One-Sided Imprint

“Take a look at these pheromone levels.”

Dr. Nam pointed at the computer screen. Displayed there, alongside the name ‘Seon Ji-ha,’ were the results of the pheromone test conducted moments ago. Ji-ha listened to the doctor’s explanation with his usual indifferent expression.

“During your check-up a year ago, your pheromone concentration was incredibly high. Even among Dominant Alphas, you were at the very top. And the side effects of that…… well, you know them better than anyone.”

Pheromones that were too concentrated brought a host of complications.

The first was a Rut cycle significantly shorter than that of a typical Alpha. While the average Alpha experienced a Rut once every three months, Ji-ha’s arrived every single month. To make matters worse, each session lasted for five full days.

The second was the erosion of reason during each Rut. His instincts would reach a peak, accompanied by intense fever and internal physical agony. He would essentially transform from a man into a beast.

Five days every month added up to a significant portion of the year. During every Rut, he was forced to live as a creature possessed by the drive to reproduce, unable to exercise even a shred of self-control.

“A few years ago, when your fevers became too extreme, I recommended that you try meeting a Dominant Omega. Do you remember that?”

“…….”

Ji-ha, who usually would have given a half-hearted shrug, gave a slight nod this time, his brow furrowing minutely. Though his eyes were hidden behind his long bangs, it was clear the memory made him uncomfortable.

Having watched Ji-ha suffer for years, Dr. Nam had once proposed an experimental solution.

Dr. Nam always reported the results to Ji-ha first, but he was obligated to inform the family as well, as he had been Ji-ha’s physician since childhood.

At the time, Dr. Nam’s medical opinion was that spending a night with a Dominant Omega might alleviate the symptoms. In fact, many Dominants spent their Ruts that way—unable to endure their own heat and driven by instinct, they had little choice.

Dr. Nam knew Ji-ha loathed people, but he felt he had no other option. Ji-ha’s unreleased heat and pain were only intensifying as he grew older.

Upon hearing this, the Seon family immediately hired a Dominant Omega.

Ji-ha was locked in a room with the Omega to coincide with his Rut. His own opinion on the matter hadn’t been consulted in the slightest.

The result was……

“And it was a complete failure.”

Caught in the throes of his instinct, Ji-ha had suffered a violent seizure the moment the Dominant Omega tried to cling to him.

The instant that specific Omega pheromone touched him, his eyes rolled back, and he reached a point where he literally stopped breathing. It was only thanks to Dr. Nam, who had been on standby just in case, that he survived.

It is a widely accepted truth that an Alpha’s Rut ends faster if spent with an Omega.

However, the reason it ends faster isn’t that the Omega “cools” the Alpha down; rather, the Omega acts as a catalyst. They take the spark and turn it into a raging inferno, forcing the Alpha’s body to burn through its energy as quickly as possible.

But for Ji-ha, the contact with Omega pheromones triggered a level of heat and pain that a human body simply could not withstand.

Dr. Nam, who examined Ji-ha after he collapsed from the seizure, had explained it to the stunned Seon family:

“When Omega pheromones contact him during a Rut, his body generates a level of heat that is physically lethal.”

Since then, Dr. Nam never suggested meeting an Omega again. If anything, he warned him to be careful. One couldn’t justify killing a patient just to reduce the pain of a Rut.

“So, how on earth did you manage to have intercourse? Was it perhaps while you weren’t in a Rut?”

As far as Dr. Nam knew, Ji-ha had almost no s*x drive outside of his Rut. Combined with his misanthropy, the doctor assumed there was no way he would sleep with someone unless forced by a cycle.

Ji-ha remained silent for a moment. Then, finally, he spoke slowly.

“It was during a Rut…….”

“Really? You? No, how! What kind of Omega was it? A Dominant? Or perhaps a Recessive?”

“……An Extreme Recessive Omega.”

Dr. Nam’s mouth parted slightly. A look of realization dawned on his face.

“An Extreme Recessive! Yes, that would do it! Thick pheromones only cause you more pain, but a weak scent…… it could allow you to regulate the heat. No, it would be even better if there were no pheromones at all. Did knotting occur during the act? Because if you knotted……!”

As the excited Dr. Nam babbled on, Ji-ha tapped the desk. The movement was light, but the force behind it was heavy. At the loud thud, Dr. Nam cleared his throat and tried to calm his excitement.

“Then the change in your pheromone levels makes sense. You’ve finally dropped down to the level of a standard Dominant Alpha. Congratulations, Ji-ha-kun!”

On the monitor atop Dr. Nam’s desk, a graph showed a downward curve for the first time in history.

Of course, it wasn’t a “normal” level. He had simply dropped to the level of a typical Dominant Alpha, which was still leagues away from a normal person.

“Is this someone you’re seeing regularly? Or was it a one-time thing?”

“Why does that……?”

“Because a long-term arrangement would be best! An Extreme Recessive is even harder to find than a Dominant. They are the closest things to the now-extinct Betas.”

Dr. Nam, speaking rapidly in his excitement, paused at the mention of the word ‘Beta.’ He murmured to himself:

“If Betas still remained in Korea, they would have been a great help to you. No, never mind. I’m overstepping.”

“……?”

Ji-ha looked at Dr. Nam with a questioning gaze. Seeing the stare, Dr. Nam hesitated before revealing the truth.

“In fact, overseas, there are Dominants in the same situation as you. The funny thing is, they are all powerful individuals. The reason is simple: people seek out Recessives rather than Dominants. You know how obsessed conglomerates are with producing Dominant Alphas or Omegas, don’t you?”

“……And?”

“About 20 years ago…… a rumor circulated in Korea. That if you took a Beta, you could become a Dominant. The source of that rumor was those powerful Dominants abroad.”

Because they were the ones “collecting” Betas.

Dr. Nam didn’t believe the rumor that taking a Beta could make one a Dominant. Medically, it was impossible. If anything, it would move one closer to being a Beta.

Thus, Dr. Nam knew the rumor was actually the reverse. It wasn’t that Recessives were seeking Betas to become Dominants; it was that Dominants, unable to endure their own existence, were desperately seeking Betas.

They sought someone who could cool down a human body that had “evolved” into an overheated Dominant.

“It’s all just human greed.”

The desire to pair Dominants together to birth even “greater” children, and the subsequent desire of those children to return to being Betas…… it was all a man-made disaster.

Dr. Nam clicked his tongue, recalling the rumors that had once swept through Korea and the world. As a doctor of Traitology, he knew the truth, but no matter how much he explained it, most people refused to believe it.

Or perhaps they didn’t want to believe it. The image of a Dominant Alpha created by the media was that of a god-like being. No one wanted to believe that these “gods” were actually desperate to return to being Betas because they couldn’t survive their own skin.

“Well, just let that part go. There are no Betas left in Korea, and it’s the same abroad. Even if one were found, Dominants from all over the world would descend like vultures. They are all suffering just like you.”

“……If it had been a Beta……”

“Yes, if Betas were still as common as they were in the past, I would have advised you to meet a Beta rather than a Dominant Omega. I only didn’t suggest it because I knew they were gone.”

Dr. Nam continued muttering to himself.

“It’s truly ironic……. Less than a hundred years ago, Betas were slaughtered for being ‘inferior,’ and now that they’re gone, everyone is dying to find one.”

He added that it was fortunate Ji-ha had found a compatible Extreme Recessive Omega. He explained that even Extreme Recessives usually have a faint pheromone scent, making the chance of a perfect match very low. Ji-ha was incredibly lucky.

Ji-ha, who had been listening quietly, asked in a low voice:

“Is there…… anything I should be careful of?”

“Ah. Knotting, of course. Pregnancy should always be planned. If they are an Extreme Recessive close to a Beta, knotting could be dangerous. Though, as a Dominant Alpha, your fluids are designed to facilitate the process.”

Dr. Nam went on to explain that spending a few more Ruts with this person would help stabilize his levels further.

“Oh, and are you still not considering an imprint?”

“……An imprint?”

“Yes, an imprint. As I told you before, the fastest way to resolve your issues is through an imprint.”

In the past, Dominants sought out Betas. Now that Betas were gone, the method they turned to was imprinting.

An imprint between two people with traits causes Ruts and Heats to vanish. The body realizes it has a partner who can soothe its heat, so the instinctive drive to reproduce is calmed. The human body was truly mysterious.

The problem, however, was that an imprint couldn’t be forced or manufactured. One had to truly love the partner. In a way, the condition was so simple it was a problem; for others, it was an impossible hurdle.

At Dr. Nam’s words, Ji-ha suddenly asked:

“……What if it is a one-sided imprint……?”