate child with his own lips shouldn’t think over this.

[He’s suggesting that he stay at his place for the time being.]

Another message arrived. Without hesitation, Director Yeon typed his response.

[Decline it.]

There wasn’t even a hint of doubt in his response. Tossing his phone onto the sofa, he slowly stepped toward the kitchen, where Jung Heeyeon had disappeared. Before worrying about the heat, the current priority was stopping him from taking the suppressant.

“Heeyeon.”

As Jung Heeyeon was about to take the pill, he froze at the sound of a voice calling his name. The man approached from behind, reached out his arm, and took the pill resting in Jung Heeyeon’s palm.

“Stop taking the suppressant.”

Normally, Jung Heeyeon would have simply responded with a “yes,” but today, he only blinked in silence. His expression showed that he did not understand why. Instead of explaining, Director Yeon simply stared into Jung Heeyeon’s light-colored eyes. Slowly, Jung Heeyeon turned around to meet his gaze.

“Why?”

“Lee Haejin said it would be better for you to stop taking it.”

“Did Haejin hyung contact you?”

Director Yeon furrowed his brows slightly, as if displeased with something, and responded more slowly than usual.

“Yeah. Just now.”

“Alright.”

Recalling his conversation with Lee Haejin, Jung Heeyeon quickly accepted the reasoning. Lee Haejin had said that if he wanted to learn how to control his pheromones, he would have to stop taking suppressants for a while. It was an unavoidable situation, but he couldn’t shake his uneasiness. He was well aware that Director Yeon disliked the scent of others’ pheromones.

Jung Heeyeon let out a quiet sigh, making sure it wasn’t noticeable. If he stopped taking suppressants, his pheromones would inevitably start leaking. While Director Yeon had never explicitly shown discomfort due to pheromones before, worry crept in regardless. What if Director Yeon hated it? He wasn’t the type to be emotionally swayed by others’ likes and dislikes, but if it was Director Yeon—of all people—who disliked his pheromones, he thought he might feel a little sad.

“Did Lee Haejin ask you to stay at his place for the time being?”

“Ah…”

Jung Heeyeon parted his lips slightly.

“He suggested that, since my pheromones would be leaking, I could stay with him instead of you, Director.”

“Do you want to go to Lee Haejin?”

Director Yeon gently cupped Jung Heeyeon’s slightly rounded cheek, speaking in a tender tone. It wasn’t the kind of question one would expect from someone who had so decisively declined Lee Haejin’s suggestion just moments ago.

“I prefer staying with you, Director Yeon…”

Jung Heeyeon fidgeted with his fingers and trailed off. His expression was so innocent that he never even considered the possibility that Director Yeon had already refused Lee Haejin’s offer.

“Director, do you dislike me?”

At the unexpected question, Director Yeon frowned slightly and brushed his fingers over the corner of Jung Heeyeon’s eye.

“Heeyeon, is this director not showing you enough affection?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it…”

Jung Heeyeon, flustered, hurriedly added an explanation.

“Director, you don’t like the smell of pheromones. If I stop taking suppressants, my pheromones will start leaking, so if you dislike it, I can stay at Haejin hyung’s place instead.”

Only then did Director Yeon understand what Jung Heeyeon meant. Instead of responding immediately, he simply looked down at Jung Heeyeon in silence. His expression remained as harmless as ever—almost to the point of seeming blindly trusting.

It was true that he disliked omega pheromones. Nevermind liking it, they only brought back the worst memories.

The fighting dogs raised under Chairman Jung were all trained to resist pheromones. Alphas who reacted sensitively to omega pheromones were deemed worthless and sold for low prices. Naturally, the training itself was inhumane and utterly degrading.

Although that training had helped Jiwoo rise to this position, those memories weren’t something time could simply dilute. It wasn’t just omega pheromones—his aversion extended to his own as well, and that was largely because of those experiences.

Even the environment he was in after being sold did little to help Director Yeon’s compulsive control over pheromones. Despite disguising itself as a security company, the organization was still essentially a den of gangsters. There were inevitably many omegas entangled in this world, and because of his dominant alpha nature, there had been no shortage of omegas throwing themselves at him even before he had come of age.

Director Yeon looked down at the small, fair-skinned omega before him, recalling what Jung Heeyeon’s pheromones had smelled like. Ever since their first meeting, Jung Heeyeon had been consistently taking suppressants, so the last time he had caught a whiff of them was nearly two months ago.

Although he cherished Jung Heeyeon quite a bit, at the end of the day, Jung Heeyeon was still an omega. And Director Yeon was not the kind of person who would optimistically assume that he could tolerate the pheromones of an omega just because he cared for them. The problem was that he did not like the idea of Jung Heeyeon slipping from his grasp. There was no way he could allow Jung Heeyeon to go into heat in his absence.

Director Yeon gazed down at Jung Heeyeon, who looked visibly tense, and finally spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

“You’re still a baby, so it’s fine.”

“Alright. Then I’d like to stay with you, Director.”

As soon as he heard Director Yeon’s reassurance, Jung Heeyeon smiled faintly. He still didn’t understand why Director Yeon continued to call him a baby even though he was already twenty years old. It didn’t make him feel uncomfortable, but sometimes, it did leave him feeling a little upset. However, right now, he was relieved. Because it meant he could stay by Director Yeon’s side.

“For now, instead of coming to work with me, spend some time with Lee Haejin.”

“Why?”

“There are other alphas at the office.”

There were no alphas at the company who would completely lose their minds and pounce just because Jung Heeyeon went into heat. Still, the thought of exposing Jung Heeyeon’s pheromones to other alphas was entirely displeasing. Director Yeon was aware of his own contradictions, but since he had been born inherently flawed, he decided to simply act as he pleased.

The fingers pressing into the lingering baby fat on Jung Heeyeon’s cheeks slowly withdrew, only to move languidly toward the nape of his neck. The kiss mark had long since faded, but a faint reddish imprint still clung to his pale skin.

“Ah, I understand. I’ll learn quickly, then.”

“You can take your time slowly.”

As if to soothe the suddenly anxious omega, Director Yeon gently rubbed his slender neckline. Truthfully, it would be better for him if Jung Heeyeon learned to control his pheromones as soon as possible. That way, he wouldn’t have to be unnecessarily exposed to omega pheromones. However, he had no intention of rushing him. There was no need for Jung Heeyeon to hurry with anything. He could keep waiting.

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