TATMFL - 59

Ra-on silently stared at the figure entering the room.

Though she hadn’t given permission to enter, Do-kyung walked in anyway.

“Can I come in?”

“…Isn’t that something you’re supposed to ask before entering?”

Despite her incredulous glare, Do-kyung awkwardly chuckled and leaned casually against the doorframe he had left wide open.

The two stood at opposite ends of the bedroom, silence stretching between them like a heavy curtain.

Ra-on twitched her nose. The foul stench that had made her vomit bile the previous night was nowhere to be found. Only then did she relax her shoulders, leaning back against the sofa. Unbeknownst to her, she had been unconsciously tense.

Do-kyung seemed to notice her body loosening from its earlier rigidity and spoke first.

“How are you feeling?”

Ra-on raised an eyebrow as if questioning the absurdity of his inquiry. Then, with deliberate emphasis, she tapped the table sharply with her bandaged wrist.

Seeing the bandages, Do-kyung’s lips trembled slightly as though suppressing something before he muttered:

“I’m sorry.”

“I’d rather hear an explanation than an apology.”

Ra-on turned her gaze toward the window, pointedly avoiding him. Her reflection in the glass revealed a face drained of emotion—dry, indifferent, as though whatever explanation he could offer held no interest for her.

“Aah.”

Do-kyung confessed everything: the competition among construction firms tied to the redevelopment project, how Daehan ultimately secured the bid, and even the incident involving Hyesung. When he finally fell silent, Ra-on responded with a knowing smile.

“So you provoked both sides just to cover your bases?”

Realizing it was no coincidence that Hyesung’s former creditors had shown up on the day he went into heat, Ra-on asked in disbelief:

“And after all that, you had the audacity to act so self-righteous when you came to see me?”

“…”

“Truly shameless and without a conscience. But then again, someone born into privilege like you wouldn’t have cared about minding others’ feelings, would you?”

Under the weight of her scathing criticism, Do-kyung had no words to defend himself.

“It seems your company wasn’t very tactful either. Thinking I belonged to you? Ah, maybe that’s why they lost the final bid.”

Her voice dripped with undisguised mockery.

“Come to think of it, a relationship where one exchanges favors for payment might easily look that way to outsiders.”

With those words, Ra-on closed her eyes briefly, her pale face betraying exhaustion. Opening them again, she rose from her seat without giving him a chance to respond and asked flatly:

“Where are my clothes?”

Since waking up, Ra-on had been wearing one of Do-kyung’s loose-fitting shirts. Technically, she could leave as she was, but she didn’t want to carry even a single thread of his clothing with her.

Even the tattered outfit she wore during the kidnapping felt preferable to this.

At this moment, anything connected to Do-kyung—even something as trivial as an article of clothing—was utterly repulsive. The hotel room where he stayed was no exception.

Just as she took a determined step forward—

“Raon.”

A note of urgency in his voice caught her ankle mid-step.

“Don’t go.”

‘Is he planning to lock me up now?’

Before Ra-on could frown at the thought, Do-kyung spoke in a strained, choked tone:

“You’ve manifested as an omega.”

Ra-on’s head snapped toward him, tilting quizzically. His words hadn’t fully registered yet; confusion clouded her expression.

Swallowing hard, Do-kyung met her gaze.

“You can’t leave right now because of the pheromones.”

“…”

“For a while, you’ll need to stay here and learn how to control your pheromones under Professor Yang’s guidance.”

“Omega?”

Her voice, barely above a whisper, interrupted him. Her pitch-black eyes were eerily still, unreadable.

Ra-on’s lips parted as if trying to form words, but nothing came out. She simply blinked, dazed.

Silence settled heavily between them.

In that quiet, Do-kyung felt as though he were standing on thin ice, ready to shatter at any moment. The tension was suffocating, even for him.

Suddenly, Ra-on swayed unsteadily, still gripping the dresser handle like a lifeline. Her knuckles were ghostly white from clutching it so tightly.

“Raon!”

Do-kyung, who had remained by the door, rushed toward her but stopped abruptly when she turned her head and gagged violently.

“Damn it.”

He clenched his fists tightly, teeth grinding together.

Moments earlier, Professor Yang’s troubled voice echoed thunderously in his mind:

[It seems Miss Raon reacts only to your pheromones.]

[What?]

[Given the abnormal circumstances of her manifestation, her sensitivity to pheromones is significantly impaired. This applies to both alpha and omega pheromones. She couldn’t detect mine or even her own.]

Yang scribbled notes about Ra-on onto his medical chart.

[Moreover, her own pheromones are growing fainter over time. By the time I left, they were nearly undetectable unless you were extremely close. Essentially, though she has manifested as an omega, she’s practically indistinguishable from a beta.]

Yang grimaced uncomfortably before adding:

[The only exception is your pheromones. Just as you reject omega pheromones, she exhibits a strong aversion specifically to yours.]

[Is… is that even possible?]

[Perhaps due to the trauma of being kidnapped, combined with the intense rejection she felt toward the alpha pheromones present during her manifestation.]

Stunned, Do-kyung stammered:

[Then… what do we do? Is there a way to fix this?]

[…]

Yang pressed his temples, clearly frustrated.

[Young Master, have you improved?]

That single question said enough.

Do-kyung staggered, suddenly dizzy.

[I’ve told you repeatedly since you were young: this is a psychological issue. Without addressing the root cause, it won’t heal—not in a lifetime.]

Looking at Do-kyung with pity, Yang sighed deeply.

[Stay away from her. From what I’ve observed, she reacts strongly even to residual traces of your scent.]

Immediately afterward, Do-kyung showered obsessively, scrubbing himself raw until Joon begged him to stop. He aimed to erase every trace of pheromones lingering on his skin.

And then he suppressed his pheromones entirely, ensuring not even a hint remained detectable to Ra-on.

For Do-kyung, this was no easy feat. Suppressing a natural physiological response through sheer willpower alone was grueling. Yet, he persisted—for her sake.

But despite his efforts, he was still inexperienced. A moment’s lapse allowed his pheromones to seep out, triggering her reaction once more.

Desperate, Do-kyung increased the distance between them, consciously clamping down on his pheromones.

“Hnn…”

Gradually, Ra-on’s trembling subsided, her breathing steadying visibly.

Watching her, Do-kyung finally grasped the full weight of her aversion to his pheromones. His face paled dramatically.

The ground beneath him seemed to crumble into nothingness as he swallowed thickly.

“…Hah.”

It was some time later when a sharp sigh escaped Ra-on’s lips.

Still gasping for breath, she turned her head slightly to look at him, her pallid complexion making her seem on the verge of collapse.

“Omega…”

“…”

“I’ve… become an omega.”

Reflected in her unfocused pupils, Do-kyung’s expression twisted strangely.

Her reaction was odd. He had anticipated shock, fear even, at manifesting as an omega—a world governed by pheromones foreign to her.

But her response bordered on contempt and disgust.

Uneasy, Do-kyung instinctively moved to take a step forward but hesitated instead, calling her name softly:

“Raon?”

His voice failed to reach her amidst her panic.

Ra-on’s body trembled violently, shaking as though seized by convulsions.

“Hnn…”

Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she curled into a ball, letting out a low groan. Then, her frail frame collapsed forward limply.

“Yoo Raon!”

Do-kyung shouted her name desperately.

As Yang burst into the room, alerted by the commotion, Do-kyung swiftly scooped her unconscious body into his arms.