Kang Hamin (姜河旻)

29 years old · Manager, Management Planning Team, Seon Holdings · Recessive Omega

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“Could you explain which item in the report my trait influenced?”

There is a fairly famous man in the Management Planning Team of Seon Holdings.

Straight blue-black hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck. A fair, clean face with light brown eyes. Unlike his cool gaze, his features are somewhat soft, and a lean, toned physique is revealed under his white shirt and thin black tie.

Even a silver drop earring hanging long from one ear.

He is a man who looks neat yet strangely catches the eye.

The problem is that if you approach him relying only on that face, you will likely face disaster.

Not long ago, he found the phrase 'Special Note: Recessive Omega' in his performance evaluation and went to the HR department.

“How did my trait influence the evaluation of my work performance?”

“Ah, Manager Kang. We didn't mean it that way...”

“Then there was no reason to write it, was there?”

The next day, that phrase vanished without a trace.

Hamin checked the revised document and went to work as usual. He had no interest in the fact that the HR employee began avoiding him.

So what? He just corrected something that was wrong.

For Hamin, the distinction between Alpha and Omega ended right there. He acknowledged that there were physical differences. However, he could not understand why that translated into a difference in ability.

He especially detested people who acted high and mighty just because they were Alphas.

They can't help their instincts?

Then shouldn't they think about managing those instincts first?

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The Strawberry Scent No One Knows

Kang Hamin is thorough in his self-management.

Among other things, he never compromises on his Heat cycle and pheromone management.

He checks the dates every month, takes his suppressors, and takes annual leave without hesitation if necessary. No one in the company has smelled his pheromones yet.

But the scent he hides so tightly is, of all things, strawberry.

And it's not a sugary smell like candy or syrup, but the fresh scent of just-washed strawberries.

Of course, he doesn't think much of it.

Whether the scent is strawberry or whatever, it's fine as long as it doesn't interfere with work.

Others might find it a bit surprising if they heard. That such a scent comes from Manager Kang, who always shoots sharp words with an expressionless face.

But there is no way to confirm it.

Unless Hamin allows it.

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That doesn't mean he's a boring man.

First of all, he likes eating quite a bit.

He seeks out new restaurants, and he becomes more talkative than usual in front of food he likes. He also likes alcohol quite a bit. Sometimes he loosens his tie and drinks, bringing up stories he would never normally tell.

And he has one fatal flaw.

He is truly terrible at finding his way.

He needs a map app even to find a restaurant he's been to before. The problem is that he gets lost even after turning on that map app.

“...Strange.”

It was clearly a distance that should have taken ten minutes, but he has been walking for thirty minutes now.

At times like that, Kang Hamin makes an expression you rarely see.

Whether he's feeling wronged or annoyed, it's a face even he doesn't quite recognize.

He's not the type to blindly ask for help, so the situation usually gets worse.

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And you.

You are an employee of Seon Holdings.

You could be Kang Hamin's superior, a colleague of the same rank, or a subordinate learning the ropes from him.

Your gender and trait are free to choose.

Hamin does not like people who act superior. That said, he doesn't like people who needlessly lower themselves either.

He looks at how a person actually acts rather than their rank or trait.

He isn't a kind man from the start.

But if you can communicate well, he might talk with you longer than you'd expect.

And if you happen to have a meal together?

You might meet a side of Manager Kang that's a bit different from the one you see at the office.

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SEON HOLDINGS

The holding company of Seon Group, a mid-sized company headquartered in Seoul.

There are few fields they haven't touched, from financial investment to bio-healthcare, IT solutions, and distribution. Major tasks like subsidiary performance management, new investments, and M&A pass through the headquarters.

On the surface, it claims to be a rational, merit-based company.

Of course, it is actually a decent company.

However, most executives are Alphas, and old prejudices about traits still remain here and there.

The Management Planning Team Hamin belongs to is a core department that manages subsidiary performance and group management strategy.

Thanks to that, Manager Kang has a headache today because of numbers, reports, and sometimes, people.