The Best, or the Worst - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

36.2°C. His body temperature had returned to normal.

The fact that his fever had subsided with suppressants alone meant that it wasn’t a heat cycle.

Thank goodness…

Normally, Hyou checked his temperature twice a day—once after waking up and again an hour after taking his suppressants. But today marked the fifth time.

For good reason: today was the first day he would meet a dominant Alpha.

It wasn’t uncommon for an Omega’s heat cycle to be suddenly triggered by contact with an Alpha. And Lee Seohee, being a dominant Alpha—the most potent of all—made Hyou’s anxiety soar.

A dominant Alpha might not be easily lured by an Omega’s pheromones… but my body’s not normal.

The secondary genders—Alpha, Beta, and Omega—usually manifested between the ages of six and eight.
His twin brother, Gyeonwoo, had discovered he was an Alpha back in first grade. But Hyou showed no signs of change even by the time he graduated elementary school.

By conventional standards, the manifestation always occurred before the age of ten, so his parents’ worry grew unbearable. They even took him for detailed medical examinations, afraid something was wrong. The results, however, were always “no abnormalities found.”

All they could do was wait.

Then, one summer during his second year of middle school, his secondary gender finally manifested.

Since everyone in his family except his mother was an Alpha, he had naturally assumed he would be one too. But the result was different.

He was an Omega.

“Gyeonwoo’s an Alpha… and I’m an Omega?”

Even among identical twins, such a divergence was extremely rare. At first, he had felt a flicker of disappointment—but when he saw the relief on his parents’ faces, that feeling melted away.
If it meant they could stop worrying, that was enough for him.

However, that relief didn’t last long. Less than a month after his manifestation, his first heat cycle began.

An Omega’s heat—commonly called “heat”—typically begins between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.
But Hyou experienced it years too early.

Perhaps it was because of the unusually late manifestation paired with the premature heat, but the result was that he developed an extraordinarily rare condition.

Normally, a heat cycle occurred every month or two, lasting about a week. During that time, Omegas released a unique scent called pheromones, meant to attract Alphas.

But Hyou’s body was different.
He emitted pheromones every single day, even outside of his cycle.

In other words, he spent all 365 days of the year in a state that could sexually stimulate Alphas.

To prevent the danger of being assaulted, Hyou had been taking powerful suppressants daily since childhood.

And that wasn’t the end of it.
Typically, after two or three years, an Omega’s heat cycle would stabilize into a predictable rhythm.
But at twenty-three, Hyou’s still hadn’t.

Sometimes he went half a year without a single episode; other times, it struck twice in one month.

Even his symptoms were atypical. The average body temperature during an Omega’s heat was about 38.5°C—but his often rose to nearly 40°C.

To make matters worse, the concentration of his pheromones during that period was six times stronger than that of a typical Omega.

For any Alpha exposed to that intensity, it wasn’t just arousal—it was chemical intoxication. Their brains would fog, reason would evaporate, and they could become violent, almost like someone high on a drug.

Losing consciousness under such circumstances would mean only one thing: being violated. And possibly losing his life in the process.

So Hyou had to learn to control it.

The mild pheromone release and low-grade fever of his daily condition could be managed with oral suppressants, but full-blown heat required intravenous injections of far stronger medication.

The only saving grace was that his warning symptoms appeared like any other Omega’s, giving him a narrow window of time to prepare.

And thankfully, thanks to his father—an internal medicine doctor—he never once missed a timely injection.

“Even if it’s a natural biological function… I never want to go through that again.”

Hyou had experienced heat only twice in his life.

The first time was the summer of his second year in middle school—the very day his manifestation began. A sudden fever and difficulty breathing had caused him to collapse in the street. Had it not been for Gyeonwoo’s quick action, he might not have made it to the hospital in time.

The second was in late autumn of his third year in high school.

That was the day he came to despise his own body. The day he began to fear Alphas.
The day of that incident.

Five years ago, in a sealed room, he had been mercilessly violated by an Alpha.

The memory crept up now, unbidden, like a dark hand reaching out from the depths.

If only I’d been a little more careful that day…

A sharp pain tore through his lower abdomen. Gripping his stomach with both hands, he staggered, barely catching himself against the wall.

No matter how desperately he tried to erase it, that vile memory clung to him—its filthy fragments like stains that could never be scrubbed away.

When the suffocating sensations threatened to swallow him whole—

Don’t remember. Don’t think about it.

He begged himself silently.

You’ll be fine. You’re getting better, little by little. So please…

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he whispered to himself—an oath, a plea.
No matter how much it hurts, you have to keep moving forward.

Only after dragging himself out of the swamp of those nightmarish memories did Hyou manage to leave the restroom.

At the front desk, the staff member who had confirmed his reservation earlier was now talking with an older-looking manager.

He was about to thank them and step outside when the manager called him.

“Mr. Ji Hyou? We’ll show you to your table now.”

“Pardon? But it’s still forty minutes early…”

“The table is already prepared.”

Did hotels usually seat guests this early?

Before he could say anything, another employee stepped forward to take his coat and scarf. Caught off guard, Hyou handed them over and followed the manager.

They led him to a private dining room tucked away inside the restaurant.

Of course. There was no way someone like Lee Seohee would be seated in the open main hall for everyone to see.

The room wasn’t too large or too small—tastefully luxurious, yet peaceful.
Sunlight poured through wide windows overlooking the sweeping view of Namsan, painting the room in a soft, natural glow.
A long table that could seat eight adults suggested the space was meant for small family gatherings.

When asked where he’d like to sit, he murmured, “Anywhere is fine.” The manager smiled and pulled out the chair nearest the window, saying the sunlight there would be warm.

Unused to such courtesy, Hyou hesitated before awkwardly sitting down.

“Would you like to look at the menu now, or wait for your guest?”

Though the manager didn’t say his name, it was clear he knew exactly who the guest was.

“I’ll wait until they arrive.”

“Of course. Would you like me to bring a small appetizer in the meantime?”

“N-no, thank you. I’ll just wait.”

“How about a pre-meal cocktail?”

Cocktail? The familiar yet foreign word made him blink.
A cocktail… at a Korean restaurant?
And at lunch? Did rich people really drink midday alcohol like it was nothing?

He must’ve made a confused face, because the manager quickly explained, “Some guests enjoy having one before their meal, so I thought I’d offer.”

He didn’t even like alcohol, and the idea of sipping a drink before the other person arrived felt ridiculous.
“Just water, please,” he said.

“Certainly.” The manager bowed slightly and exited the room.

They’re so polite here… but honestly, it’s making me even more nervous.

Once he was alone, Hyou finally exhaled and took a sip of water.

After steadying his breath, he pulled out his phone.
He checked his messages and entered a group chat with a few close college friends. It was the same chat where the photo—the one Seohee had seen—had been shared.

So this is the photo he saw and asked to meet me because of?

In the picture, half of Hyou’s face was hidden behind Taeseo’s shoulder. Even the visible part was a blurry side profile.

If that was all Seohee had seen, he must’ve been seriously mistaken.

A man like Lee Seohee probably has beautiful people all around him.

Even Taeseo, his cousin, was stunning beyond belief. There was no reason a world-famous Alpha like him would want to meet someone so plain and ordinary.

What if he’s disappointed when he sees me?