"The Scent That Betrayed Me"

Areum (softly, tearfully):

"I didn't want to end up like this… loving an Alpha…"

"…and getting thrown away… just like Dad was."

He buried his face in his arms, tears finally slipping through.

Areum:

"Dad loved a fucking Alpha. And all he got… was nothing. Just an Omega child to raise on his own."

"He worked so hard for me… He protected me from this world… and I promised… I promised I'd never let it happen to me."

His shoulders trembled as the pain he'd kept buried all these years cracked open.

Areum (whispers):

"I'm sorry, Dad… I'm so sorry…"

The bath water turned lukewarm.

Eventually, Areum stepped out, moving with the heaviness of someone emotionally wrecked.

He dried his hair, his hands unsteady, and checked his phone.

Missed calls. Several messages.

And one from an unknown number.

He didn't open it.

With numb fingers, he texted HR:

> "I'm feeling sick today. I won't be able to come in."

He tossed the phone on the nightstand and crawled into bed, curling under the blankets.

His eyes closed, but his mind spun restlessly.

Areum (muttering):

"This is the worst… How could I forget everything?"

"How do I even face Mr. Yoon after this?"

"I slept with him… and now he knows my secret. I'm an Omega…"

His chest tightened with every thought.

Areum:

"Should I just resign…?"

But no. He'd worked too hard to get here.

To be taken seriously.

To escape that part of his past.

Areum (bitterly):

"No. I can't lose this job."

"I won't go back to that shitty club—serving drinks, forced to smile at disgusting Alphas just to survive."

The memory returned—loud music, reeking pheromones, unwanted touches.

Areum (softly):

"I can't go back to that life…"

He clenched the blanket around him, tears pressing behind his eyes.

Areum:

"What should I do now…?"

---

At the Office...

Taekho sat behind his desk, cool and composed.

The unread message notification still lingered on his screen.

He stared at it.

Finally, he pressed the intercom.

Taekho (calmly):

"Call my secretary."

Moments later, a soft knock came and the door opened.

Secretary:

"You called for me, sir?"

Taekho:

"Where's Mr. Han?"

Secretary:

"He's on leave today. Reported he's not feeling well."

Taekho's eyes didn't flicker. He glanced back at the message.

Taekho (low, to himself):

"Sick… or just avoiding me?"

He paused.

Then, firmly:

"Give me his address."

The secretary blinked, startled.

But nodded.

"Yes, sir."

---

Later That Night…

The apartment remained silent when Areum stirred from under the covers.

The clock read: 11:00 PM.

Areum (groaning):

"I slept too long…"

His stomach grumbled.

Areum:

"I'm starving… and I need suppressants."

He stretched, wincing as soreness pulled through his body.

Areum (quietly):

"Ahh… it still hurts. I should buy some ointment too…"

Slipping on a thick coat, he headed toward the door.

The city was quiet under a wintery sky, wind slicing through his jacket.

Areum (softly):

"Winter's starting… It's so cold now."

"Dad and I used to wait for the first snow together. We loved Christmas…"

A faint smile touched his lips—but it faded quickly.

He arrived at the 24-hour store, grabbed a basket, and filled it with groceries, suppressant pills, and ointment.

He didn't realize it, but—

His scent was leaking.

Subtle. Sweet. Addictive.

Stress. Skipped doses. Exhaustion.

It was enough to draw the attention of passing Alphas.

Areum didn't notice the way eyes followed him.

Didn't hear the sharp inhale of scent recognition.

Because in that moment, he was too lost in his thoughts…

And too unaware—

That he had just become a target.

Areum stepped out of the supermarket, clutching the paper bag to his chest. The wind had grown sharper, biting through his coat.

Areum (muttering):

"The night's even colder… I should get home fast."

He kept his head down as he walked the empty street.

But something shifted.

A sound—faint, deliberate.

Footsteps.

He didn't turn. His instincts flared.

They weren't echoing his own.

He picked up his pace.

The footsteps behind him quickened too.

Areum (thinking, panicked):

"Someone's following me… Shit. Not now."

His grip tightened around the bag.

He didn't need to look back—

The scent behind him was unmistakable.

Alpha.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his wrist—tight and unrelenting.

Areum (startled):

"Ah—!"

He struggled, but the man's grip was firm.

A tall Alpha leaned in close, reeking of pheromones, his eyes glazed with hunger.

Alpha (grinning):

"Honey… you smell too fucking good to be walking alone."

Areum (snapping):

"What the hell?! Let me go!"

Alpha (low, mocking):

"Relax. I'm a good Alpha. I'll take care of you."

Areum tried pulling away, voice rising in anger and fear.

Areum:

"Get off me!"

The Alpha's grip tightened.

Alpha:

"You don't look like an Omega… but this scent—shit—it's driving me insane."

Areum froze.

Areum (thinking):

"No—no no no—

I forgot my suppressant… That's why he can smell me."

The panic hit full force.

He yanked harder.

Areum:

"HELP! LET GO OF ME!"

Alpha (laughing, ignoring him):

"Your place or mine, sweetheart?"

Areum (furious, screaming):

"WHAT THE FUCK—LEAVE ME—!"

CRACK.

The Alpha was suddenly ripped away from him—slammed to the ground with brutal force.

Areum's eyes flew wide.

The man who'd attacked him lay groaning on the sidewalk, blood at the corner of his mouth.

Standing over him was a tall figure.

Cold eyes. Broad shoulders.

Black coat fluttering slightly in the wind.

Yoon Taekho.