#9

“Yes. You’ve donated blood before, right? It’s similar to that. To be precise, we will separate only the pheromone components from the blood and then return the blood to you.”

“…….”

“Please let me know when you’re ready. It takes about two hours in total, from the examination to the extraction.”

When Shin Ho-jae stared at the man with a bewildered expression, the man, seemingly thinking his professionalism was being questioned, introduced himself as an employee of the pheromone center. He then began busily taking out equipment, saying there was a lot to prepare.

Just in case, Ho-jae took out his phone and saw a message that had arrived five minutes ago.

010-xxxx-xxxx

Something came up, so I’ll be a bit late.

A pheromone center employee will open the room for you.

Out of habit, Shin Ho-jae deleted the message and put his phone back in his pocket.

Today, facing the first day of the contract’s fulfillment, he couldn’t help but be quite nervous. It was because he had no idea what he would be doing for those two hours. For Shin Ho-jae, who rarely felt nervous even before a major match, it was an unpleasant sensation.

Because of what had happened last time, his imagination naturally drifted in that direction. The man had said he didn’t have a hobby of forcing others, but he could still do something equivalent to that. As expected, the meeting place was a hotel room.

But pheromone extraction…?

It was something he had never even imagined.

Shin Ho-jae asked the man, who was diligently setting up syringes and other tools.

“What is the extracted pheromone used for?”

“Generally, it’s used for therapeutic purposes for trait-bearer patients experiencing pheromone issues.”

Therapy? But Kwon Jung-hyun was a Beta.

“Are there cases where it’s needed for a Beta who isn’t a trait-bearer?”

“There are no such cases.”

At the definitive answer, Shin Ho-jae faintly furrowed his brow.

Does he have a close acquaintance who is a patient in urgent need of Alpha pheromones? Much like how someone might need a blood transfusion.

But that was also strange. If that were the case, asking the athletes who were at the banquet earlier would be a way to secure a larger quantity in a shorter amount of time. Except for the two of them, all the athletes were Alphas.

Then, the pheromone center employee spoke, as if remembering something belatedly, “Ah, there is one thing.”

“It’s not medically proven, but there’s a rumor that if you inject pheromones into children during their growth period whose external secretion levels are ambiguous between Beta and trait-bearer, they will manifest that specific trait.”

Shin Ho-jae frowned and looked at the center employee. It was the first time in his life he had heard such a thing.

“Using pheromones for that purpose isn’t covered by medical insurance, so it’s incredibly expensive. But for people with money, what wouldn’t they do to make their kids manifest as Alphas?”

Shin Ho-jae paused for a moment before asking.

“Does CEO Kwon Jung-hyun have children?”

“Uh… I don’t think so? I believe he’s unmarried. If you’re ready, I’ll start by measuring your blood pressure. Could you sit here and give me one of your arms?”

Shin Ho-jae slowly retraced the man’s words in his head.

A rumor that injecting pheromones can lead to manifesting as a trait-bearer.

Kwon Jung-hyun’s trait…….

A hypothesis flashed through his mind, but Shin Ho-jae immediately shook his head. The idea that Kwon Jung-hyun himself would receive Alpha pheromones because he wanted to become an Alpha was absurd.

What would a third-generation chaebol lack that would make him go through the trouble of becoming an Alpha? He was already born with everything.

“Mr. Shin Ho-jae?”

The center employee called Ho-jae’s name once more. Shin Ho-jae, who had been standing in the same spot since entering the room, made up his mind and looked up.

“I don’t think I can proceed with the pheromone extraction.”

“What? You can’t? Wasn’t this discussed with the CEO?”

“No. This is the first I’ve heard of it today.”

“Ah, I see…. But this is nothing. Although the time varies from person to person, the extracted pheromones are quickly regenerated.”

“No.”

Shin Ho-jae cut the employee off.

“I want to know the exact reason why my pheromones are needed. I’ll decide on the extraction after that.”

He couldn’t hand over his personal pheromones without knowing anything. Pheromones contained too much personal information.

Furthermore, the syringe used for extraction was a problem. During the season, he was so careful with medication that he even cautioned against cold medicine; the idea of a needle entering his body in a place that wasn’t a hospital was naturally off-putting.

The employee looked very flustered, then picked up his phone and stepped away. Hearing him say, “Ah, yes, CEO?” it seemed he was calling Kwon Jung-hyun.

Only then did Shin Ho-jae slowly look around the room. It was a slightly larger room than the previous one. There was a small living room separated from the bedroom, and the table in the living room was filled with the various pieces of equipment the man had set up.

Shin Ho-jae narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the equipment.

“Um…. The CEO says you may leave for now. He says he’ll be up shortly if you stay here.”

The man said as he returned to the living room. Ho-jae had thought he would try to persuade him to undergo the extraction, but he seemed to have given up surprisingly quickly. Ho-jae gave a small nod.

After the employee packed his things and left the room, it wasn’t long before Jung-hyun opened the door and entered.

Shin Ho-jae, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, stood up awkwardly. Kwon Jung-hyun gave Shin Ho-jae a nod of greeting and took off his suit jacket. He tossed the jacket carelessly onto the back of the sofa and picked up a water bottle provided in the room.

“My conversation with Coach Park ran a bit long. Did you wait long?”

“No.”

Watching him pour water into a glass and drink, Shin Ho-jae spoke up.

“I want to know the exact reason why you need my pheromones.”

“I heard that the pheromones of a Dominant Alpha are usually more concentrated than those of ordinary Alphas. They say there’s a difference of ten, or even up to twenty times.”

“…….”

“If one were to inject pheromones, naturally, dominant pheromones would be more effective, right? Since there’s a Dominant Alpha nearby, there’s no reason not to use them. That’s why I asked; there’s no grand design behind it.”

At the casual mention of the word ‘inject,’ the corners of Shin Ho-jae’s eyes twitched.

“…You, personally, CEO?”

Kwon Jung-hyun simply shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t explicitly confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either.

Traits are determined by genetic factors. If someone manifested because pheromones were poured into them, that child must have been born with that trait to begin with. There was no way Kwon Jung-hyun didn’t know that.

“…Are you saying you believe the rumor that injecting Alpha pheromones makes you an Alpha?”

“To a Dominant Alpha like Athlete Shin, it might sound like a rumor, but there are people in this world who are desperate enough to clutch at straws.”

Clutching at straws—wasn’t that too desperate an expression for the heir of Myeong-jeong, who must have grown up far more affluent than others, to use?

“…Do you really want to become an Alpha?”

“If I did, what would you think?”

“…….”

Shin Ho-jae silently furrowed his brow. He knew he had to manage his expression, but it wasn’t working well.

The idea that a grown adult man would extract an Alpha’s pheromones and inject them into his own body just because he wanted to be an Alpha.

It was creepy.

Could it be that his Alpha-like appearance, and the way he selectively harassed only his Alpha secretaries, were also due to a complex?

Shin Ho-jae knew this type of Beta very well. They were the kind of people who had always existed around him ever since he manifested as a Dominant Alpha.

It started with the hockey team coach he met in middle school. During the period when manifestation just occurs, is there any group with as many Alphas as a middle school sports team? That coach used to inflict excessive violence only on the athletes whose traits were confirmed as Alpha.

Including Shin Ho-jae, Du-min, Min-chul, and other Alpha athletes had to endure harsh corporal punishment without knowing why. They were powerless children who could do nothing, fearing that talking back or resisting would lead to disadvantages in their athletic careers.

Thinking back now, it was simply a way for Betas with a sense of entitlement to express their inferiority complex.

Betas seem to think that becoming an Alpha grants them some kind of superpower, but well. Trait-bearers are just the same ordinary people. The only difference from Betas is that they produce an external secretion called pheromones.

“Shall I guess what Athlete Shin is thinking right now?”

It was Kwon Jung-hyun who broke the awkward silence.

“You’re probably thinking that it’s disgusting and creepy that a grown man would inject someone else’s pheromones into his body because he wants to be an Alpha, right?”

When he looked up, Jung-hyun was looking at him with a light smile.

“And you probably think I’m stupid enough to believe such a rumor.”

“…….”

“Everything shows on your face, Athlete Shin. Almost as if you’re doing it on purpose.”

Shin Ho-jae stiffened his face and stared at him. There was nothing he could particularly say in response. Because it was exactly as he said. He wasn’t the type of person who could skillfully hide such emotions and flatter others.

“If there’s something you want to say, why don’t you just say it? I’m curious at this point.”

“…….”

“Or perhaps you’ll only become honest after some drinks?”

10 – Puck Drop