“What on earth are you thinking about to laugh like that?”
In Juhan snapped back to reality at the crisp voice beside him. What had he been thinking just now? Ah, yes. He’d been thinking Cha Gyeoul was a truly strange guy.
“Laughing? Me?”
“Weren’t you?”
“No way. As if.”
That was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Laughing. He’d merely been replaying the absurd nonsense Gyeoul had babbled earlier.
‘I’m the one managing your slush funds, Director. So I thought I was the important person you meant… I’m sorry.’
What kind of fantasy could produce an answer like that? If forced to discard exactly one thing I own, I’d most likely throw away my secretary. To In Juhan, a secretary was nothing more than a disposable tool—useful or not, it made no difference. “Important person”? Cha Gyeoul was about as far from that as anyone could be. And yet he’d plopped himself down in front of Juhan with no clue. Truly, Gyeoul was a bizarre creature.
“No way? Oh—so you heard what I said, huh?!”
In Juhan glared at Sara with a petulant voice.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yes—this was a true omega. Sara’s eyes, nose, mouth, facial contours, even her skin were flawless. Anyone would halt in their tracks to stare at such perfect beauty. She was precisely the kind of person to keep close.
“I don’t know.”
Sara and In Juhan had known each other for over ten years. She was the only one he could vaguely call a friend. Well—“friend” might be too strong a word.
As mentioned, In Juhan was a dominant alpha—an extreme one. He prided himself on controlling his pheromones, but the problem was they boiled over too often. He had to release them more frequently than ordinary alphas, and that wasn’t always convenient. Sara, as a dominant omega, was perfectly suited to him.
Her appearance was exceptional, and her pheromones matched Juhan’s ideal. Even without direct contact, sharing the same space and releasing strong pheromones together provided a measure of relief. Of course, physical intimacy would have been faster and easier—but neither Juhan nor Sara wanted that kind of relationship. They met only when it was time for pheromone release, fulfilled the purpose, and parted. It was far from a pleasure-seeking affair.
Over time, they’d become something like friends. Or perhaps “friend-like something” would be more accurate.
“This business trip to the U.S. went better than expected. I think we can count KLMC Investment as on our side now.”
“That’s definite? They hold two percent of SG Electronics’ shares—do you really think they’d shift that easily?”
“Who said it was easy? Do you know the damn tears-and-asshole show I put on? I even used my dad’s connections to drag them over!”
Sara, herself the only daughter of a chaebol family, was aiding Juhan’s takeover of Saegyeol Group. Of course, it wasn’t free. Had she offered help without any price, Juhan would have refused—because unsolicited favors were suspect.
Their contract was simple: the moment Juhan secured management control, he would sell the department store division of Saegyeol Group to her. Juhan had little interest in department stores, and Sara’s family already operated the country’s second-largest chain after SG Department Store. Their interests aligned perfectly.
To In Juhan, Sara was an almost perfect partner.
“All right. Well done. We’ll discuss details tomorrow.”
“You know I’m exhausted. You saw me get off the plane and come straight here, right? I just want to go up and sleep.”
“Wait.”
In Juhan rose and glanced around. He spotted the person he’d been looking for in a corner, and the sight was ridiculous. As if starved for days, he was gobbling food into his mouth. He’d shove two dumpling-like pieces in at once, and before he’d even finished, he was chewing on sushi. His table was laden with every kind of dish—truly a feast for one.
Approaching, it was even more absurd. There sat Cha Gyeoul, enjoying a banquet by himself.
“You’ve set out a feast and are eating alone.”
“Cough, gag, hic—!”
At In Juhan’s voice, Gyeoul jerked and immediately began coughing, his face turning beet-red with panic. Something was definitely wrong.
There was only one imaginable cause: he’d eaten too fast and lodged food in his airway. Once he assessed the situation, the solution was obvious. Just summon staff—they’d call 119 and handle everything else.
That would have been a generous gesture from the original In Juhan.
“Such theatrics.”
But this time, he chose the slightly more troublesome route: performing first aid himself.
Why? Even as he prepared to perform the Heimlich maneuver, he wondered why he was bothering. It was far easier to kill someone than save them.
If he skipped first aid, Gyeoul would die—and then he’d have to hire a new secretary. It would take time to train the newcomer, and more time to determine if they were even trustworthy.
If the new hire turned out to be In Seongje or Vice Chairman In Taegyu’s lackey, it would be even more troublesome. He’d need a flimsy excuse to eliminate them without leaving a trace.
For that reason, he tolerated the fuss and chose to keep Gyeoul alive.
In Juhan nodded to himself, satisfied with his reasoning. There was no other reason to help a mere secretary.
“You’re acting weird.”
As In Juhan buttoned his shirt, Sara spoke in an annoyed voice.
“Have you found another partner? A lover? No—there’s no way you’d be dating. Then what is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re just going to leave after booking such a nice suite?!”
When Juhan first saw the room, he was stunned. He’d asked Gyeoul to book a hotel room—and Gyeoul had reserved the presidential suite. That suite was reserved for heads of state or VVIPs. Juhan couldn’t help but wonder if this was his punishment for working late. Truly, he could never predict the man’s character.
“You won’t leave without releasing your pheromones, too, right?”
Sara was furious because of Juhan himself. When she entered a hotel room, it was their routine to release pheromones in unison. But tonight was different. As her scent began to fill the space, Juhan coughed as if he smelled something foul.
He had his reasons. Sara’s normally exquisite floral pheromone seemed—just slightly—nauseating tonight. He’d smelled it countless times before.
Objectively, her pheromone was universally appealing to alphas. Even Juhan often released with her.
But tonight was different. The moment he neared Sara, an unpleasant thought came to mind: a childish, clichéd berry-citrus scent.
…Cha Gyeoul’s pheromone. Recalling that smell made Sara’s pheromone unbearably foul, and so he’d redressed.
“Hah… unbelievable.”
In Juhan couldn’t believe it himself. What was so appealing about that cheap air freshener smell?
No—he must just be off tonight. That had to be it. Definitely.