The Unperceived Scent

The two of them enrolled in the Department of Business Administration.

Outside the school gates, there was truly nothing but dense thickets of shrubs. In exchange, the campus was fully equipped with every convenience imaginable.

While most students lived in the dormitories, Taegun and Hyunwoo chose to live off-campus.

Considering the distance to the downtown area where large supermarkets were located, they secured a detached house twenty minutes away from the school by foot.

Hyunwoo’s bedroom was the room at the end of the second floor, overlooking the East Coast through the window.

When Taegun first suggested living together, Hyunwoo was overjoyed enough to fly, yet worry surged within him.

He was anxious that his identity as an Omega might be discovered, but the greed to share Taegun’s private life pushed all fears aside.

That was how their life together began.

Contrary to his fears, Taegun didn’t suspect a thing.

Though he had heard from the doctor that no one would be able to detect his pheromones, Hyunwoo felt strange at times seeing that even Taegun, who shared a roof with him, hadn’t noticed he was an Omega.

It made sense that he didn’t know.

In addition to his pathetic pheromones, there was no physical evidence to suspect him of being an Omega, even if one searched the entire house for suppressants.

Nevertheless, his heart was not at ease.

Whether it was because of the guilt of deceiving him or the tension that he might be caught, it felt as though one side of his chest was always heavily weighed down.

Except for that point, living with Taegun wasn’t bad. In fact, it was quite satisfying.

Despite being under one roof, they each used two separate bedrooms, so it was good that their privacy wasn’t invaded, and Taegun, contrary to his appearance, had a knack for housework and cooking.

This was truly unexpected.

To think that Taegun, who looked like he had never cooked a single meal in his life, was actually a master of housekeeping.

The house was always clean, and the clothes and bedsheets always smelled of fragrant fabric softener fresh from the laundry.

The fun of waiting for the table Taegun set was also considerable.

If Hyunwoo happened to mention while watching TV that something looked delicious or that he wanted to eat a certain dish, Taegun would meticulously remember and serve that food within a few days.

It felt like he was living with a “Snail Bride” from the folktales.

He wondered if Taegun had taken bridal lessons during his period of seclusion; otherwise, how could he serve a meal that perfectly suited Hyunwoo’s taste every time?

Tonight’s dinner was grilled mackerel.

After composing his mind, which was becoming hazy from the savory smell of cooking fish, Hyunwoo found himself already at the dining table.

The portion of mackerel Taegun pushed toward him had the bones removed, revealing its milky flesh.

“If I get fat, it’s all your fault.”

“You can afford to gain more weight.”

“No way. I feel like the waist of my pants doesn’t fit these days.”

Taegun smiled faintly at Hyunwoo, who was grumbling while finishing two bowls of rice and even neatly eating the apples served for dessert.

Hyunwoo’s heart dropped at that handsome smile.

Hyunwoo quickly got up from the table and moved to the sofa.

His heart throbbed.

It was an expression shown only to him. It was Taegun’s face that only he knew.

That fact constantly made Hyunwoo feel excited.

After finishing the cleanup after the meal, Taegun sat down next to Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo seemed preoccupied with flipping through movies using the remote control.

“Oh?! This is a thriller that was released last month, and it’s already up?”

Hyunwoo’s voice was full of excitement as he finally found a movie he liked.

“I really wanted to see this! Shall we watch it?”

While Hyunwoo was operating the remote again to check the movie reviews, a hot breath suddenly landed on his nape.

Hyunwoo quickly pulled his body back as the sensation of his fine hairs standing up sent goosebumps through his entire body.

As a result, Taegun froze in the exact posture he had taken to bury his nose in Hyunwoo’s neck.

“…….”

“…….”

The house was instantly enveloped in silence.

During their life together, where everything was satisfying, there was exactly one thing that occasionally troubled Hyunwoo: Taegun’s physical contact.

He knew well in his head that his pathetic pheromones couldn’t be discovered, but every time Taegun suddenly poked his nose in like this, he felt as if his shrinking heart wouldn’t survive.

It might have been different if he didn’t know, but it was after he had realized his feelings for Taegun.

Furthermore, as he shared his body with Alphas, his dormant sexual sensitivity had awakened, and with such a body, hadn’t he been indulging in all sorts of unspeakable fantasies while thinking of Taegun?

It was difficult for physical contact with Taegun, the object of his desire, to be as casual as it used to be.

With his face turning bright red, Hyunwoo looked at Taegun with a wary gaze.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot; it was actually for the best.

He needed to make things clear this time.

“I had something to say to you anyway.”

“…….”

Taegun, who looked deeply offended, stared intently at Hyunwoo with a dissatisfied expression as if telling him to go ahead and speak.

“Stop doing this now.”

“Stop what?”

Hyunwoo spoke firmly to Taegun, who was pretending not to know despite knowing everything.

“Constantly smelling my neck and things like that!”

“Why all of a sudden? It’s what I’ve always done.”

While Hyunwoo furrowed his brows at the strange logic, Taegun quickly pushed him down, and his head finally dug into Hyunwoo’s neck once more.

Unable to bear the chilling sensation touching a sensitive area, what was bound to happen finally burst from Hyunwoo’s mouth.

“Ah-hnh!”

Taegun was more surprised than Hyunwoo at the erotic groan that suddenly escaped.

As Taegun hurriedly raised his body, embarrassment spread across his face.

Hyunwoo quickly covered his mouth with his hand, but it was already too late.

The expression of Taegun, who was staring down at the reddened Hyunwoo, turned cold at a rapid pace.

“…Here.”

Taegun’s cold finger touched the bottom of Hyunwoo’s chin.

Hyunwoo stiffened at the chilling sensation as the finger traced a long line down his neck.

Biting his lip to swallow a groan, the tip of Hyunwoo’s chin trembled.

“You’ve become sensitive, pointlessly.”

Hyunwoo flared up at Taegun’s low mutter, which sounded displeased.

It was unfair. Who was all this because of?

“Stop it! That’s why I told you not to do it!”

Hyunwoo shouted with a face as red as a tomato.

“We’re both adults now, and it’s strange for friends to do this! This is something you do with a lover.”

“…A lover…?”

Hyunwoo drove the final wedge into the dazed Taegun.

“And I’m an Alpha, too….”

“…….”

“It’s a bit damaging to my pride when you do this. So, don’t do it in the future.”

Standing up, Hyunwoo left the living room and headed to the second floor.

Taegun, who remained sitting on the sofa without moving, looked like someone who had lost his mind.

Midterm exams were over.

The weekend morning, which he greeted after waking up from a long sleep, was refreshing.

When he drew the curtains, the distant sea was sparkling with a blue hue, bathed in sunlight.

The refreshing energy unique to early summer was in the air.

Looking at the wide horizon meeting the cloudless blue sky, Hyunwoo felt he understood a little why Taegun insisted on staying in such a remote place.

Just a little, a tiny bit.

Hyunwoo had many complaints about why it had to be such a place with nothing, but as time passed, he grew fond of the life here, which was secluded and quiet.

Unlike the noisy and crowded city, the night sky he looked up at twinkled with a shining Milky Way, and there was no being crowded by people or suffering from loud noise.

Looking at the gently undulating sea through the open window and enjoying the cool wind, pouring sunlight, and the sound of insects with all five senses, he would often feel as if he had come to a luxury villa for a vacation.

After stretching refreshingly, Hyunwoo entered the bathroom to wash, and the sleepiness vanished at the sight of himself reflected in the mirror.

A red mark was clearly visible on the left side of his neck.

Because of his heat cycle, he had stayed out the previous night and had just returned at dawn.

Taegun didn’t show any particular interest in his staying out.

There was only a request to let him know in advance if he was going to be late because he was worried.

It was unexpected.

He felt like a fool for worrying about what to do if Taegun pried into who he was meeting or when he would return.

What he couldn’t understand were his own feelings toward such a Taegun.

While feeling relieved, he simultaneously felt a strange sense of disappointment.

Since the scent of an Alpha who had just rolled around with an Omega must have radiated from him after he returned, Taegun wouldn’t be unaware of what these periodic outings meant.

Nevertheless, he was even disappointed in Taegun for not even showing interest.

If he did show interest, wouldn’t that be the problem? Even knowing that, it was strange that he was engulfed in such emotions.

He knew Taegun didn’t have a shred of interest in his sleeping arrangements, but he still didn’t want to face him in this state.

He didn’t want him to visually confirm the traces of an affair he had with someone else.

Furthermore, hadn’t he even shouted at Taegun to stop smelling him?

Since that day, Taegun had never again buried his nose in his neck, yet Hyunwoo had left an even greater mark there, which made him feel ashamed and embarrassed for no reason.

Hyunwoo rummaged through the drawer, cursing the partner from last night who had left such a thing as if to show it off, despite his strict instructions not to leave any marks.

After covering the bruise with a bandage he found, he carefully inspected every part of his body to see if there were any other marks.

When he headed to the living room late, Taegun was in the middle of preparing breakfast.

A bubbling soft tofu stew in an earthenware pot was placed on the dining table.

“It looks so delicious!”

Taegun’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Hyunwoo, who was salivating at the neatly prepared breakfast.

A bandage that hadn’t been there until yesterday was attached to Hyunwoo’s white neck.

Come to think of it, he recalled Hyunwoo returning home at dawn today.

At that moment, a sharp pheromone containing aggression erupted from Taegun.

Taegun, who quickly regained his reason, hurriedly withdrew his pheromones and checked Hyunwoo’s complexion, but he looked fine for an Alpha who had been hit directly by his pheromones.

Taegun leaned down and brought his head near Hyunwoo’s shoulder.

Surprised by the sudden approach, Hyunwoo stiffened.

“…Wh-What a surprise. Wh-Why are you doing that?”

“Hyunwoo, you. Has it been over half a year since you manifested as an Alpha?”

“I-I guess so. I think it’s been about that long. Why?”

“You should go to a hospital.”

“Hospital? Which hospital? Why?”

“…….”

Taegun, who remained silent, poured out a threatening pheromone toward Hyunwoo, the kind used to suppress and make another Alpha submit.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t understand Hyunwoo at all, who was just staring at him blankly with a normal face.

A proper Alpha wouldn’t be able to sit there so calmly. It wouldn’t be strange if he fell backward and peed himself.

The question about Hyunwoo’s manifestation grew larger and larger.

The Alpha pheromones felt from Hyunwoo had a different scent every time.

It wasn’t simply a matter of scent.

Taegun could also read the opponent’s general condition from their pheromones, but Hyunwoo’s Alpha pheromones were no different from the residue of scent particles that had lost their original properties and evaporated, making it difficult to grasp properly.

Sometimes he felt like a fishy and green kid, and other times he felt like a mature adult Alpha.

It was difficult to even distinguish where the pheromones began and ended among the mutated particles that changed their scent every time.

Did pheromones originally take this long to stabilize?

Though he was ignorant about manifestation since he had been an Alpha from birth, he was certain that Hyunwoo’s pheromones were not normal.

Even thinking of the recessive Alphas around him, he had never seen a case where the scent changed in this way.

Rather….

“I guess you’re still meeting that Omega?”

The weak Omega pheromones floating among the Alpha pheromones were actually more consistent.