By Zephyria 
It felt ironic that a man who looked like he would chug hard liquor was drinking ginseng liquor. Perhaps that image suited him better.
“So, what did that Sunbae say?”
At Kim Ju-hwan’s question, Jeong-min told him everything he had heard. In the meantime, Kim Ju-hwan finished one bottle of ginseng liquor and asked for another. The story ended just then.
“Hmm….”
He showed no sign of being drunk. He was perfectly fine. He just seemed to be deep in thought. Jeong-min felt slightly nervous. What if Shin-woo hyung had told him something confidential? If so, it was no different from him making a slip of the tongue. Thinking about it, he felt he had been rash. He had moved so hastily just because he was curious.
“Sunbae, you think too much.”
Kim Ju-hwan chuckled and poured ginseng liquor into Jeong-min’s empty glass.
“Drink. It feels refreshing going down.”
“No, I’m good with the alcohol.”
“Why? Do you have to go back to the hospital?”
“No, not that….”
“Then drink. Otherwise, you won’t be able to hear my story.”
“Stingy bastard.”
“I’ve always been stingy. You know that. Why act surprised now?”
He spoke slyly with a much more relaxed face. Fortunately, he didn’t seem offended. When Jeong-min drank the ginseng liquor in one gulp, Kim Ju-hwan filled the empty glass again.
“As expected of Yu Shin-woo Sunbae. He didn’t tell you a single thing he wasn’t supposed to, so don’t worry. Even if he did, would I actually kill Yu Shin-woo Sunbae? Why are you so scared? If you were that worried, you shouldn’t have called me today.”
“…I was actually thinking that.”
“If you’ve decided, just push through. Even if you haven’t, act confident as if you’re right. It’s hard to live in this world otherwise.”
“Kim Ju-hwan, I think you forget sometimes. You’re younger than me.”
“It’s only a one-year difference, so what….”
That was true. After entering society, there were times when people ten years older felt young, and times when people five years younger felt mature. Because of that, the boundaries of age were becoming blurred.
“So, what is it you want to talk about? The thing you’re so curious about that you’d comply with my demands. Tell me.”
Jeong-min’s lips quirked, and he downed the ginseng liquor once more. He set the glass down with a loud ‘clack’ and then carefully asked Kim Ju-hwan.
“Hyung… can he be cured?”
“Yes, he can.”
Surprisingly, the ‘desired’ answer came simply. Jeong-min snapped his head up.
“Really?”
“Yes, that’s why he came to Korea. And that’s why we’re throwing money around like this. If the method we’re thinking of is correct, we’ll accumulate wealth beyond imagination, so it’s not a waste. But Sunbae knows, right? For a company of this size to move, it’s because they have that much ‘certainty’.”
Kim Ju-hwan’s eyes were serious. He didn’t seem to be lying. This time, Jeong-min took the bottle of ginseng liquor and poured it into his own glass. He downed the drink and let out a long breath.
Thank goodness. It wasn’t that there was no way. Even if the possibility was low, there was a world of difference between it being non-existent and actually existing. And as Kim Ju-hwan said, they must have moved because they were truly confident.
“There are five patients with pheromone hypersensitivity in Korea. It was only recently discovered, and we’ve agreed to take charge of their research and treatment. However, Sunbae Shin-woo’s case is different. Because his condition is acquired, his symptoms are far too varied. At one point, he once stopped breathing after smelling a certain pheromone. In just one minute.”
At those words, Jeong-min’s heart sank.
“Does that mean… Hyung almost died?”
“Yes. At the time, the drugs hadn’t fully left his system yet, so I think that might have made the symptoms worse… He hasn’t had a seizure that severe since then, but there have been several dangerous incidents nearly as bad… At times, he had to wear an oxygen mask the entire time.”
“Was there really no treatment? Until it got to that point?”
“Of course, we did a lot of research on our end. You probably know since you’ve looked into it. For congenital hypersensitivity, we’ve already developed a drug and are in clinical trials. We’ve made significant progress. But Sunbae Shin-woo is different. We’re quite plagued by the question of exactly what drug he took and how, to cause such symptoms. Ironically, someone with symptoms like Sunbae Shin-woo’s is a very good test subject for researchers and scholars, so they’ve been actively helping. We’ve tried every possible method. But even mobilizing every resource, we couldn’t do it.”
“You said there was a way.”
“Yes, it was a method we tried thinking, ‘Maybe…?’ and it worked remarkably well. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a method that could be sustained in London. I thought it would be possible in Korea.”
“Possible in Korea? How?”
Kim Ju-hwan shook his empty glass. Looking at the void in the glass, he chuckled once more. The stone was about to be thrown. But in the end, who would be the one hit by it?
Kim Ju-hwan remained silent for a while, but Jeong-min waited calmly. He knew better than anyone that if he wanted to get the information he desired, he had no choice but to wait.
“Do you really want to hear it?”
“Yes.”
“It will be hurtful to you, Sunbae.”
“What? Me?”
“Yes. Sunbae Shin Jeong-min. It will be hurtful to you. You might have to dig up something you’ve buried deep in your heart.”
Kim Ju-hwan pointed his finger toward Jeong-min’s chest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. And judging that… is my job, not yours.”
“Well, you always were that kind of person, Sunbae.”
Kim Ju-hwan looked carefully at the man and prepared to throw the stone.
“Imprinting.”
“Imprinting?”
“He must imprint. On one person.”
“That… how is that a treatment?”
Imprinting was an act easily done by Omega and Alpha partners after marrying and vowing to one another. How could that be a cure?
“It’s such a simple and common method that it’s hard to believe it’s a treatment, right?”
“Of course it is.”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why we didn’t believe it either. But the darkest place is often right under the lamp. It worked for Sunbae Yu Shin-woo. At the European research institute, they conducted imprinting tests with various Omegas to see what would happen if he were linked with someone.”
Hyung… he tried to imprint with some Omega. Jeong-min suddenly felt a chill in his chest. No, the strength drained from his body.
“The imprinting actually occurred, and Sunbae Shin-woo’s symptoms improved significantly. We thought everything would go smoothly with that, but not long after, he had a seizure because of hypersensitivity to that Omega’s pheromones. Then, when we tried to perform an imprint dissolution, we found that the imprint had strangely already been dissolved.”
That makes no sense. Imprinting symptoms vary, and it’s not without side effects. Occasionally, there are side effects where an imprint doesn’t break… or where one can still smell other people’s pheromones even after imprinting… But unless the partner dies, it doesn’t dissolve naturally.
To imprint, an Omega and Alpha must spend their heat and rut together and look into each other’s eyes to imprint. Dissolution is the same. Even if they don’t have sex, they must look into each other’s eyes and seek consent before breaking it. But for it to dissolve on its own… It can be broken forcibly, but that comes with enormous side effects.
“The side effects?”
“There were none. It was clean, as if he had never imprinted at all. The imprint level was 0. The partner Omega’s level was also 0. Thus, Sunbae Shin-woo underwent imprinting tests with three more Omegas, and in less than a month, the imprints vanished due to the same symptoms. That cause became a new subject of research for us. Why on earth? Then, we derived another method. What if there is a pheromone that fits Sunbae Shin-woo… what if a pheromone exists that doesn’t trigger his hypersensitivity? If he finds that pheromone and imprints. Wouldn’t he be ‘saved’ for the rest of his life?”
Kim Ju-hwan let the last drop of ginseng liquor fall from the bottle.
On the other hand, Jeong-min’s mind was a mess. Imprinting… Omega… Korea… salvation…
The indicators were clear. He didn’t need to hear any more. But he wanted to confirm. The reason why Shin-woo hyung came here to Korea. About that treatment method.
“That means… we have to find Sunbae’s Omega.”
Kim Ju-hwan slowly shook the glass again. This time, the glass was full with that final drop.
“Yes, that’s correct. We have to find Yu Shin-woo’s Omega. Specifically, an Omega with pheromones that are a 100% match for Sunbae Shin-woo.”