* * *
[Is this Mr. Gil Wookyung?]
Just as Wookyung stepped into the hotel lobby, he made eye contact with a smiling hotel staff member approaching him.
The man looked so polite and cheerful that Wookyung briefly wondered if they knew each other.
[Yes, I’m Gil Wookyung. But… how did you recognize me?]
He glanced around, puzzled.
The face was unfamiliar.
The staff’s smile brightened even more as he bowed politely.
[Good afternoon. I’m Ress, the general manager. It’s an honor to welcome you.]
What is this? A hidden camera prank?
Or did I fall asleep in the taxi and this is all a dream?
Wookyung blinked and looked at the general manager, completely lost as to why he was being treated this way.
[Ah, I’ve gone on too long with the greetings. Let me show you to your room right away.]
Despite the confusion, that was the most welcome thing he’d heard all day.
Wookyung followed the general manager toward an elevator located in a private area.
The elevator ascended for a few seconds without stopping, and the doors opened.
“…Whoa.”
A huge floor-to-ceiling window revealed a sweeping view of downtown Chicago.
The living room, easily over 1,800 square feet, was decorated like something straight out of a movie.
There were six closed doors—probably separating the bedrooms, kitchen, and bathrooms.
“What the… This is the Presidential Suite. Why did he book this?”
It wasn’t just a matter of money.
This was a room supposedly reserved only for VIPs selected by the hotel.
No wonder the general manager had welcomed him so warmly the moment he stepped into the lobby.
‘Now that I think about it, there wasn’t even a check-in process.’
Which means Saheon had already contacted the hotel.
[Um, I think there’s been some mistake.]
Wookyung began cautiously, trying to make sure he hadn’t ended up in the wrong place.
[Mr. Choi Saheon instructed us to escort Mr. Gil Wookyung upon arrival.]
But the general manager answered immediately, as if he’d been expecting the question.
Though—did he just say something odd?
[Mr. Choi… ?]
Saheon is a department director.
And besides, people don’t even use titles like that here.
Even the buyer earlier called him by name.
The general manager simply looked back at him like everything was normal.
[No, nothing. Thank you for the assistance.]
[If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Gil.]
With a polite bow, the general manager left. Wookyung looked around in disbelief.
“This really is like something out of a surprise show…”
He quickly pulled out his phone to message Saheon.
He thought about calling, but knowing he was probably in the middle of work, he held back.
[Me: I need to talk to you, so once your schedule’s done—]
…No, that sounds way too personal. Wookyung quickly tapped the delete button and erased it all.
[Me: Saheon, what were you thinking, booking a room like this…]
“This feels like I’m picking a fight again.”
[Me: Please contact me when you’re done.]
In the end, that’s all I managed to send.
I felt like I should’ve said more, but maybe it was the fever or just sheer exhaustion—I couldn’t think of anything better.
I sank onto the spacious sofa, still holding my phone in my hand.
The soft plushness and the way it seemed to cradle my entire body made it obvious this was expensive furniture.
I closed my eyes for a moment, and that scent hit me again.
I’d smelled it earlier too, so there was no way I could be mistaken anymore.
My eyelids fluttered before I opened my eyes again.
“…Is this for real?”
I wanted to think the buyer was just confused.
But even I couldn’t deny it now.
Propping my chin on my knees up on the sofa, I stared blankly ahead.
My eyelids dropped again.
My body felt heavy—like I’d fall asleep if I stayed like this.
Then the vibration of my phone jolted me out of my daze.
I turned my head to the right.
The screen lit up from where I’d left it on the floor.
It wasn’t a message—someone was calling.
It was the person I’d been waiting for.
“…Saheon-ssi.”
My voice came out low and husky, making me blink slowly.
Come to think of it, maybe I had dozed off a bit.
—I’m on my way. How are you feeling?
I tried to assess my condition in response to his question.
I could clearly feel the pheromones now.
Not just through my nose—they seemed to overwhelm all my senses.
“…I can feel the pheromones.”
My head was foggy, my ears buzzing.
The fever seemed worse than before.
My body was hot, yet I shivered.
My fingertips and toes were icy, but sweat beaded on my neck and forehead.
And that wasn’t all.
For some reason, heat kept swelling up from my lower abdomen, slow but constant.
I swallowed dryly.
I wanted to focus on something else—anything—but it wasn’t working.
—Wookyung-ssi?
Even though the phone was right at my ear, Saheon’s voice felt strangely distant.
“…Haa…”
A breath slipped out from my parted lips, thick with something heavy and damp.
Saheon must have noticed the oddity in my voice because he went silent.
“Saheon-ssi… uh, I… I think I’m…”
This isn’t normal.
The moment I realized it, that subtle warmth spread like a fire through my whole body.
I could clearly feel something leaking at my entrance.
My eyes widened.
Panicking, I abruptly ended the call.
My face flushed red, and my mouth fell open.
“What… What is this…?”
I scrambled off the sofa.
To my horror, I saw a dark stain spreading inside my thigh.
Flushed, I quickly looked around the room.
I should’ve gotten the room tour from the general manager earlier, but I’d been too spaced out.
Now I had no idea where the bathroom even was.
I needed to get somewhere—anywhere—to check my condition.
As I staggered across the room, my abandoned phone kept vibrating relentlessly on the floor.
But I didn’t answer it again.
Saheon’s face hardened.
Wookyung’s words still echoed vividly in his ears:
[I can feel the pheromones.]
Then there was that slow, sticky breath through the speaker—words Wookyung would never normally say.
It wasn’t until later that he realized the call had ended in a panic.
He immediately redialed, but there was no answer.
Growing anxious, Saheon urged the driver to go faster.
He even contacted the hotel to help guide him, worried about Wookyung’s condition.
But judging by the short phone call, it was clear that what he had imagined and what was actually happening were vastly different.
It was almost as if—
The moment the thought struck him, Saheon leapt out of the taxi as soon as they arrived.
He raised his hand to wave off the approaching general manager.
Not even one second could be wasted right now.
Even during the short elevator ride, he kept calling, over and over, but still no answer.
Frustrated, he loosened his tie just as the elevator doors opened.
He stepped into the room—and froze.
A thick, clinging scent hit him like a wave.
“…This is…”
There was no need for confirmation.
The scent that enveloped him—one only someone as sensitive as him could detect—was unmistakably Wookyung’s pheromone.
It was thicker than usual, saturating the room.
“Wookyung-ssi!”
He took off again, more urgently this time.
The scent was everywhere, yet the person it belonged to was nowhere in sight.
Fearing the worst, he tried calling again.
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzzzzz.
The vibration sound led him to the phone—lying abandoned, trembling on the floor.
“…Haa…”
Saheon’s face twisted when he saw his name on the screen.
Could Wookyung have just… gone somewhere in that state?
Leaving even his phone behind?
His face hardened with dread—until he finally heard it.
The faintest sound of running water.
So faint even he barely noticed.
Realization hit, and he turned instantly.
With long strides, he crossed to the source.
The door was firmly closed.
But he knew—he knew the one he was looking for was behind it.
“Wookyung-ssi.”
He knocked, calling his name.
No answer.
He knocked again—thud, thud.
Still nothing.
“Wookyung-ssi!”
Did something happen?
Panic gripped him.
Without even checking if it was locked, he grabbed the doorknob and twisted.
It opened easily.
And from inside, a wave of thick, dizzying scent poured out.
Omega pheromones.
* * *
