* * *
Right after finishing work and returning to the hotel, Wookyung called Han Seokyung.
“Dad, it’s me. Is now a good time to talk?”
—Of course. Thanks for calling even though you’re busy. You’re doing well, right? No health issues?
As always, his father’s warm concern made Wookyung’s chest ache faintly.
He should’ve realized it sooner—just how much his parents had cared for and cherished him.
The fool who refused to see or listen properly had been him.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch more.”
It was a sudden apology, but his omega father replied as kindly as ever.
—That happens when you’re busy. I heard Saheon went on the business trip with you. You two getting along okay? No fights?
Getting along?
That sounded like the kind of thing you’d say when worrying about children.
Thanks to that, Wookyung felt comfortable enough to bring up what he needed to say.
“Of course. There’s nothing to fight about. He’s actually right next to me right now. But actually… I called because I have something I want to tell you and Dad separately. I figured it’d be better to tell you first.”
So in the end, it wasn’t just a casual check-in—he had a purpose for calling.
That made Wookyung feel a little guilty.
—Oh? What is it? If you’re calling during your trip, must be something important.
Unaware of Wookyung’s conflicted heart, Han Seokyung’s gentle tone helped ease his nerves.
“Saheon and I… We’ve decided to date.”
—I see.
The reply was calm.
It wasn’t a misunderstanding to think that he’d expected this.
“I’ll tell you the details when I get back. Could you just give Dad a heads-up for now?”
—Nope. I’m keeping this to myself. You can tell Taejin yourself.
His omega father’s light, teasing tone made Wookyung feel even more at ease.
“Alright, I will.”
—Good. Take care of yourself while you work, and I’ll see you when you’re back.
The call ended there.
After taking a moment to collect himself, Wookyung opened his messenger app.
There were tons of unread messages, and among them, he spotted Assistant Manager Kim’s name.
As soon as he opened the chat, a string of messages from Assistant Manager Kim popped up.
Just two hours ago, he had asked if Wookyung was still alive.
[Me: Assistant Manager Kim, are you busy?
Assistant Manager Kim: Whoa! You’re alive? You’re just now messaging me? I thought you were dead!]
As soon as he messaged, Assistant Manager Kim replied like he’d been waiting all this time.
[Me: No one’s dead. Are you busy or not?
Assistant Manager Kim: Not busy. Even if I was, I’m not now. So come on, spill it. What’s going on? Tell me everything, now.]
Judging by how many times he said “now,” Assistant Manager Kim must’ve been dying to know.
Wookyung was sure he was more curious about the gossip circulating in the office than Wookyung’s wellbeing.
So, Wookyung gave him exactly what he wanted: told him he was dating Saheon.
Unsurprisingly, the messenger started blowing up with notifications.
[Assistant Manager Kim: What? For real?
Assistant Manager Kim: You’re really dating Director Choi? 😑
Me: Yeah.
Assistant Manager Kim: Since when? How did that even happen?
Assistant Manager Kim: Wait, so that means your transfer to the TF team…
Me: It’s not like that. We just got closer after I joined the team.
Assistant Manager Kim: But how? How did that happen? Isn’t the director an Alpha?
Me: What does that have to do with anything?
Assistant Manager Kim: I mean, trait-holders usually stick with their own types.
Assistant Manager Kim: Oh… right. You’re an Omega. But still, the director isn’t from some ordinary background. Don’t chaebols have all these strict standards?
Me: Even if he found out I was an Omega later, we already knew each other before…]
Wookyung paused mid-message.
Calling themselves “acquainted” might open the door to misunderstandings.
Unsure if it was his place to decide, he looked up.
Saheon, who had been typing on his laptop, must’ve sensed Wookyung’s gaze and looked over.
“What is it?”
“Director, are you busy?”
Maybe thinking it was a work-related issue, Saheon pulled his hands away from the keyboard.
As his eyes silently signaled for him to continue, Wookyung didn’t hesitate.
“I’m planning to tell Assistant Manager Kim about our relationship. But I’m not sure how to explain how we met. Should I say we already knew each other, or come up with something else?”
“What kind of ‘something else’?”
“Um… Like we first met on the subway or something?”
“Ah! When you mistook me for a pervert?”
Why did he have to say it like that?
“That time was just a misunderstanding!”
“It really was. I reached out to answer a call and accidentally touched your lower back.”
“It wasn’t my back—it was…!”
Wookyung was about to say it was his butt but realized how off-topic they’d gone and stopped.
“Anyway, you’re right. But I was thinking we could just say we grew closer during the Shanghai trip.”
“True. We did become more aware of each other in Shanghai.”
A faint smile formed on Saheon’s lips as he recalled that time.
“I’m fine with anything, but… if possible, I’d like people to know why I fell for you.”
Why he fell for him?
Why did that make Wookyung feel flushed, even though Saheon said it so casually?
“Why not? It’s important, isn’t it?”
Wookyung glared at him.
The way Saheon suddenly dropped formalities at times like this annoyed him—like he knew exactly when Wookyung’s defenses were down.
“It is important, but won’t that just make people more curious?”
“That’s exactly the point. It’ll make them realize that I didn’t fall for you because you’re an Omega—but because you changed me into a new person.”
What is he even saying?
Wookyung grumbled inwardly, but at the same time, felt a ticklish warmth inside.
Saheon had said those words to him before.
In the meantime, Assistant Manager Kim sent another flurry of messages, clearly unable to hold back.
[Assistant Manager Kim: Wait—did you two do something? 😱
Assistant Manager Kim: You know what I mean. Alpha and Omega… those heated moments, things happen at night.
Assistant Manager Kim: I won’t tell anyone. Just be honest with me, okay?
Assistant Manager Kim: You know I can keep a secret, right? Come on, you trust me, right?]
No, I don’t trust you.
That’s why I’m telling you and not someone else, Wookyung thought.
Even as they exchanged messages, Assistant Manager Kim’s chat window was probably flashing nonstop—feeding live updates to someone else.
Still, Wookyung didn’t stop him.
It was better to set the tone before returning to the office.
[Assistant Manager Kim: Honestly, when I heard you went into heat, I didn’t believe it at first.
Assistant Manager Kim: So tell me. I swear I won’t say a word.]
As Wookyung read Assistant Manager Kim’s stream of oversharing, he calmly typed away.
[Me: Yeah, I spent my heat cycle with the director.
Me: But that’s not why we started dating. We were middle school classmates. We only recently figured that out.
Assistant Manager Kim: Wait! You guys really spent the night together?!]
It was becoming clear that Assistant Manager Kim cared far more about what happened at night than how they met.
Well, that part was more scandalous and entertaining.
But what Wookyung wanted wasn’t for people to focus on the personal, intimate details of their relationship.
He wanted them to understand the bond between them.
[Me: Yeah. Saheon really likes me, you know. I actually saved him once.
Assistant Manager Kim: Now that you mention it, you two went to school together, right? But saved him? You did? LOL. How?
Assistant Manager Kim: No offense, but you don’t exactly look like someone who’s good in a fight.
Assistant Manager Kim: Then again, with that face of yours, if you calmly reasoned with someone, I bet most people would just fold. Haha
Me: What’s wrong with my face?]
‘Why are we suddenly talking about my face?’
[Assistant Manager Kim: It’s just… you’ve got that calm, unshakable beauty thing going on. Like, whenever you say something, it just sounds right, you know?
Me: What are you even talking about?
Assistant Manager Kim: Anyway, that’s not the point. What exactly happened back then?
Wookyung calmly explained the situation—how he saw Saheon being bullied by delinquent students and called the police.
How he handed him a handkerchief and a bottle of water with some advice.
Me: He said that what I told him made him realize he couldn’t keep living like that. So he went to the U.S. and studied hard.
Assistant Manager Kim: Wow. That’s… kind of a cheesy story. Is that for real?
Me: And if it’s not?
Assistant Manager Kim: I mean, come on, it sounds like one of those romantic stories rich families like to spread. LOL
It didn’t really matter if he believed it or not.
What Wookyung wanted was for the reason he and Saheon were dating to get across.
But for some reason, the way he casually dismissed the sincerity of it got under his skin.
Me: I’m not some chaebol heir. Why would I need to make up a story like that?
Assistant Manager Kim: You’re so naive. That’s how all Cinderella stories go, you know? heh
Hearing the word Cinderella, Wookyung instinctively glanced back at Saheon—who was already looking straight at him like he’d been waiting for that moment.
* * *
