Chapter 10: The Wrong Building

When was the last time he’d had his hair cut?

His bangs were long enough to almost cover his eyebrows.

Back when things were comfortable, he used to get it trimmed every two weeks without fail.

‘Maybe I should have cut it neatly on my way home yesterday.’

“No. Why should I?”

Was there any need to change his style just to look good for Euigeon?

He decided to prepare something else instead.

Setting aside his hairstyle, Chaewoo listed things he should know before having s*x with an Alpha.
Of course, this was just in case.

Even though it would most likely proceed with the help of rational science, you never knew what might happen with people.

However, having no experience, nothing specific came to mind.
Forget preparation; it was difficult enough to even imagine himself in bed with Euigeon, whom he had always envied so much.

Chaewoo dried himself with a towel, put on fresh clothes, and stepped into the main area of the studio.

While he was in the shower, he had a missed call from his uncle.

Running a hand through his damp hair, he called him back immediately.

–”Seol Chaewoo! You… I heard the hospital bills were paid in full. What happened? And what’s with the money you sent to my account!”

“I left you a message. Quickly pay back those thugs. What if they come looking for you again and hurt you?”

–”That’s not what’s important. Where did all this money come from?”

“I decided to do that thing. I tried to explain yesterday, but you didn’t answer the phone, Uncle…”

–”I was working, you rascal! If it’s that… didn’t you say you wouldn’t do it? I already told the person who introduced us that you weren’t interested. No, and besides. Still. How could you just take such a large sum of money without even consulting your uncle? What if something happens?”

Chaewoo smiled faintly at the pouring nagging.

He was being scolded, but he felt good knowing that his uncle no longer had to be chased by thugs.

“The talk went well, somehow. I’ll tell you more when we meet later, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Chaewoo glanced at the electronic clock on the desk.
It was time to get ready and head out.

–”Did you sign the contract already? No, right? Your uncle is coming over. How could you just suddenly take on such a thing without a word…”

“I have to go somewhere now. Anyway, I’m really fine, so I’ll call you later, Uncle. Make sure to pay those thugs back!”

He hurriedly ended the call and dried his damp hair with a hair dryer.

Normally, he would have let it dry on its own, but today he was worried it might stick out awkwardly if he did.

Euigeon hadn’t asked for anything specific, but before leaving the studio, Chaewoo packed the documents he’d gathered earlier and some heat cycle stimulants he’d bought at the pharmacy, just in case.

****

As soon as he stepped out at the station where they were supposed to meet, a hotel stood prominently in view.

Chaewoo swallowed hard.

The large sign of the famous hotel caught his eye in a way that made him uneasy.
Euigeon had not arrived yet.

Chaewoo’s insides parched from anxiety.

‘Did he ask to meet in front of a hotel because he intends to sleep with me?’

“This is crazy.”

While waiting for him, Chaewoo searched for things like ‘first time with a dominant Alpha’ on the internet.

He’d looked it up yesterday too, but everyone said something different.

Some claimed it couldn’t possibly be bad with a dominant Alpha, while others argued that even with a dominant Alpha, it would be painful if the partner wasn’t considerate.

The only common point was that taking heat cycle stimulants during the foreplay stage before penetration would lessen the pain.

‘Will we sign a proper contract before we start? What if he just drags me to bed without any of that?’

Since Euigeon hadn’t given him any information, it was hard to predict what would happen today.
Not that he was in a position to push for answers.

Perhaps because of the nerves, he felt nauseous, like he was carsick.

‘It’s a relief I only ate a little breakfast. If I’d forced it all down, I would have had indigestion.’

“Are you here?”

A familiar voice snapped Chaewoo out of his thoughts.

Chaewoo turned his head to see Euigeon standing there in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a navy plaid shirt over it.

“Shall we go in?”

He spoke casually, without much of a greeting.

Chaewoo glanced at the massive hotel building right behind Euigeon.

‘He really is a consistently arrogant jerk.’

“Yeah.”

‘Just the two of us, really?’

He had answered reflexively, but he was flustered.

In the end, there was no proper explanation.

Of course, s*x is an act between two people, but were they really going straight to a room like this without any other procedures?

‘He wouldn’t just pounce on me as soon as we get there, would he?’

They hadn’t agreed on everything yet.
Chaewoo needed more understanding and conditions regarding this contract.

‘…Should I ask now?’

He opened and closed his mouth several times while staring at the hotel entrance, but contrary to his expectations, Euigeon, who was leading the way, turned to the side.

“What are you doing? Come on.”

At the dry summons, Chaewoo belatedly turned his head.

Euigeon was standing not in front of the hotel, but in front of the large hospital building located next to it.

Chaewoo stood stunned for a few seconds, his eyes widening.

“Oh…”

With a dazed expression, he followed Euigeon into the hospital.

Only when the cool scent of alcohol stimulated the tip of his nose did his taut nerves finally begin to unravel.

Chaewoo let out a sigh of relief and stroked his chest.

‘Ah, so it really was artificial insemination. Thank god.’

****

In the lobby of the large hospital, Park Myeong-seon, the middle-aged woman he’d seen before, an expert from the Reset Partner agency, and a lawyer who would double-check if the entire contract process was legal were waiting.

Although the lawyer was hired by Euigeon’s family, he explained the procedures and contract clauses to Chaewoo at length and in detail.

Including the legal issues that could arise from this.

Next, he underwent various tests with Euigeon.

Starting from blood tests, they performed almost every checkup possible in a large hospital, including secondary gender tests, allergy tests, ultrasounds, X-rays, and pheromone level tests.

In conclusion, the doctor gave the opinion that both Euigeon and Chaewoo had no problems conceiving a child.

He said that if Chaewoo successfully conceived through artificial insemination and gave birth to Euigeon’s child, there was a 78% probability of presenting as a dominant Alpha if it were an Alpha, and an 81.5% probability of presenting as a dominant Omega if it were an Omega.

The probability of it being a Beta or a recessive type was less than 5% in all cases.

“Those are stable figures.”

Park Myeong-seon, who hadn’t said much until then, muttered while taking notes.
Once all the schedules were finished, she spoke.

“The entire process of pregnancy will be conducted via artificial insemination. I have heard of cases where Alphas and Omegas have direct relations because they prefer natural conception, but Master Beom emphasized very strongly that you and Mr. Euigeon, as each other’s Reset Partners, should not become entangled in that way. Therefore, we will approach this medically without unnecessary contact.”

Euigeon seemed to already know this, as he was staring at the floor tiles with bored eyes.
‘It’s a good thing. To think I don’t have to have s*x with Euigeon! What a great thing science is.’

However, he wished he’d been told such an important fact in advance so he wouldn’t have been so nervous.

Chaewoo kept his mouth shut and glared at Euigeon.

Thanks to him, he’d wasted useless time since yesterday searching for strange things on the internet.

“Since you mentioned your heat cycle is next week, Mr. Chaewoo, let’s plan to proceed in earnest then. If pregnancy is successful, 50% of the total amount stated in the contract will be paid, and the remaining 50% will be paid after the child is successfully born. According to the contract clauses, the condition is that Mr. Seol Chaewoo must take a one-year leave of absence after the pregnancy is confirmed.”

Chaewoo looked down at the numbers in the contract.

The amount written there was a staggering sum that an ordinary college student would never even touch.

The 50% down payment in the contract, of course, excluded the deposit he’d received from Euigeon yesterday.

Even so, it remained a massive sum of money.

That day, Chaewoo signed numerous contracts inside the car brought by the agency employee.

New confidentiality clauses, the waiver of rights over the unborn child, rules regarding prenatal care from the moment of pregnancy to birth, and so on.

There was no coercion.

Park Myeong-seon, the lawyer, and the agency expert all did their parts and worked toward a smooth contract process.

In the process, Chaewoo noticed that Euigeon’s parents liked his profile very much.

‘It’s a good thing.’

The penalty for breaching the contract was enormous, but as long as he followed the rules, there seemed to be no problems.

By the time he finished setting the next appointment to match his heat cycle and left, it was just past six in the evening.

Although there was nothing physically demanding, he’d had his blood drawn several times and was exhausted from waiting in a tense state at the hospital.

Still, he had to rest briefly at his studio and then go straight to his part-time job.

Chaewoo walked to the subway station entrance with slow steps.

Just as he was about to go down the stairs, he spotted a familiar car on the road ahead.

Euigeon’s car sped past him in an instant.

He frowned at the sight, but soon Chaewoo decided to stop paying attention to him.

While waiting for the subway at the station, his phone vibrated briefly.

Checking the content with tired eyes, Chaewoo’s expression crumpled.

[Tomorrow is the day of the professor’s opera performance at the Seoul Arts Center~ ^^ Everyone probably knows because there was a separate announcement in the department office last time! Our class will be heading out as a group to watch and cheer, so please gather on the 1st floor of the music building by 7:00 AM tomorrow. We’ll be moving to the Arts Center together, so you must not be late! Be punctual! The professor said they’ll call attendance after the curtain call, so attendance is mandatory!!]