DHG Ch 16

It should be fine.

Heewoo steadied himself and stopped at an appropriate distance in front of the boss. He kept his gaze fixed on the tips of the man’s polished shoes. He could almost feel the man’s eyes slowly trailing from his head to his toes, though it might have been his imagination.

“What’s this?”

After a moment, Jang Seungyung’s voice reverberated in the space between Heewoo and Mingun.

“Are you two dating? Got something going on?”

“…”

“What kind of fun are you having under the pretense of hospital visits that you can’t even spill a word?”

The lowered tone alone shifted the atmosphere entirely. The air itself seemed to ripple. The intense, vibrant pheromones Heewoo had sensed before were reacting to the man’s intent.

And the invisible interrogation was directed at Mingun.

Heewoo suddenly recalled the times he had been threatened by those pheromones. The icy smell of water, the metallic tang of blood, the twins’ bloodstains speckling the warehouse floor…

A chilling fear gripped his mind. Pyo Mingeon might face the same treatment. The twins were one thing, but Heewoo didn’t want Mingun to get caught up in something serious. There was no time to think further. He needed to draw the man’s attention to himself.

“I got tested for an STD.”

Heewoo blurted out one piece of the truth plainly. Just moments ago, Jang Seungyung had expressed suspicion. A man reputed to have made a name for himself even before catching Chairman Jang’s eye would surely have sharp instincts. Silence or lies wouldn’t work.

Instead, he revealed only part of the truth. Once he spoke, his words found their course. Heewoo continued calmly, as if reading from a book.

“It took time to get the test results. You don’t need to worry. Everything came back clear. And I’ve always worn a mask and gloves when prepping ingredients.”

But breathing was difficult. The cold stare he could feel without looking seemed to constrict his throat. Heewoo inhaled the stifling air, his chest slightly heaving.

“After that, I went to the hospital for stress-induced migraines.”

His voice dissipated weakly with his faltering breath. A heavy silence fell, making the presence of the four people in the room feel almost irrelevant.

Jang Seungyung, who had been staring at Heewoo’s faintly rising chest, let out a chuckle.

“Why so dramatic? It’s not like I held a knife to your little friend’s throat.”

With a patronizing air, he spoke slowly. He had picked up on the subtle tension in Kwon Heewoo’s composed demeanor. Should he push further? He was tempted to see how much paler that already ashen face could get.

“It’s not like that.”

A suddenly resolute voice came back.

“You asked earlier… There’s nothing between me and that guy.”

Heewoo gestured toward Mingun with his lowered gaze, belatedly trying to keep his tone as polite as possible.

Jang Seungyung narrowed his eyes. The denying Kwon Heewoo felt the same as before. Like when he had defended himself, soaked and shivering, insisting Kim Jinhwan hadn’t favored him. If so, it was likely the truth.

“Stress-induced migraines.”

Returning to the main topic, Jang Seungyung echoed Heewoo’s statement in a bored tone.

“That’s what you’re saying.”

“…Yes.”

He rubbed his jaw slowly as he heard the compliant response. He didn’t know much, having not attended school properly, but could stress cause such severe fevers? He remembered the unusual heat radiating from that body.

“Let’s go.”

Abruptly, Jang Seungyung stood. His massive frame, combined with Heewoo’s already heightened tension, made it feel like a mountain was rising before him. Heewoo wondered if he’d misheard.

“What?”

“To the hospital. You haven’t been in a while, right?”

Jang Seungyung grinned. In truth, he didn’t care whether the reasoning was solid or flimsy. This had been his intention from the start.

The new amusement he’d unintentionally neglected was a living person. How could he best toy with Kwon Heewoo? While being dragged around by Chairman Jang, he had occasionally indulged in this entertaining thought and reached a conclusion.

Wouldn’t he get the most out of it by seeing him often?

He recalled taking Kwon Heewoo to the hospital emergency room. When he casually asked Won Madam, she confirmed that Heewoo had been visiting the hospital until recently. That was it—the perfect excuse to dig in.

The only surprise was that the young thug he’d summoned for intel had given the target a pheromone shower.

“I’m fine. I’m all better.”

Perhaps because his scent was too faint, Kwon Heewoo, who had docilely absorbed the young alpha’s pheromones from his fluffy hair to his ankles, spoke.

“The hospital said I don’t need to come back. I got emergency meds too.”

Was he unaware of his pheromone-drenched state as a beta, or was he covering for that kid despite knowing?

Jang Seungyung twisted his lips. He wasn’t pleased with the silent, cowering thug or Kwon Heewoo, who kept making excuses.

He reached out, covering the smooth forehead with one hand. He felt the soft skin, the curve of the brow bone, the faint tremble of delicate eyelashes, and a lukewarm warmth.

“You’re still running a fever.”

“…”

Under the shadow of the large palm, Heewoo didn’t know how to respond. He worried it might seem like he was arguing back. Especially since he was already hiding something.

Soon, his vision cleared.

“You collapsing like that left me uneasy. As the boss, I feel deeply responsible.”

Jang Seungyung spoke, stringing together random words as an excuse, his tone characteristically bored as he issued the command.

“What are you waiting for? Move.”

The wide grin on his face felt like a warning. Reluctantly, Heewoo moved his stiff limbs. He was afraid hesitation would make the man suspicious.

But his mind kept racing. The hospital. Was he really going to the hospital with this man? To the genetics clinic?

The next moment, as Heewoo opened the door, he nearly stumbled.

His shoulders flinched, suppressed by a sudden, overwhelming surge of pheromones pouring from behind.

“…”

All at once, Heewoo felt like he was sprinting through a dark forest at dawn, diving into thick bushes to hide, only to be drenched by the cold dew clinging to them. Amid it all, a vibrant floral afterscent tangled at the tip of his nose.

It was the first time he’d faced the man’s pheromones while fully conscious.

Though dizzy, Heewoo calmly crossed the threshold. Thankfully, it wasn’t the kind of pheromone rubbed aggressively on specific areas like before… but because it was Jang Seungyung, his hands trembled.

Yet, despite the shock, he gradually felt his body stabilize.

The heat that had been coursing like electricity on his skin subsided, and his body felt lighter. It wouldn’t cool his fever instantly, but the lush coolness softened the heat.

Could a dominant alpha’s nature be advantageous in this way too?

Suppressing his pounding heart, Heewoo walked ahead. As he pressed the elevator button to head to the underground parking lot, Jang Seungyung, Secretary Hwang, and Pyo Mingeon followed.

“Hello, sir!”

In the always pristine parking lot, the burly guys were waiting. Perhaps tipped off in advance, the ones who usually accompanied Heewoo greeted them sharply.

“I’ll drive today.”

Instead of Secretary Hwang, a burly guy nicknamed Wasp bowed and took the driver’s seat.

Seeing him, Pyo Mingeon let out a deep sigh of relief, realizing he wouldn’t have to drive to the hospital. He felt guilty toward Heewoo, but keeping his omega status a secret was already exhausting enough. He just hoped Heewoo would handle things from here.

“Get in.”

Jang Seungyung pushed Kwon Heewoo into the backseat first and casually slid in beside him. Stretching his long legs comfortably, he asked the front seat, “You know where it is?”

“Yes, sir, it’s the same building I always go to! Near the main tower…”

The burly driver quickly tapped the navigation screen with his thick fingers. “Navigating to the designated route,” the mechanical voice announced. Jang Seungyung, with a bored expression, checked the final destination on the screen.

“It’s not Seonglim University Hospital.”

“Oh, should I take you there?”

Seonglim University Hospital was where Jang Seungyung had taken Heewoo before.

Unaware of the office conversation, the driver blinked. Jang Seungyung waved him off and turned to Kwon Heewoo. Enveloped in the pheromones Jang Seungyung had unleashed, Heewoo was gripping his knees tightly. The man’s gaze felt like it demanded an explanation.

“I was treated at Seonglim University Hospital but moved to a smaller clinic nearby.”

Heewoo answered without hesitation.

When Seonglim University Hospital was mentioned, Heewoo realized Mingun had been covering, saying they’d only gone there. He had to speak carefully to avoid trouble for both himself and Mingun. Even mixing truth with his words, the parts he hid made it hard to speak. Sweat pooled under his clenched palms.

“Oh, so you got the STD test at Seonglim University Hospital and treated the psychogenic headaches somewhere else?”

The man’s mocking gaze moved from Heewoo’s hands gripping his knees to the space between his thighs. The blatant stare left Heewoo momentarily speechless. But the shame was fleeting. He decided to use his trembling voice and flushing face.

“…I got the headache treatment at Seonglim too but moved recently.”

He only hoped he sounded sincere.