IBS - Chapter 31

If I had to sum up yesterday in a single word, it would be this: a building.

I’d been dragged away by Lee Geumyeong and nearly suffered a horrific ordeal. I’d made the momentous decision to manifest as an Omega with Han Jinheon’s help. And yet, I was so captivated by the building he offered as compensation that a full day had passed, and I could hardly think of anything else.

The past was the past. The man I liked was the man I liked. But a building was different. In this capitalist society, a building was something you could only obtain through a stroke of heavenly luck. It was said that you couldn’t become a landlord even if you’d saved the nation in a past life.

If it weren't for the building, I would have hesitated. I would have wondered if I should turn back while I still could, if stopping now was the right answer. Normally, I would have wavered and dithered until Han Jinheon snapped at me, asking what I intended to do. But with a building on the line, that version of me was rendered speechless.

And what was there to complain about? Last night, before bed, Han Jinheon had given me a final warning.

‘Once the induction plan begins, you won’t be able to back out, even if you want to. So, think it over carefully one last time.’

This morning, the moment I ran into Han Jinheon upon leaving my room, I rushed over, grabbed his uninjured left hand, and laid bare my purest desires.

‘Hyung. I am ready to ascend to the status of landlord. Just thinking about the building makes my heart swell with such grandeur that I can’t sit still.’

Han Jinheon stared at me blankly before covering his face with his right hand, choking back laughter. He mumbled something about my eyes, not even wiped clean of sleep, being full of greed. I could only purse my lips in embarrassment. Well, it’s better to be full of something than nothing, right?

For Han Jinheon to get to work, Secretary Song had to arrive. As I sat on the sofa waiting for him, spacing out, I felt a piercing gaze on me. Wondering what it was, I glanced around.

The source of the stare was Han Jinheon. He had been watching me from a distance, and the moment our eyes met, he approached. Was he monitoring me? Why was he just standing there watching?

“We need to go to the hospital in early December for a blood test, you know. We’ll confirm your exact ratios then and get a consultation on the induction plan.”

“A blood test? Again? We just did one yesterday.”

The mention of a test brought back the memory of having no less than three vials of blood drawn. They were small vials, sure, but it was my precious blood, wasn't it?

“Again. We can’t exactly ask that other hospital for the blood you gave yesterday, can we? The doctor there said your ratios were nearly balanced, didn’t he?”

“Yeah… What does ‘nearly balanced’ even mean? Did my ratios change? You said I was 60% Beta, right?”

“According to the test in June, you were 60% Beta and 40% Omega. If he said they’re balanced, you might be at 50% now.”

“Can we even trust that place? What if the doctor’s a quack?”

“It’s possible,” he replied dismissively. I shot him a playful glare. How could he be so nonchalant?

From the sound of it, Han Sol had his blood tested at the hospital every six months. Perhaps, because he was unmanifested and his condition was a secret, they needed to track his ratios twice a year. I wondered what Han Sol had thought, what he had wanted to be. If he had wanted to remain a Beta, I felt a pang of guilt toward the original owner of this body.

“December… Should we schedule a full health check-up at the same time? It’s best to do those at the end of the year or the beginning of a new one, anyway.”

If I was going to the hospital for tests, I might as well. I didn’t know the state of Han Sol’s health, and since I was the one living in this body now, I felt it was necessary to find out. I couldn’t afford to be ignorant about the body I possessed.

Han Jinheon agreed to my proposal, saying he would book it if I wanted. Pleased, I flashed him a bright smile. I should have stopped there, but I couldn't resist a little teasing.

“I thought you’d be the type to strike while the iron is hot. That you’d insist we go to the hospital right now, check the ratios, and start on medication or something… You’re not trying to delay this because you don’t want to give me the building, are you?”

“If you want to do it now, we can.”

“Huh? N-no, that’s not it. I just meant I thought you’d say that, not that I wanted to…”

The human heart is a fickle thing. I had made my decision and all that was left was to act, yet I found myself hoping that moment would come slowly. I couldn't ignore the lingering unease that made me reluctant to rush things.

Han Jinheon was truly the kind of Alpha who would strike the iron while it was hot. Making a mental note not to provoke him needlessly, I lowered my gaze, my eyes darting about. Wondering when Secretary Song would arrive, I called out to Han Jinheon, who sat a proper distance away.

“Hyung.”

“Han Sol.”

We had called out to each other at the same time. A silence followed, and Han Jinheon seemed to be waiting for me to be the one to break it. When I, in turn, waited for him, he gestured for me to speak first.

“I’m just asking because I’m curious… and I want to be sure about something.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the pheromones I need. The Alpha pheromones.”

One of his dark, well-defined eyebrows twitched slightly. What did he think I was going to say to provoke such a reaction already?

“You said your pheromones would be better than some other Alpha’s… and I know you probably said that because you were worried I’d get into trouble meeting other Alphas, but… to be honest, I think your pheromones would be good for me, too?”

I had no desire to receive pheromones from another Alpha, nor did I want any physical contact with one. Not that physical contact with Han Jinheon was an option either, but still.

“If that’s settled, is there a problem?”

“There is a problem. It’s not like there isn’t. I just think it might be… a little weird.”

“Why do you think it would be weird?”

“Why? You know why.”

“I don’t.”

Was he really that clueless? There’s a difference between genuinely not knowing and pretending not to know, and you can usually tell. Han Jinheon seemed to fall into the former category. His rapid response suggested he wasn’t putting much thought into our conversation.

“A younger brother receiving pheromones from his older brother… it’s not exactly normal, is it?”

“If it’s just giving and receiving pheromones, why would it be abnormal? What sort of act is our lewd little brother imagining?”

“I’m talking about just giving and receiving pheromones, too! I’ve never once thought of it that way! You’re just as lewd as you claim I am! You’re the pervert!”

What did he take me for? As if I’d ever think of my brother like that. Even as I argued at the top of my lungs, I was trembling inside. A dry lump slid painfully down my throat, again and again.

Last night, before falling asleep, I had researched manifestation. As I read through various theories about Alpha pheromones, I had let my imagination run wild, picturing what would happen if things ignited between me and Han Jinheon. I’d practically drooled a puddle onto my pillow. In my imagination, we were both naked.

But imagination is my private domain. As long as I don’t say it out loud, it’s fine, right?

“You’re getting awfully worked up, which is suspicious, but I’ll give you a heads-up. That ‘little weird’ situation could happen.”

“A ‘little weird’ situation? What kind?”

“A situation where you become sexually aroused by your hyung.”

Han Jinheon didn’t mince words. His blunt explanation left me speechless. For a second, I wondered if this Alpha could somehow read my mind. My heart, already misbehaving, began to pound furiously.

“Unless you grow accustomed to hyung’s pheromones, that is. If you only become more sensitive to them, that’s what will happen.”

It was all or nothing. Pheromones were tricky.

Right now, the air around me felt refreshingly light. But as I neared manifestation, or once I fully manifested and could perceive my own and others’ pheromones, the pleasant air I breathed as a Beta would be gone.

Some people adapted quickly, but those with sensitive or particular dispositions struggled. Among those who disliked pheromones, many developed psychological symptoms, ranging from nervous breakdowns to depression.

I worried that might happen to me, but I was banking on the fact that such cases were rare. I wanted to believe that since I was ordinary, I would be part of the majority. Never mind that being transmigrated, being in love with my brother, and deciding to become an Omega were all far from ordinary.

Could I get used to Han Jinheon’s pheromones? Could I react calmly to the pheromones of the man I liked? I knew I couldn’t. Of course, I would become more sensitive. Han Jinheon might not know it, but I had already braced myself for that, and I nodded resolutely to show my determination.

Han Jinheon watched me intently, tilting his head as he added to his explanation. From my perspective, it was all the same.

“You can think of it as an Omega’s arousal toward an Alpha. You might find yourself wanting more.”

“……”

“How hyung will react when that time comes… I can’t promise anything right now.”

“…Why?”

“Because a pretty thing making demands is an Alpha’s greatest weakness.”

That’s just what Alphas were like, he said. Though he called it a ‘pretty thing,’ he meant they instinctively react to an Omega aroused and wrapped in their pheromones. Han Jinheon’s deadpan face was at odds with his roguish, teasing words.

I gaped at the shameless Alpha. Since I couldn’t exactly beg him to be weak for me, I quickly hid my feelings behind a mask of overt shock, protesting how he could say such a thing to his own brother.

“To think I’m having this kind of conversation with my brother first thing in the morning…”

“You’re the one who started it. And why are you acting so surprised now?”

Han Jinheon scoffed and rose to his feet. At the same moment, the sound of the front door opening reached us. Secretary Song must have arrived. I hadn't even heard the main gate open, but Han Jinheon, with his uncanny senses, knew a step ahead.

I trailed behind Han Jinheon. As I was about to greet Secretary Song and put on my shoes, Han Jinheon stopped me. He pressed his right hand, its scratches seemingly forgotten, against my forehead, preventing me from going any further.

“The morning air is cold. If you go out looking like that, you’ll just catch a cold. Stay inside.”

With that, Han Jinheon left with Secretary Song. A pang of disappointment hit me, and just before the door closed, I darted forward and peeked my head out. I watched Han Jinheon’s retreating figure, feeling a subtle, fluttering pulse in my chest. My, whose back was it that looked so gallant?

Han Jinheon would never know. That the mere sight of his back was enough to get me all worked up…​