Why did you answer?

"President Yuan, are you drunk?"

The clear voice reached his ears, and Yuan Chen's closed eyes flew open. His lips twitched as he stammered, only for it all to end in a sigh.

"Why did you answer?"

"Then I'll hang up."

"We've only been apart for a day. Do you have to be so distant?"

Holding his phone, Yuan Chen pushed his upper body upright. He took off his jacket, tossed it aside, and headed toward the kitchen.

He took out a bottle of water and drank the whole thing without hanging up. Listening to the voice coming through the speaker felt as though Shen Yi were still working beside him.

Yuan Chen let out a long breath and tossed the empty bottle into the trash. The noise sounded especially loud in the silent house. He slowly headed toward the bedroom.

"President Yuan, I wanted to ask why you still haven't approved my resignation."

"Are you in a hurry?"

"I can't find a new job until I've completed the resignation procedures."

"Your resignation letter... I tore it up."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by the faint sound of a hesitant, steadying breath.

"You're joking, right?"

Of course he was lying. Shen Yi's resignation letter was sitting safely in his office drawer.

If he had to give a reason for refusing to approve it, it was that Shen Yi's actions had really upset him. Of course, he knew that was a childish way to think.

He just wanted to make things difficult for him. More importantly, if he kept dragging it out, would Shen Yi come to see him? Yet the man hadn't even called.

"Anyway, if you need anything, please contact Secretary Chen or Secretary Li. If you're feeling unwell from drinking, I can pass along a message and ask them to come take care of you."

"President Yuan, are you listening?"

Yuan Chen had fallen sound asleep on the bed. The phone beside his cheek lit up and went dark, and a voice called "Yuan Chen" several times.

When there was still no response, Shen Yi hung up.

"He must have fallen asleep, right?"

Shen Yi looked at the call log on his screen. Call duration: 15 minutes, 45 seconds. They hadn't even discussed anything important. How had they talked for so long?

Shen Yi had happened to be drinking canned beer himself. The instant "President Yuan" appeared on his phone screen, he answered faster than he'd expected. He had meant to ignore it. Honestly, habits are terrifying, he thought with a sigh.

Apparently, Yuan Chen still hadn't found a new assistant. None of the secretaries must have met his standards. He was that drunk, and there wasn't even anyone to look after him...

Shen Yi absentmindedly flipped through the television channels. Perhaps it was because of that call, but he couldn't stop thinking about the dead-drunk Yuan Chen. It was already past midnight, and contacting the other secretaries now didn't seem appropriate.

Maybe... since he's so close anyway, I could go check on him? No, why should I look after him? I don't need to worry about these things anymore.

He deliberately turned his attention to the television and finished the rest of his beer. After drinking about four or five glasses, he finally stood up.

"Ugh, I just can't stop worrying."

He put on two masks, covering his nose and mouth tightly as though he were wearing a gas mask, then took his phone and headed out.

What if he's changed the passcode? Then I'll come straight back. I'll just treat it as a walk.

Shen Yi didn't attach much significance to what he was doing. Someone with nothing to do had plenty of time, after all. His steps were light as he left home.

The next morning, Yuan Chen discovered the horrors of a hangover the moment he opened his eyes. His head felt as though it would split apart, and even after sitting up, he couldn't get his feet onto the floor for a long while. His shirt and trousers were rumpled, too.

Once he finally recovered a little, he went into the bathroom. He showered for quite a while, then came out drying his dripping hair with a towel and stared blankly at the quiet living room.

He distinctly remembered tossing his tie and jacket onto the floor last night, but now they were neatly laid out on the sofa, as though someone had tidied them up.

"..."

He turned and headed into the kitchen. This time, his gaze fell on the dining table. A glass of honey water sat there, something he always drank the morning after drinking too much. Beside it were hangover medicine and painkillers.

Yuan Chen sighed and picked up the honey water first.

It couldn't have been more obvious who had come to his house last night. The faint jasmine scent lingering in the air was all the proof he needed.

By rights, he should have hated having omega pheromones lingering in his home... but somehow, he felt no aversion. Instead, his emotions were a little tangled.

Shen Yi had overslept for once, too. He scratched his messy hair and yawned, struggling to remember what day of the week it was.

His days consisted of nothing but eating and having fun, and when he woke in the morning, he often couldn't tell whether it was a weekday or the weekend. He used to get up on time and follow his work schedule down to the second. Now, that seemed like something from a past life.

"Mmm, waking up naturally feels so good!"

Shen Yi rolled around a few more times beneath the warm covers. Honestly, being unemployed suited him pretty well. Otherwise, how could he possibly be this happy every day?

After lingering in bed for another half hour, he finally went to the living room, though he had merely moved somewhere else to lie down. The moment he arrived, he collapsed onto the sofa.

After ordering lunch through a delivery app, he had nothing left to do. He opened his inbox for the first time in ages and discovered that the accumulated emails had nearly filled it. He used to check every text and email immediately, but now he deliberately avoided looking at them.

"Huh... people send emails like this, too?"

Shen Yi opened a job recommendation email from a headhunting agency. It suggested that he become the CEO's assistant at a foreign pharmaceutical company. The annual salary was considerable, and most importantly, the working conditions matched his requirements.

He had actually received offers like this quite often before. Shen Yi had made something of a name for himself in the field, though of course, Yuan Chen's prestige had played a considerable part.

But what did it matter how good the terms were? His answer would always be no.

Ever since becoming an omega, finding another job had become especially difficult. Secretarial work was essentially out of the question, and if he wanted to return to journalism, the gap in his career and his age would be problems. He had only just passed thirty. He couldn't keep doing nothing like this forever. Lately, Shen Yi had been spending more and more time thinking about his future.

"When exactly does President Yuan... plan to approve my resignation?"

Without his noticing, his thoughts had drifted back to Yuan Chen.

After going to check on him last night, Shen Yi had realized something important: pheromones could shake a person's reason far more easily than he'd imagined.

Even with two masks on, they had been useless against alpha pheromones that concentrated. Perhaps because Yuan Chen was drunk and asleep, his pheromones were stronger than usual. Shen Yi had gone rigid and nearly buckled at the knees in front of him. By the time he hurriedly shut the bedroom door and fled, he was utterly dazed.

"Ugh..."

Even thinking back on it now made Shen Yi dizzy, and his shoulders gave an involuntary shudder. This couldn't continue. Whether through training or medication, he had to find a way to improve his tolerance for pheromones.

"I'll take a shower first!"

He kicked himself off the sofa, stood up, and went into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he emerged from his shower, and the delivery person rang the doorbell right on time.

Humming, Shen Yi went to answer the door. He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts he had casually thrown on at home. Just then, ding-dong, the doorbell rang again.

He ran to the entryway, but the person standing outside when he opened the door was someone he hadn't expected at all.

Shen Yi froze with his hand on the doorknob. Holding a bag of sushi, Yuan Chen stared at him and pushed the door open farther. Shen Yi let out an "Uh," and lurched forward with the doorknob. His bare feet landed in the hallway with only his heels touching the floor, and he stumbled before finally steadying himself.

"President Yuan, why are you..."

"I have something to say. Come out and talk for a bit."

"Now?"

Shen Yi looked down at his own scruffy outfit. He really wasn't dressed for a serious conversation. Besides, Yuan Chen was immaculately dressed, making him look even more casual by comparison.

Inviting him inside wasn't convenient either. Just like Yuan Chen's home last night, his own place was surely filled with pheromones now.

Shen Yi gave an awkward smile and cautiously declined.

"Now isn't really a good time... and I've ordered delivery."

You're holding my lunch. Shen Yi stole a glance at the bag of sushi in Yuan Chen's hand.

"I'll take you somewhere with better food. Come on out."

Without hesitation, Yuan Chen tossed the paper bag aside. Shen Yi quietly bit his lip. You rich bastard. Don't you know how precious food is?

"Give me five minutes."

Shen Yi picked up the discarded bag of sushi and went back inside. Reluctantly setting down his beloved specialty sushi, he began getting ready to go out.

He gave his still-damp hair a quick blow-dry and simply threw a shirt on over his T-shirt. It wasn't as though Yuan Chen cared what he wore anyway.

Just in case, he also put on two pheromone-blocking patches. He took his phone and headed out, meeting the gaze of Yuan Chen, who stood at the front door with his arms crossed.

He looked just like someone who had come to collect a debt. It wasn't as though Shen Yi was going to run away. Did he really need to block the doorway like a guardian deity?

Pretending not to notice, Shen Yi casually touched his neck and asked:

"Where are we going?"

"How about Lost Town?"

"All right, I'll make a reservation right away..."

The instant he heard Yuan Chen's voice, he had instinctively pulled out his phone. Then his fingertips froze above the screen. How was he supposed to forget muscle memory that had sunk so deep into his bones?