TCBW C24

Chapter 24

Hae-eon, too, kept his mouth shut for the sake of his boss’s aims, but if there was one thing he would absolutely refuse, it was serving that woman as the future madam.

For that reason, regardless of how unconventional the deal with Chairman Lee was, it was welcome news to him—because he believed it gave Dowoon the perfect excuse to sever ties with Han Sara.

And if Dowoon himself dismissed her, Hae-eon was certain that even Han Sara, wielding unchecked power, would be powerless to act against it.

But that sense of relief and expectation was shattered entirely by Dowoon’s next words.

“Find an open slot in my schedule within the week and set an appointment.”

The question Why? rose to the back of his throat, but of course he couldn’t voice it aloud.

“Understood.”

The only thing left to him was to wonder why, now that the deal with Chairman Lee was proceeding swiftly, Dowoon had chosen not to let Han Sara go.

Could something unexpected have happened last night between him and Madam? Was it that he disliked her being a man after all?

No—that couldn’t be.

If that were the case, there’s no way he would have called Professor Eun in first thing in the morning.

But then… what exactly was his intention?

Even after Dowoon entered his office, Hae-eon kept trying to gauge his intent, but the man’s detached demeanor revealed nothing, and in the end, Hae-eon had to abandon the effort.

After stepping into his own office and leaning back in his chair, Dowoon suddenly lifted his hand to his eyes.

The black stain he’d noticed earlier was still there, as clear as when he’d first seen it. The more he rubbed, the more he felt the alien texture between the blackness and his skin—an unsettling blemish that showed no sign of coming away, not even leaving the barest trace of soot on the handkerchief.

“….”

A wave of disgust and déjà vu swept through his mind—a fragment of some deeply locked‑away memory.

It can’t be…

He inspected his fingertips again.

And he was certain—he knew exactly what it was.

Something black as if it could swallow light.

Not merely smeared on the surface, but filling his skin from within—he had seen this before.

Dding—

The sharp chime of a message notification cut clean through his thoughts.

Pushing aside the memory, he immediately picked up his work phone.

[Within the week.]

A short, concise message glowed on the screen. The sender: Chairman Lee of Yongseong Electronics—his father.

There was no need to read more. The sender alone told him exactly what was meant.

A face‑to‑face status report.

And it was far from unpleasant news.

Dowoon had already been planning to seek him out to claim the promised “price,” so the fact that his father had brought it up first was all the better.

Besides—there was now something else he wanted to ask.

He clenched the black‑stained fingertips into a fist.

It was the same dream as always—

A child playing ball alone, and a man who seizes the ball and runs away.

The scene repeated endlessly, but this time there was something different.

The man running away suddenly turned his head, and for the first time, Suhoe could faintly make out his face.

As if surfacing slowly from deep water, Suhoe regained consciousness.

When he lifted his eyelids, muted light was leaking in between the curtains. It seemed to be near sunset.

…I think I blacked out around dawn…

Blinking at the empty space between his last hazy memory and the current time, he tried to recall the man’s face from the dream.

He had thought the man resembled someone the instant they met eyes, but, strangely unlike usual, he forgot completely upon waking.

Perhaps it was fatigue—but for Suhoe, it was an uncommon experience.

“Are you feeling a bit more awake now?”

A woman’s unfamiliar voice pricked his ears. Still staring blankly ahead, he jolted at the sound and hurriedly tried to sit up.

A sharp pain shot up his spine to the crown of his head—unsurprising after suddenly moving a body that had been overworked all night.

A shallow groan escaped him.

“Ugh.”

“Calm yourself—I’m a doctor. I came with Secretary Choi on President Lee’s orders.”

The woman’s speech was unhurried and calm.

Suhoe, his complexion pale, looked around the dim room.

When he realized Dowoon wasn’t there, his eyes moved quickly to her face: neatly tied dark‑brown hair, the steady air of her gaze behind her glasses.

“Madam, are you all right?”

Seeing he looked badly startled, she began to approach—but before she could, Hae-eon, without Suhoe realizing when he had appeared, was suddenly stepping between them from the bedroom doorway.

“Madam? You’re awake.”

At that, both Suhoe and the woman turned their eyes to him.

“Professor Eun, how is our madam’s fever?”

“Ah, Secretary Choi— it’s back to normal. Being an adult, it subsided quickly. I think he’s even gained some immunity to the pheromones from this incident.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Of course, a thorough checkup will still be necessary. And he needs rest for now.”

“Then let’s arrange an appointment. When would be convenient for you, madam?”

With a gentle smile, Hae-eon stepped closer to the bed, turning from Professor Eun to Suhoe.

Relieved, the young man’s face was slack, though he still looked a little pale.

“Madam?”

Snapped back to awareness by his call, Suhoe started to reply—but a raw scraping pain in his throat made him clutch at it involuntarily.

“Ugh.”

“You should have some water.”

As if expecting this, Hae-eon carefully offered him the glass in his hand. While Suhoe took it with trembling fingers and drank, Hae-eon gestured toward the woman.

“This is Professor Eun Hyun‑bin. She’ll be your attending physician from now on.”

“Cough… P‑pleased to… meet you. Cough I was just… so startled earlier…”

“That’s understandable. Waking up to a stranger would startle anyone.”

“….”

Suhoe could only give a sheepish smile, unable to answer.

After letting the lukewarm water slide down and soothe the rawness in his throat several times, he could finally speak without burning pain.

Professor Eun began the formal examination at once.

“I hear you’ve lived solely in the mountains until now?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ve probably had almost no contact with trait‑holders,¹ especially not with extreme‑dominance trait‑holders.”²

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Calm now, Suhoe nodded.

Even if such a visitor had ever come to the shrine — populated entirely by beta women — someone like him, an aegbaji, was unlikely to meet them directly.

“In that case, last night you were suddenly exposed, for the first time in your life, to a large concentration of an extreme‑dominance alpha’s pheromones, so you experienced temporary pheromone intoxication.”³

“Pheromone… intoxication?”

“Yes. Fortunately, the director recognized it quickly and took measures, so it didn’t get worse. A little later, and you could’ve suffered high fever and severe body aches.”

“I see.”

“Though… it was entirely the director’s pheromones that caused it, of course.”

At the joking tone that placed the blame squarely on Dowoon, Suhoe reflexively recalled the heavy, rich scent that had filled the bedroom the night before — and flushed red.

Both Hae-eon and Professor Eun politely looked away toward the window as if on cue.

“…Well then, shall we conclude the consultation here?”

Suhoe nodded.

“Even if the fever has broken, your body is still in shock, so rest is the priority. The detailed tests will have to be done at the hospital later.”

“I’ll check Madam’s schedule and call to confirm your appointment,” Hae-eon said.

Professor Eun nodded, smiling, and got to her feet.

“I’ll see you out—” Suhoe began, struggling to rise.

But she stopped him with a gentle but firm gesture.

“No, it’s all right. Just rest. Oh—and I almost forgot this.”

As if she had truly just remembered, she pulled a small medicine bottle from her coat pocket and handed it to him.

“The president mentioned you’re still inexperienced at controlling your pheromones. Take this before going out or meeting others — it should help, at least a little.”

Finishing her calm explanation, she bowed politely and left the room.

notes:

1. Trait‑holder — Here refers to individuals in this setting who possess secondary gender traits (Alpha, Beta, Omega) or other genetic distinctions. 
2. Extreme‑dominance trait‑holder (극우성 형질자) — A rare, high‑rank variant within the Alpha category in Omegaverse‑type fiction, noted for exceptionally strong pheromones and reproductive dominance. 
3. Pheromone intoxication — A physiological and mental state caused by overwhelming exposure to an alpha’s scent, leading to loss of control, physical symptoms, and sometimes imprinting‑like effects.