Pheromone Off Chapter 15

“…Um, what about Grandfather?”

Hajin sheepishly changed the subject. Since he had arrived at the house for now, he thought he should greet the highest elder first and asked, to which she rested her elbow on the sofa armrest and drank coffee in a somewhat rebellious posture. If Jo Hwayeong had seen that appearance, it was a sight that she would have criticized for a lack of refinement or whatever. Perhaps because of that, Hajin also blinked his eyes with a somewhat surprised face. It was an appearance quite contrasting with her gentle look in front of Grandfather.

“Out for a rounding with the executives. The gentleman who collapsed not long ago is amazing, isn’t he?”

She smoothly lifted her crimson lips.

“He’ll be coming in just in time for dinner. Even an outside chef was called in because you’re coming, so be aware.”

“…Yes.”

“By the way, it is fascinating.”

“…Pardon?”

“I thought Sayoung’s partner would naturally be that child Yeonwoo.”

Hajin thought that the time had come indeed, and began preparing to listen silently.

“It is a bit of a pity. That child is quite pretty. It’s also hard to find a dominant Omega to that extent.”

“…”

“But what can you do. Father’s intention is like that. Well, Sayoung accepted it too.”

However, she continued her words without much emotion, as if she had no particularly big lingering regrets. At that reaction, in the fleeting moment he was lost for words, Madam Shim tilted her head slightly and stared intently at Hajin.

“I heard you liked Sayoung.”

“Ye… Yes?”

At the sudden question, Hajin opened both eyes wide. He hadn’t expected at all that the news would have reached the elders too.

“Is that why you pulled off such a cute stunt?”

“…Ah, no. It’s not like that—.”

“I thought the one who charms people was our youngest, but Sayoung is quite something at that too.”

“…Pardon?”

“Charming two brothers, I mean. Well, his face isn’t one that people around him would leave alone. Though it’s not like Sabin and Sayoung are the only ones. Our Sahui has also caused a fuss among people since childhood. It’s a problem even if an Alpha is too outstanding. The surroundings are noisy.”

He thought she would give him a piece of her mind, but she rather let out a laugh as if it was amusing, and added the words leisurely while groping through her old memories. At the atmosphere that was slightly different from what he had thought, Hajin had a continuously flustered look.

“Um, I, that, it’s not like that.”

“Well, forget about that—. Stand up.”

Madam Shim, who had emptied a cup of coffee, stood up leisurely and made a gesture with her head toward the sitting Hajin. As Hajin stood up half-sitting with a dazed face, she gestured to a young man waiting nearby.

“Butler Ahn. Please guide him to the detached house.”

“Yes.”

The young man was wearing a modernized Hanok that looked like a suit.

“The place where you and Sayoung will stay from now on. Don’t you want to see it?”

As he stood with a blank face, Madam Shim asked unconcernedly as if asking if he wasn’t curious.

“Butler Ahn will guide you, so follow him. If there’s anything you don’t like, order Butler Ahn around as you see fit. It’s exclusively yours, so use it as you see fit.”

Madam Shim made a light gesture with her hand, telling him to go on now. Hajin stared alternately at Madam Shim and Butler Ahn with a dazed face. Continuously at a loss for words at the atmosphere that differed from expectations, he stood half-sitting, then soon bowed his waist to greet Madam Shim, who was stretching with a bored face. And he followed behind Butler Ahn, who was heading out first. Not being able to adapt to the atmosphere, he just blinked his eyes with a stupid face.

࣪˖ ִֶָ🍇་༘

Coming out through the exit door heading toward the backyard, a well-groomed walking path existed among the lush trees. Following that path a little way in, an artificial pond where golden carp were visible and a grand-looking flower garden existed, and Hajin instinctively had his gaze stolen by that sight. The garden was also gorgeously and well-cultivated at Chairman Seong’s main house, but it couldn’t be compared with the backyard here. Perhaps because the late wife of Chairman Kwon especially cherished the flower garden and the backyard, he had heard that Chairman Kwon also had a strong attachment.

Passing the flower garden carpeted with zinnia and marigold, the detached house made of traditional Hanok buildings appeared. The strides of Butler Ahn heading out ahead were fast, so it wasn’t easy to catch up, and Hajin let out heavy breaths while staring blankly at the newly interior-designed detached house. Although the scale was much smaller than the main building, it was an enormous size for two people to stay.

“For the front door, you can just designate a new door lock password. On the 1st floor, a bedroom, a study, a bathroom, a utility room, and a dress room are prepared. Among the luggage, Mr. Hajin’s clothing items have been organized in the 1st-floor dress room. Since other belongings have been brought up to the 2nd-floor guest room, you can organize them gradually.”

“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”

At Butler Ahn’s mechanical explanation, Hajin nodded his head.

“The second young master said having outsiders inside the detached house is uncomfortable, so all servants have been removed for now, and if by any chance you need them, you can use the extension phone. Since the staff are always on standby, there won’t be anything uncomfortable. As for meals, the Chairman wants you to have them together with the Chairman in Doseondang as much as possible. If you leave the laundry separately inside the utility room, our staff will take care of it, so there won’t be anything you have to do separately.”

He continued his explanation with a cold face. It was continued businesslike and wasn’t a particularly unfriendly tone, but a manner of scanning him from beyond his glasses was felt. However, wondering if it was a trick of his mind, Hajin turned his gaze and nodded his head repeatedly.

“I understand. …But by any chance, should I help out at dinner time?”

At that moment, it was felt that the tightly shut corners of his mouth lifted subtly. Somehow it felt like a sneer that mockingly laughed at his question, but the tone he spat out next was like a professional.

“There is nothing for Mr. Hajin to do.”

“Ah… yes.”

“The servants of this house alone exceed thirty people. It’s a headcount excluding the specialists who are in charge of food.”

“…”

“Since those employees all have their respective charges, Mr. Hajin can just stay comfortably.”

It felt like a nuance as if telling him to just stay quiet since there was nothing for him to do. Had he developed a persecution complex? They were just indifferent words, but he couldn’t know why they sounded twisted. Whether it was because of the cold gaze, because of the subtly looking-down gaze, or because he himself was tired he couldn’t know, but Hajin shot back resolutely.

“Yes, I understand.”

“I will come to pick you up in time for dinner. Then, please rest.”

“No. I will go on my own.”

“Do you know the location of the dining room?”

“…If you tell me…”

“For Doseondang, if you are not a person who has visited often, it’s easy to get lost. I will escort you for just a few days.”

“…Yes, then please do.”

Instead of an answer, Butler Ahn substituted it with a nod and turned around. Watching the receding back disappearing familiarly, Hajin carefully stepped inside the detached house. Unlike the exterior, the interior was all modern from one to ten. Looking only from the inside, it was no different from a penthouse where the entire view of Seoul was visible. It was an interior matched to the age group, given that a relatively young engaged couple would use it.

When he lived at Yu-jeong-je, his space was only the 2nd floor. Even if Seong Yeonwoo and Seong Suhyun were not there, he mostly stayed only on the 2nd floor. That way his mind was comfortable, and it felt like he had to do so. Because if he roamed around like it was his own house and caught Seong Suhyun’s eye by any chance, he couldn’t know what kind of fight would be picked again. Hajin lived almost confined when he lived there. There were no iron bars, but mentally it was no different from having them. When he went around the 1st floor, he was mentally anxious enough to walk on eggshells around the servants.

Perhaps because of that, the fact that a space of his own had newly been created felt a bit strange. Of course, it wasn’t a space just for him, nor was it his place, but still, the thought came that he might be able to be free at least in this space.

Hajin sat carefully on the sofa and quietly looked around the high ceiling and the luxurious interior that possessed only the minimum. It was a house good enough that the fact he was there felt disparate. Suddenly, a pure question came of how long he would be able to stay here.

Suppressing his slightly excited mood, Hajin headed toward the 2nd floor where they said they left only his belongings separately. On the 2nd floor too, there were so many room doors that Hajin opened room doors several times to find his luggage. Then, only after opening the third room door could he find the rest of his luggage.

“…”

It was a truly bizarre sight. He had definitely heard that the clothes were organized in the dress room, but far from organized, they were stretched out like trash, and other belongings were also completely dumped out from the carrier and scattered on the floor. As if someone had done it on purpose. It looked clear that it was an act where a malicious intention was visible. Somehow it was a matter that was childish and brought out a hollow laugh, but only the intention of this act was certain. An indirect meaning that they didn’t welcome him.

Feeling certain that it was a treatment of not being welcomed, Hajin dropped a small sigh. And immediately after, he began to clear away the messed-up luggage one by one. A desk clock he cherished was broken. How roughly they had handled it, a few were broken and a few were torn. His slightly excited mind froze over in an instant. Hajin smiled faintly and began to hurry. He had to clear it all before dinner time. He didn’t want to show a bad appearance from the first day for no reason.

࣪˖ ִֶָ🍇་༘

“Did you look around well?”

Only around the time he barely finished organizing and drank a glass of water did he realize that dinner time was drawing near. He could know upon seeing that Kwon Sayoung had gotten off work and entered inside the house. Hajin lowered the glass cup onto a nearby table with a tense face and answered.

“Yes.”

“And is it to your liking?”

He couldn’t know if it was a question asked out of politeness, but because that question was contrary to expectations, Hajin had a temporarily dazed face.

“Pardon?”

He hadn’t known that he would have an interest in whether it would be to his liking.