Pink Flavor Omega

#6

“Watch your mouth, seriously.”

Eunhong’s already low appetite due to fatigue completely disappeared because of Woohyun. He stopped taking out a plate and headed to his desk. He planned to work while drinking coffee.

Eunhong’s desk was a mess. It wasn’t unusual for Woohyun to install games on the expensive computer Eunhong had bought for work, but the crumbs all over the tablet pad were too much for even Eunhong to bear.

“Hey. You… Using my computer is one thing, but I told you to keep it clean.”

He turned around shouting, but Woohyun was focused on eating chicken.

“Damn it, money is the enemy. If it weren’t for the deposit on this place…”

Although Eunhong blamed money, that wasn’t the whole story. Eunhong first met Woohyun in their first year of high school. Though others might not believe it, Woohyun was a shy and quiet boy back then. He was so timid that he always hid behind Eunhong.

Their relationship changed when Woohyun manifested as a recessive omega in the winter of their first year. The once shy Woohyun became sensitive and irritable after frequently being exposed to aggressive alpha pheromones.

At that time, Eunhong had just experienced Jaeha manifesting as an extremely dominant alpha and leaving for study abroad without a word, despite them living like brothers. Having already experienced one loss, Eunhong tried hard to maintain his relationship with Woohyun, enduring all his irritation.

But despite Eunhong’s efforts, Woohyun even gave up on drawing, which they used to study together. Woohyun’s changes reached their peak after he returned from studying in Japan.

The reason Eunhong couldn’t turn away Woohyun, who appeared before him as a completely different person after he had finished his military service and started working, was…

“Eunhong! Can I wear your coat?”

Lost in thought, Eunhong jerked his head up at the mention of his coat. Before he could say no, Woohyun had already taken out the coat, put it on, and was spraying perfume. Eunhong sighed and stood up.

“Where are you going at this hour?”

“Cheonan.”

Eunhong’s eyes widened.

“Again? You’re going again? Your so-called boyfriend has a car, but how come he never comes up here even once? It’s a three-hour round trip, seriously.”

“……”

“So you’re not coming back tonight?”

“…Alphas are all like that.”

Woohyun muttered quietly as he sat at the entrance, shoving his heels into his shoes. Eunhong’s gaze lowered as he looked down at his old friend’s nape.

With his originally introverted personality combined with his omega characteristic, Woohyun had been through a lot of unspeakable experiences. As time passed, much of his former fragile demeanor had disappeared, but he was still swayed by alphas.

“Be careful on your way.”

Even after Woohyun left without a reply, Eunhong stood at the entrance for a long time. The incomprehensible world of secondary sex characteristics confused Eunhong’s mind. He muttered as if making an excuse.

“Not all alphas are like that.”

Eunhong habitually thought of Jaeha.

***

His eyes, which had almost dozed off, suddenly opened. The blue tinge outside the window suggested he had stayed up all night. Eunhong rubbed his dry eyes and examined the drawing he had been working on. It was a piece he was putting a lot of effort into for a competition submission.

Eunhong checked every corner of the canvas and layer settings to make sure he hadn’t accidentally messed anything up while dozing, then saved and closed the program.

He should have slept at night and worked during the day… Eunhong regretted as he stretched his stiff body. If he slept now, he’d wake up late, then work at night again… That would open the gates of hell on Monday. It was the wheel of regret that all office workers spin together.

Nevertheless, he needed to sleep now. His limbs were tingling from lack of sleep. Eunhong crawled into bed, collapsing.

When he opened his eyes again, it was late afternoon. As he was shaking with self-loathing, his phone lit up with an incoming message. It was Jaeha.

– Let’s eat. Come out

“I just woke up, my mouth feels dry.”

– …So you’re going to starve?

“No, I was going to eat something later… whatever.”

Eunhong looked around his studio apartment, scratching his belly. There was nothing to eat, but the lies came easily. He was that lazy, not wanting to lift a finger.

– Pinky, I’ve been starving because I have no one to eat with.

“……”

– You know I can’t eat alone.

Eunhong chuckled at the absurd statement. This is why people keep saying weird things about you…

“Don’t lie. I’m going to stay home and rest today. I have work tomorrow.”

– Then leave your door open while you rest.

“What? Why?”

– If it’s closed, I’ll break in.

“Ah, no, Lee Jaeha. Why are you like this all of a sudden?”

While trying to placate Jaeha verbally, Eunhong’s eyes scanned the room. It was a mess, with Woohyun’s clutter left untouched. Knowing Jaeha would do as he said, Eunhong quickly changed tack.

“I’ll, I’ll come out. Where are we eating?”

Jaeha just said “The place from before” and hung up. Thinking there were too many “places from before” to count, Eunhong decided to contact him after going out. He washed up and got dressed.

Leaving his semi-basement apartment that didn’t quite feel like one, buried in a steep alley, he stepped out onto the main street. As he lifted his head, a familiar figure came into view.

Jaeha was leaning casually against his car, parked on the shoulder with the hazard lights on.

“What? How long have you been here?”

Jaeha, who had been watching since Eunhong’s toes first appeared at the alley corner, smiled at Eunhong’s voice.

“Since you woke up?”

“How did you know when I woke up?”

Instead of answering Eunhong’s question, Jaeha smiled and opened the passenger door wide. Get in. At his silent command, Eunhong lowered his head and got into the car. The seat was warm thanks to the heated seats that had been on for a while.

Tapping the steering wheel gently as he drove smoothly, Jaeha opened his mouth.

“Did you finish all your busy work?”

Though the drawing was still far from complete.

“Mmm, about halfway. Work keeps piling up, so I’m just trying to keep up.”

Eunhong hedged, worried Jaeha might notice.

The drawing Eunhong had been pouring time into lately was for a character design illustration contest held by Han Jung Group, Jaeha’s family company. It was a massive competition with a first prize of 100 million won, and the winner would become the creator of the main promotional character for Han Jung Group’s metaverse content. Not only was the prize money substantial, but it would also add an impressive line to his resume. And above all, the fact that Han Jung Group was hosting it meant something to Eunhong.

Childishly, Eunhong wanted to surprise Jaeha with a good result. Eunhong had no complaints about being a beta, but he couldn’t help feeling increasingly pushed out of Jaeha’s world. As they grew older, it felt like the gap between them was widening.

He wanted to create some common ground and become a little cooler, to stand side by side with his friend. Maybe Woohyun was right that he was a bit gloomy.

“What are we going to eat?”

Setting aside such difficult-to-define desires, Eunhong asked.

***

Although it seemed like Jaeha had the right to choose the restaurant, that wasn’t actually the case. Jaeha always chose outlandish places that shocked Eunhong, so Eunhong’s question about what to eat was, as always, just a polite formality.

Thus, the place chosen for their meal was a restaurant with the straightforward name “Bearded Man’s Grilled Fish.”

Jaeha smoked in the alley next to the store, his brow slightly furrowed. If he usually smoked because of others’ pheromones tiring his nose or Eunhong’s scent making his nerves stand on end, this time it was because of the grilled fish smell.

“Were you here?”

“Mm-hmm. Did you finish eating?”

Jaeha had known from the moment Eunhong poked his head out of the restaurant door. He deliberately didn’t call out, putting out his cigarette and waiting patiently. He liked how Eunhong’s expressionless face would suddenly light up upon spotting him.

“I ate everything, including what you left behind.”

“Good job.”

Patting his full stomach, Eunhong examined Jaeha. He felt guilty about Jaeha, who had said he’d been starving all day, just nibbling at his food and eventually going outside. But it couldn’t be helped, as Jaeha’s taste in restaurants usually involved private dinners by professional chefs costing hundreds of thousands of won per meal, which was hard for Eunhong to compromise on. Still, maybe grilled fish was too much… As Eunhong stood there, scrutinizing his own expression, Jaeha lowered his gaze and asked.

“Shall we have coffee?”

“Sure, and let’s buy something for you to eat too.”

“Let’s buy it and go to the car.”

Eunhong nodded and turned on his phone’s map to search for nearby franchise coffee shops they often visited. Fortunately, he found one not too far away and started walking. Jaeha followed silently.

The busy street on Sunday evening was full of people. The sea of black hair parted like the Red Sea as Jaeha passed through, making way for him. He looked like a shark cutting through a school of sardines.

Eunhong walked beside him, head down, looking at the map on his phone. Jaeha watched nervously as Eunhong walked precariously without looking ahead. His twitching, hesitant hand only managed to carefully hold Eunhong’s elbow.

The purple sign of the coffee shop Eunhong wanted came into view ahead. As he lifted his head and was about to quicken his pace, someone approached them from the front.