The fact that I even felt this way was terrible. If only it weren’t for Jung Inhyuk, I wouldn’t have had to go through any of this. Annoyance rose in me all of a sudden.

My body was shivering, yet little beads of sweat gathered on my forehead. All I wanted was to get through the schedule as quickly as possible and go home to rest. Perhaps feeling sorry for me, Changseok took off the padded jacket he was wearing and draped it over me.

“You wear it. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Your lips are blue right now, Hyung. Are you very cold?”

“…I’ll probably feel better soon. I have something to tell you, so please sit down.”

I thought I needed to tell Changseok about my mutation into an omega, even if no one else knew. Filming for the movie was about to begin, so I would be spending a lot of time with him.

It wasn’t because I trusted him completely. It was because if something sudden happened during filming, like a heat cycle or a change in my body, Changseok would be the only one close enough to help me deal with it. Changseok sat down on the sofa across from me, looking bewildered.

“Changseok, you’re a beta, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m telling you because, even if nobody else knows, I think you should. I recently manifested as an omega.”

“…What? You did?”

“It hasn’t been long since I manifested, and actually, the reason I’m not feeling well now might be because my heat cycle is coming on.”

Changseok seemed so stunned he couldn’t say anything, just stared at me. I deliberately said manifested instead of mutated. If I said a beta like me had mutated into an omega, he might think it was strange.

“So if anything happens to me, don’t call the hospital. Just take me home.”

“Hold on. Let me drink some water first.”

Changseok opened the bottle and gulped down water, then exhaled heavily. He kept rubbing his forehead and making a troubled face before finally managing to speak.

“Are you okay, Hyung?”

“……”

“Ah, even I’m this flustered, and I’m not even the one involved. You must have been really shocked. I asked because sometimes late manifestations can lead to depression. Thank you for telling me.”

“…I don’t want other people to know.”

“Don’t worry. I’m your manager, after all. I’ll keep anything related to you a secret until the day I die.”

At those simple words, my eyes grew hot. Ever since I was betrayed by the Jung Inhyuk I had trusted, I’d become highly guarded around people and didn’t easily let anyone close. Changseok was no different. Even though he’d been my manager for two years already, I had never once told him anything personal.

And yet, whether because of his strong sense of professional duty or just his personality, Changseok had always stayed by my side without wavering.

“So I just need to take you home?”

“…Yes. Please.”

“If we’re filming out of town, I’ll take you to the lodging instead.”

His dependable answer put me at ease. Soon after, a staff member came to announce that filming was starting. I pulled the tissues away from my nose and touched up my makeup again.

Once the blanket, padded jacket, and hand warmers were removed in turn, the cold rushed in until my teeth clicked together. I clenched my jaw and forced myself not to shiver, then went out to the studio. When I entered the prepared set, the staff were all moving busily.

“I’m sorry, Shinjae. There was a problem with the lighting.”

“It’s fine. Please start as soon as possible.”

All I could think was that I had to get through this shoot somehow. Filming soon began, and I did my best to pose. When they said they were going to check the photos for a moment, I bent at the waist and panted.

My personal staff came in, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and dabbed powder on me. Because my sense of smell had sharpened, the scent of powder and air freshener felt nauseating.

Changseok had been holding the water bottle the whole time in the waiting room and now handed it to me. I took a sip through the straw, moistened my lips, and patted my cheeks a couple of times with both hands.

I forced down the feeling of my body sinking underground and put strength into my legs.

“Shinjae, your expression is way too stiff. How about a smile?”

“Okay.”

I smiled toward the camera as requested. Good, good, that’s it, a little more, and so on, continued to be called out. The moment I raised my arms, my abdomen suddenly clamped down hard. Before I could think, I bent forward and clutched my stomach.

“Ugh!”

“Hyung!”

“Shinjae, are you okay?”

The set instantly became noisy. Changseok ran into the set and supported me. I grabbed Changseok’s forearm and tried to catch my breath. I attempted to steady myself by breathing through my mouth, but the pain only grew worse, and I simply couldn’t straighten up.

“Could I take a short break? I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Changseok asked the crew for understanding and got me out of the set. I didn’t make it far, collapsing into a chair in sight. I was cold one moment and feverish the next, my body temperature all over the place.

I moistened my lips with the water Changseok brought me and pressed my fingers into my throbbing abdomen. I wanted to finish the shoot at least, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate.

“Hyung, it’s Executive Director Jung. He’s asking to be put through.”

“…Give it to me.”

I took the phone from Changseok and brought it to my ear. I absentmindedly looked up and scanned the set, when a familiar face entered the studio. It was Park Suwon. Huh? Why was Park Suwon here? Park Suwon stopped a passing staff member to ask something, then began speaking with the overall production manager.

[Lee Shinjae.]

The voice from the phone I’d almost forgotten about came through. I jerked back to attention and gripped the phone properly.

“…Yes, hello.”

[What the hell are you doing? I went out of my way, cutting into my nonexistent time while on business trip, to tell you to stay quietly locked up at home, and now you’ve got a schedule?]

“…I thought it was approved because it was related to MuSung Department Store.”

[Get your ass out of there right now.]

“It’s not finished yet,” I started to say.

The staff who had been gathered to talk dispersed and began clearing the filming equipment. Before I realized it, Park Suwon had come over and draped a coat over my shoulders.

When I raised my head to look at him, he gave a small bow and stepped back. The coat carried a refreshing peppermint scent, strong and unmistakable. It was Jung Inhyuk’s coat.

[It’s over, so get out here.]

“……”

[Answer me.]

“…Yes.”

I returned the phone to Changseok and stood up, gripping the arm of the chair. My stomach pain was so bad I staggered. Changseok and Suwon both reached out at once to support me. I slowly pushed both their hands away and turned around.

“Hyung, you’re changing clothes, right?”

“…Yes.”

As much as I wanted to leave like this, I had to return the sponsored outfit. Changseok ran ahead toward the waiting room. I took a step to follow him, and then Park Suwon suddenly grabbed my wrist and spun me around.

“What’s with you?”

“…You said both your parents were betas.”

“So what if I did?”

“Then why do I smell pheromones on you? Omega pheromones, too.”

“…!”

“If your parents aren’t trait carriers, then why are you…”

I reflexively slapped Park Suwon’s hand away and stumbled back. I had completely forgotten that Park Suwon was an alpha. My face burned bright red, and my ears were hot. This was even more humiliating than the day he found out about all the indignities I suffered at Jung Inhyuk’s hands.

“Lee Shinjae.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say out loud that my trait had changed, so I only bit my lip. I just wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible. Then some strange, refreshing scent suddenly pushed into my nose. The tip of my nose twitched on its own. Following the scent, I lifted my head.

Park Suwon was looking at me in disbelief. Only then did I realize the scent was Park Suwon’s pheromone.

“…What the hell is wrong with you? Why are your senses open?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know either.”

“You’re a beta. No, wait, you can’t be.”

“Just pretend you don’t know. Please, I’m asking you.”

That was all I could say. He had already confirmed that my smell sense had opened by letting pheromones leak, so he must have realized something had changed in me.

Suddenly, I remembered those days of playing basketball and running around with Park Suwon, laughing brightly without a care in the world, joking around, our school days fresh and innocent in that way that truly deserved the word youth. Those memories flowed slowly before my eyes like a panorama.

I missed that moment so painfully it hurt. I could never go back now. On Park Suwon’s face, I could almost see the image of the bright grin he wore after making a successful dunk.

“Shinjae.”

“……”

“Lee Shinjae.”

Park Suwon reached out to me, but his hand fell before it could touch me. Looking at me with a complicated expression, he took a small bottle of perfume from his inner jacket pocket and held it out.

“It’s a deodorizer. Throw away whatever’s left after you spray it.”

“Thanks.”

“And,”

“……”

“Let’s stop even being friends now. From here on out, if I see something that happens to you, I’ll pretend I don’t know. If I hear something, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. So you should stop worrying about me too.”

My heart sank so hard I stumbled, but Park Suwon didn’t support me. I barely managed to steady myself by grabbing the set structure. The words stop worrying about me clawed at my heart and left it bleeding.

He was the one who had secretly called me out before using code words not long ago. Was this because I had mutated into an omega? Park Suwon buttoned his jacket and gave me a small bow.

“What’s the reason?”

“……”

“I said, what’s the reason?”

Park Suwon stubbornly kept his mouth shut. I raised my middle finger toward him on purpose. It was the thing he hated most. But he showed no reaction at all. A short silence passed. I looked at Park Suwon quietly. A series of emotions flickered quickly across his face.

Park Suwon bit his lip and deliberately avoided my gaze. Maybe it would be better to do as he said. Just like me, Park Suwon had probably had more than a few situations made difficult because of me being his friend. This was the best choice for both of us.

The intermittent stomach pain intensified. I clutched my abdomen and walked toward the waiting room.