chapter 11

Yoo Jin-hyeon couldn't deny that among alphas, even lies about pheromones were

unacceptable. So, he understood what Tae-oh was trying to say, but...

"If you're going to treat someone else's precious pheromones so lightly, then leave. Get out of my precious studio."

Tae-oh remained unfazed by yoo Jin-hyeon's s outburst as he held the bottle of alcohol in his hand. He had grabbed it as if he were about to drink it, but suddenly he showed no sign of movement and weakly leaned against the bar.

At this moment, Tae-oh felt no impact from Yoo Jin-hyeon's coercion. He had no room to accept anything else due to one person occupying his mind completely.

Tae-oh clenched his fists in frustration and ran his fingers down his own neck, tilting it from side to side.

"That's why I don't do one-night stands."

"What? Did you have a one-night stand? Don't tell me it was that time?"

Despite Yoo Jin-hyeon's voice growing louder in surprise, Tae-oh remained silent, only tousling his hair in response.

"What on earth happened?"

Yoo Jin-hyeon urged Tae-oh to speak, feeling a sense of frustration, but Tae-oh

absentmindedly toyed with the bottle, leaving his half-undone necktie hanging loosely.

"Say something."

"...We spent the night together. I saw their sleeping face and watched them tossing and turning. It was surprising to see a side of them I hadn't seen during the day..."

The problem was that Tae-oh couldn't take his eyes off se-hyeon. And it wasn't like they had no connection at all. It's just that he couldn't speak about it to Yoo Jin-hyeon, so he kept his mouth shut. He would never be able to utter the words that briefly eased his excitement by touching himself.

"What? So, you're saying it wasn't a relationship, just a one-night stand? If I express it like that, will you really kick me out?"

"Stop getting people's hopes up for no reason." Yoo Jin-hyeon snatched the bottle from Tae-oh and took a drink. He felt frustrated and thought he needed a drink to alleviate it. As he contemplated their recent conversation, he tilted his head.

"You smelled their pheromones too. But nothing happened?"

Something doesn't add up. Yoo Jin-hyeon squinted his eyes and scanned Tae-oh's face.

Among his friends, Tae-oh was the most unpredictable. He used to act like he would live alone forever, but suddenly he claimed to like Jin-ha and engaged in all sorts of flirting. He appeared messy and unreliable, but surprisingly, he was a romantic at heart. Even if his heart was pure, if his body didn't follow suit, it would be futile. But this was unexpected. His mental strength was impressive, and his body followed his will.

That's why Yoo Jin-hyeon thought Tae-oh was much better than the bastard who was messing with Jin-ha's feelings. Seeing Tae-oh's current state, it seemed there was another person he slept with that day.

And that person, most likely...

"What's going on between you and Se-hyeon?"

Since Tae-oh mentioned Se-hyeon as an excuse for the scent, there was no reason to doubt it.

"You had a one-night stand with Se-hyeon? But... nothing happened?"

"I was thinking about my Qualities"

"Suddenly? What kind of nature do you have?"

Yoo Jin-hyeon had no intention of complimenting a friend as a friend.

"You're straightforward. You should take detours sometimes and look around. Just going straight ahead is boring and not that great."

He had no intention of praising his friend's strengths either.

"Let's wait and see. Carefully and cautiously."

"What's there to be cautious about?"

Yoo Jin-hyeon urged Tae-oh to open up, but Tae-oh shook his head.

"It's right to approach it carefully and slowly. Especially now, it's the best approach for me. By taking one step at a time, we might find a way to synchronize without surprises."

"What are you doing now? You didn't even tell me what happened, and now you're drawing conclusions on your own?"

Yoo Jin-hyeon was speechless, contemplating what to do with his friend, but Tae-oh changed the subject.

"Did you wait for Jin-ha that day?"

"Yeah."

So, that's the purpose of his visit. Yoo Jin-hyeon crossed his arms and recalled that day.

"After you left that place... I was a bit taken aback, but I just ended up having a drink. After all, my intention was to coincidentally run into you. We sat there for a few hours..."

Yoo Jin-hyeon wondered what happened and raised his head.

"A phone call came, and he went to meet someone."

That person is probably their current quarrelsome partner.

"Nothing special happened."

"During the time you were with him?"

Upon Tae-oh's somewhat evasive response, he looked away without saying a word and stood up.

"Leaving?"

"Hm."

Since he had heard everything he needed to, there was no need to stay any longer.

Since he had heard everything he needed to, Yoo Jin-hyeon also thought there was no need to stay any longer. But Tae-oh pressed his shoulder heavily.

"I'll come again."

Yoo Jin-hyeon looked at Tae-oh, who was leaving without even listening to him, as if he had lost his mind.

"You can't leave after making people curious like this. You should say everything before you go. Do you want to drive people crazy?"

Yoo Jin-hyeon muttered discontentedly, but then he paused.

"Pheromones?"

He mentioned Se-hyeon's pheromones, right?

"That person was an Omega?"

***

Se-hyeon got out of the driver's seat and adjusted his tie while looking at his reflection in the window. He had to wake up early in the morning, but having a car made the journey much more comfortable. He went up took a shower and directly went to bed.

Next morning..

"Hello, Secretary." A voice comes from behind

"Yes,sir"

Se-hyeon quickly turned around and called out to the voice coming from behind. Although there was a brief pause in the conversation, he pretended as if nothing was amiss. With the dawn breeze, Se-hyeon's body language exuded an indescribable sense of ease and urgency at the same time. It seemed impossible to receive such contrasting feelings at once, but Se-hyeon realized the reason behind it. It was due to the sense of emptiness that seemed to accompany his leisurely steps, in contrast to the feeling of being somewhere else.

"There has been a change in the schedule. Let's head to the SR headquarters."

"Understood, sir."

Se-hyeon hesitated, tilting his head curiously, without opening the door to the back seat for some reason.

"Why? Can't I sit in the passenger seat again today?"

"That's not it."

He didn't want to feel uncomfortable like yesterday, and he didn't want to repeat it today.

"In that case, it seems like there's another reason..."

"No, there isn't."

As Se-hyeon was about to open the car door, Tae-oh's words came out in a distant tone.

"Do you know the two things that frustrate people the most? One is starting to say something and then stopping halfway..."

Yesterday, Tae-oh had driven Yoo Jin-hyeon to the point of madness.

"The other is looking at someone with eyes full of things to say, but never actually saying them."

"I apologize. I just thought I should mention that you didn't have your tie on."

The original plan was to go to the office and handle some approval tasks, but suddenly they were heading towards the SR headquarters. That's why Se-hyeon felt the need to maintain formality.

"Oh, right. I must be scatterbrained."

Tae-oh gently rubbed his empty throat and slowly withdrew his hand  then adjusted his casual collar without a tie.

"Just wait a moment. I'll go get it."

"Ah, it's fine."

"It's my fault for not preparing in advance. So if you give me a moment..." Se-hyeon said.

"I hate waiting more."

Tae-oh abruptly cut off Se-hyeon's words. Although taking the elevator to go back and forth shouldn't take much time, Tae-oh had an unwilling expression.

In this situation, Se-hyeon couldn't ask Tae-oh to wait. He thought there was only one way, even if Tae-oh wouldn't like it...

"Well, then please wait for a moment."

"No, you don't have to bring up a tie..."

Tae-oh seemed as if he was about to say that Se-hyeon could stop, but he stopped abruptly, surprised. He froze in place as he suddenly saw Se-hyeon pulling down his own tie.

"If you have to go to the headquarters..."

Se-hyeon said apologetically as he adjusted the tie around tae-oh's neck. It felt a bit awkward since he was usually the one having it put on, but he carefully adjusted it.

"Well, that's true…"

Tae-oh looked at Se-hyeon's face, which was very close to his own. Within that small face that defied proportions, his sharp jawline was undeniably handsome.

The eyebrows, neither thick nor thin, sat beneath beautifully shaped eyes, giving off a refreshing aura. The features of his eyes were exquisitely refined. The high bridge of his nose, which defined the centre of his face, was perfectly natural, and his lips seemed to be enticing just by looking at them. None of these features resembled each other, yet they harmonized without any sense of discord.

Tae-oh wanted to see him up close, even closer than now. As Tae-oh looked into Se-hyeon's face, his gaze became deeper and deeper.

"It's done."

Se-hyeon was taken aback as he lifted his head, his hand leaves the tie. It was because Taeoh's face was unexpectedly close. If Se-hyeon tilted his head just a little, their lips could touch, and this realization made Se-hyeon freeze in place.

"Boss?"

"Hello, Secretary."

Tae-oh's mouth hung open, his face showing a somewhat absentminded expression. Se-hyeon belatedly scolded himself for unintentionally staring at Tae-oh's lips, but Tae-oh spoke before

he could react.

"Choose one."

Surely he wasn't asking Se-hyeon to match his mouth or to close his eyes. Tae-oh seemed embarrassed, and the current atmosphere was becoming dangerous.

"Release your pheromones or hit me hard on the head."

Se-hyeon was taken aback by the unexpected words, feeling both flustered and uneasy about the content. Why suddenly bring up pheromones...? And what's with the other condition?

Why is it so extreme?

"Of course, if you're my secretary, you wouldn't hit my head."

Why would he assume that he couldn't hit him?

"You're such a calm and quiet person. I've never seen you display any violent behavior, or even laugh out loud. How could you hit me?"

I want to hit you. Muttered inside his head. Nevertheless, since it was appropriate to maintain a clear boundary between work and personal matters, Se-hyeon took a step back from Tae-oh. At that moment, Tae-oh stuck out his tongue, pretending not to see as it grazed his lips.

"I apologize."

It was a response that conveyed the inability to entertain any of it.

"Is that so?"

Tae-oh nodded as if he understood. In response to his endless reactions, Se-hyeon smiled as if relieved. Indeed, his boss was attentive to his subordinates' words.

Just as Se-hyeon was feeling relieved, Tae-oh spoke up.

"Well, what about a kiss?"