NB | Chapter 28

I should stop thinking about it. It’s making me feel weird.

Woohyun, cutting off the unfamiliar sensation, answered with a short nod, “Yes.” Despite his plain response, Jiwon smiled as usual and entered the house. Following him naturally was Manager Lee, and Woohyun found himself at the end of the line.

He could hear the two people ahead of him exchanging conversation. While discussing internal company matters, Manager Lee suddenly glanced at Woohyun.

It seemed like he was signaling for Woohyun to step aside, as if it would be troublesome for others to hear. Not interested in joining or listening to their conversation, Woohyun quickly broke away from the group at the end of the hallway.

Since Woohyun had his own space in this mansion, he naturally started greeting Kang Jiwon’s secretary. Although they had crossed paths a few times before, they hadn’t really acknowledged each other until yesterday, which was their official first meeting.

Compared to the kind Mrs. Jang, Manager Lee seemed to have a less favorable impression of him. As expected, when he drove Woohyun home on Kang Jiwon’s orders, he said just before Woohyun got out of the car:

“If anything happens, please contact me first.”

The business card he handed over had the secretary manager’s name and contact information. In other words, it meant not to bother the executive director.

This made it the third business card Woohyun had received in two months. Staring blankly at the card handed to him, Woohyun thought, “What do they expect me to do with this? Does his boss know that giving me a business card turned him into a genie granting wishes?”

Manager Lee, proving himself to be a loyal subordinate of Director Kang, was aware of another contract between them. However, since it was a decision made by his boss, he didn’t object, but he seemed to view Woohyun as someone who was more of a hindrance than a help.

Honestly, it didn’t feel great, but… well, he could understand. From Manager Lee’s perspective, Woohyun was probably just a fool who only managed to draw sighs from Kang Jiwon with his awkward and exaggerated acting.

So, Woohyun quietly accepted Manager Lee’s business card. Thinking of it as accumulating another wish, it wasn’t all that bad.

Woohyun generally adjusted his attitude based on how others treated him. If someone showed him goodwill, he responded with appropriate courtesy, and if they showed hostility, he kept a suitable distance.

While this might seem like he was swayed by others’ stances, he had his own principles, and the “appropriate” distance varied greatly depending on the person.

To Mrs. Jang, who treated him like a son, he was friendly, while to the secretary who treated him like an outsider, he was about fifty percent transparent.

In fact, that’s why he didn’t even realize when Manager Lee closed the door and followed Kang Jiwon inside earlier. It was only when the homeowner headed inside and Manager Lee suddenly cut in between them that he noticed. Woohyun unconsciously let out a small snort.

It seemed Manager Lee’s report had ended, as Kang Jiwon was seen walking towards the kitchen. A simple meal was already set on the dining table for him.

Confirming that Mrs. Jang was in the utility room, Woohyun tactfully brought over the utensils.

The act of setting the table made him feel strangely like a part of the household, which embarrassed him, but Jiwon, accustomed to being served, sat down at the table without a word.

During the meal, Jiwon seemed determined to engage Woohyun in conversation, not giving him a chance to escape.

“What did you have for dinner today?”

He knew the man’s voice was pleasant, but today it seemed especially gentle. Was it just his imagination? Woohyun absentmindedly brushed his forearm.

He knew exactly how to act with Mrs. Jang and Manager Lee, but this man was a mystery. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

One moment he was on guard, the next he was being overly polite…

He was being capricious without realizing it.

“Mrs. Jang grilled some vegetables, gave me chicken breast, and… she also made some tomato juice.”

“Good. You should avoid salty foods since you have an audition tomorrow.”

Just then, Mrs. Jang, who was coming out of the utility room, made eye contact with him. She had an awkward smile, as if she had heard what Kang Jiwon said. She had given him nachos as a snack, saying that watching dramas was an extension of work for an actor, so she seemed to feel a bit guilty.

As Director Kang Jiwon was known for his subtle nagging, if he found out that Woohyun had been eating nachos with cheese sauce, he might scold him. In the worst case, he might even confiscate the nachos.

The two exchanged glances behind the homeowner’s back. And, as if confirming each other’s intentions, they both nodded slightly.

Throughout the meal, Kang Jiwon continued to engage Woohyun in casual conversation. How was the audition preparation going? What was today’s class about? It felt like a family dinner with an elementary school child.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Jang finished the dishes and left for the day, and Manager Lee also packed his briefcase and left the house.

Taking advantage of the moment when Kang Jiwon went to his study after showering, Woohyun headed to the cinema room. He watched dramas, jotting down short impressions in his notebook, as if completing his study quota.

After finishing his impressions for the day, his shoulders felt stiff. Perhaps because he had been concentrating for two hours, he felt a rush of blood to his head. Stretching lightly by tilting his neck from side to side, Woohyun left the room and found Jiwon already on the living room sofa.

The man, facing the garden outside the living room balcony, turned around at the sound of footsteps behind him.

“I’m going to head out now.”

As Woohyun bowed his head, Jiwon stood up. It was late, so he seemed to be planning to wrap things up as well. However, instead of ending the farewell right there, Jiwon began to approach Woohyun with a leisurely pace.

Woohyun hadn’t moved a few steps from the cinema room door. He didn’t even think about overtaking Kang Jiwon to head to the entrance.

So he just stood there. The alpha, who had approached closely, cast a shadow over Woohyun’s face, blocking the light. It was only when the shadow fell over him that his half-dazed mind snapped back to reality.

“But, Woohyun.”

He saw Kang Jiwon’s arm move. He felt his hand reaching for his shoulder. But instead of instinctively pulling away, Woohyun hesitated, as if he had only just realized the man’s presence. By the time he tried to react, his shoulder was already caught in Jiwon’s hand.

The hand, resting gently on the fabric of his short-sleeved T-shirt, slowly moved towards his neck. It was as if Jiwon was checking if it was okay to touch more, maintaining eye contact with Woohyun.

Eventually, the bare hand wrapped around his delicate skin. Startled by the slightly cool temperature, Woohyun flinched.

“I can smell your pheromones. It’s better to take a suppressant in advance.”

Only after hearing the calm voice did Woohyun realize he was emitting pheromones. It was faint, but not so much that the person right in front of him couldn’t notice.

Come to think of it, it was close to his cycle. Until now, when his rut hit, he would just suffer through it like a cold and recover without it affecting his daily life, but it would be troublesome if it interfered with tomorrow’s audition.

Woohyun felt a mix of shame and awkwardness, realizing that Kang Jiwon had noticed his rut before he did, and his face turned red.

“I’m sorry. It must have been unpleasant…”

“It’s okay.”

Jiwon was feeling the skin under his palm grow increasingly warmer and more moist by the second. He was surprised himself, but he genuinely didn’t mind.

When he first met Seo Woohyun under the hawthorn tree, his pheromones had seemed so appetizing that he had wanted to take a bite, a secret he had never shared with anyone.

Jiwon relaxed his grip to avoid alarming Woohyun. His neck was so slender that he felt he could break it if he wanted to. He never expected to feel this way about Seo Woohyun, especially towards another alpha.

“Um, Director.”

“Yes?”

“Could you please… remove your hand?”

Despite the request, his tone was firm. Jiwon, realizing he was still touching Woohyun’s neck, was a bit surprised but withdrew his hand calmly.

As soon as the hand was removed, Woohyun sidestepped along the wall to create distance. Then, as if eager to escape the situation, he bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle and turned towards the entrance.

“I’ll make sure to take the suppressant in advance.”

“Alright. Do well at the audition and let me know how it goes.”

Whether he heard the farewell or not was uncertain. By the time Jiwon finished speaking, Seo Woohyun was already sprinting down the hallway like he was in a hundred-meter dash.

Hastily putting on his sneakers, he immediately opened the front door and left. The sound of the door closing was louder than usual.

The feeling of being alone in the mansion slowly crept in. Savoring the silence for a moment, Jiwon eventually headed to his bedroom. Tilting his head back slightly, he pressed his hand over his nose and mouth.

Inhaling in that state, Seo Woohyun’s pheromones, lingering on his palm, seeped into his lungs. The thought that a tingling shiver was running through his entire body was the last thing on his mind as the bedroom door clicked shut.