Yigyeom tilted his head wondering what chaebol story they were bringing upon, and recalled the check Kwon Taejung gave to Kang Jihoon to recruit a pinch hitter to work instead of Yigyeom.
“Ah, that…no, he’s nothing like that.”
“Really? He looks really similar…”
Yigyeom thought Kang Jihoon might have thought of him as a chaebol because he gave them a thick bundle of cash and drove in an impressive car. Yigyeom also remembered the spacious house Kwon Taejung lived in. If someone was living in such a house, it would be safe to assume that they were a chaebol.
“Still…not everyone can drive a car like that.”
Yigyeom drank another sip of the ade while staring at Kang Jihoon, who kept cocking his head before he looked at the person next to him, who wore a strict expression. He felt a bit strange.
He felt dizzy and suddenly a bit cold. As soon as Yigyeom put down the glass, he felt like he was shaking as the man’s furious and strong smell was given off.
“…”
It wasn’t the first time Yigyeom could smell someone. Like Kang Jihoon, there were a lot of people who wore perfumes and also people who had particular body odor. However, the scent that could be felt by the man sitting next to Kang Jihoon, was different from the rest. Yigyeom figured that the man was an alpha and tried to stay as calm as possible.
“I have a part-time gig this weekend. Are you up for it?”
“Oh…I don’t think I’ll be able to work for a while.”
“Huh, why? You need the dough, don’t you?”
“Yes, but…something came up. I think I’ll be able to work after three months.”
“What kind of something came up that you can’t work? What are you doing with that man that threw the money at us? Don’t tell me, you sold yourself to him?”
Whatever Kang Jihoon said, he always tended to talk like everything was out of a soap opera. Yigyeom kept drinking the ade and felt the man, who was sitting next to Kang Jihoon, looking at him.
“It’s nothing like that. Something really came up at home.”
“Well, then you can’t help it. We can start in July again, right? I’ll put you back into the gigs then.”
“Thank you…”
Yigyeom told everything he had to say and when he was done, his pocket vibrated. Yigyeom took out his cell phone and inclined his head slightly to answer the phone, when the screen flashed with the name, “Chief.”
“Hello.”
– I saw your message. Are you still there?
“Yes.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Hyung…I think I’ll have to leave now.”
“Oh, really? Then hurry on. When I get my paycheck, let’s meet then. I’ll treat you to some meat.”
“Okay…then I’ll leave first.”
Yigyeom awkwardly stood up from his seat and greeted Kang Jihoon and the man beside him by bowing slightly and leaving the cafe. Since Kwon Taejung was heading there, Yigyeom couldn’t go home right then so he hid in the alley next to the cafe before breathing a sigh of relief.
“…”
The scent of rage that came from Kang Jihoon’s friend floated around in his head so clearly. It was not as strong or pleasant as the smell that he could feel from Kwon Taejung, but it was certainly alert and conscious.
Yigyeom couldn’t figure out how he ended up that way. When he turned 16 and was determined as an omega, he required inhibitors that spring when he used to go to school.
Yigyeom was unable to buy high quality inhibitors due to difficult circumstances and took one tablet, which a lady gave to him after acquiring it from an acquaintance, and that was enough to suppress his urges. Within six months of intaking those tablets, he was able to press down his pheromones completely.
When Yigyeom realized he no longer reeked of pheromones, he decided it would be okay to meet alphas now and was glad.
Those inhibitors were very cheap compared to the regular ones and he thought it was very fortunate that he didn’t have to spend more money on inhibitors then and he didn’t have to worry about facing an alpha. His state still didn’t change three years later.
Yigyeom thought he changed into a beta and not an omega anymore but after living three years like that, he suddenly couldn’t understand why he suddenly could smell another alpha’s pheromones. Yigyeom leaned against the wall of the cafe and exhaled.
“…”
It started when Kwon Taejung stepped into his house through the front gate. He kept looking at him because he smelled so good and his underwear also ended up being wet. Often, he couldn’t control himself whenever he saw Kwon Taejung.
But when he did come to his senses, he stared at Kwon Taejung blankly or would stay still under his touch…he even thought that he wanted Kwon Taejung to touch him more. Yesterday, that urge was so severe that he couldn’t take his eyes off Kwon Taejung and wanted to cling on to him.
“You didn’t leave yet?”
Yigyeom was surprised by the voice that suddenly intruded his reverie, and raised his head. The man who was sitting next to Kang Jihoon came into the alley with a cigarette in his mouth.
The man smelled too strong and raging. Yigyeom didn’t feel good at all, his heart was beating fast and there was no way to explain it except that he was reacting to an alpha’s pheromones.
“…Ah, someone is coming to pick me up. Once he does, we will leave together…”
“Ah, really? I can smoke, right?”
“Yes…”
“Want a puff?”
“…No. I don’t smoke.”
Yigyeom refused to smoke and tried to recall how long he was standing there. What time is it? It was already over 10 minutes. It was time for the Chief to come. Yigyeom eagerly looked outside the alley.
“You work at the cafe beside Hankuk University Station, right? Jihoon said so.”
“Ah…yes.”
“One of my friends lives in that neighborhood so I go there often. Do you work there every day?”
“…No. Not every day…”
“Then when do you work?”
Yigyeom didn’t want to tell, however, he had no choice, seeing how he pressed him for the answer. Yigyeom looked at the man’s face properly as the latter blew smoke rings in the air. Piercing on eyebrows, nose, and lips which glistened.
“…Only Monday and Tuesday.”
“Oh, really? Then I can drop by sometime. I can, right?”
There was no excuse to say no because it was not his cafe and he wasn’t at a place where he could say who could come and go. However, it was not easy to say that he felt uncomfortable if he did because he was a friend of Kang Jihoon.
Yigyeom tried to interpret the man’s words as his means of greeting, that he would come by to say hello because his friend lived nearby and he came to Hankuk Station often so he nodded.
“You’re really pale.”
“…”
“Are you seeing someone?”
Those words would barely be considered as custody but a blatant interest. Yigyeom hoped that Kang Jihoon would come out of the cafe and leave with his friend. It was a question that Yigyeom heard often but every time he heard it, he felt like he wanted to run away and hide somewhere.
“Are you in a relationship?”
If Yigyeom said he had none, he felt like the man would say something more so words couldn’t come out easily. Also, it wasn’t easy to say that he wasn’t dating someone. Yigyeom dithered by himself, as the mint smell became more concentrated and he hid his trembling hand behind him.
“Did I ask you something difficult? Is there anyone you are fucking with?”
The man’s voice became more frightening as he grew irritated. Yigyeom thought he had to leave the alley as quickly as he could and run away, so he took a step back, and as if he noticed his ministrations, the man threw away the cigarette he was smoking to the floor and crushed it with his foot.
As soon as the thought that he would be dominated circled in his head, someone held his shoulders and supported his weight from behind. Yigyeom knew it was Kwon Taejung, just by the scent Yigyeom could feel, being in his arms.
“I’ve been looking for you for a while. Why weren’t you answering my calls?”
When Yigyeom heard his voice, he was scared but felt relieved inside his heart. Yigyeom raised his head to make eye contact with Kwon Taejung, who was looking down at him.
Kwon Taejung smiled affectionately, stroking his head before bending down to kiss Yigyeom’s cheeks with a loud smacking sound. Yigyeom tried to escape from his hold but Kwon Taejung didn’t let go at all.
“I was dying to see you, babe.”
“…”
“I told you to wait inside, so why are you waiting outside?”
“…”
Yigyeom was surprised to hear the word, “Babe ” and looked at Kwon Taejung as if he couldn’t believe it. The place on his cheeks which touched Kwon Taejung’s lips was still burning.
“Let’s go quickly, baby. But who is this bastard?”
Kwon Taejung wrapped his arms around Yigyeom’s shoulders and hugged him tightly, and glanced at the man who saw all of it unfold. Kwon Taejung was on a higher pedestal when he noticed the inferior alpha.
“The one he fucks with is here though? Now, what should I do? Should I hit you once to get it over with?”
The man who figured that Kwon Taejung was a dominant alpha, couldn’t open his mouth and bowed his head, with an apology before leaving the alley.
In the end, Kwon Taejung stared at the place from where the man left and finally released his strength over his hold on Yigyeom.
“What happened?”
Yigyeom was looking at Kwon Taejung as if he was a little out of it but came to his senses once he heard Kwon Taejung’s low pitched voice. Kwon Taejung clicked his tongue as he stared at Yigyeom.
“Go on speak, quickly. What happened when you were meeting the cat guy?”
“…I thought there would be Jihoon hyung there…but his friend came along…”
Kwon Taejung felt dirty as he smelled the terrible mint scent all over Yigyeom even though that inferior alpha had disappeared before he tilted his head and ran his eyes over Yigyeom’s body.
Scent mark! Scent mark! Scent mark!
Ohhh~