GH | Chapter 1.3

“It feels like this happened rather suddenly, but let me sincerely welcome you aboard. I look forward to your future performance, Agent Upsilon.”

“Thank you. Please take care of me.”

“A small word of personal caution, but do be sure to read the contract carefully when you get back. I won’t accept it later if you try to argue about the details.”

“Understood. Then, what am I supposed to do now?”

“First, since you’re an alpha, you’ll need about three months of pheromone training. For the record, that’s written in the contract too. Think of it as a kind of probation period.”

Pheromone training? Schmidt looked puzzled at a term he had never heard before, but Robert only sipped the rest of his coffee with a satisfied smile, pleased to have recruited a new agent.

According to what Schmidt later learned from reading the contract, this pheromone training, called pheromone desensitization or pheromone control, was only given to alphas or omegas. It was, quite literally, training to build up a kind of resistance so that the influence of pheromones could be minimized in case a rut or heat cycle occurred during an operation, or if one were attacked by an enemy’s pheromones.

That training, which he had thought would be nothing special, turned out to be unimaginably painful and miserable. So much so that from the very first day he began it, Schmidt vowed, over and over again for the full three months, never to do something as stupid as sign a contract without reading it properly again.

✿ • ✿ • ✿

In a cocktail bar where soft music was playing, Jack watched the woman who had made a great resolve, Selly, with a worried expression.

“You understand what I’m saying, right, Selly? I’m only saying this because I’m worried about you. If you don’t want to do it, then don’t. No one will blame you.”

“I know, Jack. But you’re right. If something’s wrong, it needs to be fixed. …Give me one day. I’ll get the documents you mentioned, the ones proving our company’s wrongdoing. I think I caught a glimpse of them in the president’s office.”

“It’s dangerous. Are you really sure?”

“Yes. It’s true that I never felt good about pretending not to know about the company’s corruption. But thinking about setting everything right actually makes me feel much lighter. I guess this was the right path. It’s all because of you that I can think this way.”

“Selly, you were born a righteous person. But remember this no matter what, if you think there’s even a little danger, stop immediately. It’s okay to fail. Just make sure you tell me you’re safe.”

He did not want her to be driven into danger by pointless stubbornness or competitiveness in a moment of crisis, and sensing Jack’s sincerity, Selly nodded, her eyes shining with determination, and stood from her seat. After she left, Jack, left alone at the table, let out a long sigh and drank the cocktail remaining in his glass.

A few days ago, a request had come into Amabile. There were signs of stock manipulation at an IT company called Roelo, which had recently risen suspiciously fast. The source of the information was a competitor who had long been at odds with Roelo. They paid a huge fee, asking Amabile to secure proof that Roelo was manipulating stock prices before the financial authorities did, and to hand that proof over to them.

‘It took three days to win over the Roelo president’s personal secretary. At this rate, it’s much faster than expected.’

Ro, using the name Jack, smiled in satisfaction as events moved faster than planned. Even if she failed to steal the evidence of corruption, he always had a Plan B. Everything was smooth and perfect. If only not for the sudden phone call.

“Hm? Boss? What’s the matter at this hour?”

– Ro, return to headquarters.

“Pardon? Why all of a sudden?”

– Upsilon secured the evidence of Roelo’s stock manipulation. Mission over. Return by today.

The call ended right after that. Ro stared blankly at the “call ended” text blinking on the screen, his hand holding the phone trembling, then finally shouted in exasperation.

“Upsilon, that bastard again?!”

It had been five years since he had unintentionally pulled him out while he was floundering after being forcibly dragged into the underworld. And it had also been five years since, instead of going back home, he had ended up joining Amabile under the name Upsilon. The man who owed him more than enough to repay the favor had already stolen Ro’s missions three times this year alone.

“So, Upsilon stole your mission again yesterday?”

Theta, a female omega and agent of Amabile, sat across from him and chewed on a tapioca pearl in her bubble tea. She looked to be in her early twenties. They had met in the exclusive lobby reserved for agents inside Amabile headquarters when Ro suddenly threw out a line like a kidnapper, saying he would buy her favorite bubble tea and they should go together. She had wondered what his angle was.

But free bubble tea could not be resisted. After negotiating for extra tapioca pearls and a size upgrade, Theta had ended up trailing after Ro and, in exchange for a jumbo taro bubble tea, found herself listening to his complaints.

“But Ro, isn’t this not the first time you’ve told me that? I think I’ve heard you say Upsilon stole your mission four or five times.”

“Three times, Theta. Can you stop increasing the count?”

“No way. It’s definitely more than three.”

“…This year only.”

“Gasp. Three times just this year? Ro, have you gotten incompetent?”

“……”

Ro, who had been pouring out his sad story in the Amabile headquarters lobby, ended up clutching his head and collapsing onto the table at her comment, which only poured oil on the fire instead of offering comfort. He had even bribed her with bubble tea to get her on his side, but it had all been useless. Seeing Ro sprawled on the table like a tragic heroine from a drama, Theta belatedly went, “Oops,” and hurried to comfort him.

“I’m kidding, Ro. Everyone in Amabile knows you’re good at your job, come on. Don’t get so discouraged. You’re much more suited to your usual sly, smooth style.”

“That was supposed to comfort me?”

“Of course! Hmm, but it is a little strange. Upsilon doesn’t seem to do this to the other agents, so why only you?”

“Isn’t this workplace harassment?”

Watching Ro sigh repeatedly with a face full of exhaustion, Theta tilted her head too. It really was strange. How the Amabile agents had been hired was classified within the company, so she had no way of knowing what had led Upsilon to become an agent, but it was clear that he had joined much later than Ro. Why would Upsilon deliberately provoke Ro, who had far more years in the company?

Then again, it did not seem as if Upsilon disliked Ro. Theta had recently witnessed Upsilon approach Ro first, or the two of them talking together, and she did not get the sense that their atmosphere was hostile or that they had fought.

“Ro, did you tell the boss about it? At this point the boss must know Upsilon keeps stealing your missions, right? And he hasn’t said anything?”

“Those weren’t my solo missions to begin with. From the boss’s point of view, he just added another agent as insurance, so there’s no problem with the procedure or the process.”

“What? Then Upsilon didn’t steal your mission at all. He was just carrying out the mission assigned to him, right?”

“Theta, bubble tea money.”

“Ah. Upsilon was being inconsiderate! He should’ve respected Ro’s way of doing things more, right?”

Her way of doing things. She was right. The direct cause of this problem was the difference in their mission style. To be more exact, it was the difference in speed and efficiency that stemmed from that style difference. Ro also acknowledged that Upsilon was highly capable.

He was a strong agent and the kind of person Amabile favored, since quick and accurate mission completion was important there. He had no intention of denying that. But his style clashed with the way Ro pursued missions.

It was not that Upsilon’s way was bad and Ro’s way was right. It meant each style had its pros and cons, but at least between the two of them, the directions they pursued were complete opposites.

“What, Theta? You were here?”

While Ro was still complaining to Theta, a man spotted her from a distance and approached the table where Theta and Ro were sitting. Of course Theta turned around, and so did Ro at the familiar voice.

“Oh, Delta!”

“Did you extort another bubble tea from Ro?”

“Extort? Today Ro said he’d buy it first, okay?”

“Anyway, your boss’s summons time is already past. He checked your entry record and said it looked like you were in headquarters, so he told me to find you.”

“Gasp! When did it get this late?”

At Delta’s words, Theta hurriedly checked the time and sprang to her feet in alarm. Ro, who had not known she had a summons from Robert, felt bad for taking up too much of her time and spoke first.

“I didn’t know you had a summons. If the boss says anything, tell him you were held hostage by me.”

“Ugh, Ro! You’re my lifesaver!”

“Get going. If you’re any later, the boss’s lecture’s gonna be even longer.”

“Okay, then see you later, Ro! I’ll enjoy the bubble tea!”

Theta waved brightly as she was dragged away by Delta, and Ro gave a brief laugh and waved back lightly. Left alone at the table, Ro let out a long sigh. He had not told Theta this, but in this mission Upsilon had been scheduled to be added only a week after the mission started. So for at least the first week after launch, it had effectively been Ro’s solo mission.