By Zephyria 
Hui-won silently stared at the text message that had arrived last night. He was so shocked he didn’t even blink.
“…….”
Kwon Young-je’s sudden confession had left him unable to do anything. Of course, he couldn’t reply either. He just read and re-read it with his eyes. His face gradually began to redden over a single, seemingly insignificant sentence.
His pheromones were even running wild on their own, causing a commotion. His heat cycle was still a long way off, so why was this happening? He tried to roughly rub his burning face and be done with it, but his gaze drifted back to his phone screen again.
“Phew, why is it so hot today?”
Even though there was no one around to hear, Hui-won fanned himself with his hand, making excuses for his condition. As if that would cool down his crimson face. After staring at his phone for a while longer, he finally managed to lift his heavy rear end.
The seedlings planted in the garden had borne cherry tomatoes. The fruits were only about the size of a fingernail, but the joy of the first harvest was exceptional.
“Is this why people farm?”
Hui-won pointed his phone towards the plump fruits. He even took a fantastic proof shot, but there was no one in particular to show it off to. Saying ‘can’t be helped,’ he comforted himself and sent the photo to Kwon Young-je.
But ten minutes passed with no response from the other party. Uncharacteristically for someone who had sent such an embarrassing confession message the day before. Checking the time, it was already the deep night in Korea.
Asleep? Thinking it was nothing major, he shoved his phone into his pants pocket. Once he withdrew his attention, his hands tending the garden became even busier.
That evening, while heading out for a walk with Alberto, he tried texting Kwon Young-je once more.
Busy?
He had been unreachable all day. Even the regular, punctual text messages he usually sent were nowhere to be found today. At this point, he was starting to get worried. Hui-won tightly gripped his silent phone.
Only bad thoughts floated in his mind, making his stomach churn.
In the end, before going to sleep, he mustered his courage and tried calling. A boring dial tone continued for a long time before finally switching to a stiff automated message.
-The subscriber cannot be reached. Connecting to voicemail.
He tried calling five times, but it was the same. A deep sigh escaped from within him.
In Korean time, it was now past 1 PM on Saturday. Given Kwon Young-je’s pattern, he wasn’t someone to sleep in late, and Saturdays usually didn’t involve anything terribly busy.
After helplessly pressing his temples, he had no choice but to contact the person who would know his schedule best.
Secretary Lee. Sorry for contacting you on your day off. Any chance you’re in touch with the Vice President?
Secretary Lee read the message immediately, but the reply was slow. As if he was pondering something. And after a long while, a reply came.
Secretary_Lee Gyuna
Are you available for a call?
Hui-won pressed the call button without hesitation.
“What’s going on.”
He launched into questioning right away, skipping greetings. Hui-won’s voice was lower than usual. Because he sensed something had happened to Kwon Young-je.
-Well… the Vice President collapsed at the company yesterday.
“What?”
-They say it’s overwork. He went to the ER last night, finished the tests, and is now resting at home. He’s probably asleep.
“Isn’t there anyone staying with him?”
- He absolutely hates having people at his place, what can we do… Professor Hong administered an IV this morning and said he’d stop by again in the evening.
Haa, Hui-won held his forehead and let out a long sigh. Through the speaker, Secretary Lee’s voice could be heard repeatedly urging him to act like he never knew this, that Hui-won absolutely must not find out.
“Why can’t I know?”
-You know the Vice President’s personality.
“…Is this something to hide?”
Hui-won sighed again. What good would it do to press the innocent Secretary Lee? He said he understood for now and ended the call. Then he immediately called Professor Hong.
Sleep was out of the question. Hui-won was already off the bed, pacing the living room. His insides burned black with anxiety as the call didn’t connect right away.
-Oh my, who is this! Secretary Kim, long time no see!
Professor Hong’s voice, heard after a truly long time, was unexpectedly bright. Hui-won rubbed his face with trembling breath.
“Hello, Professor. It’s nothing else, I just have something to ask.”
-It’s about Young-je, right? He’s fine. He just got sick from lack of sleep.
“I heard he collapsed.”
-You know how exceptional his stamina is, so if it hit rock bottom, you can imagine. How much must he have pushed himself? But you know how fast Dominant Alphas recover, right, Secretary Kim? I gave him plenty of IV fluids, so he’ll regain his energy soon. Don’t worry too much.
While Hui-won rubbed his pale face, Professor Hong detailed every single item about Kwon Young-je’s current condition and what kind of nutritional supplements he had administered. As Kwon Young-je’s spouse, Hui-won had every right to know.
-Are you doing well, Secretary Kim?
“Yes… I’m fine.”
-That’s good. It must be tough, but call Young-je sometimes. He doesn’t express it, but inside he’s probably all worn out.
“…….”
-Ah… Did I just stick my nose in too much?
“No, thank you for telling me.”
-Don’t let on that you know about the collapse. Let’s protect Young-je’s pride.
“…Understood.”
-Take care. If there’s anything unusual with your pheromones, contact me anytime.
The call, lasting just over five minutes, ended. Hui-won slumped onto the bare floor and buried his head. He felt he had contributed somewhat to Kwon Young-je’s collapse and couldn’t lift his face.
“If you’re struggling, say you’re struggling. Why don’t you show it.”
The one suffering from losing the child probably wasn’t just him. He felt guilty, thinking he had neglected Kwon Young-je too much. Because he had believed him to be the strongest presence… He just assumed he was holding up well.
Is something wrong? If you see this text, please call.
In the end, he left a message. Brazenly pretending to be completely unaware of the fact that he was sick.
Hui-won leaned weakly against the wall, waiting only for his phone to ring. The night sky visible outside the window was pitch black. We are all going through a painful time.
Kwon Young-je
I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.
Three hours later, the awaited contact came. Hui-won stared blankly at the message that had just arrived, then called first. It was the deep night in Boston. Calling at a time when he should be sound asleep meant, to anyone seeing it, that he had stayed up all night worried, but so what.
-Why aren’t you sleeping.
Kwon Young-je seemed quite startled by the sudden call. His voice coming through the speaker was so hoarse it clearly revealed he wasn’t in good condition. Yet the fact that he answered meant he, too, must have been unbearably glad to receive Hui-won’s call.
“…I just wanted to hear your voice. I was also worried.”
-…….
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
-I’m fine. I was asleep, didn’t even know you contacted me.
You must have been worried, his voice adding briefly did not comfort but rather scraped roughly at his chest. Hui-won tightly closed his eyes.
“…If you slept well, that’s good.”
His own voice, pretending everything was okay, sounded forced even to himself. Would Kwon Young-je not notice? After that, Hui-won stayed silent, just holding the phone to his ear. He could feel the other party also listening carefully to his breathing. The longer the silence continued, the higher the emotional waves surged.
Hui-won finally grabbed his bangs and let out a long sigh.
“I’ll call more often from now on.”
-You said calls make you uncomfortable.
“I was only thinking of myself too much.”
So, if we have something difficult, let’s be honest about it.
Even trivial stories like being unusually irritable today, being busy without a moment to breathe, sweating buckets because it was hot. Let’s pour everything out openly and comfortably, like before.
“Even if you’re busy, make sure to eat your meals properly.”
-You too.
“Sleep well…. They say sleeping well is the most important.”
-You’re stealing all the lines I wanted to say.
Because his voice was completely hoarse, Kwon Young-je’s tone sounded quite rough. But Hui-won just smiled faintly. Somehow, he had a feeling that Kwon Young-je, talking to him, was smiling the same way.
Hui-won pushed off the floor, got up, and approached the balcony. Outside, a light drizzle was falling. It was like the night the accident happened.
But he didn’t feel gloomy. Rather, the smell of wet earth calmed his heart.
Hui-won leaned on the railing and looked out at the dark garden. His flowing voice was gentle. He continued talking with Kwon Young-je for several more hours like that.
Even though most of it was trivial content, light laughter spilled out. His heart felt completely refreshed. It felt like he had finally put down a heavy burden he had been carrying all along.
*
The usually quiet neighborhood felt strangely unsettled today. Returning from his morning walk, Hui-won couldn’t pass by the neighbors gathered in small groups and approached them.
[Nancy, what’s going on?]
[Oh my god, did you hear? They say 7th Street got completely robbed yesterday!]
7th Street was only about two blocks away from here. It had a cluster of shops, and Hui-won often went there too.
[Oh no, anyone hurt?]
[Don’t know the details, but I heard someone got shot and seriously injured… Ha, robbers, how terrifying.]
The neighborhood Hui-won lived in was famous for being peaceful, not even having disputes between neighbors, let alone thieves. But with a robbery happening in the nearby neighborhood, the neighbors couldn’t help but be swept up in great anxiety. Wondering if they had been living too carelessly all this time. Moreover, there was no guarantee such incidents wouldn’t happen again in the future.
Nancy seemed more than just a little worried, repeatedly biting her lower lip. Her troubled face soon turned towards Hui-won.
[Is your house okay? Isn’t the security there pretty weak too?]
[You’re right. I should check it once.]
[It’s not something that ends with just locking the door well. You must have means to protect yourself. Do you have any self-defense items at home? If not, buy some right away!]
Nancy grabbed Hui-won and advised him several times. She was so serious that for a moment, Hui-won thought she was his parent.
Hui-won stared intently at Nancy, who was much smaller than him. The one who really needed to be careful seemed to be her. Nancy lived alone, raising three cats.
[Are you okay, Nancy?]
[My house has a pistol my father gave me. You… just looking at you, you probably don’t have anything. Remember what I said, this is America. Do you know how scary robbers are?]
[That’s true.]
[They say Omegas easily become targets of crime. So Hui-won, you need to be even more careful!]
[…You knew I’m an Omega?]