DFLT 43

“You heard, we are proceeding with the MOU.”

“…Pardon me?”

Yeonoh’s eyes, which had been slowly blinking as if solving a riddle to understand Heonyoung’s meaning, slowly, and then widely, opened.

“Does that mean you are sending me back to the Secretary’s Office….”

Instead of answering, Heonyoung tossed something to Yeonoh. When he spread both his hands to catch the black object, he saw it was the key to the commuter car.

“You drive starting today. The scent of alpha pheromones alone makes me nauseous.”

Ah, now that I think about it, the reason he had me drive from my first day at work was also because I was a beta. He is unusually sensitive to other pheromones.

However, having been hurt in that position once before, the answer that he would readily do it did not come out immediately.

Yeonoh stole glances at Heonyoung, who was resuming his meal. His face was as indifferent as usual, so it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

“You have a look on your face that says you need more of a reason.”

Perhaps sensing my continuous gaze, Seo Heonyoung put down his spoon and chopsticks and looked at Yeonoh. The moment their eyes met, Yeonoh lowered his blushing face and avoided his gaze.

“If I had known Team Leader Park wrote reports that terribly, I would have reconsidered.”

“……”

“If you don’t want to, then never mind. It’s not like there are absolutely no alternatives.”

Yesterday, I was so depressed, wondering if he told me to leave the company, but seeing that he has called me back to the Secretary’s Office, I guess he still needs me.

Yes, let’s just find meaning in the fact that I was acknowledged for my abilities by Seo Heonyoung, who is notorious for being demanding. I’m not going to cry this time.

“…N-no.”

“If it’s not no?”

Yeonoh took a breath, nodded his head, and answered.

“I will do it.”

“Wow, Seo Heonyoung, you greedy son of a gun….”

Dojin, who was next to Yeonoh, shook his head repeatedly with an incomprehensible remark that sounded almost awestruck.

“Tofu, we’ll be seeing each other more often now, right?”

“Yes, I think so!”

“We’ll see each other while working, and after work too, so we’ll be seeing each other all day. Right?”

“Sunbae, um… can I ask what kind of startup company it is?”

“Of course.”

Feeling burdened by Dojin’s stare that was fixed on him, Yeonoh naturally changed the subject and asked about the company. Dojin reached out, picked up a smartwatch that was on the dining table tray, and showed it to him.

“Want to try this on?”

“Ah, yes.”

Yeonoh took the watch and rolled up the sleeve of his sweatshirt, but maybe because his frame was small for his clothes, the sleeve slid up right above his elbow.

“Yeonoh-ya, you need to eat more. You’re really thin. I think we’ll have to fasten the watch on a tighter notch.”

Just as he was thinking the watch strap was loosely left over, Dojin said it was for a more accurate measurement and personally fastened the strap on a tighter hole for him.

“Ah, sunbae. I can do it myself.”

“I’m already done.”

At the unfamiliar sensation of his fingertips touching him, Yeonoh flinched his wrist for a moment as if burned. But Dojin had already fastened the watch strap on the inner hole. He turned his wrist and stared at the watch; it was definitely a TG smartwatch, but its functions looked somewhat different.

“Manifested individuals are greatly affected by pheromones, so they need to be checked periodically. So far, there’s no technology to check one’s physical condition in real time, but this time, Sehyun’s company received a patent for measuring pheromones through biological responses like pulse or body temperature. We plan to integrate it into TG’s new watch.”

Come to think of it, Heonyoung had worn the same watch. It was something that had been included in an article that mentioned Heonyoung and Sehyun’s engagement. But Dojin, who was carefully examining the watch’s interface, tilted his head as if something was strange.

“Uh, wait a minute. I think the settings are wrong.”

“Ah, why?”

“The pheromone level is showing up, but Yeonoh, you’re a beta, right? Just a moment.”

“Ah, su-sunbae….”

Dojin pulled Yeonoh’s wrist and brought his upper body closer, saying he would fix the watch’s settings. In that instant, Dojin’s woody body wash scent wafted into his nose. Dojin, who was fiddling with the watch, still had a vague expression, as if his question had not been resolved.

“Even if the setting is on omega, since Yeonoh is a beta, it should show an error. The pheromone level that’s showing is far below the normal range for an omega. It is strange.”

The pheromone level was a decimal number close to 0, so it was practically a meaningless figure. It was probably because the product was still in testing, so it wouldn’t be perfect. Dojin took the watch back, saying he would have to send feedback to Sehyun, and continued his explanation.

“Anyway, our company holds the patent for the semiconductor integration technology that will compute this measurement. My grandfather transferred one of DW Group’s design patents to me when he passed away.”

“Ah, what was that semiconductor design thing called…. Fabless, is that right?”

“That’s right! Wow, you’re so smart, our Tofu.”

Just as Dojin grinned and ruffled Yeonoh’s hair.

“So the gist of it is.”

Heonyoung suddenly cut in, and the atmosphere, which had brightened a little, instantly deflated like a balloon that had lost its air. His voice was tinged with irritation. Was it perhaps because he did not like wasting time with fruitless conversation? Yeonoh lowered the corners of his mouth, which had curved into a smile.

“I was trying to acquire Kang Dojin’s company and make it a semiconductor subsidiary of TG, but that has become difficult.”

“…Aah.”

“We have to go to work now, so get changed and come out.”

“Yes!”

It was almost time to hit the morning rush hour. Yeonoh quickly went to the guest room and put his arms into his clothes, from which the smell of last night’s alcohol had all disappeared. The freshly washed and dried clothes were soft and pleasantly warm. But more than that, it seemed he was also a little excited at the thought of going back to work in the Secretary’s Office.

“Come visit again, Yeonoh-ya.”

“Yes. I’ll contact you!”

“Okay, next time, let’s see each other without that tag-along.”

Heonyoung, who had suddenly become the ‘tag-along’, shut the door with a slam, so he couldn’t finish his farewell. The heavy silence that followed continued even after they reached the underground parking garage. Until finally, Seo Heonyoung was the first to call Yeonoh’s name.

“Ji Yeonoh.”

“Yes, Executive Director.”

“That habit of drinking and passing out anywhere, fix it.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

“And.”

He will narrow his eyes and ask in an unkind tone if I’m protesting because I heard something unpleasant yesterday. How nice it would be if the plea I made to the Seo Heonyoung in my dream to not say harsh things could also reach the real Seo Heonyoung. He felt a needless sense of sorrow.

“I was the one who was overly sensitive yesterday.”

As if to spite him, the softened words that broke his expectations came over, and Yeonoh’s eyes widened as he came to a dead stop.

“…Pardon me?”

Although it was a straightforward admission of his own fault, Yeonoh, on the contrary, could not hide his dazed expression as if he had been struck on the head. The problem was that while the stupefied Yeonoh was standing in the middle of the parking garage, a car that had turned a corner was speeding towards him.

“Ji Yeonoh, a car is com—.”

Heonyoung, who quickly assessed the situation, cut himself off and, without a moment to think, pulled Yeonoh’s arm toward him. However, Yeonoh’s frame was much smaller and lighter than the force Heonyoung had used, causing him to lose his balance. Yeonoh, who was being pulled by an immense force and felt like he was about to slam his face into Heonyoung’s chest, struggled and instinctively grabbed the lapel of his suit jacket.

“Ugh…!”

He was on the verge of tumbling to the floor with Heonyoung, but fortunately, Heonyoung placed a hand on a pillar, preventing them from falling. His other hand was firmly supporting Yeonoh’s waist, and it took a few seconds for Yeonoh to realize that fact.

“Ah….”

In other words, the distance between him and Heonyoung was less than 20 centimeters. Yeonoh’s surprised eyes, forgetting even the fact that he should move away, meticulously scanned Heonyoung’s handsome face that had suddenly come close. But then, a voice from somewhere suddenly struck his mind.

‘Why, why do I have to listen only to you even in my dreams, Executive Director? When you only ever say harsh things.’

‘Are you crazy? Get a grip.’

‘Please don’t. Please don’t hate me.’

‘Ji Yeonoh.’

‘Sometimes it hurts so much….’

Why, why is the conversation from my dream suddenly coming to mind so unsettlingly? Back then too, I was making eye contact with Heonyoung from this close. It must be because of that. It has to be.

Seeing Seo Heonyoung’s face up close while sober made Yeonoh’s heart race. On top of that, Heonyoung was also staring intently at Yeonoh, not avoiding his gaze. The lustrous shine that had been in his pupils was gone, and a gaze in which a murky darkness had settled scanned down from Yeonoh’s lips to below his neckline. At that sticky stare, Yeonoh’s face must have flushed in an instant.

“Excuse me, are you all right?”

The silence between the two who had been frozen without a word disappeared after the driver of the car that almost hit Yeonoh slammed on his brakes, jumped out, and called to Yeonoh. Focus returned to Heonyoung’s hazy pupils, and Yeonoh, too, resumed the calculations in his head that had momentarily stopped.

“Ah, yes! I’m fi—.”

He was about to pull away from Heonyoung’s embrace and say he was obviously fine, but a long shadow was cast in front of Yeonoh. Heonyoung had stepped in front of him.

“Even though this is a lane where cars pass, this is a parking garage. Please slow down.”