By Zephyria Extracurricular 5
“Your class ends at four today, right?”
“Yes.”
I want to say I’ll pick you up, Ryle thought, but he suppressed the urge. Instead, he sat quietly and carefully put Hae-jin’s socks on him. He gauged with his fingertips whether his ankles were exposed or whether they had swollen overnight.
After that, he stood Hae-jin up, tied his shoelaces, and held his coat in his hands. Hae-jin, as if used to it, nonchalantly stretched out his arms. It was already their third spring together.
“You’ll come straight back, right?”
“Yes.”
Starting this year, Hae-jin decided to attend university. It wasn’t the university he originally got into, but a small university in Heavy Rain City. He originally intended to go to engineering school, but after reading a book recently, Hae-jin became interested and entered the Department of History.
Since he was already late as a freshman, he chose it as a hobby. Living a life of playing games every day and occasionally dating Ryle was certainly comfortable, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was just lazing around.
Ryle, unexpectedly, nodded without any resistance. He seemed pleased and even more actively researched university admissions than Hae-jin. He did attach the condition of providing security, but it wasn’t a difficult task.
Of course, he couldn’t hide his uneasy feelings the whole time. He occasionally seemed to be holding back things he wanted to say.
Just like now.
“Why?”
As their eyes met, pheromones naturally flowed between them. Subtle anxiety and affection swirled wildly.
Feeling the complex pheromonal interaction, Hae-jin simply smiled once.
“I’ll be back.”
“Okay.”
Although the weather had become so warm, Ryle’s body temperature brushing against his cheek was quite pleasing.
University classes were, as expected, nothing special.
“Did you see this?”
“Yeah. Isn’t it ridiculous?”
The freshmen, chattering while looking at their phones, had finally shed some of their high school naivety. Hae-jin, ignoring the natural attention, awkwardly occupied a corner of the lecture hall. A black-haired Asian stood out wherever he went. It reminded him of the day he first went to high school, and he felt burdened.
“Oh, Bright. You’re here really early.”
“Yeah. Brown, what brings you here today?”
“If I’m late again today, I’ll lose points.”
A woman with chic red hair swept it back and sat down, acknowledging Hae-jin. She was catching her breath, as if she had run all the way again today.
“Bright! Did you come in that cool car again today?”
“Miller, you crazy bastard. Don’t ask things like that, it makes Bright uncomfortable.”
“No, I can ask…”
This time, a man who walked in leisurely despite the close timing threw his bag down between them. These Betas had started talking to Hae-jin through this elective class. He thought they looked a little familiar, and it turned out they were in the same department.
Hae-jin, who was quiet even during major classes, found this connection quite fascinating. Especially since these two shared a common interest in games, it was easier for them to become friends. Although he still couldn’t call them by their names comfortably.
“Yeah, probably every day. My legs aren’t very good.”
“Oh, …sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Ryle had found him a relatively inconspicuous car, but it still seemed unusual to the university students.
Then, someone approached them from behind as they were talking, looking towards the window.
“Is this seat taken?”
“No.”
Turning around, Hae-jin saw a Beta woman with long hair pointing to the seat next to him and speaking. Hae-jin, who had casually placed his coat there, quickly moved his things.
The woman sat down next to him with a slightly hesitant air. She seemed uncomfortable, constantly pulling down her short skirt. Hae-jin, thinking she was dressed a little early for the season, unconsciously handed her the coat he had moved.
“You can cover your knees with it during class.”
“Ah, th-thank you…”
“Bright, that coat…”
“Huh?”
“…never mind.”
Miller spoke up from the side. His expression was strange, as if he was still worried about Hae-jin’s leg pain. Then, his thoughts turned to pheromones, and he looked at the person who had lent the coat again. He seemed to be a Beta, so it should be fine.
Just then, the professor came in, and Hae-jin’s attention naturally turned to the class.
“Following on from last time, today we will look at the architectural styles of a hundred years ago. If you look at the photo at the bottom of page 97…”
The elective they were taking was a boring lecture just from the title, ‘History of Architecture’. His classmates said they had applied because they thought they could get help from their Sunbae since it had the word ‘history’ in it. Hae-jin also felt a sense of kinship, as he had applied thinking it would be a little better since it had the two letters ‘history’.
However, contrary to expectations, it wasn’t a lecture that was so related to them, who were in the Department of History. However, it had become a lecture that occasionally made Hae-jin feel subtle.
“…”
Even now, Hae-jin, looking at the photo the professor mentioned, frowned and wondered where he had seen this before. Of course, there was only one old mansion like that that Hae-jin could have seen. Sure enough, looking at the footnote at the bottom, it was a photo of Ryle’s mansion taken a long time ago.
He should have recognized it when Mark occasionally boasted about the mansion with a proud air. The mansion photo, which appeared so many times in this textbook, felt like it represented the unique situation he was in, which was fascinating. Just like Ryle’s name that came up on the news from time to time.
“There is an assignment to do by the next class. You have to research an old building, and the points to look for have been uploaded, so please check them.”
The lecture ended with the faint groans of the students. Hae-jin, who was used to tidying up his seat, turned to the side to get his coat back. The woman, whose face was a little red as if she had warmed up, quickly organized the coat and handed it to him.
“Um, well. As a thank you…”
“Ah, it’s okay.”
With a faint smile that wasn’t rude, Hae-jin took the coat. The woman, reading his subtle refusal, quickly nodded and disappeared into the distance. It was unusual for a Beta woman to show this kind of favor, so he was a little puzzled. Was it different from when he was a teenager?
“Bright, you’re really cold.”
“…let’s go eat.”
Hae-jin, embarrassed by Brown’s teasing, quickly urged them to go eat. The school cafeteria wasn’t very tasty, but it was also a hassle to go all the way back to the mansion to eat.
“Oh, look at this. Chairman Vermouth has a partner. An Omega.”
“Don’t believe those tabloid articles. That person is famous for Omega phobia. Isn’t that right?”
“…I guess so.”
Hae-jin, looking at the phone held out in front of him, awkwardly agreed. It was indeed an article from a third-rate tabloid magazine.
He didn’t particularly intend to hide his relationship with Ryle, but it was really difficult in situations like this. At first, he wasn’t sure if he could properly attend university even if he went. But surprisingly, Ryle thoroughly concealed his existence and helped Hae-jin integrate into society without any problems.
Even now, bodyguards disguised as university students were unknowingly following Hae-jin. The car he came in would only come to a distance where Hae-jin could walk and drop him off.
He must have a reason for doing this. Perhaps Hae-jin’s existence wouldn’t be very helpful considering Ryle’s public position. As his thoughts spread like this, Hae-jin inadvertently took this ambiguous stance.
Imprinting was a dangerous weakness, so he had to hide it. Even when he repeatedly reminded himself as if soothing himself, the crumpled and uncomfortable feeling strangely didn’t go away.
“Oh, you guys.”
“…hello.”
“Hello.”
Just then, someone tall acknowledged them. Judging by the friends who quickly greeted him, he seemed to be a Sunbae in the same department. Hae-jin, who had a weak sense of belonging, hesitated and tried to greet him as well.
If the person in front of him hadn’t suddenly said something strange.
“Hmm? An Omega. You, the Asian, I think I’ve seen you before. Are you in our department?”
It was a tone filled with subtle displeasure. Sure enough, his friends next to him frowned at the discriminatory remark. Hae-jin wasn’t very comfortable either. He knew this person was an Alpha from the moment he approached, but as soon as he found out that he was an Omega, his pheromones became stronger as if showing off.
Frowning at the disgusting scent, the Alpha came closer.
“Hey, you should answer when asked.”
He smiled slyly and reached out his hand. Hae-jin, realizing that his hand was heading for his shoulder, reflexively pushed him away.
“Don’t touch me without permission.”
“Ah, sorry, sorry.”
He twisted his body to push him away quickly, and the tip of the guy’s hand brushed past his collar. It was a sensation that couldn’t be felt over the clothes, but he felt very bad. It was because the guy had persistently smeared his pheromones on him until the end.
“We’ll go first.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s go quickly, Bright. We’ll be late!”
Hae-jin frowned at the dirty behavior and didn’t hide his displeasure. He didn’t even greet him in the end and followed his friends who were busily leading him away.
“Is this really in the mansion?”
“Of course. It’s probably around here. It’s been expanded several times, so if you look carefully, you might find things from two hundred years ago.”
“Ah…”
As soon as he got home, Hae-jin had to move busily for the report. To give such a difficult assignment that had to be done by tomorrow. He didn’t know how many times he regretted not taking that lecture.
Fortunately, Mark, seeing him struggling, gave him a direction. He said that there would be such a decoration left somewhere in the mansion.
Thanks to that, he was wandering around even inside the main building. He heard heavy footsteps from behind.
“What are you looking for?”
“Ryle.”
“I’m back.”
Ryle, naturally hugging Hae-jin, pressed his lips on his cheek as if stamping a seal. It was the moment he inhaled the scent of the guy he had longed for all day.
It was when he discovered traces of Alpha pheromones on Hae-jin’s collar.
It was so faint that almost none remained. Hae-jin, who had poor pheromone detection abilities, couldn’t even recognize it. So it probably wasn’t direct contact.
But anyway, wasn’t that mean that an Alpha, whoever it was, had been near his collar?
“Since the Young Master knows the place, you two can look at it intimately.”
“Thank you, Mark.”
Unable to hide his fierce gaze, Ryle pretended to hug the guy and buried his face in his shoulder. While listening to the sound of Mark disappearing, he desperately controlled his pheromones. If he hid them completely, Hae-jin would know, so he adjusted the concentration to show a moderate amount of anxiety. Ryle was realizing every day how capable the Dominant trait was.
“Is something wrong?”
“No.”
The answer came reflexively. He felt like he was going to die because he was bothered by the pheromones still lingering near the guy’s neck. He operated his pheromones as if he was just caressing Hae-jin, pretending nothing was wrong. Those other Alpha’s pheromones were quickly swept away and disappeared.
Only then did Ryle have some leeway and looked down at Hae-jin. Strangely, Hae-jin’s eyes were filled with slight worry as he frowned.
Thanks to that, his head turned more calmly.
“…how was school?”
He hadn’t heard a report that he had contacted an Alpha. Carefully choosing his words, Ryle tried not to make Hae-jin recognize that he was being restricted. Hae-jin, thinking that this sudden question was just a daily greeting, quickly relaxed his expression and chattered.
“It was the same. The elective class is still boring… Oh, I decided to lend a game cartridge to a friend, is that okay?”
“It’s yours, Hae-jin, so you can do whatever you want.”
He had emphasized it several times, but Hae-jin always asked the same thing. When would he take it for granted that he owned Ryle and the things he gave him?
However, the guy, who had been uncomfortable even with having his clothes taken care of, had finally adapted to this Ryle. Now, in the morning, he naturally waited for him to dress him.
If he waited patiently, this would also happen. That’s how Ryle soothed himself.
“So what are you looking for?”
“This.”
He quickly held out the phone he was holding. Several engraved patterns that seemed to express nature were floating on the screen.
He thought it was just an assignment to research a building, but he had to attach a photo of an actual building that used a specific style. A specific style was a type of pattern expressed in wall decorations like moldings. In many ways, it wasn’t a photo that was easily circulating on the internet.
Ryle stared at the phone he held out for a long time. The pheromones that seemed a little uneasy quickly calmed down. Hae-jin, wondering if something bad had happened on the way, watched Ryle’s focused face.
Hae-jin, who was Asian, had heard that he looked young his whole life, but it suddenly occurred to him that the word ‘young’ should be used for Ryle. His gaze unconsciously went to his golden eyelashes, which shone faintly even in the dimly lit mansion hallway.
“I think I’ve seen it. This way.”
“Yes.”
Thinking that he had been staring for too long, he quickly nodded and turned his body. He nonchalantly left Ryle, who was naturally wrapping his hand around his, and let it be.
Ryle, heading towards the side where the hobby rooms were gathered, opened one of them without hesitation. The room, which had a subtle structure that made it seem like a study, seemed to have been neglected for a long time.
“There.”
“Ah.”
Sure enough, a pattern similar to what he was looking for was more ornately engraved near the pillar. Hae-jin, who quickly held up his phone, urgently asked Ryle, who was next to him.
“Can I take a picture of this? The assignment is to submit a photo together…”
“Of course.”
He hugged Hae-jin from behind as if he didn’t care. It was quite a disturbing posture for someone who readily told him to take a picture.
Still, he steadily took several pictures of the ceiling and pillar patterns carefully. If he filled it with a suitable explanation along with the photos, the assignment would be finished quickly.
“Oh, I think I’ll be a little late tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
Hae-jin’s photos were shaken several times because of Ryle’s actions of poking his cheek with the tip of his nose. It was clear that he was doing it on purpose, so Hae-jin sulkily looked at him and continued.
“Yes. My friends asked me to go to a pub. I think I’ll drink too.”
While they were eating earlier, Miller, who lived in the dormitory, suggested that they have a drink with his roommates. It started when they were talking about a pub in front of the university and Hae-jin said he had never been there.
It wasn’t an easy thing to do since Hae-jin hadn’t joined a club or anything like that. After thinking about it, he lightly agreed, thinking it would be good to experience it once.
“…okay.”
Ryle finally stopped joking around. Thanks to that, Hae-jin didn’t realize that his answer was subtly delayed because he was taking pictures carefully.
* * *
“…”
Ryle, staring at a report with icy cold eyes, couldn’t control his sinking mood. The office without Hae-jin had become a place where he could freely release his pheromones. Thanks to Hae-jin, who said he would drink and come home late today, he couldn’t focus on work all day.
Ryle really didn’t want to show this sticky obsession. He had to hide any actions that would make the guy back away again as much as possible.
The report from the bodyguard yesterday did contain something about that Alpha. The phrase ‘short contact with someone who seemed to know the group’ caught his eye again.
He called the person who was providing close protection nearby and listened in detail. He said that he had acknowledged Hae-jin and briefly reached out his hand. It was none other than Hae-jin who had fiercely pushed him away. Ryle immediately replaced the bodyguard, thinking that the report was insufficient even though it was a matter that fell under special circumstances.
Anyway, Ryle couldn’t easily relax his expression even while receiving the report that Hae-jin had commendably responded. It was because the fact that an Alpha had already gathered around him was unpleasant in itself.
He had deliberately sent him to school wearing particularly expensive clothes, but did people gather around him because of that? He had deliberately done it because he was worried that someone would ignore the guy because he was Asian. And in fact, deep down, he hoped that the price tag of the imposing clothes would keep people away.
Of course, Hae-jin seemed to be completely unaware of this. He was so good at reading people’s moods, but he had no interest in the material things Ryle gave him. He didn’t seem to know exactly what value the trivial things he used had. Of course, it was Ryle’s intention to have the guy trapped in such natural wealth as if he was breathing.
Ryle threw the documents he was holding roughly onto the desk. There, along with the court records, was a photo of the former Butler, looking utterly haggard and ruined. He had wanted to drag it out for a few more years, but the clarity of the crimes led to a swift conclusion. The bastard would now have to count endless years in prison.
His obsession was like this: tenacious and persistent, a dark obsession that saw its end.
He was fortunate that, despite the imprinting, his Dominant trait allowed him to mask his pheromones somewhat normally. Otherwise, Hae-jin would have grown tired of him long ago and turned away.
He had already found out the location of the pub Hae-jin was going to today. Of course, a cheap pub that college students frequented had poor security and bad alcohol, which displeased him. To make matters worse, Hae-jin was weak with alcohol but mistakenly thought he could handle quite a bit.
He had let it go because he found it cute when he babbled more recklessly after drinking, but it had come back like this.
Ryle, recalling the faint Alpha pheromones clinging to him, roughly ran a hand over his face. He felt like he was going crazy with worry for Hae-jin because of this endless greed.
“You. Where did you get this photo?”
As the lecture ended, the professor called Hae-jin forward. Then, showing the photo he had uploaded yesterday, he asked, seemingly flustered.
“…An acquaintance helped me.”
Hae-jin was uncomfortable because he had to make awkward excuses so often lately. As he vaguely glossed over it, the professor’s face contorted. As if suspicious of something.
“You didn’t play around with it by synthesizing it, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“…You may go.”
He didn’t feel good about being suspected out of the blue. He also wondered if he was the only one who had taken and submitted a photo directly.
As if his business was done, the professor kept staring intently at the photo. Hae-jin hesitated, wondering if he should explain in more detail, given the suspicious look.
“Bright, what are you doing? Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Then Miller approached, calling Hae-jin to go to their drinking appointment today. Brown was also with them, having decided to join.
After some thought, Hae-jin decided to just keep his mouth shut. The moment Vermouth’s mansion was mentioned, he might have to explain his relationship with Ryle.
Even if it meant a bad grade on the assignment, well, it couldn’t be helped.
“Your hair is black. Don’t you dye it? You stand out too much on your own.”
“……”
He shouldn’t have done something he never did before. He had been curious because he had never been to a pub before, but it was not a place that suited him at all.
Those who drank became a little less restrained. Tourists didn’t come to these pubs often, and thanks to that, Hae-jin had to realize that his appearance was a bit more foreign through their blatant gazes.
Besides, he had come because Miller had said it would only be his friends, but the drinking session was going strangely. As befitting a pub mainly frequented by college students, the annoying Alpha he had encountered last time had already taken a seat with his group.
“Still ignoring me. Just because you have money, do you think people’s words are a joke? …… Inferior gene, at that.”
This Alpha was said to belong to the most famous club in the university. It was a typical club full of vigorous Alphas who mainly gathered to show off their strength.
Since there were members from the same department, and they were tipsy, the atmosphere quickly turned to one of promoting friendship together. Among them, there seemed to be a considerable amount of curiosity about Hae-jin, who was an Omega and stood out, which made him even more uncomfortable.
The friends who had suggested this gathering also seemed a bit flustered, but they were too busy with the constant pouring of alcohol to be in their right minds. The standing pub was also a hindrance to his legs.
He sat down on a sofa on one side to avoid the atmosphere that kept pushing him to drink, but an Alpha who had approached was constantly sticking close.
“Damn it, hey.”
“Get rid of your pheromones. It’s unpleasant.”
“So you’re an Omega, huh? Hey, where are you going? Hey!”
He should just avoid these kinds of gatherings in the future. Hae-jin made up his mind and left the pub without regret. The drunk bastard acted as if he was going to grab Hae-jin, but soon someone grabbed his arm and he fell awkwardly. When he turned around without thinking, it was an unfamiliar face. But seeing him wink at Hae-jin, he seemed to be one of the bodyguards.
Thanks to that, Hae-jin was relieved and left the pub feeling refreshed. The lingering pheromones of the bastard were still disgusting.
After a long time, a familiar sense of alienation enveloped him. Different race, inferior trait. He was an orphan, though it had gotten better as he got older.
One by one, he was in a weak position in this city. And people were cruel, so they easily ostracized Hae-jin in this situation.
Suddenly, he missed Ryle achingly.
As soon as the impulse struck, Hae-jin picked up his phone and made a call. His body felt a little heavy because of the alcohol the bastards had forced on him. The Alpha pheromones that had subtly probed him throughout the drinking session were also disgusting. Still, it was fortunate that he could handle his liquor; it could have been a disaster.
The call connected as if he had been waiting.
“I’m about to go back now. …… Where are you?”
He blurted out what he wanted to say without even saying ‘hello’. Still, he figured Ryle wouldn’t mind much since he had been texting until just now. Hae-jin was frustrated because the answer didn’t come back readily, even though he had just asked. It was strange because Ryle would usually tell him before he even asked.
Without even thinking coherently, Hae-jin staggered forward. He needed his phone to call a car to return to the mansion, but no matter how much he searched his pockets, he couldn’t find it.
[A place you’d hate if I told you.]
“Where?”
Then Ryle’s voice reminded him again. He had no idea what place he would hate. Thanks to that, Hae-jin didn’t even realize that he had given a rather curt answer.
[Look behind you.]
Instinctively, he turned around unsteadily, and a large Alpha was approaching with the sound of his shoes. It was as if the forest was coming closer with his steps.
Unlike other Alphas, it was a scent that gave him peace of mind.
“Hae-jin.”
He mustered as much remaining restraint as he could, but it wasn’t easy. He could feel the Alpha bastards’ pheromones plastered all over him, and his blood was practically running backward.
He took a deep breath, his nerves on edge, while the bastard, still holding the phone to his ear, opened his mouth. His head tilted slightly to the side as if puzzled. From his slightly parted lips, a sweet scent poured out faintly along with the alcohol. His cheeks, flushed with alcohol, were slightly red.
“Ryle?”
The moment Ryle saw that face, he witnessed his reason snapping. To have that face, and to have left him in the middle of those beast-like bastards for so long.
Unable to bear it any longer, Ryle lifted Hae-jin up in a flash. Hae-jin struggled wildly, as if being kidnapped. Only now did he see the phone, which he had been looking for so desperately, lying on the ground.
“Ugh, ah, my phone……”
He reached out, but couldn’t reach the ground. After struggling a bit, he soon got annoyed and let his arm drop. Because the embrace that enveloped him was too warm and tempting to touch the cold floor.
Only after sitting Hae-jin down on the sofa in the drawing room did Ryle slowly come to his senses. Then, a familiar fear surged up within him.
“……”
He had ended up dragging him away like a kidnapping again. He had been trying to protect him by not showing them together outside as much as possible, but he had failed at that too. Despair weighed him down, and his knees suddenly hit the floor.
Controlling his trembling hands, he placed them on Hae-jin’s knees. He was at a loss for what excuse to make.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t say.”
The question, full of bewilderment, felt like a death sentence. Swallowing hard, Ryle couldn’t bring himself to lie, so he said this instead. Then Hae-jin’s neck tilted to the opposite side again. The look in his eyes was as if he was dumbfounded.
Each time that sweet breath poured out, his obsession only intensified. Ryle, who was finding it difficult to mask the intensity of his obsession as usual, chose to simply gather it all up. Of course, even that wasn’t easy.
“We decided not to hide anything, Darling.”
A curt tone fell. Ryle, gripping the area around his thigh so it wouldn’t hurt, slowly raised his head. The red eyes he had seen earlier came into view, dizzyingly.
Ryle, realizing that he had drunk quite a bit, hoped that he wouldn’t remember what he had done tomorrow.
“Ryle. We decided not to hide anything.”
Hae-jin, as if frustrated by Ryle’s lack of response, placed his hand on his shoulder. The hand that tapped him as if asking why he wasn’t talking was like a child’s.
Ryle was on edge because of the other Alpha’s pheromones that were still clinging to Hae-jin. A ferocious desire surged up, wanting to hold him in his arms and not let him out anywhere.
That was why he couldn’t reveal his pheromones even more. The moment he realized this dark desire, Hae-jin would run away again.
“Ah……, this smell……”
Hae-jin said something strange while he was having these thoughts. Ryle felt as if his inner thoughts had been exposed, and he quickly checked to see if his pheromones had leaked out.
However, Hae-jin was frowning as he looked down at his clothes.
“This, the pheromone smell is disgusting……”
“……Pheromones?”
“Please get rid of it quickly, okay?It was a coincidence that the place he was looking at was where the other Alpha’s pheromones, which Ryle had been worried about since earlier, were lingering. Ryle, carefully watching Hae-jin’s expression, carefully grabbed his hand when he suddenly tried to pull his clothes off.
“Are my pheromones okay?”
“I like them.”
His heart dropped. Swallowing nervously, Ryle slowly released his pheromones. He definitely wanted to adjust it just enough to erase the traces, but it didn’t work out well. His scent, honed by obsession and desire, drenched Hae-jin.
Just because of one word that he liked it.
Ryle was flustered when the raw desire he had been hiding and trying to hide poured out. He looked up at him, trying to say something urgently.
The smile that filled his face blocked his words again.
“I don’t like any other Alpha pheromones, but I like Ryle’s.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. Come to think of it, there’s never been a time when I liked Alpha pheromones, haam, it’s strange. Why is that.”
As he was surrounded by familiar pheromones and a warm embrace, Hae-jin’s tension was released. It was even more so because the feeling that annoying Alphas were holding his body tightly disappeared.
He yawned intermittently, forcing himself to keep his drowsy eyes open. He wanted to lie down, but it wasn’t easy because Ryle was still holding his knees tightly. Come to think of it, he didn’t know why he had sat him on the sofa instead of the bed. He felt that Ryle was somehow strange today.
“Ryle.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sleepy.”
“Yeah.”
Hae-jin grabbed Ryle’s shoulder, telling him to quickly hug him and send him to the bedroom. Ryle, who had been making a strangely dazed face since earlier, was definitely strange. He was definitely very sleepy too. He spread his arms familiarly and lowered his head. He was going to put his cheek against that solid chest and hug him.
However, what actually touched was each other’s lips.
“Hae-jin……”
“Ugh……”
Ryle’s cracked voice came down his throat along with his pheromones. It contained more intense and heavy emotions than usual. His dazed head instantly became even more hazy.
“Hae-jin, Hae-jin.”
Ryle, who had bumped his moist lips a few times, suddenly laid Hae-jin down on the sofa and climbed on top of him. He naturally hugged that large body that covered his entire body, and he shook his head slightly.
“Ugh, tomorrow, sniff, I have to go to school.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Even so, Ryle kept approaching Hae-jin as if he couldn’t control something. He sucked on his moist lips and dug inside, wrapping his tongue around his dazed, stiff tongue. He kept stroking his face with his large palms, and his slightly cold skin quickly warmed up.
Just before he was swept away by this pleasant sensation, Hae-jin barely managed to put on the brakes.
“Heu, ugh, later, on the weekend……”
“I’ll just kiss you. Okay?”
If that was the case, then it couldn’t be helped. Hae-jin readily agreed. It was difficult to refuse such a soft kiss any further.
“Ugh.”
Ryle faithfully kept his word that he would only kiss him. He only stubbornly bit and sucked him until Hae-jin, exhausted from being stimulated, clung to him first.
“……”
“……”
Hae-jin was leaning languidly against the bed with a more tired face than usual. Watching Hae-jin’s expression, Ryle was sincerely putting on his clothes and putting breakfast in his mouth.
It was a languid morning because he had been tormented for only a few hours. Hae-jin, who was contemplating skipping school for a while, decided to endure it for once. Today, there was only that one liberal arts class where he had submitted the assignment.
“……Are you okay?”
Hae-jin, who was staring at Ryle, who was strangely more anxious, suddenly realized that his pheromones were quite normal. In other words, the heavy pheromones he had felt yesterday were gone.
“Should I not go?”
The moment he heard him ask casually, Ryle realized. He had a vivid memory of yesterday.
Following the agitation, the pheromones he had been laboriously pretending to be slowly found their color. It couldn’t be helped that the pheromones were tenaciously intertwined with people the more he looked at them.
“No. ……I’m sorry.”
Ryle desperately hoped that the words he had said yesterday that he liked his pheromones were true. Hae-jin, who was slowly looking at the unadorned raw emotions, didn’t have a much different expression than before.
“Ryle.”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you hide it?”
“……I was afraid you’d be scared.”
Unexpectedly, Hae-jin made a very subtle expression at these words. As if he never thought he would worry about such a thing.
“Were you very anxious about me going to college?”
“Yeah.”
“But why did you pretend to be okay? ……There was even a way to increase the security.”
“……I wanted to protect your ordinary life.”
He wanted to hide his connection with him as much as possible. If it became known that he was an Omega next to Ryle, the articles he was barely holding back now would become meaningless. Hae-jin might live in the spotlight of the media forever.
Hae-jin, who was slowly lowering his eyes and immersed in thought, became scared again. What if he realized the truth of this heavy relationship now and wanted to run away?
“I’ve never wanted to have such an ordinary life.”
However, what came out was an answer that Ryle had never thought of. He, who had unknowingly buried his gaze on the floor, raised his head like a person desperately breathing.
“Why did you think that?”
“You haven’t been able to do what you wanted because of me.”
Hae-jin slowly nodded, as if that was indeed true. The five years after he came to this mansion were definitely dark times when he was lonely and couldn’t do anything.
However, despite that affirmation, Hae-jin couldn’t understand Ryle’s words.
“What I want is just, I think, a comfortable life like now.”
“……Like now?”
“Yes. I don’t know what Ryle means by ordinary, but I don’t think I’ve been wanting that.”
In the first place, it was already a life far from such ordinariness. Besides, Hae-jin didn’t even think that a life that was no different from the past would continue as he struggled to decide to stay by Ryle’s side. So when he said he would put on security, he thought it was natural. Hae-jin was no longer a person with a life of his own.
That was why that decision to stay by his side was made so long and arduously.
On the other hand, it now dawned on him that Ryle, who would know that better than anyone, had given him this consideration. It seemed that not revealing his relationship with Hae-jin to the outside world was not for Ryle’s sake.
As always, a decision only for Hae-jin.
“I, but……”
“……”
His pheromones, which were becoming heavier like an increasingly heavy rain, were so unfamiliar. Had he been suppressing these many emotions all along? Just like the old Hae-jin.
It was strangely pitiful, so Hae-jin inadvertently reached out and caressed Ryle’s cheek. Soon, a large hand responded, grabbing it in return and pressing it deeply against his cheek.
“Thank you.”
“Then please continue to be good to me. Just as much as now.”
“I’ll be even better to you.”
“That seems difficult.”
Hae-jin frowned in distress and denied Ryle’s words. Wasn’t he increasingly worried these days that Ryle’s body would be harmed if he was any better to him than this?
As if it was his because it had touched his cheek, Ryle took Hae-jin’s hand and kissed it as he pleased. He buried his nose in his wrist and smelled his pheromones, then gently bit the ends of his well-groomed nails.
They were enjoying the morning’s leisure for a long time like that when Ryle carefully asked Hae-jin.
“Yesterday, my pheromones, ……you said they were okay.”
“Yes……”
He remembered drunkenly confessing that he only liked Ryle’s pheromones. It wasn’t that he had been trying to hide it, but he didn’t expect to say it so embarrassingly.
“I want to mark you.”
“Mark?”
“……Can I?”
He felt like he was falling into the blue eyes that glanced up at him. Hae-jin, who was briefly reminded of what marking was, fell into contemplation. Quite a few couples walking around campus had these markings. Of course, Hae-jin had also awkwardly watched their blatant displays.
If he went around wearing a Dominant Alpha’s pheromones like that, he would really stand out.
“I’m anxious.”
As if reading his expression, Ryle buried his face in his lap again and said with a sigh. Now, the thick pheromones that he didn’t hide at all began to desperately plead with Hae-jin.
Come to think of it, Hae-jin’s clothes must have been covered in so many Alpha pheromones yesterday that it was unpleasant. It was no wonder he was so anxious.
“Go ahead.”
Hae-jin blurted out the answer, feeling so sorry for the large body huddled beneath him. Ryle, who flinched for a moment, slightly averted his gaze and began to release his pheromones.
He felt like he was drowning in the scent of a vast forest. It was a sensation of a refreshing energy sweeping through each and every cell. Even though his spine tingled, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. It felt like Ryle was embracing him, even though Ryle was right in front of him. And there was even a strangely familiar sensation.
It always feels like you’re with me.
So Hae-jin inadvertently admitted that it wasn’t so bad.
When he entered the lecture hall, he received even more attention than usual.
He ignored them as usual, but Hae-jin noticed that the new gazes were all from people with traits.
After a moment of silence, an explosive murmur suddenly erupted. Among them were glances that mocked him. He reflexively looked at their faces and saw one of the Alpha groups that had been at the pub yesterday.
“Look at this newly acquired photo. This is a decoration in the Vermouth manor, and to engrave an entire pillar like this is an extravagant luxury……”
The huge projector at the front of the classroom displayed the photo Hae-jin had submitted yesterday. He had received an excited call from the professor just before class. Apparently, after looking into it, he realized it was a real photo.
He was very excited and asked if he could get more photos. Hae-jin politely refused all those questions and requested that he not mention that he had taken the photos when using them in class.
“……”
“……”
However, the gazes of Miller and Brown, who had looked at his assignment yesterday, became strange. They glanced at him as if seeking an answer, but Hae-jin decided to pretend he didn’t know for now.
He just thought that he should be more careful about releasing such photos outside in the future. Also for Ryle’s sake.
“Hey, Oriental, hey!”
Sitting in the lecture hall was an ordeal. Ryle, who had been so excited yesterday for some reason, wouldn’t let him go easily.
Of course, Ryle faithfully kept his promise to only kiss him, so it might have been Hae-jin’s fault for clinging to him later.
“Ah, that crazy bastard, really……”
Brown, who was walking with him, turned around with an angry expression. She had been worried about Hae-jin throughout the drinking party yesterday, and she turned around as if she resented the racial trait discriminator. Hae-jin, worried that she might get into a fight with the big Alpha, cautiously winked at her. As if to say it was okay.
“You, ugh, ……marking, really.”
“……”
Hae-jin couldn’t understand what he was trying to say, so he just looked at him without saying anything. If necessary, there would be bodyguards to stop him like yesterday, so he had a fallback.
Perhaps sensing the strong power of the Alpha contained in the marking, the guy glared at Hae-jin with a pale face.
“Damn, what, are you some old man’s boy toy or something? Disgusting.”
He was reminded of the old servants who used to look at him disgustingly a long time ago. Thanks to that, Hae-jin had a strange feeling and wore an ambiguous expression. It was strange that the accusation didn’t sting as much as it used to.
Then, he heard familiar footsteps from behind. And the only pheromone that Hae-jin liked also washed over him.
“Hae-jin.”
“Ryle.”
Ryle, who was perfectly dressed as if he had been working for a long time, walked straight towards Hae-jin without hesitation. He felt all eyes on him as he passed through the campus. Even as horrified gazes poured down on him, Ryle never took his eyes off Hae-jin.
“I just, I was worried, so I came.”
Familiar, luxurious fabric touched his cheek. It had been a hard day to even stand, so Hae-jin unconsciously snuggled into his arms. As he burrowed between his arms like this, it felt as if all the gazes that had been fiercely directed at him had disappeared at once.
Ryle, who slightly lowered his head, examined Hae-jin’s complexion. It was a confident posture that didn’t care about anything around him. Hae-jin could read a lot from his searching gaze. Whether he was tired, whether he was really okay with being caught being together like this.
Whether he didn’t have to keep hiding these heavy pheromones.
“I’m tired.”
Hae-jin smiled faintly and simply buried his face in his shoulder. He was tired and sleepy. He replaced his answer by slightly rubbing his head as if acting spoiled.
“Let’s go home.”
As expected, Ryle understood that well and hugged Hae-jin even tighter.
“I’ll go first.”
“Uh, uh.”
Hae-jin deliberately greeted his friends lightly. Ryle escorted him to the car. Every small movement showed that he cherished Hae-jin.
Also, Ryle didn’t forget to glare fiercely at the guy who had been bothering him since earlier. He looked at the face of the stupid guy who was standing there blankly, as if remembering it. Looking at the pheromones that were as stupid as his face, he was the guy who had left traces on Hae-jin’s collar last time.
“Hi, hic.”
While Hae-jin was distracted by looking ahead, he sent a warning with strong pheromones. The mere Alpha sat down on the floor and avoided Ryle’s gaze.
“I’m sleepy.”
Ryle had clearly heard the words that the guy had said to Hae-jin as he pleased. He wanted to strangle him right away, but he became anxious because Hae-jin’s voice contained real fatigue.
“Okay.”
So, for now, he focused on the person in his arms again and poured out his pheromones. So thick that no trace of any other Alpha would reach him.
After that, Hae-jin’s peaceful life continued as he wished. Because Ryle made it that way.
Heavy Rain Complete.