Chapter 29: Pheromones and Perplexity

I looked at Han Jung-woo, wondering if he was serious, and he gestured with his chin towards Jae-hyun. Not wanting this awkward situation to drag on, I finally began the introduction as Han Jung-woo wished.

“Jae-hyun, this is Mr. Han Jung-woo. Mr. Han Jung-woo, this is—”

“I-I’m Yeon Jae-hyun!”

Jae-hyun shot up from his seat and bowed deeply towards Han Jung-woo. Unlike me, who was surprised by Jae-hyun’s sudden action, Han Jung-woo remained perfectly calm.

“H-He’s an old friend of Seo-jin’s.”

As Jae-hyun emphasized his friendship with me, Han Jung-woo’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t seem to fully believe it, but his suspicion appeared to have lessened slightly compared to before.

“I am Han Jung-woo.”

Upon hearing the simple introduction, Jae-hyun, who had finally relaxed a little, suddenly began fumbling in his pocket. Moving frantically, Jae-hyun muttered, looking utterly pale.

“I-I apologize. I left my business cards behind—”

“It’s quite alright. It’s not as if I’ll be conducting business with Mr. Yeon Jae-hyun.”

At the gentle yet firm refusal, Jae-hyun, who had been turning his pockets inside out searching for a card, awkwardly smiled and lowered his hand.

A suffocating silence followed.

“Hey, you said you weren’t anything, right?”

Unable to bear the continuing silence, Jae-hyun leaned in and whispered to me. I shot him a look that clearly said ‘of course not,’ but Jae-hyun’s suspicion seemed to have already solidified into certainty.

‘How could anyone see *this* and think that…’

It was truly baffling how Jae-hyun could perpetuate such a misunderstanding, even after witnessing a gaze devoid of even an ounce of tenderness. Just as I was about to finally rectify this annoying misconception, my body suddenly tilted sideways.

“Oh, oh—”

*Thud.* Something firm pressed against my cheek. A beat too late, I realized it was Han Jung-woo’s chest. I tried to right myself, but the hand gripping my arm did not release.

“You say ‘friends,’ but you seem rather close for just that. Don’t you agree?”

His voice was as calm as ever, but his eyes told a completely different story. Those dark pupils seemed to accuse me, demanding to know why I had lied.

It was abundantly clear he was misunderstanding Jae-hyun and me as something akin to ‘friends’ who were actually s*x partners. Both Jae-hyun and Han Jung-woo, why were they doing this to me?

‘What did I do?’

I glared at Han Jung-woo, filled with indignation, but he showed no sign of belief. Just as a surge of unfairness made me want to argue vehemently, a thought struck me.

What relationship did Han Jung-woo and I even have that I needed to explain such things to him?

“We should get going now. Director Han Jung-woo, please continue your walk and head inside.”

Pulling my arm free, I quickly finished my farewells and immediately pushed Jae-hyun’s back. I urged the hesitant Jae-hyun forward, fearing Han Jung-woo might follow us.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t look back, just go.”

“But I haven’t even said goodbye to the director yet—”

“Don’t. You don’t have to.”

Jae-hyun, pushed along unceremoniously, kept glancing back, seemingly concerned about Han Jung-woo. Even though I repeatedly nudged his back to tell him not to, his pace was slower than a turtle’s.

“Yoo Seo-jin.”

Hearing a voice much closer than anticipated, I turned around to find Han Jung-woo. He gently grasped my startled shoulder, having approached right beside me despite my efforts to escape.

“See you tomorrow.”

With those words, Han Jung-woo simply walked past us. Startled by the sudden turn of events, neither of us could move until his retreating figure had completely vanished.

“Damn it, I seriously thought I was going to die.”

Jae-hyun, clutching his chest, sank to the ground. I watched the spot where Han Jung-woo had disappeared, rubbing the shoulder he had touched.

His body heat had faded, but a lingering weight remained. Just as I was about to bring my nose closer, attempting to catch the subtle scent that clung like a trace, Jae-hyun called out to me.

“Didn’t you feel it?”

“Feel what?”

Cutting off my deepening thoughts, I turned to Jae-hyun. He dusted off his pants, stood up, quickly scanned our surroundings, and then raised his voice.

“Han Jung-woo’s pheromones! They were so stifling, I couldn’t even breathe!”

“Han Jung-woo’s?”

We had been together the whole time, yet I hadn’t sensed Han Jung-woo’s pheromones. If they were strong enough to make Jae-hyun gasp for air, there was no way I, an Omega, wouldn’t have noticed.

‘Could it be a pheromone that only affects Alphas?’

My knowledge of secondary genders was rudimentary, akin to that of an elementary schooler. Unlike this world, where Alphas and Omegas were common, Yoo Joon-hee’s world had been predominantly made up of ordinary people.

Pheromones, in particular, remained largely a mystery. Even less was known about dominant Alphas.

“Damn it, is it because we’re both Alphas that he’s doing this to me? What did I do wrong?”

From Han Jung-woo’s perspective, Jae-hyun’s ‘wrongdoing’ was probably just being next to me. Unable to tell him that, I vaguely fumbled for an excuse.

“He probably just did it because you’re both Alphas.”

“He’s not even a dominant one, yet he’s acting so arrogant. That bastard has no basic manners.”

Jae-hyun, finally letting out the curses he had held back, fully released the pheromones he had been suppressing. The scent grew so strong it could push away even the briny smell of the sea, making my nose ache.

“Hey, easy.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Seeing my deeply furrowed brow, Jae-hyun quickly reined in his pheromones. However, the thick, woody scent that already enveloped him forced me to put some distance between us.

“Don’t come near me.”

“Why? You’re usually fine with this much.”

As Jae-hyun said, Yoo Seo-jin was a dominant Omega, so he wasn’t usually easily affected by the pheromones of a recessive Alpha like Jae-hyun.

Normally, that is.

“I’m going into heat soon.”

“Ah…”

Though irregular, Yoo Seo-jin’s heat cycle was approaching. Perhaps because of this, I had become slightly more sensitive to pheromones lately.

Normally, I wouldn’t be affected by an Alpha’s pheromones unless I consciously focused on them, but now, even a fleeting whiff made my nose twitch.

“Are you okay?”

“For now.”

My slightly ragged breathing, fortunately, quickly returned to normal. Jae-hyun, who had waited patiently for me to calm down, subtly approached once he saw my complexion improve.

“Let’s be more careful. Sometimes you seem to forget that I’m an Omega.”

“My bad. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

As I patted the genuinely remorseful Jae-hyun’s shoulder, his downcast expression lifted, and he playfully nudged me.

‘What on earth was he looking at to be so suspicious?’

What kind of dynamic could Han Jung-woo have possibly perceived between Jae-hyun and me—Jae-hyun, who often even forgot I was an Omega—to react that way?

I simply couldn’t fathom what was going on in his mind. While there was no real need to know, Han Jung-woo’s increasingly enigmatic actions were starting to truly confuse me.

“Let’s head back.”

Jae-hyun called to me as I stared blankly at the sea. Retrieving my scattered thoughts, I walked alongside Jae-hyun.

****

Exhausted from the short stroll, I sent Jae-hyun off and returned to my lodging. As I trudged towards my room, a pang of thirst made me change direction and head for the refrigerator.

Pulling out a bottle of water, I noticed the fridge was packed to the brim with food—from instant meals to snacks.

‘I won’t even be able to eat it all.’

I would be leaving this place in two weeks, and even if I ate every meal, I doubted I could finish everything in the fridge. There was simply that much.

The more I dwelled on it, the stranger it became. The original Han Jung-woo would have seen me as a nuisance and avoided me, but now he wasn’t.

He was constantly hovering around, as if desperate to be involved with me somehow.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

Was it because I had offended him? Yet, his ‘torment’ felt too elaborate and peculiar for that. Who in the world would painstakingly care for someone they were supposedly tormenting?

‘He should hate me, that’s normal.’

I was utterly curious about Han Jung-woo’s inexplicable intentions. If only I could open his head and peek into his thoughts.

However, knowing that was impossible, I could only conclude that all his actions were part of Han Jung-woo’s grand scheme to torment Yoo Seo-jin.

‘It can’t be that he suddenly developed feelings for Yoo Seo-jin.’

To meet someone you despised so much by chance and suddenly develop affection? That would be a comedy. Even in dramas, writing like that would invite criticism.

A character’s emotional arc needed to make sense. Did he think people fell in love just by making eye contact? I immediately discarded such useless thoughts.

‘It must be a whim.’

His attitude could change at any moment. Han Jung-woo hated Yoo Seo-jin. This fact, at least, would remain constant.

‘I wish time would just pass a little faster.’

A week and a half—that was how long Han Jung-woo would remain here. After that, he would return to his home country, and I would leave this place.

‘Where should I go?’

Suddenly, I felt as though I had been abandoned in a boundless, open sea.