DFLT 39

Yeonoh doubted his ears. Seo Heonyoung was blatantly insinuating that he had offered his body to Kang Dojin and received financial benefits in return. Contrary to the surging displeasure, his blood ran cold. Yeonoh caught his breath and brushed off the shoulder Heonyoung’s hand had touched, pulling his body away.

“Executive Director, you are misunderstanding.”

The absurd misunderstanding was one thing, but to corner a person like this… A hollow laugh escaped him on its own. He could not clear up the misunderstanding, and he had even less desire to do so. Thus, he did not want to repeat the act of picking up the stone Seo Heonyoung had thrown, hitting himself with it, and feeling the pain.

“What is the reason you came all the way here?”

He had thought it must be a matter of great importance for Seo Heonyoung, who did not waste a single minute or second, to personally make the trip to this place. His mood hit rock bottom due to Seo Heonyoung’s words and actions, which were just shooting pointless arrows here and there.

“Whatever your relationship with Kang Dojin is, I would appreciate it if you didn’t get privately involved with him.”

In fact, that was the very first worry that had crossed his mind earlier when he found out that Dojin and Heonyoung were friends. The thought of news about Heonyoung reaching him indirectly. Since he did not want that either, Yeonoh had a perfectly good reason to close his ears.

“I will be careful so that you won’t have to worry about it.”

“Alright. Good work.”

As if he had achieved what he wanted, Seo Heonyoung got into his car without any lingering attachment and drove out of the alley. Yeonoh stood still, continuing to gaze at the empty space where Seo Heonyoung’s car had disappeared. No, in truth, it was closer to holding back tears.

Whenever Seo Heonyoung lingered in a corner of his heart, the air around him would become dry and parched. In contrast, the rims of his eyes, against his will, would pour out tears as they pleased. It was truly a damn condensation phenomenon.

What was even more frustrating was the fact that he had become quite an expert at swallowing his tears. When he felt the moisture welling up in his eyes, he would refrain from blinking, duck his head, and bite his lip firmly. Because the tear stains that fell cleanly onto the asphalt would soon disappear anyway.

“Hyung!”

As he was roughly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he heard Seowon’s voice from a distance. Hastily clearing his throat, Yeonoh answered nonchalantly.

“Ah, weren’t you at home? The lights were on.”

“I was at the cafe and just got off work. Ah, Park Hyeyoon said, hyung, did you by any chance come to the cafe last week? She said you were with some guy.”

“…Huh?”

The man Seowon was talking about was Kwon Jonghyuk. Hyeyoon had been working at the cafe that day, but knowing that she, despite being very playful, was not the type to meddle in every little thing, he had purposely not gone out. That was why Yeonoh’s tone, as he asked Seowon back, was laced with bewilderment.

“She said the order came out wrong, but the atmosphere was so serious that she couldn’t say anything.”

Then, he handed Yeonoh two one-thousand-won bills.

“The difference. The man ordered a caramel macchiato, but she said two Americanos, the same as yours, came out.”

“…Ah, you can have it.”

“Hyung, is something wrong?”

“No, what could be wrong.”

He replied in a small voice and quickly lowered his head to hide his stiff expression. As expected, this kind of trivial emotional game was too much for him. Just as they arrived in front of the house and he was about to open the gate, Seowon suddenly made a fuss.

“Hyung, hyung. By the way, did you see the Maserati earlier? It came from your direction.”

“Ah, that, well, I don’t know?”

The person Seowon saw was Heonyoung, but Yeonoh feigned ignorance and shook his head. If he said it was his boss from work, a procession of questions would surely follow.

“Wow, how can a Maserati be driving around in this run-down neighborhood? You think he’s a car poor?”

He almost burst out laughing at the outlandish idea.

“…Who knows. He was probably here to meet someone.”

“At first, I thought he was a car poor, so I took a quick look at his face, you know? He’s so handsome. You can just tell he’s from a rich family, no, a vibranium spoon family. You can see the elegance just pouring from his face.”

“He must be someone impressive.”

“Well, if you take out a full installment loan for a car that costs over a hundred million, you’d go bankrupt.”

“We would buy a house with that money.”

While agreeing half-heartedly, he thought that Ji Seowon’s insight was second to none.

After washing up, Yeonoh lay on his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, then his gaze flickered to the suit hanging neatly on the wall. It did not match the peeling wallpaper at all. Just like Seo Heonyoung, who had visited this neighborhood.

Before he even realized it, the end of his thoughts had once again led back to Seo Heonyoung, and a voice flowed in as if a recorder button had been pressed.

‘People don’t just get clothes worth over a million won as a gift. Usually.’

Was he worried that I might be scamming his close friend? He had said something similar to me at the residence when we ran into each other unexpectedly, and also on the day Heo Geonseung made a pass at me. He probably has no interest in the truth. In Seo Heonyoung’s eyes, Ji Yeonoh is likely just an impure Beta human who meets Alphas with ulterior motives anyway.

And Seo Heonyoung will live on like that. He will exchange wedding vows with Do Sehyeon amidst everyone’s blessings, give birth to a child with a dominant trait, and live happily ever after like a protagonist in a fairy tale. So, what he needed to worry about was not some emotion that went against the natural order, nor was it wringing out tears over Seo Heonyoung’s unreasonable contempt. His life was already overwhelming enough, struggling with the numbers game of salary, living expenses, and loan payments.

‘If a rumor spreads that your father killed someone, do you think you’ll be able to show your face at the company?’

…What if Kwon Jonghyuk really posts something like that on Rewind? He was in the middle of breathing a sigh of relief since there had been no contact after he deposited two million won on Monday, but judging by his conduct, he was the type of person who wouldn’t be strange at all if he suddenly dropped a bomb.

I think I need to talk to Kwon Jonghyuk again. Ah, but what if he goes to find Seowon? Even if he works part-time at the cafe, his earnings must be tight… Just as he was about to sink into a swamp of complex thoughts, Yeonoh closed his eyes to shake off the idle notions.

“─tive Director.”

Tap, tap. As if he had not even heard the voice calling him, the tip of the fountain pen held by Seo Heonyoung was striking the cover of the file folder at regular intervals.

“Executive Director.”

His unfocused gaze briefly roamed and rubbed the empty air before gathering together again at Section Chief Kim Jinhan’s repeated call. As the idle thoughts cleared, the work lined up with reality came to mind, and Heonyoung opened the document.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“Are you alright? It seems you’ve been overworking yourself recently, perhaps you should see the doctor…”

“It will probably pass.”

As if to make Jinhan’s concern meaningless, Heonyoung, who had shown a calm reaction, began to review the document, but he could not even read two lines before he massaged his stiff brow.

“What was the new secretary’s name.”

“Are you referring to Assistant Manager Choi Jinseok, who was transferred from another team as Mr. Yeonoh’s replacement?”

“Ah, Mr. Choi Jinseok.”

It had already been over a month since the new secretary started working, but no matter how many times he muttered it, the name just did not stick, as if he were someone else’s secretary.

“I’m sorry, but starting today, I think I’ll have to ask Section Chief Kim to drive again instead of Assistant Manager Choi.”

“Pardon? Did Mr. Jinseok cause some kind of problem…”

“No matter how faint it is, the unfamiliar pheromone is so bothersome I can’t sleep at all. It’s not Assistant Manager Choi’s fault, it’s my problem for being sensitive.”

It was one of the discomforts of being a Dominant Alpha, where even pheromones of a sensitivity that others could not feel grated on his nerves. The only window of freedom to rest during a grueling schedule was while commuting, but even then, perhaps because he was nervous, the new secretary’s Alpha pheromone was emitted, scratching at his five senses.

It was a discomfort he had not felt in years. At least in the back seat with the pheromone-free Ji Yeonoh, if you just ignored the scent of soap from a morning shower, it was quite peaceful.

The way he was so anxious not to get on his nerves was quite funny, and if he leaned his head back quietly to fall asleep with his eyes closed, the man, thinking he was asleep, would even breathe cautiously. With the near-silent noise as a backdrop, he sometimes really did fall asleep for a short while.

He was just like air. A colorless, odorless gas hovering nearby. A value equivalent to not even knowing if he was there or not. That was why he was a flawless secretary. It was a shame, but since Ji Yeonoh himself brought this upon himself.

“Yes, I will do that.”

After receiving the reviewed document back from Heonyoung, Section Chief Kim left the office with an affirmative reply. There was still time until the next schedule, so he was reviewing electronic approval documents pending authorization. It was then that the vibration of his phone, which broke his concentration, made Heonyoung furrow his brow. When he turned his eyes to the screen, the caller was Kang Dojin.

“Yeah.”

—I guess you won’t be dying anytime soon, you.

Wondering what fresh nonsense this was, an incredulous Heonyoung rolled his eyes upward.

—People really don’t change. You’re as cold as ever, truly.

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, I’m hanging up.”

—I’m busy too. You think I’d call for no reason?

“What is it.”

—I opened an office. Come visit.

Oh. Heonyoung, who had just pressed the reject button on an electronic approval proposal, gave a short reaction.

—My friend, can’t you react with a little more soul.

“This is already the maximum.”

—Ha, you hopeless bastard. That’s why Yeonoh ran away.

Heonyoung, who was typing the reason for rejection in the explanation window of the proposal, retorted irritably.

“Why would he run away. I was the one who kicked him out.”

—Don’t you think that’s even more of a problem in its own way, my friend.

“What do you know.”

—I’m going to start finding out now. Is it okay if I scout Yeonoh?

Seo Heonyoung’s hand, which had been scrolling down with an indifferent face, stopped at once.