Chapter 5: Calculated Curiosity

“I don’t really remember… I went to the Younghyeon Hotel. Yes, that’s right. Her pheromones weren’t really my type… but well, it wasn’t bad. Ah… the photos were taken there?”

Taekyung’s expression remained nonchalant as he continued the call.

Jinhyung, who had been nervously glancing over, turned pale at the mention of the ‘Younghyeon Hotel.’

It was he who had personally driven Taekyung to the hotel, which was owned by Taekyung’s mother, last Friday night.

So the paparazzi photos that had sent Chairman Han Ju-hak into a rage were taken at the Younghyeon Hotel.

Swallowing dryly, Jinhyung listened intently to Taekyung’s voice.

“It’s not like this is the first time, so why are you sighing like that? It’s not like they fabricated something that didn’t happen.”

As Taekyung replied indifferently, a shout erupted from the other end of the phone.

The sound was so loud and sharp that even Jinhyung could hear it, but Taekyung himself remained expressionless.

“Just let the article run. When have I ever negotiated with reporters?”

His voice was as insincere as the hand that casually flipped through the pages.

As Taekyung had said, this wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened, so one would think he’d be used to it by now, but he couldn’t help but sigh every time it occurred.

“I’m preparing for my next project, but I’ll stop by before I get busy. Are hyung and Seokyung doing well?”

Jinhyung, who had been groaning with his head in his hands, glanced up at Taekyung’s final question.

When he met his now cold, hardened expression, a lump formed in his throat.

Jinhyung thought of Taekyung’s older brother, Han Taewook, whom he had met once, and shook his head.

Though they had only exchanged polite greetings, Jinhyung’s opinion of him was firm.

He was a dangerous person he wanted to keep his distance from, someone whose motives were impossible to guess.

While Jinhyung was briefly recalling Han Taewook’s artificial smile, Taekyung’s voice once again filled the meeting room.

“Don’t worry and take care of your own health, Father. You have to live a long and healthy life until you see grandchildren from me.”

Jinhyung sighed again as he looked at the face that had suddenly regained its smile.

Once Taekyung finished his call with the Chairman, he would have to report to the CEO about what was about to unfold.

The future was already so clear that his temples throbbed.

After ending the call with a cheerful laugh and pleasantries, Taekyung handed the phone to Jinhyung and called his name.

The smile had vanished from Taekyung’s face without a trace.

He glanced at his wrist to check the time and leaned back lazily in his chair.

“Jinhyung, the CEO should be here. Go on.”

“Yeees…”

‘Ugh, my life.’

Muttering loudly enough for everyone to hear, Jinhyung pushed his chair back and stood up.

Taekyung chuckled at his slumped shoulders and back, closed the script completely, and slowly blinked.

The angry nagging of Chairman Han and Jinhyung’s sighs, which had been ringing in his ears until just a moment ago, tangled together like a skein of thread before all the noise faded, leaving only one person’s voice.

A voice that was slightly slow and gentle, yet tinged with bewilderment.

‘…Then, I’ll buy you a coffee.’

Taekyung placed his hand on the script and began to tap his index finger.

The dull yet rhythmic sound continued in a steady beat.

As he closed his eyes as if to concentrate, a face naturally appeared before him.

Gentle eyes and dark brown pupils, a smooth bridge and sharp tip of the nose, and lips that were slightly reddish with a hint of color.

A look of interest filled Taekyung’s face as he recalled the face that quite suited his taste.

“Hmm…”

A dry, monotonous sound broke the silence.

Taekyung carefully retraced the events from last night to the trouble he had gone through to visit UBS just a few hours ago.

Yesterday, after finishing a commercial shoot, Taekyung had gone straight to UBS.

He had a dinner appointment with Director Jang Mina, with whom he would be working on his next project.

They had worked together quite a lot, so they had a deep connection and would have a meal together once or twice a year even if there was no special occasion.

It was one of the few uncomplicated relationships Taekyung had.

He was heading to the lounge on the 2nd floor of the UBS annex, having just finished dinner with Director Jang Mina where they caught up and were about to start discussing the drama in earnest.

Just then, Taekyung received a call.

The caller was the actress he had met at the infamous Younghyeon Hotel a week ago.

They had filmed a movie together two years ago, and although they hadn’t had much contact since, a chance meeting in a private setting had sparked something.

That day, Taekyung hadn’t ignored her when she followed him out for a breath of fresh air, sending signals with her entire body and even releasing her pheromones.

It was a natural progression for them to head to the hotel together after the gathering ended.

That part hadn’t been bad.

The pheromones, thick with the scent of flowers, weren’t his type, but the s*x had been enjoyable.

The problem was that she had placed too much meaning on a one-night stand.

‘Taekyung-ssi, I think a reporter was on us that day. Why don’t we just say we’re dating? We had a good time. I like you too…’

Although he had feigned ignorance with Chairman Han, Taekyung knew a reporter had been following him that day.

He also knew that pictures would be taken.

But he hadn’t expected her to use that as leverage to demand not just a one-time fling, but his continued attention.

He had no interest in being swayed by those who seemed desperate for affection.

Taekyung excused himself from Director Jang and headed for the emergency exit without hesitation.

He was about to open the door, rehearsing the words to end things clearly, when he ran into Yoonseo.

He was intrigued by the sweet pheromones he sensed in that moment.

And an Omega being chased by an Alpha who was shamelessly leaking his own pheromones.

It was a situation that couldn’t help but pique his curiosity.

So he had deliberately helped Yoonseo and confused him with playful words that were half-sincere, half-not.

That night, he didn’t forget to have Jinhyung look into Choi Yoonseo, who worked at UBS.

Jinhyung had grumbled, but he shut his mouth when Taekyung offered him pocket money if he found out.

The amount of pocket money Taekyung gave was too tempting to refuse.

‘He’s a PD. You know that evening show? The one with all the good restaurants. You know which one, right?’

Jinhyung had found information on Choi Yoonseo faster than Taekyung had expected.

It was possible because he had a wide network from his time working as a floor director at UBS before joining his current company.

When he heard that his office was on the 9th floor of the annex, Taekyung decided he had to visit right away.

There was no grand reason for it.

It was simply an extension of the slight interest and curiosity he had felt last night.

‘He was definitely an Omega, so why didn’t he react to my pheromones that day? If he’s an Omega that can make an Alpha lose his mind like that, could he turn me on too? What’s so different about him from other Omegas?’

There was no need to suppress the impulsive thought, so he had acted on it.

Han Taekyung was a man who moved on a whim.

“…”

Taekyung took the business card he had tucked into his wallet, placed it on the desk, and stared at it for a long time.

As he fixed his gaze on the three-character name, the face he had seen a few hours ago came to mind.

He was clearly hiding something behind that artificial-looking smile, but he couldn’t yet figure out what that something was.

Taekyung propped his chin on his hand and chuckled as he looked down at the business card.

He didn’t know about anything else, but he knew that Choi Yoonseo was a different breed of human.

Especially among Omegas.

Unlike those who desperately tried to catch his eye and get a touch of his hand, Yoonseo hadn’t even asked for his number.

Even though he had readily given him his own business card.

The more he thought about it, the more his impure curiosity and interest simmered.

Just as his thoughts were deepening, the meeting room door opened cautiously.

“Hyung… the CEO would like to speak with you…”

He slowly turned his head toward the door and saw Jinhyung with an exhausted expression.

Taekyung pushed himself up from the table, taking only the business card and leaving the script.

It was time to let Jinhyung, who must be tired from cleaning up his messes, rest.

“Jinhyung, grab the script for me. I’ll go straight to the car after seeing the CEO.”

“Yes…. I’ll see you out…”

Taekyung patted the shoulder of Jinhyung, who was standing with the door ajar, and left the meeting room.

The space was quiet, with hardly any employees in on a weekend, and only Taekyung’s footsteps echoed.

A strange smile played on Taekyung’s face as he fiddled with the business card in his hand.

Monday, the start of the week.

Yoonseo woke up at the crack of dawn, loaded his luggage into the car, closed the trunk, and stretched widely.

Due to the nature of his segment, he often had to film in the provinces, which meant many early mornings like today, rushing to get ready and get in the car.

The name of Yoonseo’s segment was ‘Random Trip.’

The concept was to set up a target with the names of different regions, throw a dart, and then blindly set off to the resulting destination for a short trip.