Correction Chapter 1

The loud blare of music.

Amidst the sticky exchanges of conversation, in the far corner, in a seat no one paid attention to, a man was drinking the most expensive liquor, glass after glass, alone.

His snack was a modest bowl of nuts. But knowing how much revenue the man generated and how expensive his drinks always were, neither the bartender nor the manager said a word. Instead, they repeatedly refilled the man’s only snack as they passed by. But even that soon became unnecessary. The man hadn’t touched his snack, only continuously downing liquor.

“Ha.”

Annoyed at his inability to get drunk, the man continued to pour alcohol into his empty glass, but the liquor flowing down his throat didn’t even taste of alcohol. Why did this expensive liquor, meant to intoxicate him, feel so insignificant? It felt like even the alcohol was mocking his current situation, and the man let out a hollow laugh.

“Excuse me… are you alone?”

A melodious voice and a pleasant pheromone reached him. The man, about to pour what little remained of his liquor bottle into his glass, lifted his head.

“Ah.”

The omega who addressed him, upon seeing Jungmin’s face, inwardly shouted with joy.

An alpha, with stunning looks, an attractively slim and muscular build, and judging by the liquor bottle in his hand and the empty bottles scattered on the floor, clearly a man of means. The omega emitted an even sweeter pheromone. Jungmin, unfazed by the pheromones attempting to seduce him, smirked and emptied his last glass.

“Um… may I sit down?”

“….”

He was ignored. Knowing this, the omega acted even more affectionately, gripping the opposite chair and asking again. If Jungmin so much as nodded, he looked ready to sit and suck him off right then and there. The surrounding people’s attention shifted towards them. They were momentarily interested in whether the omega would succeed or fail in catching him. The omega was confident. So far, there hadn’t been an alpha who hadn’t fallen for him.

Jungmin raised his hand. As if waiting, the manager brought a new bottle of liquor and placed it on the table.

“You seem to have had quite a bit to drink.”

“I’m fine.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m fine, so please leave.”

Jungmin poured the newly filled bottle of liquor generously into his empty glass, glaring at the omega. Any other alpha, exposed to this much omega pheromone, would have reacted sexually, but Jungmin felt only repulsion.

“Please. I don’t particularly enjoy omega pheromones.”

“Ha, unbelievable.”

The omega muttered, “What a crazy bastard,” scoffed, and returned to his group. He seemed to be teased and angered there, but it had nothing to do with Jungmin.

Jungmin merely tried to brush off the pheromones the omega had left on him. As if that would make them disappear.
Dirty inferiority complex… Even though he knew the omega wasn’t at fault, the inferiority complex and envy he felt towards omegas manifested as anger.

“Ha… damn it…”

Jungmin clicked his tongue and picked up the bottle again.

“Ah.”

Nothing was going his way. Dealing with the omega and endlessly pouring liquor had resulted in the new bottle being empty once again. Yes, empty. Nothing left. Just like his heart.

Jungmin raised his hand again. The manager frantically searched for more liquor, and seeing that he was out of stock, asked him to wait a moment before heading towards the storage area. Jungmin clicked his tongue, leaned back in his chair, and waited for his drink. Then, he felt a familiar, oppressive alpha pheromone and cursed under his breath.

“Fuck.”

The man with that pheromone sat down opposite him without Jungmin’s permission. Such an arrogant bastard.

“Here, I brought it.”

In the meantime, the manager, having apparently found the liquor, returned with a new bottle and offered it to Jungmin. As Jungmin reached out to take it, a slightly larger hand intercepted.

“I think you’ve had enough for tonight. Could you take this back?”

A gentle, affectionate, low voice that stirred the heart. The dominant alpha in front of him knew this fact better than anyone and knew how to use it to his advantage. Sure enough, the manager, face flushed, carefully took the bottle and quickly disappeared.

Jungmin was truly speechless.

“Who are you to stop me?”

“Don’t be like that, Senior. I’m just looking out for your health.”

Bullshit.

“Didn’t you say you had a date tonight?”

Jungmin, figuring he wouldn’t be drinking any more, crunched on the peanuts in front of him. The man in the long coat leisurely scanned Jungmin.

“Jealous?”

Not worth engaging with.

“I figured you’d be like this, Senior, so I wrapped things up quickly. The sex too.”

“Oh, really? Well, I’m sorry about that. But even if you break up because of this, I’m not taking responsibility.”

As Jungmin made a soulless gesture and reached for the last peanut, the man snatched it, popped it in his mouth, and chewed.

“I heard an interesting patient came to the hospital while I was away today.”

Jungmin didn’t respond. That patient… that was precisely the reason he was in this state. But he didn’t want to casually acknowledge it or agree with him. It was a matter of pride.

“An alpha who got pregnant and gave birth…”

He stroked his chin, observing Jungmin’s reaction. Jungmin pulled himself together. He couldn’t let it show. Absolutely not. He couldn’t show any envy…

“It’s what you always wanted, Senior.”

“Kim Joohwan. Are you here to mess with me?”

“Haha, don’t be so dramatic.”

“Asshole.”

“I’m already well aware of that. Besides, Senior, I don’t care if an alpha gets pregnant or gives birth. I’m not trying to tease you. What good comes from teasing an alpha? Just those nasty pheromones. Disgusting.”

“So, what the hell are you trying to say? You wouldn’t have cut your precious sex short unless you had something important, right?”

“Wow, as expected, Senior is quick-witted. You know me better than my own parents.”

Jungmin had always disliked his junior’s eyes and tone. Eyes that smiled but weren’t actually smiling. A tone that was impossible to decipher, both deep and inscrutable. It was infuriating.

“I rushed over here to show you this.”

Kim Joohwan pulled a small aluminum case from his inner coat pocket and shook it.

“Something good for our Senior.”

He carefully placed the aluminum case on the table and opened it. Inside was a syringe filled with blue liquid. Jungmin’s eyes widened.

“This is…”

“It’s a drug recently developed in Germany. It alters hormone pro-”

Before Joohwan could finish, Jungmin snatched the syringe with his mouth and rolled up his sleeve as if accustomed to the procedure. Just as he was about to inject himself, Joohwan grabbed his wrist.

“It hasn’t undergone clinical trials yet.”

“When have I ever cared about that?”

He had already swallowed hundreds of pills and received dozens of injections that hadn’t gone through clinical trials. And yet, these damn alpha pheromones wouldn’t disappear.

“That’s true, but…”

“Then let go of my hand.”

At Jungmin’s growl, which threatened violence if interrupted, Joohwan shrugged.

“I’ll do it for you.”

Joohwan released Jungmin’s arm. Instead, he carefully removed the syringe from Jungmin’s mouth, placed it back in the aluminum case, and pulled down his rolled-up sleeve, even buttoning it.

“Let’s go to my car. There are too many eyes here. What if someone misunderstands and thinks you’re doing drugs? It would be a disaster.”

“And? It’s not like you’d be worried about me.”

Joohwan put the aluminum case back in his pocket and stood up. He leaned down and whispered to Jungmin.

“You have to pay for the drug. It was hard to get.”

“You’re kidding.”

Even as he said that, Jungmin grabbed his coat and hurried outside. The bill for the liquor was left entirely to Joohwan, but he simply smiled and swiped his card, seemingly unconcerned.

✽✽✽

“Give it to me.”

Jungmin spoke as soon as he got in the car, rolling up his sleeve. Joohwan took the aluminum case out of his inner pocket and opened it. He tossed the case aside, picked up the syringe, grabbed Jungmin’s firm arm, and injected the needle into a clearly visible vein. The dose was large, and the needle was thick and long, so it must have hurt, but Jungmin didn’t flinch. Joohwan clicked his tongue at the sight.

After ensuring every drop of the drug was injected, he pulled out the needle, and Jungmin gently rubbed the injection site. To help it spread and prevent it from clumping.

His meticulous movements were indeed those of a doctor. Well, even though the ones actually administering injections at the hospital were nurses.

“There’s no telling what the side effects might be.”

Joohwan tossed the used syringe onto the floor and reclined Jungmin’s seat. All of this was a natural progression of actions honed over several years.

“Nausea, dizziness, all-day muscle aches, even allergies in severe cases… I’ve already experienced them all to the point of exhaustion.”

Jungmin wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t afraid of any drug or any pain. He was afraid of only one thing. And it certainly wasn’t death.

“Considering that, I’m lucky to be alive.”

Jungmin said, staring at the car ceiling. His breath grew ragged, and sweat began to bead on his skin. A natural reaction to the large dose of hormones. Joohwan held his phone, prepared for any contingency.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking up funeral homes, in case you die, Senior.”

“I’ve already taken care of that, so you don’t have to worry. Dial 10 on my phone. It’s the funeral service I subscribed to.”

At those words, Joohwan put down his phone. Jungmin’s breathing was getting heavier and heavier. His eyes were becoming moist. Joohwan knew that it wasn’t the pain from the drugs that made his eyes wet, but a yearning for something.

Joohwan smiled quietly as he watched. This was the moment he had been waiting for.