By Zephyria 
Hui-won replied nonchalantly.
“Probably got bitten by something.”
“Do mosquitoes even come out in winter these days?”
Secretary Lee looked at him with narrowed eyes. He clearly knew it was a lie. His expression seemed to hope Chief Kim would voluntarily confess.
“Are you really dating? How on earth does someone as busy as you, General Manager, manage it? Where do you find the time?”
“Probably meets them all at once on weekends. Look, exhaustion is plastered all over his face.”
“Aha!”
“You guys are really too interested in other people’s business.”
Hui-won let out a long sigh. He tried to gloss it over with laughter, but it didn’t seem easy to escape.
“The person you’re seeing is an Alpha, right? Who is it? A total hottie?”
“Photo! Show us a photo!”
“What photo.”
Hui-won shook his head. Honestly, even if his phone were snatched right now, there was nothing to fear. There wasn’t a single photo taken with Kwon Young-je in his album. It meant that while the fact of the relationship couldn’t be hidden, there was absolutely no way the identity of the other person would be revealed.
“Will we be having wedding noodles soon?”
“Give up. That won’t happen.”
The answer came out without any hesitation. At his firm reply, the secretaries seemed a bit taken aback, but Hui-won just sipped his coffee as if he didn’t care.
Kwon Young-je was still a proponent of non-marriage, and Hui-won didn’t have any particular aversion to his views on marriage either. Perhaps it was because they were people who would stay together regardless of formalities. He thought maybe living like this was fine.
Of course, if an Alpha and an Omega stayed together unmarried for a long time, gossip would spread… but it wasn’t much different now, so what did it matter? Thanks to that, Hui-won’s own views on marriage were gradually becoming more progressive.
“Let’s start wrapping up. The weekly meeting starts in five minutes.”
Hui-won drew a line appropriately and was the first to leave the break room. No one could stop him as he instantly switched back into General Manager mode. The remaining secretaries huddled together, each lost in their own curiosity.
“He’s not dating some weirdo, is he? If he won’t even show a photo, usually there’s a flaw in their face.”
“No way, General Manager has high standards, doesn’t he?”
“You never know. They say the sharper a person is, the softer they become when in love.”
“Well… I heard trait-bearers prioritize pheromones above all else. They say reason flies out the window before pheromones.”
“I’m worried. I hope it’s a handsome guy….”
Secretary Lee looked out the break room entrance with deeply sunken eyes. She was solely worried about Secretary Kim.
“Want to make a bet?”
At that moment, Secretary Song, who hadn’t said a word until now, quietly stepped forward. Her large pupils were sparkling brightly for the first time in a while.
“I’ll bet 100,000 won that the person Secretary Kim is seeing is handsome.”
“……”
Secretary Lee quietly looked at her innocent face. Secretary Song… really has no talent for gambling. Betting that much only makes it seem like you know something.
“Ah, that’s difficult…. I don’t know. I’ll bet on handsome too.”
Secretary Lee pretended not to know and sided with Secretary Song, and then everyone else also bet on the same side. With this, the bet couldn’t be established.
Secretary Kim’s relationship was almost an established fact among them. They were just genuinely curious about who the other person was.
***
Cough, cough. Dry coughs echoed incessantly throughout the office. It was the height of winter.
No matter how much care was taken with temperature and humidity, minor illnesses following seasonal changes were unavoidable. Two people in the secretarial office had already caught colds.
“Did you catch a cold too, General Manager?”
Secretary Lee, who was walking towards the copier, stopped in front of him. Hui-won grimaced, grabbing his throat as if it was itchy.
“Yeah, the cough keeps coming.”
As a temporary measure, he took a sip of warm water. Secretary Lee then took out a small spray from his jacket pocket.
“Try spraying this. I’ve used it, and it’s the best for calming persistent coughs.”
“It’s propolis. I’ll use it well.”
“Do you have a fever too? Your face is slightly red.”
Hui-won pressed his cheek with the back of his hand. There was a slight feverish feeling, but fortunately not enough to hinder work.
“Taking medicine should make it better. Anyway, thanks for your concern. This too.”
At his refreshing smile, Secretary Lee nodded and left to do his own work. Meanwhile, Hui-won took out and took an all-in-one cold medicine from his drawer.
Based on experience, these early cold symptoms usually passed without incident if managed well.
The cough subsided, but his condition continued to hit rock bottom. The feverish feeling that made one lethargic stubbornly refused to disappear, and days followed where his chest felt heavy and stuffy, as if a heavy stone were placed on it.
Hui-won pressed the fleshy part below his palm against his chest. The area around his solar plexus felt tight, as if he had a severe case of indigestion.
Was the lunchbox he ate for lunch the problem? He thought forcing himself to eat what he didn’t want had finally caused trouble. Lately, he just felt like nothing was digesting properly.
“Does anyone have digestive medicine?”
The secretaries each rummaged through their desk drawers. Despite their busy actions, the needed medicine didn’t appear.
“There should be some in the infirmary.”
“Hmm.”
He had a schedule lined up right away, so there was no time to spare for the infirmary. Hui-won got up from his seat as if there was no choice. Thinking he’d get better like this, he grabbed his jacket to put it on when a tap, tap sound came from the direction of the executive office, knocking on the window.
Turning his head, his eyes met Kwon Young-je’s. He gestured with a flick of his finger, signaling Hui-won to come in.
After straightening his clothes, he went inside. A tall, handsome man was sitting on the edge of the desk, waiting for him.
Kwon Young-je was his workplace superior, whom he had to serve, even before being his lover. Seeing his stiff expression made Hui-won tense up anew, and his already stuffy chest tightened. He cautiously approached to stand before his feet.
“Where does it hurt?”
“……”
Kwon Young-je saw through Hui-won’s condition in an instant without him saying a word. Wondering if his discomfort showed, Hui-won rubbed his cheek for no reason.
“I think I just have slight indigestion. It’s nothing.”
“Let me see your hand.”
As Hui-won obediently held out his right hand, Kwon Young-je pulled it towards himself and firmly pressed the deeply indented part between his thumb and index finger. Contrary to his displeased expression, the acupressure from his hand was quite meticulous.
Watching that, a wry laugh escaped. He was someone who never showed anything at the company; it seemed he was worried after all.
Well, only above the waist would be visible through the window anyway, so this level of skinship wouldn’t be discovered. Besides, Executive Director Kwon’s expression was a bit stern right now.
“Go see a doctor.”
“No one goes to the hospital for indigestion.”
“Do I have to get angry for you to listen?”
The fingertips that had been applying pressure were now gently massaging the Hegu acupoint. Meanwhile, Kwon Young-je’s gaze was still dissatisfied.
“Medicine?”
“Haven’t taken any yet.”
As Kwon Young-je sighed as if the ground would cave in, Hui-won felt awkward and added an excuse.
“I was planning to stop by the infirmary after finishing the afternoon schedule.”
“Do you know how cold your hands are right now?”
“This much is…”
“You’re used to not showing you’re in pain, but do it in moderation.”
“……”
“Leave work now. Hand over all afternoon schedules to Secretary Lee.”
Kwon Young-je immediately ordered an early departure. While Hui-won was dazed, he took the lead and picked up the internal phone. His manner of relaying the instructions to Secretary Lee was clean and without a hint of hesitation.
“Go. Quickly.”
Even after hearing the firm instruction, he couldn’t move easily. He couldn’t tell if he should be happy or not. One thing was certain: the indigestion that had been weighing on his chest was now itching unbearably. It wasn’t bad seeing the man who always prioritized work showing concern for him.
At a time when the sun was still high, Hui-won, having left the office building, stopped by a nearby pharmacy briefly.
Amidst all sorts of over-the-counter medicines and medical supplies, the digestive medicine he was looking for wasn’t visible. As he was looking around the shelves as if browsing, a pharmacist in a white coat approached the counter.
“Are you looking for something?”
“One bottle of liquid digestive medicine, please.”
As if it was a frequently requested item, the pharmacist skillfully picked a brown bottle from the shelf behind them. Hui-won hesitated for a moment before asking.
“By any chance, can I take digestive medicine and fever reducer together?”
“Acetaminophen-based ones are fine. Is it for yourself?”
“Yes.”
“What are your symptoms?”
“I just have a persistent low-grade fever… and my stomach has been uncomfortable for the past few days.”
“…Hmm.”
After some thought, the pharmacist picked out a few more medicines. Laying them out neatly on the pristine white counter, they added a kind explanation.
“If the symptoms have been lasting for days, this medicine might be more suitable for you. Liquid digestive medicine is more for one-time use, after all.”
“Then please ring these up too.”
“That will be 8,900 won.”
The paid-for medicines were neatly placed into a yellow bag. Meanwhile, Hui-won twisted open the brown bottle and emptied the entire bottle of digestive medicine right there. As the sharp, slightly carbonated sensation went down his throat, the indigestion that had been bothering him seemed to ease slightly.
“Excuse me… sorry to ask, but are you an Omega?”
The pharmacist asked very cautiously. Hui-won, about to put the empty glass bottle into the recycling bin, quickly replied.
“Ah, yes.”
“Have you checked for the possibility of pregnancy by any chance?”