Pheromone Off Chapter 6

Even so, with marriage talk suddenly being brought up with him, it was not easy for Hajin to register that fact no matter how much time passed. Moreover, everyone implicitly perceived that the whole situation had occurred because of him. He had become an presumptuous, insignificant, and ungrateful Beta who fulfilled his own desires by coaxing a grandfather who couldn’t do anything against him.

As if he weren’t already viewed unfavorably, the incident where Seong Yeonwoo fell was distorted into an incident where he had tried to harm Seong Yeonwoo, which resulted in him being excluded from the current family dining gathering. This was because Seong Suhyun and Seong Yeonwoo’s mother had flown into a furious rage upon hearing that story. With a flushed red face, she had come to find Hajin and fiercely swung her hands. She scratched his skin with her fingernails, tore his clothes, and blamed Hajin’s mother.

While spending his days even more like a non-existent person in the house like that, news was heard that a dining gathering to commemorate his grandfather’s discharge from the hospital had been arranged. Hajin, who naturally intended to skip it, had his plans thwarted by a firm message from his grandfather telling him absolutely not to miss it. It was questionable what would happen again at a gathering where both families all met, and whether he would be able to calmly endure everyone’s contempt.

He felt it was a relief that his grandfather was there at least, but he didn’t think of his grandfather as his own backing because of that. His grandfather was gentle with him, but he was the highest elder of both families and tended to be strict at gatherings where all the family members met.

“Ha, really, I don’t know what on earth the elder is thinking.”

Arriving at the appointment venue, Jo Hwayeong, the mother of Seong Suhyun and Seong Yeonwoo, brought up the topic as if worried and fiercely glared at Hajin, who was following behind as quiet as a dead mouse. Adjusting the fur coat wrapped around her body, she turned her gaze away as if she couldn’t stand the sight of him and led the way first.

“Even if the elder keeps insisting, you say that you don’t want to.”

Chairman Seong, who hadn’t said a single word about this matter, spoke to him while looking straight ahead. He could feel Seong Yeonwoo’s gaze nearby. Hajin quietly followed that gaze and looked at Seong Yeonwoo.

“If you keep refusing, the elder will give up too.”

“…I have also kept telling him that. But….”

“Sayoung, that child is Yeonwoo’s match.”

“…”

“Even if you are also my child, you shouldn’t go against the laws of nature.”

Chairman Seong, who implied that it was a natural order and a law of nature for the person named Kwon Sayoung to meet and marry the person named Seong Yeonwoo, also viewed this current situation unfavorably. He had expected it, but at the blatant discrimination, Hajin could no longer continue his words.

As they were guided to their seats by an employee and entered, the grandly interconnected interior of a Hanok unfolded through the widely opened windows. A huge folding screen was spread across the starting wall, expensive ceramics that looked like artworks were displayed, and tables smelling of oak could be seen stretching out endlessly.

Across the table, the Seong family lined up and took their seats. Starting with Chairman Seong, Madame Jo Hwayeong, Seong Suhyun, and Seong Yeonwoo, and at the very end, Seong Hajin, himself.

“That old man, I wonder what kind of words he called us here to shock us with this time.”

Seong Suhyun grumbled while gulping down natural water. Seong Suhyun was the person most disliked by Chairman Kwon, and knowing that, Seong Suhyun found Chairman Kwon particularly uncomfortable and unfavorable.

“Watch your mouth.”

Seong Yeonwoo rebuked Seong Suhyun. As if he didn’t want to show a side that would give Chairman Kwon an excuse to find fault, Seong Yeonwoo showed a particularly vigilant stance compared to usual. At the moment when his breath was choking up and even his body was becoming itchy from the atmosphere circulating with a strange tension, the windows opened wide again.

At the solemn appearance of Chairman Kwon revealed between the doors opening on both sides, everyone in the Seong family stood up and delivered polite greetings. And behind Chairman Kwon, the Kwon family revealed themselves one after another. Vice Chairman Kwon Iwhon, the only son of Chairman Kwon, was currently absent due to being overseas for business, and in his place sat Madame Shim Mira, the wife of Vice Chairman Kwon Iwhon. Following behind her, granddaughter Kwon Sahui, second child Kwon Sayoung, and even their precious youngest child, Kwon Sabin, made their appearance. As the large family revealed themselves, the inside of this huge room began to bustle.

“Have you been well, elder?”

When Chairman Seong offered his greeting, Chairman Kwon waved his hand as if courtesy wasn’t necessary. It was a gesture that meant it was fine, and to sit down. Only then could the Seong family all sit back down in their seats simultaneously.

“Secretary Do, have them order first.”

When Chairman Kwon gave a short command toward the attendant secretary standing like a shadow, he faithfully bowed his head and headed out the door. This situation where the Kwon family and the Seong family sat facing each other felt somewhat overbearing. Every time both families gathered, Hajin felt even more tension and took deep breaths silently. It was not pleasing to face Kwon Sayoung, who would already be misunderstanding him, nor was it pleasing to look at Kwon Sabin sitting opposite him.

“It’s been a while?”

Kwon Sabin. He was a classmate of the same age as him. He was the youngest of the Kwon family who uniquely had nothing to do with the succession, and perhaps because of that, his parents couldn’t do anything when it came to Kwon Sabin. He was a spoiled prince raised by having everything he asked for done and everything he wanted poured out for him. An arrogant and insolent prince living a life completely opposite to his own. Whether his parents had raised him by spoiling him too much, Kwon Sabin was a notoriously nasty human being at school. Someone who easily ignored people, easily looked down on them, and thought everyone was below him, under his feet.

He was the guy Hajin disliked the most after Seong Suhyun.

“Now that you’ve graduated, is life worth living?”

That was because he was a guy whose school life consisted of the fun of tormenting him at school. The title of the youngest of HK Group, a brilliant appearance, a dominant Alpha, a popular celebrity—the modifiers attached behind him were all so grand that he was at the highest top class within the school.

An opinionated and severe narcissist as much as Seong Suhyun, he was a guy famous for being unlucky. He regarded everyone as a lower-class human being below him and would either order them around, ignore them, or torment them—it was one of the three, and among those lower-class human beings, Hajin was included as well. Since he was ignored by everyone, would Kwon Sabin be any different? Moreover, perhaps because they were the exact same age, he had a tendency to torment him even more in a particularly childish way.

“…Who are you?”

Hajin turned his gaze elsewhere and diverted his words, pretending not to know him. Seong Suhyun at home, Kwon Sabin at school. His school days were arduous in their own way. Of course, the contempt from Seong Suhyun felt to the bone and the childish torment from Kwon Sabin were on different dimensions, but because of Kwon Sabin, his school life hadn’t been entirely smooth either.

“What? Who are you?”

Kwon Sabin snapped back in an irritated voice, as if he didn’t like Hajin’s indifferent answer. As his voice grew louder, Kwon Sahui made a “Tsk” sound and sharply glared at Kwon Sabin. Kwon Sabin twitched the bridge of his nose as if dissatisfied with the control, but he couldn’t do anything against his older sister who was fifteen years older than him. He shut his mouth quickly and stared at him as if glaring with his characteristic arrogant gaze.

Exhausting.

Hajin found everyone here exhausting. His grandfather, who was uniquely on his side, was also currently the leader of a company and the elder of two families. No matter how comfortable he might be, it couldn’t not be uncomfortable.

࣪˖ ִֶָ🍇་༘

It was around the time the main meal was ending, after brief business talk, that Chairman Kwon began to open his mouth. When Chairman Kwon, who wiped his mouth with a napkin, rinsed his mouth with the sweet ginger-cinnamon tea handed over by an employee and opened his mouth, everyone stopped their moving utensils as if promised.

“Everyone probably knows the reason I arranged this separate dining gathering.”

In an instant, the gazes of the elders of both families quietly turned toward Hajin. The other main character, Kwon Sayoung, had a very calm face, with the flushed appearance seen in the hospital room not long ago completely gone. It felt as if he was the only one who was tense and bewildered.

“What kind of talk is it that you’re setting such an atmosphere?”

Amidst everyone being static, only Kwon Sabin, who couldn’t read the room, casually threw out his words nonchalantly. He had a face that completely didn’t know about the incident causing a stir in both families. Well, he never joined in family matters. He was also detached from succession issues, and since he was a guy who roamed outside so much, there was no way he would have interest in housework. He was literally a free spirit, a leisurely loafer. While his older sister and older brother fought by putting forward each other’s abilities, he was a spoiled child standing far behind, just enjoying the advantages of a chaebol.

“Sabin. You should watch your mouth in front of Grandfather.”

Madame Shim Mira, the matriarch of the Kwon family, turned her head toward him and gently admonished him.

“It’s strange. Over there and over here, there’s barely any talk during the entire meal.”

Whether he felt the strange atmosphere even if he didn’t know anything, Kwon Sabin continued his words as if puzzled.

“It’s talk about your hyung’s marriage matter.”

Chairman Kwon simply threw back a stern answer, as if accustomed to his youngest grandson’s immature reply. At that, Kwon Sabin wore an even more bewildered expression.

“Ah—, I guess you fixed a marriage date with Yeonwoo hyung?”

If only it were rather so, he wouldn’t be suffocating like this.

At Kwon Sabin’s ordinary reply, the adults let out sighs. Chairman Seong and his wife scanned Kwon Sabin once as if glaring at his lack of awareness, and Vice Chairman Kwon and his wife pressed their eye areas hard as if they couldn’t stop him.

“I know that both sides must have been flustered by this matter, and I know there are many complaints. However, this matter is something I have planned since a long time ago, and I have absolutely no intention to undo it. Therefore, if noise keeps coming out due to this matter, I intend to take it as a direct dissatisfaction toward me. Of course, regarding that dissatisfaction, I will also have an appropriate response.”

In a word, it was a declaration of war. Telling them not to add words to this matter anymore. That if they did, Chairman Kwon would also not sit still. When he, who saved his words as much as possible unless it was a business matter, showed himself stepping forward to this extent, all the family members seemed to feel on their skin how sincere Chairman Kwon was. Not to mention the elders of both families, even Seong Yeonwoo’s face began to rapidly freeze over.