According to my research, it was common for Omegas to be unable to smell each other’s pheromones, and while Alphas could distinguish another Alpha’s pheromones by scent, it didn’t lead to sexual arousal.
Only Alphas and Omegas were stimulated to sexual arousal by each other’s pheromones, detected through their sense of smell.
The higher a Golden Alpha’s rank, the stronger their reproductive ability, and the more capable they were of releasing powerful pheromones that were difficult for Omegas to resist. Conversely, they also had a superior defense against an Omega’s pheromones. They could reliably protect themselves from the sudden, acute heats—that is, ruts—caused by an Omega’s pheromonal stimulation, allowing them to live a life almost like a Beta’s, if they so chose.
Not only were their offensive and defensive capabilities regarding pheromones high, but they could also sensitively distinguish between the pheromones of Omegas and other Alphas. So, Inwoo-hyung calling him an “Omega connoisseur” was no exaggeration. If he was among the highest-ranking of the Golden Alphas, then telling apart an Alpha, an Omega, and a Beta would take no more effort than distinguishing an apple, a strawberry, and a banana by their scent.
Knowing how strict he was about pheromones, I could somewhat guess the displeasure he must have been feeling because of the man from a moment ago.
No, even setting aside his fastidiousness, the man had provoked him with excessive rudeness. I actually thought he had shown considerable patience. I didn’t want to blame him for his final response being crueler than necessary.
Besides, the reason he, who had tried to avoid a confrontation by leaving, finally reacted was ‘probably’ because of me.
If the man hadn’t made that final comment about him ‘dragging around a boring Beta,’ he would have ignored the provocation and left. It might have been a response to being treated as someone who drags around something boring, but at the very least, that wasn’t all there was to it.
To the point where he couldn’t just ignore such an insult. At least now, I wasn’t a nobody to him.
I was grateful for that, and I also felt a touch of emotion that made the edges of my heart tremble sweetly. Why wouldn’t I?
But perhaps because of the complex emotions in the man’s eyes as he looked at him, I couldn’t feel purely, refreshingly happy. It wasn’t for a noble reason like sympathy or empathy for the man. It was a more self-centered imagining.
Who could be certain that after spending more time by his side, I wouldn’t become as pathetic as that man?
“Let’s go out to the terrace and get some air.”
Only after we had moved far from the table, to the front of the stairs leading to the second floor, did he finally speak. The space between his brows was still tense, and though he didn’t quite meet my eyes, his suggestive voice was gentle.
The second floor was comfortably furnished, mostly with couch seating. Groups of several people, or couples, were lounging on plush sofas, enjoying the music, drinks, and conversation.
We passed by a man and woman sharing a deep kiss, unconcerned with their surroundings under the dimmer lighting compared to the first floor, and stepped out onto the terrace.
“Ah…”
The night view of Hong Kong spread out right below our feet, no need to go up to the Victoria Peak observatory. The scenery was enough to draw an exclamation of awe even from my lips, which were not usually quick or dramatic in reaction.
It’s a cliché, but the entire city sparkled as if stardust had been spilled over it. Even knowing it was artificial light crafted by civilization, for a moment, I was overwhelmed, as if I had become a witness to a mysterious phenomenon created by nature.
He turned to look at me, gaping in awe like a child watching fireworks at an amusement park, and showed a faint smile. I felt embarrassed for showing such a childish side again, but if I could make him smile, even a little, at this moment, that was good enough.
Large candles in transparent windscreens were placed here and there on the spacious terrace, serving as a source of soft light, and just like indoors, plush sofas were arranged at a distance from each other. Jazz music, the same being played on the first floor, flowed from speakers fixed to the wall, adding to the emotional impact of the night view before us.
Whether they were couples who had come here together or lovers of the night, hastily formed at this party, pairs of people had escaped the crowded party hall to whisper sweet nothings or exchange deep skinship.
We sat side by side on a sofa at the very end of the terrace. As soon as we took our seats, champagne was set up for us.
“We used to work together, but he and I never got along. He’s the type who treats being an Alpha like a medal of honor, and he caused trouble several times within the company because of his pheromones, so we clashed over it many times. As expected… he couldn’t let it go quietly today either.”
He frowned once, hard, and shook his head, as if regretting that he had, uncharacteristically, said too much.
To me, it seemed less like the man was hostile toward him and more like he was desperately craving his attention with his entire being… but that was just my uncertain premonition, having zero dating experience.
A cool breeze blew, making the air conditioning completely unnecessary. Our seats, facing the terrace railing, were right in front of a thicket of garden trees that obscured about half of the night view. That was probably why this spot, the most secluded and private one, had been empty.
His distinct profile, as he leaned forward with his arms resting on his thighs, seemed to still be chewing over the unpleasantness of the recent incident. I wondered if there was anything I could say to comfort him, and as I watched him, an unfamiliar scent drifted under my nose.
The source of the fragrance was clearly him, sitting next to me. It was a different scent from ‘that scent’ I knew. The perfume Noona had described as his preference for dark scents was a different fragrance from the one I knew as his. The moment I realized that, I found myself deeply relieved.
Since it was his perfume, it should have been the same whether it was that scent or this one, but I couldn’t even properly explain to myself by what standard I disliked that one and was okay with this one. In the first place, it wasn’t a problem I could stop just because I disliked it.
Nevertheless, just the fact that he hadn’t shared that scent with someone else today, at this moment, was enough to make me feel relieved. Foolishly so.
After staring at a spot on the floor for a long while, lost in thought, he looked up at me with a bitter smile.
“I’m sorry. For showing you such a pathetic scene. A grown man acting pretty pathetic, right?”
I shook my head firmly several times.
“Saying he can’t even seduce someone without pheromones. To be honest… I don’t even have the right to criticize him like that.”
Muttering as if to himself, he drained the glass he was holding in one go.
I couldn’t understand why he judged himself so harshly. Even his close friend, Inwoo-hyung, had commented that he didn’t use his pheromones, as if he were trying to become a Beta.
Perhaps the recent argument over pheromones was pushing him, already strict with himself, to be overly critical.
“You… could seduce anyone you wanted, even without pheromones. If you wanted to, anyone.”
He, who had been silently refilling his own glass, stopped and turned to look at me. It was a joke I had attempted to make him smile, but I worried it might have come across as a remark that failed to read the room.
“You think so?”
But seeing his slight chuckle, it seemed to have been received as a joke, at least.
“Yes, you wouldn’t need something like pheromones.”
I don’t really think so, he muttered to himself in English, then raised the filled glass and immediately drained half of it again.
“You’re handsome… you have great business acumen… you always dress so well…”
He suddenly burst out laughing. It was a low but distinct laugh. And with the lingering traces of the subsided laughter still on his face, he looked at me.
“Are you trying to cheer me up right now?”
“A little… clumsy, right?”
Heat rushed to my earlobes at my own immaturity, trying to console him by listing off kindergarten-level, one-dimensional compliments. It was a relief that it was too dark for him to see well.
“But it’s not a lie. Honestly, you know it all, don’t you? If you said you didn’t, I think that would be even more annoying.”
When I glanced up at him, the initial tension and dark self-reproach had largely faded from his eyes and the corners of his mouth. That was enough. The embarrassment was momentary. It wasn’t as if he had laughed at my childish method of consolation. Rather than laughing at me… his gaze on me had deepened.
I automatically tensed up under his gaze as it moved slowly, as if meticulously tracing every part of my face. Was this way of studying a person’s face a habit of his?
The scent, carried on the wind that rustled the tree branches, stimulated my sense of smell. It was the scent I knew so well.
I unknowingly leaned my upper body forward and inhaled. His shoulder was only about a hand’s breadth away from mine.
“I thought you didn’t wear that perfume today.”
“I mixed several. I hate overlapping scents with someone more than running into someone wearing the same clothes.”
Saying so as he emptied his glass, he placed the empty glass on the table. Then, he draped his arm over the back of the sofa and turned his body toward me. His firm, long arm stretched across behind my back.
Just by turning his body toward me, the scent grew stronger. It felt like the fragrance was pouring out from his chest, which was opened up due to his draped arm.
“Do you really want to cheer me up?”
I nodded. Bending the arm he had draped over the backrest, he began to toy with my hair. His hand, which had been lightly rubbing the ends of my hair, brushed past the edge of my ear and went down to gently cup the nape of my exposed neck.
Sliding closer, he tilted his head sharply and pressed his lips right against my ear. Just his moist breath made my shoulders flinch.
“There is… a way.”
His whispering voice was like a metaphor for a curiosity-inducing secret. The husky, low tone was so sweet it felt like it was gently scratching the inside of my stomach.
His high nose, after lightly brushing my ear, slowly traversed my cheek. And just as it was about to touch the tip of my nose, his face tilted at a different angle. I pulled back ever so slightly, but it wasn’t a gesture of rejection. It was merely an act born of bewilderment, surprise, and a little fear.
Our lips brushed against each other. And the next moment, he pressed into me, deeper. Each time he moved his head, the plump flesh of our lips pushed and yielded against each other. I was completely unable to move from just that shallow contact.
His hot, dry lips took my lower lip, then my upper lip, in turn. He would hold them between his lips, mumbling as if to squeeze out the juice from within, then suck strongly before letting go, repeating the motion.
In a daze, feeling distant and dizzyingly unsteady, I fumbled for the hem of his jacket and held on. My breath trembled, and my shoulders and back alternated between tensing up rigidly and collapsing helplessly. I didn’t know how to control myself.
When I slowly blinked my eyes open, there were his eyes, gazing at me from an incredibly close distance.
“This is your first kiss.”
He whispered, his eyes narrowed as he looked down at me from a lip-brushing distance.
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