Strategic Mating Partner chapter 3

They must have come here expecting to hook up with an omega, only to find a hulking, creepy guy instead of a sensual, attractive omega woman.

And to top it off, it was someone they already knew—it’s no wonder they were upset.

This meeting wasn’t an ordinary blind date or social gathering; it was for finding a mating partner.

In other words, it was a meeting arranged for what is known as a contractual mating.

In the late 19th century, as medicine advanced, the study of “traits” began in earnest.

Today, there’s a divide between those who believe that all there is to know has been discovered, and those who think there’s still much to learn.

Despite much being uncovered about traits—a body type that, regardless of external gender, grants secondary reproductive functions based on pheromone systems—there remained many mysteries.

Advances in anatomy and various diagnostic technologies had nearly perfected the surgical research on those whose traits had manifested, but the mechanism of manifestation and the pheromone systems remained largely unsolved.

To put it simply, in Taehyun’s case, as long as he consistently took his trait suppressant medication, he could hide his omega status so well that even an alpha standing right next to him wouldn’t know.

However, the side effects were something Taehyun had to bear alone.

According to the regulations standardized by an international organization in the late 20th century, all athletes had to lower their pheromone levels to those of a non-traited person to avoid interfering with each other’s records.

This meant that Taehyun had to head into competitions carrying the unshakable burden of a lifetime.

Of course, not all traited individuals suffered from the same side effects as Taehyun, such as decreased cardiopulmonary function or muscle strength.

For ordinary people not competing in official games, society was much more lenient as long as they had no qualms about it, and they had a wider range of medications available to them.

However, for someone like Taehyun, whose job required him to check his pheromone levels multiple times a day with a portable kit, and whose profession strictly limited the types of drugs he could take, there were inevitable challenges.

Returning to the awkward situation at hand, Taehyun never imagined that his efforts to mitigate the side effects of the medication, in preparation for what could be his last Olympics, would lead to such an unforeseen disaster.

The only way to stabilize and lower pheromone levels without medication was to utilize the pheromone mechanism itself.

Alpha instinctively desired omega, and omega instinctively desired alpha, using pheromones as a reproductive system.

In other words, if an alpha and omega engaged in unrestrained physical interaction, their pheromone levels would decrease to non-traited levels until the next mating cycle, thanks to a scientifically predictable counteracting reaction.

This is because the fundamental purpose of the pheromone system—reproductive activity with the opposing trait—had been fulfilled.

Thus, among athletes like Taehyun, who suffered from the side effects of officially approved medications, there were those who secretly sought out partners to resolve their pheromone issues.

These were known as mating partners.

Though Taehyun had received countless offers in the past, he had always turned them down.

The nature and purpose of the relationship were straightforward: meet regularly to exchange pheromones.

The easiest way to do this was through sexual contact, or in other words, sex.

This allowed the pheromones to harmonize, helping the athlete to focus solely on the competition without the constraints of pheromones during the game.

Sure, it’s not that big of a deal for consenting adults to have sex without being in a relationship, but when it comes to sportsmanship, it’s a different story.

Finding a sex partner to improve your performance isn’t exactly socially acceptable, is it?

That’s why Taehyun had always rejected his agency’s suggestions.

It’s not that he, now in his late twenties, was naively clinging to the idea that “physical relationships without love are wrong.”

Still, the idea of meeting someone he didn’t even know just to have sex and use each other for a purpose didn’t sit well with him, so he had completely erased it as an option until now.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of serious or heavy relationships, but neither was he interested in embracing a frivolous attitude toward chastity.

However, when backed into a corner, even a rat will bite a cat.

Convinced that this would be his last Olympics, Taehyun found he had nothing left to lose.

‘Ha… What am I doing all this for? The Olympics?’

What else?

Taehyun answered his own question with a bitter laugh.

It’s every athlete’s dream and goal.

Having already lost two opportunities unfairly, Taehyun had nothing left to hold back.

He had a gut feeling that it was time to step aside for the younger generation and retire.

Sure, it might seem pitiful to whine about not winning an Olympic medal when there are hundreds or thousands of people who have dedicated their entire lives to sports and never even made it onto the national team.

But for Taehyun, who had been the subject of everyone’s expectations since childhood, and who had been told, “You’re going to be a star at the Olympics,” this dream wasn’t something he could easily let go of.

It wasn’t just about living up to others’ expectations—he had his own pride at stake.

I know I’m not lacking in skill, so why does this only happen at the Olympics?

If he retired without breaking this jinx, it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

If this really is the last chance, I want to do everything I can.

Though he never imagined that “everything” would include finding a mating partner.

But when he was deep in thought, he heard that an alpha from the same agency was also looking for a mating partner, which seemed like a fortunate opportunity for Taehyun.

It’s not like I’m the only one asking for help—if the other side is looking too, we might as well make good use of each other.

Who would have expected that stepping out with such a complacent resolve would lead to an encounter with someone, if not an outright nemesis, at least a deeply uncomfortable presence?

Taehyun braced his hands on the table, slowly straightened his back, and began to rise, all the while keeping an eye on the other person.

“I’ll talk to the manager for you. I’ll explain things so you don’t get caught up in any trouble….”

As Taehyun cautiously avoided the other’s gaze and began to push his chair back, the person who had been maintaining a protest-like silence suddenly spoke.

“Why?”

Why?

The absurdity of the question made Taehyun frown, doubting his own ears.

“Well, isn’t it uncomfortable for both of us? And you especially must have had some expectations, but what you got was someone like me, who’s hardly even an omega. You must not be too thrilled about it.”

Is this something that really needs to be spelled out?

Taehyun couldn’t hide his surprise at the sudden halt in his retreat.

The last time he saw the person in front of him dated back four years.

Back then, the guy was still a minor, not even an adult.

And now, after four years, they were meeting again—only to have sex?

Whether the other was attracted to him or not was one thing, but it was utterly unexpected for either of them to meet a familiar face as a mating partner, making the situation even more uncomfortable.

Taehyun didn’t have the guts to bluntly say, “If you don’t leave now, we’ll end up having sex, got it?” so he tried to put it more tactfully.

But to his surprise, the other person responded with something completely unexpected.

“I don’t mind. You’re just saying that because you don’t like me, right?”

“What?”

Taehyun couldn’t believe his ears.

What was this guy saying?

His brain almost froze at the absurdity of the situation, and then the other person hammered the point home.

“I’m fine with having sex with you. So if you don’t want to, just say you don’t like me, and don’t use me as an excuse.”

What kind of outrageous talk was this?

In Taehyun’s mind, this guy was still an 18-year-old kid.

A kid who still had the image of a high schooler, saying things like this!

Even if he didn’t react like a conservative elder, there were plenty of things he wanted to correct.

And besides, Taehyun felt wronged.

An excuse?

He was trying to give the guy a chance to escape this awkward situation!

But the young alpha in front of him was resolute.

Taehyun, standing up, hesitated and asked again.

“No, don’t be reckless.”

“I’m not being reckless.”

It was clear to anyone that he was, but Taehyun felt dizzy.

Maybe words alone wouldn’t be enough to convince him. It might be understandable if this hot-blooded young alpha, with nothing but sex on his mind, didn’t want to miss the chance to have a legal experience.

But this wasn’t just any alpha.

He was Joo Sejin.