By Zephyria 
He had intended to go alone.
Despite Haon’s repeated refusals, the man insisted on dropping him off and followed him out. Haon tried to decline until the end, but upon hearing that the buses had likely stopped running, he had no choice but to accept a ride in the man’s car. Come to think of it, he wouldn’t have been able to take the bus anyway since he didn’t have his wallet.
Ding-.
The elevator soon arrived. As Haon stepped inside with the man, he checked the display panel several times. Seeing “71st Floor,” he first thought he had misread 7th floor, and then wondered if it was actually the 17th floor and the display was malfunctioning.
However, as he watched the numbers descend toward the 50th floor, he instinctively gripped the handrail.
“Is it hard for you to stand?”
The man asked, noticing Haon leaning heavily against the wall. He seemed to think Haon was still unwell.
“No, I’m okay.”
Haon shook his head and looked up at the man, who lived higher than the 63 Building. He had been handsome before, but now it felt as if he were radiating a literal halo.
Even after hearing that he was fine, the man stared intently at Haon, as if observing a patient. His expression hadn’t been great since he asked about Haon’s age. Could he still be under the impression that I’m a minor?
“Have a light dinner before you go to sleep.”
The man brought up the topic of food again just as the display numbers transitioned to the basement levels. Haon had no appetite at all, but he nodded in agreement.
“You haven’t eaten properly for five days, so avoid anything too stimulating.”
“Huh?”
Haon, who had been nodding like a doll, froze and looked up at the man.
“Fi-five days?”
When the man confirmed it, Haon’s round eyes widened further.
“Isn’t today… Sunday?”
“No, it’s Wednesday.”
Good heavens. Wednesday.
Haon had naturally assumed it was still the weekend. Since his memory had cut out after finishing his Friday closing shift, he figured it must be Sunday night.
Haon’s peculiar heat cycles never lasted more than two days. Usually, the day after having relations with an Alpha, his reason would return and his arousal would subside.
But why did it last five days this time? No, more importantly, what about work?
He was now in a position where he might lose not only his weekend part-time job but also his weekday employment. The place he worked during the week was a high-end restaurant, so there were many things to be mindful of, but the staff and customers were kind, and he had really wanted to complete his full term of employment.
He still had over a month left on his contract…
As Haon stepped out of the elevator following the man, a look of deep worry clouded his face. The man walked beside him, matching his pace as Haon rubbed his face with his hands. Unaware of this, Haon pressed his eyes closed and let out a short sigh. It wasn’t a long sigh; after all, this wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened.
The man watched Haon’s face as his expressions shifted by the second, then naturally averted his gaze just before their eyes met. Very naturally.
* * *
There wasn’t much conversation inside the car. The man seemed focused on driving, and Haon was busy secretly admiring the interior of a luxury foreign car—the likes of which he had never been in. In truth, since he usually only took the bus or subway, simply sitting in the passenger seat was exciting.
After glancing at the quiet roads of the early morning, he shifted his gaze back to the car’s interior. Knowing he might never have another chance to ride in such an expensive car, he took in every corner of the dust-free interior.
His eyes sparkling, Haon soon sniffed the air. Strangely, the inside of the car smelled wonderful. It was a very pleasant scent that seemed to emanate from the man.
The more he breathed in the calm fragrance, the more relaxed he felt for some reason. Perhaps it was because his back felt warm.
As expected… money is great.
As he leaned back into the seat, which felt as warm as if it had an electric heating pad, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He had planned to go home and apply two disposable hand warmers to his waist and hips for a compress anyway. Since the exact warmth he needed was clinging to his body, his exhausted mind and soul melted away. His naturally simple personality was helpful at times like this.
“It feels like I’m at a sauna.”
“Are you hot?”
His eyes snapped open at the monologue that had escaped his lips unconsciously.
“No! It’s warm, so I like it.”
Seeing Haon give a thumbs-up, the man pressed a button, and the seat became even warmer. Thanks to that, his stiff lower back felt less painful.
“Thank you.”
Haon spoke sincerely, hugging the black shopping bag resting on his lap. He felt bad that he was only offering verbal thanks after shamelessly receiving clothes and a ride.
That said, there was nothing else he could do for the man. To Haon, the man felt like someone who had everything. Anyone who saw him would think the same.
Handsome, wealthy, and kind. Moreover, he wasn’t an Omega or a Beta, but an Alpha.
It must be wonderful to live like that.
Haon envied the man’s relaxed aura. If he were born again, he wanted to be born exactly as that man—provided that his grandmother, Seong-gu hyung, and the villagers were all by his side.
While Haon was lost in these peaceful thoughts, the man received a phone call. After checking the caller ID on the navigation screen, the man immediately declined the call.
“You could have answered…”
“It’s an unknown number.”
Wasn’t it a saved number? I thought I saw the name ‘Park Jung-hyuk’. Haon wondered for a moment, then nodded and turned his gaze toward the window. Familiar buildings began to appear one by one outside.
As he got closer to home, he felt a strange sense of regret. Perhaps it was because he wouldn’t have another chance to ride in such a nice car.
The man’s face was reflected in the clean window. Pretending to look outside, Haon watched the man’s profile for a long time. The more he looked, the more surprising his face was.
Beyond being handsome, he was truly beautiful.
“Is it that building?”
The man asked just as Haon’s eyes were closing, melted by the warm seat. They had arrived sooner than expected.
“Yes, that’s it. You can drop me off right in front.”
After pointing to a supermarket sign where the letters had all faded, Haon unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his mouth to speak. He felt sorry to just let the man go after he had driven him all the way home.
However, because he lived in a goshiwon that was even more worn-down than the old supermarket, he couldn’t even offer him a glass of water. If it had been his country home, he would have served him snacks and a late-night meal.
“Thank you… for taking me home.”
While Haon looked out the window, wondering if he should buy something from the supermarket for him, the man tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips and looked up at the shabby goshiwon. Compared to the high-rise building where he lived, there was absolutely nothing to see, yet he maintained a steady gaze for a long time.
“Do you happen to eat crackers?”
Haon asked, intending to stop by the supermarket after waiting for the man to speak first. If the man didn’t enjoy crackers, he planned to just buy a carton of fruit juice. For some reason, he felt the man wouldn’t eat crackers.
As Haon was unbuckling his seatbelt while thinking this—
“A glass of water is enough.”
The man, who had also unbuckled his seatbelt, replied. Wait, if it’s a glass of water… does that mean he’s coming inside?
As Haon wore a blank expression, the man tilted his head as if asking if he could come along.
Receiving the gaze of the man, who had looked only forward throughout the drive, caused Haon’s heart to suddenly race. It was because the man’s face, encountered in such a confined space, was overly aggressive. In a good way, of course.
“L-let’s go.”
Haon flung the car door open to hide his loud heartbeat. And so, he ended up bringing the man to his home in a daze.
Recalling his tiny room that had just enough space to lie down, he quickly climbed the stairs. He intended to go first and at least clear away the blankets; there had to be at least some space to sit.
“Ah, sorry.”
Distracted by thoughts of his home, Haon bumped into a student coming out of the third-floor hallway. The lanky student frowned, but the moment he saw Haon’s face, his expression softened. He gave a friendly grin and told Haon to go on ahead.
“Thank you.”
Bowing his upper body, Haon resumed climbing the stairs two at a time. In his haste, he failed to notice the student’s persistent gaze stealing glances at his back. He also didn’t notice the man, who was following him leisurely, tilting his head slightly.
“It’s here.”
Haon, who had entered first, hurriedly tidied the room and came back out to wave the man in.
The man, who had climbed the stairs very slowly, paused for a moment as he looked at the hallway filled with cobwebs and dust. Though there was no great change in his expression, his bewilderment was palpable.
Seeing this, instead of letting the man inside, Haon grabbed a bottle of water and stepped back into the hallway. He felt it would be much better to just provide the water than to bring him into a home that smelled of cheap air freshener mixed with a musty scent.
Whether that judgment was correct, the man’s expression relaxed slightly when Haon came out with the water. Thank goodness.
“Thank you for the ride. Please have this when your blood sugar drops.”
Haon handed over a 500ml water bottle and two energy bars. They were the snacks that Haon, who was a notoriously picky eater, consumed most often. Since they were packed with nuts, he often used them to replace meals.
“Thank you.”
The man stared at Haon’s clear face and took the water and snacks. Haon thought he would turn back the way he came immediately, but the man merely looked around the old hallway and did not leave.
“That student earlier, he seemed like an Alpha.”
Is that so? Since he didn’t know the secondary gender of the third-floor student he occasionally ran into, Haon gave a vague nod. Being somewhat dull to pheromones, he couldn’t distinguish secondary genders unless the other person intentionally revealed them. Especially in the case of recessive Alphas.
“Aren’t there goshiwons exclusively for Omegas?”
The man muttered softly and walked toward the closely packed front doors. He abruptly closed the door Haon had opened with his foot and waited until the old digital lock clicked shut.
“There are, but vacancies are rare. And the monthly rent is much more expensive.”
While finding the man’s behavior strange, Haon answered diligently. Then, seeing the man grip the locked doorknob with force, Haon reached out with an “Oh.”
Clatter!
“W-what are you doing?”
Startled by the man pulling the doorknob with all his might, Haon rushed to his side.
Ignoring Haon, the man continued to shake the handle violently. He applied so much force that the rusted door shook as if it would open, despite the lock being engaged. Fearing the door might break, Haon grew anxious and tried to stop him.
“Stop, please stop.”
However, he only deterred the man with words and couldn’t bring himself to touch him.
Why is he suddenly acting like this? Was he so shocked by how shabby the place is?
Thud! Clatter!
“Ah, so noisy, seriously.”
As the loud noise of the door continued, the neighbor finally opened his door and came out. Having been woken from his sleep by the noise echoing in the hallway, his frown was twice as fierce as usual.
“…Ahem.”
The neighbor, who looked ready to scold them with deep creases between his brows, closed his door and went back inside the moment he saw the imposing man gripping the doorknob. He was a man who would knock on the wall and complain it was too noisy even if Haon just had a short phone call with Seong-gu hyung, yet he couldn’t utter a word in front of this man.
The man let out a short laugh as he watched the neighbor’s door close as if fleeing, then released the slightly bent doorknob.
“The neighbor is an Alpha too.”