The Leader Likes My Pheromones

“What are you two doing in there? Hanbyeol, why is it so loud?”

“It’s nothing! Mom!”

“We’re just playing! Having a really fun time! We’re genuinely having a blast here!”

Meeting Hanbyeol’s murderous glare, Yooseong hurriedly lied to their mother outside the door to survive.

Setting the situation aside, the reason Yooseong had never revealed he was an omega until now was clear.

Every year after debut, during the recurring ‘Omega Idol Controversy,’ Yooseong’s name was never among them.

There were idols with mixed designations, but oddly, omega idols always seemed to attract a swarm of rumors.

Moreover, even now, when his physical condition was poor enough for pheromones to leak, it was a bad time to reveal he was an omega.

This was due to the recent scandal, ‘Omega Idol, C’s Pregnancy Rumors.’

If it became known he was an omega during such a negative climate, it would definitely cause problems for Yooseong’s career.

A body in such poor condition he couldn’t control his leaking pheromones, but an idol career he desperately wanted to continue.

“Hanbyeol-ah, I’m really sorry……. It’s fortunate they’re letting it slide, thinking it’s your pheromones……”

Hanbyeol, like Yooseong, wasn’t the type to go around announcing his designation to people, but his brother’s members already knew he was an omega.

Hanbyeol realized that this was the price for Yooseong’s hastily concocted excuse.

Hanbyeol grabbed his brother by the collar, shaking him furiously as Yooseong begged for forgiveness.

“Huff……. Even so, throwing me under the bus was a bit much for a real hyung, don’t you think?”

Even considering the circumstances, that was too much! Selling out your own brother?!

Hanbyeol let go with a look of utter disbelief.

Despite being a dominant omega with strong pheromones, Hanbyeol had never once failed to control them.

He meticulously managed his heat cycle, took suppressants, and was always cautious, afraid his pheromones might harm others.

And now, you’ve made me out to be someone who can’t even manage their pheromones?!

Of course, Hanbyeol understood how desperate Yooseong must have been to come up with such an excuse.

He knew how hard his brother had practiced, how much he had dreamed of this.

Throughout the entire [Pick, My Dol!] broadcast, Yooseong was barely shown sleeping, as if he planned to sleep only after death.

Even after debuting as #1, to avoid disappointing his parents, who had eventually allowed and supported their son’s dream, and to not fall behind members with longer trainee periods, he was always holed up in the practice room.

When the prevailing opinion was to eliminate omegas outright, he survived thanks to viewers speculating he was a beta.

Even after debut, the opinion that he ‘probably wasn’t an omega’ caused not a ripple of controversy.

Hanbyeol sorted through his thoughts and ultimately conceded.

His brother’s decision not to reveal his omega status was correct.

While he had used Hanbyeol’s name for the excuse, it was also the best method to avoid controversy.

If omega pheromones were detected in a dorm without an omega, the natural assumption would be either a secret romance with a lover brought in, or an intrusion by a sasaeng fan.

“But since it wasn’t a lover you brought, the company must be turned upside down thinking about sasaengs.”

“Uh…… right.”

Yooseong nodded at Hanbyeol’s words.

Cha.N’s current dorm was famous for being in an apartment with extremely tight security.

And yet, a sasaeng fan managed to break in there?

The members’ neuroses were already at their peak due to sasaeng fans who had attached themselves since pre-debut, even during the program days.

Hanbyeol, having watched Yooseong’s situations up close, felt his own stress levels rise even though it wasn’t his problem.

Thus, Yooseong felt the need to alleviate his members’ anxiety.

But due to recent scandals in the industry, he couldn’t bring himself to reveal he was an omega, so his next-best solution was to bring up Hanbyeol.

“……I get it, fine.”

As Hanbyeol nodded as if giving up, Yooseong sighed in relief, thanking him.

Seeing that, Hanbyeol’s heart ached a little.

How anxious must his brother have been until he brought this up?

But he couldn’t hide the sudden surge of anger.

Raising his eyes sharply, he saw Yooseong hunch his shoulders, watching Hanbyeol’s reaction.

They weren’t an ordinary pair of brothers.

Shouldn’t brothers with a three-year age gap, regardless of designation, naturally fight and clash?

While it’s common for siblings from the same parents to be at each other’s throats, Yooseong and Hanbyeol weren’t like that.

It was purely because their personalities matched well.

If either one had a prickly or sensitive nature, it might have been different, but since both were easygoing, there were no rough edges.

It also helped greatly that when Hanbyeol began nurturing his dream in music, Yooseong gave him full support.

Because of that, Hanbyeol couldn’t just pretend not to know about his brother’s troubles.

“Well, talking about me is one thing……. It’s not like they see me often……”

“But, a bit of a problem has come up.”

“……Please, just tell me it’s a little problem, exactly like you said. Not a big deal.”

“…….”

At Hanbyeol’s immediate response, Yooseong pressed his lips together tightly.

The thought ‘How do I even explain this?’ was plainly written on his face, making Hanbyeol wonder if he should grab his brother’s collar again or not.

“……What is it. I’ll listen first then decide whether to grab your collar.”

“So the option of not grabbing it is off the table?”

“Yeah. It is.”

Hanbyeol’s voice was solemn.

Yooseong didn’t dare add any commentary.

“……Danyoung hyung.”

“Yeah. Your group’s leader hyung.”

“……He said the pheromone scent is to his liking. So, things have gotten a bit complicated.”

What on earth is this now?!

In the end, Hanbyeol once again grabbed his brother’s collar tightly.

****

The moment Hanbyeol put down his chopsticks, teasing voices sounded around him.

“Thanks for the meal~!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Hanbyeol nodded, looking at his friends who were patting their full stomachs.

‘I’ll help. I said okay.’

Perhaps due to the sudden accumulation of stress, Hanbyeol felt drained as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Yooseong calmly handed him some allowance money.

Normally, Hanbyeol would have gratefully accepted the money with an ‘’Ooh~ Flexing?’’, but knowing it was essentially a bribe for getting his brother out of a mess, accepting it felt creepy.

He must have been really stressed, because last night Hanbyeol even dreamed of Yooseong winking at him, saying ‘’You’re in the same boat with me now, right?’’.

“Well, I’m off then.”

“Even if saying ‘thank you’ is a luxury between friends, look at your sorry state, just wiping your mouth after eating and leaving.”

“You should be thankful we ate your food? I know everything, you punk.”

“Ah, stop spouting nonsense.”

“Hey! Do Eun-han! The bus is coming!”

“Kang Jae-hwi, leaving first again. I’m really going now. Thanks for the meal!”

“Fine, go.”

Hanbyeol seriously considered whether he should curse at the backs of his friends, who showed no interest in his complicated expression and were already walking away, claiming they had to go to the academy.

“Ugh.”

Better to die than suffer.

Hanbyeol calmly suppressed the curses that had risen to his throat and nodded as if there was no other choice.

It was autumn, with the college entrance exam right around the corner.

It was a stressful period where a single joke taken the wrong way could lead to declarations of cutting ties.

“Hanbyeol-ah.”

Unlike the friends who had left first, Hanbyeol looked up at the other friend standing beside him, Taeha, who was looking down at him with concern, and gave an awkward smile.

“Did you enjoy the meal? Was the portion enough?”

“Yeah. I ate well, thanks. Really.”

Unlike those ungrateful bastards, you’re such a good friend.

Hanbyeol looked up at Taeha with a slightly moved expression.

After his brother debuted as an idol, Hanbyeol had kept a polite distance from people, except for these three closest friends.

Many people had approached wanting to be friends after hearing rumors, but he had no choice but to keep his distance.

No matter how much Yooseong minimized and avoided exposing family matters, many eyes were still on Hanbyeol.

“Is something bothering you? You don’t look well.”

“…….”

See, you really are a good friend.

Unlike the friends who disappeared without a care, Taeha read Hanbyeol’s complexion and wore a worried expression.

Seeing Taeha’s face, Hanbyeol felt a little better.

However, this worry was something he couldn’t share with anyone else.

No one outside the family knew about Yooseong’s designation, so he couldn’t talk about it even more.

Especially not the shocking thing Yooseong told him yesterday.

‘……He said the pheromone scent is to his liking. So, things have gotten a bit complicated.’

‘Do the members know I’m a high school student?’

‘……They probably remember I have a younger brother? I only know Danyoung hyung is the second son too.’

‘You lived together in a dorm for four years and never explained your family relationships? What were you doing?’

Yeah, this is definitely a story he could never explain to anyone else.

Hanbyeol smiled and shook his head.

“Hanbyeol-ah. Your eyes…… they look dead.”

“I’m just worried. The exam is so close, I’m feeling anxious.”

“Really?”

“Of course~.”

“……I see. You’ll do well, Hanbyeol.”

Once he said it, he felt worried.

While his brother Yooseong was a problem, Hanbyeol began to worry more about himself, with the exam just around the corner.

Usually, if you have a firm dream from a young age, they say you just have to pursue it.

Since Hanbyeol had shown talent in composing and arranging from a young age, he should just continue down that path, but unfortunately, the world is wide and there are many geniuses.

Once considered a bit of a genius himself as a child, Hanbyeol just smiled awkwardly at the encouragement from another genius standing before him.

For a moment, Hanbyeol thought about confessing his situation honestly to Taeha and asking him to brainstorm together, but he shook his head.

Yooseong’s situation was one thing, but there was another reason he absolutely couldn’t tell Taeha.