By Zephyria Even when Lee Do-hyeon impulsively stepped into the convenience store he’d absentmindedly glanced at on his way home from work, he never expected to set foot in Ryu Jeong’s house again. At most, he thought he’d just drop off the packaged food, exchange a few polite greetings, and be done with it. He certainly never imagined he’d be smelling that musty, moldy odor he thought he’d never encounter again.
Sometimes their shoulders would brush as they walked side by side, their fingertips nearly touching as they swung their arms. Other times, when they passed through narrow alleys that barely had enough room, he’d secretly steal glances at Ryu Jeong’s back as he confidently walked ahead. That’s how they arrived at Ryu Jeong’s house. The sight he’d seen in the early morning wouldn’t be any different at night, but Lee Do-hyeon, entering the empty room and looking around the illuminated interior, frowned at the feeling that the condition had worsened in the meantime.
The problem was the ceiling light. It wasn’t just that he had to pull a string hanging down from the ceiling instead of pressing a wall switch to turn it on, but also that the light, which should have spread evenly throughout the room, barely illuminated the area around the fluorescent lamp. Under the dim shadows, he could hear a strange noise, whether it was a mechanical sound or the sound of electricity flowing, a crackling sound.
Lee Do-hyeon, who had been looking up at the ceiling with only a long fluorescent lamp attached without a cover, relaxed his expression as if nothing had happened when he saw Ryu Jeong entering the room. He had left Do Hwon in the room while he went to the kitchen for a moment. Ryu Jeong, returning with an awkward expression, carefully held out what he had in his hand.
“I, uh, haven’t been grocery shopping yet. This is all I have to drink…”
Lee Do-hyeon’s eyes widened unexpectedly at the familiar labeling. He accepted it absentmindedly, but couldn’t bring himself to drink it right away. He looked at Ryu Jeong as if asking what was going on, and Ryu Jeong, flustered and unsure of what to do, replied.
“You gave it to me at the store before.”
“Ah, that one. You didn’t drink it back then?”
“Ah…”
Ryu Jeong, looking like he was wondering if he should say it, whispered cautiously.
“Actually, I don’t really like it…”
“Well, it does have a strong preference.”
Lee Do-hyeon smiled lightly, as if he had expected it, making Ryu Jeong’s long deliberation in front of the refrigerator, wondering if he would be offended, seem pointless. Ryu Jeong’s eyes widened.
“You’re not upset…?”
“Should I be? Shouldn’t Ryu Jeong be the one who’s upset?”
“Why would I be?”
“Because I gave you something you don’t even like twice? It must have felt like I was getting rid of leftovers.”
Ryu Jeong hurriedly shook his head. Leftovers? The intention was clearly goodwill, and he couldn’t let it be interpreted that way.
“No, it’s not like that. Sometimes customers buy us drinks like this as a thank you for our hard work. It’s not like President gave me an empty can that he drank from…”
“There are people like that?”
The moment other people came out of Ryu Jeong’s mouth, Do Hwon narrowed his eyes for a moment. Of course, he quickly returned to his usual expression, so Ryu Jeong, who was briefly looking elsewhere, didn’t notice.
“Ah, just once. But that person had a lot to drink… I don’t think he did it on purpose.”
Whether he was drunk or not, he was treated that way. He didn’t know why he was defending such a bastard, but Ryu Jeong, the person involved, seemed to think it was nothing, so he didn’t bother pointing it out.
“Then what did you do with the one I left the first day? Did you throw it away?”
“No. I drank that one.”
“Even though you don’t like it.”
“But I already opened it… It would be a waste to throw it away.”
“You must have had a hard time forcing yourself to eat something you didn’t like. I’m sorry.”
Would the same “it’s okay” words come out again? Do Hwon poured out his words without giving Ryu Jeong a chance to speak.
“I only needed one, but you insisted on giving me another one. So I just gave it to you to drink, but I was just being nosy. It must have been embarrassing to receive something you don’t even like twice.”
“But I drank one…”
“It’s a good thing you only drank one. It must have tasted terrible.”
He had been responding to other words, whether positively or negatively, but this time he couldn’t bring himself to refute it. It was true that it tasted bad. Seeing him just moving his lips, Do Hwon chuckled as if he knew what he was thinking.
“In the end, I’m the one who’s going to drink it.”
“President… do you like Black tea drink?”
“Yes. I went to graduate school in the United States, and my roommate was British. I didn’t like it at first either. But I ended up liking it because I ate everything he gave me.”
America… wow. Even if he had just traveled there, the reaction would have been similar, but Ryu Jeong was silently impressed that he had gone all the way to the distant country of America to study. As expected, since it’s a foreign country, his roommate is a foreigner. Ryu Jeong looked at Lee Do-hyeon with renewed admiration. Do Hwon, who didn’t realize why he was doing that this time, was about to ask Ryu Jeong what kind of drink he liked.
A rumbling sound came from Ryu Jeong’s stomach. Ryu Jeong’s face instantly turned bright red at the loud noise that no one could have missed. Unable to even look at Lee Do-hyeon, he lowered his gaze and busily covered his stomach with his hands. Lee Do-hyeon, looking at Ryu Jeong with a slightly surprised expression, swallowed his laughter and opened the plastic bag.
“I made you talk so much that you couldn’t even eat. If you haven’t had dinner yet, it’s natural to be hungry. Shall we sit down?”
Since there wasn’t really a dining table, he unfolded a small dining table that was placed next to the closet. Since he had only packed enough for one person from the beginning, the food was naturally placed in front of Ryu Jeong. Ryu Jeong, flustered that he had come all the way to his house and was eating alone, was fidgeting as if he was sitting on pins and needles.
“Aren’t you going to eat, President…?”
“I’m okay. I ate a lot for lunch, so I’m not hungry.”
Lee Do-hyeon even tore open the wooden chopsticks and handed them to him, telling him to eat quickly since he was worried about him. It was true that he had eaten a lot for lunch, but he didn’t say that he didn’t really like fried food like this. If he did, Ryu Jeong would be too grateful to eat properly.
Still, Ryu Jeong didn’t seem to like eating alone, so he was just picking at his food. But that was only for a moment. As you could guess from the thunderous sound, Ryu Jeong was really hungry. The slow hand movements, which had been slow because he was being mindful of others, gradually picked up speed.
“Is it good?”
There are some people whose eating habits make you think they’re disgusting, but Ryu Jeong was not like that at all. He opened his small lips wide to bite into the meat, and even with his mouth full of food, he chewed without opening his mouth, just like a squirrel. Do Hwon took only one sip of the Black tea drink, and then didn’t even look at it, as if he had forgotten its existence, and only looked at Ryu Jeong.
“…Yes. It’s really good.”
Ryu Jeong hurriedly swallowed what was in his mouth after the question flew in while he was still chewing, and then covered his mouth with his hand, just in case, and nodded. Not satisfied with just watching him eat, Do Hwon casually smiled and brought the can to his lips only after hearing his answer.
“It makes me feel good to see you eating so well.”
“You feel good, President…?”
“Yes. There’s a saying, ‘I’m full just by looking at you.’ I feel full just because Ryu Jeong is eating so deliciously.”
Cough. Ryu Jeong, who was caught off guard by those words, coughed and coughed. Lee Do-hyeon, surprised, quickly put down the can and opened the lid of the water bottle. Ryu Jeong thanked him with a nod and calmed his surprised stomach, while Lee Do-hyeon briefly paid attention to his legs, which were uncomfortable from sitting cross-legged. He hated things that were uncomfortable and stuffy, but he was surprised that he was only now feeling uncomfortable in a space that met both of those conditions.
Ryu Jeong, whose face was red from coughing so loudly, looked at Lee Do-hyeon as soon as he calmed down a little. He read the reason why he came to see him in his conversation with Do Hwon a little while ago. It could be his delusion or meddling, but Ryu Jeong carefully opened his mouth with a feeling that it was neither.
“But President…”
“Yes.”
“Did something happen to you today?”
The smile instantly disappeared from Lee Do-hyeon’s face, which had been faintly smiling. He chuckled softly, but fortunately, he didn’t seem angry.
“People often tell Ryu Jeong that he’s quick-witted, right?”
“Ah, no. I get scolded a lot for not being quick-witted…”
“That’s strange. I was surprised because you just hit the nail on the head.”
He was surprised. Do Hwon frowned slightly, wondering if he had given any room for such a thought. Then he suddenly looked at Ryu Jeong’s face, and he looked like he wanted him to tell him what had happened. This. He should have just said that nothing happened. With a slight sense of embarrassment, Do Hwon chuckled as if he couldn’t help it.
“It’s not that something happened, but, um… sometimes there are days like that when you’re living, right? When you’re tired and sentimental.”
Sentimental… Ryu Jeong’s eyes shook slightly at the expression he didn’t know what it meant. Do Hwon, who unintentionally reflected on his day today, didn’t notice Ryu Jeong as he struggled to shake off the strong urge to smoke that was rising from his gut.
He had known for a long time that his nickname was ‘son of a bitch,’ which is the most common of the insults that belittle others. It was a nickname that had gradually taken root while he was cleaning up the excrement that Lee Kang-sun, Kim Mi-hee, and Lee Gyu-hyeon had left behind.
He didn’t care if they talked behind his back about such a nickname, but Kim, the old congressman, was so frivolous that he wagged his mouth in front of him, and he ended up hearing it directly without even having time to cover his ears. Hearing it was nothing more than an exaggeration. But what should I say? He felt like shit.
He wasn’t young enough to grab someone and complain about something bad that had happened, and above all, he had no intention of telling Ryu Jeong, who was much younger than him. Aside from the fact that it was an inappropriate behavior for his age, he didn’t want Ryu Jeong to know what kind of existence he was at home, what kind of work he did, and what kind of treatment he received. The expectations that were overflowing in the eyes that were looking at him at this moment would all be gone.
Lee Do-hyeon skillfully disguised his expression, which was constantly hardening, and placed his arms on the low dining table. As he leaned his upper body with his forearms as a support, he noticed Ryu Jeong flinching at the close distance.
“You know, right?”
“What…”
The pupils that had been staring straight into his round eyes moved to Ryu Jeong’s nose, lips, and then back to his eyes.
“That I’m an Alpha.”
There was no need to hesitate. Ryu Jeong carefully nodded. Do Hwon also nodded lightly, as if he knew it.
Ryu Jeong, who had neatly placed his chopsticks down, put his hands under the dining table and clasped them together as if he was praying. He thought about it for a moment, wondering if he should say it, and met Do Hwon’s eyes, who was silently watching him as if he was waiting for him. Looking at his reflection in his dark eyes, he felt like he was plunging into the sea, even though he had never been there before.
“I didn’t know from the first time I saw you.”
“Then when did you know?”
“I’m an extreme heat, so I can’t really feel other people’s pheromones…”
“Yes.”
“So, when I first saw you, I thought you were wearing a nice perfume… I knew it that day.”
“That day?”
“That…”
Ryu Jeong, who had been answering the questions well so far, closed his lips as if he was embarrassed this time. But Lee Do-hyeon immediately realized what Ryu Jeong was referring to without having to listen to the explanation. It was the day he threatened the heat Alpha who was trying to attack him without knowing his place with pheromones.
“You’re a dominant Alpha, right?”
Ryu Jeong asked cautiously. The drunkard who was causing a ruckus that day was a heat, so his pheromones ended up being minimal, but Lee Do-hyeon’s pheromones, which overwhelmingly suppressed it, were too strong to be considered those of a normal Alpha. If it had been directed at him instead of the drunkard, he might have been crushed to death by something invisible. It was a little scary at the time, but because he knew that he wasn’t the target of the attack, he didn’t hate or fear Do Hwon, even though it was a little difficult to deal with him.
“Yes.”
“I thought so…”
Lee Do-hyeon, who seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, raised his gaze.
“If you can’t feel pheromones well, do you still not know now?”
Now? Ryu Jeong, who was looking at Do Hwon with a puzzled expression, pursed his lips. Just a moment ago, it was just the familiar smell of home, but now he could clearly feel the pheromones that made him feel good just by brushing the tip of his nose, even though they were faint.
Do Hwon, nodding as if he understood his honest reaction, withdrew the pheromones he had released for a moment. Ryu Jeong, who had been chasing the pheromones by taking a deep breath, pulled his head back as if he was disappointed. His white face was flushed, and his clear eyes were blurred. If he couldn’t feel it at all, he wouldn’t have any reaction like Betas, but if he felt it even a little, he had to be careful.
“It seems like you can’t not feel it at all.”
“Uh… yes. But I knew because you told me.”
“What kind of scent is it?”
What? Ryu Jeong closed and opened his eyes at the continuous questions. As his slightly blurred vision cleared, he saw Do Hwon’s face, which looked quite interesting.
“My pheromones. I’ve heard it from people around me, but I was wondering if Ryu Jeong thought so too.”
As Ryu Jeong felt, Do Hwon was very happy. If someone said this in this way, he would have left in frustration during the conversation, but Ryu Jeong just looked pure and pretty.
The shitty feeling that hadn’t subsided until he left work was not only gone, but it was getting better. He had impulsively come here because he remembered those eyes that were only looking at him, but when he met those eyes that he had only been thinking about in his head, it felt like the stuffiness that had been blocking him was finally cleared.
What if this feeling is pity? Ryu Jeong doesn’t know anything. Repeatedly having quite selfish thoughts, Do Hwon was about to release his pheromones, but he stopped. It was because he liked Ryu Jeong’s lips, which were fumbling for words to express himself, remembering the pheromones that had already passed by in his memory. It was because they were originally pretty, even though they were chapped and peeling because he was tired, so it was fun to watch.
How long had he waited? Finally, Ryu Jeong’s lips slowly opened.
“It’s like the sea…”
“The sea? Do I smell like water?”
“It’s not that it smells like water…”
An out-of-place furrow appeared on Ryu Jeong’s brow. It wasn’t that he chose the expression “like the sea” because it smelled like water. His first impression was definitely that it was like the sea, but he had no idea how that impression came about. Ryu Jeong, who was thinking hard as if he was squeezing a dry rag, slowly listed the words that came to his mind.
“Actually, I’ve never been to the sea, and I’ve only seen it in pictures a few times. But it’s the same… feeling? That I felt when I first saw it in pictures.”
“What kind of feeling was it?”
“It’s cool. My heart is…”
Ryu Jeong, who suddenly realized that it was too obvious, showed an embarrassed expression. He had been waiting and expecting, but he might have been disappointed because he was only saying sloppy things.
“I’m sorry. My expression is too… I’m not good at talking…”
“No, you’re not bad at it. It’s intuitive, so I understood it right away.”
He didn’t have to wrap it up like that… Ryu Jeong bit his lip in embarrassment and didn’t know what to do. Perhaps because he was feeling dejected, the corners of his eyes were also drawing a downward curve towards the floor along with his mood.
“So that’s the feeling.”
Unlike his worries, Do Hwon repeated the expression “like the sea” in his mind. He naturally lowered his clasped hands onto his legs and muttered the word “sea” to himself as if he was trying to gauge something. His gaze, which had been looking at the air with his face as if he was trying to gauge something, slyly turned to Ryu Jeong.
Then does this kid know?
“Ryu Jeong. Do you know what kind of scent you have?”
“No… there are no trait people around me…”
“Ah, you don’t know.”
“What kind of scent do I have…?”
Lee Do-hyeon, who had been watching Ryu Jeong, who was glancing up at him as if he was curious even though he couldn’t even look him straight in the eye, smiled mischievously as he was testing the waters in his mind.
“Ryu Jeong, you said you’re an extreme heat.”
“…Ah… my scent is probably weak…”
Ryu Jeong couldn’t show his great disappointment and awkwardly laughed along. He said there were no trait people around him, so he probably didn’t know what an Alpha was like. Lee Do-hyeon neatly folded away the thought of telling the truth and swallowed the evaluation of the pheromone scent.
You have a scent that makes my mouth water just by smelling it.