By Zephyria 
Kwon Young-je kept his gaze fixed on the tablet. Others might perceive his expression as indifferent, but Hui-won noticed the very slight upturn at the corner of his lips.
“Not bad.”
Having received confirmation, there was nothing more to hesitate about. Hui-won returned to his seat and thought of a few restaurants that Kwon Young-je usually liked. No sooner had he decided on a destination than he turned the steering wheel. The sedan carrying them smoothly swerved and began to pick up speed.
The Italian restaurant named ‘Luna Cera’ was one they had frequented before. Perhaps because it was past peak hours, the interior was quite quiet. Thinking it was good to have some peace, he headed to the seat he was being guided to.
“The menu has changed a lot.”
“Yes, it has been renovated to celebrate our tenth anniversary.”
Kwon Young-je roughly scanned the matte-coated menu. He raised his eyes to gaze at the person sitting across from him. Secretary Kim seemed to be pondering over the unfamiliar, newly changed menu.
“What do you want to eat?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Have the basil pesto. You like that, don’t you?”
Hui-won gave a small nod. It was fortunate that a few signature dishes remained. Hopefully, the taste hadn’t changed too. If it had, he would mercilessly remove it from his list of favorite restaurants.
Meanwhile, the waiter, wearing a bright smile, watched the two men.
When dealing with customers, he always made it a habit to deduce their relationship. What were these two to each other? A young man in his early thirties wearing a suit. The atmosphere they exuded suggested they were both professionals.
Usually, it was often a business relationship, but judging from their conversation and the nuance that they knew each other’s tastes well, it didn’t seem like such a rigid relationship.
Above all, they were an Alpha and an Omega. Judging from the pheromone of the two people naturally mixed together, the waiter was convinced that his thoughts were correct.
The waiter confidently pointed to the menu and said.
“Couples often order the Romantic Course. It includes appetizers, soup, main course, and dessert, and couples usually choose one pasta and one steak to share. A glass of champagne is provided for each couple.”
“……”
“……”
The two men’s gazes turned to the waiter at the same time.
Kwon Young-je had a calm expression, but it gave off a sharp feeling in itself, and Kim Hui-won was beyond dumbfounded.
“I’m sorry, but we’re not a couple.”
Only when Kwon Young-je slammed the menu shut did the waiter realize his mistake and not know what to do.
“I, I’m sorry. I was very rude…”
“Still, it’s not a bad composition. Let’s go with what you suggested. For the main course, basil pesto pasta, Alfredo fettuccine, and we don’t need the champagne.”
Kwon Young-je ordered the recommended course so that the waiter wouldn’t be embarrassed any further. He even gave a smile to the waiter, who repeatedly apologized while bowing. Of course, it was 100% business, but it was still nice to see.
“How long are you going to be spacing out?”
After the waiter left, Kwon Young-je pointed out Hui-won’s dazed attitude. His tone was as cold as ever.
“Just now, that person said the word ‘couple’ three times while introducing the menu.”
“I guess we looked like a couple.”
“What about us looks like that?”
Kwon Young-je silently brought the water glass to his lips. While taking a sip of water, his gaze was fixed on Kim Hui-won’s face the whole time. He elegantly put down the glass of water instead of wine and threw a scathing remark.
“Do you still not realize that you are an Omega?”
“Does that mean that if an Omega and an Alpha are in the same place, they are all dating?”
“At least if you come to a restaurant like this, you might be misunderstood.”
Hui-won laughed in vain. The good old days are gone. There are so many things to be aware of.
“From now on, I’ll just have to buy lunch boxes with you, Executive Director.”
“I told you, there will be countless misunderstandings like this. Didn’t you understand what I meant by acting confidently?”
It wasn’t just because of the place. Kwon Young-je had instructed him to release his pheromone in a space where only the two of them were, and Hui-won followed suit. After repeating it, he was getting used to Kim Hui-won’s pheromone, but apart from that, he was misunderstood because of the pheromone of each other that was ingrained in his body.
“Is it because of the pheromone?”
As expected, Kim Hui-won quickly realized the cause. Kwon Young-je only raised his eyebrows in agreement.
“I think it’s better to refrain from it during work hours.”
“It’s one of the things Secretary Kim has to do. Actively cooperate to get used to Omega pheromone. It’s in the contract.”
“In that case, I’d rather do it at home after work… No, never mind. I misspoke. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Hui-won regretted it as soon as he said it and waved his hand. That would seem even stranger to others.
Just in time, freshly baked bread and appetizers to whet the appetite came out. Hui-won put an appropriate amount on his plate and quietly began to eat.
How does this look like a couple? The appearance of paying attention only to their own meals without conversation was nothing more or less than customers who had joined the table because there were no seats.
Time passed silently, and soon dessert came out. Kwon Young-je was a person who never ate sweets, so he only drank coffee. Thanks to that, the tiramisu cake became Hui-won’s share.
Luna Cera’s tiramisu cake was originally famous. The bread sheet with a strong espresso flavor and the layers of mascarpone cream cheese were in perfect harmony.
He was eating the cake with a small dessert fork when he felt a stinging gaze and raised his head. His eyes met with Executive Director Kwon, who was looking at him while drinking coffee. At that moment, a dry cough burst out, and the fine cocoa powder covering the cake flew out of the plate.
Thinking that he was eating too much by himself, he hurriedly washed away the remaining sweetness in his mouth with coffee. Fortunately, Kwon Young-je said in a calm voice as if he didn’t think much of it.
“About Kim Sun-yul from the Research Institute’s R&D team, let’s wrap it up soon.”
Ah, the one who made a fuss about suing for insult… Hui-won easily recalled the researcher’s face.
No matter how much Kwon Young-ho instigated him from behind, how could he threaten Kwon Young-je? He quietly shook his head, impressed by Kim Sun-yul’s spirit.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to deliver the settlement money through a lawyer this week.”
“All three thousand?”
“I made a mistake, so I have to take responsibility for it.”
After that incident, Kwon Young-je did not issue separate instructions regarding the Omega pheromone of employees, as if he had come to his senses. Due to the nature of the company, the proportion of Omega employees was quite high, so it was inevitable to have contact with them for work, but he just endured it.
It’s not that Kwon Young-je’s neurosis has subsided overnight. It was only slightly better than before, but he still suffered from headaches, and the negative reactions were still there.
He’s so patient that he’s terrible. Is that how you succeed?
Hui-won thought to himself and drank the remaining coffee. Still, he felt like he should side with Executive Director Kwon at least that much.
“It’s a bit too much to give all three thousand.”
“Someone else took three hundred billion.”
The coffee he was drinking almost came out. Petty human… I haven’t even received that yet. Hui-won smoothed out his sharp eyes and replied with a forced smile.
“Madam Lim doesn’t know that I’m receiving the building, does she?”
“Ah, that. Never tell her.”
Kwon Young-je tilted his head. His face, looking down at Hui-won, was full of his unique coldness.
“I’ve told Lawyer Park to keep his mouth shut, but it’s going to be handled in strict secrecy.”
“She’ll find out someday.”
Still, it couldn’t be a complete secret since he was giving away a share of his property. Madam Lim was as thorough as Kwon Young-je, so he heard that every spring, she hired a dozen talented tax accountants to check the financial status of her family.
“It’s better to delay it as much as possible? If she finds out, she’ll really put Secretary Kim back at home. No one in their right mind would give a building to a complete stranger. She might think you proposed.”
“……”
Hearing those words, his hair stood on end and even his fine hairs stood up. Because he knew that Kwon Young-je’s words were not a joke.
“I don’t want to receive it. The building… just keep it, Executive Director.”
At Hui-won’s request, Kwon Young-je laughed out loud for the first time.
Of course, the request was not accepted.