AOA 32

When Baek Yeongseop concentrated his pheromone marking on Jeong Minchae at the art center, he hadn’t expected things to turn out like this.

Jeong Minchae’s father, Jeong Suchan, was under Vice Chairman Baek Jaehan. In the previous life, Baek Yeongseop and Jeong Minchae had an oddly close relationship. To be exact, Baek Yeongseop had treated Jeong Minchae like a pet he could toy with at will.

In any case, their collusion had been anticipated, and preparations were being made accordingly. But Jeong Minchae walking around reeking of Baek Yeongseop’s pheromones was an entirely different problem.

In his previous life, Baek Mugyeong had been labeled an incompetent alpha who failed to trigger manifestation in an omega with a 91% probability. But such talk hadn’t affected him in the least, so he ignored it. The same went for the gossip that he had lost his omega to his cousin less than a month into the marriage.

If not for his grandfather, he might have just let it go. His grandfather, Baek Jinseok, chairman of the Daesong Group, one of South Korea’s top three conglomerates, was a man who prized dignity and prestige above all else.

While he turned a blind eye to domestic fights, he was hypersensitive to anything that could bring disgrace from the outside.

Overwriting Baek Yeongseop’s pheromones with his own was the most logical choice. But Jeong Minchae’s intense reaction had been completely unexpected.

He let out a sigh as he watched Jeong Minchae, cheeks flushed red, flustered and fleeing.

Jeong Minchae was barely twenty-two and had only recently manifested as an omega, a rookie. It was likely he didn’t even know that getting aroused by an alpha’s pheromones wouldn’t just settle on its own.

Baek Mugyeong had followed Jeong Minchae mostly out of a bit of misplaced concern. If he left him alone like that, it was obvious other alphas, drawn by the omega’s pheromones, would swarm in.

Even though they’d already had sex, grabbing a man’s erection with a clear head still took a certain resolve. But… it hadn’t been revolting. On the contrary, seeing Jeong Minchae’s pale, trembling face unable to hide his arousal had turned him on. He clicked his tongue at the fact that he was attracted to the sweet pheromones Jeong Minchae was emitting inside the car.

He thought that would be the end of it, a brief incident. That was until he got home and suddenly went into rut.

He had only been slightly exposed to Jeong Minchae’s pheromones, yet it triggered another unexpected rut. To keep himself from pouncing on Jeong Minchae, who was asleep in the bedroom, he tried to leave the house while he still had a shred of reason left. But the moment he opened the door, Jeong Minchae appeared before him.

He knew in his head he needed to stay patient. But the instincts of an alpha in rut led him to grab Jeong Minchae’s wrist in the end.

The sex had been insanely good. He was completely drowned in that sugary pheromone, to the point that he thought he’d gone mad.

“Seriously…”

Baek Mugyeong exhaled, his shoulders rising and falling. He wanted to punch his past self who once swore he’d never sleep with a man, even if he was an omega.

More than anything, seeing Jeong Minchae lying defenselessly on the bed, exuding pheromones, and feeling himself getting hard again filled him with self-disgust.

“Sigh…”

Baek Mugyeong let out a deep breath again and got up. He couldn’t cover Jeong Minchae with the blanket he was lying on, so he brought a bathrobe from the bathroom.

When he draped the oversized robe over him, the frown between Jeong Minchae’s brows relaxed in satisfaction. He curled further into the robe.

Even then, Jeong Minchae was unconsciously emitting that sweet pheromone.

He ignored the reaction in his body to the mouthwatering fruity scent. If he gave in to his instincts now, he’d utterly despise himself.

Baek Mugyeong pulled a bottle of pills from the nightstand drawer and took another tranquilizer. He had already taken one earlier, but it hadn’t been enough.

As he slowly calmed his breathing, Baek Mugyeong thought about what he needed to do. Simply leaving after enjoying himself was more than just bad manners, it was inexcusable.

He began moving busily.

Baek Mugyeong remembered the moment he first saw Jeong Minchae as if it were a painting.

The man standing in front of the large dining table with his head bowed looked like a flower that had withered before it could bloom.

His anxious eyes were always cast downward, and there was no trace of the vitality one would expect from someone at twenty-two.

Their marriage had been forced by Baek Jinseok. It was also a way for Baek Mugyeong to prove to Baek Jaehan that he had no interest in Daesong Group’s power.

He had come to Korea from the US only because Baek Jinseok had disguised his threat as financial support. At first, he’d said Baek only had to play the obedient grandson for a few years. But as time went on, the demands grew, eventually including marriage and even a grandchild.

Baek Jinseok promised him DS Motors, but Baek Mugyeong had no interest in it. He was simply biding his time, waiting to return to the US.

Both had clear goals in the marriage: Baek Mugyeong wanted time, and he assumed Jeong Minchae wanted money.

But when they met in person, Jeong Minchae showed no signs of greed or ambition. He was just a powerless puppet doing whatever his father told him.

It was natural to feel sympathy for someone so different from expectations. But Baek Mugyeong didn’t have the bandwidth to consider Jeong Minchae’s circumstances.

Under Baek Jaehan’s watchful eye, he had to keep traveling despite only being a nominal executive director.

Not interfering in Jeong Minchae’s affairs was the best he could do.

Because of that, their relationship after marriage was worse than mere housemates. He didn’t care what Jeong Minchae did. People gossiped about Jeong Minchae failing to manifest as an omega, but he brushed it off.

They hadn’t spent much time together during their marriage, but it had been enough to understand Jeong Minchae’s basic disposition.

He was quiet, reserved, gloomy, and at some point, started acting like he had a few screws loose. No matter the situation, he never showed displeasure and always wore a vacant smile. Even when insulted to his face, he just nodded and said he understood.

Baek Mugyeong clicked his tongue inwardly at Jeong Minchae. And despite his shortcomings, the human sympathy he felt for him only deepened.

It was that pity that led to the betrayal so severe, it brought him to death.

The business Baek Mugyeong had started and built in the US was shaken after his co-founder died of pancreatic cancer. And at the worst possible time, a hostile takeover by a private equity firm led to the loss of the company.

Baek Mugyeong lost both his friend and the business he’d staked his life on in an instant.

Right after, Baek Yeongseop had brought it up with a smug face, asking if the US business had collapsed. He even grinned, saying he had gotten the information from an excellent source in time to act.

Baek Mugyeong was certain the source was Jeong Minchae. That airheaded Jeong Minchae always answered questions sincerely. He had seen Baek Yeongseop ask him things a few times.

Rage surged to the top of his head. He immediately confronted Jeong Minchae, demanding what he had done. But Jeong Minchae looked clueless and frightened.

There was no point in getting angry at someone who didn’t even realize what they had done. Feeling disgusted, Baek Mugyeong turned away, vowing never to see Jeong Minchae again.

Having lost everything, he planned to face Baek Jinseok head-on and demand the business back. On the way there, he was hit by a truck.

Death came in an instant. Facing such a futile end left him hollow. But then he opened his eyes again, realizing he had traveled two years back in time and was reliving his life.

Back to the morning of his matchmaking date with Jeong Minchae.

Everything that had happened over those two years had been reset. Though Jeong Minchae hadn’t done anything yet, the revulsion and resentment were buried deep in his heart.

He couldn’t avoid the arranged meeting. He had fully intended to reject Jeong Minchae that day. There were plenty of other options, and he needed someone free from Baek Jaehan’s influence.

The rudeness committed by Jeong Minchae’s half-brother was a perfect excuse. But things didn’t go as planned. Just like before, Baek Jinseok strongly pushed for the marriage. He still couldn’t go against his grandfather’s will.

In the end, he married Jeong Minchae again. And ended up having sex with him, twice, no less.

As he wiped Jeong Minchae’s body and helped him into pajamas, Baek Mugyeong realized once again that even knowing the future didn’t mean everything would go his way.

The fact that Jeong Minchae had manifested as an omega in Cebu hadn’t happened in the previous life.

Following that train of thought, Baek Mugyeong felt a wave of mental exhaustion.

Encounters with manifesting omegas were rare, but it wasn’t uncommon to meet omegas in heat. Any alpha with sense always carried suppressants.

Suppressants gave them the reason and patience to resist an omega’s pheromones.