Ju Heon stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the man who was emitting the exact same pheromone scent as himself.
Sensing his own scent on another person’s body was an incredibly strange experience.
What made it even stranger was that it was such a subtle scent, quietly seeping through without anyone else noticing…
It was undoubtedly a completely unfamiliar sensation.
At this moment, Ju Heon was probably the only person who could smell it.
During the early stages of pregnancy, an omega’s body would emit the pheromone scent of the corresponding alpha. This wasn’t the alpha marking the omega with his scent, but rather a physiological characteristic unique to omegas in the early stages of pregnancy.
Unlike being immersed in pheromones that anyone could smell, this was a distinctive sign that could only be detected by the person who had impregnated the omega.
Smelling his own alpha pheromones on an unfamiliar omega meant that this person was carrying his blood inside him.
It was difficult to put into words what it felt like to smell his own alpha pheromones on the body of a complete stranger.
As someone with an innate obsession with cleanliness, Ju Heon had always thought he would never experience something like this and had more or less given up on having children.
But as he grew older, he realized that he needed a child.
He needed an heir carrying his blood, someone who could eventually lead the country’s leading conglomerate.
Ever since the sudden death of his father, who had been the vice chairman, his anxiety about being left alone had steadily grown.
If he didn’t have children, he had no idea what disadvantages might arise in the future.
He wanted a child to solidify his position within the family, but he wasn’t confident enough to have one the conventional way.
Just imagining it was enough to make him nauseous.
The thought of having to face another person was already disgusting enough. And then he would have to embrace them, roll around with them, get his entire body covered in bodily fluids, and breathe in that nauseating, fishy smell…
There was no way Ju Heon could confidently say he would be able to endure such a horrifying period of time.
Not to mention having to put a part of his own body inside someone else’s?
Even if he used disinfectant and scrubbed himself clean for an entire week afterward, he doubted it would feel sufficient.
Although he had temporarily given up on having a child, as time passed, he became increasingly aware of the need for a successor.
Just as Ju Heon was growing increasingly sensitive because he couldn’t find a solution despite needing a child, his grandfather presented him with another option:
Surrogacy.
A method of finding an omega with excellent genes, regardless of whether they were male or female, to give birth to his child.
It was a good solution, but none of the omegas listed on legitimate websites satisfied him.
By law, the information of people registered as surrogates was kept strictly confidential, with only minimal details disclosed.
Even so, Ju Heon had more than enough means to secretly investigate their backgrounds.
Naturally, none of them caught his eye, and because the whole process was becoming tedious and exhausting, he eventually left everything to his grandfather.
Yet, surprisingly, his grandfather somehow found a dominant omega.
Ju Heon was a little curious about the person’s identity, but trusting his grandfather’s meticulous nature, he didn’t even bother looking through the profile.
The only thing he knew was that the person had agreed because he wanted to save his sick mother.
He had never expected to suddenly encounter that person in his own territory like this.
—“Come to think of it, I think I heard that he works here. In the company cafeteria, maybe?”
Ju Heon tried to recall where the omega worked, but he couldn’t remember.
He decided that as soon as he got to his office, he would immediately check the personnel records.
There was a huge emotional difference between simply knowing that an omega was carrying his child and actually meeting that person.
As he intended to go upstairs and look through the records, he took a few more steps toward the omega.
Little by little, he drew closer.
He had only meant to approach a little, but apparently, he had gone too far.
Ju Heon accidentally ended up standing directly behind the omega, who had just received a package from the delivery truck, and the omega suddenly turned around.
Because Ju Heon was standing right behind him, the young man was startled when he turned and looked up.
That forced Ju Heon to confront his face at extremely close range.
Tiny beads of sweat dotted the young man’s forehead, making his bangs slightly damp and clumped together. His face was flushed from the heat.
The two stood so close that they could feel each other’s quickened breaths.
His light brown hair was disheveled from running around, and his cheeks were flushed.
Ju Heon stared intently, examining the young man’s impossibly smooth, fair skin, even as it glistened with beads of sweat.
His light brown eyes sparkled like glass, never avoiding Ju Heon’s gaze.
“Ah, I didn’t realize someone was standing behind me, so I almost bumped into you. I’m sorry. And thank you for catching the box for me. Otherwise, I would’ve dropped it.”
He doesn’t show much of his teeth when he talks.
While distracted by that thought, Ju Heon suddenly realized that he was holding the box in the young man’s hands.
Apparently, when the young man turned around, the box had nearly fallen, and Ju Heon had instinctively caught it.
That was when he also realized that his hand was resting over the young man’s.
The moment he became aware of the horrifying fact that he was touching another person’s skin, Ju Heon immediately pulled his hand away.
The omega adjusted the box, gave him a polite bow, and hurried into the company building.
As the breeze stirred in his wake, the young man’s fragrant scent mingled with Ju Heon’s pheromones, spreading intensely through the air.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Faced with a chance encounter so absurd that it was almost unbelievable, Ju Heon stood dazed, staring after the young man’s retreating figure.
Then a sudden thought occurred to him.
But why is he still working here?
Didn’t he already get paid?
—“…I remember the contract specifically said he wasn’t supposed to do strenuous work. Why was he carrying such a large box and running around like that? Could that be a breach of contract? Especially during the early stages of pregnancy, he needs to be careful…”
Thinking about the omega who had disappeared behind the building’s doors, Ju Heon stared down at the palm of his hand that had just touched him.
Strangely, even though he had seen that sweat-drenched face up close, he hadn’t felt nauseous.
Even the young man’s clearly audible breathing during their brief conversation hadn’t bothered him.
Nor had the sensation of their skin brushing against each other repulsed him.
It was truly strange.
Could this phenomenon also be because his own pheromones were present in the young man’s body?
Ju Heon tilted his head in confusion.
Normally, regardless of how attractive someone was, merely being face-to-face with another person at such a close distance would make him feel so filthy that he wanted to vomit.
Yet now, Ju Heon was lost in a maze of unanswered questions, standing there for a long while as he stared at his own palm.
……….
After carefully arranging the pastries in the display case, I was about to head into the kitchen when I suddenly sensed someone nearby.
I quickly turned around and looked around, but there was no one paying any particular attention to me.
Ah… What’s wrong with me?
Did getting pregnant unexpectedly mess up my nerves too?
For the past few days, I had kept feeling strange gazes on me.
The problem was that I couldn’t tell whether people were actually looking at me or whether I was imagining it.
I was certain that someone was watching me, but whenever I turned around, there was never anyone there.
It was driving me crazy.
I didn’t even know who I could talk to about it.
They said pregnancy could make you more sensitive. Maybe that was why I was becoming so strange.
“Is this a pregnancy symptom too? The book didn’t mention anything like this… How strange.”
It had been almost five weeks.
Symptoms like morning sickness should have started around this time, but I had experienced none of that.
Instead, I was dealing with an excessive sensitivity that the book hadn’t mentioned at all.
It was honestly exhausting.
At first, I briefly wondered if the Chairman might be keeping an eye on me, but he had given me permission to continue working for a while longer because of my circumstances, so there shouldn’t have been a problem.
So it probably wasn’t the Chairman.
I rubbed my lower abdomen uneasily before walking back into the café.
—-“Eun-woo, does your stomach hurt again? I’ve noticed you rubbing your stomach all the time lately.”
“No, I’m fine. It feels better now.”
Seeing me walk in while rubbing my stomach, Jae-yi, the café owner, looked down at my abdomen with concern.
Jae-yi didn’t know that I was pregnant, so my behavior must have seemed strange to him.
After the artificial insemination, I had developed a strange habit of rubbing my lower abdomen.
At first, I only did it because the sensation was unfamiliar.
It was almost like marveling, There really is a baby inside me now?
Then, because it felt incredible knowing there was an embryo inside me, I started touching my stomach more often.
Now, it had become a habit.
Whenever he saw me rubbing my stomach, Jae-yi repeatedly looked apologetic.
He seemed to feel guilty for keeping me on despite the fact that I had said I wanted to quit because I wasn’t feeling well. They simply hadn’t found a replacement yet.
—-“I’m sorry for making someone who’s sick and wants to quit keep working. I’m looking for someone right now, so please hang in there a little longer. You said you could work for about two more months, right? Teaching the new person how to bake things exactly the way you do isn’t a problem, but it would be such a shame to see you leave.”
“I’m sorry. You’ve helped me so much, and yet I suddenly asked to quit. Anyway, I’ll work as hard as I can during the remaining few months.”
I wanted to stay until they found someone and that person became accustomed to the work.
By then, my stomach would be visibly showing, so it would be the perfect time to quit.
According to the contract, I was supposed to quit immediately so I wouldn’t put unnecessary strain on my body, but what kind of person would live without any sense of loyalty?
After telling him that I wasn’t feeling well, I had minimized heavy lifting as much as possible and shortened my working hours so I wouldn’t overexert myself.
—“Hello, Mr. Baek Eun-woo. Are you getting off work?”
“…Yes?”
Just as I stepped out of the café to leave the company building, someone called my name.
A well-dressed woman with an air of elegance approached me.
Naturally, I had no idea who she was.
I stopped and turned toward her, looking at her questioningly.
—“I apologize for stopping you so suddenly. If you’re not busy, could you spare me a little of your time?”
“Spare you some time?”
I wasn’t particularly busy, but since I had no idea what she wanted, I looked at her cautiously.
—-“Please forgive me for not introducing myself sooner. I’m the personal secretary of CEO Cha Ju Heon. The CEO is waiting for you, Mr. Baek Eun-woo. He would very much like to meet with you, so I’d appreciate it if you could spare him some time.”
“Pardon? Meet who?”
Even though I was certain I hadn’t misheard her, I asked again.
A person I never would have expected had suddenly appeared and mentioned the name of another person I never would have expected.
How could I not be shocked?