09 – Summer at 20 & 21 years old (1)

“Yoon-san, did you pack everything without leaving anything out?”

“Yeah, yeah. But Mom, didn’t you say you were going to bring the camper van anyway?”

In the summer of Lee Yoon-san’s first twenties, vacation and camping came together. It was the first vacation of his first college life, so he thought about calling Shin Soo-hyun or Kim Ji-hoo to hang out, but that plan had already fallen through. It was because of the Jeju camping vacation that his parents had proposed before the vacation.

Lee Yoon-san’s parents had been talking about the camping plan since before Lee Yoon-san’s vacation, unable to hide their excitement. It was only natural, as they had not been able to go camping, which had been a lifelong hobby, during Lee Yoon-san’s growing years, which coincided with the growth of their business. Their business was now completely on a stable track, and the division of labor with the executives had become so clear that the two owners could be away for a long time and still work from home. And, above all, Lee Yoon-san’s Pheromone development period and growth period were over.

Lee Yoon-san’s body, which had stopped growing at 177cm, taller than the average Korean male, was perfect. His internal organs were now completely settled, he no longer needed painkillers, his hormones were still maintaining a textbook balance, and his Pheromone control was perfect. There was no endocrine disruption of Alpha Pheromones during growth, and there was no ‘teasing’ that young Lee Yoon-san had worried about at the beginning of his Pheromone development period.

Lee Yoon-san, who had become an adult and entered university, was able to start a smooth college life despite his introverted personality, and now he had quite a few friends. It was the first time in a long time since he was very young. Until middle school, he had low self-esteem due to his appearance complex, and in high school, he only hung out with friends he got along with, and he had never thought about other friends because he was pouring all his energy into contacting Hwang Hae-kyung.

In fact, looking back now, wasn’t the meeting with Hwang Hae-kyung the reason why he couldn’t dwell on his appearance complex? The day he met Hwang Hae-kyung at the amusement park, Hwang Hae-kyung recognized him at once, even though he had lost a lot of weight and looked different, and smiled at him. Without avoiding or teasing him like he used to when they were younger. Since then, Hwang Hae-kyung had been careful not to give Lee Yoon-san any room to think negatively about his appearance. Of course, it wasn’t intentional.

Hwang Hae-kyung had been consistently contacting him via DM even when he was busy, and Lee Yoon-san at the time was old enough to be influenced by the attention and envious or curious gazes from those around him due to Hwang Hae-kyung’s popularity and good looks. Before that, Lee Yoon-san had not been able to accept the compliments about his appearance that Shin Soo-hyun or Kim Ji-hoo had given him, saying, ‘You’re okay, you know?’

But as the curious and envious gazes from those around him continued for years, his heart could not help but crumble little by little. It was like a long persuasion induced by the situation.

Am I really okay? Is that why Hwang Hae-kyung keeps sending me DMs? The kids don’t seem to think ‘as if’ even if I say I have an Alpha I’m in contact with, right? As these thoughts continued until high school, his attention to his complex inevitably faded. Although not to the point of complete resolution. Looking back now, it seems like a very childish and trivial mental therapy, but it was possible enough for Lee Yoon-san from sixteen to eighteen. Because he was still at an age where he looked at himself through the eyes of others.

That’s how Lee Yoon-san became an adult. And he went camping in Jeju Island with his parents, who had been eagerly waiting for their son to become an adult. His parents could now take a long vacation for a month, and since the university’s summer vacation was longer than that of middle and high school students, he would be able to enjoy a sufficiently relaxed and enjoyable summer vacation.

“There’s too much luggage, Mom.”

“We’re going to go all over Jeju Island, and to Biyangdo and Udo. We’re going to go to at least five places in Jeju alone. We have to go to all the famous places.”

“Biyangdo? Udo? You’re going to take a boat to another island from there?”

“Of course. Let’s make up for all the things we couldn’t do this time!”

“I don’t have any regrets…”

When Lee Yoon-san was shocked to see the luggage that took up the inside of the camper van as well as the roof box, Lee Jung-won answered excitedly while loading the remaining camping equipment. She gestured to Lee Yoon-san to help, and in the end, Lee Yoon-san had to go back and forth between the house and the camper van for thirty minutes, following Lee Jung-won, to load the luggage.

“Please let’s go somewhere without bugs.”

“The only camping without bugs is winter camping.”

“Ugh…”

Lee Yoon-san shuddered at the thought of the bugs that were already coming and got into the camper van. He had gotten his license a while ago, but Lee Ga-eun and Lee Jung-won were going to take turns driving. To get the camper van to Jeju Island, they had to take a boat instead of a plane, and to do that, they had to drive a long distance to Wando Port.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a family trip, right?”

“Yeah. I’m looking forward to Jeju Island.”

“We’re going to stop by Hae-kyung Auntie’s house for a while. We’re going to camp together. Like in the old days.”

“Then Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“…Never mind.”

While heading to Wando Port, Lee Yoon-san closed his mouth when he heard the news, about to ask if Hwang Hae-kyung was coming too. Since he was the one who had unilaterally cut off contact since the summer when the Tokyo Olympics volleyball semi-final ended, that is, when Lee Yoon-san was eighteen, Lee Yoon-san didn’t want to bother being curious from his point of view. Yes, regardless of how he actually felt, it was right that he didn’t want to be curious. His pride was hurt. He was even ashamed of himself for still being curious about Hwang Hae-kyung from time to time and eavesdropping whenever he witnessed his mothers talking to Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents, hoping to hear news about Hwang Hae-kyung.

And Lee Jung-won, who glanced at Lee Yoon-san, chuckled and said as if in response.

“Hae-kyung won’t be there.”

Of course, she wasn’t saying that because she knew that Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san had been in contact. They had both kept it a secret from their families. It wasn’t a matter of promises being exchanged. It was just an implicit rule among minors who didn’t want to get scolded.

Lee Yoon-san felt relieved, but also disappointed and let down by his mother’s words. And he leaned his upper body over the table in front of him. The inside of the camper van, which was not a car that had been modified into a camper van but a camper van that was originally made for camping, was well equipped with props and facilities that could be used for living. Lee Yoon-san lay down on the table, which had cooled down, and watched the trees and scenery passing by outside the window. As he closed his eyes, feeling the air conditioning blowing on his back, he quickly fell asleep. It seemed that getting up early in the morning to pack and going back and forth between the camper van and the house was the cause of his deep sleep.

The music flowing in the car gradually faded from his ears, and then his consciousness sank. Lee Yoon-san, who had fallen asleep like that, did not wake up until they arrived at Wando Port and the car was loaded onto the ship.

✧✧✧

“I want to swim.”

“Did you put on sunscreen?”

“Yeah. But I’m going to get tanned anyway.”

The family, who arrived in Jeju, first left Jeju Port and headed to a campsite located in Hamdeok, which was relatively close. They went there, parked in the car camping spot, and looked at the scenery outside. Lee Yoon-san changed into his swimsuit in the car and came out, saying to his mothers. His mothers touched Lee Yoon-san’s arm to check if he had applied sunscreen properly, applied sunscreen balm to his face once more, and then pointed to the beach over there and allowed him to act alone.

At that, Lee Yoon-san was about to run straight to the beach, but he went back into the camper van, took out a tube and a portable air pump, and inflated it. Lee Ga-eun, after confirming that the tube was completely inflated, took the air pump from Lee Yoon-san and put a bag containing snorkeling equipment in her son’s arms.

“Go play, son. We’ll clean up roughly and go too.”

“Okay!”

While Lee Ga-eun was looking for her swimsuit in the pile of luggage, Lee Jung-won was looking for the tube that they were going to play with. They didn’t forget to tidy up the inside of the camper van and set up the charcoal and grill equipment to make it easy to light a fire. Lee Yoon-san headed to the beach, wondering if he should help his mothers a little, but he knew very well that Lee Ga-eun and Lee Jung-won were the kind of people who liked even such preparations and went camping. They liked setting up new equipment and feeling excited while doing outdoor activities.

Lee Yoon-san, who arrived at the beach, was about to lay down his equipment haphazardly on the ground and take off his top, but he just rolled up his sleeves to his shoulders. Even though it was a beach, it wasn’t an atmosphere where people put up parasols and tents, and the beach itself was small, so it wasn’t big enough to do so. He threw his snorkeling bag on the ground, put the tube on his body, and strode into the sea.

Unlike the scorching sunlight, a chill ran through him as the cold waves hit his body. Lee Yoon-san didn’t really like bugs and mountains, but he liked the sea and water quite a bit instead. He wasn’t a good swimmer, but when he was young, he used to play in the pool or the sea until his skin was tanned, and then he would eat cup ramen that his mothers gave him and be happy.

“Ah, I left my phone.”

As he was getting into the water, floating around with the tube, and snorkeling to see the floating debris and seaweed in the sea, he felt like something was missing and realized that he had left his phone behind. He must have received a lot of calls from Shin Soo-hyun or Kim Ji-hoo, who he was still close with, but Lee Yoon-san didn’t want to go out with his wet body right now, so he quickly gave up on his phone.

He liked the feeling of floating on the sea with the tube. He also liked watching the few palm trees planted on the beach over there while floating on the sea. All the scenery that came into his eyes felt like summer. Lee Yoon-san swept his wet hair back several times and dipped his face in the sea and took it out, and when he was pushed to a shallow place by the waves, he squeezed or shook off his shorts/swimsuit that came down to half of his thighs. Since it was not a tight-fitting swimsuit but shorts closer to beachwear for surfing, it often went up when he was in the water, but there were few people around because it was a small beach, so he didn’t feel self-conscious.

Then, when he opened his eyes when he suddenly felt the tube flipping over, his parents, who had already entered the sea, had started playing pranks. Lee Yoon-san and his parents overturned each other’s tubes and played wildly in the water while diving. They were also interested in the strange seaweed, and they briefly came out to the beach, but their feet hurt from the sand and gravel that had been heated by the sun, so they jumped back into the sea. Since the beach itself was a small place, they had to go a little deeper to do proper snorkeling, and the family played there for a long time.

After a long swim, they came to the camper van and ate cup ramen and beer. It was Lee Yoon-san’s first drink with his family. Both of Lee Yoon-san’s parents were good at drinking, so they drank dark beer with a bit of alcohol, and Lee Yoon-san, who was a beginner in drinking, drank ale beer with a fruity taste. The sweet scent and taste were not overwhelming.

After taking a nap for a while, they came out again and had a charcoal grill while watching the sunset evening sea. Lee Jung-won grilled the meat, and Lee Ga-eun took out the drinks she had brought and made Lee Yoon-san a cocktail called ‘Pina Colada’. The soft drink with pineapple and coconut flavor went well with the hot weather and the beach.

“Yoon-san, I’m sorry that your mothers were seemingly careless while pretending to be meticulous while you were growing up.”

Then, Lee Jung-won suddenly said something like a confession. She hesitated for a moment as if she was about to say something very embarrassing and shy, and then pushed another piece of firewood into the bonfire and brought up the story. Then Lee Yoon-san’s eyes drooped and became watery.

“No, why are you saying that…”

“Including the fact that we dragged you around camping. We thought we were taking good care of you, but we missed a lot of things. We keep realizing belatedly that we weren’t meticulous enough with you. We should have paid more attention to our Baby.”

Lee Jung-won said those words in a calm voice. And Lee Ga-eun, who was next to her, also nodded and smiled bitterly. Only Lee Yoon-san looked at them with a surprised face, and he felt like he was about to cry at the unexpected sudden confession. It was as if their apology included the past, the present, and this camping trip.

In fact, Lee Yoon-san knows very well. That it is rare for parents to apologize for past events more than he thought. This is because many things are diluted in life, and it is often because they had their own reasons at the time. Therefore, Lee Yoon-san had never expected to hear these words from his mothers.

“Now that we have time, we realize it and regret it.”

Lee Ga-eun said that and took a sip of beer. And that was all. She didn’t make any excuses after that. Not even the most valid word that Lee Yoon-san knew well, ‘We were busy.’

Lee Yoon-san lowered his head, his eyes burning at Lee Jung-won and Lee Ga-eun’s words. Fortunately, he succeeded in holding back his tears, but he couldn’t say anything because he thought his voice would tremble if he opened his mouth. Lee Yoon-san recalled his mothers who used to go camping when he was young.

At that time, they were only in their late 30s and mid-40s, and it was a time when they were playing a pivotal role in society. It was also a time when they were building their careers and leveling up. They were mothers to Lee Yoon-san, but in society, they were Team leaders of investment teams that gave opportunities to startups and venture companies. They were always busy, and their careers were solid. They had a lot of ambition and ambition for their work. And because they were so busy, Lee Yoon-san grew up comfortably under their care. In a good house, eating good things, and wearing good things.

Those summer vacation camping trips back then must have been some of the few joys for them. Lee Yoon-san, being young, didn’t like it because there were no friends and only bugs, but he now knows that for them, it was a way to relieve stress and heal their hearts. It would be a lie to say that they never felt hurt by each other growing up, but these occasional heart-to-heart talks were like ointment, comforting just by being shared.

“I love you, Yoon-san.”

“I too… I love you too, Moms….”

“Is our Baby potato crying?”

“I’m not a baby anymore, nor a potato, so why do you call me that…!”

That day, Lee Yoon-san’s family grilled meat and pineapple over charcoal all night, with drinks, and the first day in Jeju passed like that.

After about three days in Jeju, Lee Yoon-san’s skin had turned into a well-baked chocolate cookie. Lee Ga-eun dressed Lee Yoon-san in a Hawaiian shirt and even handed him pineapple juice, saying he was the very image of a Hawaiian boy. Lee Jung-won agreed, putting a straw hat on his son’s head and taking several pictures. Lee Yoon-san, trying to escape his mothers, headed back to the sea, and that afternoon, a small accident occurred.

Lee Yoon-san, coming out of the sea, stepped on a broken soju bottle among the pebbles on the beach. Lee Yoon-san didn’t make a fuss about the wound on his foot, but his parents did. The broken glass that Lee Yoon-san stepped on was quite a large piece, and since it was a wound sustained right after playing in the seawater, there was concern about infection.

In the end, Lee Yoon-san had to go to the emergency room and have his foot bandaged. It wasn’t a situation where any bones were broken, so he didn’t need a cast, but the wound, after being properly examined at the hospital, was quite deep. Deep enough that he couldn’t play in the sea anymore.

Lee Yoon-san was very disappointed, but since they were planning to leave Hamdeok Campground today anyway, he quickly accepted reality. Today was the day they were invited to Hwang Hae-kyung’s second house in Naedo-dong, Jeju City.

Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents had purchased a second house, not a villa, in Jeju and had been living between Seoul and Jeju for over a year. They had invited Lee Yoon-san’s parents a long time ago, but only now did both families’ schedules align. When Lee Yoon-san’s family visited today, they would have a simple dinner, park the campervan, and then, early in the morning, both families would go camping together on nearby islands and various places in Jeju.

In that situation, Lee Yoon-san injured his foot.

“Oh my, Yoon-san! What happened to our Baby’s foot?!”

“It’s been a while, Auntie.”

As soon as Lee Yoon-san parked the campervan in the townhouse parking lot and limped out, Hwang Hae-kyung’s mother, Ahn Sun-mi, shouted and ran over. She forgot about greeting the guests with a smile and, along with her husband, ran to Lee Yoon-san, squatted down in front of him, and examined his foot. As soon as she learned how he got hurt, she became furious, saying they should catch and punish all those who litter in tourist areas and don’t clean up properly.

Lee Yoon-san gave Ahn Sun-mi and Hwang Jun-won an embarrassed smile and greeted them, and the couple showed kindness by personally supporting Lee Yoon-san’s arms and shoulders all the way to the house. Behind them, Lee Ga-eun and Lee Jung-won shook their heads, wondering whose son he was, but soon they too smiled, grateful to the couple for worrying about their son.

The two families immediately had dinner. Dinner was already prepared, and since Lee Yoon-san, with his injured foot, couldn’t help, he went straight to the dining table, passing through the living room, and dinner began. Lee Yoon-san listened to the adults’ conversation, laughing and nodding in agreement, and occasionally checked his phone. Shin Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-hoo had been contacting him continuously since the first day. When he answered sporadically because he was having fun, they pretended to be jealous, saying it hurt their stomachs. Both of them had said they wouldn’t work part-time during their first summer vacation as freshmen and would just play, but it seemed they were quite bored.

“Yoon-san, who are you contacting so much? Friends?”

“Oh, yes.”

As he was checking his phone under the table, Hwang Jun-won looked at Lee Yoon-san and asked. With the same kind and affectionate expression he had when he was young. Even though it was the first time they were seeing each other in 10 years, Hwang Jun-won’s attitude toward Lee Yoon-san was the same as it was 10 years ago. The kind and affectionate expression, the gentle tone, and the way he acted as if he were treating his youngest son made Lee Yoon-san feel slightly embarrassed without realizing it. Moreover, since he had been caught looking at his phone during dinner, Lee Yoon-san quickly apologized to Hwang Jun-won.

“I’m sorry for looking at my phone so much during dinner.”

“Oh? No, no. We’re having dinner as family, so feel comfortable. It must be boring for Yoon-san to be alone while the adults are talking.”

“It’s not that… It’s just that my friends know I came to Jeju and they’re very jealous.”

“Friends? Then tell them to come. They can come and play together. Uncle will give them pocket money.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Oh my, Yoon-san, would you like that? Should we tell your friends to come?”

Ahn Sun-mi, who had been picking up side dishes from across the table, replied in a high voice to Hwang Jun-won and Lee Yoon-san’s conversation. Lee Yoon-san was flustered and waved his hands to express his refusal, because he thought it was absurd to invite friends on a family trip, especially since he wasn’t coming to play separately and booking a room.

“With your foot like that, it must be uncomfortable to go camping?”

But Ahn Sun-mi and Hwang Jun-won seemed to be speaking sincerely. As happy as they were to see Lee Yoon-san after a long time, they seemed worried about Lee Yoon-san’s injured foot, so they prevented him from getting up from his seat throughout the entire dinner. They insisted that he had to be careful even touching the ground because he had injured the sole of his foot.

“Okay, Yoon-san. Then should we tell your friends to come? Mom will book a hotel for you. If it’s uncomfortable to follow us camping, you can play there with your friends.”

“Uh….”

“There’s no need to book a hotel, you can just tell them to come here. We have a spare room in our house.”

“Yes, yes. Tell them to play here instead of wasting money. We’ll be camping with Yoon-san’s family anyway.”

“Hey, how can we do that? It’s not our house.”

The adults’ debate began. Lee Yoon-san thought it would be difficult to travel around the islands and various camping sites in Jeju with his injured foot. The adults might not be able to enjoy themselves properly because of him. So, he was willing to try inviting his friends to play separately, but the problem was accommodation.

Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents suggested using the empty house instead of wasting money, while Lee Yoon-san’s parents argued that they couldn’t do that in someone else’s house. The debate that started like that escalated to “Are we strangers?” and “That’s not what I meant,” and before the atmosphere could overheat any further, Lee Yoon-san finally made a decision.

“I’ll tell my friends to come. They said they want to try staying in a hotel in Jeju.”

Lee Yoon-san quickly asked for their opinions in the story chat room with his friends and conveyed the results. But Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents showed a slightly stubborn attitude.

“Yoon-san, you hurt your foot, so don’t think about wandering around. Just play here. There are good restaurants around here. You should sleep here, even if your friends don’t.”

“Yes, Yoon-san. This is a private home, so the security is good, and we’ll leave a car behind, so you can use it if you need it.”

“Oh my, Yoon-san, you already got your license? Baby?”

They seemed quite unhappy that Lee Yoon-san, who was only twenty years old, was going to stay in a lodging facility like a hotel. So, Lee Yoon-san and his parents decided to accept their kindness to some extent. Lee Yoon-san’s friends would stay at the hotel as they wished, but Lee Yoon-san would stay at this house. The costs needed for playing were all supported by both families. Lee Jung-won gave him a credit card separately to use for playing, and Hwang Jun-won secretly handed Lee Yoon-san a lot of cash without Lee Yoon-san’s parents knowing. This happened because Lee Yoon-san kept smiling and refusing even though they all asked him to give them his pocket money account number.

“We’re leaving early in the morning, so just sleep, Baby. There’s a guest room on the first floor, so you can use that. The refrigerator is also filled, so have a simple meal here in the morning and buy something delicious to eat with your friends for lunch and dinner.”

“Yoon-san, come out after you brush your teeth, and Uncle will take you to your room. You can mess up any room except the master bedroom, so you can bring your friends here too. They’re all Omegas, right?”

“No, not to that extent… And, and I can go to the room alone.”

“How are you going to go? You’ll put pressure on your wound. Are you going to hop around?”

“No, just….”

“Go wash up, Baby.”

It was the same treatment as when he was 10 years old. As Hwang Jun-won and Ahn Sun-mi said, Lee Yoon-san first washed his body, excluding the injured area, in the bathroom and wiped off the water. The body reflected in the bathroom mirror was tanned a lot on the arms and legs, and the boundary with the parts covered by clothes was clear.

It would have been better if he had taken everything off and played, so he would have tanned evenly, but because he happened to roll up his short sleeves to his shoulders or wore a tank top with short pants, his skin tone was a bit ambiguous. Whether it was because he had floated on a tube and lay on it, even though he had worn shorts that came down to half his thigh, the skin right below his buttocks was tanned. The parts covered by clothes were milky white, so even though he was naked, it looked like he was wearing short, tight clothes at first glance. The chocolate-tanned arms and legs, compared to the milky white torso and upper part of the buttocks, looked a bit funny to him.

Lee Yoon-san frowned at his body, where the boundaries between inside and outside had become clear, and then changed into the clothes he had brought and went outside. Then, as if he had been waiting, Hwang Jun-won took Lee Yoon-san, applied medicine to the wound on the sole of his foot, and changed the bandage. Ahn Sun-mi sat next to Lee Yoon-san and applied lotion to Lee Yoon-san’s healthy tanned arms and legs. She seemed quite worried that the tanned skin might hurt. Perhaps it was because Hwang Hae-kyung suffered from sunburn every summer.

“Contact us immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes.”

“Good night, Yoon-san.”

The couple even laid Lee Yoon-san down and left the room. Then, Lee Yoon-san’s parents opened the door slightly, poked their heads in, and smiled. It seemed funny that Lee Yoon-san, who used to act spoiled when his Auntie and Uncle doted on him when he was young, was now a bit awkward because he had grown up a bit.

And that early morning, while Lee Yoon-san was asleep, the couple left the house. They left Lee Yoon-san’s campervan parked as it was and left with only the camping equipment packed in Ahn Sun-mi’s car. His parents seemed worried about leaving Lee Yoon-san alone until the end, and they left a message saying that they would come to pick him up whenever he wanted to join the camping trip. It was a long-awaited long vacation, and a rare opportunity to enjoy their off-grid camping hobby, but they seemed ultimately disappointed that their son couldn’t join them on the trip.

So, Lee Yoon-san woke up alone in a house he had never seen before. He lay blankly in bed, wondering what to do, and first tried to turn on the air conditioner because it was hot, but in the end, he decided to wear lighter clothes. He was alone anyway.

Lee Yoon-san left the loose short-sleeved top as it was and took off the long pants he was wearing, finding shorts in his luggage and putting them on his legs. Then he felt the wind passing between his legs. The training pants he was wearing were not very thin because they were prepared for camping, so it was even hotter. The fact that mosquitoes and other bugs attack through the fabric if you wear too thin pants was something he had bitterly realized while following them to the campsite when he was young.

Lee Yoon-san looked down at the shorts that came down to half his thigh and shook the hem to make sure it was cool inside. It was a bit longer than briefs, but it seemed to be well ventilated because it was wide. In fact, he doesn’t wear shorts often because he doesn’t have any body hair on his legs, but these were pants he bought new to wear on the beach during this camping trip.

Lee Yoon-san checked the loose-fitting clothes that were well ventilated and headed straight for the door. He walked on his heels, being careful not to let the injured sole of his foot touch the floor as much as possible, and inevitably ended up limping.

‘Ice water….’

Still, the shortened pants didn’t solve his thirst, so he finally opened the door and went out into the living room. The house wasn’t small, so he had to walk quite a bit to get to the kitchen, but since it was a townhouse, there was no downstairs, so he thought this much thumping would be okay.

As he passed about halfway through the living room to go to the kitchen, an unfamiliar sound echoed in the living room, which was somewhat bright as the sun had risen early. It wasn’t like a doorbell, but a short melody that rang and then stopped. It was like an entry notification sound.

Lee Yoon-san was startled by the sudden sound and froze, looking around. Did Uncle or Auntie come back? As he thought that, he straightened his shoulders, which had shrunk in surprise, but this time he heard another sound. This time it was a sound coming from the front door, and it was clearly the sound of the keypad being unlocked. Did Auntie or Uncle really come back? Did they leave something behind? With that thought, Lee Yoon-san widened his eyes and took a step toward the front door. But before Lee Yoon-san could move any further, the front door opened.

“…Uh…?”

Standing outside the open door was Hwang Hae-kyung. Hwang Hae-kyung, the son of these homeowners, with his tall height and adult-like stern expression. The Hwang Hae-kyung who had unilaterally cut off contact with Lee Yoon-san after the summer of 18.

Lee Yoon-san couldn’t understand this sudden situation at all.

Of course, Hwang Hae-kyung also seemed to not understand this situation. As soon as Hwang Hae-kyung’s eyes met Lee Yoon-san’s, he frowned as if he had seen something unbelievable, but it wasn’t so much that he was dissatisfied, but rather an expression that made him wonder if he had seen something wrong. And then he slammed the door shut with a loud bang and left.

“What…?”

In the end, a futile word popped out of Lee Yoon-san’s mouth. And he limped toward the front door, his legs that had been about to move to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, bewilderment arose on the faces of Ham Se-jin and Lee Seok-jae, who were watching Hwang Hae-kyung, who had suddenly turned around and slammed the door shut after entering the house.

“What? Why did you suddenly close the door? Aren’t you going in?”

“I’m not going in.”

“What?”

“Let’s go sleep somewhere else.”

Lee Seok-jae reacted as if he was dumbfounded by Hwang Hae-kyung’s sudden change of attitude.

Lee Seok-jae and Ham Se-jin had taken a plane straight here after hearing the news that Hwang Hae-kyung’s second house in Jeju would be empty from today. Hwang Hae-kyung’s reaction was, “What are you doing at a second house that I don’t even go to often?” but Lee Seok-jae, who had already taken over the hot spots in Yangyang, said he wanted to enjoy the hot spots in Jeju this time, and Ham Se-jin also wanted to go to Jeju for some reason. So, they came to Jeju. Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t have any special plans for the vacation, so he couldn’t resist his friends’ requests and came along. In fact, his parents had suggested going camping together a while ago, but he had refused. There was only one reason. Hwang Hae-kyung wanted to be alone and quiet.

When he was young, he had many people around him because he was a child model, and in his teens, he played volleyball, so he spent almost all his time in group activities except for sleeping. So, from the age of twenty, he naturally wanted to have time alone. No, in fact, it was something he had been wanting ever since the late summer of nineteen when he quit volleyball. Having time alone and being able to rest sufficiently alone. His parents respected Hwang Hae-kyung’s wishes, so they didn’t repeatedly urge him to go on this camping trip.

In that situation, his friends forcibly came and dragged him down to Jeju. His friends seemed to have forced the issue because Hwang Hae-kyung’s mother was from Jeju and had a second house in Jeju, so they thought Hwang Hae-kyung would know a lot about Jeju, but the reality was different. Hwang Hae-kyung had hardly ever been to Jeju, and even if he did, he would lock himself in his room on the second floor and do nothing. Therefore, Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t know much about Jeju either.

“Stop talking nonsense and move. I’m really fucking tired….”

“What is it? Is someone inside?”

Hwang Hae-kyung’s face hardened coldly at Ham Se-jin, who looked at him with sharp eyes and asked if someone was inside, more than at Lee Seok-jae, who was appealing to his fatigue from flying on a plane since dawn. Hwang Hae-kyung stared coldly at Ham Se-jin and Lee Seok-jae and spoke in a firm voice.

“I said let’s go sleep somewhere else.”

“Ah, what is it, why…!”

That was when a light knocking sound was heard from inside the front door. Then, a voice calling his name, “Hae-kyung?” was heard in a small voice. It was Lee Yoon-san’s voice, which he hadn’t heard in a long time. Hwang Hae-kyung clenched his jaw once at the cautious voice that tickled his ears.

“What, someone’s inside.”

Ham Se-jin reacted quickly to that. He nudged Hwang Hae-kyung’s arm, pushing him aside, and pulled open the front door. Lee Yoon-san, who was standing inside holding the doorknob, was pulled out slightly and met Ham Se-jin’s eyes. Hwang Hae-kyung barely budged despite Ham Se-jin’s push, so the gap in the opened door was only wide enough to see a face. But even that didn’t last long.

Because Hwang Hae-kyung immediately slammed the door shut and warned Ham Se-jin.

“Don’t even think about sleeping here.”

“What about you?”

And Ham Se-jin asked Hwang Hae-kyung that, with an expression as if he were dumbfounded.

“Are you sleeping here?”

“…I’m not sleeping here either.”

“Is he an Omega?”

“What, an Omega?!”

Ham Se-jin was convinced by the following answer, and Lee Seok-jae’s eyes widened. At the same time, there was a sound like Hwang Hae-kyung grinding his teeth, and a heavy pressure was felt. This wasn’t just a change in atmosphere; it was a phenomenon caused by Hwang Hae-kyung’s Pheromone flowing out threateningly.

It was a clear threat, as if the air was becoming murky due to the fine Pheromone particles, as if the surrounding air was becoming unpleasantly heavy. In other words, it felt like it was hard to breathe, like someone was grabbing your ankle and pulling you down into the ground.

“You crazy bastard, can’t you control your Pheromone?”

“If you promise to sleep somewhere else.”

“No, what the hell… Ah, okay, okay…!”

“Hwang Hae-kyung’s younger brother in there!”

Lee Seok-jae, caught off guard and because Hwang Hae-kyung had never done this before, was about to declare surrender, thinking he should try to survive first. Hwang Hae-kyung’s Pheromone had particularly fine particles and a high concentration, so it quickly affected the other person. Moreover, the word ‘Omega’ itself seemed to have touched a nerve with Hwang Hae-kyung.

At that moment, Ham Se-jin shouted loudly, not to Hwang Hae-kyung, but to Lee Yoon-san, who must be beyond the door. While Hwang Hae-kyung was being difficult, he remembered who the Omega inside the door was.

It was definitely that Omega from back then. The Omega who had made Hwang Hae-kyung live with his phone for a while, the one he had already encountered at the amusement park before that.

He might not have remembered because he had only seen his face briefly, but he remembered thinking it was unique that he had skin like a pearl that would suit him, a gentle and cute appearance, but rather had skin like chocolate.

“…Yes?”

Sure enough, a hesitant answer came from inside. Hwang Hae-kyung reflexively tried to punch the front door to prevent any further response, but barely stopped himself. He was afraid Lee Yoon-san inside would be frightened.

“We came here to hang out. We thought no one was here.”

“Stop it, Ham Se-jin.”

“We won’t do anything to you. Just let us in to use the bathroom.”

“Hey.”

“Hwang Hae-kyung will be with us too.”

Hwang Hae-kyung growled at Ham Se-jin, who was speaking quickly, but Ham Se-jin pretended to ignore him. And as he threw out what he expected to be the decisive blow, Lee Yoon-san inside rattled the doorknob as if trying to open the door. However, thanks to Hwang Hae-kyung, who was blocking the door with his whole body, using even his back, the door didn’t open. Only a desperate voice was heard from inside.

“Why, this is Hae-kyung’s house in the first place… C-come in! I’ll leave instead!”

It goes without saying that Hwang Hae-kyung’s brow furrowed at Lee Yoon-san’s words that followed.

“What’s wrong with your foot?”

The door opened, and the Alphas came in. Lee Yoon-san was momentarily overwhelmed by the Alphas’ momentum and stepped back, and Hwang Hae-kyung, who saw Lee Yoon-san’s foot first, pointed it out in a stiff tone. Then, he immediately knelt down on one knee in front of Lee Yoon-san, grabbed his calf, lifted it up, and began to examine the bandaged foot. However, Lee Yoon-san lost his balance because of that and staggered, and it was Lee Seok-jae who caught him.

“Hi? I’m Hwang Hae-kyung’s friend,”

“Let go, Lee Seok-jae.”

Just as he was about to say hello while he had him, Hwang Hae-kyung interfered. Hwang Hae-kyung took Lee Yoon-san’s arm that Lee Seok-jae was holding and made him rest it on his shoulder. Lee Yoon-san, who suddenly had to bend over and stand with his arm on Hwang Hae-kyung’s shoulder, couldn’t hide his bewildered expression, and Ham Se-jin’s expression as he watched that was strange.

“Why is your foot like this?”

“I stepped on glass at the beach.”

“The sole? Here?”

“No, uh, there. There. Don’t press it.”

The conversation with Hwang Hae-kyung, whom he had met after a long time, started incredibly easily. For Lee Yoon-san, it was a start that he didn’t feel any particular tension about. Hwang Hae-kyung, who had unilaterally cut off contact and disappeared, seemed nonchalant as he worried about his injury, even though the resentful, upset, and frustrated feelings still remained. And that was annoying again.

He had been worried about Hwang Hae-kyung, resented him, and felt frustrated while Hwang Hae-kyung had cut off contact, but Hwang Hae-kyung’s attitude was as if that incident was nothing. Otherwise, how could he be so calm in this situation after meeting again after so long?

“You guys go up to the second floor. Go into the innermost room, which is my room, and stay there without coming out.”

“Hey, Hwang is so fierce, how can we even breathe.”

“Ham Se-jin, you book a hotel right away. Don’t even dream of sleeping here.”

Lee Seok-jae pretended to tremble at Hwang Hae-kyung’s cold and even fierce tone, and Ham Se-jin’s eyebrows twitched. Lee Yoon-san was caught between them, wondering what to do, but soon Hwang Hae-kyung, as if he had finished checking Lee Yoon-san’s injured area and the extent of it, stood up. And he glared at his friends as if telling them to get out to the second floor immediately.

“Hwang.”

Accordingly, Ham Se-jin, who had picked up the carrier he had briefly placed on the floor to go up to the second floor, called out to Hwang Hae-kyung. Then, he looked at Hwang Hae-kyung, who was looking at him, with dry eyes and continued.

“You know you’re being overly sensitive right now, right?”

Hwang Hae-kyung only frowned at those words, without giving any answer.

Only after completely sending Ham Se-jin and Lee Seok-jae upstairs did Hwang Hae-kyung turn his gaze back to Lee Yoon-san. Then, this time, Lee Yoon-san also felt awkward. What he had thought was an easy reunion until just now seemed to have been possible because others were with them. In particular, he realized that it was the atmosphere that Lee Seok-jae, who had been constantly smiling to keep the atmosphere from sinking, had made possible.

“I’ll be gone soon. Until then, go into the room, lock the door, and don’t come out.”

“Are you leaving because of me? Then I’ll leave. This is your house, Hae-kyung. My friends will be here soon anyway, and they’ll book a hotel, so…”

“Where are you going with that foot?”

“……”

“Stay here, you.”

Lee Yoon-san quickly expressed his opinion as if he didn’t want to cause trouble at Hwang Hae-kyung’s calm tone, but it was useless. Hwang Hae-kyung glanced at Lee Yoon-san’s injured foot and tied his foot to this house with a single stroke.

His argument was valid at first glance, but it was unexpected. So Lee Yoon-san didn’t know what to say to Hwang Hae-kyung and closed his mouth for the time being. He knew himself well, that he was more likely to say unnecessary things or make mistakes whenever he was nervous or awkward and flustered. Hwang Hae-kyung stared at Lee Yoon-san like that for a while, then threw his sports bag to the floor with a thud, and because its location was near the front door, it seemed as if Hwang Hae-kyung would really leave this house soon. Lee Yoon-san hoped that such a situation would not happen.

The black fur ball hanging on one side of Hwang Hae-kyung’s bag, which had been thrown to the floor, was crushed as it touched the floor. He still carries that around. Lee Yoon-san unconsciously thought that as he looked at the familiar fur ball.

“I don’t want to cause trouble. I can just leave.”

“The security here is much better than at a hotel. You hurt your sole, are you going to take the hotel elevator and walk through the hallway and lobby with that foot?”

“……”

“I’ll be out within an hour, so you rest.”

Hwang Hae-kyung said that and strode towards the kitchen. He must have been quite thirsty from coming all the way here in the heat, as Lee Yoon-san watched Hwang Hae-kyung open the refrigerator’s home bar and take out a bottle of water, opening the lid, and unconsciously opened his mouth. Come to think of it, there was another reason why he came out of the room this early in the morning.

“Me too, water.”

I woke up to drink water. Lee Yoon-san blurted out without realizing it, and then, looking at Hwang Hae-kyung, he added in a subdued voice, as if he had demanded water too confidently. Then, Hwang Hae-kyung, who had opened the lid of the water bottle, picked up a glass cup that was lying upside down on the kitchen table, filled it with water, and brought it to Lee Yoon-san.

It was a series of unexpected actions. But Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions didn’t stop there. He just stood there, holding the water cup, staring at Lee Yoon-san. Lee Yoon-san glanced at Hwang Hae-kyung for no reason and gulped down the water. He wondered if he was telling him to drink it quickly. Fortunately, it wasn’t a completely wrong answer, as Hwang Hae-kyung took the empty cup as soon as Lee Yoon-san emptied the water cup and drank the water. Then, he strode back to the kitchen, put the water bottle and water cup in the refrigerator and sink, respectively, and came back to Lee Yoon-san and held out his arm.

“Why…?”

“You need to hold on to walk, right?”

This time, he was gesturing at Lee Yoon-san’s injured foot as he said that. This was also an unexpected action. Wasn’t he trying to avoid me? Lee Yoon-san glanced at Hwang Hae-kyung for no reason and thought that. In fact, it hadn’t been long since they had met again, but the current Hwang Hae-kyung was like Hwang Hae-kyung when he was 10 years old.

That Hwang Hae-kyung, who used a blunt expression and tone, had his own friends, and didn’t try to include Lee Yoon-san, that hateful 10-year-old Hwang Hae-kyung. So Lee Yoon-san couldn’t feel a sense of reality about the current situation at all. It was as if the Hwang Hae-kyung he had DMed with during the last Growth Period was a non-existent person. So he felt a sense of frustration for no reason. If he hadn’t known Hwang Hae-kyung from the Growth Period at all, he wouldn’t have felt this way.

“It’s okay. I can walk alone.”

“If you refuse one more time, I’ll take it as you wanting me to pick you up and carry you.”

“……”

“Hold on.”

Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t withdraw the arm he had held out in front of Lee Yoon-san and tilted his head, urging him again. The atmosphere was such that he really felt like he would pick him up and carry him if he refused this time, so Lee Yoon-san eventually grabbed the arm Hwang Hae-kyung held out and limped, using his heel and healthy foot. Hwang Hae-kyung kept looking at Lee Yoon-san’s foot, and when he reached the door where Lee Yoon-san was staying, Lee Seok-jae’s voice was heard from the second floor staircase.

“All the hotels in Jeju City are fully booked today! There’s a detached pension room in Oedo-dong, but we can only use it from tomorrow! We have to sleep here today!”

“Then book one towards Seogwipo. Not all hotels are fully booked, right?”

“Hey, think a little! It’s summer now, it’s the season when vacations are concentrated, Jeju is the largest tourist island in Korea, and all the guys who say they surf have scattered to either Yangyang or Jeju! How can we book a room on the day of in this peak season?!”

At Lee Seok-jae, who was shaking the phone with the accommodation app turned on and finally getting annoyed, Hwang Hae-kyung was about to open his mouth with an annoyed expression, but he endured it, being conscious of Lee Yoon-san’s presence for the time being. Hwang Hae-kyung expressed his displeasure by sighing and taking Lee Yoon-san into the room and slamming the door shut, and it was Lee Yoon-san who was surprised by that.

In fact, Lee Yoon-san didn’t want Hwang Hae-kyung to leave this house. Now that the Growth Period was over and there were no more hurdles between him and Hwang Hae-kyung, he didn’t want to lose him again. He also wanted to hear why he had suddenly cut off contact all this time, and he felt the need to define this ambiguous relationship to some extent.

No, in fact, Lee Yoon-san was just anxious that Hwang Hae-kyung would hang out with his friends and drift away from him, like when he was 10 years old. After going through the contact during the last Growth Period, he would drift away as soon as he thought they had finally become close. He was upset and, on the other hand, he felt regretful.

“Just sleep here.”

That’s why. It was because he said that without letting go of Hwang Hae-kyung’s arm even after coming into the room.

“You’re saying you’re going to use the same house with three Alphas right now?”

“I’m going to be in this room anyway. And I’m going to sleep more now. I won’t bother you like when we were young.”

“……”

Of course, it would be nice to play together, but the atmosphere was such that he wouldn’t be included. It was because Lee Yoon-san was younger than them when they were young, and now that they were adults, it was because only Lee Yoon-san was an Omega and Hwang Hae-kyung’s friends were all Alphas. He felt like another invisible line had been drawn. Still, Lee Yoon-san quickly continued, afraid that Hwang Hae-kyung would leave the room. Hwang Hae-kyung looked at Lee Yoon-san like that as if he didn’t like it, then moved and sat Lee Yoon-san on the bed. And he sat on the floor next to him, looking at Lee Yoon-san’s bandaged foot. His gaze was also directed at Lee Yoon-san’s foot.

“When did you change this bandage?”

“Last night.”

“I’ll change it for you. The medicine is…”

“Th-there in the bag.”

Hwang Hae-kyung was having the conversation without even lifting his head once, as if he was very dissatisfied with the current situation. Lee Yoon-san felt sad because that appearance seemed like an outward appearance again, but still, he felt relieved that Hwang Hae-kyung was talking to him. On the other hand, Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t even have such feelings, as he found the medicine bag from the luggage that Lee Yoon-san pointed to and sat in front of Lee Yoon-san again. And he took out the disinfectant and bandage from the medicine bag and deliberately threw the empty medicine bag onto Lee Yoon-san’s thigh.

Thanks to that, Lee Yoon-san’s thighs, which had been open on their own, closed and caught the medicine bag, but Hwang Hae-kyung grabbed Lee Yoon-san’s ankle and started to untie the bandage as if telling him to stay still in that state.

Hwang Hae-kyung untied the elastic bandage that was protecting Lee Yoon-san’s wound and checked the stitched area to see if there were any contaminated areas or pus coming out. After lightly disinfecting the area around the wound, he wrapped it again with a new elastic bandage as if to fix it. In the midst of that series of processes, Hwang Hae-kyung put the ointment on the bed, but even while doing that, he didn’t lift his head in the end.

“Why did you cut off contact all that time?”

Was that why? The words that he would have hesitated to say if he had been looking at his face popped out. Lee Yoon-san asked calmly, looking at Hwang Hae-kyung’s head, and only then did Hwang Hae-kyung lift his head. He looked up at Lee Yoon-san with a slightly embarrassed expression, but soon lowered his eyes as if trying to avoid eye contact, and had to lift his eyes again after seeing the area near Lee Yoon-san’s thighs.

It was one thing that the shorts Lee Yoon-san was wearing revealed more than half of his thighs in a sitting position, but the shadows inside, which were wide, made people dizzy. The boundary with the inner skin, which was clearly lighter than the exposed area, was embarrassing. It was a strange feeling, and for Hwang Hae-kyung, the only thing he could do was to pretend to be calm so that his hand holding Lee Yoon-san’s foot wouldn’t get stronger.

“Did you hate me again?”

“What?”

On the other hand, Lee Yoon-san never took his eyes off Hwang Hae-kyung’s face. It was a question that Lee Yoon-san, who was timid and very conscious during the Growth Period, wouldn’t have been able to ask. He would have been afraid that the atmosphere would become awkward, and he would have been anxious about how the other person would see him. But he felt that it was a little different if the other person was Hwang Hae-kyung.

Conversations with Hwang Hae-kyung sometimes took him back to his camping boy days when he was young. Not the timid Lee Yoon-san of the Growth Period, who was intimidated by his complexes, but the little camper from those days who was triumphant after winning an arm wrestling match against Hwang Hae-kyung. Whether it was possible because they had known each other since then, whether it was because Hwang Hae-kyung hadn’t seen his timid and intimidated appearance during the Growth Period, or whether it was because Hwang Hae-kyung, whom he had met again, didn’t care about his chubby days, he didn’t know.

There were moments when Lee Yoon-san acted like Lee Yoon-san when he was young in front of Hwang Hae-kyung. Whether it was in the DM window or in front of his face.

Moreover, Hwang Hae-kyung had already hated him once when he was young, and he had suddenly cut off contact two years ago. So this time, rather than lukewarmly looking at his mood and being cautious, he wanted to hear a clear answer. He wanted to know the more definite reason why he hated him. He had steeled his heart for the past two years so that he wouldn’t be hurt even if the reason for cutting off contact this time was the same as the one in the past. With self-hypnosis that it was better to relieve the frustration than to repeat the same thing again.

When he was young, Lee Yoon-san didn’t know why Hwang Hae-kyung hated him. He also hated Hwang Hae-kyung, so he had never even wondered about it. And he realized it belatedly while going through the Growth Period. Why Hwang Hae-kyung had hated him. In other words, he noticed the reason belatedly. It must have been an eyesore that the young him had unconsciously stimulated his complexes, and that his parents had excessively favored him.

He didn’t want to do that this time. If he had avoided contacting him because he hated him, he wanted to know a more definite reason. Why he hated him. It was a matter of pride and it was frustrating, but he liked Hwang Hae-kyung.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly when, but Lee Yoon-san was definitely in love with Hwang Hae-kyung from some point on. He didn’t know if it was from when he couldn’t hear stories about other Alphas, or from when he came to college and thought of Hwang Hae-kyung even when his friends met Alphas. But this was an injustice, an anger, a sorrow, and a worry that couldn’t be explained unless it was love. It was about his feelings for Hwang Hae-kyung, who had unilaterally cut off contact.

Secondly, he was anxious about when Hwang Hae-kyung would disappear and drift away again. Even now, Hwang Hae-kyung looked like he would go up to the second floor where his friends were as soon as he finished changing the bandage on his foot. Then the conversation would be cut off like this. Moreover, if Hwang Hae-kyung stayed somewhere else, there would be no chance for Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san to run into each other, even intentionally. If one of them made up their mind to avoid the other, it would be a problem that Lee Yoon-san couldn’t do anything about.

Because of this, Lee Yoon-san couldn’t hide his tense expression and asked Hwang Hae-kyung if he had come to hate him. It was a question that made twenty-year-old Lee Yoon-san feel ashamed even as he asked it, and it was also a word that couldn’t hide his sadness. To add to that, it was even more miserable than that. Asking the person you like if they hate you was cruel in itself.

“I’ve never hated you.”

“Don’t lie. When we were kids, you hated me and ostracized me and only played with other friends!”

Lee Yoon-san’s state, which had been as tense as a tightly drawn rubber band, burst at Hwang Hae-kyung’s lie-like denial. Lee Yoon-san thought that Hwang Hae-kyung was trying to lightly dismiss the situation by denying it. He had brought up even a miserable question with difficulty to have a serious conversation. That’s why his voice came out high.

On the other hand, Hwang Hae-kyung couldn’t hide his bewilderment at Lee Yoon-san’s reaction. You hated me back then, too? Hwang Hae-kyung reflexively swallowed those words that almost came out and looked up at Lee Yoon-san. Seeing Lee Yoon-san’s expression distorted with a look of injustice and rising emotions, he felt a sense of urgency somewhere in his heart. So he grabbed Lee Yoon-san’s foot that he was holding and opened his mouth again.

“You hated bugs.”

“But we could still play together!”

“Instead of me playing with you, you took the affection of my mom and dad.”

“You think you didn’t get love from our moms?!”

“…….”

“…No, that’s not it. That’s not what I was trying to say…!”

A burst of laughter finally erupted from Hwang Hae-kyung’s mouth. Lee Yoon-san didn’t know what to do with the rapidly childish flow of the conversation and blushed. And releasing Lee Yoon-san’s foot, Hwang Hae-kyung said. With a snicker and a laugh.

“Okay. I hated you, I did. I’ll apologize.”

“…It’s okay, I hated you more.”

“Then you won. I’ll forgive you for hating me more. Since you won, please be generous as the victor.”

I didn’t know how to treat you back then, Hwang Hae-kyung said with a smile. His tone and voice were just like those messages they had exchanged through DM. It was the voice and tone of ‘Hyung’, a mix of appropriate playfulness, kindness, and affability. So Lee Yoon-san liked it and didn’t like it at the same time, but he seized the opportunity for reconciliation that Hwang Hae-kyung had subtly offered.

“…Okay.”

“And other than that, I’ve never hated you.”

“Then why did you cut off contact?”

At Lee Yoon-san’s direct words, Hwang Hae-kyung smiled bitterly and closed his mouth. It seemed like he wasn’t going to answer this one. Lee Yoon-san stared at Hwang Hae-kyung like that and decided to change the subject. If it wasn’t because he hated him, he didn’t want to bother him by digging into a topic he didn’t want to talk about.

In any case, Hwang Hae-kyung was the person who indirectly cared for Lee Yoon-san during his Heat cycle. Apart from his feelings of love, that alone made Hwang Hae-kyung special to Lee Yoon-san. Including the self-esteem that had fallen due to his appearance, the one who defended the dark side of Lee Yoon-san in his adolescence, who was digging into his thoughts, becoming timid, and fearing the eyes of others, was Hwang Hae-kyung’s DM that took away all his nerves at that time, his attitude towards him, and his existence itself.

“If you don’t hate me, sleep here.”

“They’re all Alphas.”

“Heat cycle is all over, and Pheromone control is basic. Me, and your friends.”

Or are you friends with people you can’t trust that much? Lee Yoon-san looked at Hwang Hae-kyung with an expression that seemed to say just that. His straight eyes and bright expression honestly reflected his feelings. At that, Hwang Hae-kyung smiled somewhat embarrassedly and washed his face with one hand. Lee Yoon-san’s face had a clean expression that didn’t even assume the worst situation.

Alphas and Omegas who have finished their Heat cycle are no different from Betas in normal times. They had a Heat cycle, but they could live their daily lives by taking medicine, and there was also a way to maintain their body cycle by spending time with a partner during the Heat cycle. Of course, Second gendered beings who just wanted to skip this would be prescribed and take a Suppressant with a slightly stronger ingredient only during that period.

So, it was a humiliating exaggeration to say that a sex-related accident would occur just because Alphas and Omegas who had become adults were in the same space. At least, that’s what Lee Yoon-san had been taught. Even if you replace them with Betas, isn’t it an extreme exaggeration to say that a sex-related accident will occur just because a person of the opposite sex has come to visit your house?

“Did you tell Auntie and Uncle? I don’t think they knew until you went camping.”

“No. Don’t tell them.”

“Did you sneak in while the house was empty?”

“…Yeah.”

This time, Hwang Hae-kyung’s expression frowned a little. He had a slightly distorted expression like someone who had recalled something annoying, and he probably didn’t want to participate in the camping trip. So he was going to stay secretly while the house was empty. Thinking that far, Lee Yoon-san thought that there might be a way to keep Hwang Hae-kyung.

“If you don’t want me to leave, you stay here too.”

“Why are you so defenseless? They’re not even people you know?”

“You’re someone I know. If you say you’re leaving, I’ll tell Auntie and Uncle that you came to Jeju Island.”

“Are you going to be petty?”

“I don’t want to cause trouble. It’s weirder that the homeowner is leaving because of me.”

Hwang Hae-kyung protested to Lee Yoon-san as if he had been caught with a weakness, but Lee Yoon-san maintained a firm attitude. He knew that his actions were childish and petty, but it seemed difficult to keep Hwang Hae-kyung otherwise. Lee Yoon-san felt that Hwang Hae-kyung still seemed to be thinking of taking his friends and renting a room somewhere in Seogwipo as soon as he left this room.

“…Then promise me you won’t talk to them or make eye contact with them.”

“What?”

“You still don’t seem to know, but I’m Hyung. I have a duty to protect you from unfamiliar Alphas.”

“Hyung and protect? To a grown man.”

“Yeah, you won’t admit it, but.”

Hwang Hae-kyung brushed off Lee Yoon-san’s absurd expression and retort and got up from his seat. There was a bit of a quarrel, but in the end, he didn’t say anything, so it seemed like he had decided to stay in this house today. Lee Yoon-san felt a little relieved just by that. It would be nice to be together a little longer, but he had succeeded in keeping him here for now.

Once he relaxed a little, he felt sleepy again. In fact, he had woken up too early, and it seemed like the tension he had been feeling thanks to Hwang Hae-kyung was finally being released. Lee Yoon-san picked up the medicine packet and the ointment next to it, as if to cover his thighs, and said to Hwang Hae-kyung, who was heading for the door.

“I’m going to sleep more. I’m a heavy sleeper, so you can play loudly.”

“What about food?”

“I’ll eat when I wake up. Let’s eat together if the time is right.”

“…Wait.”

At Lee Yoon-san’s words, Hwang Hae-kyung frowned as if he was dissatisfied with something and approached Lee Yoon-san again. And he took the medicine packet in Lee Yoon-san’s hand and put it back on the luggage. He seemed very concerned that Lee Yoon-san would move. Lee Yoon-san chuckled at Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions, and Hwang Hae-kyung pushed the blanket over Lee Yoon-san’s thighs with an expression that he didn’t understand.

“What?”

“I’ll change the blanket, there’s ointment on it.”

“Really? But I think it’s just a little bit. It’s okay. I’m going to sleep first.”

“Don’t sleep yet. I’ll bring a new blanket from upstairs.”

“No need…?”

“And this room is a guest room, so it’s hardly ever used, so I don’t even know when the blanket was changed.”

Lee Yoon-san thought for a moment that Hwang Hae-kyung was trying to cover his legs, which were spread out haphazardly, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Seeing him leave the room to change the blanket, no matter what.

Lee Yoon-san lay down in the room that Hwang Hae-kyung had left and looked at the ceiling. So much had happened in just one day since yesterday. He hurt his foot, was left alone in the house where his parents, Auntie, and Uncle had left for camping, and Hwang Hae-kyung barged in with his friends. And above all, he had a conversation with Hwang Hae-kyung.

A conversation that wasn’t a phone call or a DM, but a face-to-face conversation. That was a bit unbelievable. Until just a few days ago, Lee Yoon-san was full of resentment, anger, and frustration towards Hwang Hae-kyung. He had never imagined that his conversation with Hwang Hae-kyung would be resolved so suddenly and easily.

Meanwhile, Hwang Hae-kyung, who came out of Lee Yoon-san’s room and went up to the second floor, threw Lee Seok-jae, who was sitting on his bed, aside and folded the blanket, pillow, and sheet and put them under his arm.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden, you crazy bastard?”

“You guys better not think about coming down from the second floor today.”

“What?! No, aren’t you out of your mind! It’s imprisonment! What about food! What about the bathroom!!”

“It’s confinement. There’s a bathroom on the second floor too. Take care of the food yourself.”

“I’m going out to eat!”

“Go through the window.”

“What the hell is wrong with this crazy bastard’s head? How can I go through the window on the second floor?”

Hwang Hae-kyung shook off the blanket area, which was presumed to be where Lee Seok-jae was sitting, and warned in a menacing voice and a cold expression, Lee Seok-jae’s mouth dropped open. And Ham Se-jin, who had come into the room late, as if he had been talking on the phone on the second-floor terrace, looked at the two of them alternately as if asking what was going on.

“Hey, Ham! This crazy bastard is telling us to go through the window! It’s like the first floor is a land where you die if you step on it!”

“It looks like it’s a land where you get killed by Hwang Hae-kyung if you step on it. Stop it, Hwang Hae-kyung.”

“That’s right, you should have left when I told you to.”

The two protested harshly, but it didn’t work on Hwang Hae-kyung. At this rate, they would have to receive even delivery food through the window. It wasn’t like they were idols on a diet locked up in a dorm, wasn’t this too much? Lee Seok-jae tried to grab Hwang Hae-kyung in this playful situation, but Hwang Hae-kyung left the room, leaving his friends in a state of bewilderment.

“Hey, crazy. What are we going to do? Should we go to Seogwipo instead?”

Lee Seok-jae, who was looking blankly at the door that Hwang Hae-kyung had left, flopped down on the mattress without a sheet, blanket, or pillow and grumbled. At that sight, which was like a tragic hero, Ham Se-jin’s expression changed subtly.

“I guess it was because of him back then, too….”

At Ham Se-jin’s words, which flowed out as he unconsciously recalled a moment in the past, Lee Seok-jae raised his head, which had been flopped down, and reacted.

“What?”

“No. More than that, let’s sleep for now, you get lost to the floor.”

Ham Se-jin, who was 185cm tall, pressed down on Lee Seok-jae’s back, who was 192cm tall, with his foot to make him stick to the floor, and then took over the mattress and lay down. He had to take a plane suddenly, so there were no tickets except for the early morning hours. It was unavoidable because it was peak season in Jeju Island. In that state, he had rented a car locally without any reservations and came all the way here, so he was inevitably tired. Besides, it wasn’t even 7 a.m. yet.

In the end, the two decided to close their eyes first and lay down haphazardly on the mattress and the floor, uncomfortably without blankets or pillows.

“Cover this.”

Hwang Hae-kyung, who came down to the first floor, spread his blanket, pillow, and bed sheet on the bed in the room where Lee Yoon-san was. And he took out all the bedding that Lee Yoon-san had used, which was said to have ointment on it, and took it with him. He wondered if he had to go this far, but he soon became quiet. It was after Hwang Hae-kyung revealed that it was his bedding in his room. Of course, Hwang Hae-kyung added that he didn’t come here often, so the bedding was almost new.

“I’ll be in the living room. Call me if you need anything.”

“You’re not going up to the second floor?”

“Yeah. The kids are in my room, so I’m going to catch some sleep in the living room on the first floor.”

Hwang Hae-kyung said that and left the room with a nonchalant attitude. Lee Yoon-san, who was left in the room, looked at the closed door and the newly changed bedding alternately before going into the blanket and lying down. Because Hwang Hae-kyung had turned on the system air conditioner in the room before going up to get the bedding, and the cold air was coming down directly.

‘…I hope the mealtime is right later.’

Lee Yoon-san buried himself in Hwang Hae-kyung’s bedding and lay on his side, thinking that. He felt strangely conscious of the fact that the pillow he was resting his head on, the blanket that wrapped around his body, and the pad under it were all from Hwang Hae-kyung’s room and that he had used them. Even though he was wrapped in the middle of it, it seemed like a faint scent was wafting around, even though it couldn’t be.

A cool and refreshing scent.

The Pheromone of Hwang Hae-kyung that he remembered resembled him playing on the volleyball court. When he recalled his cool movements, his refreshing smile, and his heavy presence as he did his part, it felt as if the scent he felt in his nose now was not a lie but Hwang Hae-kyung’s real Pheromone. He said he didn’t come here often, so there was no way the scent would remain.

‘Ah, I feel a little…weird.’

As those thoughts continued, he unconsciously sniffed his nose with a sense of guilt. It was as if he could really smell the scent, so it was hard to stop. After doing that for a while, he became embarrassed, and in the end, Lee Yoon-san threw off the blanket that had been covering his head and sat up. And the moment his butt completely touched the bed, he hurriedly got up as if he had been burned.

“Huh…?”

He felt that his underwear was a little damp. Both the part that touched the back and the front part. He couldn’t believe that this had happened just because he had been thinking a little about Hwang Hae-kyung’s Pheromone in the blanket. He swore he had never had this experience in his life.

It wasn’t that he had never experienced getting wet in the back when he did it alone, but still, this was ridiculous. Lee Yoon-san hadn’t been thinking about anything lewd just now, he wasn’t doing it alone, and he hadn’t touched his body. He had really just been following the scent while wrapped in the blanket, but this had happened.

Besides, the owner of the blanket, who didn’t know anything, was right outside in the living room. That was something that caused embarrassment and guilt at the same time. It felt like he had committed something he shouldn’t have, and he felt like a pervert. He had gotten wet down there even though the atmosphere wasn’t like that at all.

Lee Yoon-san looked at the bed with a troubled expression. He couldn’t lie down on that bed again in this state. He must have gotten wet because he was excited, and he must have leaked Pheromone as much as that. If he lay down on the blanket now, Pheromone would get on the blanket, and Hwang Hae-kyung might find out about the traces. Above all, he could feel the lingering scents because his Pheromone was leaking in the room now.

‘Clothes, I have to change my clothes, clothes!’

Lee Yoon-san, who had been in a state of shock like a panic, moved his body a beat late and rummaged through his luggage. It was easy to find new pants. However, the problem was what to do with the clothes he had taken off if he changed them here.

Since Pheromone is ultimately a microparticle, the ones that have spread in the air will naturally dissipate, but the traces on the clothes will only disappear completely if they are washed. No matter how tightly you hide unwashed underwear in a corner, a faint scent may remain. So, he wouldn’t be able to bring Hwang Hae-kyung into this room unless he washed his underwear. Hwang Hae-kyung happened to be an Alpha with very high hormone levels and sensitive to Pheromone.

He might smell this scent. Then he would know. That Lee Yoon-san had been excited in this room. Even if it was just a small trace, you never know.

‘…Let’s just wash this.’

In the end, Lee Yoon-san changed into new underwear and pants, then crumpled the underwear he had been wearing in his hand. He couldn’t put the wet underwear in his pants pocket for fear that the smell would get into his new pants. And he limped to the front of the door and took a deep breath.

It was important to act as nonchalantly as possible. Hwang Hae-kyung would be in the living room, but if Lee Yoon-san moved quickly to the bathroom, Hwang Hae-kyung might not notice. It didn’t matter if his actions seemed strange or out of place. The important thing was to prevent Hwang Hae-kyung from smelling the Pheromone emanating from his underwear.

‘Ugh…’

Lee Yoon-san counted to three in his head for a quick getaway and opened the door. He went straight to the bathroom as fast as he could, using his toes. As he power-walked to the bathroom, he glanced at the living room and saw Hwang Hae-kyung lying on the living room sofa, covered with the blanket Lee Yoon-san had used, which he had taken to wash. Judging by the way he had one arm over his eyes, he seemed to be asleep. Lee Yoon-san was very relieved and quickly made it into the bathroom, locked the door, turned on the faucet, and soaked his underwear.

Now that it was in the water, the source of the scent was taken care of, and he just needed to wash the wet part roughly. The Pheromone on clothes was usually easy to wash off without using special detergents.

Meanwhile, Lee Yoon-san, focused on getting into the bathroom, missed something.

“…And you’re going to spend the day with three Alphas after doing this?”

First, Hwang Hae-kyung wasn’t asleep. He was just lying on the sofa where Lee Yoon-san’s door was clearly visible, covered with Lee Yoon-san’s blanket. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered catching up on sleep since it was early, but he couldn’t let his guard down with two unmated Alphas on the second floor.

Lee Yoon-san had said even back when they were DMing that he was so heavy sleeper that someone could carry him away without him knowing. He knew his friends weren’t hooligans, but you never knew. Pheromone was like that.

And Lee Yoon-san’s Pheromone made you want to touch it because it was so soft. Like how you want to touch a very small, soft baby rabbit or a ball of fluff. Hwang Hae-kyung, who had smelled the Pheromone before, felt that way, so there was no reason why other Alphas wouldn’t feel the same.

Besides, there was a very faint lingering scent of Lee Yoon-san’s Pheromone on the blanket covering his body right now. It was at a level that only someone as sensitive as Hwang Hae-kyung could detect, but it was still difficult to fall asleep while smelling this scent. Ironically, even though this soft scent should have been comforting, it was actually a factor that tensed his body.

And second, Lee Yoon-san hadn’t properly closed the door when he left in a hurry.

Hwang Hae-kyung got up and strode towards Lee Yoon-san’s room. A strange Pheromone wafted through the half-open door. Hwang Hae-kyung closed the open door and released a little of his Pheromone, as if covering the lingering scent in the direction Lee Yoon-san had walked. It was a Pheromone without any intention.

Releasing Pheromone was like controlling a part of the body. Like moving your ears or chest muscles. For Second gendered beings with developed Jacobson’s organs, this control was as natural as moving necessary parts of the body. Therefore, intentionally emitting or withdrawing Pheromone was not difficult at all.

The Pheromone scent or body odor that was naturally generated usually came from a specific area, but when intentionally emitting Pheromone, it was usually released by using the whole body instantaneously.

Lee Yoon-san’s faintly remaining Pheromone was covered by Hwang Hae-kyung’s lightly released Pheromone. Therefore, the living room was now faintly filled with Hwang Hae-kyung’s scent. It was a shame that Lee Yoon-san’s scent, which he had smelled briefly, was buried, but it was an unavoidable choice because there were other Alphas on the second floor.

However, after reflexively covering Lee Yoon-san’s scent with his own, a new shock came.

The moment Lee Yoon-san’s scent, which he had left behind, disappeared under his scent, he realized that it was slightly different from the Lee Yoon-san’s scent he originally knew. Of course, the scent he had smelled at the time was faint, and it was an immature scent, so it was possible that the scent itself had changed now that Lee Yoon-san was fully mature.

But the scent that Hwang Hae-kyung had just covered was definitely not that kind of problem. The soft scent he had felt on Lee Yoon-san’s blanket until just now was the same scent he had smelled on that rabbit ear headband before. However, the scent that was now covered by Hwang Hae-kyung felt strange because it had other body odors layered on it.

It was because there was a slightly sour and secretly felt scent added that made his breath catch and his jaw tingle with saliva.

“…You’ve grown up, Lee Yoon-san.”

Hwang Hae-kyung knew what this kind of change in scent meant. That’s why he tried to calm himself down immediately, but his already reddened ears showed no sign of calming down. He clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails left marks on his palm, and then looked at the ceiling, biting his jaw as he tried to calm his quickening breath. And he looked at the bathroom door that Lee Yoon-san had entered.

Hwang Hae-kyung revised his plan to sleep at home only today and leave this house tomorrow morning. An unknown anxiety and impatience surged in his head. He couldn’t leave Lee Yoon-san alone. Now that he knew that Lee Yoon-san could emit such a scent, there was no way he could leave Lee Yoon-san alone.

Hwang Hae-kyung thought that as he looked at Lee Yoon-san’s blanket and the spot where he had been lying on the sofa. It felt like a guard dog had left its guard post. At the same time, he thought. He would probably be doing that a lot for the time being. As long as Lee Yoon-san stayed in this house, he was even sure that his sleeping place would be that spot in the future.

✧✧✧

“I’m staying here. You guys go play on your own.”

“What?”

Lee Seok-jae and Ham Se-jin, who had woken up from a long nap, looked at Hwang Hae-kyung in bewilderment as he suddenly barged into the room and made the announcement. Hwang Hae-kyung, who was blocking the door like a gatekeeper with his height of 194cm, looked particularly sullen and cold. He said, ‘You guys go play on your own,’ but that was interpreted as ‘You guys get out of here.’ Of course, Hwang Hae-kyung wasn’t usually that gentle and kind, but he wasn’t this bad either.

He often joked even though he seemed taciturn, and he knew how to accept jokes from others appropriately, and he was flexible with Lee Seok-jae and Ham Se-jin. Of course, that was how Hwang Hae-kyung was before he finished the Tokyo Olympics.

“Get another room somewhere else too.”

“Why? Why should we spend money when we have this place?”

“You.”

Ham Se-jin’s calm question followed Hwang Hae-kyung’s additional remarks and Lee Seok-jae’s dissatisfied protest. Ham Se-jin stared straight at Hwang Hae-kyung and asked again. Where are you going to sleep? Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t answer, and Lee Seok-jae realized that the atmosphere had become subtle and crossed his arms, taking a spectator’s stance.

Since the summer of 19, the two had often had these confrontations. And the topic was mainly related to Omegas. Of course, Ham Se-jin was almost always in the same position as Hwang Hae-kyung now, and Hwang Hae-kyung was in the same position as Ham Se-jin now.

“I can’t leave him alone. His foot is hurt, and he needs someone to take care of him.”

“Is that you?”

“Then who else is there?”

The last words were very prickly, reflecting his uncomfortable mood.

“You look like you’re going to kill anyone who says there’s someone else.”

Lee Seok-jae joked with a laugh at that. By this point, Lee Seok-jae seemed to have figured out the atmosphere. It was probably because he was too tired in the early morning and didn’t have the energy to figure out the atmosphere until he had slept. Anyway, the two Alphas roughly guessed why Hwang Hae-kyung was acting like this.

It was because of the Omega in this house. The reason why he was keeping them stuck on the second floor, why he kept telling them to leave the house, and why he was acting so strangely rigid must be because of that Omega.

Ham Se-jin seemed to be thinking a lot about Hwang Hae-kyung’s attitude, and Lee Seok-jae made an excuse to go to the bathroom and got up from his seat. He pretended to go towards the bathroom after leaving the room that Hwang Hae-kyung was blocking, but he abruptly changed direction and ran towards the stairs leading to the first floor. Hwang Hae-kyung immediately followed and grabbed the back of Lee Seok-jae’s neck, but unfortunately, it was already too late.

“Hwang Hae-kyung’s little brother! Do you want to have dinner and hang out with us today?!”

“Lee Seok-jae!”

“Why? You can’t leave your little brother alone, you’re his Hyung. It’s better to hang out together with a group, right?”

Hwang Hae-kyung stopped Lee Seok-jae, who was shouting quite loudly, by calling his name, but Lee Seok-jae was adamant. In fact, Lee Seok-jae was a little annoyed with Hwang Hae-kyung. He didn’t know what kind of relationship they had, but he was a little annoyed that he was treating them like beasts who couldn’t tell right from wrong, as if they were trying to do something to that Omega just because there was one Omega in the house, and he was also dumbfounded that he was seriously making nonsense about using the second-floor windows. Above all, he was secretly more annoyed because he had nothing to say since the landlord told him to do so.

“Oh… is that okay?”

And just now, Lee Seok-jae added another count to Hwang Hae-kyung’s list of offenses.

“Of course! It’s boring to be alone at home, right? It’s better to have three people to take care of you since your foot is hurt, right?”

“No, there’s no need for that… I was just thinking about how to make dinner…”

It was because the Omega, who was cautiously approaching the stairs on the first floor and looking around as if he had heard his shout, was quite cute. Lee Seok-jae was annoyed with Hwang Hae-kyung for trying to play with such a cute and innocent-looking Omega alone.

In Lee Seok-jae’s opinion, that Omega seemed to have a low first impression barrier, not just because he was handsome. His droopy eyes played a big part in his gentle appearance, and his healthy-looking skin, which seemed to be well-tanned by the sun on Hawaii or a beach island, made him look innocent.

His natural and jet-black hair, which looked like he had never dyed or permed it, and his particularly clean and bright eyes also just looked innocent. In other words, he felt like someone who had been discovered after being holed up somewhere in the countryside or a village, not knowing what pollution was. The baby fat that seemed to be between a boy and a young man was just cute.

Hwang Hae-kyung was trying to send them away, treating them as potential perverts, saying that he would take care of such a kid alone. Other than that, this was really annoying and lewd.

“Did you hear that?”

Lee Seok-jae turned his head to look at Hwang Hae-kyung at Lee Yoon-san’s friendly reaction and said as if to show off. Hwang Hae-kyung frowned as if he didn’t like it, but he soon awkwardly relaxed his expression when he made eye contact with Lee Yoon-san, who was looking up from the first floor. And Ham Se-jin, who came out behind the two, opened his mouth towards Lee Yoon-san on the first floor as if he had noticed Lee Seok-jae’s intention. In a slightly sly tone.

“If the conversation is over, can I drink some water in the kitchen on the first floor? Your Hyung said he’d kill me if I set foot on the first floor.”

It was only natural that Lee Yoon-san looked at Hwang Hae-kyung in disbelief at those words.

In the end, a four-person dinner party was created with the Omega Lee Yoon-san and the three Alphas. Hwang Hae-kyung still didn’t seem to like this situation, but he tried hard to hold back harsh words. It was after Lee Yoon-san had expressed his intention to participate. Of course, Lee Yoon-san himself was still sitting blankly on the sofa, not really realizing this reality, and was busy listening to Lee Seok-jae’s explanation of nearby restaurants that he had searched for and was showing him.

“Yoon-san, have you ever had abalone kalguksu?”

“No…?”

“What about seaweed pasta? Do you like abalone? What can’t you eat? Let’s take that out.”

“I can eat everything…”

“Move away a little. We’re going to eat meat.”

Hwang Hae-kyung pushed Lee Seok-jae, who was leaning his upper body towards Lee Yoon-san and showing him the results he had searched for on his phone and was busy choosing a menu, to the side and sat down between Lee Seok-jae and Lee Yoon-san. Lee Seok-jae frowned as if he was very dissatisfied and tried to protest, but he soon closed his mouth at the following words.

“He likes meat.”

Hwang Hae-kyung said calmly and showed Lee Yoon-san the pork restaurant he had searched for, and Lee Seok-jae’s mouth closed. Lee Yoon-san seemed to be focusing on Hwang Hae-kyung’s phone, as if it was true that he liked meat. Hwang Hae-kyung handed his phone to Lee Yoon-san to look at and stretched his arm out along the back of the sofa where Lee Yoon-san was sitting.

Lee Seok-jae raised his eyebrows once at that action, as if he was creating his territory, and Ham Se-jin, who had come from the terrace on the first floor after making a phone call, sat on the opposite sofa and crossed his legs. He didn’t seem to be in a bad mood since he had drunk water on the first floor as he wanted.

“This place looks good. It looks like they serve raw pork ribs. What’s fern rice?”

“Go and eat it. If you’re curious, you can try it.”

“They also give you seaweed soup. I’ve never had this before. What’s the color of the meat, it’s crazy…”

“Try everything you’re curious about. But is it okay for a rabbit to eat meat? You eat pickled noodles or lettuce wraps.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say such strange things…”

“Let’s go to the salad bar. Go and graze.”

Ham Se-jin and Lee Seok-jae looked at the two with strange expressions as they continued their conversation as if they were in their own world. Lee Yoon-san, who was calm in his attitude but couldn’t hide his excited expression, was cute, but Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting next to such Lee Yoon-san and having nonsensical conversations, was a sight they had never seen before.

No, it was a somewhat possible sight if it was Hwang Hae-kyung before the 19-year-old Olympics. At that time, Hwang Hae-kyung was playful, knew how to joke, and was quite sociable even if he wasn’t proactive, so he was the type to attract people naturally.

“What time are Yoon-san’s friends arriving?”

“Oh… they said they’re taking a plane at 3, so they’ll probably be out of the airport around 4:30.”

“Then pick them up and go together.”

“Yeah. All your friends are Omegas, right? The numbers match.”

When Lee Yoon-san answered Ham Se-jin’s words, Lee Seok-jae, who was looking up hot places in Seogwipo on his phone, added without even raising his head. It wasn’t a particularly meaningful tone, and it was a light tone as if they were a good match to play together. Although Hwang Hae-kyung frowned when he heard those words.

“Don’t even think about filming a dating show here. Vlogs are also prohibited.”

“No, why? Vlogs are okay, right? You can just make sure your faces don’t show up!”

Lee Seok-jae finally raised his head and protested at Hwang Hae-kyung’s words, and Ham Se-jin shook his head.

Hwang Hae-kyung, who was the ace of the Se Myung High School men’s volleyball team, Lee Seok-jae, who was in charge of the libero position, and Ham Se-jin, who was the main player of the women’s volleyball team, had all quit volleyball. Among them, Hwang Hae-kyung was the only one who had gone on to a department completely unrelated to sports, while Lee Seok-jae had gone on to the Department of Physical Education and Ham Se-jin had gone on to the Department of Sports Industry. It was an unexpected choice since all three were players who had been receiving love calls from professional teams even before graduating from high school.

Lee Seok-jae is still someone who hasn’t let go of Instagram and vlogs. He still has a lot of followers and subscribers, although not as much as when he was a player, so there’s no reason to quit. The income he earns from video views alone is enough to cover his allowance. He doesn’t intend to become an influencer in earnest, so he doesn’t do commercial activities such as receiving advertisements, but he is the type who enjoys people’s attention so much that he often turns on the camera even when he is with his friends. The only fortunate thing is that he thoroughly cuts out only their faces.

Hwang Hae-kyung prevented Lee Seok-jae’s actions in advance. He knew that even if he said he was coming to play, he was ultimately choosing to go to Jeju to film his vacation vlog.

He could cooperate with him taking pictures of himself playing alone or occasionally entrusting him with the camera, but it would be a different story if Lee Yoon-san was involved in this vacation. Hwang Hae-kyung had absolutely no intention of exposing Lee Yoon-san to an unspecified number of people.

“Then let’s go and wait first. If we move now, the time will be about right.”

Just as Hwang Hae-kyung was about to warn Lee Seok-jae one more time, Ham Se-jin got up from his seat and changed the atmosphere. Then Lee Yoon-san answered and got up from his seat and headed to his room. He had unintentionally changed his pants in the morning, but he was still dressed comfortably. He was just wearing long pajama pants and a short-sleeved T-shirt.

Lee Yoon-san, who came into the room, checked his phone with a slightly excited heart. He hadn’t even looked at his phone, which he had been using to look at the meat restaurant menu on Hwang Hae-kyung’s phone until just now. There were a lot of messages piled up in the story chat room on his phone from Kim Ji-hoo and Shin Soo-hyun. Most of the content was questions about whether he was really going to hang out with ‘those’ Alphas.

Lee Yoon-san’s friends, though Hwang Hae-kyung’s might not, already knew those three Alphas outside the door. Hwang Hae-kyung was the protagonist of the Insta account that had clung to Lee Yoon-san’s school days and wouldn’t let go, Ham Se-jin was the Alpha Noona Shin Soo-hyun had first seen and fallen for, and Lee Seok-jae was ‘that Seyoung High volleyball player who uses SNS like an influencer’ whom Shin Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-hoo frequented, and also the account owner.

Currently, the two were very excited. It wasn’t hard to understand why. All those Alphas outside the door were noticeably famous among high school volleyball players, and they were the very people who enjoyed popularity comparable to celebrities during the World Championships and Olympic seasons. Lee Yoon-san, Shin Soo-hyun, and Kim Ji-hoo were the ones who had watched them through SNS. Regardless of being Alphas or not, they couldn’t possibly remain indifferent to the fact that they were meeting and hanging out with people they had unilaterally known.

Perhaps that was why Shin Soo-hyun grumbled that he would have dressed better if he had been told in advance, and Kim Ji-hoo seriously pondered whether they would follow him back if he requested a follow. And Lee Yoon-san simply laughed as he watched their chat room.

In truth, he still couldn’t believe that he had met Hwang Hae-kyung again.

“Hello!”

With the greetings from Shin Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-hoo, who had come from the airport, the gathering of six, aged 21 and 20, was complete. They exchanged light greetings and immediately got into the cars. Due to the number of people, they had to split into Hwang Hae-kyung’s father Hwang Jun-won’s mid-size SUV and the rental car that Hwang Hae-kyung’s group had rented from the airport. Shin Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-hoo kept glancing at Lee Seok-jae and Ham Se-jin, whom they had only seen on SNS accounts or briefly encountered in the distant past, as if they were amazed, and Ham Se-jin and Lee Seok-jae smiled as if they found them cute.

The atmosphere wasn’t bad. They picked up Lee Yoon-san’s friends, who had arrived close to dinner time, and headed straight from Jeju Airport to Seogwipo, arriving just in time for dinner. The group waited in a line that was close to an hour long, and during that time, Lee Seok-jae drove off to buy some light ice cream to eat and handed it to the group. It was a welcome treat for the group, who were standing in line under the sunset in the hot weather.

“So, you guys were the ones we saw at Everland back then?”

“That’s right. Se-jin Noona even waved at us back then.”

“I remember. You guys were cute.”

“Wow… Noona, you can’t just say things like that.”

As they ate, and with some drinks accompanying the meal for everyone except the two who would be driving, the conversation became a little more relaxed. Shin Soo-hyun’s face flushed at Ham Se-jin’s words, and he replied in an awkward tone, and Kim Ji-hoo laughed, saying that it was the first time he had seen Shin Soo-hyun like that. Lee Seok-jae was participating in the conversation with cola instead of beer, and as soon as he heard that Kim Ji-hoo and Shin Soo-hyun had watched his vlogs and SNS, he seemed to feel a sense of familiarity and didn’t hesitate to join the conversation. And Lee Yoon-san, who was watching them and laughing, noticed the meat constantly piling up in front of him and glanced sideways at Hwang Hae-kyung.

He was sitting quietly, grilling meat, no matter how the conversation flowed. He had pushed Lee Yoon-san into the seat on the inside, right next to him.

“Hae-kyung, aren’t you eating?”

“I am.”

When Lee Yoon-san asked Hwang Hae-kyung in a whisper as he placed the grilled meat in front of him once again, Hwang Hae-kyung replied nonchalantly and looked at Lee Yoon-san. Then, the gaze that stared intently grew a little longer, and Lee Yoon-san’s head drooped slightly.

“Lee Yoon-san.”

“Uh, uh?”

“Where shall we go after eating?”

But the words that came out in an indifferent tone were unexpected. From Lee Yoon-san’s perspective, it was a dinner he had luckily joined after waking up from a nap, so he was secretly thinking that they would all go their separate ways after the meal. So, just as he was wondering how to hold onto Hwang Hae-kyung a little longer, Hwang Hae-kyung spoke first.

“I, um…”

So, Lee Yoon-san was flustered again. He should have thought about where to go in advance, but he had given up on the idea of going around since he couldn’t walk around anyway because of his injured leg, so he didn’t know of any places.

Should they have coffee since they had eaten? But it would be night after the meal, so wouldn’t it be better to drink at night? But Hwang Hae-kyung has to drive, so he’s not drinking now. Can I ask Hwang Hae-kyung to go for a drink? Wouldn’t it seem like I’m blatantly flirting?

Just as Lee Yoon-san’s mind was becoming a jumble of various questions, Lee Seok-jae, who was talking across from him, checked his phone and said.

“Hey, they say there’s a beach pub in Jungmun. They say it’s a hot place and we have to go.”

It seemed that Lee Seok-jae’s followers had recommended it. Lee Seok-jae always left traces on his stories when he came to such tourist destinations and received recommendations for places to visit nearby.

“Oh, I’ve heard of that place too. I heard that the tables and everything outside are completely decorated like overseas, and they sometimes have performances. My friends told me to go when I came to Jeju Island.”

“They say it’s a trendy hot place these days. It pops up right away when you search for it.”

At Lee Seok-jae’s words, Shin Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-hoo also searched for the pub on their respective phones and recited the information. At that, Lee Yoon-san also subtly took out his phone and searched for images, and he felt Hwang Hae-kyung bringing his head closer right next to him. As if trying to look at the screen together. Then, he suddenly poured cold water on the situation with a firm voice.

“No way.”

At that, Lee Seok-jae raised his head with a dissatisfied expression, and Ham Se-jin, who was filling his glass with soju, also looked at Hwang Hae-kyung. With a slightly disdainful expression.

“They say this place is a hunting mecca.”

“Then shouldn’t we go even more?”

As silence fell over the table, Kim Ji-hoo revealed the reason instead, and Shin Soo-hyun joked with a smile. After turning twenty, Shin Soo-hyun was slowly starting to become interested in dating and the opposite sex. Moreover, he wanted to spend a little more time with Ham Se-jin, whom he had met in Jeju Island today, so he was watching for an opportunity. Kim Ji-hoo chuckled at the sight of Shin Soo-hyun, and Lee Seok-jae, as if he had now grasped the whole situation, quickly targeted Lee Yoon-san.

“Hunting is for those who do it. The atmosphere here is nice, how about it? It’s safer and better for Yoon-san and the others to go with us than to go to a place like this on their own.”

Chapter

“Uh… the picture looks good, though.”

“Let’s go, Yoon-san. Hey? If you go, your Hyung will probably go too.”

“Uh….”

No one stopped Lee Seok-jae from trying to win over Lee Yoon-san. Only Hwang Hae-kyung glared at Lee Seok-jae as if displeased, and Lee Seok-jae chewed on a lettuce leaf, still looking at Lee Yoon-san as if urging him.

Lee Yoon-san fixed his gaze on the picture Lee Seok-jae held out once more. The outdoor scenery of the beach pub, taken against the backdrop of the dusky evening sky, looked very appealing. He thought it would be nice to visit such a place since they had come all the way to play, but the news that there were many hookups made Lee Yoon-san hesitate. He was worried that if he went to this place with many hookups, Hwang Hae-kyung might get hit on.

No, there would definitely be someone trying to hit on Hwang Hae-kyung. Apart from their looks, Hwang Hae-kyung and his friends stood out because of their height. Enough to show that they were Alphas.

Most people envy Alphas. They have outstanding looks and physiques, and above all, they have a Heat cycle. It was similar to how many Beta men wanted Omegas who were capable of pregnancy, had handsome looks, and had a Heat cycle. Somehow, they seemed to have different fantasies or delusions about the ‘Heat cycle’ that Second gendered beings had.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go together and experience it than just being among ourselves? Rather than leaving unresolved curiosity.”

To Lee Yoon-san, who was pondering, Lee Seok-jae’s voice, now a little more meaningful, flew in. When Lee Yoon-san raised his head to look at Lee Seok-jae, Lee Seok-jae wiggled one eyebrow and smiled, nodding as if telling him to choose. Hwang Hae-kyung threw a perilla leaf at Lee Seok-jae as if he had endured enough, and Lee Seok-jae caught the perilla leaf, wrapped the meat, and put it in the mouth of Kim Ji-hoo, who was sitting next to him. It was a natural action, like water flowing.

And finally, the conclusion came from Lee Yoon-san’s mouth.

“Let’s go. Let’s go. I want to go.”

Hwang Hae-kyung, who finally turned his head and made eye contact with Lee Yoon-san, didn’t say anything more. Only his silent mouth and displeased expression showed that he agreed to Lee Yoon-san’s request.

Everyone liked the final agreement. It was the moment when the opinions of the six people came together. And in the midst of it, Lee Yoon-san thought. As Lee Seok-jae said, it would be better to go together now that he was there than ‘when only Alphas are together’. At least now he had an excuse to stick by Hwang Hae-kyung’s side.

The beach pub they arrived at had a very free atmosphere. It was the time when the sunset was almost melting into the sea and the sky was dusky, and people in comfortable clothes were sitting in the outdoor seats of the lounge, chatting, drinking beer or cocktails, and eating pizza or chicken.

In the spacious lounge, there were outdoor sofas and sunshades where you could sit comfortably by group, and depending on the section, there were sunbeds and couches with parasols, and small platforms. It was literally a scene from a foreign magazine. It was a typical resort scene that you would see if you went to Bali, Guam, or Phuket. And even the summer music with its unique Bossa Nova sound flowing from there. It was impossible not to be excited just by entering the space. Except for the fact that it was packed with people.

“Hold my waist.”

“Huh?”

“Hold my waist. There are a lot of people.”

Hwang Hae-kyung whispered as soon as he came outside with Lee Yoon-san to secure a seat. Lee Yoon-san shrugged his shoulders a little because Hwang Hae-kyung’s words were heard right in his ear, but he didn’t want to make the atmosphere awkward, so he pretended to be calm and wrapped his arms around Hwang Hae-kyung’s waist to support himself as he was told. It seemed he was worried about him walking awkwardly because of his injured foot.

Soon, Hwang Hae-kyung put his arm around Lee Yoon-san’s shoulder. Hwang Hae-kyung walked in step with Lee Yoon-san’s limping pace. Because of that, he missed all the outdoor sofa seats closer to the indoors, which were cooler, and had to walk quite far to the outside of the lounge to secure a seat, but even so, Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t say he was frustrated or that he would go ahead and secure a seat.

He just looked around Lee Yoon-san’s feet and the crowd instead of Lee Yoon-san, and led Lee Yoon-san to the less crowded side. Hwang Hae-kyung only added that ‘the beach is well visible, so it’s good’ even after seeing the seat he had barely secured. Even though the music was quieter and it was much hotter because it was a seat on the edge of the lounge. For Lee Yoon-san, who was worried that he was being a nuisance because he was walking slowly, it was a word that melted away his worries.

“There are so many people.”

“That’s why people come here.”

To meet people. Hwang Hae-kyung added in a nonchalant tone, and sat Lee Yoon-san down first. He sat Lee Yoon-san on the inside of the couch with a high backrest, and he felt him sitting next to him in a relaxed posture. Hwang Hae-kyung, who looked comfortable and languid with just that movement, was very well suited to this scenery.

He was now wearing navy blue summer slacks that revealed his ankles and a white pique shirt that was comfortable to wear. His hazel eyes were mysterious and pretty, but vulnerable to light, so he was wearing sunglasses to prevent glare. Unlike Lee Yoon-san himself, who was wearing a short-sleeved box shirt with a dark green background and a palm tree pattern and beige shorts that came slightly above the knees, he had a style that felt a little more mature.

Should I have worn just a shirt instead of this? Lee Yoon-san thought for a moment, but soon gave up. The Hawaiian-style shirt he was wearing now didn’t look particularly flashy thanks to its dark background color. And the shorts, most of the pants he brought this time were shorts, so he couldn’t help it. Hwang Hae-kyung had said he wasn’t coming, and he was planning on camping here and there with his family, so he had brought clothes that he thought he would wear at the beach. In other words, it was a choice that didn’t consider other people’s opinions at all and only considered the heat.

“Kkamto.”

“Huh?”

While he was feeling gloomy comparing his clothes to Hwang Hae-kyung’s clothes, his nickname, which he hadn’t heard in a long time, came out of Hwang Hae-kyung’s mouth. At that, Lee Yoon-san widened his eyes and looked at Hwang Hae-kyung.

Even Shin Soo-hyun, who gave him that nickname, hadn’t called him that since he was 19 years old. It was because it was cute when he was young, but it felt too cute to call him that when he was all grown up. So, no one called Lee Yoon-san a black rabbit anymore. Hwang Hae-kyung also hadn’t called him ‘Lee Yoon-san’ from early this morning until just now. But that nickname, which was suddenly heard in a situation where only the two of them were together, made Lee Yoon-san feel strange. His insides tickled, and he felt embarrassed and shy, and subtly excited. Just like when he first started exchanging DMs with Hwang Hae-kyung.

“There are no other Alphas next to you today.”

“…Huh? What?”

“So don’t even think about doing anything else.”

Because I’m going to block them all. Hwang Hae-kyung said that as if he was openly declaring war, and sat down with his legs crossed. And like he did at home, he stretched his arm long over the backrest of Lee Yoon-san’s seat. If you looked at it from a distance, it looked like there was no other answer but flirting. Until the group brought the food and drinks they ordered and came to the seat, there were no words exchanged between the two.

Lee Yoon-san was busy worrying about how to accept this atmosphere with a rapidly accelerating heartbeat and a bright red face, while at the same time being wary of the rising expectations, and Hwang Hae-kyung was just looking at Lee Yoon-san.

It was the beginning of a blue night in Jeju Island.

✧✧✧

When the group, except for Lee Yoon-san, who didn’t have any particular food preferences, and Hwang Hae-kyung, who didn’t even think about coming here, had eaten more than half of the beer, cocktails, and food they had bought according to their tastes, the music volume in the lounge changed as if they had come to a beach club. The sky had darkened, and all the outdoor lights were lit, so the real night had begun.

“Is that beer good?”

“Seok-jae Hyung can’t drink, so what should he do? Can’t he just call an Assistant manager and drink?”

“It’s okay. I can have fun even without drinking.”

When Lee Seok-jae asked Kim Ji-hoo, who was sipping on an ale beer that was a Jeju specialty, Lee Seok-jae smiled mischievously and gave a sly answer. Kim Ji-hoo, who seemed to be in a good mood, laughed and drank the beer. It wasn’t that the food was particularly delicious. It was just that the atmosphere had become lively, so he was excited and enjoyed drinking and eating anything.

Meanwhile, Shin Soo-hyun was looking at Ham Se-jin, who was sitting across from him. He was looking for an opportunity to talk to Ham Se-jin, who was constantly holding his cell phone, wondering who he was contacting, but it wasn’t easy. The music was loud, and he couldn’t think of anything to talk about to ask for a conversation in a loud voice, and Ham Se-jin, who was focused on his cell phone, seemed like a person separated from this space.

“Hey, Ham.”

As if he had noticed Shin Soo-hyun, Lee Seok-jae tapped Ham Se-jin’s arm to turn his attention. Lee Seok-jae pointed at Shin Soo-hyun with his eyes and frowned at Ham Se-jin, which was a silent hint not to just hold his cell phone in a place where they were all playing together.

Ham Se-jin frowned at Lee Seok-jae’s expression, then put his cell phone on his thigh and looked at Shin Soo-hyun. It was never a 3-on-3 blind date, but it wasn’t polite to treat the person sitting next to you like a sack of barley. Ham Se-jin was also a person with that much common sense.

“Sorry. My friend asked me if Jeju Island was fun, so I was answering.”

“What did you answer?”

“It’s fun. I heard about a beach club when I went to an away game, and it’s definitely that kind of atmosphere.”

“I guess so. It’s a bit exciting.”

Ham Se-jin eventually smiled at Shin Soo-hyun, who couldn’t hide his excited expression and looked around at Ham Se-jin’s words. Even though they were only one year apart, these twenty-year-old Omegas seemed innocent compared to them. Perhaps the emotions and thoughts that were transparently revealed on their faces made them look that way.

Rather, that’s why Ham Se-jin firmly decided that he should keep a certain distance from Shin Soo-hyun. Now that Shin Soo-hyun’s feelings for him were just based on curiosity, it would be better to draw a line before those feelings grew even bigger. Because this kid is too good to like me, who has given his heart to someone else.

“Soo-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“The inside will be a club atmosphere soon. Hookups will mainly take place inside there.”

“……”

“We came to play, so it’s okay to play that much. Tell me if you run into a weird person.”

Shin Soo-hyun smiled bitterly at Ham Se-jin, who was indirectly telling him to find someone he wanted. But soon he composed his expression and nodded. Ham Se-jin was the first Alpha Shin Soo-hyun encountered, even from afar, in his teenage years.

Ham Se-jin, who smiled like a flower at the age of 17 at that time, was still deeply etched in his mind, and in the end, Shin Soo-hyun’s taste was fixed on older Alphas.

Ham Se-jin, whom he met again, seemed more mature than before. Even though they were only one year apart, he had a more mature atmosphere than his age thanks to his tall height and unique cold atmosphere. For that reason, he liked him again.

But the way he kept looking at his cell phone and this expression of his intentions now were signals of rejection that Shin Soo-hyun couldn’t ignore even if he tried. Should he say it was kind of him to let him know before his feelings deepened? Shin Soo-hyun got up from his seat thinking that.

“Soo-hyun, why? Bathroom?”

“I’m going to go inside.”

“Really? Then let’s go together! Ji-hoo, do you want to go too?”

“I’ll go too, because I can’t send Shin Soo-hyun alone.”

At Lee Seok-jae’s words, Kim Ji-hoo made an excuse as if he was looking at Lee Seok-jae’s expression, and Lee Seok-jae ruffled Kim Ji-hoo’s hair as if he was cute. Then Kim Ji-hoo shook his head, telling him not to, and the two’s actions quickly turned into casual jokes. Kim Ji-hoo originally had no interest in clubs or hookups, but it seemed he needed an excuse that he enjoyed it due to unavoidable circumstances.

The three of them entered the pub’s interior. As the night darkened, the interior atmosphere had changed into a club with flashy neon lights, so the intention was obvious. They wanted to spend a fun, exciting, and somewhat dissolute night like everyone else. It would be nice if they could find a good partner and make them their one-day partner, and even if they didn’t, wouldn’t it be worth experiencing the atmosphere at least once?

On the other hand, Lee Yoon-san sat in the corner of the couch, sipping a non-alcoholic cocktail, and looked enviously at his friends and Lee Seok-jae heading inside. Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting next to him, seemed to be marking Lee Yoon-san’s every move. In fact, thanks to the Alpha Hwang Hae-kyung sitting right next to him, people’s eyes didn’t stay on Lee Yoon-san very well. The gazes that stayed briefly gathered on Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting next to him, and then scattered. That was proof that Lee Yoon-san next to Hwang Hae-kyung looked like an Omega with a partner.

“Hae-kyung, aren’t you drinking?”

“I have to drive.”

“The kids booked a room at the hotel next to this one. It’s not far to walk, so you can sleep there….”

“I have to sleep at home.”

Only the two of them had a foreign atmosphere in the entirely liberal space. It was natural. Lee Yoon-san was busy glancing at Hwang Hae-kyung’s expression and looking around, while Hwang Hae-kyung was expressionless and didn’t seem to be interested in his surroundings. So Lee Yoon-san tried to recommend alcohol to change the atmosphere, but he was blocked by Hwang Hae-kyung.

Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t let Lee Yoon-san go even though he saw his friends and Lee Yoon-san’s friends booking a room at a hotel near here a little while ago. Regardless of whether his friends booked a room in this Seogwipo area, he was adamant that he and Lee Yoon-san would go to their second house in Jeju City and sleep.

“You can’t walk alone, can you?”

In this situation where dissatisfaction and strange expectations were rising alternately, Hwang Hae-kyung, who had half-lowered his eyes, gestured at Lee Yoon-san’s injured foot and said. When Lee Yoon-san lowered his gaze following Hwang Hae-kyung’s gaze and raised it, he was already making eye contact with him. And at a very close distance. In fact, this was unavoidable. Since the music from the lounge’s indoor club was ringing loudly even outside, they had to talk in a loud voice or talk this close to have a conversation. As if they were inside the club.

“I can, I can walk alone. It’s just that the sole of my foot is hurt.”

“There are too many guys who drink and do stupid things here.”

“What?”

“It’s easy to do whatever you want to a kid with an injured foot.”

Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice was low as he frowned as if he was annoyed just by imagining it. So Lee Yoon-san didn’t know what to do with his widened eyes and scanned Hwang Hae-kyung’s face. He had an expression that seemed a little embarrassed, and an expression that seemed somewhat annoyed, but the most visible emotion was frustration. But he didn’t take back his words. It meant that he was going to say it.

At that, Lee Yoon-san’s cheeks flushed red again. If strange expectations had risen to his waist just a moment ago, now they had risen to his neck, sloshing and making him breathe heavily. Hwang Hae-kyung’s attitude and words to him today kept making him expect something. He still didn’t know the reason why he had cut off contact with him for the past two years, but he needed a clear explanation for his actions today, which kept trying to take care of him or guard him from his surroundings.

“Why… why do you treat everyone who plays here like that….”

But just imagining asking for that explanation made Lee Yoon-san’s heart about to explode, so he blurted out whatever came to mind. No, in fact, it wasn’t just any words. Hwang Hae-kyung’s extreme leap that all Omegas would wag their tails at handsome Alphas and that the Alphas here would target Lee Yoon-san with an injured foot was not a very different context. Lee Yoon-san thought the former example was very unpleasant and ridiculous. So the latter situation was also a bit embarrassing and awkward. So, Hwang Hae-kyung looked around indifferently and continued to speak to the words he grumbled with that embarrassment and awkwardness.

“I don’t want to force anything on you. But you don’t have enough awareness of your surroundings.”

“…What am I….”

“Isn’t it all in a similar context that you’ve been falling since you were young, and that injured foot too.”

When Lee Yoon-san fell often when he was young, the young Hwang Hae-kyung was annoyed. He would fall and lag behind even when they were running around together, and he would whine that it hurt. At the time, Hwang Hae-kyung was a child who enjoyed running around with his friends more than comforting Lee Yoon-san, who was younger than him, when he fell and cried.

“This is because I didn’t know there would be glass bottles on the beach.”

“If you don’t want to get hurt or fall, you need to be careful, or your surroundings need to be safe.”

But not now. It was different now than back then, when he was young and knew nothing.

“I’ll say it again, I have no intention of forcing you to do anything. I just need to control those around you.”

It couldn’t be helped if it seemed excessive. Hwang Hae-kyung said so in a calm voice and took a sip of his non-alcoholic cocktail. The Blue Hawaii cocktail, with no alcohol at all, tasted just like lemonade. Lee Yoon-san stared blankly at Hwang Hae-kyung before lowering his head. Only then did he understand Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions today.

He had kept his friends from coming down from the second floor, and he had come to a beach pub where hunting was common and stayed seated next to him. When he looked around, his eyes were full of wariness, not curiosity. Lee Yoon-san hadn’t moved because he was being cautious, but Hwang Hae-kyung had never told Lee Yoon-san not to move or go anywhere. He had been trying to control Lee Yoon-san’s surroundings, not telling Lee Yoon-san what to do. This was clearly overprotective.

But depending on the source of this overprotection, Lee Yoon-san’s mood would be determined. Was he being protected because he was judged to be ‘weak,’ or was he blocking other people because he ‘liked’ him? It would reveal how Hwang Hae-kyung saw him.

Lee Yoon-san found it hard to breathe because of the expectations that kept swelling up like a balloon. Just as it was hard to breathe when his stomach was full to bursting, this time a huge expectation swelled in his chest and interfered with his breathing. It was a very heavy and trembling feeling. Even though it was the expectation and heart that had once gone out when Hwang Hae-kyung had cut off contact, it was a sense of expectation that had grown again, nourished by all the words and actions he had shown today.

Lee Yoon-san, who smiled slightly as if embarrassed, opened his mouth with a sigh. No, it was closer to exhaling the breath that had filled his chest because it was so tight, rather than a sigh.

“…You’ve really changed since we were kids.”

“I didn’t know why your parents liked you back then.”

“…Me neither.”

“But I know now.”

The salty air of the beach and the loud music beats made the surrounding air throb. Hwang Hae-kyung’s words just now were an unusual explanation and excuse. And it was also a word that fueled Lee Yoon-san’s expectations, which had risen to his throat.

Why are you saying that to me? Do you like me too? Those two questions lingered on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure if he should. He was worried that he might be jumping to conclusions, and he was worried that the atmosphere would become awkward afterward. It couldn’t be helped.

Throughout his adolescence, Lee Yoon-san had become accustomed to having expectations from Hwang Hae-kyung’s excitement and then calming his heart. It was like a well-trained habit, so even after hearing such heart-fluttering words, he became cautious out of habit. Hwang Hae-kyung had just said that he had no reservations about him, but that was wrong. Lee Yoon-san was cautious even in the current atmosphere. So, instead of asking a direct question, Lee Yoon-san decided to just bring it up slightly.

“Hae-kyung, what you just said…”

“I want you to meet a Beta.”

Not an Alpha who plays in places like this, but a Beta with no Pheromone or Heat cycle. Lee Yoon-san raised his head and looked at Hwang Hae-kyung at Hwang Hae-kyung’s continued remarks. His drooping eyes, which had been tense and focused, were filled with astonishment as if he had heard unbelievable words, and his gentle expression was slightly distorted. Hwang Hae-kyung stared at Lee Yoon-san and met his eyes, and Lee Yoon-san asked back as if he couldn’t believe it.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just what I said. I want you to meet someone safe. Not a first meeting that starts in a place like this, but someone really safe and guaranteed…”

“…Are you serious?”

It was like sticking a needle into an expectation that had swelled up so much that he was out of breath and pouring cold water on it. No, he really felt that sensation. Just like when you suddenly get hit with cold water, your body and mind shrink and you are violently surprised, he felt like a needle had been stuck in the balloon in his heart that had been puffed up and it had burst in an instant. So he asked again. It was to the point where he felt pain in his chest from the sudden stiffening of his heartbeat, which had been beating fiercely and hotly, so much so that Hwang Hae-kyung’s words were something Lee Yoon-san had never imagined.

No, in fact, it wasn’t that he hadn’t imagined it at all. Rather, it might have been the worst-case scenario he had been worried about. Lee Yoon-san was well aware of the worst-case scenario he had in mind even when he was DMing with Hwang Hae-kyung. Hwang Hae-kyung’s kindness and friendliness might be due to the joy and affection brought about by being childhood friends.

They weren’t close when they were young, but the feeling of meeting again after growing up could be new. Both parents still maintained a close relationship, and they had grown enough to understand the relationship. Even if it wasn’t when they were young, they now had enough flexibility and pretense to fit in with the adults’ family friendship.

And decisively, the leash that prevented him from letting go of that negative hypothesis was Hwang Hae-kyung’s cutting off contact. If Hwang Hae-kyung had really contacted him because he had romantic feelings for him, he wouldn’t have cut off contact so unilaterally and futilely.

Then, the worst-case scenario that Lee Yoon-san had feared finally happened. Right now, very suddenly, a very terrible sentence was handed down, borrowing Hwang Hae-kyung’s kind and mature voice.

“…I need to go to the bathroom.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

That’s a little embarrassing. Lee Yoon-san said that to Hwang Hae-kyung, who was trying to get up to follow him, and then got up from his seat and limped away. He was in such a hurry to move that he didn’t have time to check Hwang Hae-kyung’s expression as he looked at him from behind.

When Lee Yoon-san arrived at the bathroom inside, he turned on the cold water and washed his face. His face, which had turned red past his cheeks, was reflected in the mirror. He stared blankly at the mirror, and then felt ashamed again at the blush that had risen on his dark face. People around him glanced at Lee Yoon-san once, but he didn’t have time to pay attention to that.

He was embarrassed, mortified, and flustered by all the moments when he had expected that all the favors Hwang Hae-kyung had shown him might be affection for him. At the same time, questions arose. Was it really just a favor? Do you show that kind of favor to all your friends? When he poured out such resentment and suspicion inside, even all of these actions felt unsophisticated. His dark face and reddened blush reflected in the mirror, his own judgment that had misunderstood Hwang Hae-kyung’s favor, and even his hasty feelings.

Hwang Hae-kyung now was clearly different from Hwang Hae-kyung when he was young. He was kind to him, gentle, tried to protect him like a Hyung, and took care of him more than his friends. That was completely the opposite of Hwang Hae-kyung, who had ostracized him and disappeared with his friends when he was young. But at the same time, it was similar.

He was now ostracizing his heart, not his steps.

Of course, even if he didn’t intend to, all the actions he had shown him so far were irresponsible favors and irresponsible kindness. At least that’s what Lee Yoon-san thought, and that was the unfair part.

“I’m so pathetic…”

No, in fact, he knows that’s not the problem. What’s wrong with someone who treats you well? So, in the end, this shame, embarrassment, and mortification are his responsibility. Hwang Hae-kyung may have just been kind to his childhood friend. That’s why he DMed him during his school days when they couldn’t meet, performed a ceremony for his childhood friend at the game, and even went to the trouble of coming from far away in the middle of the night to see his face for a moment before returning. For a childhood friend he had known since he was young, whose families were also close.

Lee Yoon-san tried hard to think that way. Because if he didn’t, he felt like he would keep looking for reasons and resentment. Because he was worried that he would start to hate Hwang Hae-kyung. The only consolation was that he hadn’t directly revealed his feelings to Hwang Hae-kyung. The expectation-filled question was aborted before it was completed, and he hadn’t even said what his feelings were yet. So, the only comfort was that if he calmed his heart well, he would be able to maintain his original relationship.

‘This isn’t it… What’s the point of continuing like this?’

Is this still friendship just because I’m hiding my feelings? Isn’t this already not a friendship since I started liking Hae-kyung? Can a friendship that I maintain by hiding and killing my feelings be called a real relationship? Why should I put my own feelings last, whether it’s for Hwang Hae-kyung or to continue seeing his face and maintaining the relationship? No, but if I don’t digest this alone, won’t Hwang Hae-kyung try not to see me? The atmosphere might become awkward or he might not play with me like before. I don’t want that. But what if I ignore my own feelings?

Lee Yoon-san thought as he stared blankly at the water dripping from his chin. He couldn’t organize his thoughts at all. Various thoughts were constantly occupying the upper hand and piling up as if building a command tower, and the thoughts that were piled up in that way rather hid the original framework.

Lee Yoon-san pressed his eyes tightly with the inside of his palms. His eyes felt dry and his eyelids felt heavy, as if heat had gathered in his eyes. It was also a symptom that appeared when he was stressed. So, after washing his face with cold water once more, he roughly wiped off the water with a paper towel and left the bathroom. He was afraid that Hwang Hae-kyung would come looking for him if he was away for too long. Because he wanted to face Hwang Hae-kyung’s face as late as possible, as much as he hadn’t organized anything himself right now.

“Hello?”

As he was walking towards the lounge with his limping leg, someone blocked Lee Yoon-san’s path. It was a man with curly dyed hair and a tall height. He was wearing a flashy Hawaiian shirt and cotton pants, and holding two bottles of beer in one hand. Lee Yoon-san stared blankly at the man who had blocked him and rolled his eyes. There was no other meaning, it was just a gaze to identify the man’s identity. It was Lee Yoon-san’s daily routine to carefully examine things like that before judging, speaking, or acting a beat late. But the man seemed to have interpreted Lee Yoon-san’s tempo differently.

“Do you want to drink beer? Uh, so, I’m alone because I’m separated from my friends right now.”

The man’s face, as he spoke with a light smile, was pleasant. Just like Lee Seok-jae.

“You dumb bastard.”

Meanwhile, Ham Se-jin clicked his tongue as he watched Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting on the couch and had emptied a glass of Blue Hawaii. The surroundings were so noisy that he hadn’t heard all of the conversation between the two sitting across from each other, but looking at Lee Yoon-san’s expression and the general atmosphere, he could guess what kind of conversation had taken place. So, Ham Se-jin criticized Hwang Hae-kyung without saying anything.

“I know what part you’re sick of, I do.”

“……”

“But it’s an unavoidable problem, isn’t it?”

Ham Se-jin checked that his beer can was empty and shook the other beer bottles to see if there was any left. Then, he found the remaining beer and drank it all at once before grabbing his phone again. Hwang Hae-kyung, who had been enduring Ham Se-jin’s criticism and staring at him silently, frowned and said.

“You should take care of yourself.”

“I’m trying to do well. That’s why I’m holding on to my phone all day like this.”

“All that means is that your situation isn’t much different from mine.”

“…My case is different from yours. Hye-yoon is a Beta.”

“Just because the reason is different doesn’t mean the result is different. Look at us now, you and me.”

Hwang Hae-kyung said to Ham Se-jin, who was criticizing him and drawing a line, and then got up from his seat. It was quite a nervous movement. Lee Yoon-san, who had said he was going to the bathroom, hadn’t returned. Moreover, the bathroom was inside, so he was a little more worried.

After Lee Yoon-san got up and left alone, Hwang Hae-kyung felt that his current position and situation were somehow clumsy and messed up. No, in fact, he had felt like something was out of control since he had run into Lee Yoon-san early this morning. That wasn’t what he was trying to do, but he had acted aloof from the first meeting, and he had tried to distance himself from Lee Yoon-san.

He knew that it would be seen as a negative signal to Lee Yoon-san. In fact, that was also the way Hwang Hae-kyung, who wasn’t naturally kind, treated ordinary Omegas, and it was also a clumsy appearance because he couldn’t hide his embarrassment. The action of trying to avoid the situation was the former, and the sullen attitude against his will was the latter.

Hwang Hae-kyung somehow thought that he was doing more clumsy and awkward things today than when he was a teenager DMing with Lee Yoon-san in the past. And he even thought that that appearance was very unsightly to himself. Then, could it be that Lee Yoon-san’s reaction was also because of these aspects of him?

Regardless of what the reality was, he couldn’t help but feel that way when he recalled Lee Yoon-san’s expression while they were talking and his refusal just now. He felt like he had done something wrong, and he felt like he had disappointed Lee Yoon-san in some way. Then, that feeling led to a kind of guilt.

At first, he tried to dismiss it as just Lee Yoon-san’s unique gentle appearance and expression. It was like that when he was young too. When he was dealing with the young Lee Yoon-san, who had a gentle appearance, expression, and tone of voice, and called him ‘Hae-kyung’ instead of ‘Hyung,’ he felt like he, who was demanding to be called ‘Hyung,’ had become a gentle villain. At that time, he dismissed it because he didn’t know what that warmth that Lee Yoon-san had was.

But now Hwang Hae-kyung is all grown up, and he knows that Lee Yoon-san’s habit of calling him ‘Hae-kyung’ every time is an expression that comes from his kindness and gentleness. Taking off the surname and calling his name every time in a gentle and kind tone.

He now knows that Lee Yoon-san had an unusually kind nature even in those young and immature days. That Lee Yoon-san is a good person.

I was a kid who didn’t know what kindness was, so I didn’t know how lovely the kindness you had was. I just thought it was impudent that you didn’t call me Hyung.

Hwang Hae-kyung thought that if he could only endure his own shame or embarrassment, he would have definitely said this to Lee Yoon-san and apologized for what had happened in the past. Of course, as a result, Hwang Hae-kyung, who was only twenty-one years old, couldn’t possibly endure such an appearance of his, so it was a word that he couldn’t bring himself to say. Still, the words he couldn’t say continued to linger in Hwang Hae-kyung’s heart. As if he regretted not being able to express it.

Lee Yoon-san was still kind and gentle. He still called him ‘Hae-kyung’ every time, and he was good at reading the room. That meant that he wanted to know the feelings of the people he was with, and it was a reflection of his personality that he didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.

Lee Yoon-san’s late reaction or response would also be in the same context. He wanted to think enough before speaking. He now understands that he developed that habit because he thought that was the only way he wouldn’t hurt others with impulsive words. But Lee Yoon-san, who was like that, had resolutely rejected him and said that he would move alone even with his injured foot. So, Hwang Hae-kyung had no choice but to just watch Lee Yoon-san walk away limping.

For a moment, something felt off between the two. Nevertheless, he was at a loss because he couldn’t know exactly where it was off. Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what that something was. Hwang Hae-kyung had expressed, indirectly, that he cherished Lee Yoon-san, and he wanted Lee Yoon-san to meet someone who wasn’t dangerous. Because Lee Yoon-san, who was a kind and good person, was precious to him too.

And he thoroughly excluded himself from the intention of all those remarks. The reason was simple. Because he was also an Alpha. It was a sanction called by the unconscious.

Because Hwang Hae-kyung himself was also an Alpha who had a Heat cycle and knew how to use Pheromones, there was an underlying anxiety. Use can also lead to abuse, can’t it? Hwang Hae-kyung wanted there to be nothing even slightly dangerous around Lee Yoon-san. Even if that was Hwang Hae-kyung himself. Protecting Lee Yoon-san, which he had been doing since he was a teenager, had now become a habit for Hwang Hae-kyung.

Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t think there was anything he could call a mistake. He hadn’t been mean to Lee Yoon-san like he had been when he was very young, and he hadn’t been rude. Everything he said was for Lee Yoon-san’s sake. But what was that last expression…?

The last expression that Lee Yoon-san had shown was constantly replaying in Hwang Hae-kyung’s head. It bothered him so much that it made him anxious, and in the end, it made him go to the bathroom where Lee Yoon-san had gone to find him. But the bathroom was empty, and he couldn’t find Lee Yoon-san in the outdoor area where the smokers were either.

It was the moment when his anxiety turned into unease.

“Actually, I saw you in the bathroom earlier.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You didn’t even notice me washing my hands next to you. Is something wrong? You didn’t look too good.”

“Just, you know….”

Meanwhile, Lee Yoon-san was sitting at the indoor bar, talking with the man who had offered him a beer. Unlike his relaxed and skilled appearance, the man was the same age as Lee Yoon-san, and he said he had come to Jeju Island, where his grandmother lived, to enjoy surfing. He was still living there for a year, but he had recently started giving surfing lessons and was looking into settling down. Lee Yoon-san was quite surprised to hear that he was already an instructor at twenty, and the man laughed coolly, saying that he had been a surfing athlete in high school. Lee Yoon-san, who didn’t even know that surfing competitions existed, was surprised by that as well.

“I’ve been surfing since I was ten. Oh, but I’m not an Alpha.”

He revealed that he was a Beta, so Lee Yoon-san nodded and naturally dropped the honorifics, starting a conversation.

“Do you know you haven’t asked my name yet?”

“…That’s true. What’s your name?”

“Choi Ga-ram. You know yours because I asked earlier, Lee Yoon-san.”

“Yeah, yeah….”

“You’re really shy, aren’t you?”

Choi Ga-ram said with a smile to Lee Yoon-san, who was glancing around as if conscious of his surroundings. He even lowered his head as if trying to make eye contact with Lee Yoon-san, and as his face got closer, he raised the corners of his mouth and smiled, lowering his voice as if whispering a secret.

“Unexpected. Just looking at your skin tone, I’d think you’re the type who’s always out playing. You have sexy, well-tanned skin.”

“N-No, it’s not like that. I just get like this in the summer.”

“It’s a compliment. People pay money to get a tan like that. You’ve made money.”

“Oh, i-is that so.”

As Choi Ga-ram’s face got closer, Lee Yoon-san rolled his eyes and turned his head to the side, and he heard Choi Ga-ram laugh. Even though it was noisy, chaotic, and dark inside the club, the laughter was clearly audible because the distance between them was so close.

Lee Yoon-san was embarrassed because this kind of approach was so unfamiliar to him. Not only during his middle and high school years, but even during the semester he spent in college, no one had ever approached him like this. That is, someone who exudes such a free-spirited and intense atmosphere, casually striking up a conversation and watching his reaction.

Most people who approached Lee Yoon-san tended to use friendly conversation to build rapport with him, drawn to his approachable and innocent appearance. They didn’t talk about his skin tone or suddenly close the physical distance like this. It was only natural. This kind of approach was a hunting method that only existed in places like clubs. For Lee Yoon-san, who was twenty years old and had only ever gone to bars with his college group, this kind of burdensome approach was not familiar at all.

“It’s a bit hard to talk here because it’s so noisy, right?”

Choi Ga-ram leaned his upper body forward, resting his hand on the chair Lee Yoon-san was sitting on. And he made a light suggestion in a voice that was appropriately mixed with playfulness. It wasn’t particularly meaningful or slow, so it wasn’t cheesy, but it was a sudden remark that made him flustered. Lee Yoon-san knew what conclusion this conversation was aiming for. He wanted to move to another place. It wasn’t that Lee Yoon-san was slow to catch on, but that he was the type to overthink.

“…It’s okay here.”

So Lee Yoon-san gave a refusal that wasn’t quite a refusal. In the first place, he had followed Choi Ga-ram to the bar in the hope of seeing Hwang Hae-kyung’s face a little later. Of course, the freedom that the internal atmosphere itself gave was also a reason that could not be ignored, and the fact that he could be excused for acting a little dissolutely here under the guise of ‘enjoyment’ also played a part.

“If you’re a bit uncomfortable because you’re with someone, can you at least give me your Instagram ID?”

“Me?”

Choi Ga-ram was a Beta. The Beta that Hwang Hae-kyung had told him to meet. So maybe that’s why a pointless stubbornness soared. During middle and high school, he mainly hung out with Omegas. In fact, it was embarrassing to even call them Omegas, but Shin Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-hoo were all of Lee Yoon-san’s friends. It was the result of his passive and subdued personality and his focus on DMing with Hwang Hae-kyung.

After entering college, he became good friends with many Betas, but they were just school friends, so they couldn’t be seen as sexual partners. They were just friends who sat close to each other in class or ate school meals together when they had time at school.

So Choi Ga-ram was the first Beta to approach him like this. Lee Yoon-san was only now realizing that Choi Ga-ram’s actions had become strangely intimate, and he had just realized that this situation was the ‘hunting’ situation he had only heard about.

“I’ll teach you how to surf. Especially for you, it’ll be a free lesson. But we’ll have to meet separately after work?”

“Well, I’m…”

“If kindness is excessive, it’s solicitation.”

So, just as he was cautiously trying to find the right moment to slip away, the warmth that touched his back made the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice, which suddenly came from behind, was too close.

Lee Yoon-san turned his head to look behind him at Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice, which had suddenly come from behind. Then he saw Hwang Hae-kyung, who was leaning forward, holding onto his stool back and the bar table. His upper body was slightly leaning towards Lee Yoon-san’s back, and even if he didn’t lean forward, the distance was close enough that Lee Yoon-san’s shoulder would almost touch Hwang Hae-kyung’s chest.

Hwang Hae-kyung stood close behind Lee Yoon-san and made eye contact with Choi Ga-ram. Choi Ga-ram looked at Hwang Hae-kyung with a somewhat bewildered expression, but then seemed to remember something and recognized him, as if he had realized that Hwang Hae-kyung was a volleyball player. Then, goodwill and delight appeared on Choi Ga-ram’s face, which had only been filled with bewilderment.

“You’re the volleyball player, right!”

Hwang Hae-kyung nodded in response to Choi Ga-ram’s words and then turned his gaze to Lee Yoon-san. The two were almost hugging from behind, so Lee Yoon-san had to lift his head all the way up and look back to make eye contact.

“Is this the bathroom, Kkamto?”

“Don’t do that.”

Hwang Hae-kyung’s tone didn’t contain any annoyance or anger, but that’s why Lee Yoon-san’s annoyance rose up. He was reminded of the situation before he went to the bathroom, and he felt like he was the only one who had made such a fuss. Hwang Hae-kyung still looked and sounded as if nothing had happened, so that made him a little resentful.

“If you wanted to see the inside, you should have said so.”

“……”

“Did you drink?”

“I just took a sip. I was thirsty….”

Hwang Hae-kyung picked up the beer that was on Lee Yoon-san’s side and asked, gauging how much he had drunk. Then Lee Yoon-san looked at him cautiously and answered quietly, and Hwang Hae-kyung looked at Lee Yoon-san’s face.

The lighting was dim, so he couldn’t see his complexion well, but his eyes were as clear as usual, so Hwang Hae-kyung decided not to say anything. That is, he didn’t say anything about drinking ‘uncapped’ beer given by someone else when he had a foot injury. No matter how much he looked, there was nothing that could be presumed to be a beer cap on their bar table.

“It’s not like that. I was about to leave.”

“Shall we get up, then?”

Lee Yoon-san denied the situation, feeling embarrassed without realizing it. He felt ashamed because Choi Ga-ram’s eyes, which were looking at them, seemed busy. It was as if he had been doing something else even though he was with someone.

Hwang Hae-kyung’s attitude of suddenly appearing in this situation and ruining the mood was also subtly rude. Hwang Hae-kyung was treating Choi Ga-ram, who had recognized him, as if he were almost invisible. That meant that he had no intention of continuing the conversation with Choi Ga-ram, and it was also an act that broke the atmosphere in which Lee Yoon-san and Choi Ga-ram were talking.

Choi Ga-ram seemed to have noticed that signal and looked at the two people in front of him with a strange expression. On the other hand, Lee Yoon-san was annoyed that Hwang Hae-kyung was openly acting like his guardian. This kindness from Hwang Hae-kyung, who had shattered his expectations, was not what Lee Yoon-san wanted. It was probably an intention to protect and take care of his younger brother, who was injured and an Omega, as a Hyung.

Therefore, Lee Yoon-san was a little angry at Hwang Hae-kyung after all. He felt like the emotions he had tried so hard to calm down in the bathroom were bubbling up again.

“Sorry. I think I should go.”

“I guess I made a mistake. I didn’t know you had a partner.”

“It’s not like that.”

“What’s not like that?”

Lee Yoon-san, who had suddenly become upset, stood up and apologized to Choi Ga-ram, and Choi Ga-ram shrugged his shoulders lightly and replied. At the same time, Lee Yoon-san corrected the misunderstanding because he seemed to have made a big misunderstanding, but this time, Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice cut in. It was a blunt and cold voice, as if he was dissatisfied with something.

“If you don’t have a partner, give him your ID and go. That’s okay, right?”

“…Okay.”

Choi Ga-ram, who seemed to have understood the situation, showed a friendly attitude again. He got off the stool and handed his cell phone to Lee Yoon-san, who was standing in his place, and Lee Yoon-san found his SNS ID on his cell phone. He wanted to leave this place the most, and it was also true that he was curious about Choi Ga-ram’s friendly attitude, so there was no reason not to tell him.

Choi Ga-ram was the Beta that Hwang Hae-kyung had told him to meet, the first person to send him a sexual flirt, and the same age as him. Nothing much would happen if he gave him his account. If anything, he could just block him.

Hwang Hae-kyung watched the two of them with his arms crossed behind Lee Yoon-san. He watched the process of Lee Yoon-san typing his account ID on Choi Ga-ram’s cell phone, and the way Choi Ga-ram looked at Lee Yoon-san’s face with a smile.

A feeling of dissatisfaction rose up. He wanted to stop Lee Yoon-san’s actions or chase Choi Ga-ram away right away, but the basis for that action was weak. If he was asked, ‘Who are you?’, he wouldn’t be able to refute it. He would only make himself look ridiculous. Hwang Hae-kyung still had nothing sorted out in his head, and nothing was clear. Therefore, the only thing Hwang Hae-kyung could do was clench his jaw and try not to punch Choi Ga-ram in front of him.

Hwang Hae-kyung was no longer a teenager, and he knew very well that he shouldn’t suddenly throw a punch without controlling his blood and temper like he did when he was eighteen. The reason why Hwang Hae-kyung could be forgiven at that time was because the person Hwang Hae-kyung punched was the same Alpha, and the reason that he was an unstable minor worked.

But now Hwang Hae-kyung was an adult who had entered a stable period, and the person in front of him might not be an Alpha, and above all, he didn’t want to act violently in front of Lee Yoon-san. The thought of Lee Yoon-san being scared of him was terrible just to imagine.

“I’ll contact you.”

“…I might not be able to reply right away.”

Choi Ga-ram, who had received Lee Yoon-san’s account ID, smiled coolly and sent Lee Yoon-san away. Lee Yoon-san gave Choi Ga-ram as much of an indirect and negative signal as possible and limped away from his seat. Hwang Hae-kyung tried to support Lee Yoon-san by grabbing his arm, but this time, Lee Yoon-san clearly shook off his hand and expressed his refusal.

Hwang Hae-kyung looked at Lee Yoon-san with an expression that he couldn’t understand, but Lee Yoon-san’s only goal was to get out of the store, no matter how Hwang Hae-kyung looked at him. At this moment, he didn’t even think of the other members of the group.

He couldn’t control his emotions well. So his head and heart were all messed up. He was angry even at Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions of taking care of him, and he now knew the reason clearly, but he couldn’t get angry. The other person seemed calm. He probably didn’t know why he was doing this at all. If he exploded and got angry at such a person, he would only feel ashamed. And above all, he couldn’t even imagine the expression on Hwang Hae-kyung’s face when he saw him getting angry in such a ridiculous way. So he wanted to calm down before facing Hwang Hae-kyung, but he kept getting angrier at him for following him, not even allowing him to do that.

“Don’t follow me!”

Lee Yoon-san finally shouted at Hwang Hae-kyung, who was walking behind him at a certain distance. But even at Lee Yoon-san’s shout, Hwang Hae-kyung only took one step further away, but didn’t stop following him. They had already left the store and were walking, and Lee Yoon-san had walked quite a distance even with his unstable steps.

So the two of them maintained that certain distance and walked quietly. Lee Yoon-san used his heel and healthy foot to walk hard, and Hwang Hae-kyung followed him, about six or seven steps away. If Lee Yoon-san was about to be hit by someone in the middle, Hwang Hae-kyung would come closer and guard him, and then he would move away again. As a result, they seemed to have come all the way to Saekdal Beach.

Lee Yoon-san thought about taking off his shoes and walking on the beach when he arrived at the beach, but he soon remembered the bandage wrapped around one of his feet and just walked on. The sound of the sand crunching under his shoes and the sound of the waves in his ears were comforting. He had just come from a noisy place like a club, so even the sound of the waves, which was quite close, sounded like white noise.

Lee Yoon-san barely managed to resist the urge to turn around and look at Hwang Hae-kyung, who was following him from behind. He hadn’t yet sorted out his feelings and position.

It was not only difficult to give up or hide his feelings right away, but he didn’t even know if that was the right thing to do anymore. It was something that Lee Yoon-san in his adolescence would not have imagined. For a while, from just before entering his Pheromone, Lee Yoon-san was a child who valued hiding things.

In fact, he was mostly busy hiding the fact that his friends didn’t get along well with him, and that he was in pain after entering his Pheromone. His mothers were too busy, and he wanted to be a good son to them. He wanted to see the faces of his mothers, who were happy to call him a good son even if he only did very small errands, for a longer time and more often. That was the simple reason why he started ‘hiding things’, and after entering puberty, those habits left traces on his personality.

So, if you think about it carefully, the events in Lee Yoon-san’s life that he didn’t hide or endure were mostly related to Hwang Hae-kyung. Lee Yoon-san didn’t hesitate to tell the adults about Hwang Hae-kyung’s mistakes at the campsite, and he even punished Hwang Hae-kyung with arm wrestling when he was displeased. He was young, and it was possible because there were adults who accepted him.

The same was true during puberty. Contacting Hwang Hae-kyung was the right thing to ‘hide’, but the messages he sent to Hwang Hae-kyung were honest. From the embarrassing video transmission mistake to the Pheromone that he unknowingly released on the rooftop of the study room. It was embarrassing, but he had honestly expressed everything to Hwang Hae-kyung as if it had all been exposed. And Hwang Hae-kyung had accepted all of that without ever making him feel embarrassed.

When he thought that far, Lee Yoon-san suddenly felt wronged and choked up. He wasn’t the only one making a fuss. Hwang Hae-kyung had made him feel these emotions all along, even today. He was acting like he was trying to take care of him because he was his younger brother with a foot injury and an Omega, but he acted as if he liked him especially. He took care of him more than his old friends. Unlike at the campsite when he was a child. So easily compared and distinguished.

“Yoon-san.”

“……”

“Let’s stop walking. Your foot hurts.”

Meanwhile, Hwang Hae-kyung, who had been following Lee Yoon-san from behind, said to the back of his round head. His voice was mixed with a low laugh, but it was closer to a laugh that seemed a little empty.

Hwang Hae-kyung had been walking behind Lee Yoon-san, wondering when he could take him home. Now he was more worried about Lee Yoon-san’s foot than why he was acting like this. He had walked at least 200m from the pub to the beach. It wasn’t a very long distance, but because Lee Yoon-san was limping and walking slowly with his injured foot, quite a bit of time had passed. The surrounding beach was all covered in blue night, and there were often people strolling along the beach, but it was much quieter than at sunset. The beach, which was sparkling in places by the groups playing with sparklers in the distance, certainly looked different from what he had seen in the pub lounge.

Lee Yoon-san walked on without answering Hwang Hae-kyung’s words. He could see him walking with all his strength in his calves, which were exposed below his shorts, but he never looked back at him once. So, something was still wrong. As soon as Hwang Hae-kyung thought that this state was still continuing, he felt a sense of impatience that brought even anxiety. He wanted to stop Lee Yoon-san from walking right away and take him home.

I don’t know what kind of conversation I should have with Lee Yoon-san, but I was willing to apologize if I had made a mistake. Only if Lee Yoon-san’s mood could be resolved. And if Lee Yoon-san’s mood is resolved, then I’ll talk. I hope he doesn’t contact the guy he exchanged SNS IDs with at the pub earlier. I’ll give him enough warning that it could be quite dangerous, and tell him that I hope he aims for a safer relationship. As Lee Yoon-san’s Hyung, and as a long-time childhood friend and acquaintance who has known Lee Yoon-san since he was young.

“Kkam….”

“Ugh!”

Just as Hwang Hae-kyung was about to tell Lee Yoon-san to go home once again, Lee Yoon-san, who was walking ahead, fell onto the sandy beach with a loud scream. It seemed like he had tripped over something. Hwang Hae-kyung quickly ran to Lee Yoon-san, knelt down, and checked his condition. Lee Yoon-san lifted his messed-up face and looked at Hwang Hae-kyung. His face wasn’t covered in sand, but his tearful eyes and downturned mouth were full of sorrow.

Hwang Hae-kyung, who faced that face head-on, froze with wide eyes. Lee Yoon-san’s face now looked like that little Lee Yoon-san from when he was 7 to 10 years old. The little Lee Yoon-san that I found annoying, that adults adored, and that Hwang Hae-kyung has now belatedly come to adore.

“Why do you keep following me!”

“I’m checking if your foot is okay first.”

“I did what you wanted! But why are you interfering?! Why don’t you listen to me at all?!”

“What?”

Lee Yoon-san felt his head was a little dizzy and that he couldn’t control his emotions as he pleased. So he couldn’t sort out his thoughts and kept walking, but as if nothing was going right, he fell again. Only after his knees touched the sandy ground did he support himself with both arms to prevent his face from scraping, but at that moment, Hwang Hae-kyung’s words came to mind.

‘You used to fall a lot when you were young.’

What he said at the amusement park on that autumn day. And what he said earlier that I lacked awareness of my surroundings.

It annoyed me that everything Hwang Hae-kyung said seemed to be true. No, I just hated myself for being so emotionally shaken by whatever Hwang Hae-kyung did. I hated Hwang Hae-kyung for openly cherishing me, and it was ridiculous. Seeing myself fall in that situation made everything feel pathetic and messed up.

Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting in front of me with a lowered posture and a flustered expression, and beyond him, the infinitely dark sky, the waves lapping and wetting the sand, and the salty smell reaching my nose, all felt like someone else’s business. Because the scenery in front of me was incredibly wonderful. Therefore, only I, in my messed-up state, felt isolated and alienated.

It was a kind of sadness. My insides were a mess, but Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t seem to know anything, and the beach with the night of the tourist destination was peaceful. In the meantime, only my heart was a mess, a wreck, and so I felt a little pathetic. I realized that only I had different emotions in this whole situation. Only I’m making a fuss, only I am.

So, Lee Yoon-san only needs to ignore his own heart. Then, he will be able to get along well with Hwang Hae-kyung without any awkwardness, and there will be no problems in the relationship between the two families. Once again, if only Lee Yoon-san himself ignores his heart.

So, if even Lee Yoon-san turns away from his own heart.

“Why did you interfere earlier….”

Lee Yoon-san said resentfully in a slightly subdued voice. It sounded like he was exhausted, or tired. As a matter of fact, he was indeed tired because he was overwhelmed with too many thoughts. The alcohol was kicking in late, causing his emotions to fluctuate wildly.

“I told you, there are no other Alphas next to you today.”

“Ga-ram is a Beta….”

The Beta you told me to meet.

“Lee Yoon-san.”

“……”

“I don’t want you to say that name.”

“What are you….”

“Someone else’s name.”

But Lee Yoon-san didn’t want to ignore his own heart, not even himself. It was too heartbreaking to abandon his own heart. It was a heart that no one knew, and it would be too sad if even I ignored it and made it disappear.

Besides, this relationship was no longer a friendship since I started liking Hwang Hae-kyung. What does it matter if Hwang Hae-kyung treats me just like a younger brother or a friend? My heart has already changed. Then, is it worth maintaining while deceiving Hwang Hae-kyung? It’s not a real relationship, is it? Is it right for even I to treat my own heart so insignificantly?

‘Look at this, again.’

Besides, Hwang Hae-kyung’s attitude towards me now was absurd. Because he was treating me preciously. Running over as soon as I fell and kneeling down without caring that his clothes were getting dirty to check on his injured younger brother could be considered the attitude of a friend and protector, but saying that he didn’t want me to say Choi Ga-ram’s name crossed the line. Who are you? Lee Yoon-san thought, Hwang Hae-kyung never earned the right to say such things to me.

So Lee Yoon-san just decided to take his own side. I didn’t want to ignore myself, who Hwang Hae-kyung also cherished. It was only this morning that I somehow managed to hold on because I was afraid that he would disappear before my eyes again like he did two years ago. My own heart was precious enough that I couldn’t ignore it for the sake of external comfort and peace. My heart is something that no one else will care about except me. Lee Yoon-san thought that.

It would have been different if the other person wasn’t Hwang Hae-kyung. If it wasn’t Hwang Hae-kyung who often turned me back into that little kid at the campsite, if it wasn’t Hwang Hae-kyung who influenced my growth, if it wasn’t Hwang Hae-kyung who treated me so preciously during my Pheromone presentation period and even today, Lee Yoon-san wouldn’t have been able to think this far.

If the price of respecting my own heart was ruining or interfering with relationships with others, I would have considered it a nuisance, and I would have thought that I could endure it because I was used to hiding and enduring things myself.

But Hwang Hae-kyung kept giving me questions. He was irresponsibly kind, and he was the one who gave me the nutrients for my heart to grow. Hwang Hae-kyung, who recognized me at once even after seeing me after a long time after I had lost weight. Hwang Hae-kyung, who replied that I used to fall a lot when I was young when I said that I wasn’t fat anymore. Hwang Hae-kyung, who made my shoulders feel proud during my school days. Hwang Hae-kyung, who changes my bandages and runs over to worry about me when I fall. All these Hwang Hae-kyungs sprouted and grew in my heart.

And it was a contradiction that I wasn’t giving myself the treatment that Hwang Hae-kyung was giving me. Lee Yoon-san now knows that such a feeling is self-loathing and self-abuse. No matter how well someone else treats me and praises me, I’m actually closing my eyes and ignoring myself.

“Hae-kyung-ah….”

So Lee Yoon-san decided not to ignore his own heart, at least not himself. Even if the price was damaging his relationship with Hwang Hae-kyung, like the day he won against Hwang Hae-kyung in arm wrestling when he was young, he just decided to go for it. Because the target is Hwang Hae-kyung.

“I think I like you.”

“……”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry if you’re uncomfortable because I’m saying this, but I don’t really know the meaning of a relationship that’s maintained by pretending I’m not, and I want to take my own side.”

His heart was so overwhelmed with emotions that it felt like it was about to explode, so Lee Yoon-san ended up closing his eyes tightly while speaking. The confession he was making for the first time in his life was accompanied by despair and frustration. On the other hand, Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t respond to Lee Yoon-san’s confession at all. He was just staring at me, frozen with wide eyes.

Silence followed, and Lee Yoon-san, unable to bear it, continued in a voice that tried to feign composure.

“But Hae-kyung-ah, if you keep saying things like that to me, I get the wrong idea. Because I like you.”

Of course, he failed to perfectly feign composure because the end of his sentence trembled.

“Just, things like the kind words you say to me. The actions of taking care of me, and interfering when I was with Ga-ram earlier too….”

“Name.”

“Huh?”

“I told you not to say it.”

“…Yeah, things like that. You don’t do that to friends or younger siblings. So…!”

Lee Yoon-san raised his head slightly, opening his tightly closed eyes to check Hwang Hae-kyung’s expression. Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice was blunt, but he felt a little better because he thought the conversation had started. He wanted to lay bare his condition and find common ground with Hwang Hae-kyung.

Like asking for time to sort out his feelings, or demanding that he not cross the line between goodwill and affection like he did just now. His head hadn’t gotten better, but it was a conclusion he had drawn after thinking and thinking as much as possible.

But as soon as he opened his eyes and raised his head, Lee Yoon-san’s words stopped. Because Hwang Hae-kyung’s face was right in front of him. It was a close distance, with the tips of their noses probably less than 5cm apart.

“Yoon-san-ah.”

“Why, why… it’s too close, right now….”

“I don’t like you calling my name so sweetly and affectionately.”

“…What?”

“I don’t like you calling someone else’s name sweetly without the last name.”

You called me ‘Hae-kyung-ah’ sweetly even when you were a little kid who hated me. And you call the name of a guy you’ve known for less than an hour sweetly too. I don’t even know how the guy who was called that by you from the start has turned out. Hwang Hae-kyung lowered his voice and added that, slowly rolling his eyes. He seemed to be suppressing his rising emotions as he slowly looked down from Lee Yoon-san’s eyes to his lips. I could see the muscles in his jaw twitching.

Nevertheless, Hwang Hae-kyung’s eyelids, which were lowered as if half-closed, and his expression, which was completely focused on Lee Yoon-san’s face, kept causing tension. Lee Yoon-san clenched his fists, unaware that the sand on the ground was being gripped tightly due to the strange tension.

“So Yoon-san-ah.”

“…What.”

“Don’t call my name.”

“……”

“I’m jealous.”

Lee Yoon-san’s head shot up at Hwang Hae-kyung’s words that followed. And when he looked at Hwang Hae-kyung with widened eyes, Hwang Hae-kyung smiled at Lee Yoon-san and blew air on his eyes. Then, the sand grains that were stuck right below Lee Yoon-san’s eyes fell off easily. On the other hand, Lee Yoon-san, who trembled, moved his upper body back and covered his mouth with one hand in shock. Jealousy? Is the word I just heard really jealousy? Hwang Hae-kyung did that?

“You, you… I, I told you not to do that…!”

“Aren’t we close enough to say something like this?”

“O-Of course not!!”

“I just realized it.”

“Wh-What, what….”

“I don’t think Beta will work either.”

“What….”

“Next to you, Beta won’t work either.”

Lee Yoon-san’s mouth opened again at Hwang Hae-kyung’s declaration that followed in a clear voice. It was an incomprehensible statement. It was the moment when I was trying to compromise with Hwang Hae-kyung about my feelings, but if my expectations were raised and then extinguished again this time, my heart would be so damaged that it would be really difficult to turn back. So Lee Yoon-san found Hwang Hae-kyung’s words sweet yet terrible right now. It was only natural that anger rose in Lee Yoon-san’s heart again.

“You’re… really bad.”

“What?”

I wanted to say worse things, but I couldn’t. Lee Yoon-san had only learned how to like Hwang Hae-kyung, so he couldn’t quickly come up with bad things that he could only say when he hated him. So he was frustrated and wronged. On the other hand, Hwang Hae-kyung finally frowned and showed a reaction. He looked at Lee Yoon-san’s face, which was flushed like a plum, with an incomprehensible expression, and Lee Yoon-san, seeing that expression, became even more upset and began to argue without realizing that his expression was crumbling.

“Why are you making people confused when you told me to meet a Beta? Who am I supposed to meet if you act like this? If Alpha isn’t okay and Beta isn’t okay, who am I supposed to date?! Who am I supposed to kiss?! Are you fishing me?!”

“What?”

“Why do you keep making me expect things! If I told you honestly, shouldn’t you at least show a serious attitude? Even if you’re the type to act like that anywhere, there are things you shouldn’t say to me at least…!”

“I don’t.”

What cut off Lee Yoon-san’s resentful complaints was Hwang Hae-kyung’s firm words. Lee Yoon-san was speechless at that. It felt like the words he was pouring out, intoxicated by resentful emotions, were stuck in his throat. That’s how firm Hwang Hae-kyung’s expression was, and this time, Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t wait for Lee Yoon-san’s words.

“I don’t, me.”

I don’t act like that with just anyone. Hwang Hae-kyung repeated it as if he was really wronged about that, as if he was trying to instill it. And he took a deep breath and exhaled as if trying to calm his breath, which was about to become rough for a moment. His chest, which swelled up and then deflated, caught Lee Yoon-san’s attention. Surprisingly, Hwang Hae-kyung looked quite nervous to Lee Yoon-san right now.

“I’ve never done this except with you.”

The voice, which had become smaller as if confessing, was clearly heard in Lee Yoon-san’s ears. Lee Yoon-san looked at Hwang Hae-kyung’s face with a very nervous expression. He could feel the serious expression and clear gaze lingering on his face. Then, tension rushed from his spine again. No, it was closer to fear. He couldn’t believe this situation where the guy who had disappointed him with the words ‘Meet a Beta’ just an hour or two ago was showing this expression to him, and he started to doubt it.

Then his stomach churned. He was afraid that he would act like this and then say something like, ‘Because you’re a younger brother I’ve known since I was young.’ So he was scared. But on the other hand, he also thought it was fortunate that this moment had come. Because he thought it was an opportunity to settle things.

Yeah, let’s not be scared. I expected the relationship to go wrong anyway. I can’t take back my words now. I knew everything, but I decided to be honest because I wanted to find common ground. So let’s not be scared for no reason.

Lee Yoon-san repeatedly repeated those words in his mind, but he kept rolling his eyes. Because it was difficult to meet the eyes of Hwang Hae-kyung, who was quietly looking at him, or because it was awkward.

“Say it a little further away….”

“Yoon-san-ah.”

“…Why, why.”

“When you were young, I didn’t know why adults loved you.”

Hwang Hae-kyung, who was staring at Lee Yoon-san, leaned his upper body a little more towards Lee Yoon-san and whispered softly. His voice seemed somewhat self-deprecating, or perhaps hollow. What was clear was that it was a voice mixed with a sigh-like laugh, and it sounded tired, or like the confession of a loser.

“…So what.”

So Lee Yoon-san also mustered up a little courage and made a voice. The Hwang Hae-kyung in front of him right now looked like the short Hwang Hae-kyung who was looking up at the tall me, and he also looked like that child who was defeated in arm wrestling and was upset. Even though the expression, physique, and situation were all different, it felt like that, so Lee Yoon-san matched his gaze with Hwang Hae-kyung’s eyes, which he had been avoiding. Then Hwang Hae-kyung looked at his eyes and continued. With a face that seemed very troubled.

“But now I’ve come to know even that.”

I think I know not only why our parents liked you, but also why they love you. What are you going to do now?

Hwang Hae-kyung’s lips were raised as he whispered. His furrowed eyebrows looked troubled, and his raised lips looked like a child admitting defeat in a game of tag.

“Is this enough of an answer?”

Lee Yoon-san unknowingly pulled Hwang Hae-kyung’s arm and kissed him. His hands, covered in sand grains, trembled, and Lee Yoon-san, who closed his eyes tightly with his lips tightly shut, thought that his appearance was quite ridiculous even to himself. But that was it. He couldn’t think beyond that.

The moment he understood what Hwang Hae-kyung had said, all the thoughts he had were evaporated. His heart was pounding and fluttering so much that he just wanted to do something, to the point where it didn’t even matter what kind of conversation they had before. That’s why he forced a clumsy and unromantic kiss.

On the other hand, Hwang Hae-kyung just gave his lips to Lee Yoon-san’s clumsy kiss and stroked Lee Yoon-san’s back with one hand. His lips, which were tightly shut in tension, were still tightly closed, and the sand-covered hands of the twenty-year-old boy who grabbed his arm were trembling. Hwang Hae-kyung’s pulse was also throbbing in his neck, but he tried hard to gather his mind. Because he felt like his Pheromones would leak out if he didn’t.

At the same time, all the situations and Lee Yoon-san’s attitudes that he felt had gone wrong were understood. Hwang Hae-kyung now completely understood that Lee Yoon-san liked him. In other words, he had now realized the name of the emotion. Even the definition of that emotion that he had vaguely guessed and kept until the summer of nineteen, and that he had defensively acted upon himself.

Hwang Hae-kyung was now at a loss for words as to why he had ever thought of Lee Yoon-san as a younger brother. His confusion had started when the Beta’s name came out of Lee Yoon-san’s mouth; the moment Lee Yoon-san called the Beta’s name as if he were calling him, he felt a strong sense of rejection. From that point on, Hwang Hae-kyung couldn’t think of anything else.

He just didn’t like Lee Yoon-san calling someone else affectionately. The child who was so eager to be called Hyung now wanted to be called by his name affectionately by the Lee Yoon-san in front of him. At the same time, he hoped that Lee Yoon-san wouldn’t call anyone else but him.

It was an absurd possessiveness and coercion. He thought so himself. However, once the greed surged, it was like a desire, and it was not easy to stop.

No, why should I stop? Lee Yoon-san says he likes me. So why should I stop? Is there any need to do that? I can just release my Pheromones and soak and devour Lee Yoon-san’s entire body. Then other Alphas won’t dare to approach Lee Yoon-san, who is soaked in my Pheromones, and I can just take care of the Betas myself, like before.

Holding Lee Yoon-san in my arms, soaked in Pheromones and clinging to me, and demanding that he not call anyone else’s name. To gain the right to interfere with this kid, and to prevent anyone else from approaching this kid ever again….

“Hah, hah….”

What cut off Hwang Hae-kyung’s deepening thoughts was Lee Yoon-san’s stifled groan, as if he was out of breath. Lee Yoon-san’s face was as red as a plum, and he kept his eyes tightly shut, groaning as if he was short of breath from just sticking his lips together and holding on. Come to think of it, he couldn’t feel any breath at all. Only then did Hwang Hae-kyung realize that Lee Yoon-san was holding his breath with both his mouth and nose, just sticking his lips to him and holding on. He had been lost in his thoughts and hadn’t noticed.

It was at that moment that a burst of laughter erupted. Hwang Hae-kyung couldn’t hold back his laughter and lowered his head, and Lee Yoon-san looked at him with a bewildered expression. The distance between them was still close, and Lee Yoon-san couldn’t hide the sullen expression on his face as Hwang Hae-kyung’s laughter grew longer.

It was his first kiss. It was the first kiss he had ever had, and he thought it had been quite long, but he felt like he was being ridiculed to his face. He felt ashamed, resentful, and angry. So, whether he knew that Lee Yoon-san was getting colder and colder, Hwang Hae-kyung kept chuckling and couldn’t stop laughing. Lee Yoon-san wanted to grab Hwang Hae-kyung by the collar, but since the distance between them was not enough, he lifted both arms and hugged Hwang Hae-kyung’s neck instead.

Although the distance between them was so close that it looked like he was strangling his neck with both arms. Only then did Hwang Hae-kyung raise his head, and Lee Yoon-san tightened his arms to keep Hwang Hae-kyung from escaping. Hwang Hae-kyung obediently complied and slowly scanned Lee Yoon-san’s face with his eyes. Then, in a voice that still had a hint of laughter, he said.

“What was that just now, Yoon-san?”

“…An expression of affection.”

Lee Yoon-san glared at Hwang Hae-kyung with a sullen expression and deliberately answered in a blunt manner. It was an effort to offset his embarrassment. But his face was too close, so he didn’t look very scary. Hwang Hae-kyung accepted Lee Yoon-san’s gaze as it was, and then, resisting the urge to burst out laughing again, turned his head and brought his lips close. And only when their lips were about to touch did he say in a slightly subdued voice.

“When you express affection, you have to open your lips, bunny.”

“Hah…!”

As soon as Hwang Hae-kyung’s words were finished, warm breath and a warm tongue rushed into his mouth. As soon as Lee Yoon-san released the strength in his lips, he swallowed a breath at the sudden rush of the tongue, and frowned, not knowing what to do with Hwang Hae-kyung’s tongue moving in his mouth. Lee Yoon-san also knows that what he did wasn’t a real kiss.

However, it was just something he did because he wanted to show something with his actions, right after hearing Hwang Hae-kyung’s unbelievable confession. He knows that the way to kiss is to have tongues going back and forth in each other’s mouths, but when Hwang Hae-kyung’s tongue actually entered his mouth, he felt strange.

The tongue that filled his mouth had a higher temperature than his skin, and he was conscious of the buccal mucosa being pressed by the tip of the tongue. And a thrilling excitement rose up. Lee Yoon-san carefully touched Hwang Hae-kyung’s tongue, which was tangled in his mouth. He slightly sucked on the tongue that had entered his mouth and swallowed the saliva that was passing over.

He had never imagined swallowing someone else’s saliva, but Hwang Hae-kyung’s saliva that passed over his throat felt ecstatic. Hwang Hae-kyung held Lee Yoon-san’s neck with one hand to support him, who kept trying to lean back, and twisted his head even more. Then, the lips that had been attached with a very slight gap overlapped more deeply. Lee Yoon-san now pushed his tongue into Hwang Hae-kyung’s mouth as well.

Their high noses kept pressing against their cheeks and cheekbones as they kissed deeply. Lee Yoon-san, who was kissing mindlessly, suddenly became conscious of it and chuckled, but soon tried to drop his head as if he was out of breath. Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t let go, kissing him tenaciously as if trying to steal every last bit of Lee Yoon-san’s breath.

Then, just as Lee Yoon-san, who had been deprived of all his breath, had no choice but to start breathing through his nose, he briefly parted his lips. And he smiled like a rascal. As if telling him to use his nose like that in the future.

“You’re emitting Pheromones.”

Then, suddenly, at the faint, soft scent, Hwang Hae-kyung put the tip of his nose to Lee Yoon-san’s neck. The neck is not an area where Pheromones are directly emitted, but it is an area where the skin is thin and dry, so the scent lingers well. And it was also an unfamiliar area of skinship for Lee Yoon-san, so his body flinched slightly.

“Let’s go home.”

Hwang Hae-kyung buried his head between Lee Yoon-san’s neck and collarbone and took a deep breath. So that he could feel Lee Yoon-san’s scent that had leaked out a little better. And Lee Yoon-san, forgetting that his hands were covered in sand, gently stroked the back of Hwang Hae-kyung’s neck. It was the result of his neck being ticklish and not knowing where to put his eyes and hands.

Hugging was something he often did with his mothers or relatives, but hugging Hwang Hae-kyung at this moment felt completely different. It was definitely firmer, heavier, and bigger. So he felt strange. From some point on, Lee Yoon-san, with his considerable height, had never had the chance to hug someone bigger than him like this.

Of course, Lee Jung-won was slightly taller than Lee Yoon-san, but he didn’t feel this way when he hugged her either. She is now definitely thinner than Lee Yoon-san in terms of build and frame. It was a change he felt because Lee Yoon-san had grown that much.

“…Okay.”

So Lee Yoon-san leaned his cheek against him and answered gently, as if he was holding a large, gentle dog in his arms. Now that he had confirmed his feelings with Hwang Hae-kyung, there was no reason not to go to a place where only the two of them could be.

Lee Yoon-san, who came home in the car driven by Hwang Hae-kyung, went into the bathroom, saying that he would take a shower first. He hadn’t gotten up from the spot after falling, so he had overlooked it, but when he got in the car, he saw that he was in worse shape than he thought.

Not only his clothes, but also his legs, which had touched the sand, were covered in sand, and even though he had shaken his body before getting in the car, sand was still falling off. He couldn’t make a mess of the house, let alone get in the car in this state, so he became impatient.

Hwang Hae-kyung brought waterproof tape to Lee Yoon-san, and Lee Yoon-san, who was already undressed, barely reached out his hand to fumble for the tape. Then, after carefully taping the wound on his foot, he took a shower. Fortunately, the wound from falling on the beach was not large, so he didn’t bother to pay attention to it. It wasn’t bleeding, it was just a thin scratch on his skin.

When he peeked open the door after showering, no one was in sight. Hwang Hae-kyung’s room was on the second floor, so he must have gone up to take a shower. Lee Yoon-san peeked out a little more and looked around, then kept glancing at the second floor as he ran into the room he used. His injured foot was in the way, so he was almost hopping, but he still managed to get into the room safely.

‘Clothes, clothes…!’

Lee Yoon-san squatted in front of the luggage bag containing his clothes and hurriedly looked for his underwear. He had been having fun on the beach until just before he hurt his foot, so the boundary between the tanned area and his bare skin was clear. He hadn’t had to pay attention to his body until now, so he had just thought it was okay, but after facing that appearance again while showering, covering his body was his priority.

Apart from his skin tone, he didn’t want Hwang Hae-kyung to see his current body. His arms, as well as his thighs right below his buttocks, were tanned chocolate color, while the areas above that, which were covered by clothes, were milky, which was very strange. When he thought of Hwang Hae-kyung’s skin, which was so pale that it seemed pale because it wasn’t tanned at all, it was even more so. So Lee Yoon-san was focused on finding clothes to wear in his luggage, and he was horrified by the knock that came as soon as he found a short-sleeved boxy T-shirt and put it on.

“Wait a minute!”

He hurriedly put on the T-shirt and headed for the door while putting on the pants he grabbed, but his body tilted as he walked while threading his legs through the pants. Fortunately, he didn’t fall because he slammed the floor with his other foot, but it was a dangerous moment. But he was so embarrassed that he didn’t even feel the pain in his foot at that moment. And as he finished pulling up his pants and tried to grab the doorknob, the door opened unexpectedly.

“Are you okay?”

There was a loud noise just now. Standing at the door was, of course, Hwang Hae-kyung with his hair half wet. He looked more comfortable, as if he had showered on the second floor and changed into comfortable clothes. Lee Yoon-san looked at Hwang Hae-kyung with a mixed expression of bewilderment and tension, and awkwardly answered, ‘Uh, uh.’ At the same time, he awkwardly grabbed the band of his pants and pulled them up properly. But Hwang Hae-kyung had already noticed that the skin color of Lee Yoon-san’s pelvis and the skin color of his legs, which were exposed for a long time below it, were clearly different before Lee Yoon-san’s pants were completely pulled up.

“You hurt your foot. Be careful.”

“Uh….”

“You need to apply medicine.”

It was Hwang Hae-kyung who avoided his gaze first. Hwang Hae-kyung washed his face to hide his slightly complicated expression and turned his gaze to the room, but he was embarrassed because he couldn’t hide his reddened ears. Lee Yoon-san blankly stared at Hwang Hae-kyung, then made way at the words to apply medicine, and Hwang Hae-kyung grabbed his arm and led him to the bed as he entered the room.

Hwang Hae-kyung removed the waterproof tape as he had done in the morning, then looked at Lee Yoon-san’s foot wound and wrapped an elastic bandage around it. In the meantime, Hwang Hae-kyung’s hand holding his calf was so big and warm that he couldn’t take his eyes off it. For Lee Yoon-san, who was twenty years old, this situation was very awkward and strange. The fact that he was sitting on the bed and Hwang Hae-kyung was sitting on the floor, which changed the height of their gazes, or the atmosphere and tension that had changed so clearly even though it was the same situation as in the morning.

Hwang Hae-kyung had changed his bandage in the morning, but he hadn’t held his calf like this. Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t put the medicine bag on his thigh like he did now, and the hand that was wrapping the bandage was much more careful. In the morning, he felt like he was only focused on Lee Yoon-san’s foot wound, but this time, he was careful as if he was focused on Lee Yoon-san himself. As if he was worried that Lee Yoon-san would be uncomfortable if he wrapped the elastic bandage too tightly.

It was a very ticklish feeling, so Lee Yoon-san scratched his neck for no reason. He couldn’t calm down the feeling of his face burning. Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t raise his head because he was checking the bandage wrapped around his foot, but strangely, the atmosphere seemed to be getting more and more tense.

No, at least Lee Yoon-san was definitely feeling a subtle tension. That’s why he was conscious of even the position and movement of his hands. He wanted to move his hands because his palms felt ticklish, but he hesitated because he thought he would be caught being awkward. So Lee Yoon-san chose to grab something instead.

“Give me the medicine bag. I’ll organize it.”

“You don’t have to.”

“You put it here in the morning.”

Hwang Hae-kyung raised his head at Lee Yoon-san’s voice, who was smiling for no reason and speaking as if nothing was wrong. And the moment their eyes met, Hwang Hae-kyung opened his mouth.

“If I sit here, I can see your thighs.”

“……”

“That’s why I put it there. I felt guilty.”

At Hwang Hae-kyung’s confession as if he was speaking frankly, Lee Yoon-san’s face flared up once again. His reddish cheeks and frozen, widened eyes were worth seeing. Hwang Hae-kyung stared at Lee Yoon-san’s face, then lowered his gaze slightly and fixed his gaze on Lee Yoon-san’s thigh, which had nothing on it.

This time, he was wearing comfortable and short shorts that are commonly worn as beachwear, and the hem of his pants was slightly raised because he was sitting carelessly. The height of the bed was high enough, but Lee Yoon-san’s height was by no means small, so his skin was slightly visible inside the hem of his pants that was hanging down. The deep skin with shadows was the same chocolate color as his legs. That must mean he tanned up to there. That means he was exposed up to there. The pelvis I saw earlier was white.

Meanwhile, Lee Yoon-san quietly stared at Hwang Hae-kyung’s face, who was looking at his thigh. The way the masseter muscle of his jaw was moving as if it was tightly clenched came into his view as it was. So Lee Yoon-san opened his mouth without realizing it. It seemed that he was not the only one feeling this strangely stiff and tense atmosphere.

“Are you… feeling that way now?”

“No, right now.”

Hwang Hae-kyung, who was answering Lee Yoon-san’s question, stopped talking as if his throat was dry for a moment. Then, he pushed up the hand that was holding Lee Yoon-san’s calf and grabbed his knee. Hwang Hae-kyung, who seemed unable to get his voice to come out as he wanted, smiled with a troubled face and said self-deprecatingly.

“I’m so pathetic until now.”

“What?”

“You probably don’t know how much I’m begging you in my heart right now.”

How nervous I am that you might even allow me to get on your bed. Because I don’t think I can stand it then. Hwang Hae-kyung said that in a slightly tired and self-deprecating voice and buried his forehead in Lee Yoon-san’s knee. Then his broad shoulders drooped, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s hand that had been holding Lee Yoon-san’s knee came into his hollow and wrapped around his skin.

It was a feeling that was both warm and tense. At the same time, he realized why Hwang Hae-kyung had bothered to sit on the floor and wrap a bandage around his foot. He wanted to avoid the ‘bed seat’ as much as possible. Because they had kissed just an hour ago.

Lee Yoon-san didn’t ask Hwang Hae-kyung the stupid question of what he was holding back. Lee Yoon-san was also a man and had spent his teens having curiosity about the opposite sex, so he knew that what Hwang Hae-kyung was holding back was sexual impulse. It was the same for him right now. He was barely managing to keep his mind and prevent Pheromones from leaking out, but he couldn’t guarantee what would happen if this atmosphere continued any longer.

“Why are you holding back?”

Still, he couldn’t help but be curious. So Lee Yoon-san asked, and he heard Hwang Hae-kyung’s laughter with a sigh from his knee. Then he raised his head and looked at Lee Yoon-san, and smiled with a troubled expression at Lee Yoon-san’s expression, which was only clear without any other intentions. It was a question that was obviously asked because he was truly curious, not because he had any other intentions. Hwang Hae-kyung liked Lee Yoon-san’s attitude because it was simple, but he was also somewhat disappointed. And this disappointment was definitely a feeling he had felt in the past. Definitely in those days when he was contacting Lee Yoon-san.

Wow, I was really stupid. Hwang Hae-kyung once again self-deprecated at the familiar déjà vu.

“Because I don’t know if I’m safe for you, not yet.”

“Does that mean you’re dangerous to me? We’re adults now?”

“I’ve learned how to handle Pheromones, but they haven’t disappeared.”

Lee Yoon-san looked puzzled at Hwang Hae-kyung’s answer, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of explaining further, so he nodded roughly. Hwang Hae-kyung is sensitive to Pheromones, so it wasn’t an incomprehensible thing to say.

Because the conversation was cut off at an awkward timing, Lee Yoon-san, who was just staring at Hwang Hae-kyung’s face, slowly lowered his gaze. The gaze that had been meeting his eyes roamed around his comfortably disheveled hair, then passed over his eyes and nose, passed over his jaw where the masseter muscle stood out, and finally reached his lips.

Hwang Hae-kyung left Lee Yoon-san’s slow gaze that was scanning his face as it was and focused on releasing the strength that was about to go into his hand. Otherwise, he felt like he would lie down and get on top of Lee Yoon-san right away. But Lee Yoon-san didn’t seem to want to help Hwang Hae-kyung’s efforts.

“…But I had my first kiss earlier.”

“Me too.”

“Then….”

Then, do you want to try again?

The last words were almost a whisper, but they were enough to break Hwang Hae-kyung’s patience. He instantly changed his expression and pulled Lee Yoon-san down. He sat Lee Yoon-san facing him on his lap, turned his head, and pressed his lips together. Their touching lips were warm, and their front teeth bumped together in their haste.

Lee Yoon-san was too dazed to notice, but it was an incredibly clumsy kiss.

It was different from what happened on the beach. Hwang Hae-kyung wasn’t this flustered back then. Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t give Lee Yoon-san any chance to do anything, focusing solely on kissing him. His hazel eyes were half-lowered, his pupils hidden by his eyelids, and his prominent nose pressed firmly against Lee Yoon-san’s soft cheek.

Lee Yoon-san awkwardly moved his tongue in response to Hwang Hae-kyung’s kiss, then suddenly lifted his eyes and tried to steal a glance at his face. But the hazel eyes he met were so unfamiliar that he squeezed his eyes shut as if burned.

In the bright indoor light, Hwang Hae-kyung’s light eyes, which he had briefly met, looked just like a cat’s. The jet-black pupils contrasting with the bright hazel irises were a little strange, and the feeling of being watched by those lowered eyes made his fine hairs stand on end. Even though Hwang Hae-kyung hadn’t particularly released any Pheromone, it was an almost dizzying stimulation. Those eyes he had briefly met.

Thanks to that, Pheromone leaked from Lee Yoon-san’s body.

“Hng, mph…!”

Lee Yoon-san, as if the reins he was barely holding onto had slipped, tried to pull away and recover from the leaking Pheromone, but Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t let him go. He wrapped his hand around the back of Lee Yoon-san’s neck, preventing him from escaping, and then licked the inner membrane of his mouth with his tongue. As a result, one side of Lee Yoon-san’s cheek briefly bulged and then deflated, a sensation that was very unfamiliar and dizzying.

It was unfamiliar to give his entire mouth, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s tongue occupying his mouth felt like an excessive stimulation. The escape route was blocked, and the blocked breath leaked out through his nose as if it were being released. Then, as if he had done well again, Hwang Hae-kyung tapped Lee Yoon-san’s thigh twice.

The kiss didn’t end easily, and whenever Lee Yoon-san tried to pull his head back or twist it to the side with all his might, Hwang Hae-kyung’s head followed. He frowned slightly as if he didn’t like their lips separating even for a moment, and was quick to lock their lips together.

So this time, Lee Yoon-san didn’t give in and pushed his tongue into his mouth. He rubbed the tip of his tongue against his, and swallowed the saliva that came over. The sound that came from the quiet room was unbelievably stimulating, and Lee Yoon-san unknowingly moved his body forward a little more. He didn’t even realize that his legs were spreading wider because he was sitting facing him on Hwang Hae-kyung’s lap.

Then, the hand that had been tapping Lee Yoon-san’s thigh now gripped it. As he slid his palm up while holding it tightly, Lee Yoon-san’s eyes, which had been lost in the kiss, widened. Breathing through his nose, the bridge of their noses constantly pressing against their cheeks, and the tongue stirring up a storm in his mouth all stole Lee Yoon-san’s attention, and a new stimulation rushed in.

Hwang Hae-kyung slipped his hand inside Lee Yoon-san’s shorts and then pulled his lips away. Lee Yoon-san, who had finally secured a moment to breathe, gasped, and in the meantime, Hwang Hae-kyung lightly sucked on Lee Yoon-san’s wet lips to take away the saliva on them and lowered his gaze. His gaze was directed at his thigh, where his shorts had been pushed up a lot. Lee Yoon-san’s shorts were already raised enough to reveal the hem of the Drawers he was wearing.

“…Up to here, Black Rabbit is right.”

At Hwang Hae-kyung’s words, which lacked any hint of laughter, Lee Yoon-san swallowed nervously with a tense expression. It was difficult to immediately grasp the meaning of what Hwang Hae-kyung was saying, but he was embarrassed by the sudden change of topic after kissing him so aggressively.

But Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions didn’t stop there. He pushed the tip of his finger a little inside the hem of Lee Yoon-san’s Drawers. And when he lifted it up very slightly, the skin from a deeper place was revealed under Lee Yoon-san’s Drawers, which were clinging to him like a swimsuit. It was a secret area close to the pelvis, but fortunately, it wasn’t the inside of his thigh. So Lee Yoon-san could only watch his expression without responding in any way to Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions. He was curious as to why Hwang Hae-kyung was suddenly doing this.

Hwang Hae-kyung, who had confirmed the secret skin hidden under Lee Yoon-san’s Drawers, laughed as if in disbelief. The inner skin revealed by lifting the Drawers slightly was clearly lighter.

Even if the elasticity and softness of the thigh held in his hand were taken into account, wasn’t this really cheating? He just looked like an innocent and healthy summer boy, wandering around the sandy beach like a black rabbit, but he had such a distinctly different skin hidden inside.

“Actually, you were a White Rabbit?”

“Ugh, wa, wait a minute…!”

Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice, as if admiring, was slightly hoarse. Only then did Lee Yoon-san realize where Hwang Hae-kyung was staring and grabbed his wrist a beat late. And he spoke in a hurried voice. The moment he heard the word “White Rabbit” that Hwang Hae-kyung was saying, he realized what he meant.

Strictly speaking, even the inner skin wasn’t as pale as Hwang Hae-kyung’s, but the boundary with the skin that was exposed was clear and distinct. It was the moment when Hwang Hae-kyung discovered the appearance that he had thought to hide well while showering.

Lee Yoon-san, his face flushed red as if about to explode with embarrassment, mortification, and shame, tried to get up from Hwang Hae-kyung’s lap. At that moment, he couldn’t think of anything else and pushed Hwang Hae-kyung away with all his strength, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s hand reflexively put in a lot of strength and then released it. He took away the force he was trying to use to force him. Thanks to that, Lee Yoon-san was able to get out of Hwang Hae-kyung’s arms with the reaction, but it was impossible to get completely away.

Because he only succeeded in getting off Hwang Hae-kyung’s lap thanks to his hurried and clumsy movements. Rather, Lee Yoon-san ended up sitting with his legs spread between Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting in front of him, and the bed behind him.

Hwang Hae-kyung was just looking at Lee Yoon-san, his gaze lingering on Lee Yoon-san’s thighs before rising to his face. Because he was awkwardly stuck between Hwang Hae-kyung and the bed, Lee Yoon-san’s folded legs came into Hwang Hae-kyung’s view as they were. Lee Yoon-san’s long legs seemed unrelated to the honey-colored skin that Hwang Hae-kyung had just glimpsed. As if pretending not to know about that intimate inner skin.

Hwang Hae-kyung felt the urge to undress Lee Yoon-san right away. If he kissed him again and released just a little Pheromone, it wouldn’t be difficult to undress Lee Yoon-san. Then it would be easy to check all the hidden inner skin under those defenseless and loose clothes. He would be able to know how much was tanned by exposure to the sun, and how much was honey-colored skin that contained all the hidden traces. That is, if he released Pheromone and fully stimulated Lee Yoon-san’s sensitivity.

“Yoon-san.”

“Uh, uh… why does your expression look like that…”

But that’s something he shouldn’t do carelessly. Hwang Hae-kyung knows very well that he shouldn’t raise the other person’s sensitivity with Pheromone and make them horny. Especially not to Lee Yoon-san. Not because he’s an Omega and injured, but because he’s someone he likes. A reaction drawn out by unilateral Pheromone cannot be called mutual exchange.

“Is there anyone who knows that the color of your skin is different here?”

“No, uh, no. I didn’t take off all my clothes even at the beach, so how would they, no, more than that, if you suddenly do that, this, I applied sunscreen well, no, ah… but my skin is kind of blotchy…”

“So I’m the only one who knows.”

“Huh…?”

Confused by the situation, Lee Yoon-san, who was starting to react a beat late again, hurriedly blurted out rambling words. And what stopped those words was Hwang Hae-kyung. Hwang Hae-kyung grabbed Lee Yoon-san’s cheeks, who was busy rolling his eyes around and spouting meaningless words without even making eye contact, and made him look at him.

He made eye contact with Lee Yoon-san at a very close distance and said as if confirming, and Lee Yoon-san dazedly asked back and then closed his mouth. He tilted his head with a frown, confused as to what his intentions were, and when he nodded slightly, Hwang Hae-kyung’s eyes, which had been frighteningly expressionless until now, curved and created a smile. And he opened his mouth in a slightly softer voice.

“Let me be the only one who knows in the future.”

“Let me know?”

Lee Yoon-san, frowning, asked back as if he had heard something very strange at Hwang Hae-kyung’s commanding words. As if he had become a different person from the one who had been rambling and spouting random words until just now, as if Hwang Hae-kyung’s tone was absurd.

It wasn’t a prickly or arrogant expression. It was just an expression close to ‘Is what I heard right?’ It was an expression close to pure question, as if he had never even imagined hearing commanding words from Hwang Hae-kyung.

“Please let me be the only one who knows.”

“Please?”

But that’s why it was even more effective. The fact that he didn’t understand the situation itself at all, rather than understanding and rebelling, seemed to indicate the attitude of those around him towards Lee Yoon-san. Well, Lee Yoon-san had only received love since he was young. It wasn’t just his friends or me, but adults always loved and adored Lee Yoon-san. Regardless of whether they liked or disliked Lee Yoon-san, even Hwang Hae-kyung, who was young, took the phenomenon itself for granted.

Therefore, Hwang Hae-kyung immediately backed down at Lee Yoon-san’s reaction. This time, it was a request that was lowered even further from the commanding tone. But Lee Yoon-san still didn’t understand even that, and asked back without relaxing his furrowed eyebrows. This time, it wasn’t a positive meaning like before, and this time, playfulness seemed to stand out. Hwang Hae-kyung, who smiled awkwardly, changed his tone completely and changed his words.

“Please let me know.”

Because I want to be the only one who knows your hidden skin color. I’m going to ask you politely.

Hwang Hae-kyung playfully said as if he had become a gentleman from a foreign country and released Lee Yoon-san’s cheeks. He seemed to be taking a polite attitude befitting the request of a gentleman, but his expression, which reminded him of when he was young, was also full of playfulness.

Lee Yoon-san now didn’t avoid Hwang Hae-kyung’s eyes or turn his gaze away even without the hand that had been holding his cheeks. Fortunately, Hwang Hae-kyung’s words this time seemed to be the right answer.

Because the rabbit, who is picky about attitude and tone, finally nodded.

The atmosphere that had been heated up by kisses and inner skin also subsided a bit. Hwang Hae-kyung leaned his forehead on Lee Yoon-san’s shoulder as if his excitement hadn’t subsided much and was silent for a while, but when he raised his head, he had a fairly simple expression. Lee Yoon-san was the same. Just a moment ago, he had been kissing, his thighs had been touched, he had been very nervous, and even Pheromone had leaked, but he had calmed down a bit after Hwang Hae-kyung corrected his tone.

Above all, it didn’t seem right to do this on the first day they confirmed each other’s feelings. In fact, Lee Yoon-san still couldn’t believe even the two deep and intense kisses they had shared. Especially since the second kissing place was Hwang Hae-kyung’s house, he felt like he had done something bad that he shouldn’t have done. He did something that adults do with a kid he’s known since he was young. It was obvious, but it was unfamiliar and new.

He only kissed and confirmed his feelings, but he felt like this, so he couldn’t imagine what would happen if he did more than that. Above all, he didn’t know how to treat Hwang Hae-kyung, who had become a little calmer. He was definitely in a good mood and excited, but he hesitated to open his mouth. He was afraid that he might make a mistake if he said anything carelessly. He was afraid that his embarrassment and awkwardness would show.

Lee Yoon-san knows very well that he tends to say anything when he’s nervous or awkward.

“That…”

Nevertheless, he was conscious of the atmosphere where no words were exchanged, so he ended up opening his mouth. Lee Yoon-san stopped talking for a moment and looked at Hwang Hae-kyung. He had stopped trying to ask what kind of relationship they had become. He was going to bring it up because he thought it would be good to make something clear, but when he thought about it again, it seemed like a very old-fashioned question.

He saw on WatTube Shorts that foreign countries don’t do this. And actually, I don’t really understand why I’m asking this? Isn’t it natural to become a couple because we confirmed each other’s feelings and even kissed? Would they think I’m the type to celebrate anniversaries if I ask what we are in this state? I haven’t thought about that.

Lee Yoon-san tried to suppress the questions that were rising in his head and looked at Hwang Hae-kyung’s face. Hwang Hae-kyung was still looking at Lee Yoon-san while slowly touching his chin, and he had an expression that seemed to be thinking a lot.

On the one hand, it looked like the expression Shin Soo-hyun often had. Shin Soo-hyun often looked at Lee Yoon-san and said, “What should I do with this?” and made a similar expression.

“Hae-kyung, you know the day we went camping in Jeju Island for the last time during summer vacation.”

So Lee Yoon-san decided to just have a different conversation. Since they had already confirmed each other’s feelings, he didn’t want to bring up an awkward topic and give the impression that he was old-fashioned or childish. He didn’t want to give Hwang Hae-kyung, who kept trying to act like an older Hyung, the feeling that he was a kid. That experience was enough with the first kiss they shared today.

Above all, Hwang Hae-kyung asked him not to show his untanned skin to anyone, didn’t he? That was proof that Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions weren’t ambiguous at all.

“The day we were taken to the emergency room?”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s right. That day.”

Hwang Hae-kyung replied without taking his eyes off Lee Yoon-san’s words. Come to think of it, the memory of the last camping trip was also in Jeju Island.

“Why did you say thank you to me that day?”

It wasn’t that he had always been curious. But he often thought about it. The moment when Hwang Hae-kyung, who didn’t play with him well and showed that he didn’t like him, came to him that day and thanked him. In fact, it was mostly Lee Yoon-san’s fault that Hwang Hae-kyung fell into the sea that day. So there was no reason to be thankful, but Hwang Hae-kyung said a kind word to Lee Yoon-san for the first time, and Lee Yoon-san found some hope in that one word and wanted to play with Hwang Hae-kyung more. It was a night that was remembered as impressive in many ways.

“Just.”

“Just?”

“Because it felt like you were the reason.”

Hwang Hae-kyung said calmly, rubbing the fingers that wrapped around Lee Yoon-san’s kneecap a little. And Lee Yoon-san felt a little better at Hwang Hae-kyung’s immediate answer. It wasn’t just him who had kept that night’s greeting impressed. It was as if Hwang Hae-kyung was recalling and telling him the feelings of that time without saying a careless answer like, ‘I don’t know, I don’t remember because I was young.’

“I wanted to stop going to shoots. But my parents seemed to like me dressing up and being photographed.”

“Ah…”

But he knew it wasn’t anymore. Hwang Hae-kyung said that and smiled, then released Lee Yoon-san’s knee. And he hugged the body in front of him. Lee Yoon-san’s body, which looked like a well-tanned summer boy to others.

“I thought I wouldn’t have to do shoots if I got hurt, but I’m scared to hurt myself. But since your parents like you, I thought they wouldn’t scold you for the wounds you made and would let me stop shooting.”

“…So that’s why.”

Lee Yoon-san’s voice came out a little awkwardly because the arms that were hugging him were wide. The reality that Hwang Hae-kyung, who was much smaller and sharper than him, had grown this much and was hugging him and making a kind voice was a little funny and surprising.

“Thinking about it now, that was the beginning. That you were my reason.”

Hwang Hae-kyung said, hugging Lee Yoon-san’s body tightly once and then letting go. Lee Yoon-san couldn’t take his eyes off him because it was the first time he had seen Hwang Hae-kyung’s ears reddened as if he had said embarrassing words and his expression smiling a little shyly.

Hwang Hae-kyung checked the time, sat Lee Yoon-san on the bed, and headed for the door. He was holding all the messy medicine packets and bandages in his hand. As if, of course, he would be the one to change the bandages next time.

“It’s late, so go to sleep first. Good night, Lee Yoon-san.”

“…Where are you sleeping? Second floor?”

“Living room on the first floor. I’ll be there if you open the door.”

“Why?”

Hwang Hae-kyung frowned and smiled as if he didn’t know the reason for Lee Yoon-san’s question, which added awkwardness and anticipation. Lee Yoon-san felt even more awkward. It felt like he was Hwang Hae-kyung’s reason again.

Continued in Volume 3

Footnotes

Libero: A defensive specialist position in volleyball. A defender without the right to attack.

Pass Feint: A setter’s open attack. A method in which the setter attacks directly.

Service Ace: Scoring with a serve.

Quick Open: A quick attack from a long distance.