A Line That Should Not Be Crossed

His voice sounded slightly drawn out, as if he was drunk.

Even the voices around him seemed blurred.

Before the call ended, someone asked who it was.

Did he answer.

Looking past the shoulder of the suited staff member,

I saw someone stepping out from the innermost open room.

The long legs and large frame were familiar.

And beside him was a slightly shorter man supporting him.

I glanced at the staff and then stepped into the corridor,

lowering my head slightly in greeting.

The director’s eyes looked unfocused.

The handsome man beside him whispered something,

then turned to look at me.

Should I greet him too.

Before I could decide,

he suddenly leaned closer, meeting my eyes.

His dark pupils were sharp and steady.

“Ah, a beta.”

As if he had figured something out,

he straightened and smiled brightly, whispering to the director.

I couldn’t tell whether I should push him away

and support the director instead.

“You’re already calling someone?

We could’ve had some fun first.”

“Go inside.”

“What are you going to do with a beta?”

“I said go inside.”

“Alright. Take care.”

The man let go more easily than expected.

Before doing so,

he leaned close to the director’s neck,

almost as if placing a kiss.

As the director’s body tilted,

I quickly stepped in to support him.

Wrapping my arm around his waist,

I finally managed to steady him.

His body was burning hot.

Was it really just alcohol.

He was never like this from drinking alone.

The man who stepped back

checked his reflection on his phone,

unfazed by the director’s sharp glare.

“If you find out what you were given today,

call me again.”

“That?”

He shrugged casually,

linked arms with another man passing by,

and left.

“It’s something your brother arranged.

Goodbye.”

From that moment until I started driving,

the director said nothing.

It was obvious even to me

that it wasn’t just simple fatigue.

Even while being nervous about driving such an expensive car,

my eyes kept drifting to the rearview mirror.

As we passed the fountain in front of the hotel,

he took out his phone and made a short call.

“Yes. Sorry for the late hour.

Check if Geon-woo has caused any trouble recently.

Everything.”

The call ended quickly.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t listen,

I kept wanting to.

I forced myself to stop.

Just drive him home.

And forget everything I saw and heard today.

That was what the manager had emphasized repeatedly.

As I followed the familiar route,

a hand tapped lightly on the driver’s seat.

I glanced back.

He was sitting with his long legs crossed,

loosening the buttons of his shirt,

his expression tense.

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Where to?”

The address he gave was unfamiliar.

It was much closer than his Seocho residence.

We arrived within ten minutes.

After parking in the underground lot,

I supported him into the elevator.

The building seemed small—

there was only one door on the floor.

When it opened,

the interior was dim and without warmth.

As I helped him remove his shoes,

he lost balance again,

and I almost fell with him.

Holding his firm waist,

I managed to steady us both.

We passed the living room

and entered what seemed like the bedroom.

There was only a bed and a bedside table.

As soon as we entered,

he threw off his jacket and went straight into the bathroom.

The sound of running water followed.

Was he showering.

Would it be alright to check.

I hesitated,

then turned back after glancing around the room.

Something brushed against my foot.

It was his jacket.

The fabric felt soft in my hands.

Where should I hang it.

There wasn’t even a wardrobe or hanger.

I stepped into the living room,

but it was the same.

A single sofa sat in the empty space.

The kitchen looked unused,

with cups and plates placed like decorations.

There had to be a dressing room somewhere.

As I reached for another door,

I stopped myself.

I shouldn’t open it without permission.

Even at his Seocho home,

I was only allowed to place documents

exactly where instructed.

Now should be no different.

Just leave it and go.

As I moved to place the jacket on the sofa,

a thought stopped me.

I froze like a broken doll.

Could I really not feel anything at all.

I had heard his traits were extremely strong.

Among the highest percentages.

I had never envied alphas or omegas.

They belonged to a completely unknown world.

But recently,

I had started to wonder.

What would his pheromones feel like.

The expression of that man earlier

flashed in my mind.

He could feel it.

Both the director…

and me.

Holding the edge of the jacket,

I quietly inhaled.

My lungs filled with air.

But all I could smell

was a faint, clean scent of perfume.

A hint of body warmth.

Fabric.

Air.

I tried to recall descriptions

from an alpha friend in university.

From my omega sister as well.

Something like a scent, but not quite.

Was I unable to perceive it.

Others felt at least something.

Why not me.

Shaking off the pointless thoughts,

I raised my head,

about to place the jacket on the sofa.

That was when I noticed it.

A shadow stretching from the side light

falling beside the sofa.

My vision darkened for a moment.

When I looked up,

he was leaning against the doorway, watching me.

Still fully dressed,

his hair and upper body soaked with water.

I couldn’t move.

He stepped closer.

One step.

Then another.

He took the jacket from my arm

and reached into the inner pocket.

His phone.

He swiped the screen briefly,

then tossed it onto the sofa.

It bounced lightly against the leather.

Since entering,

everything he touched

he threw aside.

The jacket.

The phone.

And maybe… me too.

The words “I’m sorry, I’ll quit”

were about to leave my mouth.

But he spoke first.

“Do you know where this is?”

“No.”

“It’s an officetel I come to during rut periods.

If I accidentally consume something like today,

I end up here.

Bringing it home is troublesome.”

“I see.”

“Something was definitely mixed into my drink earlier.

There are always people trying things like that.”

“…Yes.”

“I was looking for my phone

to call another omega.”

The information felt overwhelming.

Hard to even respond.

He tilted his head slightly,

meeting my gaze.

I couldn’t look away.

His dark pupils,

slightly reddened eyes,

the tension in his neck—

everything was visible.

“Assistant Yoon. You like me, don’t you.”

“…In a sense of loyalty toward the company.”

“Loyalty?”

He let out a small laugh.

The tension loosened slightly.

It was a desperate answer,

but the only one I had.

“Then let me ask differently.”

His hand gripped my wrist.

Even through the jacket,

the heat was intense.

“Assistant Yoon.

Do you want to work overtime?”

For a moment,

I understood the words

but not their meaning.

There was no one else here.

So it had to be meant for me.

Watching him bite his lip,

I asked the same question

I once asked long ago.

“Why?”

“Because.”

His gaze briefly dropped,

then returned to mine.

“If I spend the night with an omega

after taking something like this,

the next day feels unpleasant.

And I’d rather not deal with the aftermath.”

“……”

“And it’s late.

You’re here.

And you seem to like me.”

“…Yes.”

“Does that answer your question?”

I tried to speak,

but stayed silent.

That was everything.

He smiled slightly,

and the tension sharpened again.

There might have been other feelings too.

The times he overlooked my mistakes.

The moment he gave me that warning.

A kind of consideration.

But even gathering all of that,

it wouldn’t be enough.

My stomach twisted painfully.

Like something scraping inside.

As I pressed my hand against it,

I noticed his slow blinking.

Now that he said it clearly,

I could see it.

The unmistakable sign of desire.

That unknown thing

stood vividly right in front of me.