By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won regretted the day he stubbornly shouldered the responsibility Kwon Tae-hee had passed on, burdened himself with insurmountable debt by paying the hospital bills, and eventually went to find him.
Would Hyung have wanted the man I loved and my brother rolling around in the same bed?
His pathetic sense of morality reared its head again. But the news that he had woken up erased the thoughts that had been clouding his mind. What good was this guilt when Hyung had opened his eyes? He still needed Kwon Tae-hee’s favor and help. Seo Jeong-won muttered that it was a relief and gave the answer he wanted without being too late.
“…Thank you.”
“Shall we wash up and go to the hospital?”
“If you allow me to. Thank you.”
Kwon Tae-hee nodded slightly. He checked the water level, which had risen to some extent, and reached out to Seo Jeong-won. All he had on was a loose-fitting knit sweater. Ignoring his protests that he could do it himself, he grabbed the hem and pulled it up.
Static electricity crackled in his thin hair. Kwon Tae-hee watched the ridiculous sight of the strands standing on end before carefully lifting Seo Jeong-won and placing him in the tub. Then, he took a brown bottle from the bathroom cabinet and dissolved it in the water. A captivating floral scent filled the air in an instant. Soft, fluffy bubbles rose at Kwon Tae-hee’s touch.
“Sit here for about 10 minutes.”
“…I don’t really know what time it is.”
“It’s still early morning.”
“Ah, it hasn’t been long.”
Kwon Tae-hee didn’t pretend not to know what was being omitted. He seemed to think that the night he had met Song Hae-seop and come back was only just passing.
“Are you going to wash with me?”
“Do you think I would?”
“No. I was just… asking because you weren’t leaving.”
Seeing him trying to finish what he wanted to say while still being cautious, he could definitely feel the difference from the beginning. Had the distance narrowed? Had he become that much more comfortable? Kwon Tae-hee stared at his clear, innocent face and smiled gently. He probably wanted to say that he would wash up and leave on his own, but he didn’t seem to have the courage to say it so frankly.
“I’ll leave, so wash comfortably.”
“…”
“Or would you prefer I wash you?”
“No, no. It’s not that…”
Kwon Tae-hee chuckled softly as he looked at Seo Jeong-won, who was looking up at him with a puzzled expression. Now, there was no need to painstakingly remove what was trapped inside. Thanks to his awakening as an Omega, the things trapped inside would flow out and naturally seep in.
“Inside…”
Kwon Tae-hee stroked his cheek at the question, which made his face flush red. He had always removed the semen inside to the point of embarrassment, saying that it would hurt his stomach if it accumulated, so this was a perfectly natural reaction.
“If you wait patiently, it will flow out.”
Not all of it, but some of it. Kwon Tae-hee gently rubbed the soft skin under his palm and lowered his head. He kissed his exposed forehead and cheeks, and Seo Jeong-won struggled in surprise. The sweet scent of the bath salts and Seo Jeong-won’s Pheromone, which he could now clearly distinguish, spread softly.
“Ah…”
The soft, tender flesh slowly flowed down to his neck. He lingered for a long time, licking the spot below his ear where his pulse was beating, before finally taking his lips away.
“Wash up slowly and come out.”
“But, Executive Director, my bag. Have you seen it?”
“I haven’t seen it. Didn’t you not bring it?”
“I… brought it.”
Kwon Tae-hee shook his head again. He said firmly that he had not seen it. Seo Jeong-won nodded at the resolute answer.
“I think I lost it.”
He believed him because he was a man who had no reason to lie about something as trivial as a bag. Kwon Tae-hee turned away. Seo Jeong-won didn’t move immediately even after hearing the door close. He counted to himself and, after convincing himself that he wouldn’t come back in, he swayed as he got up from the tub. He went into the shower booth and washed his body, rubbing away the semen that was trickling down.
Did he not have to insert his fingers? The way it gushed out every time he tensed his lower abdomen made him feel on edge. He leaned his forehead against the wall, put his hand behind him, and sighed in disgust. He had hardly ever done it properly with his own hands, so he only made his lower body more uncomfortable.
Seo Jeong-won decided to stand under the pouring water a little longer and thought about the whereabouts of his bag. Should he contact Song Hae-seop? If he had left it anywhere, that was the only place he could think of. He didn’t mind losing the old, worn-out bag, but he was worried because it contained his suppressants and birth control pills.
Even if he somehow pretended not to react to Pheromones, he was reluctant to skip his birth control pills. He wondered if he could get pregnant from missing just one day of birth control, but with this much, he wondered if it wouldn’t be more difficult not to get pregnant.
“…Or not.”
He had heard that recessive traits were worse than dominant ones, so maybe all of this was just unnecessary worry. There was a possibility of pregnancy, but he had been taking birth control pills consistently, so it would be significantly lower. Seo Jeong-won calmed his fluttering heart and swept back his wet hair.
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Kwon Tae-hee and Seo Jeong-won ate the simple meal that Kwon Tae-hee had prepared together and headed to the hospital. Seo Jeong-won sat in the passenger seat as if it were natural and watched his mood. He had confirmed that his Pheromone was effective on Seo Gyu-won, so he needed to ask when he could do it again, but it was difficult to find the right timing.
While he was biting his lip and wondering how to bring it up, they arrived at the hospital. Because it was early, there were no cars on the road, so they arrived much faster than usual.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
In the end, he didn’t get to ask about the Pheromone shower on the way. He followed quietly, moving his lips several times, but he kept his mouth shut.
“Go in, see him, and come out.”
“…Yes? Aren’t you coming in with me?”
“Why would I?”
He didn’t particularly want to see him, and he dismissed it as just a congratulatory thing that he had opened his eyes. Kwon Tae-hee made his intentions clear to Seo Jeong-won, as if asking for any more favors was rude.
“I’ll be waiting.”
“But, still, Hyung…”
“He hasn’t regained consciousness. It’s best not to attach too much meaning to it.”
Kwon Tae-hee lightly tapped his slender shoulder and opened the door for him. Seo Jeong-won, who was pushed into the hospital room, stopped as if frozen, then soon calmed his breathing. Then, he shook his head slightly and moved his feet.
He slowly scanned the dark hospital room. The caregiver was dozing off on a cot not far from the bed where Seo Gyu-won was lying. He walked quietly so as not to wake her, but he couldn’t completely silence his footsteps, and the caregiver eventually woke up.
“Oh… What time is it?”
She rubbed her eyes, checked her phone, and sighed softly.
“I thought you weren’t coming again today.”
“I’m sorry. Did I come too early?”
“Yes? Ah… I guess you did. It’s early.”
Both the caregiver and Seo Jeong-won felt that there was something awkward in their conversation, but they didn’t make an issue of it and let it pass.
“The doctor in charge explained that Gyu-won’s condition is an involuntary? Some kind of neurological reaction that can happen to brain-dead patients, but he said that his personal opinion is that it’s a good sign. It’s something that hasn’t happened in a year.”
“…”
“He’s been keeping his eyes open for quite a while. Oh, he’s still got his eyes open now. I think Gyu-won knows his brother is here.”
The caregiver’s voice trembled. She smiled, saying that she thought Seo Gyu-won’s condition was a miracle.
“Will it really happen…?”
“It will happen because Jeong-won is waiting so desperately.”
She said she would go wash up to wake herself up and excused herself for a moment. Seo Jeong-won was left alone and sat by the bed. He carefully took his dry hand and stared intently at Seo Gyu-won’s face. He fluttered his eyelids as if twitching and moved his pupils from side to side. His eyes looked unfamiliar, but it felt like if he waited a little longer, he would call his name.
“Hyung.”
Just as he was holding his fairly warm hand tightly, the thought suddenly crossed his mind that it might be better to receive a Pheromone shower when he was awake. Seo Jeong-won moved without hesitating. When he opened the hospital room door, he immediately met Kwon Tae-hee, who was leaning against the wall with a languid expression, waiting for him.
“Executive Director, a Pheromone shower.”
“…”
“I’d like you to do it… now.”
His unique, gentle voice flowed out. Seo Jeong-won nodded his head vigorously, but he pulled his body completely out of the hospital room and grabbed Kwon Tae-hee’s hand.
“In the morning, I’ll ask the doctor in charge, and then we can do it then.”
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“…I think Hyung is really going to wake up.”
Seo Jeong-won closed his eyes at the warm touch of Kwon Tae-hee’s hand holding his. He was tormented by the ambivalence of wanting to quit, but he had nowhere else to turn.
“Shall we kiss?”
“…”
“Inside.”
“…Okay.”