The medical chart in the doctor’s hand fluttered weakly.
He placed the paper on the desk and pushed up the glasses he had been wearing.
“If both of you desired it, and if Seo Jeong-won’s manifestation occurred as a result, then frequent exposure to your partner’s pheromones will be quite helpful. Try to request it more often than before. Once your traits stabilize, you won’t miss the pheromones anymore.”
“Yes…”
“First, we’ll do a blood draw and proceed with a manifestation test. The results will be out soon, so wait outside and we’ll talk again once the results are in.”
A heavy feeling sank in his chest.
Seo Jeong-won left the consultation room, feeling nervous.
He followed the nurse’s guidance.
After hastily finishing the blood draw and tests, about an hour had passed.
“Mr. Seo Jeong-won, you can come in now to see your results.”
As his name was called, Seo Jeong-won stood up and staggered, flushed with heat.
He barely managed to steady himself with the help of the person next to him, who had been waiting for their own appointment.
With the nurse’s support, he entered the consultation room.
“The test results show that you’ve manifested as an Omega.”
“…Ah.”
“If you’ve manifested, that suggests you’ve met a rather high-grade Alpha. However, Mr. Seo, your own traits are… even weaker than recessive.”
The doctor’s voice carried a sense of regret for what seemed like an inferior trait.
“It was a forced manifestation, and if it hadn’t been for the person you’re seeing, you likely would have remained a Beta. Since you said you wanted to manifest, this might be a good thing, but unlike when you were a Beta, there will now be several discomforts, big and small.”
The doctor spoke calmly as he looked at Seo Jeong-won, who sat there dazed.
“I’ll prescribe you a pheromone supplement, but that alone won’t be enough. Pheromone showers are essential and must be done frequently. In three months, we’ll recheck your pheromone levels and adjust the supplement dosage accordingly.”
“Then why… why can’t my friend smell anything from me…?”
His voice trailed off in confusion.
The doctor tapped his pen on the desk, thinking briefly about how to explain in an understandable way.
“As I mentioned earlier, your condition is still unstable… and your pheromone levels are extremely low. That’s probably why. Once your levels rise into the normal range and your traits stabilize, those symptoms should naturally go away.”
“There’s one thing to be cautious about—while others may not be able to smell your pheromones, your body can still react to them.”
Seo Jeong-won, who had been nervously fidgeting with his hands on his thigh, looked up.
“For that reason alone, I recommend you stay with your partner for the time being. It’s best to avoid any unfortunate incidents from the start.”
“By incidents, you mean…?”
“Alphas and Omegas are affected by pheromones, after all. I’m not saying you absolutely must do it—it’s your choice. I’ll give you an antipyretic shot before you leave. Please return in three months for your follow-up.”
The doctor, who had been holding eye contact with Seo Jeong-won, turned to the monitor.
The click of the mouse and the hum of the printer were the only sounds in the room.
Several pages quickly stacked up.
The doctor gathered the printed materials, placed them in a document envelope, and handed it to Seo Jeong-won.
“Our hospital runs a program for Alphas and Omegas who manifested after adulthood. It explains what pheromones are and helps them adapt through regular training. It could be helpful for you too.”
Seo Jeong-won glanced at the envelope with only his eyes before letting out a deep sigh.
“The smell coming from me… that’s pheromones, right? If my traits are weak, are my pheromones weak too? Does that mean others can’t detect them?”
“Recessive Omegas or Alphas probably wouldn’t notice. Even dominant ones… since your pheromone levels are so low, it’d be hard to pick up on it right away. But taking the supplement regularly should help alleviate that. So be diligent about the supplement and receive pheromone showers often. As for heat cycles, there’s no need to worry yet—we’ll look at your levels again in six months.”
“So… if I keep taking the supplement properly, Alphas and Omegas will be able to smell my pheromones?”
At the rather odd-sounding question, the doctor looked puzzled but nodded.
Seo Jeong-won, overwhelmed by the fever, confusion, and despair over his body’s inevitable manifestation, stood up.
From the moment he left the consultation room, he didn’t know how he managed to move.
When he came to, he was lying in a bed.
An IV was attached to the crook of his arm.
“Oh, you’re awake? Just in time, the IV is finished. I’ll remove the needle now.”
“…Thank you.”
“You’ll probably struggle with a high fever for a few days. If you get admitted, we can bring it down quickly. Are you really okay with not staying?”
His body definitely felt lighter.
He could feel that the fever had gone down.
Seo Jeong-won adjusted his disheveled clothes and declined the nurse’s suggestion.
If he got admitted, he’d have to explain it to Kwon Tae-hee.
He had no confidence he could lie without being caught.
“I’m okay. Thank you.”
Seo Jeong-won bowed his head as he pressed an alcohol swab on the spot where the needle had been.
He took out his phone from under the pillow and checked the time.
His eyes naturally landed on the missed calls.
There were quite a few missed calls from Kwon Tae-hee’s number.
He didn’t even care that he’d missed a call from Kang Da-hyun.
“Please settle your bill and pick up your medication from the in-hospital pharmacy before leaving. If your fever spikes again, please return immediately. The shot works better than pills for reducing fever.”
At the kind advice, Seo Jeong-won mumbled a vague reply and got out of bed.
He didn’t even properly slip his feet into his sneakers, dragging the squashed-down heels as he left the injection room.
Outside, he quickly took out his phone again.
He checked what time the missed calls had come in and let out a long breath.
He thought about what he should say if asked what he’d been doing but couldn’t come up with any good excuses.
It seemed better to just be honest about having gone to the hospital than to try to hide it poorly.
If he just said that much, maybe Tae-hee wouldn’t ask further.
After staring at his phone in his hand for a long time, he finally gathered the courage.
Seo Jeong-won pressed on Kwon Tae-hee’s number from the missed call log.
The ringtone didn’t last long.
Soon, a familiar, gentle voice came through the receiver.
―“Mr. Seo Jeong-won.”
“…Hello? Director, it’s me, Jeong-won.”
―“You didn’t answer my calls. Is everything alright?”
“No, it’s not like that… I had a fever again. So I came to the hospital, and I’m just leaving now. Sorry I missed your call. Was there something you needed?”
Kwon Tae-hee chuckled softly at Seo Jeong-won’s question.
Hearing that warm laugh through the receiver, Seo Jeong-won realized he had overstepped.
Even if something were wrong with Tae-hee, what could he possibly do to help?
―“What did the hospital say?”
“They said it’s a cold. A feverish one. Apparently it’s going around these days… I was worried I might’ve passed it on to you.”
―“I thought maybe it was manifestation fever. That’s a shame.”
At those words, Seo Jeong-won flinched in surprise.
No one was watching, yet he instinctively covered his mouth, afraid his lie had been discovered.
―“I called because I was worried. Are you heading to the greenhouse?”
“Yes, I’m going there.”
―“If it’s too much, rest at home. Don’t be stubborn.”
“I’ll just feed the fish and water the plants… then I’ll come home.”
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Kwon Tae-hee chuckled again.
―“Alright, do that then.”
The low, resonant voice made it hard to tell whether he was saying they should end the call or continue talking a bit longer.
— “Get home safe.”
“Yes, you too, Executive Director. Please hang in there.”
I only said that because I’m much younger than him, and saying “Good job” felt neither polite nor proper.
But that made him laugh even more heartily than before.
— “Alright then.”
“Goodbye.”
Seo Jeong-won bowed his head so deeply it looked like he might fold in half, as if Kwon Tae-hee were standing right in front of him.
Even after the call had ended, he couldn’t immediately take the phone away from his ear.
His heart was pounding so fast that he could hardly breathe.
With trembling eyes, he looked around and barely managed to take a step forward.
He placed his palm on his aching chest and walked toward the bus stop.
***
For a day or two, the fever clung stubbornly to him.
He had shoved the supplements deep into a kitchen cabinet and had to take over-the-counter fever reducers from the pharmacy several more times before the heat finally began to subside.
He was obsessed with the idea that the fever had to be gone before Friday.
The lingering low-grade fever only deepened his fear of being found out.
On Thursday, he visited a hospital in another area.
It was an old and small clinic that accepted Omega patients.
He hid when his heat had manifested, made excuses about experiencing symptoms he’d read about online, and awkwardly explained things until they prescribed him pheromone suppressants.
Now it had become a habit—he would take fever reducers as soon as he arrived at the flower garden.
In about two hours, he would need to take the suppressants.
He set an alarm so he wouldn’t forget and stood in front of a small fish tank, following the ornamental fish swimming back and forth with his eyes.