Seo Jeongun did not seem to feel the cold at all, wearing only navy slacks and a light white shirt. Even today, his outfit lacked the weight one would expect from an executive director of a company.
Doh Yihyun gave Seo Jeongun a brief glance and lowered his gaze. Of all times, there was no one else in the elevator.
Every time Seo Jeongun came by during lunch, Doh Yihyun would inwardly criticize him, wondering if an executive director really had nothing better to do. But there was no way he was actually idle. As Seo Jeongun had said, running into him in the elevator was purely a coincidence.
For Doh Yihyun, it was simply bad luck.
With only a slight nod, Doh Yihyun stepped into the elevator with reluctance. It made little difference, but he leaned against the farthest corner, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Seo Jeongun.
Despite the perfunctory greeting, Seo Jeongun did not seem to mind.
Even as an executive, Seo Jeongun was not authoritarian. He was widely known for being unconventional and free spirited. It was one of his greatest strengths, but unfortunately, for Doh Yihyun at this moment, it felt like a flaw.
"Did you know? Today is Friday."
Instead of pointing out his impolite attitude, Seo Jeongun turned his body toward him and spoke in a friendly tone.
But Doh Yihyun did not even pretend to listen. He simply held his breath and pressed his thumb firmly against the space between his brows.
'So annoying.'
His condition was already deteriorating, making him irritable, and Seo Jeongun kept prodding him from every angle, making his temper worsen by the second.
Tilting his head slightly from a distance as he looked down at Doh Yihyun, Seo Jeongun suddenly stepped forward. His stride was so wide that in just two steps, he was right in front of him.
"...What are you doing?"
Doh Yihyun slowly opened his mouth, careful not to inhale. There was nothing in his eyes except faint irritation, yet the sharp line of his gaze twisted harshly.
He had noticed it before, but Seo Jeongun had an unusually small sense of personal space. In many ways, he was someone impossible to get close to.
Despite Doh Yihyun openly showing his displeasure, Seo Jeongun curled his lips mischievously and placed his hands on the walls on either side of him.
Before he knew it, Doh Yihyun was trapped within Seo Jeongun’s arms.
Though he did not want to admit it, Doh Yihyun felt a strange pressure. It was rare for him to feel psychological discomfort from another person.
'This feels strange.'
He could not tell whether it was unpleasant or something else. His stomach churned as if he were nauseous, yet it was different from morning sickness.
Doh Yihyun glared at him.
"Now you’re finally looking at me."
Doh Yihyun clenched his teeth reflexively. It was not even direct contact, yet a shiver crawled along the rim of his ear. He was not particularly ticklish, so it was odd.
"Please move. This is uncomfortable."
Frowning his dark brows, Doh Yihyun expressed his dissatisfaction bluntly.
Exaggeration aside, if he lowered his head, he would be close enough to touch Seo Jeongun’s shoulder. If Seo Jeongun were not his superior, he would have already shoved him away.
To make matters worse, Seo Jeongun kept talking, and he was starting to run out of breath. Left with no choice, Doh Yihyun took a shallow breath.
From experience, the elevator should have been filled with the mixed pheromones of countless people, enough to make him nauseous. There had never been a single exception.
But this time, strangely, he felt fine.
All he could sense was the bright floral scent lingering around Seo Jeongun.
'Not perfume... a pheromone neutralizer?'
Doh Yihyun narrowed his eyes. Someone like Seo Jeongun would undoubtedly attract Omegas who clung to him shamelessly, so it would not be strange if he used one regularly.
Perhaps because the scent was softer than what he had noticed in the executive office, it reminded him of a single white flower.
'What a peculiar taste.'
For an Alpha who stood nearly two meters tall, it was quite an unusual scent. Doh Yihyun was not the type to be swayed by prejudice, but it still struck him as curious.
To be honest, he rather liked the scent. Maybe it was his imagination, but the nausea from his morning sickness seemed to ease slightly.
"Do I make you uncomfortable?"
Even though he clearly knew Doh Yihyun found him unpleasant, Seo Jeongun blinked as if genuinely hurt. There was no thicker face than his.
"Yes, you do. I would appreciate it if you didn’t involve yourself with me outside of work."
Doh Yihyun did not miss the opportunity and spoke his true feelings plainly. It might have been a bit excessive, but if he did not do this, Seo Jeongun would keep bothering him.
'I don’t have the energy to worry about unnecessary things.'
Just worrying about the baby was already more than enough.
"I want us to be involved with each other, though. You and me."
"You already are my superior."
Doh Yihyun cut off Seo Jeongun’s nonsense bluntly. No matter how much he pushed him away, Seo Jeongun kept closing the distance, and it was starting to get on his nerves.
"...You’re used to drawing lines, aren’t you."
His gaze, which had been fixed on Doh Yihyun’s face, slowly lowered. For some reason, his gray brown eyes lingered persistently around Doh Yihyun’s wrist.
Deciding it was not worth responding, Doh Yihyun kept his lips tightly shut. He was already bad at understanding others, but Seo Jeongun was especially incomprehensible.
"That’s strange. Did you not like me? That can’t be right."
Seo Jeongun tilted his head, touching his chin. It was unclear what exactly he meant, but his confidence was certainly impressive.
Ding.
Just as Doh Yihyun’s patience was reaching its limit, the elevator arrived at the parking garage. Taking advantage of the moment Seo Jeongun turned his head unconsciously, Doh Yihyun slipped out from his hold.
"I’ll be going now."
After a perfunctory farewell, he quickly walked away.
But Seo Jeongun followed right behind him.
"Since we ran into each other, how about dinner—"
"I have plans."
Doh Yihyun cut him off before he could even finish. Having to listen to his persistent invitations from lunch to dinner made exhaustion wash over him like a tide.
"With who?"
"I’d appreciate it if you respected my privacy."
Even as Seo Jeongun hovered around him, Doh Yihyun stared straight ahead and spoke stiffly.
It had only been a minute since he asked him not to interfere outside of work. Was he unable to understand, or was he deliberately ignoring it? Either way, he did not like it.
Doh Yihyun swallowed a sigh. He had not been dissatisfied with his work life, but at the worst possible time, an unexpected obstacle had appeared.
"Hm."
Seo Jeongun crossed his arms crookedly.
"You’re going there again today?"
He looked at Doh Yihyun intently and asked in a subtle tone.
But because he spoke vaguely without specifying the key subject, Doh Yihyun could not understand what he meant. More precisely, he did not want to try.
"Yes."