TATMFL - 58

The violent movements had left her wrists and ankles sore, but the nausea twisting her insides was far more unbearable.

Ra-on clamped her hand over her nose and mouth, holding her breath as if trying to block out something vile. Her pupils dilated wildly as they locked onto someone in the room.

Do-kyung, who had stayed by her side all night and briefly stepped away thinking she’d wake up soon, furrowed his brow in bewilderment. In his hands was a tray carrying a steaming bowl of porridge.

But Ra-on was in no state to notice any of that.

The stench assaulting her senses was overwhelming, as if something foul had been dumped right in front of her. There was no need to guess where it was coming from—it was Do-kyung.

“What on earth were you doing before coming here?!”

Her voice cracked painfully at the end, almost like a scream.

“What?”

“Go wash yourself!”

After shouting as if having a seizure, Ra-on squeezed her eyes shut again, another wave of nausea hitting her.

Her shoulders heaved violently, as though rejecting the unbearable odor emanating from him. In reality, the only scents detectable were the faint remnants of pheromones, fabric softener, and the savory aroma of the porridge he carried.

“Ra—”

“Don’t come near me!”

Before Do-kyung could take another step toward her, Ra-on bolted upright, yanking the blanket aside and rushing into the attached bathroom. The sound of retching immediately followed.

Do-kyung’s expression turned pale with alarm.

For what felt like an eternity, Ra-on emptied her stomach. All that came out was yellow bile—there was nothing else to expel since she hadn’t eaten anything.

“Haa, ha…”

Leaning her head against the bathroom wall, Ra-on looked utterly drained. Thankfully, the nauseating smell that had tormented her earlier seemed to have dissipated.

Her vision swam. She had exerted every ounce of strength to purge her empty stomach, leaving her completely exhausted.

When Ra-on staggered out of the bathroom, she was greeted by Do-kyung’s anxious, ashen face.

He reached out to steady her frail frame, but before his hand could touch her, she flinched back sharply, creating distance between them once more. Tears pooled in her eyes from the strain of vomiting, streaming down her cheeks.

Gasping intermittently, Ra-on blinked her eyes open and closed, dazed. By now, her entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

Breathing heavily, she managed to say:

“…I can smell something on you.”

The next moment, her body crumpled, and she collapsed.

“Raon!”

Do-kyung caught her with a look of panic.

---

It was past 11 p.m. when Professor Yang, who had been enjoying a cozy night in a hotel room, was summoned.

“Have you discussed her manifestation as an omega?”

Do-kyung frowned deeply before answering.

“No. There hasn’t been time.”

What discussion? Every time he approached her, she convulsed and fainted before a single word could be exchanged.

“Hmm.”

Professor Yang tilted his head thoughtfully as he examined Ra-on.

“We’ll need precise tests at the hospital for confirmation, but did you say there’s a smell coming from you?”

“…Yes.”

Yang sniffed around Do-kyung, flaring his nostrils. But all he detected were traces of skin lotion, fabric softener from new clothes, and the faint aroma of pheromones that required deliberate inhalation to perceive fully.

Suddenly, Yang’s expression grew serious. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.

‘Could it be?’

But voicing his suspicion outright wasn’t an option just yet.

Yang suggested waiting until Ra-on woke up, gently ushering Do-kyung out of the room.

Just as he closed the door behind him, a question occurred to him.

“Are you feeling alright, Young Master?”

Do-kyung let out a small sigh as he sat on the couch, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Adjusting his glasses, Yang settled into the chair opposite him.

“I’m talking about pheromones. Omegas usually find them repulsive, don’t they? They often describe them as foul.”

“…”

This change was something Do-kyung had already noticed. He met Yang’s gaze with a calm expression.

Yang studied the silent Do-kyung with a peculiar look before suddenly slapping his hands together in realization, his face lighting up as if shouting “Eureka!”

“So it seems you really are unaffected!”

Last night, during the car ride to the hotel and even after entering the room, Do-kyung had refused to let go of Ra-on. Despite the faint traces of her omega pheromones mingling with his own, Yang couldn’t help but worry. What if Do-kyung, who typically detested omega pheromones, pushed her away?

Yet, not only did Do-kyung show no signs of rejection, but he also pulled her closer, cradling her head against him—a stark contrast to his usual overt displays of revulsion toward omega pheromones.

And now, this revelation! Yang was certain Chairman Han would faint upon hearing this news.

Watching Yang buzz excitedly, Do-kyung chuckled softly, his gaze drifting toward the door connecting to the bedroom. His eyes had grown heavy with concern.

Without shifting his gaze, he asked, his tone unusually grave.

“So, do you have any guesses?”

Yang, smiling warmly as if looking at a grown child, hesitated at the question. He rubbed his temples awkwardly, his glasses wobbling on his wrinkled nose.

“There are inklings, but as I mentioned earlier, we’ll need confirmation once Raon wakes up. It’s hard to draw conclusions based solely on your account. Detailed examinations at the hospital will be necessary.”

“Explain.”

“Hmm.”

Yang tapped the armrest thoughtfully, acutely aware of the underlying anxiety in Do-kyung’s curt response.

Finally, letting out a deep sigh, he admitted, “It’s bound to come out sooner or later.”

“The symptoms you’re experiencing seem similar.”

Do-kyung stiffened visibly, turning his gaze from the door to Yang.

“It appears you’re showing signs of pheromone aversion.”

By the next morning, when Ra-on finally regained consciousness, Yang was certain.

She exhibited unmistakable signs of pheromone aversion—but only to a specific individual’s scent.

While Ra-on showed no significant reaction to Yang’s carefully controlled pheromones, merely wrinkling her nose slightly, the moment Do-kyung approached her, her face twisted in disgust as if assaulted by a foul odor. Recalling the scene, Yang swallowed a sigh.

Turning back to Ra-on, Yang asked again.

“You’re saying you don’t detect any scent from me? Or even from yourself?”

“…Am I supposed to?”

“No, not exactly…”

Ra-on answered in a softer tone, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

“If I must answer, I’d say your scent is comforting—like fresh soil after rain.”

“I see.”

Yang nodded, retracting his pheromones while observing her reaction.

Ra-on maintained the same neutral expression whether exposed to his controlled pheromones or her own. This confirmed that her pheromone sensitivity was abysmally low.

That alone might have been manageable.

Yang groaned inwardly.

Though Ra-on had manifested as an omega, she couldn’t properly sense pheromones—except for Do-kyung’s, which triggered an intense aversion despite their subtlety. Even then, she seemed fine beyond a certain distance, though that hardly solved the problem.

Yang, who had briefly celebrated finding Do-kyung’s match, now felt a profound sense of helplessness.

---

Seated on the sofa in the bedroom, gazing out the window, Ra-on gently rubbed her bandaged wrist. Similar bandages wrapped her ankles, marking where ropes had bound her during the kidnapping—a fact she didn’t need to confirm by unwrapping them. Beneath the bandages likely lay rope burns.

Her gaze rested on these scars, the sole evidence of her ordeal, with an unsettling detachment.

Truthfully, it felt unreal. If not for the marks hidden beneath the bandages, she might have dismissed the entire incident as a dream.

How could it not? That day, she had been consumed by a raging fever, and all she remembered were fragmented moments. Even those unpleasant memories had long since been overshadowed by thoughts of Do-kyung.

Ra-on buried her face between her knees, trying to push away the vivid memories of their passionate encounter replaying endlessly in her mind.

“Hah.”

Desperately attempting to suppress those carnal images, she forced herself to think rationally.

Kidnapping. Who could have imagined being abducted in broad daylight in the middle of a bustling city filled with CCTV cameras?

Ra-on laughed bitterly, wiping her face with her hand.

Since becoming entangled with Han Do-kyung, she’d faced one bizarre situation after another—from an unfair contract to enduring his rut, and now this kidnapping. The thought of what else might lie ahead terrified her.

“…”

Resting her face on her knees, she stared out the window, lost in thought.

Could things really continue like this with Han Do-kyung?

At that moment—

Knock, knock. A soft tapping sounded at the door.