CH 11

When I got home, I should have calmed down and apologized. Instead of apologizing, I fell asleep, and when I awoke, it was already Monday morning.



Even though the forgotten Sunday was disappointing, it was amazing because I hadn’t gotten such a good night’s sleep in a long time. Meanwhile, it was funny that I woke up just in time because I remember I was an office worker.



I still had a sore throat, shaky legs, and back pain. However, my high fever, which was a sign of a heat cycle, had gone away. It’s completely gone.



Still, I need to fill out the annual leave for my heat cycle. I was working in the office this week, so I told the section chief that I would take days off on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as soon as I arrived. An omega with extreme heat, such as myself, whose heat doesn’t last only one day, was guaranteed three days off.



“Your heat cycle, hmm?”



“Don’t look at me like that. You pervert.”



“Call me if it’s urgent. I’ll take good care of you.”



Anyway, that’s why this jerk was still the section chief. He doesn’t just hand it to me calmly. The annual leave plan was accepted only after the phone number for the Ministry of Labor showed up on my cell phone screen.



Today, when I returned to my seat, there were piles of documents piled up on the desk. I pretended not to notice it and reached for my phone first.



Won-jo [Hey what are you doing?]



Won-jo [Hey!?]



Won-jo [Are you okay?]



Won-jo [Are you dead?]



Won-jo [Reply to me, you sickly]



Won-jo was irritated because I had ignored his call all weekend.



[I’m on my heat]



I briefly replied and went through the messages of my ex-lover.



There were two messages that stood out in particular. One was from Alpha man, who had broken up with me two years ago.



[I am getting married on December 20th. I hope Seo-yu will come… (Attached Photo) For our memories…]



It was a wedding invitation.



I would be crazy if I go for the so called memories.



After deleting and blocking, I came across another message that caught my attention.



[How are you these days? I’m going to your company soon]



It was Park Jin-cheol.



I definitely quit working for the client’s company, but I don’t know why he was coming to our company. Were there any new jobs at the company?



I was pondering what to reply when I sent an emoticon waving my hand and saying, “See you that day~.” The 1 next to it disappeared immediately, but there was no response.



There were also many calls.



There were no more calls from Choi Sung-hoon, but Choi Sung-hyun called five times and left a message when I didn’t answer.



Mapo Bridge High School Kid [Why is my Hyung so angry?]



He was angry… Yeah… That’s understandable. I should call and apologize within today.



First of all, I had to say thank you to Choi Sung-hyun.



[Thank you for the gift card, I will use it well] 



The envelope that Choi Sung-hyun gave contained a gift card from a department store. When I first learned that there was a 10 million won gift card, I was taken aback because I suddenly found myself with a lot of money. I’d like to buy a luxury sofa, but I’m going to wait until I’m married to do so.



It’s valid for 5 years, but I’m sure I’ll get married within that time.



Mapo Bridge High School Kid [No, why is my Hyung so angry?]



[It’s an adult’s business, kid]



Mapo Bridge High School Kid [Shit] 



Then a call came shortly after the swear word. I answered the phone because there was no one in the office at the time.



– Did you sleep with my brother? You did, aren’t you?!



“I told you it’s not your business.”



– Did you sleep with him? Really?



“Do you brothers talk about this to each other?”



– No, Uncle Dokki… Oh, Hyung you are amazing too. How did you play with my brother? My uncles said that you both smell fishy and you walk like a newborn deer.



Choi Sung-hoon, surprisingly, was the type of person who flaunted his nightlife. On the surface, he appeared to be ascetic.



“Can’t you see that my voice has gone? I’m about to die. I’m working right now and I’m in trouble.”



– Wow, how can you go to work? It’s normal to faint. 



“This is what office workers are like.”



While speaking with Choi Sung-hyun, I stood up to get a print. However, there were no papers, and the last page was a report that was issued less frequently after newcomers were recruited. I was extremely irritated.



If you run out of paper while printing, you must refill it repeatedly. This wasn’t the first time this has happened because of that newcomer. The strange thing was that this has to have been going on for the past week.



No one checked the printer before leaving work on Friday. I see… They didn’t even check the report after pressing the print button. I see…



If I win the lottery, I’m going to quit. Damn it.



– He’s furious right now. He has been telling the uncles that they should die. Why do you ignore my call?



“I was going to contact him later… I’ll call him later this evening.”



– Be sure to do it! Surely!



Choi Sung-hyun hung up the phone after saying that. I sighed and opened the A4 box.



Argh, damn it. My back hutrs. My body hurts…



***



After working overtime, my body worsened. I went to the cafe with my aching body. My muscle pain seemed to worsen if I didn’t drink an Americano at this cafe.



“Hello… Oh, you’re here.”



“Hello.” 



The cafe owner smiled warmly as he greeted me. I was relieved to see the neat appearance and neat attire after seeing only the pervert section chief and frustrated staff.



I also liked how the interior was decorated for the Christmas season. Every year, this cafe decorates for Christmas, and it does not recycle but instead uses a variety of items.



I ordered an Americano and took a seat at a table near the counter. Aside from me, there were two other guests, a male couple who worked for a company in the same building.



“Since I pay all of Dayoung’s kindergarten expenses, is it really such a difficult request that you pay the electricity bill?”



“Would I add $200 to our monthly living expenses if that’s the case?”



“Of course, because you make more money than me!”



The couple always has a heated conversation at the cafe. I’m really envious. I’d like to get married soon and quarrel with my husband about living expenses. And after becoming a regular at the cafe and became a famous parakeet couple,  I want to fight over who pays for my kids’ kindergarten and electricity bills.



“If you’re going to be this way, let’s divorce!”



“Go for it!” 



The couple quarreled with each other and stormed out of the cafe. As they were leaving, the owner came over with an Americano.



He came up slowly.



“That couple always fight.”



“Yes… I’m envious.”



“Yes, yes?”



I was envious, but the boss tilted his head as if he didn’t understand. He sat down with a bewildered smile, so I just smiled awkwardly.



I’d also like to try a couple fight known as ‘cutting water with a knife.’ I wanted to have such an experience that barely calms my desire to divorce while thinking of the child. My parents never had a couple fight in front of me. Did they do it outside? It’s possible they did it in front of my older brother. (T/N: “Like a knife cutting through water” is the Korean ideal of relationships within a family. The idea is that love among family members should be like water. You can cut through it with the sharpest of knives, but you can’t keep it apart.)



Now I can’t ask anyone about it.



“Did you get over your cold?”



“Yes, I’m all better after eating the porridge you gave me. Haha.”



Seeing him sitting across from me, he seemed to want to talk to me. As a result, I couldn’t get up as soon as I got my order. In any case, I had to thank him at least once.



“I was really grateful back then. Thanks to that, I got out of the crisis.”



When I smiled, the boss blushed and couldn’t make eye contact.



“No. It’s only a bowl of porridge…”



“And for telling me about the scent of roses.”



“Roses scent?”



“Because you told me that my pheromone was flowing out at the time, I was able to prevent the heat cycle in advance. It would have been disastrous if I hadn’t known. Haha.”



I said it with a smile, but the boss’s face hardened over time. The boss turned his head so hard that I heard a creaking sound as he looked at me.



I noticed it when I looked at his quivering eyes. This person was unaware that the scent of roses was the scent of omega pheromones.



I sighed inwardly. Actually, I don’t look like an omega at all. Omega’s appearance is similar to that of the cafe’s owner. Tender, kind, and soft.



“I guess you didn’t know I’m an Omega. I’m a recessive Omega.”



“..I didn’t know…” 



It was unexpected, but I’m not sure why he looks like the person who heard that the earth would be destroyed the next day. Seeing the hardened face and convulsive eyes made me worried.



“Are you okay?”



“…I didn’t know…I really…” 



Was there a bad incident with another Omega?



The owner’s face was full of more despair than disappointment. 



“Seo-yu ssi is also… an Omega.”



The remark surprised me as well. Of course, I didn’t tremble like the owner and feel as if the world had collapsed, but I was surprised enough.



He was an Omega as well.



Come to think of it, he wouldn’t have been able to smell roses in the first place if it hadn’t been for Omega or Alpha.



He does look like an Omega, but I don’t detect any pheromones. I couldn’t even guess because the girlfriend I’ve previously seen was a small and compact plain style that does not appear to be an Alpha.



Perhaps this was the reason he took two days off a month on weekdays. How did he remove the pheromone scent so thoroughly?



The fact that the pheromone has been perfectly controlled so far means that he was a dominant Omega.



The emotion that followed the surprise was comparability as an Omega, but I quickly erased it once I felt a sense of connection. Because it was a feeling of pride and regret that recessive Omega feels comradeship to dominant Omega.



“In any case, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to take my medication ahead of time and spend the rest of the day safely.”



“It’s all right.”



When I got up with the coffee, the owner got up as well. His expression was still stiff. I guess he dislikes the fact that someone like me was an omega.



The owner’s face didn’t brighten until I said goodbye and walked away. One of the reasons I don’t want to leave the company is the taste of the coffee at this cafe… I just hope it won’t be awkward when I come tomorrow.



***



I stopped by a pharmacy on my way home to buy an after-effect contraceptive pill. It was difficult to get pregnant with a recessive omega like me unless the heat and rut overlaps, but I took four pills just in case.



Since I skipped it yesterday, I’m taking four pills today and two pills for the next five days starting tomorrow.



Now I knew everything without reading the instruction.



Houses decorated with Christmas decorations and walls could be seen even in residential alleys on the way home.



Sigh…



My body aches and the cold wind hurts my bones. Maybe it snowed last night, which was why the floor was sopping wet. Damn, I don’t know why the snow should exist. I became even more determined.



My resolution was…



I’m determined not to be alone on Christmas, which was only two weeks away!



Even if I had to contact my former partner, or flirt with an older Alpha, or go to a club for one night stand, I will never, ever, ever be alone.



Does this make sense? Huh? How could I have no one to call on my way home from work?



Does it make sense that I don’t have a lover to tell such a funny and unlucky story as receiving a wedding invitation from my ex-lover?



There was no one to talk to about the newcomer who didn’t put paper in the printer when there wasn’t any left, and I was the one who did, even though it wasn’t my job. There was no one to talk to about the cafe I visit regularly, which was already decorated for Christmas, or the couple’s fight inside the company building.



I have no one?



Does this make sense!



I can’t live like this. I should have a boyfriend who would listen to every little things. I thought I needed to find a lover as I walked down this cold and lonely alleyway. I need a lover who will call me naturally after work or when he has time for dinner and would tell me about the events of the day before driving me home.



Fuck… I’m lonely.



It was very cold, but because of the cold, my steps on the way home slowed down gradually.



Because I know it was going to get colder when I got home.



I walked for 20 minutes for what was supposed to be an 8-minute walk from the bus stop.



This day had no significant meaning for me.



There’s nothing I can do to pass the time at home.



With these thoughts in mind, I stopped in front of the familiar detached house. A man stood in front of the gate that led to the second floor.



He wasn’t the owner grandfather.



It wasn’t even the ex-lovers who occasionally came to make a fuss.



“Seo-yu ssi.”



The man who approached me and called my name in a calm voice was Choi Sung-hoon.