TGM | Chapter 11

He didn’t come today either.1337a4679c51947f

Watching the last customer leave through the glass door, Haehyeon felt a light sense of despair. Actually, it wasn’t light at all. It had been over two weeks, and he was feeling quite down because the man hadn’t shown up even once.85d15a8a31a0d7c9

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At first, he 733481eebd brushed it off.338d69d078a479eb

He thought maybe the man had just come on a different day that week. It’s not like he had a reservation, and he could have been busy. In fact, it was more surprising that he had been coming at the same time every week until now.2bdac36038bc9ca8

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But as one f445207464 week passed, then d769432087 another, his hope 8a094ab6c5 started to fade. It was 1e9ffdb18d clear something 005a8cd969 had happened, 4b2cbef735 but another f4f7c22ff0 possibility began 1813012086 to loom 9c14d7ee03 large.bfd50cd927d3cbb6

The answer Manager Yoon gave to Haehyeon’s random question was like that.e5efe004d3fcb925

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“Some customers don’t like being recognized.”188ee10bbe53c59a

He said that if you act overly familiar or guess their order without them asking, they might never come back. He added, “I didn’t get it at first either, but I can see why. They might just want to keep a comfortable distance.”25893ad9229a6a81

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“Oh…”f38f60c2b46f69c8

Seeing Haehyeon’s expression become even more downcast, Manager Yoon scratched his cheek, realizing he might have said too much.7bdbc6fe0e09423a

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If he was asking such questions, it seemed he had spoken to a customer, but as far as he knew, there wasn’t anyone who would dislike being recognized by Haehyeon.239f425dd536b979

In fact, it was e78f04839d the opposite, which was 0efc8aa809 the problem.58df609adac21e91

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“Did something happen?”d174b5d0b833416f

He couldn’t ignore Haehyeon’s dejected face. Remembering how he would quickly turn his head at the sound of the bell, Manager Yoon had to control his smile.51f36306d382efd2

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It was clear he was waiting for someone. It was the first time he’d seen the usually calm Haehyeon so restless. He wanted to tease him, but he knew that would make Haehyeon clam up, so he exercised patience.28a8c53bced6c8e8

“No, nothing…”713b5cdf270bd963

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“Nothing, and yet you’re so down? Tell me, just between us. I’ll keep it a secret.”693087644748d5b8

“……”0c4b7fd6454b579e

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“Did you recognize a customer?”10b1f6e9be206ece

“Yes…”b8bca17c6479a625

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Unable to b5d8449ab1 deny it ba8c7d0b08 any longer, 0751628fd8 he nodded.f09cb4ac75802cb9

Manager Yoon resisted the urge to pinch Haehyeon’s hesitant cheek, reminding himself of his professional demeanor. He maintained his composure, wearing the mask of an adult.3311daf4323ee60f

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“Who?”5fc458dd4f376cab

“The guy who comes every Friday. He’s really tall and seems a bit sensitive. He usually writes reports or reads books, stays for just an hour or two, and always pays with a card. His drink is always…”dde08697dbefcb63

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As soon as c267d72c48 he asked, the 67487df430 answers poured out, b4bba04a3b leaving Manager Yoon b4129838e7 blinking in surprise. He knew it 6c0b4a4596 was silly, but 2f17a319d3 it was rare 3910bf3c0f for Haehyeon to 1e0296dfbc talk so much, 25c64ea5d5 and it caught 3726eb8e25 him off guard.2624a00a4a9c2795

“Friday?” he mumbled, then nodded as he recalled the face. It was unforgettable, and as a regular customer for years, he couldn’t not know him.ffc10d93ae7e33cf

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“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him lately.”9dc95ec92d872308

Since Haehyeon started, the café had been busier, so he hadn’t noticed. He’d been too occupied with making orders to remember the last time he saw the man.41d3de47050fd121

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Hmm, it had e0db6cdb50 been a while.cdd2011d6047f0bc

Mumbling about the last time the man had looked at him like he was shameless, Manager Yoon paused. Wait, if he hasn’t come since then… Does he really think I hit him?54cf95e884e4ba5e

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“I think it’s because of me…”f1e3f8c169cdb812

While he 6847d34cc7 was wrestling 9ee0d2b30f with his dc390d1519 misunderstanding, Haehyeon 708c399be4 confessed in ca08263e0f an even 30cb0b8f55 more downcast 54833d1841 voice. Startled by his dejected ff62c5c0ec demeanor, Manager Yoon tilted 7c63f5f6c1 his head in confusion.9ff749f7591b5814

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It didn’t make sense. This gentle part-timer couldn’t have driven away a customer.504f578c97607be6

It wasn’t just a day or two; the man had been a regular for years.8d51adefe545b638

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When the café had fewer customers, the man’s unusual presence had been striking. It wasn’t just his overly neat appearance or towering height; it was his aura.d10129deaac1d937

The man 377cc0a0e9 seemed naturally 3c3613544f accustomed to 8771b9ae9c looking down 57c235b1fa on others 25307a6b5b without making b36126e24f it unpleasant. It was a different 95726e88c1 feeling from intimidation, and ce6075a504 it was only after 12b48cceb2 several encounters that Manager 1d090cb05a Yoon understood why.4f72e532d66ad3b9

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He had b6c399f45e no interest 17dd3b8bfc in others.02741ea139dad05f

His observant e5880c9c7a gaze had 79840e5498 a way 1207d3ac8c of leaving b8e2d54042 people speechless, 4acea810bd making him 3e81601ac5 seem like 3bfe79ae63 someone lacking 8fa64b2781 something.d7d955445c466740

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Though he knew he shouldn’t judge people, the man was always the same whenever they met. The way he had looked at Haehyeon, like he was shameless, was actually the odd part. Just as Manager Yoon was about to say something, Haehyeon spoke up.406dfc1f11ee167b

“I gave him a freebie…!”da7e91e16b301034

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Taking the lack of 1e97536ca5 response as a sign 10eee6d55f of agreement, Haehyeon, looking 3090bafeb9 upset, spilled everything that ba03eb2de1 had happened.448538b52e51b3ca

Leaving out 2b870a6a2a his inexplicable 7c07d82ea8 feelings, his 87baa4278c story left 369511e669 Manager Yoon c84e1cd313 feeling bewildered.3a5b45e850275781

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He barely gathered 91de5eac74 his thoughts as ceea6111c5 Haehyeon emphasized multiple e87dc19884 times that he 712d4cd64b had paid for 175e5d8eb6 the cake. The mention 6e17613486 of bandages 262c8da744 and ointments 197ee6d6ad made it 503c3ea50a feel like 895d370043 he was 700381ba00 hearing about 06413e94f8 a completely 84a6bd1618 different person.d0d6479f8b262770

Even after years, Manager Yoon didn’t know the man’s name. He didn’t collect points, never signed the card receipt, and Manager Yoon had never dared to ask. The only way to refer to him was as “the Friday regular.”a7759ba53d04618a

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“Hey, Haehyeon…”73e95180a19f599d

Are you sure you didn’t mistake him for someone else?4c54a4424e0b46a6

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He wanted to ee24d779c1 ask, but it 5f5096f086 was impossible to ece51f77d7 mistake that face.ca19e2e1ec10f664

Unsure of what to say, he hesitated for a while until he saw Haehyeon’s expression darken further, prompting him to speak quickly.9786fd7ce40cfdc7

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He needed to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t think of a good excuse. Struggling, he decided to borrow someone else’s words.569d33862d75a839

“That customer is an Alpha.”57139587aeaa323b

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“…What?”5f102f71aee0895b

Startled by c8fb9e9c97 the unexpected a6dac428ce statement, Haehyeon 5519a9f9e4 looked up. Smiling at his 7e10e2b0fe cuteness, Manager Yoon 0d731c615e continued, deciding to f9ecc1fd7c let things unfold 1d8236e7f6 as they might.6c2a6f859e28bd2e

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“I didn’t know either, but a regular told me. You know that cologne he always wears? It has a unique scent because it’s made specifically for Alphas. It’s like a ‘keep away’ sign. An artificial way of saying ‘stay away.'”662e010ea0dfae36

Haehyeon knew 99ee728b8e about that. He had been shocked 2284b788d9 by the absurd price 4e9dd18290 and had nodded when 6273d26cc3 he learned it was b058df4247 an Alpha-exclusive line.3c9db39fbc8d415b

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More importantly, it didn’t apply to Omegas like his sister, Haeyu, so he hadn’t paid much attention. Unlike Alphas, for whom revealing their traits was a plus, it was usually a minus for Omegas.918568be0b01cdb5

He had d54c33538a just thought 7c6fe6cf7f of it 2be0d32a85 as a 5e4c07fc34 cologne he 63eb04dbd6 liked.111341d5a70b09ca

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The revelation that the 11b166c6af man was an Alpha 19072e4959 was surprisingly shocking, leaving 140497a228 Haehyeon speechless.b6e886ab8643758c

Manager Yoon, shrugging afc0e47ac9 as if he f6011bda1d understood, sighed. Having traveled to various 2510ccc815 regions for business, he 08709c32a7 had encountered trait-bearers by 6ecfc1cfee chance, but they were 61cb3b711f generally a closed group.be56296e5b1c4cb2

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“Well, you might not have seen one before. There aren’t many, and Omegas and Alphas are usually managed separately. Even if you meet one by chance, you wouldn’t be able to recognize them, and it’s hard to come across them.”33a6d6f60c6f2df1

“……”975eec064019c8ab

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That was the truth. Even if they met, Betas couldn’t sense pheromones, so they couldn’t distinguish traits. The same was true for Inho and Haeyu. Though his sister mentioned that Inho’s pheromones were all over her, Haehyeon, who lived with them, couldn’t tell at all.b6776d27b2dc494b

Sometimes, seeing Inho’s displeased expression, it seemed the pheromones transferred, but… the house was too small to help it. His timid sister sometimes slept next to him.033dad1754acce06

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Inho, knowing this, was exasperated but couldn’t separate them. He was aware of his inability to always be there for them.633f604b20a0792a

“Anyway, it might be because of that, so don’t worry.”f4e1ef452bff9ad3

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Not noticing Haehyeon’s brief distraction, Manager Yoon patted his back and smiled brightly. Seeing his puzzled look, he kindly added.48103d3ad293c487

“Alphas have things like heats and ruts. Actually, that customer didn’t come every week like clockwork.”49dfccf1f98eb667

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“Oh.”b5c604e232faf4ee

“There were times he didn’t show up for weeks and then came back, so don’t worry unnecessarily, okay?”915e193924853f9e

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Ruts.6d584d9de01d436e

The word naturally efc09938c1 associated with Alphas 5ba2d61972 felt strangely unfamiliar.81b9cf706ba71858

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It hadn’t even been a week since he went to the hospital for his sister’s cycle, so it was odd. Because of Inho’s decision, both were on medication to regulate their cycles, so he understood better than anyone that it was a natural bodily change.53ef88ea424d9547

But why?cf4035719fd6c672

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Feeling a 952345ed46 bit dazed, f37507e772 Haehyeon nodded.98de62cbd1a1fa47

“Okay…”e4e595f2b1a6782d

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The man, who was ea293bdcd7 never close to him, 36c0dfb012 now felt even more 98d3495bce distant.6d82b73561e60f4e