NLFSD Chapter 1

Episode 1

Buzz. Lee Jiwoon’s text notification tone rang. He checked that his teammates were immersed in conversation and carefully looked at his screen.

BBG

Come to Basement Level 2, Parking Section B-1 at 6:30.

It’s grocery shopping day today.

Ah, right. Today was the day to grocery shop together and upload a photo of the cooking to the app. He almost forgot and nearly got penalized.

Understood. I’ll come down with about a 5-minute delay.

Just as he sent the reply, the door to the Marketing Director’s office opened and the secretary walked out side by side with Seo Taecheon.

Wow, he’s so handsome again today. It’s like his face is glowing. No, his whole body radiates charisma. How does someone so perfect not have a lover? There are no rumors about him getting married either.

Employees murmured among themselves. The person drawing all the attention was none other than the company’s heir apparent, Seo Taecheon, who had secured the position of Marketing Director at the age of 31 thanks to his outstanding abilities.

He was nearly a head taller than others, with a solid build. His hair and eyes were pitch-black, and his sharp eyes and jawline gave off an elegant vibe—he was a strikingly handsome man.

Though his background as the only son of the company’s founder contributed to his image, it was said he captivated any room with his natural charisma and capability.

Despite being far younger than the other executives, department heads rushed out and bowed to him deeply. Seo Taecheon accepted their greetings with an indifferent expression and quickly exited the office.

Assistant Manager Lee Jiwoon also gave him a polite bow.

“Assistant Manager Lee, you’re an Omega, right? Don’t you feel like getting married when you see such a cool Alpha?”

Senior Manager Min Hyekyung from the neighboring desk clasped her hands with a dreamy expression as she asked.

“Ah… I haven’t thought about marriage yet. I’m not really interested in dating or marriage.”

“What? Are you one of those ‘married to the company’ types?”

She laughed heartily and playfully smacked Jiwoon’s arm. Jiwoon awkwardly chuckled and quietly returned to his seat. He felt a slight pang of guilt, but this secret was a top-level classified secret he planned to take to his grave.

In truth, the BBG who sent the earlier text was none other than Director Seo Taecheon. More precisely, he was the man who had suddenly appeared on Jiwoon’s family registry about a month ago under the title [Spouse]—his so-called husband.

Did they fall in love while working together and secretly get married? Or perhaps a strategic marriage they were keeping under wraps?

Unfortunately, neither was the case.

The two were mistakenly registered as a married couple due to a clerical error at the district office.

In the early 21st century, due to a culture of liberal relationships and breakups, the population of Alphas and Omegas began to decline rapidly. Alarmed, the government encouraged marriage among the genetically distinct while simultaneously making divorce procedures more difficult.

This led to what was called the Special Alpha-Omega Divorce Deliberation Law.

Even if an Alpha-Omega couple applied for a consensual divorce, the law required them to reconsider the divorce for six months—much longer than for Beta couples.

Of course, in cases involving domestic violence, infidelity, or spousal neglect, divorces were processed swiftly, but for mutual consent divorces, the procedure was deliberately complicated.

The law, which made it difficult to divorce simply because “I don’t love you anymore,” faced heavy criticism, but firmly and persistently took root in society. As a result, Alpha-Omega couples had to endure intense hardship and effort just to get a divorce.

Additionally, the law mandated:

1. At least one couple’s counseling session per month
2. A spouse observation journal
3. A government-funded trip experience

One particularly noteworthy point was that a divorce supervisor was assigned to these cases to try all sorts of tactics to reunite the couple. The government’s stance was that it must take the initiative to preserve the rare genetic traits of such individuals.

“Excuse me. I’ve never married Mr. Seo Taecheon. I barely even talked to him!”

Lee Jiwoon first discovered his marital status when he tried to open a special housing savings account for single people and pulled his family registry.

Seo Taecheon, 31 years old, dominant Alpha, blood type AB, born June 1st.

“What the hell.”

He had just learned the director’s age and birthday during a company dinner a few days prior, so there was no room for doubt. How could there be two dominant Alphas, who make up just 1% of the population, with the name Seo Taecheon in Korea?

Shocked, Jiwoon immediately approached Seo Taecheon to correct the administrative mistake and file for annulment. Taecheon readily agreed, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Since they worked at the same company, it was hard to prove they were “practically strangers” with “no intent to marry.”

Jiwoon and Seo Taecheon made continuous trips to government offices and the courthouse in their effort.

But lawsuits were never simple. Seo Taecheon’s legal advisor warned it would take a very long time. Of course, once they won, the marriage record would be completely erased—a clean outcome. But the path to that point was grueling.

“Argh!”

Jiwoon spent three straight days drinking soju like it was water in his misery, and Taecheon was just as flustered. But neither of them could continue living with the burden of a fake spouse.

With no other choice, they decided to go through the required divorce deliberation period and moved in together. They planned to erase the marriage record once the annulment process was complete.

And so, they made an unofficial pact and became partners rowing toward the common goal of a successful divorce. That was about a month ago.

Seo Taecheon, who had left the director’s office first, quickly took the elevator. After confirming that Elevator 1 had reached Basement Level 2, Jiwoon counted exactly three minutes.

“Assistant Manager Lee is going down now, huh.”

“H-how did you know that?”

“You always get up three minutes after the director leaves. People might think you go home together.”

Senior Manager Min laughed playfully as she grabbed her bag and stood up.

“Ah… T-that’s…”

What excuse do I make? His mind went blank as he stood with his mouth open. Min laughed heartily and clapped her hands.

“Kidding, I’m kidding. You probably just don’t want to leave before your boss.”

“Ah… Haha. Yes. That’s right. Exactly.”

“You really know how to play the corporate game. Let’s head out together.”

Jiwoon followed Senior Manager Min into the hallway and got in the same elevator. The problem was that she pressed the button for Basement Level 2.

“You’re going to Basement Level 2?”

“I parked there, so that’s where I’m headed. You taking the subway?”

“Ah… Subway! Yes! Taking the people’s transportation, the subway!”

“Come to think of it, you used to walk to work, but now you take the subway?”

Jiwoon flinched again. Since moving in with Seo Taecheon to prove they were living together, his commute had gotten longer. Taecheon usually drove him, but to avoid suspicion, he dropped Jiwoon off a few stops away, so he ended up taking the subway.

Today, however, he absolutely had to go to Basement Level 2 and ride with Taecheon to the grocery store. What should I do? Wait outside until Min gets home?

“I’ll give you a ride. Which direction is your place?”

“N-no, it’s okay. I can go by myself.”

“It’s hot out. Don’t be like that, come on, get in.”

Overwhelmed by his senior’s kindness, Jiwoon ended up wandering around the building for ten minutes before finally finding Seo Taecheon’s car.

“You’re late.”

“I don’t have a single excuse. I’ll do the cooking today.”

Jiwoon clasped his hands together apologetically, and Seo Taecheon replied without a change in expression,

“Grill two steaks. Medium.”

“Ah… Okay.”

Cooking wasn’t his forte, but there was no choice. Jiwoon sat in the passenger seat of the Maybach, sighed deeply while listening to classical music. To outsiders, it looked like a blissful life.

At the grocery store, the two wore masks in fear of being recognized and pushed the cart. To prove they had shopped together, they took a quick selfie—but Seo Taecheon’s expression was too stiff. If it looked like he wasn’t making an effort, the divorce supervisor would scold them: “Mr. Alpha, you didn’t put in enough effort. You must do your best to spend harmonious time with your spouse.”

“Please smile a little, Director.”

“I’ve never smiled while taking a picture.”

At the curt reply, Lee Jiwoon shook his head in exasperation and snapped a quick photo. Since they’d probably lose points for the photo, he’d have to make up for it by cooking a delicious meal. There was no other choice.

After buying meat, vegetables, and seasoning powder, and even picking up some melon and cherries, the two of them left the supermarket. They loaded the bags full of groceries into the back seat and soon arrived at Seo Taecheon’s riverside apartment near Cheongdam Bridge.

To Lee Jiwoon, who had never lived anywhere beyond a one-room apartment with a deposit of 1,000, it was still hard to get used to this outrageously luxurious and spacious apartment even after a month of living together.

“I’ll cook, so go take a shower.”

“Alright.”

Seo Taecheon picked up a black silk robe that looked like something out of a movie and went into one of the four bathrooms. Thanks to his height and build, he somehow made the ridiculous robe look stylish.

Sigh. Guess I’ll write the observation log and start cooking.

Monday, August 8th. Went grocery shopping with my husband.

I plan to respect his preferences by serving the steak he likes.

*** Write down a positive trait discovered about your spouse today: Broad back and suits a black robe well. End.

After hastily scribbling the log, Jiwoon focused on cooking. Just as he was finishing up, Seo Taecheon appeared, his hair dripping wet. His skin glistened with moisture, and his exposed chest made for an awkwardly provocative sight, but there was no reason to nag him to get dressed or dry his hair. So they simply sat across from each other at the table and began cutting into the steak.

“How is it?”

“Good.”

Seo Taecheon was incredibly quiet and had a detached personality. While Jiwoon understood that they would be living together for a few months, he still found the man dull. Sure, the face and body were entertaining, but the stoic personality made Jiwoon think he’d have been doomed if they had really married.

“Shall we sleep now?”

“Yes, let’s.”

They washed their faces and brushed their teeth in separate bathrooms, then gathered in the bedroom. A soft night light was on, and a single king-sized bed with cozy bedding stood in the room. The scent of a diffuser, unmistakably giving off a newlywed atmosphere, filled the air.

Why insist on one bedroom and one bed in an apartment with seven rooms? It was because the divorce supervisor might unexpectedly demand a picture of the two of them together in one room. They had tried using separate rooms at first, but after receiving surprise selfie missions at night and on weekends, they had no choice but to share a room and a bed. Today marked the second week of that arrangement.

“Phew… let’s lie down.”

With a resigned tone, Jiwoon lay down on the bed first. Soon, Seo Taecheon, whose build carried significant weight, lay down beside him, and silence hung over the bed.

“Then good night, Director. Please wake me up tomorrow morning. You can’t go to work alone. I have to get there early and prep for a meeting.”

“We’ll see.”

Seo Taecheon replied vaguely and shifted his body. In doing so, their hands brushed. Jiwoon flinched and quickly moved his hand to rest on his chest.

Jeez, that scared me.

Even after a month of this fake newlywed life, there were still things he couldn’t get used to—like the accidental touches or catching whiffs of Seo Taecheon’s pheromones. The sharp, foresty scent tickled his nose and made him feel so flustered he couldn’t control his limbs.

Ugh. Alpha scent is so hard to bear.

Jiwoon clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tight.

That’s right. Jiwoon had lived a busy, unlucky 27 years, never once having dated.

And now, this pure me is a married man…! Soon to be a divorcé…!

Heaven, how could you be so cruel? Sob sob.

“Quiet down and go to sleep, Assistant Lee.”

As Jiwoon rustled the covers and mumbled, Seo Taecheon turned over and spoke sharply.

“Ah, yes.”

Jiwoon gave him a dead-fish-eyed glare and scoffed inwardly. As if you’re the only one who’s unhappy—I’m just as miserable.

Thus, another day of their faux newlywed life in pursuit of a successful divorce came to an end. It was the kind of night where anything might happen tomorrow, but for now, they drifted off to sleep.