DHG Ch 14

As the chilly winds began to sweep in during mid-October, Heewoo started receiving pheromone showers from Mingun. The catalyst was a visit to a new doctor at a small hospital near Benny’s, rather than the previous general hospital.

“You did great! Doesn’t it feel better after the pheromone shower?”

The elderly doctor, now beaming in front of him, was far more blunt than the previous one.

‘It’s like you’re desperate to strip pheromones from your body, but our bodies are organic. It’s not as simple as chopping off an unneeded part.’

The doctor couldn’t understand why Heewoo stubbornly refused pheromone showers despite always being accompanied by an alpha. To her, it was like letting his health deteriorate while ignoring an obvious remedy right under his nose.

‘You’re holding up now because you’re young. Wait ten years—you’ll be in bad shape.’

Raised by his grandmother, Heewoo tended to be especially polite around elders. Particularly when faced with a mix of concern and compliments like, “What’ll you do if you suffer later? That lovely skin of yours will get ruined by pheromones,” he couldn’t help but feel his eyes waver.

In the end, just a few days ago, Heewoo had cautiously brought it up with Mingun. He asked if it would be okay to request a pheromone shower.

“Well done, well done.”

And so, Heewoo could now face the old doctor’s praise. Seeing the teacher smile so brightly that his face wrinkled, Heewoo’s lips twitched awkwardly in response. He couldn’t help but think that taking the pheromone shower was the right choice.

“Look at that. The fever that was clinging so stubbornly is gone now!”

36.7 degrees. His body temperature had returned to normal.

“Your friend went through a lot too.”

The praise extended to Mingun, who was sitting nearby. Because of Won Madam’s strict instruction to never take his eyes off Heewoo, Mingun had accompanied him to every visit to the clinic. He responded with a smile instead of words.

“You might have a fever from time to time, but it’ll gradually get better. Come back if you feel unwell.”

As the visit concluded and Heewoo stood to leave, he turned to the doctor and said, “Could you prescribe a bit more medicine?”

“Why?”

“Just in case something like this happens again.”

At his words, the doctor furrowed his brow deeply.

Five minutes later, while paying the bill in cash at the desk, Heewoo couldn’t hide his glum mood. He had hoped for nothing but praise, but the doctor had scolded him: “If you take your pheromone showers on time, this won’t happen again. You need to take better care of your body. You’re not going to keep suppressing your pheromones, are you?” Still, it was a relief that he’d managed to get a generous supply of emergency medicine.

The genetics clinic was located in a mixed-use building with several hospitals. Heewoo stopped by the pharmacy with Mingun and then stood in front of the elevator.

“Yeah, hyung. We’re heading down now.”

As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Mingun made a call. It was to the burly guys waiting in the underground parking lot. Whether it was for protection or not, Won Madam always assigned at least three people, including Mingun, to accompany Heewoo to the hospital. It was a bit burdensome, but also reassuring.

At that moment, Heewoo suddenly looked up.

The mirrored walls of the elevator reflected the interior. His eyes met those of a small-statured man who had boarded the elevator with them on the genetics clinic’s floor.

He was just an ordinary-looking guy. The next moment, the man naturally looked away. Heewoo also averted his gaze, though something about the man’s dyed hair with visible roots, faint eyebrows, and tired, hollow eyes felt oddly familiar.

Where have I seen him?

The elevator quickly reached the parking lot. The man disappeared to the right. The burly guys, who had received Mingun’s call earlier, raised their hands with a loud “Yo!” to signal their location.

“What’s wrong?”

Standing so close their noses almost touched, Mingun instinctively wrapped an arm around Heewoo’s back and asked. It’s nothing, Heewoo shook his head. He didn’t want to trouble Mingun, who was already inconvenienced by him, with something so uncertain.

Still, wanting to be cautious, he stuck close to Mingun as they walked to the car. Even after reaching the van, Heewoo kept trying to recall where he’d seen the dyed-hair guy, but the harder he tried to pin it down, the hazier the memory became.

✮⋆˙

It had been nearly two months since Jang Seungyung became the new boss of the van. Strange phenomena began occurring within the establishment.

“They say he paid off all his debts and left.”

“Even Yu Sunsoo? That’s the second one this month, isn’t it?”

Debtors who smoothly paid off their debts and left the establishment started appearing one by one. This was thanks to the elimination of the absurd withholding system and the unfair treatment it had caused.

Originally, exorbitant fees—disguised as grooming costs, model taxi fares, or other charges—were forcibly deducted from the girls and Sunsoos. These were withheld from their salaries under the guise of contractual obligations, and failing to incur such additional debts meant being excluded from bookings. It was a system where debtors had no choice but to watch their debts pile up, swallowing their resentment.

But after the new boss took over, the system changed. All costs except lodging became truly optional. Sunsoos and girls could get bookings without wearing designer clothes or getting treatments at boutiques.

With no more money leaking out, someone had paid off their debt and left the van for the first time just a few days ago. Unlike before, when the only way out was begging another establishment’s pimp to buy their debt, this was a groundbreaking change. The van’s staff were shocked, as if the world had turned upside down.

“Is the new boss planning to shut down the business?”

Such talk naturally started circulating. Especially among the indebted hosts, it was a frequent topic whenever they gathered.

“I mean, this business wasn’t originally under Chairman Jang’s control. Jang Cheonwoong and Jang Jooshin were managing it.”

“The current boss is part of the chairman’s line, so what does it matter? Looks like he’s kicking out Jang Cheonwoong to take direct control.”

“Well, it’s been hard to see his face lately.”

“That’s just because he’s busy with headquarters. All the guys down here are under the boss, aren’t they? And I heard they’re redoing the boss’s office interior. Would they do that if they were shutting down?”

Unlike the heated debates early on, the consensus was gradually leaning toward one side: there was no way they’d shut down. However, there was one point even they couldn’t confidently refute—the sudden halt in the regular influx of fresh new faces every month.

Of course, there was another form of recruitment. Won Madam had allowed some of the van’s hosts who had moved to other establishments to return.

“Heewoo-ya.”

Idaol, who had just walked into the kitchen, was one of those who had come back.

“One fruit juice, please. Something green.”

It was 5:30 p.m., still a relatively quiet time before opening. Heewoo quickly blended the juice and handed it over in a to-go cup.

Meeting Idaol again after six months, he was one of the few hosts Heewoo exchanged greetings with. A male omega, Idaol had also warned him about Kang Sunsoo before leaving for another establishment.

“It’s been a while since I had this taste.”

Taking a sip of the juice, Idaol’s eyes sparkled under his soft, curly hair, brimming with sensitivity.

“Let’s grab some tteokbokki and beer sometime.”

“Sure.”

When Heewoo agreed readily, Idaol smiled again. After paying and leaving, the Head Chef, who had gone to the bathroom, returned.

“Why’d that guy come back?”

The Head Chef, glancing at Idaol’s retreating figure over his shoulder, quietly asked Heewoo.

“He must’ve spilled some details to you, right?”

The Head Chef, to put it kindly, was full of concern and interest; less kindly, he was a bit nosy. The number of people he meddled with in a single day outnumbered the spice jars used in the kitchen.

“Is something up? They say Shin Sunsoo had issues with a double promissory note. Heard he went through a lot after his referral manager bailed.”

As the Head Chef said, rumors had been swirling that many hosts who contacted Won Madam hoping to return to the van had been rejected. Idaol was one of the few exceptions.

Thus, a quiet rumor spread that Won Madam was only taking back hosts with “special circumstances.”

“He didn’t say anything.”

In truth, Heewoo hadn’t heard anything from Idaol. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have shared it.

“Ugh, not even making eye contact. Sometimes that guy’s colder than my kid at home.”

The Head Chef sighed as he opened the staff fridge. Since the new boss took over, his tone had become more casual. Since he’d always been more cautious with Heewoo, it didn’t bother him much.

“Everyone who leaves and comes back has their own story.”

Gulping down a soda, the Head Chef muttered like he was reciting a song.

“I really didn’t hear anything.”

“I’m not talking about Idaol.”

Crushing the empty can, the Head Chef lowered his voice subtly. Heewoo looked up. The Head Chef nodded toward the glass door.

“Go out there. Yoonguk’s here.”

At the mention of a name he hadn’t heard in a while, Heewoo paused while unwrapping some plastic wrap. After a moment’s hesitation, he carefully covered the remaining fruit, kept his apron on, and stepped outside.

Just as the Head Chef said, there was a man leaning against the wall at the corridor’s entrance to the establishment. Spotting Heewoo, he lit up with a warm expression.

Yoonguk. The man with a single-character name was a mild-mannered alpha.

The CEO of a music investment firm, he was one of the guests Kim Jinhwan treated with particular courtesy. Rumor had it his father owned dozens of businesses overseas and had deep ties to political circles.

“With that kind of wealth, he can afford to invest here and there, bridging connections. Then one of them hits the jackpot.”

One of the Sunsoos had dismissed Yoonguk’s actions as such, but not everyone with a wealthy father could run a respectable business. Among the van’s guests, plenty squandered their parents’ money without a care.

“Long time no see.”

As the man greeted him warmly, Heewoo returned a polite, “Hello.” Under the dim lighting, Yoonguk gave a wry chuckle as he studied him.

“I can’t even ask if you’ve been well. You don’t look so good.”