chapter 25

Until the end of all the payments, Se-hyeon couldn't regain his composure. Everything that had been bought with Shin Tae-oh's money so far had gone to Yoo Jin-ha and had been rejected. It was as if he had just picked up expensive items that had fallen to the ground...

"Sir."

Shin Tae-oh, who was walking ahead, turned around at Se-hyeon's call.

"Did you buy them for me?"

"I consider it bought for myself."

The more casually he responded, the more Se-hyeon couldn't understand. No, now he could understand. It was because of Yoo Jin-ha's uneasy feelings every time he received a gift.

"Was it bothering you that I didn't have dishes? Even if that's the case, if you don't tell me and give them to me like this…"

Furthermore, Shin Tae-oh had never even asked him which dishes were pretty. He had chosen everything according to his own taste from the beginning to the end, and now it turns out they were for him?

"You said you didn't need dishes because you eats instant rice."

"What? Yes, that's right."

Because of that, Se-hyeon couldn't accept the dishes that Shin Tae-oh wanted to give him even more.

"Can't we just continue living like this?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I'm buying those dishes for myself."

"For you? Then why did you ask me about the packaging?"

"Even so, it meant that it would be better to have them packaged since they were going into your house."

At this point, Se-hyeon couldn't help but be amazed.

'When it comes to my house, it's mine. It's mine, right?'

"So you're saying that those dishes are meant for me. Why are you twisting the words like that?"

"While those dishes will enter Se-hyeon's house, they are specifically for me, without a doubt."

'Why are you deflecting this again?' at this point really couldn't pin point Shin tae-oh.

"Then why don't you just send them directly to your house?"

Feeling like it was going too far, Se-hyeon asked a slightly defiant question. In the midst of it, Shin Tae-oh met his gaze without getting too excited and smirked.

'Smirked?' se-hyeon was really confused about this tae-nayang (cat).

"You was pouring coffee by the bedside. Where do you think you would stack those dishes if I gave them all to you?"

"Well…"

His words choked up, leaving him speechless.

"I'll give them to you little by little. So whenever I have ramen at your house you can use them."

Shin Tae-oh neatly summarized the situation.

********

In the spacious bed of a hotel suite, a man was buried. He was lying face down, and his face was not visible. However, judging by his slight movements, it seemed like he had not yet woken up from sleep.

Someone approached the bed where the man was sleeping and sat down next to him. Wearing only a robe, the person extended their hand slowly, releasing their pheromones towards the man.

"Darling, are you still sleeping well?"

They gently touched the man with a feather-like touch, as if to wake him up.

"It's time to get up now. Didn't we have plans for today?"

The person released his pheromones more intensely, waking the man up with a soft voice. While there was also a hidden motive to engage in another intimate encounter.

"Jin-seong, please......"

The person, who was about to kiss the sleeping man's forehead, turned his head and let out a suppressed moan.

Jin-seong had grabbed him by the hair.

"Jin-seong..."

The person called out to him, almost pleadingly, unable to remove Jin-seong's hand. However, even as Jin-seong yawned and sat up, he didn't let go of that person's hair. Instead, he shook it and let out a frustrated sigh. It was a rather harsh reaction, considering the intimate encounter they had all night.

"Who wants pheromones in the morning? How annoying."

"I'm sorry."

Just yesterday, he had asked him to release more pheromones, but now he was getting

irritated by it.

"Get out."

With Jin-seong's brief command, the person quickly stood up, fearing that his hair would be grabbed again. He grabbed his belongings without even changing his clothes and left the suite.

Jin-seong licked his lips as he stood up.

"This is why I don't involve myself with omegas."

Being around an omega meant constantly being drenched in pheromones, and it always left him feeling sticky. He usually attracted a suitable beta, but he didn't have the luxury to do so at the moment.

"And of all people, an old-fashioned person had to appear..."

It was an unexpected arrival. He had planned to seize the opportunity to interfere with the newly created product led by Ha Min-hyuk. However, Chairman Ha Cheol-gyu appeared instead.

In the presence of the chairman, who embraced the illegitimate child that even the father turned away from, Jin-seong realized that things were going wrong.

"Lucky bastard."

Seeing the pitiful subject, born from lowly blood, catch the chairman's attention and living a life full of privileges, Jinseong couldn't help but feel disgusted.

"To fall into the abyss, of course..."

Jin-seong's head tilted sideways as he pondered on how to bring Ha Min-hyuk down. The lingering omega pheromones in the room reminded Jinseong of a man he had seen yesterday, named Yoo Jin-ha.

"Tearing apart an omega would be the best."

Damaging Yoo Jin-ha would have a greater impact than Ha Min-hyuk. To do that, it would be best to lure Yoo Jin-ha as his omega...

Jin-seong's head turned, and he saw his reflection in the mirror. He recalled the beta man who was slightly smaller than himself yesterday. While Yoo Jin-ha's body seemed softer to cuddle, he was attracted to the roughness of the beta man.

"Ahn Se-hyeon."

That was the name, right?

A glimmer of mischief crossed Jin-seong's eyes.

"Should I take them both?"

That Shin Tae-oh brat who was also being arrogant didn't sit well with him. As soon as he made up his mind, he took immediate action.

"Jin-woong."

Jin-seong dialed Jin-woong's number and, holding a perfume bottle placed on the vanity table, sprayed it near his neck.

It was the alpha's pheromone that the omega had enjoyed sniffing last night.

Jin-seong, who had presented as an alpha but didn't emit any pheromones, his life twisted in a

complete mess, had a cruel gleam in his eyes.

***

At department store

'Yoo Jin-ha, Ha Min-hyuk, Shin Tae-oh.'

Se-hyeon looked at each person in a clockwise direction. It wasn't surprising to meet them individually, as it was a plot point in the original story, but this time it felt different. They unexpectedly come together in one place.

'Why did it turn out like this?'

Yoo Jin-ha, who seemed just as uncomfortable in the situation as Se-hyeon, spoke with a forced smile.

"Did I unnecessarily call Secretary Ahn?"

That was it. While Shin Tae-oh and Se-hyeon were about to leave the department store, Yoo Jin-ha walked alongside them, and their eyes met. Se-hyeon pretended to know them but yoo jin-ha approached, leading to this sudden gathering.

What were the chances of meeting in such a vast space at the same time? Yet, they crossed paths as if it were fate. Yoo Jin-ha suggested going for coffee, and they ended up at a café together.

"No, it's fine."

What's the point of saying that now?

Se-hyeon swallowed the coffee in front of him, along with the lingering awkwardness.

Then, he caught a glimpse of Shin Tae-oh. There was no discernible difference in Shin Tae-oh's expression, making it impossible for Se-hyeon to gauge what he was thinking.

'Conflicting emotions.'

Shin Tae-oh had once referred to the mixed feelings he had for Yoo Jin-ha as "conflicting emotions." This meant that his feelings for Yoo Jin-ha were wavering and uncertain, and he hadn't been able to sort them out properly yet.

Perhaps, upon seeing Yoo Jin-ha and Ha Min-hyuk together, Shin Tae-oh could be

experiencing a pang of jealousy instinctively.

Se-hyeon felt even more uneasiness than when he had bought the dishware.

'Feeling uncomfortable?' se-hyeon thought,  belatedly reflecting on his own emotions, was taken aback. Just yesterday, he had been in the same explosive situation, and he had undoubtedly enjoyed observing it. But within a day, he couldn't comprehend the sudden change within himself.

'Pull yourself together.'

Se-hyeon reminded himself that he was merely an extra in this situation and shouldn't involve himself as a spectator.

"Oh, Secretary Ahn, this is your first meeting with Min-hyuk, right?"

"I saw him yesterday."

Yoo Jin-ha seemed to have found a topic to initiate a conversation, but the atmosphere turned awkward once again with Ha Min-hyuk's brief response.

"We didn't exchange greetings. This is Secretary Se-hyeon."

Yoo Jin-ha's introduction caused Ha Min-hyuk's curious gaze to linger on Se-hyeon's face. He might have glimpsed him a few times before. However, they had never directly engaged in conversation.

"I'm Se-hyeon."

When Se-hyeon bowed to greet them, Ha Min-hyuk also bowed in response, but for some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off Se-hyeon. Just as the puzzled Yoo Jin-ha was about to intervene, Shin Tae-oh's voice cut in.

"Why are you so curious?

Shin Tae-oh's comment, delivered with a hint of disdain for staring at someone's face, caught Yoo Jin-ha and Se-hyeon off guard.

"Do you have something you're curious about regarding my secretary?"

"I've seen the person named Se-hyeon even before he became a secretary."

"Is that important?"

Shin Tae-oh made no effort to hide his discomfort. Even Ha Min-hyuk, who had been calm at first, eventually began to show signs of displeasure.

"I saw Se-hyeon and found him likable, regardless of his profession."

"Likable..."

Shin Tae-oh murmured the word that bothered him in Ha Min-hyuk's statement. He didn't necessarily have to use the term "likable" only in the context of developing romantic feelings, but it didn't sit well with  shin Tae-oh.

In the uncomfortable atmosphere, Se-hyeon didn't know what to do and happened to lock eyes with Yoo Jin-ha. It was a moment that conveyed the sense that they both had similar feelings and needed to suppress them.

"Mr. Ha Min-hyuk."

Shin Tae-oh called out to Ha Min-hyuk.

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From here point on story gonna be interesting ^⁠_⁠^