NOVEL WEB #1
“Tae-min, do you want to eat something tonight? Should we order something?”
“Uh, actually, I think I might have plans tonight.”
“…Plans?”
Tae-min’s gaze shifted slightly. Just a few moments ago, her face had been full of a cheerful smile, but now her expression quickly turned calm and serious. The reason was none other than her twin brother, Tae-young. Although they were fraternal twins, so different in appearance, height and build that it was hard to believe they were siblings, their facial muscles were eerily similar. When they smiled or became angry, the wrinkles around their mouths or eyebrows were almost identical. This similarity made it almost impossible for Tae-min not to read Tae-young’s mood a little faster.
Cautiously looking at her twin, Tae-min straightened up from where she had been lounging on the couch. Even though they were the same age and technically only five minutes older, there were moments when Tae-min felt a certain pressure from Tae-young. She silently thought that it was just because Tae-young was 12 centimetres taller and much more built than her.
“Who are you meeting?”
Tae-young asked with a blank face.
Tae-min, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable, lowered her eyes. On her phone screen was a message from Chanu, the classmate she had confessed to her a few days ago and whom she had recently started dating.
-“Let’s meet tonight. Make sure you tell your brother you’re staying out. Oh, and just in case, don’t forget to bring a suppressant!”
Tae-min tightened his grip on her phone, making sure the screen wasn’t visible. At that moment, Tae-young’s gaze became noticeably sharper.
“Who is it?”
“Just… a friend…”
“Just a friend? Then why do you stumble over your words?”
“Are you seriously interrogating me right now…?”
The twins were separated at the age of eight when their parents divorced and were not reunited until they were twenty. After years abroad, Tae-young returned to Korea and announced his intention to attend the same university as Tae-min. He suggested that they live together in an apartment provided by their father.
Tae-min, being an Omega, hesitated for a moment. The pheromones between an Omega and an Alpha could influence each other, even within the family, so strict separation during adolescence was the norm. Fortunately, Tae-young revealed that he had been classified as a Beta, allowing them to live together.
The problem was that as an Omega, Tae-min could not avoid heat cycles. For the three months she had been living with Tae-young, she had been diligently suppressing them with medication, but for some reason her body kept heating up more and more, and recently she even started experiencing side effects. Finally, Tae-min accepted the confession of Chanu, a classmate and Alpha who liked her. With her heat cycle starting tomorrow, they had planned to spend the next few days together.
At least that was the plan so far.
“Who is it?”
Tae-young asked again, her tone cold and her face calm. Unable to hold it in any longer, Tae-min burst out angrily.
“I’m going to meet my boyfriend! Is that enough for you? I’m staying out all night, so eat by yourself!”
She felt a pang of guilt for being so hard on her twin, who had only returned to Korea three months ago after living abroad for so long. But she thought to herself – he’d probably made friends in her department by now and it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Pouting slightly, Tae-min tried to justify her actions. She’d had enough of him clinging to her and pretending to be the ever-cheerful brother every day.
“You… have a boyfriend?”
Tae-young’s voice was eerily calm, but his pale face betrayed his emotions. It was as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Confused by his reaction, Tae-min replied hesitantly.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“About a week ago?”
“That long? Did you two meet alone?”
Tae-min froze, startled by the firm grip on her arm. She blinked at Tae-young in confusion.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Answer me, Ji Tae-min! Have you ever met him alone?”
They had spent time together, but only in groups with other friends from their department. They’d never been alone together. Tae-min couldn’t understand why Tae-young was pushing her so hard, making her nervous and uncomfortable at the same time.
“What do you care?” she snapped, her irritation at his overbearing interference flaring. But before she could say more, his grip on her wrist tightened, forcing a small gasp from her lips. A suffocating wave of pheromones suddenly washed over her, blurring her vision and making her head swim.
W-what’s happening?
“Ah…”
Tae-young’s eyes glowed unnaturally, shimmering with an intensity that was unmistakable. It was a phenomenon associated with dominant Alphas unleashing an overwhelming surge of pheromones – a rare occurrence. But Tae-young was supposed to be a Beta. Why were his eyes glowing like that?
Her mind reeled in shock, unable to process what was happening. To make matters worse, the air was filled with a bittersweet chocolate scent, thick and intoxicating as it seemed to sink into her skin, leaving her body flushed and feverish.
“Ugh…T-Tae…young…”
“Ugh… T-Tae-young, how… how could you do this to me? How could you lie?”
Tae-min’s voice trembled as she tried to process the overwhelming feeling of betrayal. Tae-young had told her that he was a Beta and had assured her that there would be no problem living together because he wouldn’t be affected by her Omega pheromones. But now it was clear that it had all been a lie. Her body trembled uncontrollably, whether from the crushing sense of betrayal or the overwhelming pheromones filling the air.
Tae-young, on the other hand, smiled faintly, his expression cold and unnervingly calm. There wasn’t even a hint of guilt in his demeanour. Instead, his voice was chillingly soft as he spoke, as if mocking her.
“Yes, I’ve always been an Alpha. I only said I was a Beta because you kept pushing me away.”
“W-what are you talking about?”