ATGRA 9

Even though he’s gotten better at controlling it compared to before, being so close to Jung Pureum meant I couldn’t help but catch his pheromones with every breath.

Honestly, it’s nice. This must be why Alphas and Omegas go crazy for each other during their cycles. It’s like meeting a human air freshener in a sewer—how could you not be drawn in?

So I deliberately walked a step behind, but Jung Pureum, thinking he was walking too fast, slowed down. Then he went so far as to ask if he could hold my hand.

Two grown men strolling hand in hand down the street would clearly scream, “We’re an Alpha-Omega couple on a date,” to anyone watching.

“You’re too warm, I don’t like it.”

“You used to say my warm hands were nice because you have cold hands and feet, hyung.”

“That was when you were in middle school.”

“Now that I’m a college student, you don’t like it?”

“Stop clinging to me. Your pheromones are already making me dizzy.”

“Even if you don’t like my hands, you seem to like my pheromones.”

This guy has an answer for everything. I reached out and lightly smacked Jung Pureum’s mouth.

Caught off guard, Jung Pureum widened his eyes and let his eyebrows droop, asking what he did wrong.

I felt like a dog owner who scolded an innocent puppy and retracted my hand. Right. What does he know to say things like that or to slather me with pheromones? I shouldn’t hold a kid who just became an Alpha and knows nothing to my standards.

“Next time, bring a notebook and pen. I need to educate you properly.”

“Educate?”

“Yeah. You need to learn how to control your pheromones fast. There’s definitely a problem. If it weren’t for me, an Omega used to herbal medicine, anyone else would’ve passed out from your pheromones by now.”

“…”

“I can handle it because it’s me. What are you going to do if you make some random Omega faint in college? If you want a long athletic career, you need to avoid scandals like that.”

Jung Pureum grumbled with a dissatisfied look, saying he wouldn’t do that. What a joke. How’s a guy who can’t control himself supposed to manage his pheromones?

I widened the distance again and patted Jung Pureum’s back firmly. His broad back always felt satisfying to smack.

In the end, he grabbed my hand and even interlocked our fingers, but thinking I got a few hits in first made holding hands bearable.

*

The date wasn’t a big deal.

When I researched online beforehand, it seemed like there were complicated steps and procedures, but it was better than expected.

It felt a bit like when a professor walked into class with a smile and suddenly handed out a pop quiz. The difficulty depends entirely on who’s taking it.

If my first date had been with an outside Alpha instead of Jung Pureum, I would’ve bolted out with an excuse like, “There’s an emergency patient?” even though I run a clinic, not an ER.

Walking hand in hand with a guy who’s no longer a kid felt a bit embarrassing, but following a standard date course—eating together and watching a movie—was pretty enjoyable.

Having known each other for so long, we knew each other’s tastes well. There wasn’t much we needed to newly coordinate.

For example, Jung Pureum knew I’m a picky eater. How could he not, after all the chickens we’ve ordered at their place?

Not only that, he knew everything from my dislike of my secondary gender to my absolute inability to watch horror movies.

Likewise, I was an expert on Jung Pureum. Having watched him since elementary school, it was hard not to be.

Unlike me, he could chew rocks with how much he eats and is active thanks to being an athlete. Plus, he laughs through horror movies I can’t stand.

Despite our stark differences, we’ve gotten along without issues because Jung Pureum has always accommodated me in nearly every way. Even though I’m the hyung, he’s been used to yielding since he was young.

“Should we watch this? You liked this director’s last work, right?”

“You remember something I said three years ago.”

“Because you watched it three times, which is rare for you.”

“It was on TV three times, that’s why. And you don’t like melodramas.”

“I do.”

“Liar.”

“I’m serious.”

He’s so kind, I wonder how he’ll survive out there. I worried he’d seem like a pushover to college coaches or sports club seniors.

“If you keep accommodating everyone like this, you’ll lose out.”

“I don’t accommodate everyone.”

“You accommodate me all the time. I’m a person too.”

“…”

“We can watch another movie. I looked it up, and though it’s horror, it’s not that scary.”

“You can’t even handle jump scares.”

“Hey, it’s not that I’m scared—it’s that I refuse to fall for cheap tricks by directors trying to make easy money.”

“But tear-jerking melodramas aren’t tricks, they’re art?”

“They’re beautiful stories that soothe the hearts of jaded modern people. Big corporations know exactly how to make people cry.”

Jung Pureum laughed at my words. I’m always serious, but he laughs at everything I say.

“Fine, you punk. The showtime’s soon, so buy popcorn if you’re getting it. Let’s go in.”

It had been a long time since I’d been to a movie theater. I went a few times in college, but not since.

Public places often have Omega restrictions. Theaters lifted those a while ago, but if pheromone-sensitive Alphas complained, you could get kicked out mid-movie.

So when OTT services became popular, I cheered inwardly. Finally, I could sob through melodramas without going to a theater!

Big screens and great sound systems didn’t matter to me. Not having to share space with annoying Alphas was what counted.

Yet here I am, back at the theater for a date with the Alpha I created. Life’s full of surprises.

“What popcorn do you want? I’m buying.”

“Caramel popcorn.”

“No way. Get original. You’ll get cavities.”

“Then why ask what I want?”

“Out of courtesy. Since I’m paying, I decide.”

I decided not to overthink it.

I was worried about the clinic I left entirely to Ms. Kim Miyoung, but after the sudden heat cycle, I’d been through so much I hadn’t had a break.

So, enjoying Jung Pureum’s refreshing pheromones while having a rest disguised as a date didn’t seem so bad. They say living too fast leads to mistakes. This is like phytoncide therapy, if you think about it.

That thought made me feel more at ease. To others, we probably look more like brothers than a couple, so being embarrassed is just overthinking.

“Would you like the couple’s discount?”

…Or maybe not?

The tired theater worker, with a service smile, asked again if we wanted the discount.

“With the couple’s discount, you get a free popcorn size upgrade.”

At that, I just nodded weakly. Free size upgrade? I’d say we’re a couple even if we aren’t.

Meanwhile, Jung Pureum happily took the large popcorn and didn’t forget to politely thank the worker.

I paid, but the worker only gave a human smile to Jung Pureum’s fresh face.

“We must look like a couple.”

“They just ask that because it’s in the manual. Like checking IDs when buying alcohol.”

“I don’t get ID-checked much.”

“Wait, you’ve already bought alcohol?”

“…”

“Wow, what a delinquent. They say the quiet cat climbs the stove first.”

“Isn’t it the quiet cat that gets on the stove first?”

“You’re too big to be called a cat.”

I kept nagging Jung Pureum right up until we entered the theater. When I pressed him about when he drank, he gave a vague answer about tough times.

If exams are tough, study—why drink? During the long pre-movie ads, even as I grilled him, Jung Pureum just smiled happily.

This carefree, spineless guy.

I grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it in my mouth. Since I was bound to cry during the movie, I needed to stock up on salt.

“Hyung.”

“What.”

“There aren’t many people in the theater.”

“Doesn’t matter, no way.”

“Can’t we… hold hands?”

Why’s he trying to hold hands when he could just eat popcorn quietly? He still thinks he’s twelve.

The theater darkened quickly. I fixed my eyes on the screen. With ticket prices this high, slacking on watching would be a waste.

But unlike my enthusiastic viewing attitude, Jung Pureum kept sneaking glances at my profile during the entire movie.

It had been years since I came to the theater alone with Jung Pureum. When he was younger, we came once or twice, but I got too busy to make time after that.

Even in middle school, Jung Pureum wasn’t great at focusing. He’s different in the pool as an athlete, but unlike me, who gets absorbed and sees nothing else, he’d often look my way while doing something.

It was the same when watching movies. In middle school, he’d stare at my face the whole time and never focus on the movie.

They say habits from three last until eighty, and it’s still true. I could feel his gaze boring into my cheek.

Once I noticed it, I got self-conscious. Why’s he looking at me instead of the movie? What a waste of ticket money.