AOA Chapter 12

Pheromones are incompatible with water. 

 

The basic solution to dealing with them is to wash away the pheromones on the surface with water and dilute the pheromones inside the body by drinking water.  

 

Whoosh—

 

Ice-cold water poured down over his head, hitting him so hard it felt like his scalp might freeze. 

 

Even though he had spent a considerable amount of time washing, it still didn’t feel like Hwang Yeonseo’s sweet scent had completely faded. He knew it should have been washed away by now, but every time he took a breath, it still bothered him.  

 

This was why Kangwon disliked Hwang Yeonseo’s pheromones. He had never been particularly fond of any omega’s pheromones, but Yeonseo’s were especially persistent and clingy. 

 

Once they latched on, they refused to let go, always leaving behind a trace.  

 

“…”  

 

After a long while, Kangwon turned off the water and finished tidying up. He glanced at the people who were ventilating the room and steam-cleaning the sofa before heading to the dining area. 

 

Neither Hwang Yeonseo nor Lee Shinwoo were there.  

 

As he sat down and lightly stretched his neck, Shinwoo appeared. His carefree demeanor was unmistakable as he plopped down into a seat, the scent of Hwang Yeonseo wafting strongly from him. 

 

Kangwon, who had just managed to shake off the scent after showering, frowned deeply as he caught a whiff of it again.  

 

“I received your gift.”  

 

‘Gift, huh?’ 

 

Kangwon didn’t respond and simply stared at Shinwoo. Shinwoo, who had crossed his legs and was gulping down cold water, let out a fierce laugh.  

 

“I’ve compiled some methods that might be helpful for the research institute. If you try them, you might see some results.”  

 

Shinwoo smirked briefly as he watched Kangwon deflect the conversation without much reaction. He hadn’t expected to ruffle Kangwon’s feathers so easily.  

 

“We’d better see results. It’d be a shame to find an omega like that only to let her die helplessly, don’t you think?”  

 

“It seems you’ve taken quite a liking to Hwang Yeonseo.”  

 

“And you haven’t?”  

 

Shinwoo bared his teeth and responded aggressively, but Kangwon’s expression showed no trace of emotion. 

 

It was hard to tell whether he was perfectly hiding his feelings to prevent others from reading him, or if he simply lacked any emotion at all.  

 

“Isn’t it too soon? You’ve only seen her a couple of times.”  

 

“What does it matter how many times I’ve seen her?”  

 

Shinwoo twirled a fork between his fingers, the tines glinting sharply under the light, showcasing just how sharp it was. 

 

The fork, which had been teetering precariously between his fingers, suddenly stabbed into the wooden slab table with a thunk—.  

 

“From the moment I caught her scent behind the curtain, Hwang Yeonseo was mine.”  

 

When he first caught her scent, he knew instinctively—this was the one. 

 

And when he finally faced Hwang Yeonseo directly, a primal sense of possessiveness surged within him. 

 

That’s why, when he detected another alpha’s pheromones on her, an uncontrollable rage boiled up inside him—even if that alpha was Joo Kangwon.  

 

Kangwon merely raised an eyebrow at Shinwoo’s crazed gaze, showing no sign of being provoked. 

 

Shinwoo, seemingly bored, scoffed and returned the fork to its place. The fork left a clear mark on the high-end wooden table, crafted from rare special-purpose timber worth millions. Though it was a masterpiece that had taken artisan years to create, no one paid it any mind.  

 

“Then do your best to make her yours.”  

 

“I don’t need you to tell me that.”  

 

As Kangwon turned his head to the side, his gaze caught Hwang Yeonseo walking into the dining area. She looked neat and tidy from head to toe, but the image of her disheveled and overwhelmed by pheromones flashed in his mind before disappearing just as quickly. 

 

Seeing Kangwon unconsciously furrow his brow, Shinwoo turned to look behind him. He smiled as he saw Yeonseo entering the dining area and pulled out the chair next to him for her. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor echoed clearly.

 

“I should’ve prepared a change of clothes for you. Want to go shopping after eating?”  

 

“It’s fine. I’ll bring my own next time.”  

 

Shinwoo smiled regretfully at her clear refusal. 

 

Yeonseo, who had taken her seat, tilted her head as she glanced at Kangwon, whose demeanor was the complete opposite of Shinwoo’s. 

 

However, since it wasn’t something she needed to ask about, she averted her gaze—only to lock eyes with Shinwoo, who had propped his arms on the table and was staring at her intently, resting his chin on his hand.  

 

“You look even prettier after washing up.”  

 

“What nonsense are you spouting?”  

 

“Why can’t you take a compliment seriously? Ah, are you tired of hearing them too often?”  

 

Yeonseo rolled her eyes in disbelief. 

 

Unlike Joo Kangwon, Lee Shinwoo definitely gave off the vibe of someone who was a little unhinged. That made his actions and words hard to predict.  

 

Fortunately, the food started arriving, forcing Shinwoo to sit up straight. The conversation died down, and Yeonseo sighed in relief as she took a sip of water. She hadn’t thought she was particularly thirsty, but the water felt refreshing as it went down. The coolness of it washing over her mouth felt especially nice.  

 

“Don’t you want to move in here? It’d save you the trouble of going back and forth.”  

 

As Yeonseo set down her empty glass, Shinwoo refilled it and asked. 

 

Yeonseo imagined what it would be like to live here. The environment would be nice, but something about it felt unsettling. 

 

No matter how much personal freedom she had, living under the same roof as two dominant alphas would inevitably put her on edge—one way or another.  

 

“It’s not like it’s hard to commute, so I don’t see the need to stay here. Of course, I’ll stay here during my heat.”  

 

Since someone would pick her up and drop her off every day, it wasn’t particularly inconvenient. 

 

At least at home, she could relax and unwind, so there didn’t seem to be any real advantage to staying here.  

 

“One of the methods the research institute suggested was staying together 24/7.”  

 

Kangwon, who had been quietly eating, chimed in, causing Yeonseo’s eyes to widen. 

 

Staying together 24/7 meant sharing every aspect of their lives, including sleep.  

 

“But the condition was that the omega couldn’t release pheromones.”  

 

Shinwoo, who had been smiling happily at Kangwon’s assist, immediately frowned upon hearing the follow-up.  

 

“You’re saying we need to stimulate instincts, but we’re not allowed to smell pheromones?”  

 

“We already know what they’re like.”  

 

“…”  

 

“You know how stimulating Hwang Yeonseo’s pheromones are, right? If we suddenly couldn’t smell them in that situation, what do you think would happen?”  

 

Shinwoo reflexively glanced at Yeonseo. 

 

As Kangwon had said, he already knew just how sweet and stimulating Yeonseo’s scent was. 

 

Even now, a faint trace of her sweetness lingered in the air. 

 

It wasn’t strong enough to be exciting, but it still lifted his mood. Unconsciously, Shinwoo rolled his tongue in his mouth, as if trying to savor the lingering sweetness.  

 

“If it’s out of sight, I might be able to endure it, but if it’s right in front of me and I can’t smell it… that would be pretty torturous, don’t you think?”  

 

Shinwoo’s expression twisted in displeasure at Kangwon’s amused tone. 

 

Kangwon raised his chin, as if to say, ‘If you don’t like it, why not release your pheromones’  Shinwoo gritted his teeth.  

 

“Still, it seems too early to try that now.”

 

It meant that she wasn’t yet so deeply infatuated that she was driven to madness. 

 

To truly see the effect, Hwang Yeonseo needed to reach a point where she couldn’t bear to be without him. As they continued their meal, Kangwon didn’t seem interested in how Shinwoo was taking it all in.

 

Every time Kangwon made a remark, Yeonseo was inwardly amazed. 

 

Just by looking at Shinwoo’s expression, it was clear how well Kangwon’s words were landing. It showed just how well he understood Lee Shinwoo. It seemed that provoking and challenging him was more effective than praising or coaxing him, and Kangwon knew exactly how to push his buttons.

 

Perhaps sensing Yeonseo’s gaze of understanding, Kangwon’s eyes briefly met hers. If he could read her thoughts, he might have been angry, asking how she dared to define things on her own. 

 

So, Yeonseo quickly averted her gaze to her food.

 

As Yeonseo quietly focused on her meal, the two men stopped their conversation. 

 

Regardless of the atmosphere, the food was neat and delicious. It wasn’t overly salty or spicy, yet it had a flavor that kept drawing her back.

 

“Does it suit your taste?”

 

“Yes. Everything is delicious.”

 

Shinwoo, who seemed pleased that Yeonseo was enjoying the food, had stopped eating at some point and was just watching her. His expression suggested that his earlier bad mood had somewhat lifted.

 

“Try this too.”

 

Shinwoo placed a slice of grilled beef wrapped with thinly sliced green vegetables on her plate and urged her to try it. 

 

The tender outside and crispy inside suited Yeonseo’s taste perfectly. When she honestly expressed how delicious it was, Shinwoo started adding more dishes to her plate. 

 

The food piled up faster than she could eat, and feeling overwhelmed, Yeonseo gestured for him to stop, but soon realized she was the only one eating. 

 

Even Kangwon had stopped eating and was watching her.

 

“Is everyone… not eating? 

 

“I’ll get up first.”

 

Kangwon stood up, perhaps having finished his meal. 

 

As she watched him leave, something caught her eye.

 

“Eat.”

 

Joo Kangwon, as if telling her to stop looking, brought a piece of grilled meat close to her lips. 

 

When she tried to take it with her chopsticks, he dodged and brought it back to her lips. 

 

Feeling no need to refuse when he was offering so kindly, Yeonseo obediently opened her mouth and accepted it, and a satisfied smile appeared on Shinwoo’s face.