SPM 1.7

Contrary to his playing style of charging forward like colliding on the field, Terrence was a very smooth and comfortable driver on the road. Of course, setting aside his smooth driving style, the flashy sports car itself was burdensome, so Ian’s mind was far from comfortable.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ian somehow suffered from the delusion that people were staring at them, restlessly shaking his legs. Whether then or now, having people’s attention focused on him was unbearably uncomfortable. Ian’s motto was to be like air, someone who didn’t stand out and existed as if present yet absent.

“…How have you been?”

It was Terrence who broke the silence first.

“How have I been?”

When Ian asked back with a puzzled expression, Terrence nodded.

“Yeah. Yesterday we were talking about urgent matters, so I didn’t hear anything about what you’ve been up to. Same when we went to the emergency room a few days ago.”

“Ah…”

Indeed, their reunion had been chaotically brought about by the unexpected accident of a heat cycle.

Of course, Ian had been watching him from afar since he joined the company. Moreover, the reason he had applied to a team in a region where he had no connections was actually because of Terrence. Ian carefully chose his words, worried that his secret might accidentally spill out.

“Well. As you know, I went to college.”

“Right. I went to college too.”

“Mm-hmm. I know…”

Ian swallowed the fact that he knew everything about him.

Terrence had graduated from a prestigious university that always remained at the top of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) with multiple championship records. And in his final semester, he participated in the professional draft and joined the team immediately upon graduation, following the exact path of an elite football player and continuing as the sports star he is today.

Ian had followed college leagues, even studying American football, which he hadn’t known much about, just to watch him play.

The fact that he had been watching Terrence Hunt as a player throughout everything, from freshman to senior year, and then his professional draft selection and subsequent performance, was Ian’s biggest secret.

“Even after you graduated and disappeared like mist, I never thought you wouldn’t go to college. You considered college admission very important.”

“Mm-hmm… That’s right.”

Actually, it was his mother Song Joo-hee rather than Ian who considered Ivy League admission important, but there didn’t seem to be a need for detailed explanation. As time passed, her goals had also become Ian’s goals.

“What did you study?”

Terrence asked while smoothly cornering with one hand.

“Well. Economics and something like sociology. I want to major in marketing at business school later.”

“So that’s why you joined the team’s front office.”

“That’s right.”

As if Ian’s trajectory made some sense, Terrence nodded while keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

“That’s fortunate. Actually, I wanted to discuss that part with you today.”

The voice that had been reminiscing about the ambiguous past became clear all at once. Perhaps it was Ian’s mind that had become clearer, since what followed was the part he was most anxious about right now.

“I don’t have a personally contracted publicist. Until now, all matters and issues related to me have been handled by the team.”

“…Yeah. I know. That’s normal.”

It was a fact he knew well since he was on the team’s communication team. Of course, Ian’s work covered the team’s overall aspects rather than individual players, so it was completely different in terms of duties. It was natural that a junior employee who had only joined a few months ago couldn’t handle such responsibilities.

“So I’m asking, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“How do you think we should respond to the imprinting issue about me that’s floating around on SNS and sports communities right now?”

The moment he heard that, Ian felt dizzy. Of course, as Terrence Hunt’s imprinting target, he had been constantly checking SNS and agonizing over that part for days, but this wasn’t something he could easily decide on his own.

“My opinion isn’t very important, Terrence. You should have immediately scheduled a meeting with Linda Shepherd for something like this…!”

Ian waved his hands dismissively while mentioning the team’s PR director. Such a major matter should have been discussed directly with her, given her experience.

Then Terrence glanced at the flustered Ian, let out a scoffing laugh as if it were absurd, and shook his head.

“I don’t want to consult about my private personal matters so openly.”

“What?”

“I’m not some teenage idol singer.”

Terrence snorted.

“I’m a full-grown adult. And I’m an athlete who plays games. I have no intention of discussing extremely personal matters like dating or marriage with executives. This is my private life.”

At those words, Ian became a gaping goldfish again. No, he was so flabbergasted that he was completely at a loss for words.

“Terrence! If you were going to do that, you should have told the coach as late as possible like I said from the beginning…! After this imprinting between us was properly sorted out!”

Ian wanted to grab Terrence by the collar and shake him vigorously right then and there. If he hadn’t been driving, Ian probably would have actually done it. It was that absurd. But Terrence, who was listening, remained as nonchalant as ever and just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders again as if Ian’s reaction didn’t matter at all. Seeing that made him feel like he might explode even more.

“And I’m just an employee of the team. I don’t know anything about this kind of work that agencies should handle and have no experience.”

“……”

“This is really troublesome…”

As he was pulling at his hair with an expression that said don’t dump the decision of such a huge matter on him, Terrence, who had been watching Ian, calmly retorted.

“Ian. I’m asking because you’re one of the parties involved.”

At those words, Ian felt the strength naturally drain from his fingers that had been tormenting his hair.

“Even if it’s not mutual imprinting, the fact that you’re my imprinted partner doesn’t change. So you’re directly involved in this matter too.”

“Sigh…”

“Sit up straight. And think. How we should handle this.”

It felt somewhat like being scolded by a sports coach, but Ian slowly moved to correct his posture as Terrence said. A sound mind comes from proper attitude. It was something Terrence always emphasized back in high school.

‘Confidence comes from a confident attitude, Ian. Straighten your shoulders, sit up straight, and look ahead. And speak with confidence.’

It seemed like Terrence’s voice from back then was echoing in Ian’s ears. How much comfort he had received from the courage Terrence had given him with those words. Ian erased the sobbing from his voice while keeping his back straight. Then he spoke in a clear voice.

“If you’re asking from the imprinted partner’s perspective, fine. I’ll share my opinion.”

He turned his head and looked directly at Terrence’s profile as he drove without avoiding it.

“I’d like us to stay silent for the time being.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s the off-season anyway, so there are no games. Of course, it’s true that there’s still a lot of attention on you since the Super Bowl ended not long ago, but I think time will solve it if we stay quiet. Do you have any interviews or TV shows scheduled?”

“A few?”

“Just no comment at those. Even if people are curious, since it’s in the realm of private life, they won’t be able to ask directly, and even if requests for clarification come to the team, it’s perfect for our side to ignore. It’s really about personal romantic affairs after all.”

Even while describing it as romantic affairs himself, Ian was incredulous. It felt like his tongue was bitter somehow. He still couldn’t tell if words like romance or affection even made sense between them.

One person had imprinted on another, but they weren’t even dating, let alone married. What to do about this strange relationship? Swallowing down those complex feelings, Ian continued speaking in a businesslike voice as if he were truly an unrelated third party, or like his publicist.

“Time is literally medicine. Interest will die down as time passes.”

“The attention will disappear?”

“Right. And draft day is coming soon. The entire front office is going crazy being obsessed with that. The public will probably be the same. Let’s wait for people to forget.”

Even though he was a newcomer, Ian was always checking public reactions as a member of the communication team. While it was true that many people were still basking in the afterglow of the Super Bowl, in Ian’s judgment, even that seemed to be reaching its expiration date.

Rather than past events, people who were eager for new news were already busily spreading NFL Combine news. The time when public attention would be completely focused on this was coming soon.

Perhaps sensing something from Ian’s firm expression, Terrence, who had arrived at the parking lot and stopped the car, nodded toward Ian.

“Alright, fine. We’ll do as you say.”

“Really?”

Ian’s face brightened when his opinion was immediately accepted.

“Yeah. Really.”

When Terrence nodded while repeating Ian’s words exactly, Ian unconsciously felt his lips pull to both sides and smiled.

At this, Terrence looked back with a somewhat dazed expression before faintly smiling. Ian liked seeing him smile and ended up smiling along with him. Not knowing what words would come next.

“Should we kiss?”

At Terrence’s following suggestion, his smile that had been as clear as the blue sky immediately disappeared. It was as if someone had suddenly poured cold water on his head.

“A-are you crazy? Now?”

Even though he knew that the car’s dark tint made it impossible for anyone to see inside, Ian frantically looked around. If someone overheard this strange, absurd, and somewhat dangerous conversation, it seemed like this time it wouldn’t just be an imprinting scandal but actual engagement announcement rumors might break out.

Perhaps his actions seemed too much like a frightened turkey looking around excessively.

“Are you trying to break your neck?”

Terrence Hunt chuckled and grabbed Ian’s head to turn it back to its original position.

“You’re not a kid anymore, so why are you acting like this?”

“No, well… It’s true I’m not a kid, but…”

He wanted to say that they were not seriously dating either, but it was somehow ambiguous.

While they had the deepest stage of relationship called imprinting, it was also funny to talk about dating when they were just at the beginning stage of getting to know each other… He knew their imprinting was simply an accident caused by Ian’s high-influence pheromones, but to argue whether they were just friends like before seemed wrong too…

“Your eyes are rolling around too much.”

After turning his head back to its place, now it was his eyes, and Terrence clicked his tongue. Then he quietly asked.

“Too soon?”

“Yeah…”

“Alright then. We’ll take it slow.”

So we don’t have to kiss right now. In his relief, Ian failed to notice something strange. The fact that agreeing to “too soon” was essentially agreeing to gradually progressing in the future.

A large hand came over Ian’s head and gently swept through his hair several times. Feeling so stable and somehow drowsy that he forgot he had been tense just moments before, Ian slowly blinked his large eyes open and closed.

“Pretty.”

“Hm?”

When Ian asked back thinking he heard some muttering, Terrence shook his head saying “Nothing.” Then he instantly brought his hand to Ian’s nape.

“Let me smell your scent.”

“Uh, huh?”

As he said this while unbuttoning the first button of the shirt that reached up to his neck, Ian was startled and fluttered.

“I’m going crazy from lack of pheromones. So hurry up.”

The hot touch that had persistently approached as if it would dig out everything inside Ian only gently caressed the spot where he had undone just one button. As Terrence slowly lowered his large body into Ian’s embrace and murmured, Ian let out a pained sound and carefully hugged Terrence back.

“Sorry…”

“……”

“I should have paid attention sooner. I’m sorry. …Was it hard?”

How much a person who had imprinted, especially someone with one-sided imprinting, thirsted for their partner’s pheromones was detailed in all the cases and medical data Ian had researched.

Even though he had memorized and stored that theory in his head, he couldn’t apply it to practice at all, like a bookworm who only studied at his desk. This was definitely his fault. No matter how much of a Terrence Hunt he was, he was no different from the vulnerable when facing his imprint target, so how difficult it must have been to make demands.

“…Are you okay?”

He asked while releasing pheromones, but there was no answer. Only that tall nose bridge he had always just looked at brushed against his chin tip and reached his nape. Ian felt like his entire body might stiffen from Terrence’s skin pressed closer than expected, but he tried to pull himself together.

“Haa…”

The deeply inhaled and exhaled breath tickled Ian’s neck several times.

“…I feel like I can live now.”

Ian briefly murmured “That’s a relief” and gently patted Terrence’s huge back. Even seeing the always strong Alpha show weakness didn’t feel strange, it only made him want to comfort him more.

“Right, this was the scent.”

Terrence muttered with his head buried. The soft flesh of his lips moved and brushed against his neck, and Ian couldn’t move at all from that unfamiliar sensation. Goosebumps rose on the back of his neck.

“I had forgotten because you kept it so tightly hidden.”

Was he recalling the past? At his words spoken with chuckling laughter, Ian also let out an awkward “Haha….”

“On the day your cycle hit, I went crazy too, so I didn’t have the leisure to savor the scent.”

That was the very day they ended up imprinting, so how could it have been otherwise? Ian bit his lips hard with guilt.

Even among dominants, dominant Omegas differed greatly from dominant Alphas.

First, they were rare enough that their numbers were only one-third of dominant Alphas, and this scarcity created significant differences.

Most Alphas rarely encountered Omegas with greater pheromone influence than themselves. They only knew how to enjoy Omega pheromones but had never even thought about needing to defend against them. Since most would never encounter such situations in reality, their complacent attitude was actually natural.

Therefore, dominant Omegas generally thoroughly concealed their pheromones. To avoid stimulating undefended opponents with their pheromones.

Moreover, Ian’s pheromone influence was particularly strong, close to being extremely dominant. Knowing this, his parents had always been protective of him, and Ian himself had been careful, but ultimately this kind of thing happened…

“Haa…”

A sigh came naturally from the stuffiness in his chest due to the newly recognized reality and guilt.

Then, as if that sound was a signal, Terrence’s body began to move too.

“That’s enough now.”

It seemed like his lips saying it was sufficient now lightly touched his nape with a soft brush, but Ian pretended to be nonchalant and casually patted Terrence’s shoulder.

“Haha, good work. I’ll pay attention from now on.”

When he spoke heartily with his hand on his waist, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, this time a sigh came from Terrence’s side.

“Why? Wasn’t it enough?”

“…No.”

“Speak comfortably. Should I do more?”

Though he encouraged him since he seemed to find it difficult to speak, Terrence only twisted his lips and smiled strangely at Ian.

“It’s fine.”

Even after receiving pheromones, he seemed somehow dissatisfied, making Ian scrunch up again for no reason. Maybe the pheromones weren’t as good as expected once he actually smelled them… The thought that while the imprinting happened accidentally, Ian’s pheromones themselves might not be to his taste made him feel dejected.

“What kind of stupid thing are you thinking about by yourself again?”

Terrence clicked his tongue.

“No, my pheromones…”

“The pheromones are enough. Since that’s settled, give me your phone.”

At his utterly confident attitude as if a master was commanding, the poor turkey was already taking out his phone from his pocket and respectfully presenting it with both hands.

Terrence unlocked it by recognizing Ian’s face, then moved his thumb several times to call somewhere. Soon, vibration came from his pocket. Just vibration without any sound. That too was so very Terrence Hunt.

He returned Ian’s phone while warning in a stern voice.

“I know your home address, I know your workplace, and now I know your personal phone number too.”

“Gasp…!”

“And I have your keys.”

When he gently shook his hoodie pocket, the keys clinked against each other. He had definitely attached them to his key chain along with his own keys.

“Don’t even dream of running away somewhere without a word this time.”

With that warning-heavy promise as the finale, the car door closed with a thud.

This time.

This time, he said.

Getting out of Terrence’s car and trudging toward the office, Ian scrunched his face with somewhat aggrieved feelings.

The reasons why he had no choice but to run away back then came to mind clearly, one by one from the very beginning.

***

Ian’s father Harrison was what you’d call a son from a ‘well-to-do family.’ A perfect golden spoon, you could say.

To accurately describe him, you couldn’t leave out the story of the Bailey family.

The Bailey family was a somewhat prominent household, and they were one of Nashville’s typical upper class who had maintained wealth for several generations and held high social prestige. Naturally, they owned a mansion with 16 rooms and a swimming pool, and the family possessed several vacation homes in resort areas throughout America.

The family business passed down through generations was stable, and those bearing the Bailey name were people who already enjoyed their wealth as naturally as breathing air, savoring life as members of the social privileged class.

Of course, like most upper-class people in this country, they practiced noblesse oblige by giving back their wealth to society through various donations and charitable works. But even so, this wasn’t because they believed all humanity was equal due to having learned much from their privileged position.

Rather, it was closer to the opposite. They believed that since they had much, the act of taking a corner of their wealth and giving charity to those living much more unhappily and pitifully than them made them more noble. It was something they could do precisely because they accurately recognized and distinguished class differences.

Of course, this privileged consciousness, no different from modern-day nobility, had been greatly diluted by the time it reached Harrison’s generation, Ian’s father, but the atmosphere had been quite different in the generation above. The aristocratic ideology that had hardened like a stereotype over long periods couldn’t be changed now, and to specifically point out and criticize just that aspect was how most white prestigious families of Ian’s grandparents’ generation thought.

So the other neighbors in Greenwood Hill, the traditional wealthy district of Whitmore Town in Nashville where they had settled, were the same.

Moreover, they were mostly Republicans and conservatives politically and ideologically, and religiously they shared the common trait of being Southern Baptist and Methodist believers who carried on traditional ways of thinking rooted in this land since the Puritan days. They were the epitome of typical Bible Belt people.

Even the house next to the Bailey mansion had produced several senators and was deeply rooted Republican, so you can imagine.

Another characteristic of Greenwood Hill residents was that none of the family members were people of color.

Well, this probably perfectly explains the atmosphere of the Bailey family and their surroundings, Greenwood Hill.

The reason for bringing up this story is to explain an incident that stirred up Greenwood Hill about 20 years ago, namely, Harrison Bailey’s first marriage commotion.

At the time, Harrison Bailey, the only son who was considered the perfect pride of the Bailey couple as a dominant Alpha who had even attended Harvard, suddenly returned to his hometown one day near graduation announcing he would marry and bringing a woman with him.

The Bailey couple and surrounding neighbors were all surprised by the sudden news, but they prepared a formal and respectable welcome party for the two.

And what they encountered there was a small Asian woman with black hair.

Of course, how could there be no people of color in a big city like Nashville, but that didn’t apply to their neighborhood, Greenwood Hill, which was like an invisible, solid crystal castle. Even when Harrison Bailey was young, some children grew up having never seen people of color except African Americans.

Moreover, since even her nationality wasn’t American, the reaction was predictable.

Song Joo-hee, who was merely an international student from a small, distant country, naturally appeared to their eyes, aged but with very conservative and old-fashioned thinking, as just an Omega seeking to obtain a green card.

Thus, the person still considered somewhat of an odd heretic in Greenwood Hill was Harrison Bailey, who had a history of marrying an Asian woman, and in the neighbors’ eyes, his son Ian was perfectly a product of foreign origin.

And it wasn’t just limited to such people’s perceptions, the fact that he had become an unwelcome intruder who had violated their solid social boundaries was a reality Ian learned as soon as he arrived at his father’s house. In their eyes, he probably looked like a black-haired foreigner who had jumped over the fence without permission and intruded among them.

But initially, Ian was completely unaware of such gazes. No one had ever explained the past to him.

Ian, who had finally arrived home after riding in his father’s car from the airport, unconsciously widened his eyes.

Even though he had roughly anticipated it from seeing other houses in the neighborhood since entering the area, the large building he encountered up close was beyond imagination. Even after passing through the heavy gate, he had to turn inward before he could properly see the entire house.

Moreover, just the cars parked in the parking lot they entered as the garage door opened numbered four, and including those parked outside, there were six. Even if each family member who could drive had their own personal vehicle, it was a large number.

“Ian, this way.”

As soon as he got out of the car, Harrison, carrying heavy luggage effortlessly, approached Ian who was busy looking around.

“Look, this door here is a passage that connects directly from the garage to inside the house. From now on, when you park your car in the garage, you can enter through here. Of course, you can also park outside and use the front door.”

“Hmm, yes.”

Though he didn’t know when he’d get his license and be able to drive around, Ian answered that he understood. His mind was busy with thoughts like “So dad has been living like this in such a house all this time.”

Following him obediently, before he knew it they had passed through what seemed like a utility room connected to the passage and something like a laundry room, emerging into a spacious area. A large indoor entrance with big doors immediately caught his eye. It was a typical American mansion lobby with wide windows letting in abundant bright light.

“Welcome to my home.”