DFLT 16

Pinching his thigh to endure the boredom, Yeonoh safely arrived in Seoul. Whether due to the aftereffects of the suppressant or the relentless pace of work, Heonyoung dozed off during the drive.

At the briefing, they faced Chairman Seo’s wrath over the fire news causing a drop in affiliate stock prices. Of course, Seo Heonyoung’s demeanor leaned more toward letting it go in one ear and out the other.

With an unapologetic, dry gaze, Heonyoung occasionally counted the number of classic novels on Chairman Seo’s dust-free bookshelf or stared at the pendulum of an antique grandfather clock. This was also why Seo Heonyoung didn’t bother with pointless nagging at his subordinates. Having experienced it firsthand, he knew it was utterly useless.

Masterfully wielding the “carrot and stick” approach, Chairman Seo brandished the stick with stock prices but nodded solemnly and offered a carrot upon hearing that Seo Heonyoung had gone to Daejeon to handle the situation swiftly.

Finally, with instructions to treat the hardworking staff generously, Heonyoung was released from the chairman’s office.

“Ugh, that old man. I thought my ears would bleed.”

Heonyoung shook his head in disgust, muttering to himself.

Meanwhile, Yeonoh had been holding the elevator and using a navigation app on his phone to find the optimal route to JM Group in Seodaemun-gu.

[Kang Dojin sunbae: Yeonoh, did you get to work okay?]

A message from Dojin popped up in the preview window before quickly disappearing. Since he was on duty, Yeonoh postponed replying and informed Heonyoung about the route.

“It’ll take about 45 minutes.”

“Not bad.”

With a brief reply, Heonyoung answered an incoming call. Hearing a short “Hey,” it seemed to be Sehyun. Yeonoh, trying to ignore his ears perking up toward Heonyoung, casually stepped into the elevator.

“Now. About 45 minutes.”

Must be asking when he’d arrive. While the elevator descended, Yeonoh pulled out his phone to reply to Dojin.

[Yep, yep. Been swamped with weekend overtime. Did you rest well this weekend, sunbae?]

Dojin read Yeonoh’s reply at lightning speed.

[Kang Dojin sunbae: I still have a lot of questions for you. Free tonight?]

What’s he curious about… Yeonoh sighed, touching his forehead.

“Oh…”

He’d made a strange lament in front of Dojin, causing a massive misunderstanding.

‘Sunbae, what is marriage?’

‘You… getting married?’

After making excuses about weekend work to escape Dojin’s bewildered face, Yeonoh knew he owed a proper explanation.

[Let’s meet tonight. Since you treated me to something delicious last time, I’ll treat today!]

Adding a smiley emoji and suggesting they settle on a place and time later, Yeonoh turned off his phone screen, feeling a prickling sensation on his back. Turning around with a chill, he gasped involuntarily as if he’d seen a ghost. Seo Heonyoung was glaring at him with absolute disdain.

What? What did I do to deserve that look? Was checking my phone during a brief moment of downtime really worth such a stare? He took a personal call from his fiancé, so what’s with this? Huh?

Dozens of questions raced through his mind. Finally, Seo Heonyoung’s tightly closed lips parted.

“Aren’t you getting off?”

Yeonoh realized he hadn’t pressed the button for the descending elevator. He hurriedly pressed the lobby button, but Heonyoung’s finger reached it first, making Yeonoh press his hand instead.

“Oh, uh… Sorry.”

Yeonoh wished the Earth would explode right then and there.

JM Group’s headquarters in Seodaemun-gu had an aged exterior but a pristine interior. As a pharmaceutical company, the atmosphere and staff differed greatly from TG’s. The security guard, recognizing Heonyoung’s face, let him and Yeonoh in without question.

“Hyung!”

Thanks to the smooth entry, they reached the vice president’s office, where Sehyun, working, stood up warmly.

“Thanks for coming all this way.”

Standing a step behind, Yeonoh observed Sehyun’s office. Sunlit and dotted with green potted plants, it featured a refreshing mix of white and wood decor.

“First time at our headquarters, right?”

“Seems like it.”

The bright atmosphere suited Sehyun’s cheerful personality. His radiant face, light-colored hair, and small, red lips made his dominant omega status unmistakable without needing to say it.

“Secretary Choi, two cups of tea, please.”

Sehyun pressed the intercom button on his desk phone to request. Two cups, including himself, meant Yeonoh, who hadn’t been greeted, was to leave.

“It’s a smartwatch that records three days of biometric data like pulse, ECG, and blood pressure.”

Heonyoung unstrapped his watch. Come to think of it, he’d been wearing it since before heading to Daejeon.

“Mr. Yeonoh.”

“Yes, I’ll step out.”

“Wait outside.”

Unable to withstand Sehyun’s sharp glance, Yeonoh left the office, catching a final glimpse of Heonyoung handing the watch to Sehyun.

Pointing at the watch with a nod, Heonyoung spoke as Yeonoh closed the door.

“I’m curious what JM’s trait-tracking program will show.”

“Oh, yeah. Hold on. We can run it on the tablet.”

Sehyun rose from the sofa to his desk. Meanwhile, a secretary entered, placed steaming teacups in front of Heonyoung and Sehyun’s empty seat, and left. Returning to the sofa, Sehyun inputted something on the tablet, and data scrolled rapidly. Setting it down, he spoke cautiously.

“It’s still a test version, so it takes a bit. Oh, hyung, I saw the TG fire news. Is it resolved?”

“That’s why I was in Daejeon this weekend and just got back.”

“…With Mr. Ji Yeonoh?”

“Is that a problem?”

The gaze across the coffee table was so cold it could slice paper. Sehyun lowered his eyes and said softly.

“N-no, I mean, I met Yeonoh on Saturday with the planner, and he went straight to Daejeon. Must’ve been tough for him.”

Sehyun, rambling an excuse Heonyoung clearly wouldn’t care for, picked up his teacup. Sipping warm chamomile tea, he gauged Heonyoung’s reaction.

“We’re visiting a few wedding venues this weekend. Anything specific you want me to focus on—”

“Discuss that with Ji Yeonoh.”

But as the topic shifted to the wedding, Seo Heonyoung responded dryly with cynical eyes, having lost all interest.

“…Hyung, I can’t even discuss our wedding with you?”

This was a recurring pattern. Heonyoung’s disinterest in marriage was known, but his utter lack of effort to hide it was another matter.

“Am I marrying Mr. Ji Yeonoh?”

“That’d be a sight.”

Though meant as a slight jab, it fell flat, reduced to a scoff. As Sehyun pursed his lips, the tablet finished loading and displayed a graph. A faint crack appeared on his pale face.

“There… might be an error, hyung.”

Sehyun exhaled after saying “error.”

“Didn’t you say development was nearly done?”

“It says you were in a rut. From three days ago, when recording started, until late yesterday afternoon.”

Touching the graph’s peak pheromone level, Sehyun continued.

“It shows your pheromones were this unstable around 3 p.m. yesterday. You were in Daejeon. Something’s wrong. I’ll send feedback to the dev team.”

“No.”

Sehyun’s tone suggested denial. Was he frustrated that the heavily invested tech wasn’t perfect, or was there another reason?

“That’s pretty accurate.”

“…Huh?”

“It was a rut.”

“You were… in a rut?”

Sehyun’s hand holding the tablet trembled slightly. His voice, asking if it was true, wavered unsteadily.

“Yeah. Like the graph, it peaked around 3 p.m.”

At Heonyoung’s words, delivered with a chuckle, Sehyun felt the world turn upside down, his head spinning.

“…So, you had a rut while with Mr. Ji Yeonoh?”

“Correct.”

“Hyung!”

Sehyun, his face flushed red, stood and shouted.

“Do you even realize what you’re saying?”

“You tell me. What did I say to make you act like this?”

Showing no hint of unease, Seo Heonyoung leisurely crossed his legs, tilted his chin, and met Sehyun’s eyes.