Chapter 18: Fake Pheromones

Though it was a question tossed out without much context, he was curious.

“Does that even matter? Haah, your father, or you, for that matter- seriously…”

Go Ha-jin shook his head as if thoroughly fed up and deliberately put some distance between them.

Chae Woo-seok had anticipated that kind of reaction to some extent, but being lumped together with his father still left a sour taste in his mouth.

“I was just asking because I was curious.”

“And why exactly are you curious?”

“Well…”

It had been nothing more than an impulsive question sparked by watching Ha-jin chatter on noisily.

He hadn’t even thought of a proper reason.

That was why Woo-seok fell silent when the question was thrown back at him.

“No matter how disadvantaged my position is, don’t toy with me. Dealing with your father alone is already more than enough.”

“That’s not what I meant. Besides, you’re not even a real omega anyway.”

Mid-sentence, Woo-seok realized he’d said something wrong.

He didn’t know exactly what it was, but seeing Ha-jin’s face stiffen so quickly made it obvious enough.

“…Right. I was never an omega suitable for you in the first place, Mr. Chae Woo-seok. How silly of me.”

Ha-jin got up just like that and went straight into his room.

He buried his face into the bed and lay there, reproaching himself.

He couldn’t understand why his emotions were so out of control today.

Woo-seok’s abrasive way of speaking wasn’t anything new, and even if his words were trash, none of them were technically wrong.

He wasn’t not an omega, but it was also true that he wasn’t a typical one.

His pheromone levels were so poor that he was classified as an omega only once out of three tests.

Even his cycle was so irregular as to be practically nonexistent, making pregnancy close to impossible.

All of this stemmed from having accepted his fake identity too deeply as his own.

He knew that rationally, yet for some reason every word Woo-seok had said felt like a wound.

After stewing in anger for a long while on the bed, Ha-jin eventually gave up and stepped out onto the balcony to smoke.

At the same time, Woo-seok sat in the living room and lit a cigarette of his own.

His irritation was just as intense.

Whenever he dealt with that con artist, his emotions went haywire.

Just moments ago, he hadn’t minded the guy chattering beside him.

But now, all he felt was a dense, simmering annoyance because of him.

It was a night where neither of them could understand the other.

****

“I’d like us to have a formal family meeting. What do you think?”

“…Cough-kgh- A, a family meeting?”

Ha-jin, who had been drinking coffee with Lee Ah-seong, choked.

A formal meeting was inevitable eventually, but the timing caught him genuinely off guard.

“I hear you’ve been seeing my son quite often lately.”

That was true.

After the absurd three-person blind date the previous week, Ha-jin and Woo-seok had been appearing together in public with noticeable frequency.

They deliberately chose places where they’d draw maximum attention, and rumors quickly spread.

That omega was seriously dating the youngest son of the SHS Group.

Since it was all carefully staged, it was only natural that word reached Lee Ah-seong.

“That’s true, but… it’s only been about a week…”

“You’re not planning to date, are you?”

“Of course not. It’s just that Woo-seok is very busy.”

He’d phrased it politely, but it was a rebuke nonetheless, keep your son in check.

Regardless of their conspicuous outings, Woo-seok’s reckless behavior hadn’t stopped.

If anything, it seemed to have grown worse.

Just the night before, photos had surfaced on someone’s SNS showing a man who looked like Woo-seok locked in an embrace with a half-naked omega at a club.

They’d been deleted within hours, of course, but anyone who mattered had already seen them.

“All alphas are like that. What of it?”

Since it wasn’t news, Lee Ah-seong brushed it off calmly.

Given how much his son had going for him, why would such a minor flaw matter?

Although the omega sitting across from him was still his top choice for marriage, compared to Woo-seok he was endlessly lacking.

That would have been anyone’s impression.

“And there was that kind of article the other day, too, so shouldn’t we proceed a bit more slowly…?”

When Ha-jin cautiously brought it up, Lee Ah-seong’s expression collapsed for a brief moment.

Something had happened that made him push the marriage talks forward quickly.

He needed a way out, a diversion.

“Haah. Once you’re married, you’ll be family anyway. Wouldn’t it be great if you helped out at a time like this?”

The problem lay with one of SHS Group’s convenience store subsidiaries.

Abusing its position as industry leader, it had forced franchise owners into unfair fee contracts, then squeezed them further with absurd supply prices.

That fact had come to light thanks to a whistleblower’s exposé.

In the past, they could have ignored it.

But not now.

A simple apology and promise of reform wouldn’t cut it.

The media immediately framed it as SHS bleeding the common people dry, and from there, attention shifted to how stingy the group was with social contributions.

“I wish I could help, but I’m just an ordinary person. It’s regrettable that this isn’t really something I can step into…”

No.

Lee Ah-seong was convinced this ordinary person could help.

A swift marriage to Go Ha-jin was a solid option.

A dominant alpha from one of Korea’s leading conglomerates marrying an ordinary omega, it would be more than enough to draw attention.

Since Ha-jin wasn’t from a Korean chaebol family, no one would know his background.

And on top of that, Ha-jin’s recent actions were decisive.

“I looked into it, you donate quite a lot, don’t you?”

“Ah… it’s embarrassing, really. If I had more leeway, I would’ve helped even more.”

Though he spoke modestly, Ha-jin had donated sums that were unfathomable from Lee Ah-seong’s perspective.

Elderly welfare facilities, children’s hospitals, single-mother centers, there was hardly a sector untouched by Ha-jin’s contributions.

Even Lee Ah-seong, who had ordered a background check, was surprised.

News of Ha-jin’s donations appeared more often than news of Woo-seok’s scandals.

Of course, once they married, he planned to put a stop to those antics, but right now, he desperately needed them.

“If there’s any way I can help, I’d be glad to, sir.”

“Sir…?”

“Oh- sorry! It’s too early to call you that, isn’t it?”

“No, no. If you’re going to marry anyway, calling me that in advance isn’t bad.”

A genuinely pleased smile spread across Lee Ah-seong’s face.

Just imagining how to turn this omega’s achievements into something belonging entirely to his family, entirely to Woo-seok, was enough to make him happy.

If this marriage could smooth over the company’s current troubles, Woo-seok’s position would become even more secure.

A dominant chaebol alpha and a philanthropic ‘ordinary’ omega.

The perfect bait for the ignorant masses flashed through his mind.

“Please have your coffee, sir.”

Smiling brightly, Ha-jin sent a message without even lowering his gaze under the table.

—Success.

It was sent to Chae Woo-seok, the one who had orchestrated this entire setup.

The whistleblower who’d handed the convenience store’s internal documents to the media, that is.

When they first laid out the plan, Ha-jin hadn’t expected things to move this quickly, but Lee Ah-seong made a decisive move.

Naturally, all the donation money came straight out of Woo-seok’s pocket.

Ha-jin merely had to show his face, smile prettily, and hand over envelopes of cash.

“So, I’d like to have the family meeting next week. No, ideally, as soon as possible.”

That meeting would likely be the most important one.

It might be called a family meeting, but in truth, it would be a negotiation over marriage terms.

“Please let me know whenever it’s convenient for you. I’ll inform my father as well.”

With that, Ha-jin had kept his promise to Woo-seok.

He’d fulfilled the top priority condition – make the marriage happen.

There were still many hurdles ahead, but the biggest one was cleared for now.

And with that came the pleasant thought that he might finally claim his reward.

Lee Ah-seong, meanwhile, was busy calculating how best to use Ha-jin to polish up his son’s image.

Go Ha-jin and Lee Ah-seong.

Both wore smiling masks, hiding their true intentions as they began their intricate calculations.

****

“Ha-jin.”

“Again?!”

“Shh. People can hear.”

Ha-jin was miserable.

Being escorted by Woo-seok, that was.

Seeing him squirm only made Woo-seok pull him closer by the shoulder.

As a result, countless eyes turned toward them from the moment they entered the hotel lobby.

Some recognized the pair; others simply stared at the strikingly attractive couple.

“Haah… stop fooling around. I’m already nervous enough as it is.”

No matter the reason, attention was inevitable.

Both of them were objectively good-looking, and today they’d gone all out with their appearances.

If they hadn’t drawn eyes, it would’ve been stranger.

To anyone watching, they looked like the perfect pairing of a dominant alpha and a dominant omega.

“When did I say I was joking?”

Only once they were inside the elevator did Woo-seok loosen his hold.

Even then, the distance between them didn’t really increase.

A dark shadow fell over Ha-jin’s face as he leaned back against the elevator wall.

While he tried to make sense of what Woo-seok was doing, the space between them rapidly closed.

“We’re getting married soon anyway. It’s not bad to show that we get along, right?”

Looking at Woo-seok’s face so close to his own, Hajin thought, so this is why all those eyes were on us earlier.

It was an unreal face, to the point where it hardly seemed human.

The pointless thoughts scattered as quickly as they’d come.

It happened the moment Woo-seok’s lips brushed the rim of his ear.

“Is this part of the act too?”

“W-what… what do you mean…?”

“Right here, it’s about to burst.”

Woo-seok’s lips touched his ear again.

Lightly.

As if he were kissing him.

“Stop it!”

Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Ha-jin tried to push Woo-seok away, but he didn’t budge.

Instead, he wrapped an arm around Ha-jin’s waist and pulled him even closer.

“Looks like you sprayed that fake pheromone again today.”

Each time Woo-seok spoke, each time he exhaled, warm breath brushed against Ha-jin’s neck.

No matter how much he pushed, Woo-seok’s jacket wouldn’t give, and Ha-jin froze, gripping it tightly with both hands.

“Who are you trying to seduce this time?”

“S-seduce- what are you talking about?”

“The only alpha here today is my father. Don’t tell me-”

“Are you insane?! Don’t even joke about that!”

Of course, Woo-seok was joking.

From the moment they entered the hotel, no, from the moment he wrapped an arm around Ha-jin, His unusual stiffness amused him.

Ridiculously enough, this con artist was surprisingly flustered by physical contact.

Now able to distinguish between Ha-jin’s acting and his genuine reactions, Woo-seok could tell, this is real embarrassment.

“Guess I was right.”

“…About what?”

Watching him, Woo-seok reached a conclusion.

It wasn’t the right moment to bring it up, but he wanted to resolve his curiosity.

He wrapped a hand around the back of Ha-jin’s neck, which had gone rigid as stone.

The fake pheromone scent, or whatever it was, grew stronger, stimulating his senses.

It was a scent that made even Woo-seok’s heart resonate strangely.

“You really don’t have any experience.”

Right on cue, the elevator arrived at the lounge.

Without waiting for an answer, Woo-seok turned away with a light expression.

His feelings were… a little complicated, but a brief moment of amusement was enough.

He was about to step out when a force yanked his arm, stopping him short.

“Seems like the same goes for you, though?”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Just like Woo-seok had done moments earlier, Ha-jin shoved the larger man back against the wall and planted a hand on his chest.

Then he lifted his head and spoke, his face flushed a vivid red.

Whether the emotion mixed in was anger or embarrassment, even he couldn’t tell.

“I heard a rumor.”

As they spoke, the elevator doors slid shut again.

In the now-silent space, Ha-jin’s voice echoed, strained with effort as he tried to sound composed.

In truth, his heart was still pounding like it might burst, but there was no way he could stay silent after what Woo-seok had said.

“What kind of rumor?”

This was a card Woo-seok had been saving for the sake of his pride, and he hadn’t expected Ha-jin to play it here.

That was how displeased he’d been.

Ha-jin’s hand, which had been pressed to Woo-seok’s chest, slid slowly downward over the corded muscle, from chest, to abdomen, lower abdomen, and finally his thigh.

“That this… doesn’t get hard?”

And then he grabbed Woo-seok’s cock firmly.

It was a story he’d heard from a reliable source, that Chae Woo-seok had erectile dysfunction.

But the sensation filling his palm, solid and undeniable, made the composed expression Woo-seok had been wearing collapse instantly.

“Does this look like it doesn’t get hard to you?”

It couldn’t have.

The weight in his hand was far too large, far too solid, to mistake.

“How about I take it out and show you?”