"What do you think about that alpha?" That was the question, the sentence Lee Hajoon threw back at me after I reported the smooth start of my mission.
"What about him?" I asked back, even though I understood the meaning behind his question.
"Cho Seungho, he's interested in you."
I rolled my eyes lazily.
"Isn't that good? Your chance to get close to him will come faster—"
"Wait a minute," I cut him off. "Don't tell me you intend to set me up with this alpha named Seungho?"
A burst of laughter came from the other end, leaving me just gaping. "You hate alphas, every single one on this earth without exception." Lee Hajoon was an exception, a minor one.
I snorted as I listened to him babble his next sentence. "Gwanghyun-ah, you know, right, it's impossible for me to ask you to do something you don't want to do?"
I kept listening.
"Your mission this time is to get close to Cho Seungho, but not in matters of fate, mates, or anything like that."
"So, what do you want me to do to him? Make him fall in love with me and then dump him?" This was just a guess.
"More or less... that's it." Hajoon confirmed.
What the fuck! I cursed in my heart.
"But the overall plan isn't exactly like that," he continued. My forehead furrowed; I stared at the star-studded night sky of Seoul.
"You're giving me a complicated, incomprehensible mission," I grumbled at him in a flat tone.
"Hey, don't sulk like that, no matter what you have to complete it, there's no agreement from me that allows you to cancel it," Hajoon asserted in a persuasive tone. On the side of my body, one of my fists clenched, wanting to grab the collar of this alpha's shirt firmly.
"You won't regret it after this mission is over, I guarantee it."
I didn't answer anymore. There was a pause for a few moments, and finally Hajoon said goodbye and hung up the phone without waiting for a reply from me.
Silence engulfed the main room of the apartment I was now living in. Staring at the cityscape that I once thought was amazing, it turned out to be just ordinary, even boring. Tall buildings inhabited by people trapped in mundane routines.
I let out a long sigh, still leaning against the thick glass window that also served as a wall to the outside world. I was still holding my phone, and then I thought about calling someone. But who?
Drrtt ...!
The vibration of the phone in my hand broke my reverie. I saw the screen showing a call from an unknown number. At first I hesitated, but I still answered.
"Annyeong!" A man's voice greeted warmly. "It's me, the one at the cafe, I forgot to tell you my name then, you must have been confused about what name to save for my number in your contacts."
I was stunned for a moment, how confident he was—that I would save his number. I was indeed about to save it too.
"Cho Seungho imnida," he said casually.
"Ah, yes..." I looked at the white sofa and headed towards it. "I've saved your number, Seungho-ssi."
"Seungho-ssi?"
" ... " I fell silent, did I make a mistake calling him 'ssi'? We only just met this afternoon.
He laughed again. "No need to be so formal, I already consider you a friend after we exchanged phone numbers this afternoon."
"A ha ha." I laughed awkwardly hearing his words that sounded overly familiar.
"I'm being overly familiar, huh?" Seungho asked.
He's self-aware too.
"Actually, I've never been like this before, especially with someone I just met."
So?
"I feel that you're a bit different. Being with you, sharing a table with you at that cafe made me feel comfortable."
I hated trusting my feelings, but what this alpha man said sounded sincere.
"Can we meet again? This time, my treat."
My lips suddenly went numb. Rejection floated in my head, so difficult to utter.
"If you don't answer, I'll take it as a yes."
He decided arbitrarily.
"Just send me the address where we'll meet, I'll try to come no matter what time it is. I'm not a busy person, so you can schedule our meeting according to your timetable."
Our meeting? I chuckled unconsciously. "Alright, I'll send the address and time."
"Gwanghyun-ah," he called softly. Not just that citrus scent, his voice was so similar to someone I deeply hated. "Good night."
My heart pounded wildly, buried fear seemed to surge to the surface. Briefly, a dark shadow flashed in my head, along with an alpha man with a citrus pheromone whispering the same phrase in my ear.
No, that wasn't him. Cho Seungho wasn't that man. Besides, that man couldn't be free, he was already imprisoned in hell forever.
"Good night."
Those two words hung in the air, leaving an uncomfortable vibration in my bones. Seungho's voice, which had felt warm and friendly just moments ago, suddenly turned into a creepy echo from a hated past. I collapsed onto the white sofa, my phone slipping from my grip and landing on the carpet with a soft thud.
It's not him, I whispered to myself, trying to convince myself. It's just a coincidence. His voice and scent... just a coincidence.
But my body reacted as if the threat were real. Heart pounding, palms sweating. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. The scent of vanilla and agarwood from my own pheromone felt slightly sour, mixed with fear.
Trembling, I stood up and walked towards the kitchen. I downed a glass of ice water in one gulp, hoping the cold would soothe the sudden fever that gripped me. My eyes fell on the knives neatly arranged on the rack. For a moment, my fingers itched to hold one, to feel safe.
But I restrained myself. That wasn't the solution.
I dragged my feet to the bedroom. The darkness felt more piercing than usual. Usually, darkness was my friend, my hiding place. But tonight, it felt like a threat.
With a quick, practiced movement, my hand reached under the pillow, feeling the cold, serrated handle of the knife I always kept there. A false sense of relief flowed through my veins. At least I had this.
I lay down on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling. My mind swirled between Seungho's handsome face and friendly smile, and the shadow of the man I knew from the past—the man with the same citrus pheromone who had destroyed my life.
"Gwanghyun-ah..." a voice whispered in my head, and I shivered.
I hugged the pillow tightly, trying to suppress the returning nausea. The scent of Seungho's musk citrus seemed to still cling to my nose, mixed with the aroma of coffee and waffles from the cafe.
The mission, I reminded myself. This is just a mission. I am Onyx. I am a killer. Not a victim.
But why did those words feel so hollow tonight?
Still gripping the knife tightly under my pillow, I closed my eyes. Sleep would not come easily tonight. Every small sound—the creak of the floor, the rustle of the wind outside the window—sounded like approaching footsteps.
I lay awake, trapped between a haunting past and a future filled with the citrus scent I hated and mysterious brown eyes. Cho Seungho might not be the man from my past, but he brought the same storm—and that storm had just begun to hit my fortress.
·
"Gwanghyun-ah!" The voice whispered in my ear, sounding hoarse and intimidating. I spontaneously opened my eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. No matter how hard I tried to focus my gaze, all I could see was darkness.
"Gwanghyun..." The voice sounded again. As my eyes darted restlessly, I felt a pair of hands groping my stomach. And when I made a small act of resistance, the chain shackling my neck restrained my movement. Slowly, the figure of the voice's owner became visible. A pair of cold eyes with a sharp gaze and a sneer on his lips stared at me. "Isn't this what you wanted?" He whispered right in my ear. My eyes widened as something sharp and cold pierced my lower abdomen. An excruciating pain, then a warm, somewhat thick fluid seeped out. I panicked and screamed loudly. However, no sound came out. Meanwhile, the man laughed freely.
I opened my eyes and immediately sat up. In a split second, my hand grabbed something I always slipped under my pillow. The sharp, serrated knife was gripped tightly, rising from the bed to brandish it in all directions.
Silence, there was no one but myself, now plagued by dizziness from standing up suddenly after being awakened by a nightmare.
"Damn it..." I staggered back and sat back down on the edge of the bed. Fingers still gripping the knife handle tightly, breath ragged and sweat dampening my brow.
"A dream..." It had been quite a while since I had a nightmare like that. A dream about myself imprisoned in a dark, cramped, and stuffy room. My body was chained like an animal and made into a slave to satisfy the desires of the most disgusting creature in the world, an alpha. That was just one of many reasons I hated them. Apart from all that, I hated another part of myself even more—the omega secondary sex residing within it. I hated the gentle instincts of an omega, also their lower status compared to alphas, and betas.
I stared at the knife in my grasp. In my heart, I vowed to keep erasing the omega side within me until only cruelty and heartlessness towards alphas remained.
Warm light penetrated the glass window of my room. It blinded me. I squinted, using my left hand to block the sunlight peeking through the blue curtains.
It was already morning, apparently. I sheathed the knife again before slipping it back into its place, under the pillow where I slept. Just in case, I had experience with a stalker who had infiltrated my apartment.
My pair of feet walked slowly towards the window. I opened the curtains completely, revealing the view of Seoul city in the morning. The sun shone brightly accompanied by clouds floating in the blue sky.
Cho Seungho.
Just waking up, and that name flashed through my mind again along with his image from the cafe yesterday afternoon. Every line of Cho Seungho's face was so similar to the face of the alpha in my nightmare. No, in reality, that wasn't a dream.
Unconsciously, my fingers clenched. There was an emotion stirring in my chest. The mission Hajoon gave me was still a puzzle full of riddles.
"Wooah!" I yawned while stretching my arms. I went back to bed to lie down for a few more minutes. But before that, the phone on the table rang.
"Aish..." Hajoon's name on the screen dampened my morning mood. "What?" I asked, wanting his point directly without any desire to hear small talk.
"How's your morning?" Hajoon asked casually.
"Just say it quickly, what do you want me to do!" I urged, truly reluctant to talk to this alpha after a nightmare like earlier. And this happened occasionally.
I heard Hajoon sigh. "Seungho is around the Gangnam area for his morning jog."
"Is that all you wanted to say?" I asked, also letting out a long sigh.
"Don't you want to take this opportunity to get close to him? Put on your workout clothes, catch up to him for a morning jog." After saying that, Hajoon hung up.
"Aish, damn it..." I couldn't refuse. I followed his orders, albeit very reluctantly.
·
Each small step I took along the sidewalk slightly alleviated my bad mood. It was still quite early, but several people were already busy with their monotonous routines. Quite a few people I passed were also jogging in the morning. My gaze stayed forward, ignoring a few who glanced my way. I had taken pheromone suppressants; there was no way they could know my identity beyond being attracted to my appearance.
Betas dominated almost 70% of the world's population. Followed by alphas at 20%, and the remaining 10% were omegas. Out of so many betas, why wasn't I born as one of them? An alpha once told me the reason. It ended with me hating myself even more.
In this world, whoever you are, no matter your background, if you're born as an alpha, you will be respected.
Not far from where I was standing, a man was seen drinking bottled mineral water. Cho Seungho, who are you really? I didn't even know your background yet.
I blinked as he turned to look at me. His lips curved into a smile, one hand waving in my direction.
"Gwanghyun-ah! Is that you?" he asked from a distance, hurriedly approaching me. That smile hadn't faded from his handsome face—even though his breath was already panting. "What a coincidence meeting you here."
"Yeah..." I snorted softly; in reality, this wasn't a coincidence.
"By the way, do you live around here?" Seungho asked, glancing at the buildings around Cheongdam PH129 apartment in the Gangnam district, which was also an elite area.
"You could say so..." I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a bit uncomfortable with his question.
This alpha's expression grew even more enthusiastic. "I live near here too," he said, pointing to one of the concrete buildings towering among the others, the penthouse where he lived. "Want to drop by?" It wasn't a question, but an invitation. I admit this alpha was indeed friendly to a stranger. Or did he have another intention?
"I think another time—"
"Come on! I want to invite you for tea as well."
I didn't have time to avoid it; Seungho grabbed my arm and pulled me towards his destination. I had to follow him, willingly or not.
"You'll like the tea," he said without looking at me, slightly quickening his pace. Oh my, this alpha was so enthusiastic, even after a tiring morning jog.
·
"This Tieguanyin tea is a blend of black and green tea, both fermented," Seungho said while pouring oolong tea into two cups. "Known for its rich flavor, its leaves are harvested in the Anxi County mountains in Fujin Province, China."
I sat listening, my eyes focused on the cup of tea, occasionally on his face. Not forgetting the snack of warm dim sum. Seeing that food made me hungry now.
"Thank you," I said, taking the cup, taking a few sips before placing it back down. It was Seungho's turn to watch me. "What?" I asked.
"Eat the dim sum too. That's a souvenir from my recent trip to China."
Was he just bragging about his vacation? I didn't know, but I ate it anyway. Warm, as if freshly made, and the texture was soft. The taste was pretty good. Seungho was still watching me eat; I didn't look at him for a while. I thought he would ask about how the dim sum was, but he didn't. This alpha sipped his tea while eating his dim sum too.
Silence ensued. During that time, I discreetly observed the entire room of Seungho's apartment. There was a chandelier on the white ceiling, neatly arranged bookshelves, comfortable sofas, and a calm atmosphere all blending into one Renaissance-style room. Among all that, one thing caught my attention: a wall decoration of a deer's head firmly attached near the work desk. I noticed vaguely that on one of its antlers was a silver pocket watch.
I snapped back to reality when I felt a warm breath of air hit my neck. When I turned, Seungho was very close. Spontaneously, I returned his gaze. He just said, "so, you haven't been marked yet."
His brown eyes stared straight into mine. I almost glared hearing his words but didn't. I found a glimmer of hope in this alpha's eyes. And it was...
"Actually, I've liked you since the first time I saw you. You know, love at first sight," Seungho said.
I fell silent. Even though I had predicted this possibility might happen, the atmosphere made me nervous. The same thing was probably felt by Seungho, visible from his fidgeting as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Seungho hastily added, "This may be sudden, but I trust my feelings." He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Because... I've never felt like this before. Gwanghyun-ah, you are my mate. I'm sure of it."
Why? Suddenly my heart raced wildly. Something within me, a strange feeling I had never felt before and was very... pleasant.
"Ahem," I cleared my throat, breaking the awkwardness. "But I don't feel the same way." My eyes looked straight into his, firm and full of threat, intending for him to forget what he had just said.
Seungho smiled softly. "I understand." "You just need time."
How confident he was—that I would come to like him. At our first meeting, just smelling his pheromone already made me sick.
Wait a minute, I hadn't smelled that musk citrus scent since entering here. Was he using pheromone suppressants?
"By the way, why do you like me?" I asked, sipping the tea in my cup again.
"I'm gay." Seungho confessed openly. "And male omegas, they're rare. As a gay man, I'm not interested in relationships with women, whether alpha, beta, or omega. If I don't have a fated male omega pair, then my choice is only male betas. But who would have thought, I met you, that's a stroke of luck for me."
"You talk as if I'm the only male omega in this world." The words that came out of my mouth sounded cold even to my own ears. I hated being an omega.
Seungho's lips formed a faint smile, not as sweet as the dim sum I was now chewing. "I've met a few of them before, unfortunately, they already had mates. And the rest..." That smile now disappeared, and those eyes showed a deep sadness about something he didn't say.
Seungho took a breath, looked at me again, and then said, "I just want to protect you."
"Pfftt ... uhuk!" I choked because I was holding back laughter. A shocked expression filled Seungho's face. He took the initiative to do something for me, but I stopped him by pushing his shoulder. Meanwhile, I was still busy covering my mouth with the back of my hand, suppressing laughter at what he had just said.
Protect me? Hahaha.
"I appreciate your good intentions," I said.
I could protect myself.
"But no, thank you." I stood up, intending to leave immediately. "Thanks for the delicious tea and dim sum."
"If you need a ride, don't hesitate to say so." Seungho also stood up, a smile returning to his lips.
"No need to trouble yourself." I waved my hand dismissively.
"I don't feel troubled." Seungho was still coaxing. I didn't respond.
Just as I was about to turn away, a sound came from the left, approaching us. So he didn't live alone. I turned to look at the other inhabitant of this apartment. He was a teenage boy with black hair, fair skin, with dimples that showed when he smiled. I saw that glimpse after the teenager changed the expression on his face.
"You...?" The teenager pointed at me with his index finger. His eyes widened, speaking with a stammer.
"Seowoo-ya! Be polite to my special guest." Seungho called out to the boy.
It seemed like I had met him before, but where?
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