Several days after the New Year, Eugene found himself in front of a sizable office building one afternoon. The stylish letter of Seed Production perched on one side, just the way it was when he came a few months earlier to sign the contract.
All of the communication afterward — mainly with the scriptwriters — happened online, so it was only his second time in this building.
Not so big it was intimidating, but also prominent enough for people to know their name in passing. Looking into the production house, Eugene felt like he could understand why they decided to take his manuscript. This company seemed to do this kind of thing often, making something that provoked the public's perception. Still, they somehow remained popular by balancing it with churning out successful commercial movies.
Either they had a powerful backing or a tie with a political figure--was what Eugene secretly thought. Still, there was no need for him to delve further. He was only tied with the company for this one movie production, so he couldn't care less about the background.
He had secured the money for his daughter's school fees, and that was the only thing that mattered.
Still, since he had received the money, he had decided to play his part well. First, by looking presentable for the first meeting with the other production staff.
"Mr. Kim?" A hesitant voice greeted him in the lobby before he could approach the receptionist's desk.
Eugene turned his head and nodded at a petite woman younger than him, who was one of the scriptwriters present when he had signed the contract. If he recalled correctly, she was an omega, and they probably sent her because he was an omega--an effort to form familiarity.
"Hello," Eugene nodded politely, offering a warm smile.
"Oh, wow..." The writer looked at Eugene with widened eyes, looking him up and down before realizing it might be rude to do so. "You look like a different person!"
Eugene chuckled. "Pardon me for the last time. I was in a parent mode then."
Who would have thought the contract meeting happened on the day the kindergarten had a sports day? There was only half an hour between the end of the sports event and the appointment for the contract signing, so Eugene had no choice but to go there in the same outfit he used to roll around in the dirt and fallen leaves.
And who was stupid enough to not realize it because they were too lazy to put it down in the calendar app? Yeah, Eugene could only blame himself. Wasn't that why he showed up in a better shape this time? He was trying to atone for his sin of going into a place celebrities frequented wearing a dirty tracksuit.
That being said, Eugene didn't feel like he did much. He just put on a clean shirt and a blazer jacket, coupled with one of a few jeans that hadn't faded in color yet. It was his usual attire when he visited the publishing company or went out with Sophie--when he wasn't getting ambushed while sleep-deprived. If anything, it was rather simpler than how he used to style himself during his college days...
Well, during the days before he got pregnant anyway.
Seemed like styling his hair and shaving his stubble clean worked wonders.
The writer laughed softly while waving her hands. "Oh, no worries. Even then you look presentable."
"That's a grandiose compliment, coming from you."
"Oh, come on!" she laughed louder, slapping Eugene's arm playfully. Seemed like his social skills hadn't deteriorated much while staying indoors for years. The writer then fished out something from her bag, handing it to Eugene. "Here, this is your card from now on, Mr. Kim. You can just go inside by yourself next time."
"Thank you."
Eugene nodded again, taking the card and hanging it around his neck. Looking at the card that no longer said 'guest' and instead has his name along with the project's name, Eugene asked carefully. "I'm not late, am I?"
"Not at all!" the writer answered with a firm shake of her head, gesturing toward the elevator. "It's just a casual meeting anyway, so even if we come in the middle, it won't be a problem. But everyone's already in this building anyway, so we just gather once you're here."
Ah...so that was why she was texting earlier. The planning staff was probably moving to the meeting room as they chatted.
"Ah, but Ashley said she couldn't come today," the writer said while they were waiting for the elevator.
"Mrs. Producer?"
Eugene raised his brows, almost let out a curse. Damnit! She was the only point of connection between Eugene and the rest of the team, so how should he navigate the awkwardness if she were absent? Sure, he had some measure of social skill, but it had been years since he actually had worked outside of his lovely home desk that was filled with Hannah's cartoon stickers.
"Her wife is in the trimester right now, and it seems like she can't get away at all," the writer explained as they stepped into the elevator, pressing a higher floor while at it. "Apparently, her wife was a bit weak and could barely get out of bed sometimes. Today was that time, so..."
Oh. What could he say to that?
"I understand," Eugene nodded. He had pregnant once before, after all, although he had no idea how it felt to be attended by his partner like that.
"It seems like she was sending someone as her proxy, however. Her cousin," the writer tapped her lips as she tried to remember, and then added quite hesitantly. "Our sound editor."
Eugene's brow arched again. "That's..."
"Sound like a parachute?" the writer whispered, a layer of giggle underneath her words. It was good that they were alone in the elevator. "He just came back from his study abroad, and I heard he has been involved in various projects since school, so I guess he's good enough. There's no need to worry."
"Do I even have the right to?" Eugene chuckled. "I also landed this contract through a connection."
The writer laughed, and they continued their journey while talking about the script. Eugene noted that they stopped at the fifth floor, and memorized the hallway as the writer brought him toward what he assumed to be the corner side of the building.
"Here we are!" They stopped in front of an opaque door. "This room will be dedicated to our team from now on, so you'll be here mostly, Mr. Kim. Oh, but of course, you can also go around the company if you want. The rooftop here is nice, and if you want to smoke--"
"I don't smoke," Eugene interjected with a smile. Well, to be exact, he had quit.
"Oh, right--you have a child," the writer nodded, glancing at the man who looked like he smoked a pack a day. She still wondered if the man was really an omega sometimes, but questioning one's gender wasn't a polite thing to do. Instead, she informed him of the company benefit for the employee--even the temporary one. "You can bring your child if you want. We have a dedicated daycare for the employees' children here. Or just bring your child to the meeting room! I'm sure people won't mind."
"Thank you," Eugene smiled politely, again.
But there was no way he would bring Hannah here. He had to use his real name while making the contract, so he ended up using his real name while working as an outsourced advisor for the project. There was no way he would ever bring Hannah here, where there was always a possibility of an information leak.
"Come in," the writer opened the door and announced loudly to the people inside. "Hey, I brought Mr. Kim!"
"Oh!"
The project office consisted of a large room with several desks and drawers, a notice board, a pantry, and two doors leading to two different-sized meeting rooms. Some people came out of the larger meeting room, and two peeked out of the pantry; the rest were lounging on the couches in the middle of the cubicles.
A flurry of greetings came afterward, acclimating Eugene back into society. It was a bit more intense than the publishing company--except when it was days away from a new release--but it reminded him of his college days with everyone wearing casual or semi-formal attire, making it easy for him to blend in. Perhaps because of the project's theme, all of them were either betas or omegas, further putting everyone at ease.
He heard there were alphas in the filming crews, but it seemed like the planning team was made to empathize with the main character.
Well, it was whatever for him.
"I've heard about it, but you really don't look like an omega, Mr. Kim."
One of them said with a hint of amusement, inviting a scolding from the young writer. "Hey, don't be rude!"
Was she tasked with taking care of him? Eugene wondered. "It's okay, I've heard that a lot," he said with a chuckle. It was true that he was taller and bigger than a common omega, so it was a given that people would misunderstand. Most people thought he was the beta or alpha father when he was with Hannah, so he was used to it. "Also, there's no need to be so formal with me. Please call me Eugene."
"Welcome to the team, Eugene," the oldest-looking person there--probably the team leader--patted the young writer's head to appease her and smiled warmly as she shook Eugene's hand. "Shall we start now?"
"Shouldn't we wait for Mr. Crowley?" someone said from the pantry.
"Well..." the team leader rubbed her neck. "I guess."
The young writer scooted closer to Eugene and whispered. "The proxy."
"Ah..."
No wonder they looked a bit uncomfortable. They probably saw the proxy as a parachute too, and if the person had just returned from abroad, he was basically a stranger. Having someone like that as the boss's proxy must have felt annoying, even if they didn't say it clearly.
The annoyance was getting more apparent as the clock ticked by almost an hour later without the door even rattling. What a way to make a first impression. Eugene was grateful, however, since it gave him the time to speak to everyone on the team and get to know them.
"Huft..." someone finally sighed after the small hand of the clock changed number. "Should we just start now?"
"Uhh..."
They looked at each other and with tacit understanding started to head to the meeting room. At that moment, however, the door swung open by a security guard.
"It's here, Sir."
"Thank you," someone's low, tired voice could be heard behind the door, and a figure followed a second later. "Sorry, my flight was delayed."
Eugene, who was holding a cookie someone had given him while waiting, felt the confectionery fall from his hand without meaning to. He didn't even realize he was already standing, staring at the emerging figure with clenched jaw.
"Why...!"
Because right at the door, was someone whose shadow Eugene always saw in Hannah's face. Someone who contributed half the genes forming his daughter's being.
The alpha who got him pregnant six years ago.