ASM Ch 2

― I don’t mind bringing in Omega mistresses. However, please add a clause stating that I, not the surrogate mother, will have parental rights and custody of the child born between Director Cha and the Omega surrogate.

Cha Taehyuk burst into laughter at the clear voice coming through the earpiece. His lips were clearly smiling, but a cold, almost dangerous aura flowed around the handsome man.

He grabbed the cravat and pulled it away, feeling suffocated as if it were choking his neck.

He was a man who controlled every aspect of his life to the point of being called a perfectionist.

He had never done anything that was not beneficial to him and only insisted on the most efficient path among the various ones he could take.

Even though it was a life that was designed to be impeccable, it started to head towards a dead end like a train that had run off the tracks. All because of Seo Eunwoo.

Not only did she ruin his plans to have a political marriage with a family that would benefit Haesung, she had also turned Haesung’s reputation, which had been kept clean and free of gossip, into a laughing stock in an instant. But now she was trying to turn Haesung’s family tree into a sloppy mess that wouldn’t even appear in a third-rate novel.

And yet that woman was confident the whole time. As if she wasn’t even aware of what she was doing.

Who did she think she was?

Hans Food’s daughter, Beta Seo Eun-woo.

Before this wedding fuss arose, he thought she was a woman who knew her place well.

While other Alphas and Omegas would often belittle her for sneaking into business social gatherings without even knowing her place, he considered it to be proof that she knew her place quite well.

No, that’s what he used to think.

He thought that she knew very well that her very existence was a weakness, and he could see her struggling to survive in any way she could.

However, unlike the Omegas that clung to him and the Alphas that tried to build a relationship by becoming friendly with him, she never approached him first.

It was a bit pathetic to see her wandering around the corners of the party venue and then go home because there was no one to talk to, but she wasn’t annoying.

So, unlike other Alphas and Omegas, he had been letting his guard down and thinking that there was no need to be wary of her.

Without even knowing that something like this was being planned behind his back.

“Let her do what she wants, Attorney Kim.”

When Seo Eunwoo insisted on bringing up his grandfather, he gave an order into the earpiece with a dry voice.

He planned to see just how far she was going to take this.

Either way, the holding company shares were destined to end up in his hands someday, and once that happened, whether they divorced or Seo Eunwoo ran away before then, she was ultimately a woman who would soon disappear from his life.

So, I guess it’s okay to go with the flow for the time being.

He soon started walking towards the wedding hall where the wedding march was playing.

* * *

“She’s really shameless.”

Among the group of Omegas that always hovered around Cha Taehyuk, one of them nodded at Seo Eunwoo, who was standing next to Chairman Seo across the party hall.

“Who do you think you are, holding your head up high and going around greeting people like that? Are you excited because you’re the main character for the first time?”

It was late in the evening, and the wedding reception was in full swing. Everyone was drinking, leaving the boring wedding ceremony behind. When he heard these words, Cha Tae-hyuk’s eyes followed the Omega’s gaze.

In the meeting place, which was filled with the smell of pheromones and alcohol, only Seo Eunwoo had a face so unbothered that it was glowing.

As an Alpha, he found it to be quite a funny sight.

Along with the sight of her drawing in a deep breath from time to time, causing her chest to swell, because she couldn’t feel the air thick with pheromones.

She also followed Chairman Seo around to greet people here and there, as if she couldn’t see the hostile gazes directed at her.

Even if you go around greeting people like that, the other person will probably just be thinking about going straight to the private rooms set up all over the party venue to find a partner with pheromones that suit their taste.

Sticky pheromones were already emitting from some rooms like a foul smell.

Rather than celebrating the fact that she had made a fortune at the expense of someone else’s life, Seo Eunwoo was simply smiling broadly in the middle of a wild party.

To wash away the disgust, Cha Taehyuk poured himself another glass of whiskey.

“Director, you must be really frustrated.”

Even though Taehyuk didn’t respond, the Omega, who had been hanging around him, didn’t give up and spoke again.

“I heard that she even took custody and parental rights.”

Cha Taehyuk’s brows twitched.

It seemed that the rumor had already spread. It wasn’t surprising, since Attorney Kim had been sent to the bridal room at a time when there were many people present.

The Omega, who had noticed the smile spreading across his lips, grinned happily and started talking even more enthusiastically.

“I don’t know if a Beta has the ability to properly raise a child.”

The Omega lowered the corners of her eyes slightly and ran one hand over Taehyuk’s arm, pretending to comfort him. A sticky pheromone, like the overly sweet scent of fruit on the verge of rotting, wafted out.

His expression immediately turned into a scowl.

The others in the group, who knew Taehyuk’s meticulous personality, looked at the two with anxious eyes.

As expected, Taehyuk’s pheromone, which had been so thick that no trace could be found, became sharper. It was a pheromone that was meant to be a warning, but it seemed to have become a trigger, causing the Omega’s pupils to dilate.

“It smells really good…”

The Omega whispered with a heavy breath and took a step closer to Taehyuk.

“I feel like it’s unfair that the Executive Director married a Beta. What do you think about me?”

Her pheromones also became thicker, as if someone had crushed the fruit by hand. It was a clear sign of heat.

In an instant, a strong feeling of fatigue came over him.

At times like this, he got sick of being a dominant Alpha. He had such strong pheromones that Omegas would often fall into heat just by smelling his pheromones. And then they would whine and cling to him, asking him to do it just once.

“Let go of my arm while I’m still in a good mood.”

Taehyuk put his glass down on the table with a click and gave a dry warning. Contrary to his flat voice, his pheromones were thick enough to oppress the Omega.

The Omega stammered and withdrew her hand, but she couldn’t hide the look in her eyes that were filled with lust.

“I’m sure the Executive Director feels wronged too. What’s the point of doing it with a Beta?”

Even though the trembling hand had disappeared, an unpleasant sensation still clung to his arm like a sticky substance.

Taehyuk clenched and unclenched his fists several times to erase that feeling.

“Who said I’m sleeping with her?”

The Omega was delighted by the calmly spoken words.

“Then you can do it with me…!”

“And what’s the point in sleeping with you?”

The Omega’s face crumpled in shame. Still, as if she were reluctant to give up, the Omega’s pheromone scent became thicker and thicker. In the end, one of the alphas who knew Cha Taehyuk’s obsessive-compulsive disorder hurriedly dragged the Omega away. Soon, the scent of crushed fruit and bitter mint mixed together and poured out from a nearby private room.

So disgustingly strong.

Taehyuk tried to wash away the sour taste in his mouth with a sip of whiskey.

That’s right. People like that all around him, so he could see why he thought Seo Eunwoo was harmless.

“It smells terrible.”

Another Alpha, who had been watching him closely, clicked his tongue as if trying to cheer him up.

When Cha Taehyuk didn’t say anything, the Alpha decided that his poor mood wasn’t the Omega’s fault and changed his target.

“If it’s pheromones like that, I’d rather sleep with a woman who has no scent at all.”

The Alpha snickered as he glanced at Seo Eunwoo, the only one without pheromones at the party. His playful voice was mocking Seo Eunwoo.

“It might be a little boring, but it might leave a surprisingly clean aftertaste.”

The Alpha kept smiling obsequiously to please him, but for some reason, instead of feeling better, he felt even worse.

“How about I give her a little scare?”

The other Alphas who had seen the opportunity to catch Cha Taehyuk’s attention also flocked in and joined the conversation. The pheromones of the Alphas, who were starting to become excited by the low-brow jokes, got on his nerves.

“Since she shamelessly pushed for the marriage, she’d deserve it.”

“It was already annoying how she kept showing up at every social gathering even though she’s a mere Beta. But I never imagined she’d target you, Cha Taehyuk.”

“Yeah, she looks like she’s been a virgin her whole life, so even if she’s a beta, she might like it.”

She deserves it…

Surely, Seo Eunwoo should have been punished. For the crime of ruining someone else’s life in order to promote her own insignificant life, for the crime of daring to do something so terrible with an innocent face.

“She’ll remain celibate for the rest of her life.”

The Alphas looked dumbfounded as if they didn’t understand Taehyuk’s words.

It seemed that a more direct expression was needed for the less-distant ones.

Cha Tae-hyuk muttered quietly while wiping the whiskey drops on the rim of the glass with one finger.

“That’s a Beta, not a woman.”

Taehyuk stared blankly at Eunwoo again.

Coincidentally, Seo Eunwoo, who was still smiling brightly, had no idea about the sinister pheromones that the Omega was releasing as she shook her hand. Not knowing how pitiful that must have seemed to others, she smiled brightly and cheekily, like a child absorbed in her own fairy tale world.

“She’s a mere Beta. She wouldn’t dare do anything about it.”

Today was the last day she would act like the main character in front of people. From now on, that Beta would have to live like she’s dead for the rest of her life.

* * *

Eunwoo tried to raise the corners of her twitching lips as she congratulated the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism on his granddaughter’s acceptance to a prestigious American university. It was awkward to hear the Minister’s sly remark that he had tried to marry Executive Director Cha and his daughter, who was a dominant Omega, but that it was unfortunate how things had turned out. However, she had no choice but to laugh it off due to rumors secretly circulating that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism would soon hold a proposal competition for the globalization of Korean food. Chairman Seo also simply laughed and showed no sign of being offended.

The minister’s eyes were filled with hidden contempt even though he was congratulating them on their marriage.

Her father’s attitude that didn’t seem to care that his Beta daughter was being maligned.

Since she had experienced it so many times before, there was nothing particularly new.

So the more this happened, the brighter Eunwoo smiled so as not to be intimidated. She knew all too well that if she made even one mistake, if her expression was even slightly broken, the mask she had worked so hard to maintain would crumble in an instant. Therefore, Eunwoo had to become even more shameless so as not to reveal her pitiful true self.

Maybe it was pure tenacity.

The stubbornness of never wanting to lose to them.

She absolutely did not want to lose to those beastly bastards who would boast about how their dominant Omega daughter could make Alphas fall for her with just her pheromones, saying, ‘I’m sure Seo Eunwoo-ssi wouldn’t understand since you don’t have pheromones…’

What’s there to be proud of about being horny regardless of time and place? It was ridiculous to act so smug, saying that she wouldn’t understand.

As she murmured meaningless words of sincere gratitude for their congratulations, a man she had never seen before approached her.

“Madam, I will now take you home.”

When the conversation was interrupted, the minister coughed awkwardly in annoyance, but the person from Haesung’s side who approached her did not even give him a glance and steadfastly remained in his spot.

Eunwoo ended up feeling a little flustered.

“But the party is far from over.”

It was clear that if the main character left before the party was even over, rumors would spread.

The secretary nodded as if he understood her feelings, but then added with a slightly troubled expression.

“It’s the Executive Director’s orders.”