ETP Ch 84

A partner or a marriage prospect? What in the world did that mean?!

“Father! W-What!!”

“Why, did I say something I shouldn’t have? If Yoohyun collapses again and something serious happens next time, what will we do then!”

Chairman Hwang Jingu grew even angrier at his son and daughter-in-law’s flustered reaction.

“No, but Yoohyun is only 23 years old!”

“You two fell in love as soon as you turned 20 and had Yoohyun at 21!”

“That’s, that’s true, but.”

The couple looked embarrassed as their arguments fell on deaf ears.

Yoohyun, who had been watching the adults discuss him with a calm expression, clicked his tongue briefly.

His mother, who heard the sound next to her, poked Yoohyun’s side. Her husband was still bickering with his father.

“Son.”

Yoohyun only turned his gaze at her call. Joosun continued speaking, moving her lips as little as possible.

“Do you, have someone?”

“Pardon?”

“No, I haven’t been investigating or anything, but I heard there’s a reason your rut was moved up. Hmm?”

Ah, as expected.

He figured it was only a matter of time before his parents or grandfather found out. It was more impressive that the director had managed to keep the secret and only let out that much.

Yoohyun nodded without any sign of surprise.

“Oh my!”

Joosun was startled by her son’s easy reaction and let out a loud exclamation. The sound was so loud that both Chairman Hwang Jingu and Vice Chairman Hwang Myungjin, who were bickering, forgot what they were saying and turned their heads toward her.

“Daughter-in-law? Why the fuss?”

“Ah, Father. That…”

Joosun, who had inadvertently drawn everyone’s attention, poked Yoohyun’s side again. It was a signal for him to handle it himself.

Yoohyun looked at her once and took a deep breath.

He wished he could have informed them after things progressed well with Bokseung, but how many things in life go as planned? There was no helping it.

“Grandfather. I have no intention of marrying or finding a partner.”

“Yoohyun! Then you intend to endure by forcibly injecting those baseless chemicals every time your rut comes?! Absolutely not!”

It was a slander that would make the employees of Heavent, who compounded medicine with only the highest-grade ingredients, jump with indignation if they heard it, but it was true that using suppressants was not a natural way to get through rut.

Chairman Hwang Jingu pounded on the armrest of the sofa. His heart sank when he heard the news that Yoohyun had been rushed to the secondary gender clinic due to a shock from accumulated pheromones and an overdose of suppressants. He had left him alone, thinking he would handle it well, and this was the result.

It was absolutely unacceptable for his precious grandson to suffer because of pheromones. How could he stand to see a dominant Alpha, not even a recessive one, being dragged around by mere pheromones!

“Father! Calm down and listen to what the child has to say!”

“Be quiet! Why are you, who couldn’t even properly care for the one child you have, shouting!”

“No, then are we supposed to interfere with every single thing our adult child does!”

“You should, if you have to!”

The two dominant Alphas growled, uttering baseless and illogical remarks.

“Both of you, please stop now, Mother is here too.”

Yoohyun intervened, seeing his mother’s face growing paler.

At Yoohyun’s words, the two showed a look of realization and quickly controlled their pheromones. As if that wasn’t enough, Joosun got up and opened the window.

“Hmm, yes. Th-I’m sorry, my child.”

“It’s okay, Father must be very worried. But can’t we at least hear Yoohyun’s opinion first?”

At Joosun’s pointed remark, Chairman Hwang Jingu cleared his throat and nodded. His attitude was one of, ‘Let’s just hear him out.’

“There is a friend I like.”

“Huh?”

“That friend is an Omega, and if possible, I want to continue a good relationship with that friend.”

“Huh?”

Chairman Hwang Jingu could only utter strange interjections at his grandson’s bomb declaration.

It was a relief that he had a friend he was interested in, but wait.

“If possible? What, does that mean you are not in any kind of relationship with that friend yet?”

“Yes. We are not in any relationship yet.”

“Huh?”

Another strange interjection popped out this time.

No, how could his grandson, who was perfect from head to toe, not be in a relationship with a friend he liked yet?!

Was that even possible? Why?

“In any case, I don’t need a partner or a marriage prospect if it’s not that friend, so please end this discussion here.”

“Then you should quickly date that friend and introduce them! What have you been doing not even dating yet!”

Chairman Hwang Jingu, the doting grandfather who firmly believed that anyone his grandson liked would be readily accepted, shouted.

Yoohyun’s parents also had no intention of arguing with his statement.

Of course! Our son is not lacking in looks or qualifications anywhere!

“I am the one who likes him unilaterally, that’s all.”

Yoohyun, who nonchalantly betrayed the adults’ blind trust, got up from his seat with a refreshed expression.

“So, put your curiosity about that friend aside. Whether it works out or not, I will handle it myself.”

At his words, the three elders of the Hwang family clamped their mouths shut.

They were already planning to find out about Yoohyun’s ‘friend’ right away, but they were cut off before they could even act.

They knew Yoohyun’s personality very well. Even though he seemed indifferent, if things went wrong, he was a real pain in the neck. They had also experienced a few times that there was no way to handle the aftermath when something that shouldn’t be touched was touched.

Chairman Hwang Jingu and Yoohyun’s parents simply kept silent.

They were operating on the hopeful assumption that since Yoohyun also experienced shock during this rut, he would somehow bring the matter to a head.

Yoohyun went up to his room, leaving the still-dazed adults behind.

A brand-new cell phone, exactly the same as his old one, was lying on the table. He called Bokseung first. His thirst for Bokseung was severe, as he hadn’t even heard his voice for a week.

Fortunately, Bokseung’s voice came through before the call tone repeated three times.

—Sunbae-nim?!!?!

It was a voice clearly startled by the sudden call. Yoohyun felt his fingertips tremble even at those three syllables.

“Uh, Kim Bokseung.”

Yoohyun managed to utter Bokseung’s name. Yoohyun naturally expected a barrage of nagging. However, what he actually heard was crying, completely different from what he had anticipated. Loud sobs poured out over the phone.

W-What is it?

Yoohyun, wearing an uncharacteristically confused expression, took the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen once. He thought he might have dialed the wrong number. However, the name on the screen was indeed Bokseung, and the voice still crying ‘hooong’ was also Bokseung’s.

—S-Sunbae-nim! I’m s-sorry. I didn’t, h-hic, I didn’t mean to, h-hic! I wanted to, h-hic, be of help, hic, I wanted to be!

The child was apologizing, saying sorry for something that wasn’t even his fault.

Yoohyun couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous apology. The thought of, ‘What should I do with this softhearted boy?’ was a bonus.

At the same time, a despicable thought grew in a corner of his mind: since he was such a softhearted boy, wouldn’t he accept him, if only out of guilt?

‘An Alpha and Omega with good compatibility, each other’s only partner.’

He thought it was just a fantasy made up by the public about secondary genders. However, Bokseung and he were clearly that ‘pair.’

His conviction had become even clearer while going through this rut. It was fundamentally illogical for him to even enter rut in response to Bokseung’s faint pheromones.

It was only a matter of time before Bokseung was drawn to him. Yoohyun decided to wait for that time with pleasure.

Since Kim Bokseung was a little slow and oblivious, his self-awareness might be delayed. He could wait long enough until then.

“Okay. Sleep well, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He spoke, thoroughly suppressing the urge to see his face right away. Hearing Bokseung’s meek reply to that, Yoohyun ended the call.

Knock, knock. As soon as the call ended, a knock echoed in the room as if on cue.

“Son.”

As expected, his mother, Joosun’s voice, was heard from beyond the door. Yoohyun opened the door to greet her.

“Let me see, your face is quite worn out.”

“I’m fine.”

Joosun lovingly stroked her son’s face, which she hadn’t properly seen earlier, and felt sorry for him. Since he had such a handsome face, the slight rough patch didn’t hide his good looks, but it was still upsetting.

“What kind of friend is that? Same school? Same age? Is it that junior who helps with the part-time job?”

“Mom.”

“No, you told me not to look into it separately, so you can at least tell me a few things I’m curious about.”

Joosun pouted her lips.

It was a cute expression suitable for a woman with a hard-to-believe age of 40, but to Yoohyun, it was merely the tantrum of an immature mother.

Seeing her son’s look of exhaustion, Joosun’s temper flared up again.

“You! You! Huh?! Other families’ Alpha children meet Omegas well, so why are you bringing shame with suppressant shock?!”

Yoohyun simply covered his ears at her nagging. And at his son’s half-hearted attitude, Joosun’s temperature rose to the top of her head.

Seeing his mother like that, Yoohyun replied dismissively.

“Your son is not impotent, and I plan to date and marry in the future, so don’t worry.”

“Of course! I’m so sturdy…!”

“Ah, come on!”

Yoohyun, exasperated, pushed Joosun out of the room. Even as she was guided out of the room by her son’s hand, Joosun continued to nag.

“Hwang Yoohyun, you know it’s a national loss if you don’t use what you have between your legs, right? Hmm? If possible, discuss it well with your friend, and use it according to a plan!”

“Yes, yes. I get it, so please go downstairs.”

Even after sending Joosun out, Yoohyun shook his head, feeling her voice still ringing in his ears.

Honestly, she’s so gossipy.

But then, his own mind, which immediately started fantasizing about planning various things with Bokseung upon hearing her words, was quite gossipy itself.