Beta Off Not Dating: “I’m a beta.” β 🙃

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For the first time, I am examining not only an omegaverse manhwa, but also a comedy. So far, all my stories were full of tragedies 😭 and violence 🩸 . Hence you are probably wondering why I selected this story so suddenly. Naturally, it is to promote this manhwa, as it is a real gem in my eyes. This is originally a novel from MINTRAN, which Doojja and Saena turned into a terrific manhwa. However, there was a reason why I never dwelled on burlesques. Their function is merely to divert the readers with jokes and comical situations, so it was rather pointless to analyze the behavior of the characters and their evolution. Yet, Beta Off Not Dating is more than just a funny story. Actually, the authors are making fun of the omegaverse genre. At the same time, the work is criticizing the negative role of stereotypes and prejudices. To sum up, the work is a satire.

1. The Omegaverse world

In case you are unfamiliar with this “world”, let me give you a brief introduction. In the Omegaverse world, there exist 3 types of humans (chapter 1) and in this society, the alphas are at the top of the hierarchy, while the omegas are at the bottom. This explicates why alphas are either CEO or school principals or professors due to their intelligence, while the omegas are “housewives” (chapter 1), for they have problems to find a job due to their heat cycles. The male omegas have the possibility to give birth to children, and their mates are alphas like mentioned in the illustration above. The attraction between omegas and alphas is mutual, especially when the omegas are in heat. They can not control their reactions, hence they need to take medicine called suppressants or inhibitors. It was, as if they were behaving like animals. The moment an alpha get bonded to an omega by biting his neck, they can never be separated. In certain stories, it goes so far that distance or separation can become deadly. As for the alphas, they also have a cycle called rut, and exactly like their counterpart, they can not control their libido. Another characteristic of the alphas and omegas is their phemorones, exposing their heat cycle or their emotions and desires. In this scene, (chapter 12) the terrible Seo Heetae, an alpha, is spreading his phemorones on the protagonist Kim Juhyeok out of anger and jealousy. This signifies that betas distinguish themselves from alphas and omegas, for they don’t possess such abilities. They are not so strong or „intelligent“ compared to the alphas, and they can not detect phemorones. On the other hand, they are not vulnerable contrary to the omegas who actually need the protection of an alpha. To sum up, betas are simply average. However, they make up a large part of society. This means our main lead, Kim Juhyeok, is a beta. And here is the next question. How does the protagonist view himself compared to alphas and omegas?

2. Kim Juhyeok

We get a first answer with this illustration. (chapter 1) The man oozes pride and confidence, as he is seen smiling with stars and bright colors in the background. This means that he doesn’t consider himself inferior to the others. Why? First, due to his hard working attitude, he became the representative of the new employees. (chapter 1) This shows that he could distinguish himself from all the other betas. Striking is that this cute man is full of ambition. His goal is to surpass alphas and omegas. (chapter 1) It was, as if he wanted to make his name known. Let’s not forget that betas are considered as the normality, as the crowd. As you can sense, Kim Juhyeok has a competitive attitude which reminds us of the alphas. Hence it is not surprising that when he got on stage as the representative, he caught the attention of the alpha, Lee Sihyeon, the second main lead. To conclude, Kim Juhyeok is different from all the other betas, as he is trying to compete with alphas and omegas.

This explains why the beta is rejecting dates and offers from omegas and alphas, for he sees them more as rivals. That’s the reason why the title is “Beta off not dating”. In this illustration, Kim Juhyeok is pushing the alpha Lee Sihyeon away by putting his hands on his mouth. This shows that he is determined not to date anyone. And this observation leads to me to the next inquiry: Why is the young man desiring to remain single, for he could date a beta? (chapter 14) His reply is that it is a long story. As you can see, he has many reasons for putting a wall between himself and the others.

3. His reasons

However, it is important to make a distinction between unconscious and conscious choice. Let’s not forget that each decision is always influenced by the subconscious, though a person will have the impression that it was a conscious decision. The way the characters were raised or their past experiences play a huge role in the choices they make. Kim Juhyeok is definitely no exception.

3. 1. His ignorance about alphas and omegas

His rejection for dating anyone is related to the fact that he had barely contact with alphas and omegas in his childhood. (chapter 1) And it looks like it was not different, when he went to college. (chapter 1) However, this is actually a deception. Kim Juhyeok was friend with an alpha, the actual actor Seol Gido!! This truly shows that he already came in contact with omegas and alphas at the university, yet he didn’t pay too much attention to them. He only started showing an interest in them, when he began working at the company. (chapter 1) The readers can grasp that he only got informed about alphas and omegas through books… it went so far that he watched k-dramas and porn movies which can’t be considered as a serious source of information. 😂As you can sense, Kim Juhyeok developed prejudices about the alphas and omegas to the point that he claims that the world is only revolving around alphas and omegas. In other words, he feels suffocated and threatened by them. Therefore his dream is to leave the country and go to Hawaii, (chapter 1) where he can live in seclusion. Hence he is seen alone here.

3. 2. Seol Gido’s influence

But why did he only start showing an interest in the two other types because of his work and not before? It is related to his friend Seol Gido. The latter had already marked him as his “prey”. He made sure to get rid of any potential rival. If Kim Juhyeok had the impression that someone was attracted to him, the alpha would convince him that he was just misinterpreting the situation: (chapter 4) Since the beta can not detect the presence of phemorones, he never realized the truth behind his friend’s trick to chase his potential rivals: (chapter 4) He was always informed afterwards. Seol Gido just needed to fake the excuse to be drunk to release his pheromones to claim Kim Juhyeok as his own. One might argue with this interpretation, because Seol Gido has a girlfriend. (chapter 7) But if this was true, why did he spend the night at his friend’s place and not at his partner’s? Besides, if so, he should have first gone to his friend, then later to his girlfriend. The order exposes the importance of Juhyeok in Seol Gido’s life. And this observation leads me to the following deduction: Kim Juhyeok is just a pure and innocent man who had never the opportunity to date anyone. He is literally clueless, hence he relies on his acquaintance’s advices. (chapter 4) However, the latter is definitely deceiving him. I would even add that he convinced the main figure that alphas would only date omegas. This panel exposes the misinformation. He can not imagine that a relationship between beta and omega or alpha with a beta is possible. We can see the actor’s influence in this scene. (chapter 4) The young man is not realizing that his neighbor, an alpha, is flirting with him. Observe how the actor reacted. He bumped into the guy on purpose (chapter 4), and though he heard the neighbor’s despair, he never revealed the truth to his friend. This shows that Kim Juhyeok has no idea about seduction and flirting, because Seol Gido messed up his perception, which he called “delusion”. (chapter 4) But this doesn’t end here. From my point of view, Seol Gido is not just dishonest to his friend, but also to himself, for he never made a move on him. He is well aware that he has no intention of dating anyone which can only be beneficial for the actor. (chapter 4) That way, the latter has the impression that he is possessing him. I am even suspecting that he could have played a role in this decision, as this question is requesting for an affirmation.

3. 3. Alphas and omegas at work

There is another reason why the main lead felt repulsed by relationship and love. It is because the only relationship he witnessed is the messy “marriage” of the alpha Seo Heetae and his spouse Lee Hyeonjae. (chapter 1) Yes, they are a couple!! So when the main lead saw this, his first reaction was to call the police: (chapter 1) 😂 Because of this couple, work gets affected, therefore the diligent representative can only be annoyed. This represents a threat to his own dream, surpass alphas and omegas. This is palpable in this quote: (chapter 1) For Kim Juhyeok, alphas and omegas behave like animals, for their behavior has such a negative influence on the company.

To conclude, the protagonist had a false perception not only of alphas and omegas, but also of love. In his eyes, everything is messy and full of violence. Seo Heetae couldn’t control himself and had a relationship with another omega, while he was quite possessive and authoritative with his own spouse. (chapter 1) This is what he said to his “wife” Lee Hyeonjae after slapping him. Besides, the heat cycle of omegas represents a huge hindrance. (chapter 2) Because of this incident, the betas, including Kim Juhyeok, are forced to work overtime!! I also believe this incident pushed Juhyeok to buy an inhibitor for omegas. that way, he would prevent a huge uproar in the company. Hence when he met Lee Sihyeon’s cousin, the omega Ha Weonyi for the first time, he offered him the suppressant. That’s how the cute omega fell in love with him! (chapter 2) The main lead seems so gentle and selfless, while in reality it was for his own peace of mind. As you can detect, their behavior stands in opposition to the protagonist’s philosophy and work ethics. The latter values work very much, as that way he can distinguish himself from others.

Under this new light, it becomes comprehensible why it took the protagonist a while before he realized that director Lee had developed an affection for him. The former would visit him each morning, while the latter would look at a picture of his dream destination (chapter 1) The hand on his shoulder was a sign of seduction and affection, even his offer, but the young beta never perceived it that way. He was simply annoyed. All the department was aware of director Lee’s feelings for Juhyeok except the concerned. He only discovered the truth, because his colleague Mister Kang voiced it: (chapter 4) However, here the protagonist had not rejected his superior, the latter was upset, because he had detected phemorones from Seol Gido on him. Hence Lee Sihyeon had spread his own heat phemorones on Juhyeok. And that’s how he got mistaken for an alpha by Ha Weonyi! (chapter 6) The irony is that when he had helped him with the suppressants, his cousin saw Juhyeok with them, and got his hopes up that Juhyeok could be indeed an omega. (chapter 2) In other words, due to his interaction with Lee Sihyeon and Ha Weonyi, Kim Juhyeok’s identity got questioned: was he an alpha or an omega? At the same time, he was encouraged to interact more and more with Lee Sihyeon and Ha Weonyi. This is important, because that way, he can finally drop his prejudices about alphas and omegas.

3. 4. His unveiled motivation

However, in my eyes, everything mentioned above are just superficial points Kim Juhyeok brought up. He has a different justification. In reality, he was not entirely honest. And this was truly visible in chapter 14, which was quite eye-opening to me. (chapter 14) As the manhwaphiles can detect, this image stands in opposition to the first panel: (chapter 1) The grey, the absence of the smile and the profile expose the resignation of the main lead! He views his “type” as a hindrance. But why? It is related to LOVE! Our pure and innocent man is a pure romantic!! He envies the alphas and omegas for their fated love! (chapter 14) This means that Juhyeok is longing for a cheesy and amazing relationship, but he has the impression that this can never happen to him!! It is only reserved for alphas and omegas… and now, you comprehend why he doesn’t desire to date anyone. In his eyes, this will never be a fated love! This means that he wished to have secret marks on his body, but he will never admit it so openly. Hence this scene in chapter 1 should be perceived differently. When he saw the bite marks on the omega manager Lee, he expressed his displeasure internally (chapter 1), yet deep down he felt jealous. This explicates why after this discovery, he wished more than ever to leave the company. (chapter 1) Far away from anyone, he won’t be confronted with envy and regret!! In other words, he doesn’t wish to have an ordinary love life which is perceptible in the following words: (chapter 14) Here, he implied that dating with a beta wouldn’t trigger deep emotions, as it is not “fated”. I detected a contradiction too. The only couples he mentioned so far were alphas-omegas. So far, he reproaches the couple to yell and weep constantly, yet he says that their relationship is fated. As you can see, in truth he envies them. And this shows that deep down, the main lead is suffering from inferiority complex which was already palpable with his desire to surpass alphas and omegas. Deep down, he did feel inferior to them. Under this new light, he becomes comprehensible why he feels the need to run away from alphas and omegas.

However, there is no ambiguity that the main lead has always felt an attraction to alphas due to their big hands and strong bodies. (chapter 10) The irony is that in the last scene, Sihyeon only paid more attention to the end of the sentence than the beginning: the omegas were all small, pale and cute! Consequently, he got jealous after hearing his love interest’s words! Yet, Juhyeok was actually praising him.

But why are the alphas and omegas attracted to the beta Juhyeok in the end? It is because he oozes firmness and concern in front of an omega, he is very protective in a gentle way, while in front of an alpha he appears full of confidence, yet simultaneously very innocent and vulnerable!! We have the perfect illustration with Lee Sihyeon in this scene. (chapter 10) He grabbed his hand and led him, which is not something an omega would do. Yet, Juhyeok’s words oozed innocence! And since his dream is to be loved, and even to have a fated love, it is not surprising that he is already falling for Lee Sihyeon. He was the first one who confessed to him so plainly!! He was disappointed, when he thought that the director was not keeping his words. (chapter 14).The director Lee Sihyeon will do anything to woo his “prey”, the beta Kim Juhyeok. Exactly like Seol Gido, he chose a different approach: they are now friends! That way, he hopes that the young beta will put down his guard. (chapter 14) And observe that Sihyeon’s speech was similar to Seol Gido!! He also asked for a confirmation from the protagonist, that’s how both alphas are “influencing” the beta! However, contrary to the actor, Lee Sihyeon is more honest. He warned the beta not to trust the alphas, including himself. Another difference is that he is more straightforward than the actor. He definitely uses physical contact to break “the ice”. (chapter 13)

This means that Lee Sihyeon can win the beta’s heart, if he is able to incite the latter to give up on his prejudices about alphas and omegas and their fated love. He can have a fated love too, since he had no partner before, and I assume that it was the case for the director Lee. Ha Weonyi is the perfect example that alphas or omegas can choose their partners, they are not forced to select an omega or an alpha. (chapter 14) Ha Weonyi prefers betas over alphas, as the latter seem to be rude, arrogant and self-centered. His cousin even added that he would attract “weird alphas”. From my point of view, this will take place, because thanks to his interaction with the two cousins, Sihyeon and Weonyi, Kim Juhyeok will judge them as humans and no longer as alphas or omegas!! Yes, the major flaw of the protagonist is to lump alphas and omegas together. He needs to stop viewing people as a crowd, and starts perceiving them as individuals. Finally, since director Lee is the main lead’s superior, he can contribute that their “affection” doesn’t affect Juhyeok’s work and his philosophy. In fact, he can help him to achieve his goal, to become a role model for alphas and omegas!

I hope that this short essay about “Beta Off Not Dating” gave you the desire to read the manhwa. And if this analysis is a success, then I will write about it again.

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