* * *
“Assistant Manager Oh?”
“Yes. When he contacted me in the hotel lobby, it seems Patrick had stopped by to ask how we were doing.”
Could it be that he heard that conversation?
But even the buyer didn’t know about the heat cycle.
Then Wookyung suddenly remembered what Saheon had said in the taxi—that he could smell pheromones, and that maybe heat was approaching.
“Apparently, Assistant Manager Oh and Choi Siwon overheard Patrick talking with a staff member in the lobby.”
And of all things, it had to be about omegas and heat cycles.
It might’ve been a coincidence, but in the end, that part was the buyer’s fault.
Yet the fact that Saheon was bringing up Assistant Manager Oh now meant something else had happened.
Suddenly, Wookyung recalled Choi Siwon, who had kept calling, as if he wouldn’t give up until he got through.
He thought the persistence was just worry over being out of contact—but now…
“Assistant Manager Oh shared what he heard in the sales team group chat. One of them then posted about it on the anonymous message board.”
“…Oh.”
He had feared it, but still… Wookyung closed his eyes tightly before opening them again.
His gaze naturally drifted to the phone in his hand.
“I deleted the post as soon as I saw it. Thankfully, it was posted after 1 a.m., so the view count wasn’t high. The problem is that people now know you’re an omega.”
And they found out in the worst way.
Wookyung rubbed his cheek with his palm again. He wasn’t sure if the dazed feeling was because he hadn’t fully woken up yet—or if it was because he couldn’t grasp the weight of the situation.
“I made sure it didn’t mention me, but… people aren’t clueless. They know who you’re on this trip with.”
That was overly optimistic.
“I’m sorry, Saheon.”
“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault.”
Still, Wookyung couldn’t shake the feeling that his complacency had helped create this mess.
He was just a regular employee—at worst, he’d be the target of cheap gossip.
But Saheon had a much higher position.
As the externally-recruited division head overseeing the TF team—a team already under scrutiny—he was bound to take a much bigger hit.
“I ordered Assistant Manager Oh back home immediately.
The employee who made the post will be disciplined. We’re replacing the buyer too.”
“Saheon… are you okay?”
At Wookyung’s cautious question, Saheon let out a sigh.
“I should be the one saying sorry. So don’t make that face.”
“What face?”
Why was he suddenly talking informally again?
And since when had he ever been good at showing emotions, anyway?
Wookyung grumbled, and Saheon suddenly reached out his arm.
His hand gently touched Wookyung’s cheek—like he was trying to comfort him.
“I should’ve been more careful. I acted too rashly, and now we’re here.”
“It’s not your fault. I misread the situation.”
“No, I’m more at fault. I should’ve kept the buyer’s mouth shut. This happened because I failed to do that.”
“If we’re splitting hairs, then I should’ve told you first, so I owe you an apology too.”
But pointing fingers at each other wasn’t going to fix the situation.
‘What should I do?
What Wookyung really wanted to figure out now was how to contain the damage.
Sure, the post didn’t get many views, but being optimistic wouldn’t help.
If it got posted at all, then it likely already spread in private chats.
By tomorrow, the whole office would probably know.
He hadn’t checked yet, but some of those unread messages could be people trying to confirm the rumors.
“Saheon.”
“…Yes?”
Saheon had gone quiet, maybe thinking, maybe hesitating to speak.
Watching him, Wookyung suddenly called out softly, once again switching back to formal speech.
“Would you like to date me?”
“…What?”
Startled by the sudden remark, he blinked and—rarely—let his mouth fall open.
Even that surprised expression looked picture-perfect on his handsome face.
No, wait, that wasn’t the point right now.
“Were you just saying that before? You didn’t really mean it?”
“Of course not!”
He answered immediately, still looking dumbfounded.
Watching him, Wookyung pressed again.
“I’m asking you to date me seriously—with marriage in mind.”
“Gasp.”
Now he clapped a hand over his mouth.
His wide eyes darted back and forth, like he was trying to make sense of what he’d just heard.
Eventually, he lowered his hand.
“You’re not doing this because of the rumors, are you…?”
“It’s not like they’re completely unrelated. People are definitely going to be talking. But if it’s already gotten to this point, then I figured—why not just actually date?”
It might be reckless. CEO Choi could fly straight to the U.S. and tell them to break up.
Work might become a nightmare.
“Of course, I’m not saying we should announce it to the world. Just… that we don’t have to keep hiding it like before.”
To be honest, it wasn’t like they’d been hiding it all that well anyway.
Wookyung hadn’t told Saheon, but before they left for this trip, he’d had a brief chat with Manager Pyeon.
Though he didn’t say it outright, Assistant Manager Pyeon had shown concern about them traveling alone, dropping hints that made it clear he already knew they were seeing each other.
Apparently, the rumor had spread quietly.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
Saheon looked at him with concern again.
Wookyung nodded firmly.
If gossip was inevitable, it might be better to let people know who the other person was.
After initiating all this, Wookyung briefly wondered if he’d acted rashly.
‘Was this really the right move? Should I have thought it through more?’
“Now that I think about it… I was being selfish. If this gets out, it could hurt you too, Saheon.”
The fact that they were both on the TF team could cause trouble.
If anyone suspected favoritism during the team selection, they might even face an audit.
“It’s okay. I’m just grateful that you changed your mind. Really… thank you, Wookyung.”
“It’s not something to thank me for…”
Strictly speaking, his words had been more of an impulsive outburst, forced out by the situation.
But seeing Saheon look so genuinely happy made Wookyung feel a pang of guilt—maybe he had been too indifferent all this time.
“But are you really okay with it? Chairman Choi probably won’t take it lying down.”
“Grandma already gave us her blessing.”
“Oh…”
Well, yeah.
The KH Group Chairwoman definitely held more sway than the KH Furniture CEO.
“Now that I think of it… I’ve always wondered. Why is the Chairwoman so supportive of… us?”
Why was she pushing their relationship so actively?
Just asking it out loud made Wookyung suddenly feel shy, so he trailed off mid-sentence.
Luckily, Saheon seemed to understand without hearing the rest.
“She knows that you’re the reason I came back to Korea.”
“What… You told her that?!”
Why was this alpha so bold?!
That meant the entire family probably knew about him already?!
Wookyung shot him a disbelieving look, and Saheon, looking a little guilty, quickly clarified.
“I just said there was someone I had feelings for. That… they were someone who changed me back then.”
“But how did she know it was me?”
He gave Saheon a look, urging him silently to say more.
But strangely, Saheon hesitated— ‘Why are you pausing now? That’s even more suspicious! Spit it out!’
“My grandmother… she takes an interest in my affairs. I think she did a bit of checking.”
“She looked into me?!”
“Not like a background check, exactly…”
‘Yeah, right.’
Of course he’d defend her—she was his grandmother.
But given her power and reach, she probably didn’t need to do much digging to find out everything.
And honestly, there were plenty of clues.
“And actually…”
‘What now?’
Wookyung stared at him again, a creeping unease rising.
Saheon looked visibly troubled as he continued.
“Grandmother happens to be in the U.S. for a diplomatic tour. She suddenly had some free time and asked if we’d like to have dinner tomorrow.”
“…Wow.”
What were the odds?
No, more like—she already knew everything, didn’t she?
“She probably hasn’t been officially briefed yet. She just heard we were both here and thought we might as well meet.”
“What a… coincidence.”
Still, Wookyung found himself thinking that maybe this was for the best.
If they were going to be together seriously, then meeting her might actually be the right move.
“You’re okay with that?”
“Well, do our schedules even allow it?”
After all, they were here for the expo.
Even if they were both in the States, traveling between cities took hours.
“She’s already on her way here.”
Wow. That woman moved fast.
* * *
