Doh Yihyun’s face twisted in disbelief.
Accounting Team 2 almost never went on business trips. And among them, Doh Yihyun was essentially exempt.
It was all because of his personality. Inside the company, people were used to it and let it slide—but outside, he was practically a walking source of trouble. Being good at his job alone wasn’t enough to offset that kind of risk.
“From today until Monday.”
On top of that, it was a one-sided notice given the same afternoon. As if making up for his long absence, Seo Jungwoon had upgraded to an even more outrageous level of nonsense.
The team members widened their eyes, clearly startled by how unreasonably Seo Jungwoon was issuing orders.
“This is too sudden, Executive Director. I still have work left—”
“Don’t worry about the company. Director Choi will handle everything in your place.”
Despite the perfectly reasonable objection, Seo Jungwoon cut him off without hesitation.
“Mm, don’t worry about it, Team Lead Doh. Just go.”
Someone suddenly popped their head out from behind Seo Jungwoon.
A small woman—barely reaching his shoulder—stood there with long, limp hair and dark circles under her eyes. She gave Doh Yihyun a weak smile and lightly waved her hand, looking as though her wrist might snap at any moment.
Director Choi Minseo, from Accounting Team 1, had once been Doh Yihyun’s mentor. Like him, she was an extreme workaholic. If it was her, Doh Yihyun could trust her to handle the work.
Even if something happened, as long as he had his laptop, he could work remotely from the trip. In theory, the trip itself wasn’t impossible.
“What kind of trip is it, and where are we going? Why do you need me?”
Still, Doh Yihyun couldn’t understand why he had to accompany Seo Jungwoon.
“You’ll find out when you come. Hurry and get ready.”
“Executive Director.”
“There’s no time.”
Even as Doh Yihyun showed his dissatisfaction, Seo Jungwoon remained completely self-willed.
Unreasonable or not, it was still an order from a superior. Left with no choice, Doh Yihyun packed his things. If his condition worsened even slightly during the trip, he planned to go straight to a hospital.
“Director Choi, I’ll send over the materials I’m working on. For today—”
Even in the chaos, Doh Yihyun made sure to hand things off properly so work wouldn’t be disrupted.
“Let’s go.”
The moment he finished packing, Seo Jungwoon strode ahead. When Doh Yihyun followed more slowly, Seo Jungwoon glanced back and reduced his pace.
“Are you close?”
Pressing the elevator button, Seo Jungwoon threw out another abrupt, contextless question.
Doh Yihyun didn’t even have the energy to ask what he meant and simply looked at him indifferently.
“‘Director Choi,’ ‘our Team Lead.’ You seemed pretty friendly.”
Seo Jungwoon tilted his head.
‘Did I call her Director Choi like that?’ This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Even thinking back, he couldn’t remember clearly. After his rookie days, he had tried to avoid calling her that, but in the rush, it must have slipped out.
That explained why Choi Minseo had smiled faintly while he was explaining work earlier. She must have been reminded of him when he first joined.
“…Director Choi was my mentor.”
Normally, Doh Yihyun would have left Seo Jungwoon to misunderstand as he pleased. But since he didn’t want to be bothered over something trivial throughout the entire trip, he gave a brief explanation.
“Hm, is that so?”
Seo Jungwoon looked at him with mild disinterest.
“…These past few days—”
Doh Yihyun lowered his gaze to the floor and slowly started to speak.
Have you been well? Have you been busy? Why weren’t you here?
But he didn’t know which question to ask, so he simply closed his mouth.
When things were ambiguous, staying silent was the safest option.
Back in university, Junahye had pushed him to make other friends. Reluctantly, he had spent about a month socializing with classmates.
The result had been disastrous. More than a few people had burst into tears over something he said casually, and several situations had nearly escalated into fights. He had quickly given up on socializing in groups.
Junahye hadn’t been worried about him—she had just thought it would be entertaining. When she heard what happened, she laughed hysterically.
Still, he had learned something from it.
Remaining silent minimized the chance of conflict.
In fact, when he didn’t recognize someone, it worked better to simply stare than to ask directly who they were.
From then on, Doh Yihyun acted like a man of few words. It wasn’t his natural disposition, so it felt stifling at times—but it was far better than getting dragged into unnecessary trouble.
“Why did you stop talking?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll stop by home and pack some clothes.”
Although Seo Jungwoon showed clear interest, Doh Yihyun shook his head.
“Ah, no need. I already prepared everything.”
“…Why would you prepare clothes for me?”
“Because I felt like it.”
At that shameless answer, Doh Yihyun was left speechless.
By the time their pointless exchange ended, they had reached the underground parking lot. Only then did Doh Yihyun realize he hadn’t been holding his breath in the elevator.
‘Even after taking the elevator, I feel fine?’
He touched his cheek in a daze. Even his headache was gradually subsiding.
Before he could enter the car, Seo Jungwoon handed him a spray bottle.
A pheromone neutralizer.
“Why should I use this?”
Doh Yihyun gripped the bottle tightly.
Spraying neutralizer on someone else’s pheromones was rude—but if permission was given, it could be acceptable. For example, in situations like this, where an Alpha and Omega had to share a car.
But there was no consideration in Seo Jungwoon’s tone.
Only faint irritation.
Since Doh Yihyun couldn’t even properly control pheromones, he never leaked them accidentally. And there was no way Seo Jungwoon knew he was an Omega.
This was clearly just a power play.
“Why? Because it smells.”
As expected, Seo Jungwoon bluntly insulted him.
Though his pride took a hit, Doh Yihyun silently sprayed the neutralizer.
Then he handed it back.
“You should use it too. Thoroughly.”
“Hah.”
Seo Jungwoon laughed out loud.
But his eyes were cold.
He stepped closer and, without hesitation, sprayed the neutralizer recklessly—not on himself, but onto Doh Yihyun’s shoulder.
“There’s still some left here.”
Then, smiling faintly, he flicked the neat collar of Doh Yihyun’s shirt with his finger.
With the light behind him, sharp shadows fell across Seo Jungwoon’s defined features. The moment his pale eyes darkened, the smile vanished completely.
Sensing an unfamiliar pressure from him, Doh Yihyun instinctively took a step back, his guard rising.
Perhaps amused by such an uncharacteristically strong reaction, Seo Jungwoon’s lips curved again. In that instant, the oppressive presence disappeared, and he returned to his usual self.
“Get in.”
Leaving behind another one-sided command, Seo Jungwoon got into the car.
‘…Annoying.’
Doh Yihyun brushed off his slightly damp shoulder irritably.