By Zephyria 
“Hmm….”
The doctor examined Jeong-min thoroughly. Two days after the awakening fever began, the doctor determined that Jeong-min was in the process of awakening.
He said that resting well at home would be enough, and Jeong-min’s parents were genuinely happy. What parent wouldn’t be glad to see their son, who hadn’t awakened even as a young adult, finally taking a definite form?
However, the joy was short-lived. Jeong-min’s awakening fever was more severe than Young-min’s had been. At first, thinking it would only be slightly worse, his parents simply cheered him on from the side, telling him to endure and hang in there. But as they realized Jeong-min’s condition was becoming critical, they called the doctor.
“Doctor, how is Jeong-min?”
“If the awakening happens too late, it can be this painful. However….”
Jeong-min, already unconscious, could only manage shallow, ragged breaths. During an awakening fever, neither injections nor drugs work, so no measures can be taken. It was a period of caution, much like how sex is forbidden to prevent potential problems during awakening.
However, the doctor knew that Jeong-min’s fever and condition were different from any awakening fever he had seen before. After finishing the pulse check and examination, the doctor looked at Jeong-min’s parents.
“We need to take Jeong-min to the hospital.”
“What? Did something happen…? Is it very bad? Could it be something other than awakening fever?”
“No. It is awakening fever, but… just in case, it would be better for him to be in the hospital.”
Though it was unlikely, the doctor explained that if something did happen, rapid action would be possible at the hospital, and perhaps they could alleviate Jeong-min’s pain even slightly. The parents nodded.
Even after arriving at the hospital, Jeong-min remained unconscious. Despite that, he gripped his hand tightly, as if the ring Shin-woo had given him was the only painkiller capable of easing this terrible agony.
An awakening fever usually ends within a week, after which pheromones gradually begin to emerge. However, Jeong-min suffered severely for over a week, and it took ten days before he finally regained consciousness. Even then, his condition remained poor as the awakening fever was still ongoing.
The only saving grace was that he had regained consciousness, could blink, and engage in simple conversation.
“Jeong-min… are you okay?”
When his mother spoke while holding his hand tightly in worry, Jeong-min nodded and tried his best to smile.
“Yes… I’m okay. Mother.”
His throat was parched, making every word a struggle, but Jeong-min tried to reassure his parents.
“You’re suffering so much….”
“I guess my body is struggling because I’m awakening so late.”
Still, it’s okay. I can endure it all. It can hurt even more than this. As long as I become an Omega… an Omega….
“Huh?”
Young-min, who was standing behind their mother, looked at his watch and suddenly made a strange sound as if he had discovered something.
“What is it?”
His mother asked, but Young-min turned his head back and forth, checking something. Then, frowning, he muttered, “Did I smell that wrong…?” and left the room, saying he felt too stifled to stay. Jeong-min was disgusted by the sight of Young-min, who had completely shaken off Shin-woo.
He didn’t know how Shin-woo was doing right now… he was worried, but in his current state, he couldn’t meet him. This was because contact with anyone other than family was forbidden during an awakening fever. Jeong-min barely managed to send his worried family away and closed his eyes, soothing his exhausted body.
He wanted to text Shin-woo, but he held back, fearing he would only cause worry. Instead, he fiddled with the ring on his finger. A smile formed. He had to awaken quickly. Then, he imagined himself running to Shin-woo with a smile, telling him he had come to greet his partner, and throwing himself into those arms.
But the next day, the fever began to rise again. His condition deteriorated to the point where he started deliriously rambling, and doctors were assigned to monitor him. After suffering through another full day, Jeong-min woke up, and the doctor sighed.
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
“…Yes….”
No, actually, he wasn’t. He felt dazed. There wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t hurt. His muscles ached, and his bones ached. His head was foggy, and the sound of his heartbeat felt too loud.
He was so exhausted and worn out that everything felt tedious, to the point where he wanted to keep his eyes closed and simply disappear.
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone suffer this much from an awakening fever.”
“I’m sorry….”
Knowing the doctors were struggling because of him, Jeong-min apologized sincerely. The doctor wrote something on the chart and gave a thin smile.
“Still, the struggle was worth it.”
“What…?”
“During the first test earlier, it showed that there is a 70% probability that Jeong-min will become an Alpha.”
It felt as if something snapped in his heart and head. Jeong-min’s time stopped. He couldn’t comprehend what he had just heard.
His blurred consciousness snapped into focus. Jeong-min grabbed the gown of the doctor who was about to say goodbye and leave.
“What… did you… just say…? Al… Alpha…?”
“Ah, yes. If you endure it well like this, you will be an Alpha. We will do our best.”
This can’t be. An Alpha. Why was he an Alpha? Why?
More than anyone, he had wanted to be an Omega. That was his dream and the goal of his life. But to become an Alpha—he had never once considered it.
No, he had ignored it. He believed it could never happen, that if Heaven knew his sincerity, it would never abandon him. And yet.
No….
The ring on his finger felt as if it were being driven into his chest.
No…. If… if I become an Alpha like this, Shin-woo hyung might leave me. An Alpha cannot love another Alpha. That’s impossible.
If it were the opposite… if it were Shin-woo, Jeong-min could have loved him even as an Alpha. But he couldn’t ask that of Shin-woo. That was too much greed. He didn’t want to place a psychological burden on someone who was already struggling.
“Is there… absolutely no chance that I’ll become an Omega?”
“Pardon?”
The doctor seemed somewhat bewildered by Jeong-min’s question and answered with a troubled expression.
“Well… it seems unlikely. I see it as less than 5%.”
The probability of becoming an Omega was 5%… then the rest were Betas. That probability was too cruel. It felt as if a verdict of impossibility had been hammered deep into his heart.
After the doctor left and he was left alone in the hospital room, Jeong-min stared silently at the clock. If he just waited for time to pass, he would become an Alpha, just as the doctor said.
But in a situation where it wasn’t 100% certain, he had to do something. Jeong-min forced himself up. His entire body was drenched in sweat. Every time he moved, he felt dizzy and nauseous, and his whole body felt so hot it was as if his eyeballs were being pulled out.
Because he hadn’t eaten properly for a while, his bones creaked and his muscle strength was nonexistent, making even standing a torture. But he had to move. If not now, there would be no other chance.
“I have to go.”
Right now, Jeong-min’s mind was filled with a word a certain man had mentioned.
Correction.
That word he had overheard one day. He knew it sounded nonsensical. He knew it was absolutely impossible. But if by some chance… if there was even a 0.000001% possibility, Jeong-min wanted to cling to it.
Jeong-min leaned against the wall and stood up. He fell several times before he could finally stand straight. He put on his shoes, threw a cardigan over his patient gown, and left the room. He barely managed to get into a taxi waiting in front of the hospital.
“Welcome. Where to?”
Now that he was in the taxi, he didn’t know the destination. The taxi driver asked where he was going, but Jeong-min couldn’t answer.
“Where shall we go?”
Where should I go? Where is Kim Ju-hwan now? Ah, right. He’s still a student. He’s 20, but he hasn’t graduated yet. And according to rumors, he was a member of the student council, so he must be preoccupied with graduation preparations around now.
Jeong-min gave the driver the address of the school. After confirming the taxi had started, Jeong-min leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes.
“We have arrived!”
Not long after, he opened his eyes to the sound of someone waking him, and a familiar landscape appeared before him.
I’ve arrived at school….
Jeong-min handed over his card for payment and stepped out of the taxi. The security guard, who had been sitting, saw Jeong-min and stepped out of the office.
The guard found Jeong-min, wearing a patient gown, familiar yet unrecognizable, and was about to ask who he was when Jeong-min began to collapse. The guard quickly supported him.
“Hey! Are you okay?”
“Ah, mister. …Please call… Kim Ju-hwan. Quickly… please…. He’ll know me if you say I’m Shin Jeong-min. I’m not a suspicious person. I’m a graduate of this school.”
“Ah, I remember your face!”
Jeong-min gripped the guard’s arm as if it were a lifeline and pleaded desperately. Subsequently, another security guard who came out of the office heard the story and urgently made a call.
In the meantime, Jeong-min sat on a bench in front of the office with the guard who had supported him.
The world was spinning and he felt nauseous, but that didn’t matter. He was anxious. He felt as if the probability of becoming an Alpha was increasing with every passing second.