* * *

When Sejun looked up again, Juwan’s expression was unreadable.

Then again, his face was rarely easy to decipher.

“Did I ramble too much about something you don’t care about?”

He tried to sound sarcastic, but Juwan cut him off firmly.

“No. I’m curious.”

“You were probably thinking, ‘What a loser.’”

“No. Honestly, I never thought you’d go through something like that. It’s surprising.”

“You’ve never been through anything like that?”

“I….”

Juwan paused, then answered simply.

“No. Until now, I’ve never heard of such a strange jinx.”

“Oh? Are you calling me a liar? Is this how you treat people just because you’re good-looking?”

Juwan chuckled softly.

“No, not at all.”

His hand moved to Sejun’s back, soothing him with slow, deliberate strokes.

When his hand brushed against Sejun’s lower back, the muscles there twitched involuntarily.

“…….”

Feigning indifference, Sejun reached for his glass, only for Juwan to replace it with a water glass.

“I don’t want you to forget everything.”

“And if I say I’m not drunk?”

“Then you’d sound exactly like someone who is. You know that, right? Your last drunk texts were something else.”

Even as Sejun’s face stiffened, Juwan continued nonchalantly.

“Drunk Sejun is cute, though.”

There it was again.

Another “cute.”

Was this guy out of his mind?

“And when you’re lacking confidence, that’s cute too.”

What?

Lacking confidence?

Jin Sejun, in all his 31 years, had never been short on confidence.

Sure, his pheromones were a mess, and his dating record was a disaster, but otherwise, he was the picture of self-assurance.

Scowling, he grabbed Juwan’s shoulder.

“Do you think I’m cute? Do you even know how old I am?”

“Thirty-one. You told me last time.”

“So, how much older are we?”

“Two years.”

Kwon Juwan was the same age as Jin Sejun’s second eldest brother.

Just two years older, but the age gap felt more pronounced when someone was called an older brother.

“Did you just talk informally to me? Flaunting just because you’re two years older?”

“Haha.”

“You were going to call me cute again, weren’t you?”

“Busted. But you are cute.”

At least look a little flustered. Was life suddenly rosy because you finished losing weight?

Or was it the alcohol?

Jin Sejun felt a sudden surge of stubbornness.

He licked his lower lip and fiddled with Kwon Juwan’s hand, which rested in the middle of the table.

But instead of pulling away, Kwon Juwan calmly clasped their hands and gently stroked the soft skin between his fingers.

It was an utterly unexpected reaction, considering Jin Sejun’s first impression of him.

‘So, are you saying you’ve got experience? Pretending to be clueless while dabbing yourself with Omega pheromones to meet an Alpha? Showing off because you know there are Omegas who’d go crazy for you?’

Sure, as a Beta, he might genuinely not know.

But claiming he’d intentionally used pheromones to arouse someone would be too far-fetched… even if the results said otherwise.

Now, a strange sense of inferiority began bubbling up from deep within him.

Jin Sejun intertwined their fingers slowly, locking eyes with Kwon Juwan.

“So, Juwan, how do you do it? I’m curious.”

“How do I do what?”

“…Masturbate. You said you upload videos.”

He’d thrown the words out as a calculated strike, but Kwon Juwan didn’t bat an eye.

Instead, he leaned in, close enough to whisper in his ear.

“Not curious about sex?”

“Hmm…”

Maybe he was curious.

Beta men were often said to hesitate about sleeping with another man, but maybe he was different—more like a player.

Yeah, why not?

Two good-looking people hooking up for a one-night stand wasn’t a crime.

Or maybe… they could date.

If he started dating Kwon Juwan, it’d be like starting fresh, without the usual hang-ups about pheromones or his relationship jinx.

Feeling his irritation melt away, Jin Sejun responded lightly.

“I’m glad you’re a Beta, Juwan.”

“Oh?”

“At first, I thought you might be an Alpha, but it’s such a relief you’re not. I really can’t do Alphas. Omegas and Betas are fine, but Alphas? Nope.”

Even if he was an Alpha, it’d be hard for him, not the other party, who’d probably love it.

After all, years of obsessing over his own “Alphaness” weren’t going to be undone by pheromones.

Jin Sejun genuinely believed he could treat Kwon Juwan well.

Sure, he lacked real experience, but he’d scoured countless online forums, reading testimonials from Omegas about their first experiences.

He’d devoured guides like ‘100 Ways to Please an Omega’, ‘How Alphas Can Win an Omega’s Love’, and ‘An Open Letter to Alpha Mates’—becoming, in his own mind, a self-proclaimed expert on theoretical relationships and intimacy.

‘I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt…’

He could even hold off until Kwon Juwan left.

In the meantime, he’d imagined multiple scenarios to ease Kwon Juwan into it, even while showering.

He pictured himself carrying a flushed, pliant Kwon Juwan to the bed, letting everything unfold naturally.

After all, Jin Sejun was born to bring joy to those in his arms.

After drying off, he spritzed on a bit of cologne.

By then, he’d already prepared a repertoire of ways to relax Kwon Juwan and sorted out positions based on his reactions.

Confident, despite his limited experience and excessive pride, Jin Sejun stepped out of the shower, radiating masculine energy mixed with the warmth of the steam.

“Juwan, let’s shower togeth—huh?”

He fully expected Kwon Juwan to be shyly—or not so shyly—ready for a shower.

But the room was empty.

“Juwan? Hah, really? In a nice room like this, you’re playing hide and seek?”

Maintaining his composure, Jin Sejun checked the bathroom, then the bedroom, and finally the sitting room.

But there was no sign of him.

✽ ✽ ✽

‘Did he go buy condoms? Our Juwan is adorable. Did he think he’d be the one doing the topping?’

Since meeting Kwon Juwan, Jin Sejun had taken to keeping condoms on him.

Isn’t that just part of being a responsible Alpha?

He dialed Kwon Juwan’s number, but the familiar, cheerful voice didn’t answer.

Me: Where are you, Juwan? At a convenience store?

As a Beta, Kwon Juwan wouldn’t be influenced by pheromones.

Maybe something urgent had come up.

Or maybe, realizing the gravity of the situation while lying naked, he’d suddenly panicked.

Betas from conservative families often needed time to process dating another man.

Jin Sejun tried to understand Kwon Juwan’s sudden disappearance, but the message remained unread.

Worse, Kwon Juwan’s profile picture reverted to a default image.

Had he taken his own car?

But he’d been drinking.

Hired a driver, maybe?

Jin Sejun regretted not noting the license plate.

But who could’ve predicted this?

They hadn’t just met today.

Should he ask the concierge if Kwon Juwan’s car was still in the parking lot?

Just the thought made him feel pathetic, so he stayed put.

Eventually, the city’s nightscape blurred into the dim light of dawn.

The long winter night dragged on, as did his wait.

This was supposed to be a year-end date.

Jin Sejun had cleared his schedule for Kwon Juwan, even declining an invitation from his older brother Jin Young-jun.

But Kwon Juwan…

‘If you didn’t want this, you could’ve just said so.’

Finally catching a cab after an eternity, Jin Sejun returned home exhausted.

He didn’t want to spend his day off feeling this miserable, but the thought of going out or even contacting his usual sales associates felt pointless.

* * *