Marriage Mate: 37

The hectic weekend passed in the blink of an eye. Perhaps due to the exhaustion from all the chaos on Saturday, Yu-young spent Sunday sleeping the whole day.

“My weekend…”

Yu-young, who had arrived at work early as usual, slumped over his desk. As he yawned, Yoon-seok appeared behind him, his eyes wide with surprise as he greeted him.

“Good morning, sir! Uh, is something wrong? You don’t look well…”

“Oh… no, nothing’s wrong…”

Nothing? There have been so many things… Yu-young swallowed his true thoughts and forced a smile.

“No, I’m just a little… tired. Haha.”

“Sir, cheer up! I may not be much help, but I’ll do my best!” 

Yoon-seok said enthusiastically as he began to massage Yu-young’s shoulders. Truly, Yoon-seok was the best… How could he be so kind? Though his massage skills were clumsy, Yu-young received it with a contented expression.

“But why is it that Yoon-seok seems so full of energy every day?”

“Me? Haha, I feel energized just by looking at your face, sir!” Yoon-seok said with a grin. With such flattering words, he was certainly great at socializing. He would become someone big in the future. Yu-young found himself genuinely admiring his ambition and energy.

“By the way, Yoon-seok, why does your body look so much better these days? Didn’t you used to be a bit more slender?”

Now that he thought about it, Yoon-seok’s shoulders seemed broader, and his arms appeared slightly thicker. Yu-young tilted his head and asked.

“Yoon-seok, have you been working out?”

“Me? No…”

Yoon-seok shook his head with a puzzled expression.

“Then why does your body look so good?”

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah, I thought you were working out. Look, turn around.”

At Yu-young’s words, Yoon-seok spun around. Seeing his back, Yu-young was sure of it. His back had definitely gotten broader. Yu-young stood up from his seat, placed his hands on both of Yoon-seok’s shoulders, and exclaimed.

“See? Your back has definitely gotten broader!”

“It can’t be… I haven’t been working out at all lately.”

“Really? Then why is this happening? Anyway, I’m so jealous. No matter how much I work out, I can’t seem to get any results.”

Yu-young muttered, feeling envious. Despite working hard, his muscles never seemed to develop, perhaps because of his omega traits, so he couldn’t help but feel envious of Yoon-seok.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps approached from behind.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, Team Leader! Hello! Good morning!”

“Good morning.”

Yu-young and Yoon-seok both greeted the team leader at the same time. The team leader, Choi Do-won, briefly glanced at Yu-young, who had his hand on Yoon-seok’s shoulder. A slight crack appeared in his otherwise indifferent expression.

Noticing Yu-young’s face, which was looking up innocently, Do-won grumbled.

“I’ve reviewed the report you submitted on Friday, Assistant Manager Han. Good work.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Yu-young felt an odd sense of tension and answered promptly. As he watched Do-won enter his office and close the door, Yu-young tilted his head in confusion. For some reason, Do-won seemed a little off. His voice was much stiffer than usual.

Well, it was Monday, so maybe that was the reason. Could he be suffering from Monday blues? Or maybe he had something tiring happen over the weekend…

Then Yu-young’s thoughts abruptly stopped at one point.

“Maybe I should match my mood too.”

Do-won had spoken with such a calm and confident voice, the same one he used when giving orders at the office. His tone was as stable and reliable as ever.

Caught by his assertiveness, Yu-young, almost entranced like a fool, blinked as he stammered, “Uh, um?” He was completely pulled in by Do-won’s unwavering approach. Their kiss was softer than he had expected.

It was incredibly embarrassing and surreal. Who could have imagined that, just days ago, they were arguing to the point of almost fighting, and now they were kissing?

But if someone asked whether he disliked it, well… it would be hard to say that.

It must be because of the pheromones…

Yu-young had already experienced many moments with Do-won, where his pheromones made him feel calm and at ease, while also giving him a pleasant thrill. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that their pheromones matched well together.

Do-won seemed to feel the same way. The man who used to shun omega pheromones now devoured them with the hunger of a beast, embracing Yu-young’s pheromones during their kiss. He remembered how Do-won’s pheromones had mingled with his own during their kiss, and despite how much he disliked it, the heat rising in his body was undeniable.

They were both alpha and omega, so it wasn’t something unusual. It wasn’t like when Yu-young had met another alpha last time, and he didn’t feel the same thing then. Yu-young frowned, unconsciously touching his chin and lips.

As his thoughts drifted, memories of that moment made his ears burn.

The softness and the tenderness with which Do-won had approached him, the way he had steadied Yu-young’s body with his arms, and the way his hands had carefully stroked his head and neck—all of it sent shivers through Yu-young’s body.

He couldn’t help but blush, feeling the warmth spreading on his face.

“Focus, focus,” Yu-young muttered to himself, slapping his cheek and turning on his computer. The events of the weekend still felt like a dream, but now was not the time to dwell on them. It was Monday, the start of a new week, so he had to focus and switch to “Assistant Manager Mode.”

…

After thoroughly washing his hands and checking his appearance in the mirror, Do-won stepped out of the bathroom and walked toward the office of the Management Planning Team 1.

Even though it was early, there was already some movement inside the office. The translucent glass door was open as usual. Yu-young’s trace was visible inside, as the blinds were up and the windows wide open. It was typical of him to arrive 30 minutes to an hour early, not trying to impress anyone, but simply out of habit—watering plants or opening the windows for ventilation.

The more Do-won learned about Yu-young, the more unexpected it felt. He had originally thought Yu-young would be someone who tried to use his pheromones to seduce others. But after seeing how he behaved over the weekend, it seemed like Yu-young didn’t want to marry an alpha at all.

However, upon seeing Yu-young in the office this morning, Do-won couldn’t help but frown.

And then, that innocent puppy-like face, casually putting his hand on someone else’s shoulder and complimenting their body. Do-won couldn’t help but frown as he entered the office.

He didn’t like how Lee Yoon-seok’s face, which had been smiling like sunshine, changed to a somewhat uncomfortable expression when looking at him. Although he knew very well that there was no objective reason for his feelings to be hurt, Do-won still subtly wrinkled his brow and tugged at his tie.

However, he soon decided to shake off these feelings like dust. His irritation was brief, but even that was unpleasant.

It was a simple arrangement between Han Yu-young and him. They had agreed to pretend to be in a relationship, but it wasn’t anything grand like a contract relationship. They just seemed to have similar circumstances, so they had agreed to play the roles of boyfriends in front of their parents.

Do-won steadied his mind and turned on his computer, taking off his jacket. After folding up the cuffs a couple of times, he spread out the documents on his desk. It was the report that Han Yu-young had submitted last Friday.

His hands turned the pages carefully, and his sharp gaze scanned the lines of text.

But as he slowly reviewed the report, a small smile appeared on Do-won’s face.

“…Well done.”

The report Han Yu-young had submitted was perfect, addressing the issues Do-won had pointed out last time. From the very first page, the analysis was organized in an easy-to-read way, with a clean evaluation and even some pretty decent suggestions. Considering the position of a deputy manager, it was a very impressive level.

As he skimmed through the report, Do-won made a few notes on a post-it to highlight some points. It was at a level where he could just edit it a little and submit it immediately, but since Yu-young absorbed everything he taught quickly, Do-won felt like he wanted to teach him even more.

While carefully noting the improvements, his phone began to ring.

It was his father. Do-won’s expression, which had softened, immediately hardened.

“…Yes, Father.”

-That person you are seeing. I want to meet them.

The directness of his father’s tone never failed to make him uncomfortable. However, Do-won took a deep breath inside. He had never told his father about meeting anyone, so it was natural for his father to be interested.

But now, he couldn’t deny it. He could brush it off by saying it was just a playful remark, but if he did that, he’d end up sitting down for another uncomfortable dinner with Sun-hyung’s family, listening to unwanted talks about marriage.

Do-won replied in a blunt tone.

“…We haven’t been dating for long.”

-Are they an omega? Of course, they must a dominant omega.

This time, he couldn’t suppress his sigh. With his face tightly scrunched, Do-won answered.

“Yes.”

-What kind of family are they from?

“They don’t fall short in any way.”

Despite his brief and unfriendly responses, his father’s curiosity didn’t subside.

-Well, I’ll have to meet them then.

“We haven’t been dating long, and it’s a bit burdensome. Maybe we can meet later when there’s a chance…”

-Right, of course.

Even though it was just a phone call, Do-won could almost feel his father’s gaze peering through the calm tone.

-But you’ve already reached marriageable age, and if they’re an omega, they’re probably in the same situation. I’d like to meet them, even if it’s just casually.

Just like every other time, his father made an announcement and hung up. Do-won let out a long sigh and dropped his phone onto the desk as if throwing it.

When he had suggested to Yu-young that they pretend to be in a relationship, it was before he even knew about Yu-young’s family background. Therefore, his suggestion wouldn’t have been affected by the kind of family Yu-young came from.

But now, before even asking who Yu-young was, where he met him, his father immediately asked about his background and family. Do-won couldn’t stand the invasive nature of his questions.

The sides of his head began to throb sharply. He had helped Yu-young once, but he hoped he wouldn’t have to involve Yu-young further in his own family’s matters. His plan was to just borrow Yu-young’s name for the purpose of saying he had a ‘partner.’ But now, he realized that this was a rather naive thought.

Thinking it was a disaster, Do-won picked up his phone again. It was the first time he was contacting Yu-young through his personal number. He searched through the saved contacts from his first day at work and found the name “Han Yu-young.” He hadn’t been at the company for long, but this name now felt somewhat familiar.

[Are you available this weekend? I have something to ask.]

The reply came in less than two minutes.

[Oh, actually, my family asked me to choose a this week or next week… I’ll set it for next week then. I think I’ll have time.]

Do-won couldn’t help but laugh dryly at the absurdity. This week would be his own family, next week would be Yu-young’s. The thought of visiting both families alternately and having to lie made his head ache again.

With a sigh, Do-won replied.

[Alright, let’s go with that. Also, Assistant Han, could you come to my office for a moment?]