Confined Pheromone

“Why does he have to be so unlucky, and why do these sneakers just fall off like that?”

His colleague next to him poked him in the side and muttered something. He thought he heard a faint mumble of “Omega.” Soon, mocking words followed.

“Hey, think about it. Why would Baek Sanho wag his tail at you? There’s nothing to fall for. You need something to shake your hips and waist for.”

“Damn, that’s disgusting.”

“Well, I guess he has no reason to be nice to us. We’re not some chaebol.”

“No, you idiot. It’s because your personality is so dirty that he doesn’t even want to touch you. Don’t you think he’d have to be nice to you for you to even consider it?”

Ah, the colleagues burst into laughter, elongating their words. The colleague who had kicked Sanho’s sneakers first spoke with a voice full of mockery.

“By the way, did you guys see when Siwoo sunbae rescued that stray cat the other day?”

Perhaps aware of the students filling the classroom, he looked around as if to say, “Listen up.”

“The girls were going crazy. They thought it was cool.”

“What? The black cat that climbed up on the outdoor unit?”

“Ah, yeah. The one that was meowing on the outdoor unit, and the sunbae brought it down.”

“Yeah, I saw it. That cat was scratching his hand, but he just smiled and petted it without flinching.”

“He probably bought a ton of cat treats then. And then he left the stray cat’s resting spot in that alley. You know, the one behind the college. What kind of stray cat house is better than our home?”

The colleague moved closer to Sanho. The mocking voice resonated syllable by syllable, emphasizing each word.

“Siwoo sunbae is someone who’s nice to stray cats, you know. If that cat wore shoes, he’d probably buy it ten pairs of sneakers.”

Just as he seemed about to burst into laughter, a large hand gently landed on his shoulder. The colleague slowly turned his head.

“Stray cat?”

The curious gazes that had gathered with cheap interest suddenly froze. The colleague looked at the person who had placed a hand on his shoulder with a stiff expression. Siwoo, tilting his head slightly and smiling with narrowed eyes, stood facing him.

“Yeah, I like cats.”

“…Uh, Siwoo sunbae….”

“Cats don’t unnecessarily bother other people. That’s why I like them.”

Isn’t that true for everyone? Siwoo smiled wider, his eyes crinkling. The hand that had pressed down on his shoulder was gently removed. Siwoo leaned toward Sanho, who seemed to be sitting alone in a daze.

“Sanho, show me your book.”

The previously frozen gazes began to shimmer with a strange light. No one opened their mouth, but everyone must have been thinking the same thing. Siwoo knew that. But he smiled as if it didn’t matter.

“I didn’t bring my book today either.”

Siwoo quietly grabbed Sanho’s wrist. As he was led to the back of the classroom, Sanho glanced at Siwoo’s profile. Siwoo’s face was stiff. However, upon feeling Sanho’s gaze, Siwoo slightly turned his head. When their eyes met, he smiled brightly. Don’t worry about it. Siwoo’s lips silently whispered. As Siwoo bit the corner of his lips, he thought that Sanho might not have heard him.

It was rare for class time to be boring. He thought he was quite a diligent student. Siwoo rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought. He tapped his index finger against his cheek and blinked.

He caught the eyes of students who had turned around several times. The students who glanced back were startled when they met Siwoo’s gaze and quickly turned back to the front. The light in their eyes was consistent.

Is the rumor true? Are they really like that? What will Siwoo sunbae do?

It was quite a strange situation. The gazes directed at him were mostly filled with pity rather than malice, while the gazes toward the girl next to him were filled with mockery rather than sympathy. Why was that? Because of that trivial trait? Or was it…

Siwoo let out a small sigh and turned to look at Sanho. Noticing Siwoo’s gaze on him, Sanho, who had been diligently taking notes, paused. Their eyes met. Siwoo smiled with narrowed eyes. Then he quickly scribbled something on the corner of his book.

[We have a company dinner today]

After confirming the writing hidden under Siwoo’s large hand, Sanho frowned and looked back at Siwoo. What dinner…? Isn’t work starting next week? Perhaps reading Sanho’s expression, Siwoo chuckled softly. He began to write again.

[It’s customary to have a dinner when new team members join]

Reading the neatly written words, Sanho mouthed them silently. Finding it amusing to see Sanho silently reading his note, Siwoo chuckled again.

[What do you want to eat?]

This time, Sanho also closed his mouth and moved his hands.

[Anything is fine]

[Still, pick something]

[Whatever you want, sunbae]

I… Siwoo, who had been about to move his hand, hesitated. He smiled at Sanho, his eyes crinkling. He whispered in a small voice.

“Let’s eat meat. Beef. Something good.”

Sanho slowly nodded. Siwoo responded with a cheerful “Okay.” He turned his gaze back to the front. He didn’t notice Sanho gently stroking the corner of the book where his notes were written.