Pheromone Off Chapter 42

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Hajin returned to Doseondang, greeted the elders of the house first, and then headed toward the detached house. Chairman Kwon, who had been tending to his orchids, held onto Hajin as he came in to greet him and shared a small conversation over a cup of tea. When Hajin conveyed the news that he had changed companies and a new job had come in with a purposefully brightened face, Chairman Kwon, as if finding his happy appearance quite to his liking, showed a satisfied reaction, saying that Sayoung fellow had good action.

Chairman Kwon frequently bickered with Kwon Sayoung, but looking at things like that, they were certainly of the same bloodline. He continued to praise his grandson, saying that Sayoung fellow had the fastest execution among the brothers and never looked back once he made up his mind to do something.

Hajin smiled faintly and looked at Chairman Kwon warmly. He was nonchalant and authoritative on the outside, but he always looked after his bloodlines behind the scenes in such a noticeable manner. It would be nice if Kwon Sayoung knew that side of him too. However, he looked fed up with his grandfather, who was pushing forward with this forced marriage using his succession issue as an excuse.

How to untangle that subtly twisted grandfather-grandson relationship was also a riddle of its own to Hajin. He was also worried about Chairman Kwon’s health issues, which were said to not have much time left.

Hajin, who returned to the detached house with a face that seemed full of thoughts in many ways, was suddenly startled by the presence of a person heard from the house. At the sound heard from the living room side, Hajin ran inside in surprise and saw the back of a man wearing a servant’s uniform.

“Ah…”

Was it okay for just anyone to drift in and out of an empty space like this? As soon as he realized that it wasn’t the aunts who were tasked with laundry and cleaning, Hajin suddenly felt a subtle unpleasantness.

“What are you doing here…?”

At the appearance of Butler Ahn loitering in the living room, Hajin asked cautiously. Only then did Butler Ahn feel a presence and turned around nonchalantly.

“Ah, you’re here.”

He gave a short bow and glanced at him. Hajin felt once more the peculiar atmosphere he had felt when he first saw him. Polite, but a thoroughly different attitude from when he treated the members of the Kwon family. Having received such an attitude countless times at the main house, there was no way Hajin wouldn’t know it. Being neglected by Chairman Seong and his wife and children, it was only natural for the servants of that house to ignore him as well. Of course, there were those who weren’t like that, but the majority did not treat him the same as them.

“…Yes. But what are you doing here—.”

“I will leave this here.”

Butler Ahn cut his words right off as he placed something down on the living room table. What was placed on a small tray were three white pills and a small glass bottle filled with clean water.

“What is that….”

“Young master requested it.”

“…”

“You just need to make sure he takes it when he returns.”

“…Ah, yes. But what kind of medicine is it.”

At the cautiously asked words, one of Butler Ahn’s eyebrows twitched briefly. For a moment, it felt like a narrowed eye. It felt like an annoyance, as if asking how he didn’t even know that.

“…It’s a suppressant. His rut period is approaching soon.”

“…Ah…”

“I believe it would be best for you to know at least his rut period.”

“…”

“And he takes pheromone regulators even during his rut.”

“…Ah, yes….”

He felt a faint lashing, as if asking how the person who was his fiancé didn’t even know that, but his feelings weren’t hurt. Because guilt covered him first at the word suppressant. For no reason, because he had said those words for no reason. Seeing that man, who was purposefully enduring, even looking after suppressants, the inside of his chest sank chillingly with apology. He was already worried after seeing that healthy person looking tired, but when a situation where he even took medicine arose, he could realize anew how naive he had been, how greedy he had been.

“…He rarely takes them. For some reason, he asked me to look after them this time.”

“…Is, is that suppressant… okay for the body?”

Hajin asked cautiously. Butler Ahn let out a silent sigh and continued speaking in a polite tone that differed from his expression.

“If it were an ordinary Alpha, it wouldn’t really matter, but in the case of a dominant Alpha, ordinary suppressants won’t listen to them. Because they have no choice but to use medicine that is harsher than a general suppressant, it is naturally not good for the body.”

“Ah…”

“Furthermore, the young master has a unique constitution, so medicine doesn’t work well on him either; to see an effect, he has to ingest more compared to other people.”

It was all information he was hearing for the first time, but Hajin listened intently with a serious face.

“…Then it must not be good….”

“If possible, spending it with a partner who is a dominant Omega is the most ideal, of course.”

Hajin fell into deep thought with a sunken face. Butler Ahn stared at Hajin silently and soon gave a short bow again.

“Then.”

Just as he was about to pass by after delivering his greeting that he would leave first, Hajin’s low voice was heard from behind his back.

“…Um, thank you.”

For a moment, Butler Ahn turned back to look at him with a face as if asking whether he had misheard. A clear face without any other emotion came into Butler Ahn’s sight.

“Pardon?”

“No… for telling me.”

“…”

“In truth, I didn’t really know about those things.”

“…”

“Thank you for looking after the medicine too.”

“…It is nothing. I merely did the work I was told to do.”

Butler Ahn delivered a short answer, bowed his head business-like again, and then escaped the detached house. Hajin, who was staring quietly at his departing back, looked at the three pills placed on the table again. And he turned on his phone and began to search for this and that.

Dominant Alpha Suppressant.

Unique Constitution Alpha on whom medicine doesn’t work.

And so on. After searching, Hajin let out a short sigh and went into his contact list.

Finding a name among the few contacts, he stopped his hand that was scrolling down the screen.

Seong Yeonwoo hyung.

A name stored concisely. A name and number he had rarely contacted by his own hand.

‘If possible, spending it with a partner who is a dominant Omega is the most ideal, of course.’

Butler Ahn’s words kept hovering around his ears like an echo. Yes, it was a correct statement. It wasn’t a matter for him to throw a tantrum over to the point of harming his body.

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“What did you say?”

As soon as he returned home, Kwon Sayoung immediately distorted his tired face at the words Hajin suddenly brought up.

“I’m saying I’ll take back what I said.”

“…”

“…You can sleep with him.”

“…”

“…With Yeonwoo hyung… you can sleep. Sleep with him again. I, made a mistake.”

Hajin continued speaking straight to him as he asked back. At the words brought up with a nonchalant face, without a single tremor, he narrowed his eyes for a moment and then wiped his face down lengthily as if tired.

“…Making someone this tired is a talent of its own too.”

“…”

“Talk about it again later.”

He passed by Hajin as if responding itself was a bother, but Hajin gripped his arm.

“…I’m speaking seriously.”

“…”

“Butler Ahn left the suppressants.”

“…”

“But I… didn’t want hyung to endure in that manner. I’m sorry.”

Hajin hung his head low with an expression laced with guilt. Kwon Sayoung looked down at the hand that was desperately holding his arm. A hand devoid of any blood color, though it had power because it belonged to a man anyway, it trembled so hard that it looked pitiful to a degree.

“…”

Kwon Sayoung extended his hand without any answer. At the sudden action, Hajin looked up at him wonderingly.

“The medicine.”

“…”

“Give it to me.”

“…Hyung, I—.”

“I get it, so just give it to me for now.”

He didn’t get angry, nor did he act sensitive, tossing the words out flatly. Hajin still felt a wonder at his appearance of lacking any reaction, looking at him anxiously.

“…I can’t, can’t give it to you.”

“…”

“They say… it harms the body.”

“…”

“They say if you take it incorrectly, side effects will come to your pheromone regulation… and a sudden, that, estrus cycle… no, a rut could come, and it can cause seizures too….”

“Are you worrying?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m asking if you’re worrying that my body will be harmed from taking the suppressants.”

“…”

“To the extent of telling me to sleep with my lover again.”

At his explicit question, Hajin shut his mouth tightly with a flustered face. His nonchalant eyes shook noticeably, spinning around frantically.

“Gosh….”

“…”

“How devoted.”

Realizing it all of a sudden, he let out a dumbfounded laugh and watched him intently.

“You like me in that manner, don’t you.”

In that instant, Hajin’s eyes grew large and his pale face began to turn red from the neck up.

“Th—That is…”

“Then I can’t sleep with him all the more.”

“…”

“When you act this sacrificially, how can I sleep with him openly.”

“…”

“Just give me the medicine quickly.”

“…Hyung.”

“Like you said, it’s manners.”

“…”

“I can’t accept that heart, but I can maintain that much manners.”

He smiled faintly and tapped his stray hair. It was a light attitude, as if an older brother were treating a much younger brother. That too lasted for a moment; he shook his extended hand, pressing him once more.

“Quickly.”

“…”

“I absolutely hate having to make someone say something twice or thrice.”

He spoke up a layer more firmly toward the hesitating Hajin. At the tone of voice brought up with an atmosphere where he would get angry if he spoke further, Hajin eventually brought over the tray that was left on the table with slow movements. With a face that truly said he didn’t want to give it.

“If anyone saw you, they’d think I’m going to die from taking this.”

He let out a hollow laugh at Hajin’s slouching face, which contained worry and a pang of conscience.