DFLT 31

“Yes, yes?”

“You don’t have a problem with this, do you?”

How did he know. Of course, the suspicion was slightly greater than the dissatisfaction. However, I tried to console myself by thinking that this was better than the sharp demeanor I had witnessed before. No, in fact, I might have started to feel good upon recognizing that I was still a necessary person to Seo Heonyoung.

“Oh, not at all! Actually, something came up, so I was just about to call you to say I couldn’t make it. Haha.”

“Do as you wish.”

The corners of Seo Heonyoung’s mouth lifted slightly. The feeling that he looked somewhat satisfied must be a simple misunderstanding. There was no way that could be true.

“Were you planning to meet this ‘acquaintance’ looking like that?”

Seo Heonyoung asked, mentioning ‘looking like that’ as he flicked his index finger up and down at Yeonoh. I was wearing a dark navy crewneck sweatshirt with a fast-fashion brand logo and a pair of moderately neat beige cotton pants, but he seemed displeased with my attire, making me wonder just where he intended to take me.

“Should I go… change my clothes?”

“Hah, in what lifetime?”

True, it would take at least an hour for a round trip from here to my house. But I couldn’t just accompany him looking like I had stepped out to the corner store, especially without knowing where we were going. Seo Heonyoung, letting out a deep sigh, walked out to the parking lot. Yeonoh could only watch him blankly.

“What are you doing, not getting in?”

Until now, I had only ever driven Seo Heonyoung; this was the first time I was getting into a car that Seo Heonyoung was driving himself. Just as I was hesitating about whether it was okay to get in this car, a prod came flying my way, and Yeonoh tentatively got into the passenger seat. Driving with a smoothness that belied the fact that he had only ever had others drive him, Seo Heonyoung exited the parking lot. He tapped the Bluetooth screen a few times and then made a call to someone.

“It’s me. I’ll be there soon.”

—Ah, should I prepare the usual size you wear?

A familiar man’s voice. It was the owner of the tailor shop where I had just been fitted for Dojin’s suit.

“No, it’s not for me today, my companion will be renting. A black set-up, and the size is….”

Heonyoung, slowly pressing the brake for a red light, turned his head to scan Yeonoh from top to bottom, then continued without hesitation.

“I think the smallest men’s size you have there should work.”

I guess Seo Heonyoung also thought my body was unimpressive. I could tell even when comparing myself to my Beta colleagues. My colleagues offered words of comfort, saying my shoulders weren’t bad so I looked good in clothes, but I was clearly shorter and thinner among them. Perhaps because of that, Yeonoh’s shoulders slumped at Heonyoung’s words.

After the call with the manager, who said he understood, ended, silence fell once again. Seo Heonyoung glanced at Ji Yeonoh, who was merely keeping his mouth shut out of awkwardness, and then finally broke the silence.

“You must live pretty close, to come all the way here dressed in just a single layer like that.”

No matter how much Yeonoh racked his brain, he couldn’t figure out what Seo Heonyoung’s point was. Was he annoyed that I had come all the way to where he lived, or was it because I came to a high-end neighborhood in such shabby clothes, or perhaps….

No, that can’t be it. There’s no way. I’ve assisted Seo Heonyoung for three years, and during that time, I prided myself on knowing him better than anyone. As soon as the strange thought surfaced, Yeonoh shook off the last option as if he had been burned. He organized his thoughts and answered calmly.

“Yes, he’s a sunbae from university.”

“Aha, that sunbae you said had a nice voice.”

Heonyoung, snorting with his nose, sneered as he turned the steering wheel, taking the left turn signal that had just lit up.

“I am sorry about what happened then.”

“Who said anything.”

“…Never mind.”

“Is that sunbae an Alpha too, by any chance?”

Recalling that Dojin had said he was a Recessive, Yeonoh nodded his head.

“Yes…. But how did you know?”

“Because he was reeking of Alpha pheromones.”

“What?”

How could that be? Yeonoh lifted his arm and sniffed, sniff, but the freshly laundered clothes he was wearing only smelled of fabric softener.

“Only those with traits can sense the pheromones of others with traits. For a Beta to smell of an Alpha’s pheromones, it’s because he either borrowed an Alpha’s clothes, or he had.”

Seo Heonyoung paused mid-sentence, the area around his jaw sinking in as if he were clenching his molars.

“Physical contact with an Alpha. It feels faint, like a lingering scent, so I’d guess he’s a Recessive.”

Only then did Yeonoh understand Heonyoung’s words. Ah, it must have been when I briefly tried on Dojin’s suit jacket at the tailor shop earlier. The pheromones must have rubbed off on me in that short time. To think I can’t sense any trace of the pheromones at all. And he even figured out that the owner of the pheromones was a Recessive Alpha. Seeing this entity called pheromones, which I had only heard about and which felt like a unicorn to me, in action was a little fascinating.

‘Now you’re just being blatant about it. Here and there, so cheap.’

…Ah, was he saying that earlier because he smelled Dojin’s pheromones and misunderstood that we had some kind of physical contact. He must have gotten so close to me earlier because he instinctively detected another’s pheromones. Not knowing that, my heart pounded foolishly again.

There was a sense of pride in having done my best by Heonyoung’s side for a long time. The one thing that allowed me to endure even when my body was worn down by frequent overtime and my heart was broken by one-sided emotional exhaustion was the fact that I had been acknowledged by Seo Heonyoung.

The tower of trust, built painstakingly over three years, crumbles in a single moment. Realizing that the Seo Heonyoung who would trust and entrust everything to the three words ‘Ji Yeonoh’ was no more, there was no way to stop the wave of emptiness that washed over me. I had proven myself so fervently for three years, yet Seo Heonyoung’s hypothesis that Ji Yeonoh was an utterly promiscuous slut easily became the truth.

Then what was I even doing all that time. More frightening than the blades flying from Seo Heonyoung was the fact that the tower I had built, one floor at a time with a heart full of overwhelming emotion, was barely taller than the sole of Seo Heonyoung’s shoe.

A heavy silence, as if weighted with a metal pendulum, continued between Yeonoh, who was gloomily looking out the car window, and Heonyoung, who occasionally looked at Yeonoh with a still unreadable face. A short while later, Seo Heonyoung stopped the car, having arrived at the tailor shop.

“Be back within 10 minutes.”

Seo Heonyoung opened his lips, looking down at his wristwatch as if he wouldn’t tolerate even the slightest waste of time.

I wonder if he’s not coming in with me…. Ah, that’s actually a relief. If an employee recognized me and mentioned that I was back again, Seo Heonyoung would surely jump to another strange misunderstanding. And so, Yeonoh, who had ended up visiting the same shop twice in one day in a daze, entered somewhat sheepishly.

“You’re here again?”

“Yes…. I somehow ended up coming twice. Haha.”

The employee, who of course recognized Yeonoh, greeted him kindly. Thanks to having my measurements taken earlier, I was able to find clothes that fit right away. As I was trying on the shirt the employee brought me in the fitting room, the very feel of it against my skin was different from the clothes I usually wore.

“Wow, this feels nice….”

So this is why everyone wants to wear nice clothes. I was reminded of Seo Heonyoung, who always boasted a splendid appearance. It was just one layer of clothing, but I could feel the distance between myself and Seo Heonyoung. For me, this was something I get to wear once in a while, but for him, it must be an everyday thing. This must be what they mean when they say the closer you get, the farther away you feel.

But I cut off my lengthening daydream. I didn’t even have time for that right now. Changing into shoes as well and putting my original clothes into a paper shopping bag, it took exactly 10 minutes to leave the shop.

My eyes met Seo Heonyoung’s, who was leaning against the car parked on the main street, taking a call. In that brief instant, Seo Heonyoung’s gaze, which scanned my entire body, was quite naked. Without taking his eyes off Yeonoh, Seo Heonyoung soon ended the call. It was the same look as always, but I didn’t know why my face and neck were getting flushed for no reason.

In the end, Yeonoh avoided Seo Heonyoung’s gaze and looked at the ground as he approached, speaking first to break the awkwardness.

“Ah, you were waiting out here.”

“If you were one minute later, I was going to drag you out.”

Where is he in such a hurry to go. The question mark that still hadn’t been erased from above Yeonoh’s head continued long after they had left that place.

“Executive Director, can you really not tell me where we are going?”

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, a hotel building came into view. Why… a hotel? Yeonoh’s pupils, rolling around here and there, were filled with confusion.

“Put your dirty thoughts away. I didn’t come here to do that with you.”

“……”

I wasn’t even having such impure thoughts, so why was he bringing up ‘that,’ which was so out of context. An intensely red image suddenly pierced my mind, and blood rushed to Yeonoh’s face, making him turn his head towards the car window. But he couldn’t hide his reddened ears, and Seo Heonyoung glanced at Yeonoh’s flushed earlobe and clicked his tongue, tsk.