EDR Ch 1

Blue sea, beautiful island, locals in short-sleeved shorts and sunglasses… It is the utopia that I dream of. I fantasize about when I’ll be able to buy my ticket. My daydreaming time is from 8:20 to 8.30 a.m. every day. The office hours start at 9:00 a.m., but I occasionally have customers who call me early, so I’m usually at work by 8:20 a.m. Am I crazy? This is just how it is. It makes no difference because there is paid overtime. However…

“Kim Joo-hyuk-ssi, you’re looking at that picture again today.”

“Oh, yes.”

The director is the problem.

Director Lee Si-hyun is the youngest director of One Heart Education Consulting and an elite Alpha who studied abroad. He arrives at work at 8 o’clock every day and reads the newspaper or wanders around the office. He is not an NPC sitting around for a Pokemon battle… every morning at 9 a.m., there is a briefing for the public relations team, but I don’t think he needs to come out early to read the report. He is a strange person.

What’s more, he comes down from his office on the 9th floor to my desk on the 3rd floor. Then, he sniffs once, snoops around my monitor, and brags about his white and neat teeth.

“Would you like to go with me this holiday season? I have a villa on the Gold Coast. Now is the perfect time to go.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not asking as your boss. Really, I’m just saying it out of courtesy…”

I brush the director’s hand off my shoulder.

“You have to hold an ancestral rite during the holidays. Then I’ll send you fruits as a holiday gift. I’ll pick something fresh.”

“No, thank you. I am a Christian.”

“But don’t you still have to hold an ancestral rite…”

“My parents will, but I will not.”

The director looked a little dazed and then smiled brightly.

“You are a funny person. As expected, Kim Joo-hyuk-ssi…”

He muttered.

“Haa…You are so cute.”

“…”

“No. If you want to go to the Gold Coast, come up to the 9th floor.”

Director Lee winks at me and disappears. Looking at his back, I hold back my middle finger. What the…

This is just one of my morning routines. Deflecting Director Lee’s fluttering fireworks. I’m not sure what kind of hope he has in me, given the fact that I’m a Beta. Maybe he misunderstands that I’m an Omega.

Also, that’s not the Gold Coast. It’s Hawaii.

***

“Uhmm… ahh…haa.”

A moan came from the bathroom cubicle. I shake my hands vigorously and rummage through my pants pocket. Oh, I should check first.

I walk over to the bathroom cubicle and listen quietly.

“Uhm… ahh…haa… haa… ugh.”

This person is alone. I nod, satisfied. I have to be cautious about what I do because I don’t want to disrupt someone’s enjoyable sex life after attempting to help them. In the first place, why do it in the company bathroom? But you lose if you ask questions.

The person inside is definitely an Omega. They probably didn’t take the inhibitor properly.

In this crazy world, far too many people do not take any inhibitors. Aside from being the victim of a crime, you can’t control your body once you’re in heat, so why are you skipping the medication? As a peace-loving Beta citizen, I pondered the possible answers while touching the medicine in my pocket.

The reason I’m carrying Omega trait inhibitors is simple. Simply in order to not work overtime.

Previously, Deputy Kang, who was an Omega, had forgotten to bring an inhibitor and thus became trapped in a heat cycle. Whether he had a bonded Alpha or not, he was on a business trip abroad. We urgently moved Deputy Kang to 119. The new Alpha employee, who was pursuing him, pretended he didn’t know. It’s someone else’s love problem, not my problem, and the problem was work. When Deputy Kang was absent, the number of documents I had to enter into the computer and return them to the Department of Commerce doubled. Deputy Kang was only absent once, and the entire customer management team 1 was working overtime.

I began carrying Omega inhibitors with me from that day forward. When someone moans, it represents someone else’s overtime work and bloody tears. This inhibitor was put in place to prevent this from happening. I’m going to be the fairy who prevents overtime for this company.

A man who had been gasping for a while came out of the cubicle. As he stumbled, I supported him and he leaned on me. I lead him to the water purifier, pour him a glass of water, and give him a suppressant tablet.

The Omega’s complexion improves and he appears more refreshed after drinking the water. He is a slim, attractive man. The chin is thin, but the eyes are large, and the tall nose has a round tip. He has the appearance of a woman, which people would believe, even if he was a man. Of course, it doesn’t matter to me. He spoke to me with tears in his eyes.

“Thank you… For helping me… Perhaps… Oh no… I almost asked a rude question…”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

“Love at first sight… I also…!”

“…”

“Thank you very much. Even just a name…”

“It’s done. I have an ugly name. Goodbye.”

I quickly left the place. The gaze on the back of my head stings, but I’ll get used to it. SUCCESS. I prevented someone from leaving work early today.

On the way back to my seat after successfully saving several people, I reach into my pocket, but it’s empty. Did I drop the medicine bottle?

I retrace my steps to the restroom. Because Omega inhibitors aren’t cheap, I search through the hallway floor.

I notice the white medicine bottle rolling next to the chair by the water purifier. Thank God. As I approach and reach for my bottle, a long, limp hand grabs it instead.

“What is this?”

“…Director Lee.”

When I lifted my head, there was Director Lee Si-hyun frowning in front of me.

“Kim Joo-hyuk-ssi.”

“Yes.”

“Is this trait inhibitor yours?”

Director Lee’s expression hardens. He bites his lips as he alternately looks at my face and the bottle. I realize that something incredibly annoying is about to happen. Let’s think calmly for a moment.

Now, if I say yes, it’s my medicine, I have no idea what kind of imagination this Alpha will conjure. Perhaps he will misunderstand me as an Omega, and he will stick to me more than usual.

But saying no is a waste of medicine. When an inhibitor is consumed by a person who does not have the corresponding trait, it is not covered by insurance.

The scales in my mind were tilting back and forth.

“…Just follow me. Let’s talk in my office.”

No, let’s not. Your office is located on the ninth floor. In the first place, there’s nothing to talk about between us. The scale tilts to one side: the reasonable side.

“Director Lee.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not mine.”

“…”

Money can be earned. But I don’t want to be with this director for another five seconds. I might scream, smash the 9th floor window, and jump out.

Director Lee was definitely a person who liked me or wanted to have something to do with me. In the first place, he’s the boss. I refuse to be alone in such a small space with Director Lee. I hate it, even if he brings me a ton of Gold Coast sand. I don’t need sand to begin with, so I don’t have to…

The director smirked. I came to my senses. It’s not the time to think about anything else.

“This isn’t yours?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you try to pick it up?”

“Because it’s right in front of me”

“And?”

“That’s all.”

“…So you say. I had an absurd thought. You’re a Beta, so why would you own an Omega inhibitor? It doesn’t make sense…”

Looking at it, it seems that the people at our company have no intention of hiding their inner thoughts at all. Everyone blurted out whatever they thought on the inside. Director Lee is very loyal to our company, and he eagerly blurts his thoughts, even when I was not curious at all.

“I had this assumption. You’re actually an Omega pretending to be a Beta. I think that makes sense. When you see Alphas, you avoid them and only approach Betas and Omegas… Am I right?”

Director Lee’s words are not wrong. No, it could be wrong. The majority of the Alphas in our company rank higher than me. There is a limit to how close you can get to your boss at work, and the customer management team 1 is made up of Betas and Omegas. There are only two new Alpha employees.

I’m just not friendly with the new Alpha employees. Their desks are too far away.

Director Lee came one step closer to me.

“Let’s say you’re not an Omega. Then why are you here right now? I mean, why did you try to pick up this bottle? I’m asking why you were looking at the floor like a person who lost something and then went to pick this up.”

There was a shadow on my face. Director Lee appeared to be two spans taller than me when I looked closely. Director Lee had a smirk on his face. I’ve never seen such a smile except when Department Head Seo was late for PT while kissing Section Chief Lee. The back of my neck is cold.

“I’m here to drink water.”

“…Is that so? Go ahead and drink water.”

Director sighs and taps my shoulder once. Then he takes my hand in his and forces me to hold the bottle. The director’s hands were extremely cold.

“Go ahead. You take this medicine. Whether it’s yours or not.”

I felt a subtle sense of defeat as I looked back at Director Lee, who walked away after that.

***