The study was the second room. After opening the door and confirming, Yeonwoo slipped inside and quickly began searching. Rummaging through someone else’s house without permission—he knew it was an incredibly rude thing to do.
But he couldn’t just let it go. He had already told himself that if he didn’t find anything here, he’d drop it and make his report. Just as that thought passed through his mind, he discovered proof of his suspicions in the very last drawer.
***
♩♬♩♬♬♩♬♬♩♩♪…
The ringtone kept echoing, but no one picked up. As the voicemail prompt played, Yeonwoo ended the call. He pressed the button again, but he doubted it would connect. Whitaker was probably swamped with security matters right now. Still, it was rare for him not to answer at all.
Hopefully nothing happened at the party.
Since Keith had suddenly changed his schedule and decided to attend the party that afternoon, the security team had gone on high alert. Maybe something troublesome had happened by now. Just as that thought crossed his mind, the call suddenly connected.
“Mr. Whitaker? This is Yeonwoo. Mr. Whitaker, can you hear me?”
[…gurgh… secu… curi…]
The voice kept cutting out, making it impossible to understand. Maybe the connection was bad because of all the background noise. With no other choice, Yeonwoo hung up and kept driving. This needed to be dealt with quickly.
By the time he arrived at the mansion where the party was being held, the grounds were swarming with security guards. All of them stood at the ready to protect their respective employers.
A gathering of this many gammas could only occur where Apex Alphas convened. Among Alphas and Omegas alike, gammas were the group least affected by pheromones. Though, it was said that prolonged exposure could still get to them eventually.
Thinking that, Yeonwoo hurried to find Whitaker. The reason these guards weren’t affected by pheromones was simple—they couldn’t smell them. So unless he explicitly stated it, they had no way of knowing whether Yeonwoo was an Alpha or a Beta. The guard who stopped him this time also seemed to stare at him with some mix of curiosity or confusion. Used to it by now, Yeonwoo quickly spoke up.
“I’m Mr. Pittman’s secretary. I came to find Mr. Whitaker on urgent business. I’m an Omega.”
“…Ah.”
The guard’s brows furrowed faintly. The reason was obvious. Yeonwoo immediately added,
“I know what kind of party this is. I’ll just speak to Mr. Whitaker and leave right away. You don’t have to worry.”
At pheromone parties, Omegas were often brought in as escorts, so mistakes and accidents involving people like him happened occasionally. Just recalling the previous incident sent a chill down his spine, but there was no turning back now. After a moment’s hesitation, the guard stepped aside to let him through.
“Be careful. It’s a bit of a mess in there.”
Yeonwoo nodded and thanked him, then hurried inside. He popped two of the scent-dulling candies into his mouth at once. As the tip of his nose stung, he scanned the area, searching for Whitaker. He’d most likely be stationed at his designated post.
Glancing around quickly, he spotted a member of Keith’s security team.
“Excuse me!”
He rushed over and grabbed the man’s arm. The moment the guard recognized him, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Yeonwoo? What are you doing here?”
“There’s something urgent. I need to see Mr. Whitaker. Do you know where he is? I couldn’t get through by phone.”
The man checked his own phone, then clicked his tongue.
“Looks like the devices are malfunctioning from the pheromones. Happens all the time. Can’t believe machines get fried by pheromones people can’t even detect—crazy, right?”
He laughed, but Yeonwoo wasn’t in the mood to laugh with him. Noticing Yeonwoo’s lack of reaction, the man looked away awkwardly.
“This way. He should be near the parking area.”
Following behind, Yeonwoo soon spotted Keith’s Bentley among the line of luxury cars. Not far from it, Whitaker stood talking with another guard.
“Mr. Whitaker!”
Calling out in relief, Yeonwoo waved. Whitaker turned casually—then widened his eyes in surprise.
“Yeonwoo? What are you doing here? Are you alright?”
He was clearly recalling the incident at the last party. Yeonwoo puffed out his cheek to show the candy he was sucking and smiled. Whitaker chuckled, then seemed to remember something and pulled a candy from his pocket, tearing the wrapper.
“So what’s going on? You’ve been calling nonstop.”
He popped the candy into his mouth and grimaced.
“It’s chaos tonight. Word is one of the Apex Alphas totally lost it. Something about going into rut. With all the pheromones in the air, every device is on the fritz. Don’t even know if the cars will work properly.”
Clicking his tongue, Whitaker glanced anxiously toward Keith’s car. Feeling the urgency, Yeonwoo jumped straight to the point.
“I went to deliver the breakup notice to Miss Annabelle James today, and I found something suspicious there. Here, a photo.”
Yeonwoo pulled up the picture he’d taken and showed it to him. Whitaker’s face quickly darkened as he looked at the screen.
“Sperm bank registration receipt? What the hell is this?”
Flipping through the other photos, he blinked.
“Wait… are you saying she stole Mr. Pittman’s sperm?”
“That’s what it looks like. And it’s currently in storage at the sperm bank. If we don’t act quickly—”
Yeonwoo spoke urgently, but Whitaker’s reaction was oddly lukewarm. Stroking his chin, Whitaker returned the phone.
“Alright. I’ll confirm everything and report to Mr. Pittman.”
Taken aback by the underwhelming response, Yeonwoo pressed,
“Shouldn’t this be treated urgently? What if she tries artificial insemination—or sells it—”
Whitaker shrugged a shoulder.
“If it’s about selling, she’d have to prove it’s really Mr. Pittman’s sperm. And how would she get his DNA for that? The second she tried to verify it, she’d expose herself for stealing it. No one’s that stupid. If it’s about artificial insemination…”
Suddenly, he let out a snort of laughter.
“Let her try it with empty sperm.”
“Empty… sperm?”
Yeonwoo asked, confused. Whitaker looked surprised.
“You didn’t know? Apex Alphas can control whether they fertilize or not. That sample’s got no viable sperm.”
When he saw Yeonwoo’s stunned face, Whitaker gave a bitter smile.
“That’s why they can sleep around like they do. They say that when pheromones build up, it gets harder to control—but really, how often does that happen? With the amount he releases, it never even has a chance to accumulate.”
It made sense. Yeonwoo blinked.
“I always thought they released pheromones just to show off that they’re Apex Alphas…”
“Marking territory? Like wild animals.”
Whitaker laughed out loud, but both he and Yeonwoo knew. Apex Alphas were beasts in every sense of the word. Beasts perched firmly at the top of the food chain. Clearing his throat with a low hum, Whitaker added,
“Anyway, I’ll look into it. Even if it’s empty, there are probably collectors out there willing to pay for Mr. Pittman’s sperm. We should cut off that kind of transaction before it starts.”
He let out a short laugh.
“Once Annabelle finds out it’s useless sperm, she’ll be pretty disappointed.”
Yeonwoo felt the same. If he’d known that, he wouldn’t have risked so much to come all this way. His shoulders sagged with a hollow sense of defeat. Whitaker gave him a sympathetic pat.
“Everyone knows how responsible you are, Yeonwoo. It’s always appreciated.”
“Thank you.”
His reply was drained of energy, and Whitaker smiled faintly as he looked around.
“You’d better get going. It’s dangerous here.”
“Yes, I should.”
There was no point staying longer. These people were here to protect Keith—not him. His own safety was his responsibility.
He never wanted to get caught up in another incident like before. Ever again.
“Then I’ll take my leave. Please make sure this gets handled properly.”
“Take care. Be safe.”
Leaving Whitaker’s worried parting words behind, Yeonwoo turned and hurried away. As his tension started to ease, the sweet, almost sickening scent of pheromones finally hit his nose. The candy in his mouth had already melted halfway.
A sudden wave of anxiety surged through him. He popped two more candies at once and began walking briskly—nearly running—through the garden. His car was parked on the street just outside the front gate. If he could make it there, he could breathe again.
Go. Just go now.
Go.
Before he realized it, he was running. He wanted to escape the pheromones chasing behind him. If he so much as hesitated, it felt like they’d catch him and devour him whole.
The moment that fear solidified in his mind, it drove him to the brink. Yeonwoo ran like a madman, gasping for breath.
Just as he was about to pass through the front gate—
“…?”
Something suddenly appeared in front of him. Blinding headlights flashed and instinctively, Yeonwoo raised his arm to shield his eyes. Someone grabbed him by the arm and yanked him out of the way. He gasped as he was pulled aside. A sports car skimmed past, missing him by inches.
“Are you alright?”
The voice came from above him, and only then did Yeonwoo realize that one of the security guards had saved him.
“Ah… y-yes.”
He barely managed a stammered reply. The guard frowned as he looked at him.
“Be careful. God knows why everyone who comes here drives like maniacs.”
He muttered the complaint in disgust, but Yeonwoo could hardly hear him. He offered a weak nod and headed toward where his car was parked.
That was the last thing he remembered clearly.
When he came back to his senses, he was standing in front of his door, fumbling with the key. The metal scraped uselessly against the doorknob, failing to find the lock. His trembling hand finally steadied with the help of the other, and after struggling, he managed to fit the key into the hole.
Haa, haa. Haa, haa.
The moment the door opened, he rushed inside. Still shaking, he locked all three bolts and slid the interior latch. He pulled a chair in front of the door, but it didn’t make him feel any safer. In a panic, he ran into the bedroom without undressing, locked the windows, locked the door, then threw himself into bed and pulled the blanket over his head.
Even then, the trembling didn’t stop. His mind was filled with the image of the man in the driver’s seat of the sports car that had nearly hit him.
The man who had tried to rape him.
The man whose penis he had bitten down on with all his strength—he could still feel the shape of it in his mouth. He gagged immediately, but only bitter stomach acid came up.
Haa, haa. Haa, haa.
He’d thought he had gotten over it.
But that was a lie. A thought born of fear. He had only buried it, pretending it wasn’t there. He had never overcome it. Never even tried to. He had just ignored it.
And now it had turned into a monster—one so massive it could devour him whole.
***
♬♬♩♩♪♪♬♬…
A faint ringtone brought him back to consciousness. On the phone screen was a caller ID: Secretary’s Office.
[Yeonwoo, what’s going on? Are you on your way? Did something happen? You didn’t get into an accident, did you?]
Emma’s urgent voice rang out, but he didn’t understand it at first. He blinked slowly, his vision still foggy, and eventually murmured,
“…Emma?”
[Yes, Yeonwoo. Where are you right now?]
Her frantic voice followed immediately. He blinked again, dazed, and finally let out a sigh as he replied,
“…I’m on my way. What’s going on?”
There was a pause on the other end. Then Emma asked hesitantly,
[You’re usually early. When you didn’t show, I wondered if something had happened.]
The clock in the car showed that he was already late for work. Yeonwoo gripped the steering wheel with both hands and took a deep breath.
“I’ll be late today. I’ll explain everything to Mr. Pittman myself, so just proceed with the schedule as planned. Give him today’s documents and carry on as usual. I’ll be there soon.”
Emma sounded confused as she hung up. Yeonwoo gritted his teeth and held on to the wheel. He hadn’t told her—but he was still sitting in the parking lot. Just getting out of the house and into the car had taken everything he had. He’d been sitting there for over an hour, unable to move.
He had to go to work.
Gripping the wheel tighter, he forced himself to breathe evenly.
It’s fine. I’m fine.
He shut his eyes once, then opened them again—pale and cold with the realization.
I’m not fine.
***
BANG!
A sudden bang against the window made him scream in shock. Haa, haa—his breathing pounded in his ears, making it impossible to think.
“…!”
Someone was saying something. Yeonwoo blinked over and over, struggling to snap out of it. When he finally turned his head—
An unbelievable face was staring down at him.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Keith’s irritated voice cut through the glass.
And all Yeonwoo could do was stare at him blankly, from the other side of the window.