“I’m sorry. The Executive Director is currently out.”
As soon as Doh Yihyun appeared, Seo Jungwoon’s secretary bowed politely.
“I understand.”
Doh Yihyun turned around without hesitation.
From Monday—when Seo Jungwoon had stormed out—until Friday, Doh Yihyun hadn’t seen so much as a strand of his hair.
From what he heard, Seo Jungwoon would come in briefly in the morning and then immediately leave for outside appointments. Judging by how everyone lamented that he seemed busy and that coming to work wasn’t the same without seeing his smile, it was clearly true.
Even knowing Seo Jungwoon wasn’t in the office, Doh Yihyun still forced himself to stop by the executive office. It didn’t mean much. Since Seo Jungwoon hadn’t said anything explicitly, it was simply him following through on an unspoken routine. But every time, he ended up leaving empty-handed.
They had only eaten together for about a week. They weren’t close enough to even have each other’s personal contact information.
Of course, if he wanted to, Doh Yihyun could easily find a way to contact him. Even without going out of his way, he could just ask the secretary about Seo Jungwoon’s schedule.
But since it wasn’t work-related, it felt inappropriate to act rashly. He couldn’t exactly complain—after being the one who insisted on eating together—about why they weren’t eating together anymore.
‘Is this the end of it?’
The expected ending had simply arrived a little later than usual. Among the people who had approached him, Seo Jungwoon had been particularly persistent. It was rare for anyone to last more than a month.
There had been plenty of people who approached Doh Yihyun out of curiosity, only to be repulsed and run away. After experiencing the same pattern repeatedly, other people’s one-sided feelings had long since stopped affecting him.
And yet, for some reason, Seo Jungwoon’s last expression kept lingering in his mind.
It was hazy, like looking through fog—but still there. Perhaps because it had happened right after he had started taking a slight interest in him, Seo Jungwoon’s ambiguous expression—somewhere between anger and hurt—left an unpleasant aftertaste.
‘…I feel dizzy.’
Waiting for the elevator, Doh Yihyun hurriedly braced himself against the wall.
“Haah.”
He let out a deep sigh—he’d already lost count of how many times he had done that today.
It had only been a week since he had been told things would stabilize if he maintained his condition. And yet his body had already fallen apart. Just as the doctor warned, it felt like his body had reached its limit—the rate of deterioration was incomparably faster than before.
‘Should I take a few days off and get hospitalized?’
Aside from collapsing when his secondary gender manifested, Doh Yihyun had always been exceptionally healthy. He rarely even caught a cold.
That was why he had been confident he could endure pregnancy as well.
It had been a serious miscalculation.
It was far harder than he had imagined.
Because his Omega traits were weak, even during heat he could function normally with just suppressants. Even when Alphas or Omegas came close, he felt no discomfort at all. There had been times he even considered it convenient.
But now, because of that same atypical trait, the child was at risk.
Above all, no matter what tests were run, they couldn’t find a clear cause for why his morning sickness was worsening.
‘What should I eat for dinner…’
Even fruit was starting to become unbearable. Chewing pulp felt like a chore, so he was barely sustaining himself on fresh juice.
‘Will I be able to get a pheromone prescription today?’
Frowning slightly, Doh Yihyun rubbed the back of his neck.
His morning sickness was severe enough to require pheromone treatment—but ironically, his body had become too weak from that same morning sickness to withstand Alpha pheromones.
And yet, he couldn’t just leave things as they were.
He was completely stuck.
After barely getting through lunch with a banana smoothie, Doh Yihyun sat blankly at his desk even after the team members returned. He couldn’t tolerate slacking off during work hours, but lately, if he didn’t at least pause like this, he wouldn’t be able to endure it.
“Team Lead, are you waiting for someone?”
Kim Yumin, who had come for approval, suddenly asked out of nowhere.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You keep looking toward the entrance.”
“…Was I?”
Doh Yihyun frowned faintly before asking back, uncertain.
“Yes. You’ve been doing that for days. You didn’t notice?”
Kim Yumin blinked his large eyes, clearly curious.
“…Give me the documents first.”
He hadn’t noticed at all. Had he unconsciously been waiting for Seo Jungwoon to show up and ask him to eat together again?
It was unexpectedly unsettling, but Doh Yihyun suppressed the complicated thoughts and held out his hand curtly.
“Yes, sir!”
Unaware of anything, Kim Yumin smiled brightly.
After sending him off, Doh Yihyun tried to focus on his work. But as time passed, his head began to throb as if it might split open. His vision blurred intermittently, and voices rang faintly in his ears as if distorted.
He had a bad feeling—if he kept pushing himself like this, something serious would happen.
Deciding he should at least leave early, Doh Yihyun braced himself on the desk and carefully pushed himself upright.
“Team Lead Doh.”
At that exact moment, someone called out to him in a firm voice.
It was familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar.
To look at the man standing across the desk, Doh Yihyun had to tilt his head back. He wasn’t from Accounting Team 2. Even aside from the fact that he wasn’t wearing an ID badge, no one in his team was tall enough to make him look up like this.
Normally, Doh Yihyun would simply stare at the person’s eyes until they introduced themselves.
But this time, he unconsciously examined the man’s appearance first.
Compared to other companies, Taewoon Trading had a relatively relaxed dress code, yet the man was wearing a full three piece suit. The dark khaki suit was neat, but not a color office workers typically chose. The expensive watch on his left wrist stood out as well.
‘Is that Executive Director Seo Jungwoon?’
Doh Yihyun narrowed his brows slightly, unsure.
It was rare for him to recognize someone first, so he couldn’t be certain. It might just be a mistake—he had been thinking about Seo Jungwoon repeatedly because of his persistent nausea.
Then, his gaze caught on the man’s slightly disheveled hair, contrasting with his otherwise immaculate appearance.
At the same time, a faint floral scent drifted toward him.
Without any effort, Doh Yihyun realized that the man in front of him was indeed Seo Jungwoon.
And strangely, his dizziness seemed to ease.
‘What am I, Pavlov’s dog?’
Trying not to let his agitation show, Doh Yihyun pressed his lips together.
The whispers of the team members, who had only just noticed Seo Jungwoon, echoed faintly in the background.
“What—”
Out of habit, Doh Yihyun was about to ask what was going on, but he stopped. Seo Jungwoon’s earlier complaint about his repetitive phrasing suddenly came to mind.
“…What is your business?”
Even though he had no reason to comply with Seo Jungwoon’s demands, he adjusted his wording slightly.
As if noticing that small change, the previously expressionless Seo Jungwoon let the corner of his lips curl faintly.
“Pack your things. You’re going on a business trip with me. Right now.”
“…What?”