MM 57

Do-won continued speaking.

“He’s upright, honest. Back then, Assistant Manager Han said that there was no pretense or falsehood, which made the photos look even more vivid. Is that why Assistant Manager Han likes that person’s photos?”

Yu-young looked at him with wide eyes in surprise. Did he still remember that answer? Back then, Do-won had looked like he didn’t care at all about his response. Yu-young hadn’t expected him to recall it so precisely, word for word.

But now, Do-won wasn’t just repeating Yu-young’s past answer. It was evident from the weight in his tone that he was asking seriously.

Yu-young, who had been lost in thought for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.

“I… honestly don’t know. I like the photo albums, but I don’t have any professional knowledge of photography. So, if I just speak from a subjective point of view…”

Do-won nodded silently.

“To me, those photos… they’re just comfort. It’s like the beauty of life that I’ve overlooked because I’ve been so busy living… Is that too grandiose to say? Haha. Anyway, they make me feel that again.”

Yu-young smiled shyly as he explained. Then, he suddenly became curious. Maybe Do-won also had some interest in this photographer.

“Team Leader, have you seen other photos by that artist? You mentioned you were friends with someone close to them, so if you’ve seen their work, it might be easier to explain.”

“…I’m vaguely familiar with them.”

“Hm, one of my favorite photos by them is this one.”

Do-won’s gaze slowly shifted to the spot Yu-young was pointing at. It was one of the special edition postcards that had come with a photo album released a few years ago. Looking at the framed photo of leaves hanging on the wall, Do-won slowly nodded.

“Stars.”

“Huh? You know the title too!”

Yu-young’s voice rose, and his face lit up. The two of them were looking at the photo, where sunlight filtered through the closely intertwined leaves, sparkling like countless stars, which is why the title was given that name.

“When we’re rushing through the streets, honestly, we don’t really pay attention to things like trees or the sky, do we? I was the same way. Before seeing this photo… trees were just trees, and sunlight was just annoying. It was blinding, something to shield myself from.”

“……”

“But… after seeing this photo, sometimes, you know, there’s a moment when you’re worn out by the harsh city life. At those times, sometimes I look at the trees. The sunlight shining through the gaps between the leaves, now it looks like countless little jewels to me. Even in the city, even in the daytime, I can see stars. It seems like such a small thing, but sometimes, it really comforts me.”

Yu-young smiled faintly as he finished explaining.

“Haha… I guess I’m being a bit too sentimental now.”

“……”

“Just… I’m a little shy saying this, but I really like the way the photographer sees the world. In the photos, you can clearly see how they view the world. That’s why I’m sure the artist must be a warm person.”

As Yu-young spoke with a voice full of excitement, Do-won remained silent the whole time. However, the expression on his face as he listened intently to Yu-young’s words didn’t seem to indicate any discomfort. Seeing his expression, Yu-young worked up the courage to ask.

“How about you, Team Leader? I noticed there are photos hanging in your place. Do you like photography?”

But the moment Yu-young innocently asked, he couldn’t speak anymore. That was because Do-won, who had been standing next to him without saying anything, slowly wrapped his arm around Yu-young’s waist.

Yu-young’s eyes widened in shock as he looked up at Do-won. He was still gazing down at him with an unreadable expression.

“…I do.”

Do-won answered slowly, his gaze thick with intent, as if trying to pull Yu-young in.

As he slowly pulled Yu-young closer by the waist, their torsos and lower bodies pressed heatedly against each other. Startled, Yu-young trembled, his lips quivering as his eyes blinked in confusion.

‘What? Why… why all of a sudden…’

“Team… Team Leader?”

“May I kiss you?”

His sudden question was so out of the blue that Yu-young couldn’t hide his bewilderment. More than anything, there was no reason for them to kiss at this moment, was there?

Why? Was it because of pheromones? There was no need to mix pheromones anymore. No, more importantly, right now, he shouldn’t be exposed to the pheromones of an Alpha.

He should say something like that, but strangely, his lips wouldn’t move. It felt like his pounding heart would burst out if he even dared to open his mouth.

Now that he thought about it, Do-won’s embrace felt oddly different from the usual moments when they had kissed before. Holding him as he was, Yu-young soon realized the cause.

‘It’s the pheromones… isn’t it?’

The pheromones that used to flow from him like a smooth wave before every kiss, enveloping Yu-young’s body, were barely detectable today. He was suppressing them more strictly than usual, as if trying to hold them back. As an Omega, Yu-young felt like Do-won was almost Beta.

Up until now, they had never been this close without pheromones for some other purpose, and it confused him. If it wasn’t the pheromones, then he wanted to understand why Do-won was acting like this now. As Yu-young gazed into his eyes, lost and unsure, he finally managed to speak.

“Team Leader. Are you… trying to mix pheromones?”

“We don’t need to do that right now.”

Do-won answered in a low voice. His steady gaze was intense, like a piercing beam.

“Also, considering Assistant Manager Han’s condition, we shouldn’t mix pheromones right now.”

“But why…”

“Do you not want to?”

His abruptly cut-off question was the end of it. Do-won simply sent Yu-young a heated gaze, one that he couldn’t understand the cause of.

It was a gaze that seemed like it was about to swallow him up. However, he was not overtaken by desire. One could tell just from the pheromones, which were almost entirely suppressed, that he wasn’t seeking Yu-young as an Alpha.

Yet, he clearly appeared to be holding back some intense and unmistakable emotion. Yu-young, drawn by that gaze, opened his trembling lips.

“…I don’t… dislike it.”

The moment the words escaped, Do-won’s lips descended on his.

It wasn’t a kiss driven by the rush of pheromones. It was a kiss marked by clarity and calm. Yu-young opened his mouth with a clear mind, and their tongues intertwined, the heat of the kiss all the more intense. Without pheromones, Yu-young’s eyes glistened as he willingly melted into the kiss, and Do-won repeatedly brushed his fingers over Yu-young’s eyes.

“…Why…”

Amidst the passionate kiss, Yu-young barely managed to ask. However, Do-won didn’t answer. He simply gazed at Yu-young with deep eyes and kissed him again.

The warmth of his palm against Yu-young’s side and back sent shivers through his body. The fact that Do-won could increase his body’s temperature and provide this tingling sensation without pheromones was astonishing.

As usual, after the kiss, Do-won gently wiped Yu-young’s lips and adjusted his clothes. Even then, his lingering gaze didn’t seem to waver for a long while. After a while, Do-won finally spoke.

“Let’s see each other tomorrow. I’ll contact you depending on how you’re feeling.”

“…Yes. Please… go in, Team Leader.”

After sending him off and closing the front door, Yu-young slowly sank to the floor of the entryway, unable to even think about entering the house.

What meaning does this kiss with him have, without the excuse of pheromones?

‘Is it really okay for me to be doing this with him?’

Outside, twilight had fully descended, and darkness was settling in. The sunset burned red, leaving room for the sparkling night to take its place.

The evening that was supposed to pass monotonously was now violently stirred up by Do-won. Gazing blankly out the window, Yu-young thought again and again about the man who had just invaded his space.

…

“Yu-young! Are you okay?”

As expected, the first voice to greet Yu-young when he arrived at work was Ju-yeon’s sharp voice. Since she had arrived early, the office was empty except for her. Seeing her run over to him and look at his face with a concerned expression, Yu-young awkwardly smiled.

“Haha… I’m fine.”

“No, what happened? Are you hurt?”

“It’s… kind of like a body ache.”

Yu-young wanted to avoid giving too much detail to Beta Ju-yeon. When he simply brushed it off, Ju-yeon grabbed his arm and shook it violently.

“Ah, what should we do? Haven’t you been pushing yourself too hard lately? You should at least make some tonic and drink it.”

“Maybe I should.”

“Is cold and flu going around lately? I don’t know why everyone’s like this.”

Yu-young widened his eyes at Ju-yeon’s mysterious words.

“Why? Is someone else sick?”

“No, it’s Yoon-seok. He’s been complaining about aches all over since yesterday. He says he feels nauseous too.”

“Really? What’s going on with him?”

“Assistant Manager!”

At that moment, Yoon-seok’s voice was heard from behind. When Yu-young turned around, Yoon-seok, with his bag over his shoulder, was stumbling toward him.

Just then, Ju-yeon’s phone rang, and as she stepped out of the office to answer it, only Yu-young and Yoon-seok remained in the room.

“Yoon-seok, are you okay?”

“Yes, Assistant Manager. But…”

As Yoon-seok took another step closer, Yu-young instinctively stepped back, shocked. Before his brain could comprehend what was happening, his body had already recoiled.

Something feels wrong.

Yu-young shivered as he looked at Yoon-seok’s face, his eyes bloodshot and his lips cracked and dry.