Episode 9

 

“Why? Why are you like this?”

 

“Don’t change the subject.”

 

“All of a sudden?”

 

“Your words are right.”

 

They had only thought about one thing and hadn’t considered the other. Kang In-hyuk and Seo Da-rae didn’t want to be treated as misfits by others, feeling uncomfortable. But why didn’t they think about it the other way around?

 

“I must have been rude and behaved badly all this time.”

 

“Well, yeah.”

 

“So, even  if I do it this time, they won’t think of me as strange, right?”

 

“That’s true, but I’m not particularly recommending it. You’ve troubled Seo Da-rae a lot.”

 

“Who troubled Seo Da-rae?”

 

Tae-seo licked his tongue as  if pitying them.

 

“In-hyuk did.”

 

“…Really? Did he really bother her like that?”

 

“In-hyuk doesn’t like her. He has no feelings for her. But even if I say this, no one believes it.”

 

“That’s… true.”

 

“So, I’ll show you.”

 

After all the worries were resolved, Tae-seo drank his americano contentedly. He smiled involuntarily at the refreshing sensation of the cold liquid running through his body. Just now, he had felt quite down after what In-hyuk had said. He needed to make it clear that he didn’t like In-hyuk.

 

Tae-seo happily devoured the cake, feeling excited. Although he didn’t usually like sweets, for some reason, the cake tasted pretty good today. The macaron was chewy and delicious too.

 

As he joyfully indulged in his snacks and rinsed his mouth with americano, the memory of what happened with In-hyuk resurfaced.

 

“But In-hyuk said earlier that he emitted pheromones.”

 

Judging by Seo Da-rae’s grip on her chest as  if in distress, it must have been pheromones attacking Tae-seo. But Tae-seo didn’t feel In-hyuk’s pheromones. He hadn’t even thought deeply enough to consider In-hyuk emitting pheromones.

 

“It’s really strange.”

 

Thinking that he should search it up when he got home, Tae-seo picked up his fork again.

 

***

 

Once back home, Tae-seo immediately pulled out a chair and sat down. Turning on his laptop and opening a web browser, Tae-seo cracked his neck before touching the keyboard.

 

“I’ll be searching all day again.”

 

Being Yoon Tae-seo had become synonymous with searching. It was similar to the world I lived in, but there were slight differences. Questions that seemed too childish to ask others, and yet too frustrating to pretend to know the answer to. It didn’t make sense to know everything about the world when I didn’t even know all the personal information about myself.

 

“But it’s fortunate that I still have some sensations in my body.”

 

Although my soul had entered, there were still remnants of Yoon Tae-seo’s body, and they influenced me quite a bit. Like not feeling uncomfortable with the presence of a chauffeur taking me anywhere or feeling familiar with hotels.  If I had said, “Who are you? Where are you taking me? Why am I at a hotel…?” it would have been truly hopeless.

 

“Let’s do some searching.”

 

Tae-seo raised his head, placing his fingers on the keyboard.

 

“I have no pheromones, how to sense pheromones, etc.”

 

“I have no pheromones… Most of the advice is to go to the hospital, and for how to sense pheromones… Accept it naturally?”

 

Scrolling through the search results with the mouse, there was nothing particularly promising. It was no different from asking how to smell.

 

“This isn’t it. What should I search for?”

 

Tae-seo carefully reconsidered his situation. It was natural for betas not to sense pheromones. But  if everything that had happened to me was true, then I should have become an omega and should be able to sense pheromones. Yet there was still no significant difference from before.

 

“Judging by Kang Se-heon’s reaction, it’s not that he’s lying… Then am I a half omega?”

 

A half omega… Was there such a thing? As Tae-seo pondered deeply, Se-heon came to mind again. The scent he had smelled back then. So  if he assumed that the smell that bothered him when he was with Se-heon wasn’t perfume but pheromones, then it meant he wasn’t entirely unable to smell pheromones.

 

Of course, only  if that was indeed pheromones. Frustrated by the tangled thoughts, Tae-seo ruffled his hair as if expressing his frustration.

 

“Let’s think again, is it possible for an omega not to sense pheromones?”

 

Just as he was about to press the search button with determination, he was interrupted.

 

“Tae-seo.”

 

Since there was no one special visiting other than the person who worked at home, Tae-seo, who had left the door open, turned to look beside him. Standing at the door were my parents, Yoon Seok-hoon and Kim Mi-kyung.

 

“You’re here?”

 

“We had some time left today, so we stopped by. What were you doing?”

 

“I was just… doing some random searches.”

 

“If you’re curious about something, ask your secretary.”

 

The secretary was a man who currently managed Tae-seo’s driving duties. At first, I thought he was just a chauffeur.

 

“Well, we’re not that close.”

 

Although there were things he wanted to ask that seemed too strange, Tae-seo casually diverted the conversation. Then Seok-hoon glanced at Tae-seo’s face for a moment. His gaze seemed to contain some pity? Wondering why, Tae-seo stood there awkwardly while Seok-hoon checked his watch.

 

“It’s still early, but would you like to have dinner together?”

 

Tae-seo also looked at the watch with Seok-hoon. It was 5:30, indeed quite early, but Tae-seo’s stomach growled for no reason. Even though he had eaten a lot of snacks earlier, he felt hungry.

 

“Let’s eat.”

 

As Tae-seo got up from his seat and approached Seok-hoon, Seok-hoon smiled pleasantly, putting his arm around Tae-seo’s shoulder.

 

“How was class today?”

 

As Seok-hoon’s affectionate voice gradually faded away, Kim Mi-kyung raised her head as  if unable to hold back.

 

“This kid… says he has to go out quickly.”

 

Originally, I was going to leave with just the documents. But after coming all the way up to Tae-seo’s room and finding him alone, I felt a bit bored, so I suddenly asked  if he had eaten.

 

“We’ll leave in about an hour. Please reschedule.”

 

Kim Mi-kyung made a call to the secretary to adjust the situation, and when she reached out to close the door, she noticed the chair Tae-seo had been sitting in and the laptop with the screen protector still on.

 

As a university student, he could have assignments to do, but Kim Mi-kyung, being an unavoidable mother, felt a sudden curiosity. With a slight desire to sneak a peek, her gaze changed as she stealthily glanced at the laptop screen.

 

Back in the car heading back to the hotel, Yoon Seok-hoon put down his tablet, sensing a different atmosphere from before.

 

“Why are you like this? You were quiet the whole time earlier, is something bothering you?”

 

When Kim Mi-kyung’s eyes met Seok-hoon’s reflection in the window, she sighed. Throughout dinner, she hadn’t said a word to Tae-seo properly, just kept looking at his face. Kim Mi-kyung turned to her husband, her eyes showing a complex expression.

 

“It’s about Tae-seo.”

 

“Tae-seo? What about our Tae-seo?”

 

Seok-hoon chuckled, remembering the cheerful Tae-seo he had seen earlier during dinner.

 

“Before we left earlier, um, well, Tae-seo searched something on his laptop. He wrote, ‘Can an omega not sense pheromones?'”

 

Seok-hoon’s expression sank at Kim Mi-kyung’s words. Compared to their alpha-omega traits, Tae-seo was still a beta. Especially since in a test conducted when he was young, there was a high possibility of him becoming an omega, but the change in traits hadn’t occurred yet.

 

“It seems he wasn’t tested.”

 

Just as curious about the gender of the child while it was in the womb, it was natural to wonder what traits it would develop after birth. However, with the current medical advancement, determining the possibility of traits through the parents’ traits and pheromone reactions was only possible to a certain extent.

 

“Tae-seo must be getting impatient, right?”

 

Unable to suppress the embarrassment of glimpsing into her son’s worries, Kim Mi-kyung couldn’t calm her feelings. Even during the time when he was expected to manifest as an omega, their son, who showed no reaction at all, had reassured his parents that it was okay. He had always said he was just a little late.

 

As the years passed and the likelihood of manifestation decreased significantly, although he accepted that he was a beta due to his silence, it wasn’t like that at all. Instead, Tae-seo seemed to be indulging in the extravagant fantasy of me being an omega.

 

“It’s not too late yet.”

 

Seok-hoon took Kim Mi-kyung’s hand and placed it on his thigh. While patting her small hand, Seok-hoon spoke gently.

 

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

 

“But… thinking that Tae-seo is agonizing alone, it hurts my heart. He has always thought that I would become an omega… Do you remember? Tae-seo said he wanted to become an omega quickly and marry In-hyuk.”

 

Seeing In-hyuk, who came to visit the house and fell in love at first sight, Tae-seo had hugged Kim Mi-kyung that evening and said so.

 

– The doctor said In-hyuk would become an alpha, and I said I would become an omega. Mom, when I become an omega, I want to marry In-hyuk.

 

Although it was already ten years ago, Kim Mi-kyung’s memory of that day was still vivid.

 

“But since he didn’t become an omega, he’s thinking like that… It’s so pitiful.”

 

Eventually, tears welled up in Kim Mi-kyung’s eyes. Seok-hoon, too, couldn’t easily open his mouth, feeling the sadness contagious from Kim Mi-kyung.

 

At some point, the car stopped in front of the hotel, but the driver waited for them without saying a word. Just before the quiet time cast a shadow over the faces of the two, Seok-hoon spoke.

 

“Let’s have dinner with In-hyuk’s family after a long time. Seeing In-hyuk might cheer Tae-seo up.”

 

“Would that be so? While at it, it would be nice to ask  if In-hyuk still has thoughts of marriage.”

 

The biggest reason Tae-seo wanted to become an omega was In-hyuk. As Kim Mi-kyung thought of ways they could help Tae-seo, a faint smile appeared on her lips for the first time.