Cho Seungho, that's the name of the man who got out of the metallic black ferrari as it pulled into the parking lot of the cafe. He got out while talking to someone on the phone he was holding. Shortly after the call was over, the man closed his car door and entered the cafe.
I quietly watched his figure, pretending to read the magazine I was holding while sitting with a cup of coffee. I deliberately chose the outdoor space so that I could enjoy the fresh February air even though I had to mingle with pollution.
The man's gaze was straight at the entrance as he stuffed his cell phone into the brown trucker coat he was wearing. I guessed that he chose an indoor place to eat his lunch.
From behind the magazine, my eyes kept watching the figure. The broad-shouldered, one-hundred-and-eighty-three-year-old stood ordering a drink from the barista. I don't know what he ordered, but I don't care. I inhaled the coffee that was no longer steaming—turned into a choking fit as foreign pheromones pierced my sense of smell. The liquid spilled a little on the jeans I was wearing. I grunted, lucky the coffee was already cold.
I hurriedly turned to the owner of the cologne musk citrus smell. The pheromones that suddenly appeared and the citrus that I hated so much.
When I turned around, I found a man putting his lunch on the table next to mine.
Cho Seungho. The name slipped quietly from my mouth.
The owner of the name turned to me, I realized that even though I wasn't looking at him. Damn, his citrus smell pierced my nose along with the sweet scent of waffle and macchiato.
In the next second, I was surprised that the man was now standing in front of my table with his food.
"Can I sit here?" His bass voice sounded friendly as he asked.
I looked up at him while putting on a stiff smile. "Yes."
Cho Seungho sat down and started eating his waffle. Had it not been for Hajoon's order, I would have left when I choked earlier, and not had to endure the scent of this man's citrus musk, let alone have to hide my disgusted expression from his sight. However, he seemed to realize the feelings I was hiding.
The man stopped eating the waffle, he kissed his arm briefly, then looked at me. "Did I make you uncomfortable?" he asked.
I hastily dismissed. "No, of course not." Trying to convince this man not to leave. I really wanted him to leave.
"Are you sure?" He was about to lift his food to move.
"Yes." I hurriedly reached out and said my name, "Chanyeol." The next second I cursed myself, why did I even say my real name.
Seungho greeted my hand hesitantly, either reluctant to be introduced or ... I don't know. He nodded slowly and continued eating. Halfway through the waffle, he said, "I thought I had suppressed my pheromones without a trace, but you were able to smell them even though they were faint. Your sense of smell is very sharp."
I laughed briefly. Cologne musk citrus was a pleasant scent, but to me, it was a scent that made me sick. And it was all because of that man, the man who had the same pheromones, although there were subtle differences. However, there is a citrus that I hate.
"Don't you have something to say?" she asked, looking at me with a pair of brown irises framed.
"Eh?" I blinked in confusion. Of course I hadn't thought of what to say next. What topic would be fun to discuss, I had no idea.
"Ahaha." Seungho laughed crisply. "You're an introvert, huh," he said.
His casual demeanor made me even more confused about how to behave. Awkward, of course. During a pause in our conversation, I sipped the few sips of coffee I had left so that my awkwardness wouldn't show.
"Are you new?" asked Seungho, "I'm seeing you here for the first time."
Wow, did she recognize everyone who came to this cafe?
"Not really, I stop by sometimes, but not at this hour."
Seungho nodded, finishing the waffle on his plate along with the macchiato. Afterward he looked at me who was still pretending to drink from the empty cup.
"What?" I asked, confused as to why he was looking at me like that.
Seungho himself kind of flinched, like he had just realized something that made him daydream. "That..." His voice was hesitant as he pulled something out of his pants pocket. "Can I have your cell phone number?"
I was just as surprised. It seemed impossible that my plan to get close to Seungho could be this easy. Opportunity never comes twice. Honestly, I'm not interested in this guy, especially since he has a citrus scent that I hate. But no matter what, this was a mission.
I put down the empty cup, then accepted the cell phone from his hand and started typing my number that I had memorized before returning the phone back. A faintly cheerful look appeared on his face. Seungho immediately dialed my number and soon my cell phone rang.
"Save my number," he asked with a smile.
I nodded. Geez, is this alpha interested in me?
"May I call in my free time?" There was no hesitation in his tone for this question.
I nodded again in response.
"Gomawo." Seungho looked very happy. The smile on his lips grew by two centimeters. "By the way, do you want another cup of coffee?" The alpha doe eyes glanced at my empty coffee cup. "I'll buy it." He even volunteered.
I didn't answer right away, I glanced around, some young girls especially those sitting at the table near the entrance of the indoor venue belonged to our table several times. More precisely to Cho Seungho. They would immediately accept this alpha male's treat. But not me.
"Thank you, but not today." My lips curled into a smile, as I held my breath at the citrus pheromones returning. Unable to bear it, I stood up, still being friendly to him.
Seungho understood I was leaving, he didn't say anything more than, "See you tonight," he said, his three fingers bent with his pinky and thumb stretched out. "By phone."
I smiled. "By phone." Repeating what he said, he turned and left the table to go. Cho Seungho, I knew he was still there, still staring at my back with a faint smile still etched on his lips.
*
"What do you think of that alpha?" That was the question and sentence Lee Hajoon threw out in reply when I reported about the smooth start of my mission.
"How what?" I asked back, even though I understood what his question meant.
"Cho Seungho, he's interested in you."
I rolled my eyes lazily.
"Isn't that great? Your chances of getting close to him will accelerate—"
"Wait a minute," I cut him off. "Don't tell me you mean to set me up with this alpha named Seungho?"
Laughter could be heard from the other side, I could only be dumbfounded. "You hate alphas, everyone on this earth is no exception." Lee Hajoon was an exception, a little.
I snorted listening to him parroting Hajoon's next sentence. "Chanyeol-ah, you know, right, it's impossible for me to ask you to do something you don't want to do?"
I was still listening.
"Your mission this time is to get close to Cho Seungho, but not in terms of a mate, mate or anything else."
"So, what do you want me to do to him? Make him fall in love with me and then dump him?" This was just a guess.
"More precisely... so." Hajoon confirmed.
What the fuck! I cursed inwardly.
"But overall it's not like that," he continued. My forehead furrowed, I looked up at the star-studded night sky of Seoul.
"You gave me an incomprehensibly complicated mission," I growled at him in a flat tone.
"Hey, don't be so cranky, you have to complete it no matter what, there is no agreement from me that you can cancel it," Hajoon said in a coaxing tone. On my side, one hand was clenched wanting to pull hard on the collar of this alpha's shirt.
"You won't regret it after this mission is over, I guarantee it."
I didn't answer again. There was a pause, and Hajoon finally excused herself and hung up without waiting for my reply.
It was quiet, in the main room of the apartment I was now living in. Staring at the view of the metropolitan city that I once thought was amazing, it turned out to be ordinary, one could even say boring. Tall buildings inhabited by people trapped in boring routines.
I let out a long sigh, still leaning against the thick glass window that also served as a wall from the outside world. I still had my cell phone in my hand, and then I thought of calling someone. But who?
Drrtt ...!
The vibration of the cell phone in my hand broke my reverie. I saw the screen displaying a call from an unfamiliar number. At first I hesitated, but I picked it up anyway.
"Annyeong!" A man's voice said a friendly hello. "It's me, the one at the cafe, I forgot to tell you my name that time, you must be confused as to what name to give my number in your contacts."
I was stunned for a moment, so confident that he—I would keep his number. I'll save this too.
"Cho Seungho imnida," he said.
"Ah, yes ..." I stared at the white sofa and headed towards it. "I already saved your number, Seungho-ssi."
"Seungho-ssi?"
" ... " I paused, was I wrong to call him ssi? Kira even met her this afternoon.
Again he laughed. "No need to be so formal, I already consider you a friend after we exchanged phone numbers this afternoon."
"A ha ha." I laughed awkwardly at his familiar-sounding talk.
"I'm pretentious, aren't I?" Seungho asked.
He was self-aware too.
"Actually, I've never been like this before, especially to someone I'm meeting for the first time."
So?
"I feel like you're a bit different. Being with you, being at the same table with you in that cafe made me feel comfortable."
I hated to believe my feelings, but what this alpha male said sounded sincere.
"Can we meet again? I'll treat you this time."
My lips suddenly twitched. Refusal was floating in my head, so hard to say.
"If you don't answer, I'll take it as a yes."
He even decided on a whim.
"You just send me the address where we will meet, I will try to come at any time later. I'm not a busy person, so you can adjust our meeting according to your schedule."
We? I involuntarily chuckled. "Alright, I'll send you the address and time."
"Chanyeol-ah," he called softly. Not only did he smell of citrus, but his voice was very similar to someone I hated. "Good night."
My heart pounded, the pent-up fear breaking through to the surface. A glimpse of a dark image flashed in my head, along with the alpha male with citrus pheromones whispering the same sentence in my ear.
No, it wasn't him. Cho Seungho is not that guy. Besides, that man can never be free, he's already imprisoned in hell for eternity.
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