Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 207: OMEGA WORRIES
THE doctor looked at Haneul directly. "How are you feeling now? Any dizziness, nausea?"
Haneul shook his head. "No, I feel much better. Just a little tired."
"That’s also to be expected. Your body had to fight off an external chemical influence. Rest is the best thing for it. I’d recommend taking it easy for the rest of the day." The doctor disposed of the used tip. "You’re cleared to go."
Haneul let out a slow sigh of relief when he heard that. He was still pretty new to all this secondary gender stuff. He was still trying to wrap his head around the idea that people could have certain scents coming off them, and that those scents could actually affect other people in real, physical ways.
His first actual experience with that had been with Lee Minjae. But that was nothing compared to what happened earlier with Choi Yujin. With Lee Minjae, he had just felt a little sick because the other’s pheromones smelled bad to his nose. But with what Choi Yujin did, Haneul had actually felt like he was about to keel over. Because of that, he was once again forced to remember that this was a completely different world from the one he was used to. It was a different society with different rules.
Haneul didn’t really think much about these things at first. But now, he felt like he probably should. Or at the very least, he should try to understand this world a lot better if he wanted to actually thrive in it. But for now, he knew he still needed to focus more on the competition. Because no matter what kind of different world this was, he’s still determined to debut.
He and Robin both thanked the doctor for his help. Then they turned and walked out of the small infirmary together.
Once they were a few steps down the hall, Robin turned to him, his face full of concern. "You’re really okay? You’re sure you’re feeling alright?"
Haneul smiled at his friend’s worry. "I’m really okay. I’m just, well, a bit surprised that the strength of someone’s pheromones could actually make that big of a difference."
To the point where he had almost fallen to his knees and lost consciousness, just because his own were recessive.
Robin looked at his friend with sympathy. He had forgotten that Haneul was a late bloomer. Haneul had just manifested as an Omega pretty recently. He had only been an Omega for a couple of months. So this whole thing with pheromones and secondary gender dynamics was still very new and confusing to him.
He tapped Haneul’s shoulder gently. "Don’t think too much about it. Sure, there are some Alphas and Omegas who think they’re better just because they’re dominant. But most people are normal and they don’t pay too much attention to that kind of stuff. It’s the 21st century, not the middle ages, for Pete’s sake. Who cares if someone is dominant or recessive? There are a lot more important things about a person. Our worth shouldn’t be measured by how strong our pheromones are. We are more than our pheromones."
Haneul blinked slowly. He kept telling himself he wasn’t really bothered by what happened, but a small, honest part of him felt shaken. It was unsettling to realize how easily someone else’s pheromones could have made him collapse. That thought sat heavily in his stomach. And then there was that other worry, the one poking at the back of his mind. Choi Yujin was another Omega. So what he did was like one person trying to force another to admit they were weaker. But what if it had been a dominant Alpha who targeted him? The idea made him feel cold. What kind of effect would it have on him?
He remembered how he’d first experienced his heat. He understood now that Taeyang’s pheromones triggered it. But he also understood the reason. His pheromone match rate with Taeyang was very high. That was why, even though Taeyang hadn’t been trying to dominate him at all, his pheromones were still strong enough to trigger Haneul’s heat cycle.
But what if it was another dominant Alpha? What if they tried to use their pheromones on him without his consent? Would he feel aroused? Just the thought of that made him shudder. Not in a good way, but in a terrible way. The idea that his body could be made to react that way by an Alpha’s scent, without his permission, was frightening.
Haneul shook his head and pushed those thoughts away. This was not the time to go down that rabbit hole. If he did, he would just worry himself for no good reason. For now, he decided he would be more careful around Alphas. He would also make sure he took his suppressants exactly on time and that he always wore his scent blockers. That’s the best safety precaution he could take while he was stuck on this ship.
He turned his head and gave Robin a small, genuine smile. "Thanks for saying that, hyung."
Robin stared at him for a moment, like he was checking Haneul’s expression. He must have seen that Haneul was really feeling okay, because he gave a slow nod of approval. "Good. Don’t let stuff like this get to you too much."
"Trust me, hyung, I don’t and never will," Haneul said.
He’d been through a lot worse things in his life. Compared to that, worrying about people looking down on him for being a recessive Omega felt like child’s play.
Robin chuckled, relieved that Haneul had such a strong mentality. He didn’t know if it was because of a healthy upbringing that things like this couldn’t get to him, or if Haneul was just naturally that mentally tough. Either way, it’s a very good thing.
"Have you packed your things yet?" he thought to ask. With the second elimination finally over, they would all have to change rooms soon, based on their new rankings.
"Yeah, I already did it last night," Haneul answered. "How about you, hyung?"
Robin laughed awkwardly. "Well, I was so nervous about today that I completely forgot about it."
