Chapter 1: Where Light Doesn’t Reach

The room was dim when he woke up.

The old studio apartment, located far from the university district, barely caught any sunlight even in the middle of the day.

Chaewoo lifted his heavy eyelids and stared out the window.

Outside, it was bright enough to be blinding, but the room felt isolated from the light, as if it existed in a completely different world.

Only by flipping the switch on the wall did the narrow, shadow-filled space finally brighten.

He had a morning lecture, so he needed to hurry.

Contrary to his urgent heart, his mind was still foggy.

Stumbling out of bed, he gathered the books he needed when a piece of paper on the desk caught his eye.

Chaewoo’s busy hands came to a sudden halt.

It was the receipt for his father’s nursing hospital bill, due this month.

And written on it was an astronomical figure.

He already knew the amount, but his heart sank every time he saw it.

Chaewoo flipped the paper over and shoved it toward the corner of the desk.

There was still no word from his uncle.

It had already been several days.

He thought about calling first but soon changed his mind.

Even if he didn’t press him, his uncle was likely already busy with other matters.

Chaewoo cleared his stray thoughts and straightened his bedding.

Though, calling it “straightening up” was a stretch; tidying this studio apartment of barely 180 square feet took less than a minute.

Before washing up and leaving, just in case, he took a pheromone suppressant pill and tucked it deep into his bag.

As a dominant Omega, it was unlikely Chaewoo would lose control of his pheromones, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

Chaewoo headed straight for school.

It was a forty-minute walk at a brisk pace.

If he walked leisurely, it took just under an hour.

Taking the bus would be much faster, but lately, every penny was precious, so he always commuted on foot.

“Oh, you’re here? Are you getting coffee?”

“Yeah. Order one for me too.”

“Give me your student ID so I can get the discount. Iced Americano?”

“Coffee has to be an Iced Americano.”

He heard the chatter of students from his school in front of a cafe in the university district.
The thick scent of coffee made Chaewoo feel gloomy.

It had been over a year since his mother died in an accident and his father’s business collapsed.

Once it became difficult to even afford a proper meal, a coffee worth a few thousand won became a luxury.

Having grown up as an only child who was quite pampered, Chaewoo found it harder to deal with the fact that he couldn’t even comfortably buy the drinks or snacks he liked than the fact that he was skipping meals.

Entering the lecture hall, Chaewoo naturally took a seat in the very back.

Since the string of misfortunes began, this had consistently been his designated spot.

Unlike his vibrant and relaxed freshman year, he hoped the other students wouldn’t notice how much his circumstances had changed.

His best, most realistic plan was to graduate as inconspicuously as possible and find a job immediately to start paying off his father’s debts and hospital bills.

Some whispered behind his back that his personality had changed suddenly and looked at him with disdain, but he preferred being misunderstood that way.

Hatred hurt less than pity.

Chaewoo stared with an expressionless face at a group huddled together in the front.

In truth, he wanted to be among them like before, hanging out, eating together, and studying comfortably in a cafe.

But to do that, he needed money.
And Chaewoo had no money.

No matter how he traced the root of any problem, it always circled back to money.

Even as he pulled out his writing utensils, he subconsciously imagined himself laughing among that group.

Just a year ago, that hadn’t been an imagination, but his reality.

“Pick up your phone when the club meeting is over today. If you ghost me, you’re dead.”

Jeong Taehyun, the third-year class representative, issued a warning to the peers sitting around him.

“I don’t usually ghost people. He’s the problem.”

“Whatever.”

Their voices were full of excitement, as if they had plans after the lecture.
Chaewoo overheard the conversation while fiddling with his pen.

Then, his eyes met Jeong Taehyun’s from the front row.

“Senior, do you want to come too? You’re always popular, even as a Beta.”

He realized his mistake and looked away, but it was too late.

There was no way the meddlesome Jeong Taehyun would let it slide.

“Where are you going?”

Even though he knew he couldn’t go because of his part-time job, a pointless question slipped out.

“We’re going to a club after dinner!”

“Pfft! If you go to a club, who’s even going to look at you? With that face, you’ll get rejected at the door for being a Beta. You better take Senior Chaewoo with you. If you tell them you’re friends, they might actually let you in.”

“No, I’m good. You guys go ahead.”

At Chaewoo’s refusal, the juniors turned back without hesitation and continued their chatter.

“Clubs are pointless. Everyone runs away when they see Jeong Taehyun’s face. Going there is just throwing money away, you sucker.”

“Whatever. I can just pretend I’m not a Beta. I have a plan of my own.”

“Plan, my ass. Stop bullshitting. You totally embarrassed yourself last time after spraying that pheromone perfume.”

“I’m serious today. Someone is definitely falling for me today.”

Jeong Taehyun cockily stroked his jawline.

Chaewoo knew exactly what that meant.

Betas like Jeong Taehyun, who found it difficult to appeal to Omegas or Alphas, often used pheromones to disguise themselves.

While there were disposable products used like perfume, the most effective method was directly applying the pheromones of a real Alpha or Omega.

He had heard that some people earned pocket money by selling their pheromones to meet the demand of Betas.

Other students crowded closer to Jeong Taehyun.

“Jeong Taehyun, don’t tell me… are you going to that ‘Five-K Phero-Guy’ or whatever?”

“What’s a Five-K Phero-Guy?”

“The guy who sprays pheromones on you if you give him five thousand won.”

“There really are all sorts of people in this world…”

“Do you think they’d actually fall for that?”

“I’ll try it and let you know tomorrow.”

As far as Chaewoo, a dominant Omega, knew, there were indeed people who fell for such tricks.
Of course, the deception wouldn’t last long.

“Look, here comes Beom Euigeon. Let’s invite Euigeon too while we’re at it.”

Chaewoo’s expression, which had been softened by a slight smile while eavesdropping, hardened instantly.

Just then, he heard the sound of someone walking into the lecture hall through the back door.
Chaewoo straightened his back and fixed his gaze on his desk.

Euigeon, who had just entered, passed by Chaewoo and set his bag down on a desk in the middle of the room.

Chaewoo stared at the tall back of the man and muttered inwardly.

‘What a jerk.’

“What are you guys talking about?”

“We’re going to a club today, so we were telling you to come along.”

“Euigeon. This guy is going to a club after getting sprayed by the guy who charges five thousand won. Instead of doing that, why don’t you just ask Euigeon for a favor?”

“Forget it, Euigeon is a dominant Alpha, so it would be too overwhelming.”

“I doubt Euigeon would even give it to him. Why would he bother selling his pheromones for money?”

“Exactly, exactly. Especially to a guy like him.”

“I think it’d be more productive to spray it on a passing pigeon.”

“You guys are unbelievable.”

“Speaking of which, Euigeon, did you pick your lesson piece?”

“Yeah, I submitted it yesterday.”

“Damn, what is it? Tell me. If it overlaps with mine, I’m screwed.”

As always, the moment he appeared, Euigeon became the center of the conversation.

Beom Euigeon.

A third-year in the vocal performance department, he had a decent personality, was a dominant

Alpha, and possessed a striking appearance that drew many followers.

His parents were world-renowned musicians, and his family background was equally prestigious.

Practically every music student at Yeonseo University, not just those in the vocal department, knew who Beom Euigeon was.

Because of military service and leaves of absence, this was the first semester Chaewoo actually attended school at the same time as Euigeon, yet he had heard plenty about him.

The titles that made him seem like a celebrity were remarkably similar to the ones Chaewoo held until not long ago.

Although people believed Chaewoo was a Beta, he too had come from a good family, had top-tier grades, and was so sociable that he was always surrounded by people.

Perhaps it was because his situation had worsened and he had become a forced outsider within the music college.

Strangely, watching Beom Euigeon made Chaewoo feel as though everything had been stolen from him.

Even though he knew this was just petty jealousy and an inferiority complex, his stomach churned every time he saw Euigeon naturally occupying the spots he once held—top of the class, consecutive competition wins, and leads in student operas.

“Alright, let’s begin the class.”

The general education professor entered and began calling attendance.

Chaewoo turned his attention to the screen to focus on the lecture.

However, before long, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

The word ‘Uncle’ appeared on the screen.

The nursing hospital bill he had seen this morning naturally came to mind.
He considered stepping out to take the call but ended up pushing the phone deeper into his pocket.

He knew it was selfish, but today, he wanted to escape the gloomy news.

It would be about money anyway.

For now, his uncle was paying his father’s hospital bills, but every month was a struggle.

Even with Chaewoo contributing from his part-time jobs, it wasn’t enough to cover the costs.

Every single day felt like a precarious tightrope walk, being chased by money.

As soon as he managed to fill one hole, two more craters would appear.
Money drained a person’s spirit to the point of exhaustion.

A ridiculous thought suddenly crossed his mind—maybe he should try selling his pheromones like those other people.

However, since Chaewoo had lived as a Beta ever since presenting as a dominant Omega, he felt a strong aversion to revealing his secondary gender and selling his pheromones.

It was his parents’ decision that a dominant Omega’s life would be difficult, so he shouldn’t let those around him know; for that reason, it wasn’t uncommon for dominant Omegas to hide their status, so it wasn’t impossible.

“Hey, Five-K Phero-Guy.”

On his way out after class, Chaewoo spotted the Alpha famous for the pheromone trade.

Since he couldn’t remember his name, he called out the nickname, and the boy turned around immediately.

“Yes? Oh, Senior. You’re a senior, right?”

“How much do you make a day selling that?”

To Chaewoo, the junior wasn’t a particularly attractive Alpha.

“From the pheromones? I don’t make that much… maybe thirty thousand won at most?”

‘So there are as many as six guys a day who spray that on their bodies to go hunt for Omegas.’
Chaewoo’s brow furrowed slightly.

The Phero-Guy grinned and scanned Chaewoo.

“Why? Do you need some, Senior? I didn’t think you’d be interested. Quite a few guys have seen results from it.”

The pheromone wasn’t even impressive.
To be blunt, it was somewhere between a recessive and a common type; even if one wore it, the scent wouldn’t last long.

“I was just asking. Good luck.”

As soon as he got the answer he wanted, Chaewoo turned his back.

Then, he came face-to-face with a tall figure walking from the opposite direction.

They both tried to step aside, but their paths overlapped, and their shoulders collided.

Even without looking up at the face, he could tell exactly who it was from the solid aura that faintly drifted toward him.