The Perfect Counter-Defense

Yun Dae-eon grabbed Oh Dong-cheol’s swaying body just as he was about to collapse, supporting his waist with one arm. Seon Ji-ha’s gaze sharpened further, and the frequency of Dong-cheol’s hacking coughs increased.

“Senior! Senior Seon Ji-ha!”

“…….”

“Control your pheromones, please!”

Unable to watch any longer, Dae-eon stepped in. At this rate, Dong-cheol might actually lose consciousness and pass out. As Dae-eon shouted desperately, looking back and forth between Ji-ha and Dong-cheol, Ji-ha slowly blinked his eyes. Then, he spoke.

“……Why should I……?”

The moment he heard that, Dae-eon’s jaw dropped. He thought to himself: Is this crazy bastard serious right now?

The closer they were to being “Dominant,” the more those with secondary genders used pheromones as a means of expressing their will. Not only could they release twice as many pheromones as others, but controlling them—”reining them in”—was supposed to be incredibly easy. After all, the very definition of a “Dominant” was a being superior in pheromone quantity, concentration, and operational ability.

So, for a Super-Dominant Alpha like Seon Ji-ha, withdrawing the “emotional pheromones” he was currently emitting should have been as simple as breathing. But he didn’t do it. On the contrary.

“Dong-cheol is going to faint!”

“……I don’t really care if he faints…….”

Ji-ha tilted his head as if wondering why that was even his problem. Whether Dong-cheol collapsed or not wasn’t something he felt he needed to care about. He had only released these aggressive emotional pheromones because he had already confirmed they had no effect on Dae-eon.

Only then did Dae-eon truly feel the reality that Ji-ha was a “Dominant.” Dominants do not sympathize with the circumstances of those “inferior” to them. No, by nature, they simply cannot understand. Because they were essentially a different species altogether.

“Cough!”

“Hey, hey! Oh Dong-cheol! Are you okay?!”

“Listen, Dae-eon……. Are you really… going with that bastard……?”

The situation was spiraling into a total mess. Dong-cheol coughed as if he were about to spit blood, and Ji-ha, fixated on one thing, didn’t even glance at him. Only Dae-eon was stomping his feet, struggling to resolve the crisis.

Even though Dae-eon wasn’t affected by the pheromones, he was heavily affected by the chaos. In the heat of the moment, Dae-eon finally snapped at Ji-ha.

“Dammit, Hyung!”

“……Pardon……?”

“Shut up and rein in your pheromones! Are you actually insane, Hyung?”

Ji-ha blinked, then suddenly let out a hiccup. Simultaneously, Dong-cheol’s coughing subsided, and his ragged breathing began to steady. Dae-eon noticed that Ji-ha had finally withdrawn his pheromones.

Dong-cheol, whose face and neck were flushed red and eyes bloodshot from coughing, managed to stand on his own to catch his breath. He didn’t even seem to have the energy to look at Dae-eon or Ji-ha. Dong-cheol wasn’t the only one flushed. Ji-ha was also hanging his head low, his ears dyed bright red. Dae-eon couldn’t understand what had triggered this reaction.

“Dong-cheol. You should head home first today.”

“……Huh?”

“I need to talk to Senior Seon Ji-ha for a bit.”

I can’t let this slide. Dae-eon’s expression turned resolute. He couldn’t just ignore what happened. Ji-ha’s reaction—asking why he should bother controlling himself—was utterly shocking. Eventually, Dong-cheol left, telling Dae-eon, “Talk to me later,” knowing it was time to give them space.

Once Dong-cheol was gone, Dae-eon whipped around to face Ji-ha. Ji-ha, who had reverted to his usual docile-looking self, shifted his eyes to look at him.

“Senior.”

“……Yes, Dae-eon…….”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Ji-ha flinched, momentarily failing to grasp the question. Dae-eon didn’t miss the opening and spoke calmly.

“I’m truly sorry for canceling our plans today because of my mistake, but you didn’t have to go this far.”

“…….”

“How can I stay close to you if you act like this?”

“Why can’t we stay close……?”

Dae-eon’s brow furrowed. He wondered if he was failing to get his point across. But because Ji-ha’s face looked genuinely devoid of malice—displaying only a pure curiosity as to why they couldn’t be friends—Dae-eon sighed deeply and explained.

“How can a Recessive Omega stay close to a Dominant who uses his pheromones so recklessly? You saw him earlier, right? He’s a Recessive Omega too.”

“……Dae-eon is a Recessive Omega?”

“Yes. Do you want to see my ID?”

Dae-eon acted even more confident on purpose. He knew that unlike Dong-cheol, he had been unaffected by the pheromones. He also knew that such a reaction was impossible for a normal Omega. But Dae-eon had lived for nearly 20 years faking his status as a Recessive Omega.

“Look. Right here.”

Yun Dae-eon

XX0414-9XXXXXX

The second half of Dae-eon’s registration number began with a ‘9’, indicating his status as an Omega. Usually, this was enough to silence those who suspected him of being a Beta. Ordinary people couldn’t imagine that Dae-eon would dare use a broker to deceive the state itself.

“But why…… were you okay?”

“Ah, you mean why was I the only one fine during your pheromone display?”

Ji-ha nodded. Dae-eon puffed out his chest even more. This was a question within his predicted range.

“I’m an Extreme-Recessive Omega.”

“……Extreme… Recessive?”

“Yes. Just as you are a Super-Dominant, I am an Extreme-Recessive. I don’t tell people because it’s embarrassing.”

Back in high school, Dae-eon had made a similar mistake. Returning from playing soccer during lunch, Dae-eon had asked his friends with a naive face, “Hey, does anyone smell ramen? Did someone sneak in some noodles?” Apparently, the Omega in heat had spread pheromones everywhere. Only Dae-eon was oblivious. Back then, he had used the same excuse: that he was an Extreme-Recessive Omega.

“So, I barely even know if pheromones are there. I told you at your house, I’m a bit insensitive.”

“Ah…….”

Exploiting that fact, Dae-eon’s lies flowed smoothly.

“Anyway, how can an Extreme-Recessive like me stay with a Super-Dominant Alpha like you? If you keep using your pheromones recklessly, I’m the one who will be in trouble.”

“……So, you know I’m an Alpha now?”

“Ah. Yes. And that’s another thing—why didn’t you tell me? I was the only one who didn’t know.”

As Dae-eon fired off his words, Ji-ha stayed silent and listened. His sharp gaze from earlier had softened, returning to the gentle look he had when they first met.

“I’m sorry……. I won’t do it again.”

“…….”

“I mean it…….”

When Dae-eon just glared at him with his mouth shut, Ji-ha’s eyes even began to tear up as if he were about to cry.

“Will you apologize to Dong-cheol when you see him next?”

“Yes…….”

“It’s a promise. From now on, rein in your pheromones properly. You have no idea how shocked I was.”

Nod, nod.

Ji-ha nodded vigorously, agreeing to everything Dae-eon said. He looked like a well-behaved large dog. Though, having seen him ask “Why should I?” earlier, Dae-eon quickly shook that thought away.

“Then…… you’re going with me now, right.”

“……Pardon?”

“You said… we were studying together.”

“At my house.”

Ji-ha added briefly. He was already looking at Dae-eon with obsessive eyes. His gaze suggested there was no reason to refuse now. Is this person really reflecting on his actions? Dae-eon simply thought: This senior really must have no friends.