Chapter 9: The Weight of Parenthood

Noah left the restaurant without a word and stared at the business card he was holding.

[Sejin Bank, Manager Jang Minchul]

He had always dressed so shabbily that he wondered what kind of work he did, but it turned out he had a better job than expected.

A bank manager must earn a decent amount of money.

He felt like a snob, but now that he was out in the real world and thinking about his growing Peanut, he couldn’t help but consider a person’s earning potential.

Lately, the thought of providing a better environment for his child, who would be starting kindergarten next year and elementary school soon after, weighed heavily on his mind.

His son was clearly an Alpha, and if he were to attend a school for special-secondary-gender children, they would have to move far away…

Becoming a parent so suddenly had made Noah feel like he had grown up fast.

It was on a completely different level from when he had resolved to be the head of his small family of two with his mother.

The feeling that this small, soft child was completely dependent on him.

It was an incomparable sense of responsibility, but considering what he received from the child, it was a very small price to pay.

“Did Peanut kick the man’s leg?”

“Ung.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because it looked like that man was bothering Daddy.”

“Ah, I see! Peanut was trying to protect Daddy?”

The small head nodded vigorously.

Noah considered scolding the child, but ended up just gently telling him, “You shouldn’t do that.”

It was both funny and heart-wrenching that the little thing thought he could protect his father.

His mother said Peanut was just like him.

He didn’t really see it, but they did have one thing in common: being a fatherless child.

“I don’t think that man is a bad person, but… what would Peanut think about having another dad?”

“Are you getting married, Daddy?”

“Huh? Peanut, you know what marriage is?”

The child suddenly let out a very un-childlike sigh, as if to say, “Of course, I know that.”

“It’s when an Alpha and an Omega, or a Beta man and woman, become partners and live together.”

“Wow! Our Peanut is so smart!”

The child looked up at Noah with a strange expression.

He had been praised, but he didn’t look happy at all.

Noah felt a little awkward.

The child would be incredibly clingy one moment, and then, once in a while, he would act in a way that was beyond his years.

“Ahem, so, what if Daddy gets married? What do you think?”

“Not that Mr. Jang from earlier.”

“Then what about Uncle Seungho?”

“Uncle Seungho… hmm…”

He had no idea what the criteria were, but it seemed the child had his own standards.

Noah was very surprised that his child had even thought about such things.

In fact, it was only recently that Noah himself had started to think about dating or marriage.

“Hmm?”

“I don’t know! It’s weird!”

Haha, the child’s finally age-appropriate reaction made the corners of Noah’s mouth lift.

When they got home, he washed and put the child to bed, then lay down next to him for a moment as he slept, making soft breathing sounds.

Listening to his child’s breathing seemed to bring a moment of peace to his tiring day.

Noah had given birth in the late autumn four years ago and was now 24 years old.

It had been a truly turbulent time.

As the doctor had predicted, Noah had suffered all sorts of side effects from going through pregnancy and childbirth without an Alpha.

Severe morning sickness was a given, and in the later stages of his pregnancy, he had faced various crises and had to be hospitalized for several months.

Thankfully, after a safe delivery, he had also developed a condition called pheromone control disorder.

It was a condition where his pheromones were released regardless of his will.

Because of this, he was unable to help at his mother’s restaurant.

After recovering from childbirth, Noah had started helping out, thinking it would be fine since most of the customers were Betas.

His mother was also very happy, saying that business seemed to be booming since he started helping.

But after two or three months, customers suddenly started flocking in.

The unremarkable meat restaurant in an ordinary market alley had so many customers that people were even waiting outside for a table.

It turned out that a rumor about Noah had spread on social media, probably started by an Alpha or Omega customer.

It was clear that most of the customers were not from the neighborhood but had come from far away, which had surprised everyone at the restaurant.

It turned out that most of them had come to see Noah, curious about him.

Moreover, people knew that Noah was an Omega.

And all the while, he had been cluelessly leaking his pheromones…

Thanks to that, the restaurant was maliciously rumored to be using Omega pheromones to attract business.

Noah, who had gotten pregnant and given birth right after presenting and knew little about pheromones, had to learn quickly about the life of a pheromone-bearer.

Noah, who had always been most comfortable and happy dealing with people, was forced to quit his job, and after a period of mental turmoil, he followed the advice of those around him and entered a two-year college with the goal of getting an office job.

He had chosen a major that was said to have good job prospects, but it was a terrible fit for him, and he had a hard time.

He barely managed to graduate and, by a stroke of luck, got a job six months ago.

It was an editing and planning job at a design company, completely unrelated to his major.

He sometimes wondered how he had ended up in this line of work, but he seemed to have a knack for it and was able to adapt without any major issues.

Except for the low pay, the conditions weren’t too bad, so he planned to keep working there for the time being.

It was still too early to sleep, so Noah got up again, went to the kitchen, grabbed a can of beer from the fridge, and sat down in front of the TV.

The drama he had been following lately was on.

The majority of the population was made up of Betas, but strangely, the main characters in dramas were always Alphas and Omegas.

What was so special about them?

Noah, who had been too busy with life to even date once, was now starting to become curious about such things.

He felt both amused and proud of himself for having such thoughts, perhaps because he had become more comfortable with his work and had some mental leeway.

Seungho, the banker, and the Alphas who had hit on him in school were all men.

He would have preferred to meet a charismatic and sexy female Alpha, but it was a shame that he only seemed to attract male Alphas.

He figured it was because his social circle was so small, and he decided to be more open-minded from now on.

He was even willing to go on blind dates if someone offered.

He had decided to put aside his preconceptions because it was important to find a partner who was a good match for him and would be good to Peanut, regardless of whether they were a man or a woman.

However, Seungho was excluded from that list of candidates.

It was true that Seungho had helped him get through a tough time and had been a great source of strength, but for that very reason, he wanted to keep him as a precious friend for a long time.

Finding out that Seungho was the son of a chaebol family was also a big reason.

He felt that Seungho, with his bright future, was too young and too good to be with him, a single parent.

But the more important reason was… no matter how he thought about it, he just couldn’t develop romantic feelings for him.

Even when Seungho habitually said he wanted to marry him, looked at him with greasy eyes, and subtly released his pheromones, Seungho was, in his mind, just like his close friends Dongseok or Minho.

“Go and learn the ropes under Hyungjoong.”

With that one sentence from his father, Lee Sejoong, the largest shareholder of the DN Group, Hanjoo confirmed that he was gradually being pushed out of the line of succession.

It felt like he was on a downward slope for the first time in his life.

He stormed out of his father’s office and into his usual bar.

Seeing Hanjoo, the experienced owner wordlessly set up the whiskey and glass he always insisted on.

No matter how expensive and good a new liquor came in, Hanjoo always stuck to the same type of whiskey.

He was different from the other moneyed Alphas who frequented this place.

The Alphas the owner had seen over his long years in business were a breed that took it for granted to show off their superior taste, extensive knowledge and experience, and outstanding wealth, driven by a strong sense of self-love and a desire to show off.

But this Alpha was different.

Not only because of his superior looks, which were incomparable to other Alphas, but he also seemed to have the confidence that he didn’t need to flaunt his worth.

He never bragged about how much money he made as soon as he sat down at the bar, nor did he boast about his expensive and luxurious taste in alcohol to his companions, nor did he hit on Omegas and buy them free drinks as if doing them a favor.

In fact, he was so weary of the free drinks sent by Omegas that at some point, the bar staff had started to block other customers from sending him drinks on their own initiative.

This small effort was rewarded with generous tips, making him a more than welcome customer.

It had been over 10 years since he started frequenting this bar, but in recent years, the owner hadn’t seen him even crack a small smile.

He would always have a few glasses of his usual whiskey straight, without any snacks, and then leave a tip that was more than the price of his drinks.

When the owner had cautiously mentioned that the tip was too generous, he had said it was to wish him a long and prosperous business, which had touched the owner’s heart.

Today, he seemed to be in a worse mood than usual.

After setting up the drink, the owner discreetly signaled the staff to be cautious, then looked at Hanjoo with worried, moist eyes.

Hanjoo poured the dark amber liquid into an on-the-rocks glass instead of his usual straight glass.

He wanted to get drunk and downed it in one go, but his mind only seemed to get clearer.

All of this was because of that Omega from four years ago.