By Zephyria 
The shiny limousine dropped Kim Hui-won off and immediately departed.
He squinted slightly at the bright sunlight overhead, shielding his eyes with his hand. Leaving work while the sun was still up was a rare occurrence, something he could count on one hand since becoming an executive secretary.
As soon as he entered his home, he took off his jacket and collapsed onto the sofa.
He had said he was fine, but the body aches persisted, and his limbs felt heavy with a lingering fever that wouldn’t go away. He didn’t want to do anything, and after lying face down for thirty minutes, he stirred his sluggish body at the thought of taking his medicine.
Just then, his phone buzzed. Thinking it might be a work-related message, he checked his phone and saw a text from Park Yu-seong.
A man he had briefly seen, the content was nothing but curses from beginning to end. Kim Hui-won scoffed in disbelief.
To summarize, it was about how he had played with him. Were they even dating? Had they even done anything? It had been almost a month since they last saw each other.
Of course, it could be seen as Kim Hui-won’s fault for canceling their dates twice and avoiding him afterward. But they weren’t in a relationship, and what responsibility did he have in a relationship that was clearly only going to lead to sex?
However, the other party seemed to feel differently. Park Yu-seong had been persistently contacting him, and starting two weeks ago, he began sending texts filled with insults. When Kim Hui-won didn’t respond, the intensity of the texts escalated.
[I hope you meet someone nice. I hope we never contact each other again.]
After replying, he immediately blocked the number. He couldn’t even take care of himself, so what was the point of dating?
The lust and desire for romance that had briefly visited him had long since faded. Right now, he was struggling just to recover his ruined condition.
With a weary sigh, Kim Hui-won loosened the tie that was strangling his neck and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He only thought about taking a shower, taking his medicine, and getting some rest.
* * *
Despite getting plenty of rest, his condition didn’t improve at all.
He kept making mistakes, and now even the secretarial staff were starting to worry about Kim Hui-won’s condition. He was usually as sharp as Executive Director Kwon Young-je, so Secretary Kim’s frequent mistakes were even more noticeable.
“Are you kidding me?”
A stack of documents scattered in front of his feet. Kim Hui-won stood with his hands behind his back, gritting his teeth. The hand gripping his wrist trembled.
“Secretary Kim, how long do I have to keep putting up with this?”
“I’m sorry.”
“What’s the problem? Can’t you pull yourself together?”
Kwon Young-je unleashed the anger that had been building up inside him without holding back. It was unprecedented for him to show his emotions like this.
The mistakes themselves were minor, but they kept piling up, and Kwon Young-je’s patience finally ran out.
The recent accumulation of work stress was also a factor. Secretary Kim, who should have been his quick and efficient right-hand man, was making frequent mistakes and acting like a sick chicken, which eventually led to his explosion.
“Get out. Don’t let me see your face for a while.”
“Executive Director Kwon, I’ll review the errors in the documents again.”
“Didn’t you hear me say get out?”
“……”
When Kim Hui-won didn’t move, Kwon Young-je stared at him for a long time before pressing the internal phone button.
“Secretary Lee, come in and take over the work.”
Kim Hui-won bit his lip hard. He shouldn’t feel resentful about Executive Director Kwon’s scolding since it was also his fault. But his heart didn’t always listen to reason.
Soon, Secretary Lee entered the office. He was briefly startled by the messy interior but quickly composed himself and approached Executive Director Kwon.
The two calmly discussed work. Kwon Young-je was instructing Secretary Lee on the tasks that Secretary Kim should have been doing.
Kim Hui-won bent down and picked up the documents that had fallen on the floor. He couldn’t express how miserable he felt, but he swallowed it all down without showing it.
After gathering all the crumpled documents, he bowed to Executive Director Kwon. Kwon Young-je didn’t even glance at him until Kim Hui-won turned away. He was being treated as if he were completely invisible.
As soon as he came out, the secretarial staff rushed over with pale faces. Kim Hui-won didn’t have the energy to smile and stood silently in front of the office door.
Secretary Ji hesitated and offered him ointment for his wound. When he stared blankly, Secretary Ji whispered, “General manager, you’re bleeding…”
“…Ah.”
Only then did his lips sting. He had been unconsciously biting his dry lips, and the skin had apparently torn.
Kim Hui-won thanked him and accepted the ointment. But the hand holding the ointment drooped weakly. He didn’t feel any motivation, and he couldn’t even figure out where to start.
“…Sorry, I keep showing you guys such a mess.”
“The Executive Director was too harsh. It wasn’t something to get that angry about.”
“No, it’s my fault.”
Mistakes were unacceptable to Executive Director Kwon, who pursued perfection. It was his fault for continuing to make mistakes, knowing that. Kim Hui-won forced himself to move. As soon as he sat down at his desk, he accessed the company intranet and clicked on the personnel management tab.
Leave Application (3 days)
Reason: Hospital Visit
Kim Hui-won clicked a few buttons and then put down the mouse. He stared blankly at the turned-off monitor before slowly tidying up his desk.
“Secretary Ji, I’ll forward my calls to you, so please take them.”
“Yes, General manager.”
It was rare for Kim Hui-won to take a vacation. The man who had been coming to work even when he was sick had finally reached his limit and ended up taking sick leave.
Executive Director Kwon had told him not to show his face for a while, so he wouldn’t be looking for Kim Hui-won. It was probably for the best. The secretaries hoped that Kim Hui-won would finally take care of himself this time.
Kim Hui-won gathered his belongings and left the office. He couldn’t help but feel anxious while booking a hospital appointment on his phone.
It’s probably not a serious illness, I’ll be able to return soon. He quickened his pace, trying to suppress the growing anxiety.
* * *
“Kim Hui-won, you had a blood test this morning, right?”
“Yes.”
He deliberately sought out a higher-level hospital. He couldn’t ignore his persistent symptoms any longer. The doctor in charge carefully examined the blood test results and said.
“It seems like a more detailed examination is needed. I’ll connect you to traitology.”
“Excuse me? Traitology?”
Kim Hui-won asked back with a puzzled voice. Meanwhile, the doctor was quickly filling out a referral form. He listened to the sound of the keyboard clicking and thought this wasn’t right, so he put his hand on the desk.
“Doctor, I think there’s been a mistake. I’m a Beta.”
“Your pheromone levels in the blood are high. You can see it here, right?”
“No, doctor. I’m telling you, I’m a Beta?”
“Yes, yes, let’s get you tested first and then we’ll talk for sure. You can go straight to traitology without waiting.”
He protested, but the doctor calmly replied.
Kim Hui-won, who had been forcibly transferred, received an ultrasound and pheromone type test in a daze, and soon faced shocking news.
“You’ve Emerged as an Omega. Congratulations.”
“Excuse me? What, me, what?”
“Kim Hui-won, you’re an Omega. Fever and muscle pain are very common pre-Emergence symptoms. You usually experience severe emergence pain for about a week, but in your case, it seems like you had a long incubation period but weaker symptoms.”
“Me, what did you say?”
When he repeated the same question like a parrot, the traitology doctor spun his chair around. He had a completely untroubled expression. He had dealt with many Betas who couldn’t accept reality like this, so he even had a set of manuals to deal with them.
The doctor said with a gentle smile.
“I fully understand that you’re surprised.”
“Doctor, I had a trait test a few months ago… I was definitely a Beta back then.”
“That’s probably right. In terms of timing… it’s been about two weeks since you Emerged. If you had the test before that, it’s possible that you would have come out as a Beta.”
“Can Emergence happen to a fully grown adult?”
“It’s most likely to happen during secondary sexual characteristics, but Emergence can happen at any time.”
“I haven’t even smelled pheromones until recently!”
“If you get a shot today, your pheromones will be activated, and you’ll be able to sense the pheromones of other trait people.”
“What if I don’t get the shot? Can I continue to live like a Beta like I am now?”
The doctor looked horrified, as if he had heard something absurd.
“That’s a big problem!”
“I’m in bigger trouble now, though?”
“You have to accept it. Especially in the beginning, it may be difficult to adapt to pheromones, so take some time off from social life and take a few days to adapt. Our nurse outside will educate you on how to take your medication, precautions, and heat cycle. You must complete all of them before you can go home, so please keep that in mind.”
A stamp was stamped on the trait confirmation form.
Trait Code:
Ω-male form
Something he had never even thought about as a joke had become a reality.
Kim Hui-won, who came out of the hospital, became a lost vagrant and stood blankly on the street. In both hands, he held a diagnosis certificate issued for submission to the company and a bag full of medicine.
I’m an Omega? Really?
The only thought that came to his mind at this moment was one thing.
I’m screwed. Executive Director Kwon is going to try to kill me.