35 floors, then 40. As the elevator climbed closer and closer to the highest floors of the building, I found it increasingly difficult to hide the nervous anticipation building inside me. I glanced uneasily at the person standing beside me before finally speaking.
“Why does the Chairman want to see me? I’m not an employee of the company, and I’m not even the owner of a café…”
In response to my cautious question, the Chairman’s Chief Secretary replied politely.
—-“That is not something I’m authorized to discuss. The Chairman will speak with you directly.”
“I’m worried that dressing like this might be too disrespectful…”
I looked down at the simple shirt I was wearing and murmured awkwardly.
—-“It’s fine. Don’t worry too much.”
“Are you absolutely sure the Chairman asked for me, and not my boss?”
Even though I had gone to all the trouble of coming here at his invitation, I still couldn’t shake my anxiety. I was afraid they had somehow mistaken me for someone else.
—-“Yes, of course. How could we possibly get that wrong? Here we are. Please, step out.”
The elevator stopped on the 44th floor, and at the same moment, it felt as though my heart stopped beating for a second.
Somewhere in an office on this floor, the chairman of a massive conglomerate was waiting for me.
To convince myself that this unbelievable reality was actually happening, I took a deep breath and stepped out, following his guidance.
At present, I work at a café on the second floor of this very building. It’s an internal café located inside the headquarters of a major conglomerate, so the revenue is fairly stable. It’s run by an older friend who I’m close to, and I accepted his offer to come here and bake pastries and desserts.
Although the job has nothing to do with my university major, I find that I’m quite suited to it and genuinely enjoy my work. The people I interact with here are limited to the owner, my coworkers, and the office employees of this company. Forget the Chairman—I’ve never even seen the faces of the senior executives. And yet, all of a sudden, I had been summoned by the head of the entire conglomerate.
I’m just a café employee. I’m not even the owner. So what on earth could the Chairman of the conglomerate possibly want with me?
And not just any chairman, but the chairman of one of the country’s leading conglomerates, a man whose reputation was renowned throughout the world.
The hallway was so long and spacious that it looked almost like an art exhibition. What was that place called again? A gallery?
Unlike an ordinary corporate hallway, this place displayed white porcelain vases inside glass cases, much like those in a national museum, while magnificent paintings covered the walls. It felt as though this were a passage connecting to an entirely different world.
While I was still distracted by everything around me, a large door appeared ahead. One glance was enough to tell me that it was the Chairman’s office.
When she saw us approaching, the female employee sitting at the desk beside the door picked up the intercom and informed the people inside of my arrival.
—-“Now, please go in and greet the Chairman. Then, just sit wherever I direct you.”
“Yes, yes.”
……Relax? Just sit comfortably?
Forget being comfortable. I wasn’t even sure I could breathe properly…..
I decided to simply remember the basic lessons in etiquette my parents had taught me. Wherever I went and whoever I met, I had never once been criticized for being impolite.
The moment the large door opened, a classically designed interior came into view.
Amid the elegant décor sat a man who anyone could immediately tell was the Chairman, watching me.
He was merely sitting there, yet his presence was astonishingly imposing. For the first time, I understood what it meant for someone to give off such an overwhelming aura simply by being there.
I bowed respectfully, then, following the secretary’s instructions, carefully perched on the edge of the sofa to his right.
—-“Welcome, Baek Eun-woo. Thank you for taking time out of your break to come here.”
“Yes, sir. It was no trouble at all.”
He even knew my name, and he knew when my break was.
Despite his appearance, which resembled that of a general from some famous historical painting, his voice was surprisingly gentle and warm. I suppose even alphas who had grown older could still possess an extraordinary presence.
However, despite his gentle gaze, I could tell that he was scrutinizing me carefully, leaving no detail unchecked.
——“Would you like some fruit juice or coffee?”
“No, thank you, Chairman. I’m fine.”
—-“Hmm. All right, then.”
…….How was I supposed to drink anything while sitting across from the Chairman like this?….
I had no mind to savor anything. I was so nervous that if I drank something, I was afraid it might come shooting out of my nose.
I tried not to be shaken by his sharp gaze, straightened my posture, lowered my eyes appropriately, and waited for the reason I had been summoned.
—-“Very good posture. I’m quite pleased. The way you walk and speak is polite, and you don’t have the slightest trace of affectation. As expected, my judgment of people is never wrong. No wonder—you’re a dominant omega.”
…What?
A dominant omega?
How did he know I was a dominant omega?
The moment I heard the words “dominant omega” come from the Chairman’s mouth, my eyes widened in shock.
What was going on?
When I signed my employment contract, I had only listed myself as an omega on the form where I was supposed to state my secondary gender. There was no reason to write down that I was a dominant omega and invite unnecessary trouble. I was certain that other dominant omegas would do the same.
I silently turned my gaze toward the Chairman, practically demanding an explanation.
Surely the head of a conglomerate wouldn’t go digging into the background of some insignificant café employee, would he?
Noticing the question in my eyes, the Chairman smiled.
—-“Don’t misunderstand. I only found out by chance. You dropped your wallet not long ago, didn’t you? At the time, the Head of Secretariat was trying to find its owner, so he checked inside. I happened to be there as well.”
“Oh, I see.”
That must have been about half a month ago.
I had dropped my wallet somewhere, and an employee of the company had returned it to me. There hadn’t been anything particularly valuable inside, but I remembered being extremely relieved to find that everything was still there.
But wait.
How did he know I was a dominant omega?
My ID card was integrated into my phone, so I hadn’t been carrying a physical copy.
—-“The health certificate inside. I saw that it stated you were a dominant omega. Since dominant omegas are extremely rare, I was quite surprised. It had been a very long time since I’d seen one myself.”
“…The health certificate.”
I had completely forgotten about that.
Of course my dominant status would be written on my health certificate.
Seeing how flustered I was, the Chairman instructed his secretary to bring me a glass of water. I drank it to regain my composure.
Phew. Right.
I am a dominant omega.
The reason someone like me, whose appearance and physique made it immediately obvious that I was an omega, could work without running into trouble was partly because my job required me to wear a mask that concealed my face. But there was another, more important reason.
I had the ability to control my pheromones—a power that ordinary omegas could only dream of.
It wasn’t merely the usual ability to suppress pheromones. I could completely conceal my pheromone scent, flawlessly and without leaving the slightest trace.
The reason I possessed this ability was because I am a dominant omega, an extremely rare existence even among omegas.
Dominant omegas were extraordinarily valuable individuals. Even when the most exceptional alpha and omega came together, there was no guarantee that they would produce a dominant omega.
Because of this, prestigious alpha families and wealthy households were particularly eager to choose dominant omegas as marriage partners.
I had heard that dominant omegas also possessed various advantages in terms of intelligence and physical ability, though I couldn’t say much about those myself.
There was only one thing I knew for certain was wonderful:
The ability to control my pheromones at will.
Because of it, I wasn’t easily overwhelmed by a heat cycle or by an alpha’s pheromones.
My exceptional pheromone control meant that even if I suddenly went into heat, I wouldn’t become enchanted by an alpha or be manipulated by them like a puppet.
I could conceal my own pheromones so that others wouldn’t detect them, and I could also block an alpha’s pheromone attacks.
Basically, I had no need for suppressants.
That was the privilege of being a dominant omega.
Unlike ordinary omegas, who often had to endure discrimination in society, being free from alpha influence and discrimination could be considered an enormous blessing.
It was the ideal that every omega aspired to—the kind of life that would allow them to live more easily.
And, though it was a little embarrassing to say it myself, I was naturally intelligent and possessed exceptional physical traits as well.
For that reason, dominant omegas were often used as the basis for developing suppressants and vaccines for omegas. However, since every individual’s traits were different, even that was far from easy.
But why did I have to hide something so advantageous?
Because everyone’s expectations were far too high, and there were too many pieces of trash who tried to latch onto me.
Since dominant omegas were frequently exploited or targeted for kidnapping, most of them were extremely reluctant to reveal their identities.
That was why many people pretended to be ordinary or recessive omegas, just like me.
At work, if my secondary gender didn’t interfere with my duties, there was no reason to disclose it and invite unnecessary trouble.
So this certainly wasn’t something the Chairman would personally summon me for just to reprimand me.
I was extremely curious why he had called me here himself to confirm this.
——“Of course, I also understand why you chose to hide your secondary gender. You don’t need to explain it to me. It’s an extremely personal matter. I have no intention of letting this information get out, so you can rest assured.”
“Then, may I ask why the Chairman called me here?”
—-“The thing is…”
When I asked him directly, an awkward expression briefly crossed the Chairman’s face.
What was this?
Why did he suddenly look so troubled?
“Please, go ahead, Chairman.” At this point, I genuinely wanted to know why he had summoned me.
After hesitating for a while, the Chairman moved his fingers slightly before cautiously speaking.
—-“I… called you here because there’s something I’d like to ask of you. It’s rather shameless of me.”
“You want to ask me for a favor? The Chairman wants to ask me?”
It was completely beyond anything I had expected.
How strange.
I couldn’t imagine what a man who held such enormous influence over the global economy could possibly need my help with.
While I was staring at him in bewilderment, tilting my head, he seemed to finally steel himself and spoke.
—-“Would you be willing to be a surrogate and carry a child for my grandson?”
…What?