ATGRA 20

In romance dramas featuring Alphas and Omegas as protagonists, the Omega always collapses pitifully at critical moments.

Then the Alpha sweeps the Omega into their arms, carries them into a room, and the scene cuts to birds chirping and morning dawning, implying they’ve consummated their relationship.

That’s… romance, after all.

This is the power of Hallyu, K-drama style. I’ve heard that in open-minded American dramas, if an Alpha and Omega lock eyes for more than three seconds, it’s straight to a bed scene.

But Korean dramas can’t do that. The Korea Communications Commission would never let an explicit bed scene slide.

I haven’t watched every drama in the world, but I’m certain of one thing: there’s no drama out there with an Omega heroine going into a heat cycle while eating curry.

This violates the laws of romance, Korea Communications Commission or not. To begin with, Jung Pureum and I shouldn’t even be in a romance genre. Jung Pureum was originally a Beta! In traditional romance, the male lead is strictly a pureblood Alpha.

This was a collapse of drama conventions. My mom, who’s obsessed with melodramas, would never forgive such an un-romantic situation.

I shot up from the dining table. It rattled with a clatter. I knew my body was acting strange, so Jung Pureum must have already noticed I was going into a heat cycle.

I rushed to the bathroom, flung the door open, and slammed it shut. Jung Pureum, who’d been sitting across from me, finally stood up.

“Hyung?”

“…Hey, go back to your place, quick.”

At times like this, I was truly grateful he lived next door. Even if I kicked him out suddenly, he wouldn’t end up homeless.

But despite my heartfelt advice, Jung Pureum stood outside the bathroom door and lightly knocked. His voice, asking if I was okay, sounded several times kinder than usual.

He’s always been kind to me, but I couldn’t tell if it sounded that way because I was on the verge of a heat cycle or if he was deliberately being sweeter.

“Open the door a bit. You’re still okay, right?”

“I’m not okay, you punk. It’s dangerous for you to stay longer. Even if I’m recessive, ugh, damn it…”

My stomach churned again. As my body started heating up, even the air, which had felt fine moments ago, now seemed humid.

I leaned my head against the cold bathroom wall and tried to catch my breath. Even with a door between us, I could distinctly feel an Alpha on the other side. Was I a beast or a human…?

But I didn’t have time to question my identity. The locked doorknob rattled a couple of times.

“Open the door, please.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not okay.”

“Yeah, I know. Your scent is intense.”

“Then go, I said!”

We’d bickered playfully before, but I’d never raised my voice at Jung Pureum. In my panic, a sharp tone slipped out.

I’d never spent a heat cycle with an Alpha, not once. It’s not because I’m this old and value chastity; I just never had a trustworthy Alpha around.

Even if there was someone trustworthy, my personality probably wouldn’t let me trust them.

Handling it alone is 100 percent safe, but the moment another person gets involved in a heat cycle, the risk skyrockets. So why would I do something that dangerous? Not sleeping with someone else is 100 percent safe.

That said, it’s not like I had no sexual desires. Solving it alone has its limits. Plus, whether I dealt with it early or late, doing it myself always led to an intense post-clarity slump.

So if I lost any more rationality here, I might do something unthinkable to Jung Pureum outside the door. I’d be lucky if I didn’t fling it open and say, “Fine, you really wanna sleep with me?”

No matter how crazed I get during a beastly phase, I can’t do that to my neighbor kid. His mom is a former shot-put athlete, for crying out loud. One punch from her, and I might literally die.

Reminding myself of the threat to my life snapped my fading rationality back. As long as I stayed sharp with an Alpha at the door, no accidents would happen.

“Hyung.”

Then, a snap sounded as the doorknob broke. I lowered my gaze to it.

I never knew it could break like that. A metal one, just snapping… My fingertips trembled, either from the heat cycle or primal fear.

“Hey, you…”

Jung Pureum’s scent mixed into the already humid bathroom air. The broken doorknob left the door defenseless as it swung open.

“We said we’d sleep together if our cycles synced, right?”

“They’re not synced. No, talk from there.”

“…”

“They’re not synced.”

“My rut’s only a few days away.”

“Still, they’re not synced right now…”

As long as I stay sharp! No accidents will happen!

I stumbled backward, nearly slipping and cracking my head, but I caught myself because I was still sane.

I grabbed the sink like a lifeline. I should’ve bolted outside, but I ran to the bathroom, and now there’s nowhere to escape.

A delectable Alpha right in front of me… Wait, what am I thinking?

Either way, with a fully grown Jung Pureum standing before me, things got complicated. I’m human and a living creature, so my body reacted before my mind could.

At this rate, even if I stay sharp, an accident might happen. I squeezed my eyes shut and declared, trying to hold my body and mind together.

“Even if the world ends, not with you.”

“Why not?”

“Your mom’s a former shot-put athlete.”

“…”

“I wanna live.”

Cornered, my true feelings spilled out. I already had to grovel to his mom for turning a perfectly good Beta into an Alpha; I can’t make another reason to grovel.

I can’t be the one to obstruct Jung Pureum’s athletic career, of all people. We’ve got years of loyalty and neighborly warmth.

But Jung Pureum seemed to think differently. The closer he stepped, the more conflicted I felt.

Should I just sleep with him? Sleeping with an Alpha might mean fewer herbs for months. I can trust Jung Pureum, right? My mind swirled with temptation. Even Buddha couldn’t tame my heart now.

“Is that the only reason it’s a no?”

“Ugh…”

“I’m genuinely curious.”

“Talk from farther away. It’s hard to hold my breath.”

“Are you playing dumb, or do you really not know?”

“Know what?”

The breath-holding challenge failed spectacularly. I’m not the swimmer; Jung Pureum is. My lung capacity is just average.

His pheromones, now familiar after a few whiffs, burrowed into my lungs.

Dominant Alpha pheromones are bad news for a recessive Omega. I shut my eyes tight. Socially bad news! What about my human dignity!

In the end, it stood up. My dignity shattered.

It was truly awful. Reacting like this to my dear neighbor kid’s pheromones. I was more embarrassed than when I was a wreck cramming for exams.

“You really don’t know…”

Jung Pureum’s deflated mutter echoed in my ears. I genuinely don’t know what I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I know more about current events than Jung Pureum.

But my thoughts and turmoil didn’t last. His hand firmly gripped my shoulder. Our bodies were so close I could vividly feel his rising body heat.

“W-W-Wait.”

“What now?”

“If we’re doing this, at least brush our teeth first!”

Emergency escape!

Where’s the emergency escape button!

I agree that an adult who says one thing and means another isn’t admirable. But does a person have to be an admirable adult? Can’t you just be an adult by being old enough?

Whether our heat and rut cycles sync or not, I had no intention of sleeping with Jung Pureum. Sure, he’s a great guy by anyone’s standards, and even as a new Alpha, he’s handsome enough to catch Lee Seolwoo’s eye.

But that’s not a reason for me to sleep with him. Even if I’m a bit drawn to him in my heat-induced haze, that’s just pheromones playing tricks, not my true feelings.

It’s the same for Jung Pureum. Does he really want to sleep with me out of his own will? It’s all pheromones. If he hadn’t become an Alpha, this never would’ve happened.

So, this is like a side effect of the Gongjindan.

If we were Beta and Omega, we wouldn’t react to each other’s pheromones, but as Alpha and Omega, this tragedy unfolded.

Jung Pureum actually gave me time to brush my teeth. He did too. Right, we were just eating curry, so we have to brush for oral health.

And I tried to use that chance to escape. It’s my house, but since Jung Pureum wasn’t leaving, I had to.

But he didn’t let me. A frail herbalist like me couldn’t beat a phys ed student. No matter how much herbal doping I did, I couldn’t match Jung Pureum’s born-athlete stats.

“Wait. Time out. Just a second.”

“…”

“Really?”

“…”

“For real?”

There was nowhere left to retreat.

Honestly, I had little rationality left. I needed to stay sharp to avoid an accident, but at this point, it felt like even if one happened, it wouldn’t be my fault.

Isn’t this Jung Pureum’s fault?

My rationality was waving a white flag, saying, “Master, I can’t take it anymore!” The mental energy I poured into work was long gone, and my body was half-surrendered to pheromones.

“I’m fine doing it in the bathroom.”

“Are you crazy? Absolutely not.”

“Then let’s go to the bedroom.”

“This is like the heavens opening and Western medicine surpassing Eastern medicine…”

My last-will-like lament didn’t last long. My body was lifted off the ground.

For the first time, I resented the Gongjindan I made. Save me. Omega gods! You should’ve warned me about side effects like this. Isn’t a three-year free prayer warranty standard…?