Pink Flavor Omega

#17

***

Eunhong sat in his seat, clutching his aching head and shaking his legs nervously.

He kissed Jaeha.

No, Jaeha kissed him.

Or did he kiss Jaeha?

He tugged at his hair. It didn’t seem like a dream. No, it definitely wasn’t a dream.

Seo Heeseung, sitting across from Eunhong, created a group message for the graphic team excluding Eunhong. As the person closest to Eunhong’s groans and rough breathing, Heeseung’s expression was solemn.

[Seo Heeseung: Deputy Ban is slightly….] 11:23

[Kim Jieun: He seems to have gone crazy. Yeah.] 11:23

[Choi Hanseong: Hey, that’s a bit too blunt.] 11:24

[Park Jihoon: Is this new?] 11:24

[Yoo Junseok: They should give him less work.] 11:24

[Shim Giyoung: Aren’t you all busy? Aren’t the schedules tight?] 11:25

[Yoo Junseok: AD, how did it feel when you got hit after holding out because Ban’s team wasn’t working? Did it hurt?] 11:25

[Park Jihoon: Do you have dental implant insurance?] 11:25

[Choi Hanseong: When you nag someone by the minute for not working, they’ll snap.] 11:25

[Shim Giyoung: You guys are crazy.] 11:26

Amidst the clatter of keyboard typing, Eunhong suddenly stood up. Yoo Junseok, sitting next to him, was startled and closed the messenger window. Eunhong rummaged through his bag, grabbed something, and headed to the bathroom. Junseok and Heeseung exchanged discreet glances and sighed in relief.

In the bathroom, Eunhong first checked if anyone was there. He went into the farthest stall, locked the door, and leaned against it. He took out his wireless earphones, put them in his ears, and opened the YouTube app on his phone.

Eunhong’s fingers hesitated before typing:

“Alpha’s rut…, solution method.”

Video thumbnails popped up. Skipping past various flesh-colored 19+ marked videos, he clicked on one that seemed to have a more rational explanation. Eunhong put his fist in his mouth.

“Oh shit!”

The kind and gentle face was fake. The professor with elegant wavy hair, looking like she had 30 years of experience, continued her explanation using all sorts of bleeped-out words. Do alphas really do such things during rut? Eunhong tried to keep his eyes from popping out.

As the explanation about knotting passed by, Jaeha suddenly came to mind.

The feeling of Jaeha’s skin on his lips, and the scent, yes! Jaeha’s scent. What was it?

It didn’t seem like just a perfume. It felt more like a scent felt directly on the skin rather than through the nose. Was it because he was too drunk?

Eunhong turned off the video with a troubled face and ran his hands through his hair. Come to think of it, his head, with bump upon bump, was really hurting. As he was scrunching up his face mercilessly, to make matters worse, one of his wireless earphones fell out and dropped into the toilet with a plop.

Aaaaah!!

His hand, faster than reason, quickly fished out the white sprout-like head from the toilet. As he scrubbed it vigorously at the sink, he felt a twinge in his nose. You too are tormenting me? He dried it thoroughly with a hand towel and stuffed it into his pocket.

Leaving the bathroom, Eunhong was about to return to his seat but changed direction and headed for the roof. His mind was too complex to work. This was bad. Eunhong passed by the area where people gathered to smoke and sat on a bench. With every movement, he let out deep sighs.

Kissing Jaeha? Surprisingly, that didn’t bother him much. Strangely so. That’s why he was more troubled.

Eunhong brushed his lips. Once the memory came back, his brain vividly recalled that moment with surprising clarity. It was like recovering broken data and suddenly getting a 4K video. The sensation and scent were so clear, it was as if he was reliving it.

“Ah, really, Lee Jaeha…”

He took out his phone and tried calling.

– The customer’s phone is turned off…

He must have tried dozens of times since the weekend. Jaeha might be surprised by the number of missed calls when he turns on his phone. But Jaeha would probably laugh it off, though this situation wasn’t something to laugh about.

Eunhong’s face was reflected in the black screen of his phone. As he rubbed it with his thumb, the screen lit up, showing Jaeha’s picture. Come to think of it, he had set Jaeha’s photo as his background. It was a photo taken just after waking up. He had captured it despite Jaeha’s protests, but he liked the disheveled expression so much he set it as his background. For a moment, Eunhong forgot his worries and smiled.

“Boyfriend?”

Startled by the voice from behind, Eunhong looked up.

“Team Leader Kim.”

It was Kim Eunseong, the business team leader. With her neatly cut bob hair and striking red lips, she was one of only two dominant alphas in the company.

Eunhong thought that if he were a beta and could sense pheromones, her pheromones would probably smell like the luxurious rose scent of her current perfume. It suited her that well. Kim sat down next to Eunhong, took out a cigarette, and asked if she could smoke.

“Is Woohyun okay?”

Distracted by the blue smoke from her beta-only cigarette, Eunhong snapped back to attention at the mention of Woohyun’s name. Rolling his eyes around, he answered.

“Woohyun? Well, yeah… He should be better after resting well.”

“Resting? I heard his mother was sick?”

“…That’s right. Anyone gets better with rest, you know. Yeah…”

In fact, Eunhong didn’t know that Woohyun had taken a day off today. He only realized it when Team Leader Kim asked. Woohyun hadn’t been home all weekend. After what happened at the bar, Eunhong had thought it might be better not to see each other due to the awkwardness, but… An Woohyun, that jerk, if you’re going to lie about taking a day off, you should at least send a message… Having lied based on his quick thinking, Eunhong bit his lip in embarrassment.

Fortunately, Kim didn’t seem inclined to press further. She just examined Eunhong’s face carefully. Then, glancing at Eunhong’s phone again, she whispered.

“Not worth it.”

“Pardon?”

Eunhong asked, not understanding what she meant, but she just smiled without continuing the conversation. Kim patted Eunhong’s shoulder and stood up. Saying “Good job” quietly, she walked away to someone else.

After Kim left, Eunhong fell into thought. Woohyun’s mother isn’t really sick, is she? Suddenly, worry raised its head. Should I call his mom and ask? What kind of friend is he anyway? It was all troublesome. Just stress and no help. As he shook his head, his thoughts drifted back to Jaeha.

Recalling Jaeha’s warm touch from a new perspective, even his usual kindness came to mind. Would he be that gentle with a partner for rut relief? Would he look at them with such tender, cherishing eyes? Would he embrace them so desperately with his whole body? Would he smile so beautifully in front of that person? Would he kiss them like that…?

…Does the rut partner have to be an omega?

Eunhong’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Aack!”

He jumped up from his seat, shouting without realizing it.

What, what, what are you thinking? You crazy, crazy fool. Eunhong smacked his own head.

Before he could stop it, his face turned bright red. Maybe his brain malfunctioned after watching that strange video.

As he ran down the stairs towards the office, one thought kept popping up in Eunhong’s mind.

Do I like him? As a friend?

What about Jaeha?

Why did you kiss me?

***

They say humans repeat the same mistakes, don’t they? Eunhong thought, looking at the 500cc soju bomb in front of him. I’m non-recyclable….

“Deputy Ban, drink up. What are you doing?”

Seo Heeseung said with a cute smile, clinking his glass against Eunhong’s.

He was a fool for believing they would part ways after just dinner. Sitting in an omurice restaurant on the way to the subway station with Heeseung and Kim Jieun, things escalated when Yoo Junseok and Gil Dongwook joined. Because of the photo he showed earlier, they didn’t seem to have any intention of letting Eunhong go.

“So. Now, let’s be honest. That person you’ve been insisting is just a friend all this time, it’s him, right?”

“……”

Eunhong avoided eye contact and tried to change the subject, but ended up smiling awkwardly.

“See, it’s true. Look at that smile.”

“I’ve been suspicious all along, Eunhong. To be honest, you’ve been too detached, while we’re all desperate like beasts searching for mates in the Serengeti. Among us, you’ve been like a lone, noble crane.”

“A crane in Africa all of a sudden?”

“Look how he deceives us. After all the years we’ve been through together. Wow…”

“But honestly, I can’t believe it.”

Gil Dongwook said discontentedly, munching on popcorn.

“How can you believe or disbelieve someone else’s love life? Gil, you’re crossing a line.”

“No, I mean, look at his appearance…. Even at a glance, he’s clearly a dominant alpha, right? Dominant, right?”

Ignoring Heeseung’s scolding, Dongwook asked Eunhong persistently. His gaze was intense. Eunhong vaguely affirmed, avoiding details. Whether extremely dominant or just dominant, there was no need to explain in detail.

“How can a dominant be with a beta? It doesn’t solve any of the issues.”

“Eww!” Heeseung exclaimed in disgust.

“That’s a bit too explicit, Gil.”

“No, I’m talking about the scientific aspect. Look! Heeseung, you don’t understand our situation because you’re a beta. For us, it’s a matter of survival, really.”

Eunhong understood both Heeseung’s disgust and the truth in Dongwook’s words.

Alphas need omegas. The stronger and more dominant their pheromones, the more essential it is, they say. Eunhong felt somewhat upset. But then why did he kiss me? The question popped up in his mind.

As he lifted his beer glass, his eyes caught his phone. Eunhong opened Jaeha’s message again. Jaeha hadn’t contacted him since telling him not to drink.

Eunhong downed the full 500cc of soju bomb in one go and slammed the glass down.

“I don’t know either, this is because of you. Lee Jaeha.”