Diamond Dust — Chapter 14

PLEASE LET THIS FRAGILE PEACE...

...HOLD UP UNDER THE WEIGHT OF MY ANXIETY...

...JUST A LITTLE LONGER.

HELLO? INWU HYUNG?

WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK UP EARLIER?

SORRY?

I CALLED USING SOMEONE ELSE'S PHONE BECAUSE MINE DIED. YOU DIDN'T ANSWER.

I HEARD YOU WERE SICK.

I WAS HOPING TO SEE YOU IF YOU WERE FEELING BETTER.

OH...

WAIT, SO THAT WAS HIM?

MR. LIU TOLD ME TO TAKE A COUPLE OF DAYS OFF, BUT IT WAS JUST A LITTLE STOMACHACHE.

IF THAT COLD-HEARTED GUY TOLD YOU TO TAKE SOME TIME OFF, THERE'S NO WAY IT WAS A "LITTLE" STOMACHACHE.

NO, REALLY, IT WAS NOTHING...

YOU DIDN'T EVEN GO TO THE HOSPITAL, DID YOU? I'M A DOCTOR, YOU KNOW. I'LL GIVE YOU A FREE CHECKUP IF YOU WANT.

I'LL COME PICK YOU UP.

UH...

THERE'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING I'VE BEEN WANTING TO ASK HIM...

THANK YOU, BUT I ALREADY HAVE PLANS TODAY, SO I DON'T THINK I CAN.

MAYBE ANOTHER TIME.

YEEHYEON!

ARE YOU DONE WITH YOUR CALL?

YEAH.

WELCOME!

Laughing slow, nowhere to go

Stay here through the night...

NOONA.

I KNOW IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE’VE SEEN EACH OTHER, BUT...

IT’S FINE, YOU CAN GO.

YOU WERE DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT TO MEET UP WITH SOMEONE, WEREN’T YOU?

I’M JUST HAPPY YOU’RE WORKING IN SEOUL AND MAKING FRIENDS.

WE CAN SEE EACH OTHER ANYTIME. I’LL TALK TO YEEHAN, SO JUST GO.

YEAH... THANK YOU.

I'LL BE BACK!

HAVE FUN!

HMM...

HE SKETCHED A PRETTY GOOD-LOOKING GUY.

I SHOULD HANG THIS UP IN THE SHOP!

I FEEL KINDA UNDERDRESSED...

YOU DO LOOK A LITTLE WORN OUT.

MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE MADE YOU COME.

N-NO, IT'S OKAY.

HM? ME? WHAT IS IT?

WELL...

UH...

I HAVEN'T REALLY HAD MUCH INTERACTION WITH ALPHAS OR OMEGAS UNTIL NOW...

...BUT SINCE THEY MAKE UP A LARGE PART OF PHANTOM'S CLIENTELE, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THEM.

AH...

I ACTUALLY WANTED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING...

SO THAT'S WHAT YOU MEANT.

WELL, IT'S BETTER TO HEAR IT FROM A DOCTOR. THERE'S WAY TOO MUCH NONSENSE ONLINE.

DID SOMETHING HAPPEN WITH AN ALPHA OR AN OMEGA RECENTLY?

NO, NOTHING LIKE THAT...

THEN HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM?

NOT MUCH. JUST THAT THEY HAVE PHEROMONES...

AND THAT THEY REACT TO EACH OTHER'S SCENT.

AND?

UM...

THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL AND HAVE EXCEPTIONAL ABILITIES...

BUT THEY BECOME VULNERABLE AROUND THE PERSON THEY LOVE...

AND...

HMM...

THE MEDIA TENDS TO PORTRAY THEM AS HELPLESS IN THE FACE OF LOVE...

...OR OTHER THEM AS SOME KIND OF SOCIAL PROBLEM.

OH, I'M SORRY...

YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO BE SORRY FOR, YEEHYEON.

IT'S ONLY NATURAL. MOST PEOPLE ARE BETAS, AFTER ALL.

GENETICALLY, THERE'S NOT MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALPHAS, BETAS, AND OMEGAS.

THE ONLY REAL DISTINCTION IS PHEROMONES.

AND AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, ALPHA AND OMEGA PHEROMONES AREN'T JUST SCENTS.

WE CLASSIFY THEM AS RELEASER PHEROMONES...

BECAUSE THEY TRIGGER AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE IN THOSE WHO RECEIVE THEM.

SIMPLY PUT, THEY'RE SEX PHEROMONES.

WE CALL IT A SCENT...

...BUT PHEROMONES TRIGGER IMPULSES THAT ARE INCREDIBLY HARD TO CONTROL.

SOMEONE COULD BECOME VIOLENTLY AGGRESSIVE, LASHING OUT AND BREAKING THINGS WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO STOP THEMSELVES...

OR FEEL OVERWHELMINGLY CALM AND AT PEACE, THEN FALL ASLEEP LIKE THEY’VE TAKEN A SEDATIVE.

THEY MIGHT EVEN BE CONSUMED BY AN UNCONTROLLABLE WAVE OF SEXUAL DESIRE...

...AND CRAVE THEIR PARTNER IN PLACES AND POSITIONS THEY WOULD NEVER CONSIDER OTHERWISE.

BETAS DON’T TYPICALLY EXPERIENCE SUCH AN EXTREME REACTION FROM SCENT ALONE, RIGHT?

THEN...BETAS REALLY CAN’T FEEL-

OH, JUST A SECOND.

YOU’RE ACTUALLY CALLING ME FIRST?

OH, THE ART FAIR SCHEDULE? GOT IT.

HEY, GUESS WHO I’M WITH RIGHT NOW.

COULD IT BE...?

HERE, YEEHYEON.

HELLO...?

IF YOU’RE WITH INWU, DOES THAT MEAN YOU’RE DRINKING?

UM... YES.

YOU WERE SICK NOT TOO LONG AGO... ARE YOU FEELING OKAY NOW?

I-I'M FINE.

THESE PAST FEW DAYS, I KEEP CATCHING HOLD OF HIS SCENT...

AND EACH TIME, THAT NIGHT COMES RUSHING BACK TO ME.

HAS HE THOUGHT ABOUT IT TOO...?

CHK... CLACK...

HUU...

MY STOMACH FEELS TINGLY...

YOU HAVE A HABIT OF SIPPING WHATEVER’S IN FRONT OF YOU WHEN YOU’RE NERVOUS.

DIDN’T YOU DRINK QUITE A BIT OF WINE LAST TIME TOO?

...DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH.

OKAY...

CAN YOU PUT INWU BACK ON?

WHAT’S UP?

AH, GOT IT. BUT SERIOUSLY, WHAT’S WITH YOU? ARE YOU IN PUBERTY OR SOMETHING? WHY ARE YOU SO WORRIED?

I CAN TAKE CARE OF THINGS MYSELF.

NOW, WHERE WERE WE?

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW BETAS DON’T EXHIBIT EXTREME BEHAVIOR JUST BECAUSE OF A SCENT...

AH, RIGHT.

THERE’S STILL A LOT WE DON’T KNOW, BUT BASED ON CURRENT RESEARCH...

...BETAS AREN’T CAPABLE OF DETECTING OR RESPONDING TO PHEROMONES AT ALL.

AFTER ALL, IF THEY COULD...

...WE’D PROBABLY BE DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW...

...TANGLED UP IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CAR.