Imprint

“What on earth does that even mean?”

“It sounds a bit silly to say this now, but back in high school, there wasn’t a single kid who didn’t look back at me when I passed by.”

Jung Yoon-ki let out a soft chuckle as if reminiscing. Dae-eon, who had graduated from the high school right next door, tilted his head. Was he really that famous?

As if reading Dae-eon’s mind, Yoon-ki added, “But there was exactly one kid who wouldn’t look at me if his life depended on it.”

“Huh?”

“That was you, Yoon Dae-eon.”

Jung Yoon-ki was legendary in this area. Between the “Dominant Omega” label and his delicate, sharp beauty, it was impossible for him not to be famous. He had been scouted by entertainment agencies dozens of times just walking down the street.

Living near Dae-eon, Yoon-ki had been incredibly curious about this boy who never spared him a glance. He assumed Dae-eon wasn’t a Beta, so he had to be either an Alpha or an Omega—yet he was the only one who seemed completely uninterested.

But contrary to his appearance, Yoon-ki was introverted and hadn’t been able to muster the courage to talk to him back then. It was a theory he’d kept to himself: perhaps Dae-eon was an imprinted person who had bonded at a young age, which would explain why he couldn’t sense Yoon-ki’s pheromones at all.

“Is that too personal a question? You don’t have to answer if it’s uncomfortable. I was just really curious.”

Yoon-ki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. To him, it was just a curious thought, but to Dae-eon, the weight of the question was different.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been asked if he was imprinted.

The pheromone perfume he frequently used wasn’t particularly expensive, so someone might recognize it. Combined with his total insensitivity to pheromones, it was easy to mistake him for someone who had already bonded. The only reason the misunderstanding hadn’t happened more often was that Dae-eon was still just a legal “rookie.”

It wasn’t common to ask someone who was a high schooler just a few months ago if they were imprinted. Still, Dae-eon used his previous experience to give a smooth answer.

“Imprinted at my age? No way. Besides, I’m a Recessive Omega. Imprinting is hard for us anyway.”

“Ah, you’re Recessive? Still, can you really be that unable to sense pheromones? Mine are usually a mess because I’m so bad at controlling them.”

“I’m a Extreme Recessive Omega.”

Yoon-ki’s eyes widened. A few moments later, he wore a look of guilt as if he had made a rude mistake.

“……Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I told you because I don’t really care to hide it. You’ve probably never seen an Extreme Recessive before.”

“Yeah. They aren’t common……”

Dae-eon flashed a grin at the visibly shrinking Yoon-ki. Despite revealing what most would consider a flaw, Dae-eon didn’t look discouraged at all. If anything, he looked more confident than ever.

“Anyway, Extreme Recessives are just like that. We don’t even know pheromones exist.”

“Like how I can’t control mine?”

“Exactly. And hey, getting imprinted at my age would be a nightmare. I’m still in my prime!”

Imprinting, a symbol of bondage and possession, was certainly not something to be done at a young age. Since he was a Beta and would never imprint anyway, Dae-eon shook his head with a look of genuine horror.

“Then can you not feel pheromones at school either? You know, like when you go into a restroom or the department lounge and the stench is overwhelming.”

“Nope. I have no idea.”

Scratch, scratch.

For once, he could be more honest than anyone. Even when Oh Dong-chol and Kim Ye-jun recoiled at the “stinking” pheromones, Dae-eon was the only one who walked through with a straight face. Only him.

Yoon-ki, a Dominant Omega, seemed fascinated. Their conversation finally paused as they reached the crossroads supermarket. Yoon-ki pointed toward a corner.

“My place is over there.”

“Ah, it really is right in front of the supermarket.”

“Yeah, my mom said dark alleys are dangerous. Plus, there’s a police substation right there.”

It made sense. For a Dominant Omega like Yoon-ki, security was clearly the top priority. Looking at his face and his pheromones, it was a logical choice.

Dae-eon, with the silently looming Seon Ji-ha still at his side, walked Yoon-ki right to his door. As Ye-jun had warned, someone with Yoon-ki’s face could indeed be in danger late at night.

Standing in the villa’s parking lot, Yoon-ki gave a small wave. Dae-eon gave a short nod.

“Get in safe.”

“Ah, Dae-eon.”

“Yeah?”

“So… you really can’t sense my pheromones at all?”

Dae-eon blinked. Weren’t we just talking about this? He wondered why Yoon-ki was asking again, but he gave a slow nod.

“I guess so.”

“That’s amazing. No wonder… you’re the only one who talks to me without bringing up that stupid citrus scent. I like you for that.”

“Huh?”

Yoon-ki gave a playful, charming smile—a side of him Dae-eon hadn’t seen yet.

“I like you, Dae-eon.”

With a bashful grin, Yoon-ki turned and ran inside. Dae-eon was left standing there, scratching the back of his head in confusion. When he turned around, his eyes met Seon Ji-ha’s, who was standing as still as a ghost in the shadows.

His eyes were glowing intensely in the dark.

“Whoa!”

“……Why?”

“Senior, standing there like that is a bit creepy……. You have the eyes of someone about to commit a crime.”

Ji-ha’s lip pouted dejectedly. In truth, he had been close to a “crime” just now—mentally, at least. He hadn’t appreciated Yoon-ki ignoring his presence to tell Dae-eon he “liked” him.

“……You just got a confession, Dae-eon……”

“Confession? What confession?”

“He said he likes you…… that jerk……”

Dae-eon noticed the word “jerk” but decided to let it slide. He’d already realized Seon Ji-ha wasn’t the pure, innocent person he appeared to be. Instead of correcting the slang, he corrected the context.

“That wasn’t a confession. If it was, then me saying I like Sprite more than Coke would be a confession too.”

“……But he said he liked you.”

“As a friend! Who confesses like that? It’s not like Yoon-ki is a total novice at dating.”

Shrugging, Dae-eon urged them to keep moving. The parking lot was too dark, and having a massive, shadowy Seon Ji-ha standing there was honestly a bit scary.

Ji-ha seemed slightly sulky but followed. As Dae-eon took a step forward, Ji-ha stuck close to his back.

Ji-ha, busy mentally guarding against Jung Yoon-ki, followed blindly while staring at Dae-eon’s back. It wasn’t until he looked up that he realized something was wrong.

“……Dae-eon, we passed your house……”

“Ah. I’m going to the convenience store.”

They had passed the supermarket and were now in front of a convenience store closer to Seon Ji-ha’s house. Since stopping by a store before going home wasn’t unusual, Ji-ha didn’t argue.

“Senior, wait a sec. Sit here for a moment.”

Tap, tap.

Dae-eon patted a table under a parasol outside. Ji-ha sat down obediently where he pointed. Dae-eon then dashed into the store.

Suddenly alone, Ji-ha watched Dae-eon’s back through the glass door. He tracked him as he moved behind the aisles, his head tilting as he followed his movements. Ji-ha muttered to himself:

“I thought he was a Beta……”

Dae-eon likely thought Ji-ha had naturally forgotten about his “First Love Search Project,” but he hadn’t. The project had ended without Dae-eon ever knowing.

By the third day of the search, Ji-ha had combed through the purchase logs of nearby pharmacies and found someone who had bought both Omega and Alpha suppressants at the same time.

From the moment he saw both suppressants on the table, Ji-ha had suspected it. He thought his first love might be a Beta. Dae-eon claimed to be an Extreme Recessive Omega, but to Ji-ha—who had studied Alphas and Omegas for years—that sounded like total nonsense.

He had become convinced Dae-eon was a Beta, but Jung Yoon-ki’s remark earlier had completely upended his thoughts.

“Senior!”

The convenience store door chimed as Dae-eon ran out, arms full. He dumped his haul onto the plastic table.

Band-aids, ointment, and bottled water.

Creak. Dae-eon sat right next to Ji-ha. He snapped open the water bottle and took Ji-ha’s left hand.

The moment their fingertips touched, Ji-ha’s body went rigid.

“I saw you hurt your hand earlier. Does it hurt?”

“……”

“It’ll sting a bit, just bear with it.”

Dae-eon poured the water over the back of Ji-ha’s hand. The blood from the fight was washed away, diluting into the clear water.

Next, Dae-eon picked up the ointment. He squeezed some onto a cotton swab and brought it to Ji-ha’s hand. He lowered his head, applying it with extreme care.

Ji-ha looked down at the scene with an expressionless face. He watched Dae-eon holding his hand so gently.

He didn’t even breathe. Ji-ha didn’t even realize he had stopped breathing.

He hoped Dae-eon was just a Beta. If… if he was an imprinted person… If he had already bonded with someone else like Jung Yoon-ki suggested……

A possessive explosion of pheromones erupted from Ji-ha’s entire body, marking his territory, but Dae-eon remained oblivious. Instead, Dae-eon just looked up with a clueless face and said:

“Senior.”

“……Yes……”

“Should I walk you all the way home?”

“The alleys here are a bit scary, and Yoon-ki said so earlier too,” he added, chatting away. Ji-ha stared at him blankly. He nodded without even realizing it. It was as if he were under a spell.

Dae-eon couldn’t be an imprinted person. He absolutely couldn’t.