Crazy A Married Life

#04

“I’ve never seen them even have a conversation when they run into each other. So I thought they weren’t close. I only see what happens inside the store, after all. It seems they actually knew each other.”

Idam’s eyes widened at Hayun’s speculation.

“Then did the CEO Ji Taemin come instead of Han Jiwoo because something happened to him? Like us?”

“That’s likely. I should try contacting Han Jiwoo one more time.”

Hayun picked up his phone and made a call. Soon, his face turned pale.

“Oh no. Han Jiwoo’s number is completely gone now. It’s not even connecting?”

“What? Isn’t this serious?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he just changed his number. I really feel like a sinner now. I shouldn’t have sent you to that meeting… Sigh…”

Hayun let out a deep sigh. Idam thought for a moment and then spoke.

“Could it be that CEO Ji Taemin came to our detective agency because he couldn’t contact Han Jiwoo?”

“Then shouldn’t he be looking for Han Jiwoo too? It’s strange that he’s only looking for you.”

“You’re right…”

Hayun rubbed his temples, lost in thought.

“No matter how I think about it, it seems like Ji Taemin knew where you work and deliberately came to the detective agency. I don’t know his purpose, but I think you should really quit working at the detective agency.”

“Yeah…”

It was unsettling in many ways. Moreover, hearing that Ji Taemin was involved with gangsters made Idam want to avoid getting entangled even more. Hayun also sighed at the complicated situation and looked at his phone, his eyes widening.

“It’s already this late? I need to go to work now. I’ll look for other part-time jobs for you too, so don’t worry too much. For now, just be careful not to run into Ji Taemin.”

“Okay.”

Hayun left in a hurry. Left alone, Idam finished his vanilla latte with mixed feelings.

If Ji Taemin had intentionally come to the detective agency as Hayun said, there must have been a purpose…

‘You seduced me and then ran away.’

Honestly, it was hard to believe his statement. First of all, with the barrier on his pheromones and never having dated before, it was impossible for Idam to seduce anyone. Also, even if he tried to seduce someone, it didn’t seem like they would fall for it easily. Maybe seduction was just an excuse. What was the real reason for all this? Everything was so confusing and scary.

It seemed best to just call Youngchun now and tell him he’s quitting. Idam picked up his phone and made the call. But the line was busy and couldn’t connect.

“Sigh…”

Nothing was going right. He decided to try calling again a little later and went to return the tray with the empty cup. He threw away the tissues and napkins in the general waste bin and placed the cup on the tray return. Just as he was about to put the empty tray on the return shelf, a long shadow fell behind him. Thinking the next person wanted to clean up, Idam moved his body to the side.

But then.

“We meet here.”

A familiar voice rang in his ear. Startled, Idam looked up. At the same time, a handsome face greeted him. It was Ji Taemin.

“Oh!”

Idam was shocked. Of all times, he had taken off his mask, so his face was fully exposed.

“Do you live in this neighborhood?”

The gentle voice tickled his ears.

“Ah… I… I…”

Idam was at a loss, not knowing what to do. It seemed that the sight of him entering the cafe earlier wasn’t an illusion. Then where had he gone when Idam had looked around the cafe? Idam couldn’t string words together. In contrast, Taemin had a smile on his face.

“Why did you just leave that day? I found you.”

“I… I had something urgent to do.”

Idam answered with a trembling voice, lowering his head. After hearing that Taemin disliked omegas, he was even more afraid.

Just then.

Suddenly, Taemin leaned down and put his nose to Idam’s nape. Surprised by his sudden closeness, Idam hastily stepped back. He quickly covered his nape with his hand. Like all omegas, the nape is where pheromones are most strongly emitted. The same was true for Idam. He wondered if his pheromones had leaked out, causing Taemin to act this way, but they were perfectly sealed.

“Then…”

As Taemin was about to continue speaking with a strange expression, they were interrupted.

“Oh? Isn’t this CEO Ji?”

A well-built man approached Taemin. Next to him was a small girl who looked like she could be in kindergarten. Taemin naturally turned his body towards the man. They seemed quite close, acting comfortably with each other.

Seeing his chance, Idam slowly made his way towards the cafe exit. He didn’t want to interrupt their conversation anyway, and he was feeling uncomfortable. Just as he was about to reach the door.

“Wait a moment.”

Taemin’s hand grabbed Idam’s shoulder. Startled, Idam felt his pheromones leak into the air.

‘Yeo Idam’s pheromones, they’re really fucking awful.’

‘It’s like a killing weapon.’

The voices of kids who had experienced his pheromones in the past echoed in his ears. He was also terrified of how Ji Taemin would react. In the end, the frightened Idam chose to push him away and flee out of the cafe.

But.

“Fragrant.”

Taemin, looking at where Idam had been, muttered softly. And without hesitation, he gave chase.

* * *

“Huff, huff!”

Idam ran frantically. Fearing that Taemin might follow, he stuck to crowded areas as much as possible. Before he knew it, he arrived in front of a department store. There happened to be some event, as the area around the department store was packed with people. Looking closely, he saw that a flea market was being held. Perhaps because it was White Day, there were quite a lot of couples too. Relieved, Idam hid among the crowd.

He rolled his big eyes, scanning his surroundings. Fortunately, Taemin was nowhere to be seen.

“Phew.”

Relieved, Idam thought he had overcome a major hurdle. He was already feeling unsettled, and then to run into Taemin at that cafe of all places. Moreover, he was so surprised that his pheromones had leaked out. Even if he had managed to avoid Taemin for now, since Taemin had come to the detective agency, they were bound to meet eventually.

He thought he should inform them of his intention to quit without wasting any more time. Idam tried calling Youngchun again. Whatever call he was on, it was still ongoing. It seemed he would have to go to the office in person.

Idam was about to take a step when he noticed a man with a camera and another with a microphone among the crowd.

“Hello subscribers, this is Cherry. Today I’ve come out to celebrate White Day as a single person.”

He was a YouTuber Idam had seen in news articles before. He had quite a popular channel reviewing desserts from all over the country.

“I heard there’s a flea market here today for White Day. I’m going to try everything one by one. And I’ll also look for people as sweet as candy.”

He also found and interviewed people related to food. Because of this, he sometimes stirred up controversy with reckless actions or comments. Moreover, due to his fierce appearance, there were even rumors that he was involved with gangsters. But at the moment, Idam was more focused on avoiding Taemin and paid no attention to what the YouTuber was doing. He was only thinking about the need to hurry.

But then…

“Wow! Look at that fair skin. Hello!”

Cherry appeared with his camera lens. Surprised, Idam’s eyes widened like saucers. He looked around, wondering if Cherry might be filming someone next to or behind him, but there was no one else.

“You’re so cute. Are you a trainee idol?”

“Me… me?”

“Of course.”

Cherry was looking directly at Idam. The greedy look in his eyes for views was clear. Idam was so flustered he almost hiccupped. In a situation where he needed to avoid Taemin even for a minute or a second, such public attention was awkward.

“I’m sorry, but… I’m busy right now, so I’ll be going.”

Idam quickly took out his cap from his sling bag, put it on backwards, and covered his face as much as possible. But Cherry didn’t let go. Neither did the camera.

“Just a short interview will do. Did you come out to buy a gift for your girlfriend? Or are you an omega?”

Insensitive questions kept coming. Cherry seemed determined to exchange a few more words with Idam somehow. It appeared to be a live broadcast. So Idam thought that if he responded passively, Cherry might look for another interviewee. But Cherry showed no signs of leaving.

“Just say one word. Please? And show your face more. It’s not like you’ve committed a crime.”

Cherry whined, seemingly frustrated. This made Idam increasingly uncomfortable. Just when he thought he had avoided Taemin, he encountered this new obstacle. He decided it was better to run away than to linger any longer. Idam quickly turned his body and fled.

But Cherry followed, shouting.

“Wait a moment, please!”

Idam tried to ignore him and kept running. He left the flea market area and arrived at a quiet alley. He thought he could finally catch his breath. But Cherry persistently followed.

“Come on. Why are you acting like this when we just need to talk for a moment?”

His voice was full of irritation. Now it was beyond burdensome; it was becoming scary. Moreover, it was too quiet. The surrounding stores had their lights off and shutters down. It was a situation where anything could happen without seeming strange. Tense, Idam gulped.

“I’m telling you, I’m not a weird person. I’m already annoyed because I’ve been losing subscribers lately.”

“…”

“Let’s just do a short interview. Okay?”

Cherry aggressively insisted. The man holding the camera didn’t look pleased either. Idam worried that he might end up in a bad situation if he stayed.

“No… I…”

As Idam was stammering with his lips trembling, he felt someone’s presence approaching from behind. The air changed.

“I’m sorry, but this person has an appointment with me right now.”

A gentle but firm voice was heard. Startled, Idam looked back. There stood Taemin.