2 – Reunion

A large office with wide windows letting in bright sunlight.

Doh Yihyun sat upright before his neatly organized desk, mechanically tapping the keyboard.

“He worked overtime until 10 PM yesterday? And he’s not even the team leader…”

Whispered voices pierced through the irregular, hard clacking sounds of the keyboard.

Team Leader Do Yi-hyun of the Accounting Team 2 at Taeun Mulsan. Within the company, Do Yi-hyun was a well-known figure in many ways. Since he consistently filled his weekly allocated overtime hours to the brim, his name had gradually become synonymous with workaholic.

Because he showed absolutely no interest in anything outside of work, absurd rumors even circulated that he might be an A.I. or a hidden successor concealing his identity.

“I made a mistake right before leaving work. But Team Leader Do helped me a lot.”

One team member smiled awkwardly and glanced back at Do Yi-hyun. Other team members also sneakily peeked at Do Yi-hyun. Amidst the people chatting warmly and amicably, Do Yi-hyun, who remained silent with tightly sealed lips and only stared at his monitor screen, was a distinctly out-of-place presence.

Despite an attitude devoid of any trace of sociability, the gazes of those looking at Do Yi-hyun held goodwill.

“Team Leader Do’s vibe has been a bit intense lately, hasn’t it?”

“Right. It’s a bit scary to talk to him.”

A few grumbled and complained, but it wasn’t discomfort; a deep sense of regret was palpable. Among them were also those who harbored feelings beyond camaraderie for Do Yi-hyun, scattered here and there. Even though the team members were openly talking about him right in front of him, Do Yi-hyun didn’t spare them a single glance.

After all, even if he looked at their faces, he wouldn’t know who was who. Do Yi-hyun had prosopagnosia. It wasn’t a severe level, so with considerable effort and time, he could somewhat distinguish people.

The problem was that Do Yi-hyun had zero interest in others. Since he felt no need to differentiate people, there was no reason to make the effort. In essence, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Do Yi-hyun didn’t remember others’ faces rather than couldn’t remember them.

‘Can’t concentrate.’

Do Yi-hyun clicked his tongue softly and pressed his palm firmly against his solar plexus. His stomach felt quite unwell. His neat eyebrows were also slightly more contorted than usual.

It was a very subtle change, but for Do Yi-hyun, who always maintained an indifferent, expressionless face at work, it was a significant change. Enough for the team members to feel a sense of incongruity. Do Yi-hyun swallowed a sigh and habitually rubbed his lower abdomen gently.

It had been a little over two weeks since he learned of his pregnancy. It was a new habit for Do Yi-hyun.

‘……There’s a baby in here?’

Do Yi-hyun’s stomach was far from swollen; it was still firm and hard. If he hadn’t heard the fetal heartbeat three days ago, he might still not have felt it was real. A pulsating sound, much faster and more dynamic than an adult’s.

Enveloped by an indescribable feeling from the rhythm full of vitality, Do Yi-hyun just held his breath and listened to the baby’s sound for a while. Perhaps his body sensed the change in his state of mind, as his stomach had started to feel queasy since that day.

It constantly felt unsettled, as if he had eaten a lot of greasy food. It was the morning sickness he had only heard about.

‘Need to eat properly for nutrition.’

He hadn’t been able to eat to fullness for several days already. Since yesterday, just smelling any kind of food made him nauseous. This morning, he barely managed to force down half a sandwich, and for lunch, he went to the company cafeteria but ended up forcing down plain rice with water.

If he could, he wanted to gulp down a strong Americano filled with ice. And that wasn’t all. Despite sleeping incessantly all weekend, a constant lethargic feeling kept washing over him.

It was an unfamiliar experience for Do Yi-hyun, who used to be perfectly fine even after pulling two all-nighters. Perhaps it was his mood, but occasionally, his lower abdomen seemed to ache. A subtle sensation, somewhat sharp and stabbing, different from muscle soreness after exercise.

The doctor said it was nothing serious, but he still felt uneasy. Apart from his mother, his only friend who knew he was an Omega, Joo Na-hye, often called him the epitome of stoicism. As Joo Na-hye said, Do Yi-hyun had lived his life thus far not knowing what it meant to be sensitive.

He had never felt indigestion after eating, and except for special cases like during his heat cycle, he had never particularly felt unwell. A faint wrinkle formed on Do Yi-hyun’s prominent nose bridge. He couldn’t easily adapt to the irresistible changes.

His nerves had also become sharper. He had been confident that since he was sturdy, he could handle it well, but it seemed he had taken pregnancy too lightly. Do Yi-hyun lightly brushed his tired eyes with his fingertips.

It was common knowledge that a pregnant Omega needed an Alpha’s pheromones. A lack of Alpha pheromones placed a significant burden on an Omega’s body. For someone like him, an incomplete Omega, it might even affect the fetus.

That’s why he had planned to attempt having a child only after resigning and being perfectly prepared. Since an unexpected accident had disrupted his plans, he was prepared for the process not to be smooth. But it was more chaotic than he had imagined.

From his ever-changing physical condition to maternity leave and baby supplies, there were countless things to take care of. For now, he intended not to inform anyone of his pregnancy until he entered the stabilization period. Especially not his mother, who had remarried not long ago; he didn’t want to worry her.

“Haha, so pretty.”

Suddenly, a faint voice tinged with laughter brushed against Do Yi-hyun. It was ironic how, from the moment he learned of his pregnancy, memories of that day sporadically surfaced, as if he hadn’t completely forgotten. In the hazy, foggy vision, the man, with a sweet smile, kept praising Do Yi-hyun, calling him pretty.

Whoever he was, it was clear he was either deeply infatuated or a habitual liar. Even his mother, who adored her only son, stopped calling him pretty around the time Do Yi-hyun entered middle school.

Do Yi-hyun was well aware that he possessed not a single Omega-like trait. That’s why he had even less desire to find his one-night stand. Just the sudden appearance of an unknown Omega claiming to be pregnant would be bewildering enough, but if that Omega was as large as most Alphas and stoic to boot?

No one would welcome it. To begin with, Do Yi-hyun didn’t even know if the man was an Alpha or a Beta. If the man was a Beta, he wouldn’t receive pheromones and would only face troublesome complications.

It was better not to search. He also didn’t want to raise the precious child with someone he didn’t even know.

‘Enough of these pointless thoughts.’

Do Yi-hyun scattered his distracting thoughts and stared at the monitor again. The bright screen was densely packed with numbers.

“Team Leader Do.”

A familiar call came from nearby. Slowly raising his head, he saw a male team member smiling brightly from across the desk. He glanced down briefly, but since the employee ID was in the shirt pocket, he couldn’t tell the team member’s name.

Do Yi-hyun stared at the man with a cool expression.

“Haa. Team Leader, can’t you recognize my face again? Even though we’ve worked together for a whole year?”

The team member shook his head side to side and fumbled to pull out the employee ID he had deliberately hidden. In Accounting Team 2, everyone wore their employee ID around their neck. It was less unpleasant for them if Do Yi-hyun quickly scanned the ID and called their name rather than staring blankly at their face without recognition.

“Mr. Kim Yu-min.”

“When will you call my name without needing this?”

Only after Do Yi-hyun checked the ID and clearly called his name did Kim Yu-min pretend to be hurt, letting his eyebrows droop. While other team members had long given up, Kim Yu-min alone persistently wished for Do Yi-hyun to remember him.

“What is the matter?”

Do Yi-hyun tapped the desk, cutting off the pointless chatter. It was a matter of interest, not memory, but he had no reason to explain at length to Kim Yu-min.

“Executive Director Seo is looking for you.”

“……Executive Director Seo is?”

Kim Yu-min delivered a completely unexpected message. Pausing for a moment, Do Yi-hyun asked belatedly.

“Huh, the Executive Director is back?”

Unlike the indifferent Do Yi-hyun, other team members showed an intense reaction to the term ‘Executive Director Seo.’

“I heard he just returned today.”

“Isn’t it his return after almost a month? It was a business trip to Germany, right?”

“I heard he went around France and the US too.”

Even as Do Yi-hyun organized his work and stood up, the chatter showed no sign of stopping. Under Do Yi-hyun’s cool, sweeping gaze and dark eyes, the team members subtly turned their IDs backward and continued their chatter. Do Yi-hyun narrowed his eyes slightly for a moment but then let it be.

They were all people who knew their own work well, so there was no need to comment.

“He really rivals top models, doesn’t he? For the brand ad coming out, they could just have the Executive Director appear…”

“That’s right. It’s such a waste.”

With Do Yi-hyun’s tacit permission, Omegas and Betas alike gathered in small groups, their cheeks flushed red as they talked about Seo Jeong-woon. In short, Executive Director Seo Jeong-woon of Taeun Mulsan was the company’s idol. His dazzling appearance, clean work style, and background as the Chairman’s youngest grandson.

Seo Jeong-woon could be called the epitome of an Alpha without exaggeration. Even his reputation within the company was excellent, thanks to his habit of brightly smiling and greeting anyone first.

Rumors abounded that Seo Jeong-woon’s characteristic bright smile was shockingly beautiful, unforgettable once seen. In the early days after Seo Jeong-woon joined the company the year before last, there was even an unfortunate incident where numerous employees aimlessly wandered the corridors hoping to encounter him. However, despite encountering Seo Jeong-woon several times, Do Yi-hyun couldn’t remember his face either.

He only vaguely recalled an impression of something sparkling.

“But why would Executive Director Seo be looking for Team Leader Do?”

“Right. It’s not like Team Leader would have made a mistake.”

Leaving the team members’ questions behind, Do Yi-hyun strode out of the office.

‘Tired.’

It felt like gravity had doubled just from walking on level ground. It was because he went to bed late due to overtime work yesterday. Since learning of his pregnancy, Do Yi-hyun had tried to reduce overtime, but he had too many ongoing projects to wrap up immediately.

His body was unwell on one hand, and work focus was lacking on the other. Already bothered by more than a few things, the sudden summons interrupting him put him in a foul mood. After staring quietly at the elevator button for a moment, Do Yi-hyun changed direction and opened the emergency exit door.

The doctor would have been horrified if he knew. Do Yi-hyun silently, yet carefully, climbed the stairs.

“Phew.”

Arriving at the floor with the Executive Director’s office, Do Yi-hyun let out a short breath. Normally, his breathing wouldn’t have been disturbed, but now he felt slightly strained.

“He’s waiting inside.”

As Do Yi-hyun appeared, a secretary with her hair tied low in a single knot guided him as if she had been waiting. Do Yi-hyun gave a light nod to the secretary and stood before the deep maroon door. Habitually straightening his attire neatly, he knocked politely.

“This is Do Yi-hyun from Accounting Team 2.”

“Come in.”

A soft, gentle voice replied. Do Yi-hyun lowered his gaze and opened the heavy door. Come to think of it, this was his first time entering the Executive Director’s office.

Fitting for a top-tier conglomerate affiliate in South Korea, Seo Jeong-woon’s office was so spacious it couldn’t be taken in at a glance. Even to Do Yi-hyun, who had no expertise in interior design, the elegantly arranged high-end furniture was evident, and a few paintings whose subjects were unclear hung on the walls. If only a bed were placed in the corner, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a sophisticated space akin to a luxury hotel rather than an office.

After indifferently scanning the unfamiliar space once, Do Yi-hyun finally spotted Seo Jeong-woon. Seo Jeong-woon stood alone before a large glass window covering one wall. The warm afternoon sunlight scattered brilliantly along Seo Jeong-woon’s graceful nose bridge.

The brightness made Do Yi-hyun’s eyes hurt; he slowly closed and opened his eyelids. Perhaps because of the chatter he had just heard from the team members. Suddenly, Seo Jeong-woon’s eyes with their beautifully defined double eyelids caught his attention.

As if meeting someone for the first time, Do Yi-hyun carefully examined Seo Jeong-woon’s features. Just as Do Yi-hyun always maintained an expressionless face, Seo Jeong-woon always carried a faint smile. But facing Do Yi-hyun, Seo Jeong-woon’s face showed no trace of a smile.

Without his smile, Seo Jeong-woon unexpectedly gave off a sharp impression, making him seem difficult to approach. It seemed largely due to his sharply tapered eye corners. Contrary to public opinion that he would look affectionate even when angry, there was a strangely high-pressure aura.

His well-shaped lips, pressed into a straight line, were rosy like a ripe peach, and the light ash-brown curly hair lightly covering his forehead was slightly disheveled. Do Yi-hyun’s gaze, which had been wandering aimlessly among the striking features, drifted a little lower. Seo Jeong-woon was wearing a cheerful sky-blue knit and neat beige slacks.

It was a comfortable outfit, but his bearing was so good it created the illusion of being impeccably dressed.

“Haha.”

Seo Jeong-woon, who had been quietly observing Do Yi-hyun, suddenly let out a low laugh. Then, quite deliberately, he gently curved his distinct lips and narrowed his eyes into crescent shapes. As the smooth, drawn-like smile appeared, the oppressive aura emanating from Seo Jeong-woon vanished in an instant.

Seo Jeong-woon revealed his usual relaxed and languid atmosphere.

‘So that’s what he looks like.’

Even at a smile that would make others stare blankly, Do Yi-hyun blinked indifferently a few more times. Each time his vision returned, Seo Jeong-woon’s form began to blur more and more. Soon, in Do Yi-hyun’s eyes, Seo Jeong-woon began to look like a roughly sparkling mass.

This was a more familiar sight to Do Yi-hyun.

“Mr. Lee Hyun, come closer.”

Seo Jeong-woon called Do Yi-hyun with unprecedented familiarity, fluttering his hand.

‘Mr. Lee Hyun?’

As Do Yi-hyun dutifully approached Seo Jeong-woon, he faintly furrowed his brow. Until now, Seo Jeong-woon had consistently called him ‘Team Leader Do.’

They were by no means on such intimate terms to call each other by name affectionately.

“It’s been a while.”

However, stopping a few steps away, Do Yi-hyun offered a simple greeting instead of raising an objection to Seo Jeong-woon.

“Yes, have you been well, Mr. Lee Hyun?”

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Seo Jeong-woon asked after Do Yi-hyun’s well-being in a voice so gentle it could make one’s ears itch. No matter how famous Seo Jeong-woon was for being kind to everyone, this was an excessively intimate attitude to show to a subordinate he was merely acquainted with.

“What is the matter?”

Do Yi-hyun asked directly. For some reason, he had a foreboding feeling that staying in the Executive Director’s office too long would entangle him in troublesome affairs. Seo Jeong-woon stretched his long legs and closed the distance to right in front of Do Yi-hyun in one swift move.

Seo Jeong-woon lowered his head to match Do Yi-hyun’s eye level and smiled even more broadly. It was a smile determined to enchant.

“I wanted to see you, Mr. Lee Hyun.”

Then he abruptly spouted absurd nonsense. And very cheerfully at that. The members of Accounting Team 2 often joked that their wish was to see Seo Jeong-woon’s smile up close.

If they were here, they would have blushed crimson, shyly stepping backward. Perhaps they wouldn’t even have been able to meet Seo Jeong-woon’s eyes. But Do Yi-hyun stood straight, wearing an indifferent expression.

“What did you just say?”

Do Yi-hyun asked again politely but with a cold tone.

“I said I wanted to see you, Mr. Lee Hyun. Didn’t you want to see me?”

One might expect him to feel awkward at Do Yi-hyun’s chilly response, but Seo Jeong-woon instead whispered even more sweetly and affectionately. He probably wouldn’t treat a lover this dotingly.

“……”

Do Yi-hyun made no reply, only slightly furrowing his brow.

‘Did he hit his head while on the business trip?’

Otherwise, there was no reason to call a busy person just to spout nonsense. Especially to a subordinate with virtually no work-related contact and known for being stoic. Despite Do Yi-hyun’s cold glare, Seo Jeong-woon brazenly narrowed his eyes further and smiled.

His aegyo-sal swelled thickly, and his graceful eyes transformed into crescent moon shapes. One’s gaze was naturally drawn to Seo Jeong-woon’s long, extended eyelashes. They were so long it seemed you could hear them flutter each time he blinked.

“Hmm.”

As Do Yi-hyun stared intently, Seo Jeong-woon pretended to tilt his head curiously and straightened his upper body, which had been slightly bent. Do Yi-hyun, who had been looking at Seo Jeong-woon’s eyes, had to lean his head back accordingly.

‘He’s tall.’

Since the team members talked about Seo Jeong-woon so much, Do Yi-hyun had unintentionally come to know his personal details roughly. Seo Jeong-woon was said to be 188cm, but to Do Yi-hyun, he looked at least a full 190cm.

‘192cm? 193cm?’

Do Yi-hyun unwillingly learned one more new fact about Seo Jeong-woon. Of course, it would be completely forgotten from his mind the moment he left the executive office. Do Yi-hyun subtly glanced Seo Jeong-woon up and down without making it obvious.

Having practiced judo for quite a long time before presenting as an Omega, he occasionally felt a faint interest when encountering people with large builds. Seo Jeong-woon also seemed to have done sports in his youth, as even for an Alpha, his physique was quite impressive. His broad shoulders and solid chest were striking.

His relatively slender waist made him look quite agile. Despite Seo Jeong-woon always smiling and laughing around, people couldn’t look down on him partly due to the subtle intimidation emanating from his superior physique.

‘He won’t be easy to take down.’

Do Yi-hyun briefly assessed and silently clicked his tongue. Seo Jeong-woon had long legs but overall good balance, so he probably wouldn’t lose his center of gravity easily.

“If you called me here to joke around, I’ll be going now.”

“Joke around?”

As Do Yi-hyun turned to leave without hesitation, Seo Jeong-woon blocked his way. Because the distance was quite close, a fragrant scent brushed past the tip of his nose. It was a clean scent that naturally evoked images of flowers in full bloom, green grass, and transparent dew.

‘Is it perfume?’

It was a scent that was both gorgeous and refreshing, seemingly both fitting and unfitting for Seo Jeong-woon. Somehow, it felt familiar, as if he had smelled it somewhere before. However, despite the vivid sense of déjà vu, Do Yi-hyun quickly lost interest.

“Haa.”

Do Yi-hyun unknowingly let out an irritated sigh. His patience was gradually reaching its limit. Putting aside his nerves being on edge due to the pregnancy, with the year-end approaching, his schedule wasn’t exactly leisurely.

For an executive to not only be unhelpful but even disruptive…

‘As expected, rumors can’t be trusted.’

Seo Jeong-woon was highly praised for handling work cleanly and efficiently, but that was clearly an exaggeration.

“The executive and I aren’t exactly on chatting terms, are we?”

Do Yi-hyun, who had briefly furrowed his brow, drew a clear line in a stiff tone. It was an attitude that could be seen as rude, but Do Yi-hyun didn’t mind. No matter how much Seo Jeong-woon was an executive and part of the owner family, he couldn’t condone excessive behavior.

“……Then what relationship do we have?”

“What else is there besides superior and subordinate?”

Since the answer was too obvious, Do Yi-hyun retorted indifferently.

“What did you say?”

At Do Yi-hyun’s extremely common-sense and harmless answer, a fine crack appeared in Seo Jeong-woon’s bright smile. It was a reaction as if he had been betrayed by someone he firmly believed in. In contrast, Do Yi-hyun’s expression was utterly cold.

“I said we’re not on any terms.”

Do Yi-hyun answered straightforwardly, even though he knew Seo Jeong-woon wasn’t really asking because he hadn’t heard. There might be some reason why Seo Jeong-woon was suddenly acting out of character for no reason. But he wasn’t particularly curious.

Do Yi-hyun just wanted to get rid of this bothersome superior and quickly return to his office. Seo Jeong-woon stared intently at Do Yi-hyun’s face as if trying to read his thoughts.

“Haha, ha, hahaha!”

Then, as if he had never made a hurt expression, he suddenly burst into laughter. The clear, staccato laughter struck Do Yi-hyun’s ears.

“Wow, Lee Hyun. You’re treating me now…… Haha, this is a first. Really.”

Seo Jeong-woon continued laughing, even bending at the waist.

“But what should I do? It’s making me stubborn.”

When Seo Jeong-woon raised his head again, a crooked smile hung on his previously straight lips.

‘……Did I make some mistake without realizing it?’

Do Yi-hyun belatedly wondered. However, Seo Jeong-woon had just returned to the company after a long business trip lasting a full month. He couldn’t even remember who he had bumped into in the hallway this morning, so there was no way he’d remember something from a month ago.

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be going now.”

Do Yi-hyun gave a slight bow. He didn’t want to waste any more time. Fortunately, this time Seo Jeong-woon didn’t block Do Yi-hyun’s way.

“……”

Seo Jeong-woon gazed intently at Do Yi-hyun’s retreating back as he walked away without hesitation. For a very long time, even after the door firmly closed.

***

Knock knock.

The next day, while intently staring at the square screen as usual, someone lightly tapped on his desk. A dark shadow fell over the desk, but Do Yi-hyun didn’t even glance up and silently continued his work. Knock knock.

Then, the knocking sound came again. When the Accounting Team 2 members had business with Do Yi-hyun, they always called out to him. They knew well that if Do Yi-hyun was focused, making clumsy attempts to get his attention was useless.

‘Annoying.’

It was a noise he normally wouldn’t have heard, but due to his precariously lowered concentration, it got on his nerves. Do Yi-hyun slightly narrowed his brows but didn’t respond. Then, the unidentified person walked around the desk, approached his side, and smoothly bent down, bringing his shoulder close to Do Yi-hyun’s.

His facial muscles involuntarily contorted at the unwanted contact. Do Yi-hyun slowly turned his head while clenching his teeth to manage his expression. A man’s face was closer than expected.

“Let’s go have lunch.”

The man with a shiny smile spoke to Do Yi-hyun in a friendly manner.

‘Not a team member.’

Do Yi-hyun quickly concluded. The Accounting Team 2 members usually didn’t speak to Do Yi-hyun unless it was work-related. Except for oddballs like Kim Yu-min.

And even that Kim Yu-min didn’t invite Do Yi-hyun to lunch. It was natural. Even if they tried hard to get close, Do Yi-hyun always looked at them as if they were strangers.

Unable to escape one-sided intimacy, no matter how easygoing a person was, they would inevitably get hurt.

‘Who is this?’

Do Yi-hyun lowered his gaze with utmost calmness. The man was wearing a bright pink knit, and there was no employee ID around his neck. Now the way to identify the man was completely gone.

Do Yi-hyun looked at the man indifferently. Despite Do Yi-hyun’s cynical gaze, the other person managed not to be intimidated and maintained a fresh smile. Silence settled between the two.

Neither Do Yi-hyun nor the man opened their mouths, and the silence stretched on endlessly.

‘What does he want?’

It was about time to get tired of this meaningless standoff.

“Lee Hyun.”

The man called Do Yi-hyun affectionately, curling his distinct lips upward. No one in the company called Do Yi-hyun ‘Lee Hyun.’

Until yesterday.

“Hmm.”

Do Yi-hyun, who immediately recognized the man’s identity at the unfamiliar address, let out a low sound.

“What can I do for you, Executive?”

Only then did Do Yi-hyun remove his hands from the keyboard. It was convenient, if anything, but he wasn’t pleased to have identified the other person through such means. At Do Yi-hyun’s low voice, Seo Jeong-woon’s smile deepened further.

“Didn’t you hear? Let’s have lunch. Together.”

Even though Do Yi-hyun had clearly nailed it yesterday that they were nothing to each other, Seo Jeong-woon acted as if nothing had happened, casually pretending to be close. It seemed the executive really had nothing to do.

“Why would I have lunch with the executive?”

Do Yi-hyun refused Seo Jeong-woon’s proposal outright without leaving any room. To begin with, his morning sickness was severe, so he wasn’t in a condition to eat anything. Since this morning, he hadn’t been able to put anything in his mouth except water.

He planned to go out and buy a simple salad once his upset stomach settled a bit.

“Because I want to have lunch with you, Lee Hyun. Let’s go.”

Despite the sharp refusal, Seo Jeong-woon persistently urged Do Yi-hyun.

“I’m sorry. I’m too busy.”

Do Yi-hyun turned away from Seo Jeong-woon and started working again. It wasn’t exactly a lie. To reduce overtime, he had no room for irrelevant activities during work hours.

“Do you have so much work that you can’t even manage lunch? That’s strange. Our company shouldn’t be overworking people like that. Was there any unfair work instruction?”

Seo Jeong-woon tilted his head and tapped his chin with his index finger. Within Taeun Mulsan, there was no one who didn’t know Do Yi-hyun was a workaholic. Seo Jeong-woon was asking even though he knew.

‘The unfair instruction is what you’re giving right now.’

But even Do Yi-hyun couldn’t recklessly argue with a superior.

“Haa.”

Do Yi-hyun sighed as if annoyed and looked around the office. Since it was already 10 minutes past the start of lunchtime, the office was completely empty. It was fortunate that the team members weren’t there.

Even so, the team members had persistently asked what happened when Do Yi-hyun returned from the executive office yesterday. They quickly gave up and lost interest when Do Yi-hyun didn’t respond, but if they had seen this scene now, they would have bothered him with talk about Seo Jeong-woon for at least a month.

“Should I look into it separately? Or will you get up now?”

Seo Jeong-woon, leaning against Do Yi-hyun’s desk at an angle, whispered subtly. Do Yi-hyun raised one eyebrow. Seo Jeong-woon had a peculiar way of threatening.

Judging by Seo Jeong-woon’s attitude, he seemed like he would persistently stick around even if ignored. Do Yi-hyun reluctantly got up from his seat.

“Let’s go.”

Seo Jeong-woon grinned shamelessly and extended his hand. Do Yi-hyun glanced indifferently at Seo Jeong-woon’s hand floating in the air. Seo Jeong-woon wiggled his long, straight fingers as if urging him to take it quickly.

“I’ll manage lunch on my own.”

Do Yi-hyun left Seo Jeong-woon as he was and completely left the office. Anyway, if he just took care of lunch, Seo Jeong-woon wouldn’t be able to nitpick unnecessarily.

“Hahaha.”

A low laugh came from behind. Fortunately, Seo Jeong-woon didn’t follow Do Yi-hyun out. Do Yi-hyun didn’t show much reaction to Seo Jeong-woon’s eccentric behavior either.

Having seen enough weird people to be sick of it, it wasn’t particularly unusual. He didn’t know what Seo Jeong-woon was obsessed with to act so strangely, but if he ignored him for a few more days, he would surely lose interest and back off. Just like other people had done so far.

***

However, contrary to Do Yi-hyun’s expectations, Seo Jeong-woon was quite persistent. It had already been nearly ten days, and he faithfully came to find Do Yi-hyun every lunchtime. If he persistently harassed him, he would immediately report it as workplace bullying regardless of whether he was the chairman’s grandson or granddaughter, but Seo Jeong-woon would smile brightly, suggest having a meal, and then cleanly back off if Do Yi-hyun refused.

The problem was that he would come again the next day. Seo Jeong-woon always came about 10 minutes after lunchtime started. Thanks to that, the first two days were quiet, but on the third day, an employee from another department passing by witnessed Seo Jeong-woon and Do Yi-hyun alone in the office.

Seo Jeong-woon whispering quietly with his head bowed and Do Yi-hyun sighing with a dark expression. The quite bizarre scene was distorted into a rumor that ‘Executive Seo was secretly reprimanding Team Leader Do Yi-hyun away from others.’

Upon hearing the rumor, the Accounting Team 2 members swarmed to Do Yi-hyun. He thought they would be excited and ask all sorts of things about Seo Jeong-woon, but contrary to expectations, the team members were worried about Do Yi-hyun. The reason was that since Do Yi-hyun couldn’t have made a work-related mistake, there might be some personal issue involved.

The team members held a heated discussion with the silent Do Yi-hyun in the center. As a result, the opinion that ‘they bumped into each other in the hallway and Do Yi-hyun didn’t greet him, so he got marked’ received unanimous votes.

One team member grumbled that Seo Jeong-woon was narrow-minded despite his appearance.

‘Did I really do something wrong to get marked?’

Do Yi-hyun languidly rubbed the back of his neck. Whether Seo Jeong-woon disliked him or not, as long as it didn’t interfere with work, it didn’t matter much. Glancing at the time, Do Yi-hyun packed his bag.

8 PM. It was past quitting time, but it was earlier than usual. Waiting for the elevator to arrive, Do Yi-hyun briefly grimaced as he watched the decreasing numbers.

Do Yi-hyun was becoming increasingly sensitive to others’ pheromones as days went by. The problem was that he still showed rejection to pheromones themselves, regardless of Alpha or Omega. Whether it was an extension of morning sickness, in severe cases, he even felt nauseous.

The narrow elevator interior was unpleasant with lingering traces of others’ pheromones. He would have preferred to take the stairs, but the doctor had earnestly advised him not to overexert himself, so it was awkward. Sss, sss.

Do Yi-hyun sprayed odorless pheromone neutralizer on himself. It was another habit he had developed since becoming pregnant. Even if he sprayed it on himself, it wasn’t very effective, but he had no choice.

Spraying neutralizer on someone else’s pheromones meant ‘your pheromones are so fucking annoying I can’t stand it.’

Do Yi-hyun put the pheromone neutralizer deep into his bag. He had no intention of hiding that he was an Omega, but there was no need to openly reveal it either. Ding.

With a clear sound, the elevator door opened. Do Yi-hyun took a deep breath. The neatly worn vest and jacket pulled tightly.

He was determined to hold his breath until reaching the first floor this time as well.

“Are you leaving work now, Lee Hyun? What a coincidence.”

But there was an unwelcome guest inside. Seo Jeong-woon tilted his head and gave a sly smile. Naturally disheveled hair flowed smoothly down his forehead.

Do Yi-hyun unknowingly frowned. It was their second meeting after lunch.

“Get in quickly.”

Seo Jeong-woon persistently pressed the open button and waited for Do Yi-hyun.