By Zephyria 
On the way out of the hospital, the phone rang. It was Im Jaegyu.
“Oh, long time no see…”
Hey, you ungrateful bastard!!
Kim Hui-won had to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment. Even though it wasn’t on speakerphone mode, Im Jaegyu’s screaming echoed loudly.
Isn’t that too much! You’re not even a friend, you bastard! What? Omega? Omega?
“You heard the news?”
Heard the news? I was the last to know!
Just from his voice, Hui-won could tell that Im Jaegyu was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Hui-won chuckled and touched the volume button. At this rate, his own eardrums would burst.
“Im Jaegyu, your form has fallen off a lot. Why is the apex news source so slow?”
…Don’t piss me off. I might just run up to Seoul right now.
Hui-won couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The reason why Im Jaegyu was so angry was obvious. He heard about Kim Hui-won’s Omega awakening through someone else, and he was the last to know.
From the beginning, Im Jaegyu knew all the rumors, hot issues, and various love affairs circulating in the company. But he didn’t know about Kim Hui-won’s awakening, who he considered his best friend, so he had no choice but to be frustrated.
Unfortunately, Hui-won had resigned while he was away on a month-long business trip for labor attorney training. There was no chance to meet, and they were too busy to keep in touch. The last time he spoke to Im Jaegyu was… um, when he told him that things had fallen apart with the person he had introduced him to.
“Sorry, but I had my reasons. I wasn’t trying to hide it from you…”
Shut up, I’m deleting your phone number after this call.
“Are you serious?”
…That’s how disappointed I am.
“Your pride must be hurting a lot.”
Is that all we are to each other? Darling, I’m really disappointed.
“I’ll buy you a drink. Let’s make up.”
Hui-won coaxed and soothed Im Jaegyu’s sulky heart. After talking on the phone for about five minutes with a smiling voice, Im Jaegyu finally replied in a much softer voice.
Keep the day after tomorrow free.
“Yes, I will clear the whole day for Team leader Im Jaegyu.”
Tell me everything that has happened in detail.
“Of course.”
Hui-won continued walking and got into the car. He took off his cap and lightly ruffled his flattened hair. He roughly threw the documents he had received from the hospital on the dashboard and talked to Im Jaegyu for a while longer.
The afternoon sunlight was warm and comforting. His heart was filled with ease rather than worry. Hui-won deeply realized that he was comfortably accepting his life as an Omega.
At that moment, Executive Director Kwon Young-je was attending a meeting of businessmen hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The luncheon followed the boring academic event. Most of the participants were young entrepreneurs in their 30s and 40s, so the atmosphere was more lively than usual, and wine glasses naturally went back and forth on the table. As the alcohol flowed, the conversation became even more lively.
“I heard that Executive Director Kwon Young-je’s secretary awakened as an Omega?”
“Ah, I heard about that too. Is it true? The handsome guy, right? Tall and thin.”
“Do you remember his face? I’m a little hazy.”
“He was noticeable. He had a good impression, and he was upright…”
Everyone was talking about Kim Hui-won. It was as if the secretary’s personal information had become such an interesting topic, and everyone added useless words.
“Still, isn’t it a bit harsh to cut him off just because he awakened?”
“Was he fired? I heard that he expressed his intention to resign?”
“Which is it, Executive Director Kwon Young-je?”
Kwon Young-je, who had been quenching his thirst with water instead of alcohol, quietly raised his eyes. Those who saw his sharp eyes stopped questioning him and talked among themselves.
A heated debate was taking place about whether or not an Omega could be a secretary. Most of those sitting at the round table were Alphas, making it an even more interesting topic.
“It’s not possible. I think it’s realistically impossible.”
“It’s just a matter of having self-control. We don’t always get aroused by Omegas, do we? If pheromone management is done well, it won’t interfere with work at all.”
“I’ve seen it before. In the past, a certain Chairman was famous for only using Omegas as secretaries.”
“That person’s taste was a bit unique. And that wasn’t a secretary, it was a mistress.”
Opinions were divided. Even though his story was the topic of conversation, Kwon Young-je didn’t add a word. He didn’t even touch his food and just calmly swallowed water.
“…….”
The unpleasant feeling didn’t subside easily. To be precise, the person they were talking about was not him, but Kim Hui-won. He was already someone who had nothing to do with him, so it wouldn’t matter if he laughed it off and added a word or two. But even a fake smile wouldn’t form. It was fortunate that he was good at managing his expression, otherwise he would have stormed out of his seat long ago.
It was when the untouched plate was being replaced with a new dinner plate. Someone came up and wrapped an arm around Kwon Young-je’s shoulder.
“Executive Director Kwon, why don’t you smile? You’re scary to look at.”
Kwon Young-ho grinned with his handsome face. He was also one of the attendees.
“Oh, Executive Director Kwon Young-ho. You came at the right time.”
“There’s one seat left, please sit down.”
“Shall I?”
After wandering around and showing his face everywhere, Kwon Young-ho had acquaintances wherever he went. He easily took a vacant seat. It was even right next to Kwon Young-je.
He poured a glass of wine and lightly clinked it against Kwon Young-je’s water glass. He smiled contentedly with the one-sided toast. Kwon Young-ho took a sip of alcohol and chuckled as he looked at Kwon Young-je’s stiff face.
“Too bad, our Young-je. You look so down because one of the puppies you kept by your side disappeared. You must be feeling very empty.”
It wasn’t the kind of words to say to a man who was maintaining a consistently cold face, let alone the content was quite barbed. The people at the table pretended not to listen, and Kwon Young-ho waited for the reaction with a smile.
Kwon Young-je slowly twisted his upper body. He asked cautiously in a still calm tone.
“Is it fun?”
“Fun? Hyung’s heart is so broken.”
Kwon Young-ho made an exaggerated motion as if to show off. Grabbing his chest and lowering the corners of his mouth, he looked like someone giving a bad performance.
“I heard you still haven’t found a secretary. Should Hyung stick one in for you?”
“It’s bound to be below standard, so there’s no need to do that.”
“Well, there’s no one like Secretary Kim. The secretary he had with him was a very good person. He was with Kwon Young-je for six years? That’s not an easy thing to do.”
Kwon Young-ho told the people around him in a very light tone. It seemed like he was praising the secretary, but in reality, he was criticizing Kwon Young-je. People dismissed it as a cousin’s joke and just laughed it off.
Kwon Young-ho wasn’t satisfied with the reaction, so he slightly crossed his legs. He rested his chin on his hand and stared intently at Kwon Young-je.
“Not joking, Young-je. I’m really curious, so I’m asking. Didn’t Secretary Kim awaken because of you?”
Everyone’s ears perked up at the meaningful words. Now, the only people talking at this table were Kwon Young-ho and Kwon Young-je. Everyone closed their mouths and opened their ears so as not to miss a single word.
Kwon Young-ho leisurely shook his crossed legs. His face was full of smiles.
“Even if he’s a Beta, if you stick together diligently, he can be affected by pheromones and awaken. My head was spinning when I heard that Secretary Kim had become an Omega? Ah, our Young-je… there was a reason why he kept Secretary Kim by his side all this time.”
Kwon Young-ho banged on the table as if he had gained some enlightenment, and Kwon Young-je chuckled softly. It was definitely a laugh, but it was full of annoyance.
“Your delusion is too vulgar. That’s also a talent.”
“Hey, you’re the one who showed off your talent. To make a Beta into an Omega… Dominant Alpha are really amazing? How much cum did you give him? Did you two stay at the company late into the night and just do that?”
“Hyung.”
“Yeah, why?”
Kwon Young-je twisted his upper body crookedly. His expression, which had been like a calm sea before the storm, had changed to a ferocious one.
“Shut your mouth and get lost. There’s a limit to how much I can tolerate.”
Finally, when the desired reaction came out, Kwon Young-ho laughed so hard that his Adam’s apple was exposed.
He had achieved his goal of exposing Kwon Young-je’s true colors in an official setting.
In fact, it was a ridiculous story, but seeing Kwon Young-je so pissed off, it was clear that his foundation had collapsed due to the absence of Secretary Kim.
“Oh my, it seems that our Executive Director Kwon is in a very bad mood. I ask for everyone’s understanding.”
Kwon Young-ho acted nonchalantly and got up from his seat. Before leaving, he grabbed Kwon Young-je’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“So, how were Secretary Kim’s pheromones? Ah, it’s a shame that we broke up without saying goodbye.”
“…….”
“I should meet him sometime soon. He’s not my type, but… well, you’ve eaten Seon Woo-jin to your heart’s content, so there’s nothing I can’t do, right? Tit for tat.”
Kwon Young-ho patted his broad shoulders. On the surface, it looked like he was giving encouragement. Then, he ran away like a coward without looking back. Kwon Young-je, who was left in his seat, had to clench his teeth.
He bit back the anger that seemed like it would explode at any moment. He couldn’t understand why he was angry at Kwon Young-ho’s ridiculous provocation. Above all, the biggest problem was that he couldn’t figure out where this anger came from.
If he had kept Kim Hui-won by his side, would he have continued to suffer the same humiliation as now? At least the whispering would have followed him like a tag.
Was it better to let him go?
Kwon Young-je worked hard to unravel the complicated emotions. His stiff cheeks were trembling slightly.