By Zephyria 
I was on my way to my English class. Just as I left the alley and hit the main road, my body began to heat up. Sweat pooled in my palms, and my lower back felt chilled. My vision blurred, and I hunched over, letting out a groan.
“Mr… Mr. Lee.”
“Yes, Young Mas… Young Master?”
“Mr. Lee. I have to… I have to go home.”
Lee Kyung-jin glanced back and quickly turned the steering wheel. After hurriedly finding a U-turn section and returning to the front of the house, Lee Kyung-jin opened the car door and checked my condition.
“Young Master, are you alright? Young Master!”
“English class… I can’t go. Please contact them, Mr. Lee. I need to go inside.”
I could guess the reason why my condition had suddenly deteriorated. Since this was my second heat cycle, I wasn’t as panicked as the first time, but I still wasn’t used to it.
“We are in front of the house. I will contact the teacher.”
As I barely managed to speak while panting, he nodded and grabbed my body to pull me out of the back seat. Walking was possible, but as my legs kept giving out and I tried to collapse, Lee Kyung-jin, unable to watch any longer, scooped up my limp body in his arms.
“It’s me. The Young Master’s condition has suddenly worsened, please open the door quickly.”
After explaining the situation via the intercom, Lee Kyung-jin entered the open gate almost running, strode up the stairs, and entered the house building in an instant.
“Lay him on the Young Master’s bed on the second floor.”
“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?”
“It’s because of pheromones. I’ll bring the suppressants, so lay him on the bed and wait.”
I was moved to the bed like a patient, and soon Chief Cha put the suppressants in my mouth.
“Young Master, it’s okay. Swallow it slowly with water. Slowly.”
While propping up my back slightly to let me swallow the medicine with water, Chief Cha gently rubbed my back.
“Good job. It’ll be uncomfortable, so shall we take off your outer clothes and lie down?”
After taking off my coat and setting it aside, Chief Cha sat me up and turned to ask Lee Kyung-jin.
“Did he suddenly get worse after leaving the house?”
“Yes, it happened around the time we hit the main road.”
“I will cancel the Young Master’s schedule for the next three to four days. Please keep that in mind, Mr. Lee.”
“Then I will go out and notify them that the schedule has been postponed.”
“Yes, and just in case, please wait in front of the door. Make sure not to enter the room.”
“Understood.”
After Lee Kyung-jin left, Chief Cha sat slightly on the edge of the bed. She brushed back my sweat-soaked hair and clicked her tongue softly.
“Young Master, please wait a moment.”
I responded to the faintly echoing voice with a groan.
Pheromones were running wild. My whole body felt itchy and stinging, as if insects were crawling all over me. I wanted to dig in with my nails and scratch aggressively. The medicine didn’t seem to work immediately, as I didn’t feel any particular calming effect or change.
I gasped for air, my lips parting like someone being strangled. My throat felt swollen, making it hard to breathe, similar to an allergic reaction.
“Young Master, it’s okay. Your body hurts a lot, right? Try taking a deep breath in and out.”
Chief Cha whispered kindly while wiping my cold-sweat-drenched face with a towel dampened with water. For some reason, tears fell at the sound of her voice in my ear. They say people become sorrowful when they are sick, and that was exactly my situation.
“You just have to endure a little longer. If you wait a bit, it will calm down soon. You can endure it, right?”
To describe my current situation, it was difficult to endure even a single minute. I knew what I wanted, but there was no one to give it to me. I twisted my body, craving an Alpha’s pheromones, and every time I did, Chief Cha held me down firmly on the bed.
“It’s okay. It’ll be okay soon. My good Young Master, I hope you stop hurting and get better quickly.”
“Hng… ugh…”
“Yes, it’s okay to cry. It’s not embarrassing. I know it’s very painful.”
With a touch full of pity, Chief Cha stroked my hair and whispered continuously in my ear. As if to let me know I wasn’t alone. I was grateful for that kindness, and yet it was also sad. I clung to her hand and shed tears intermittently.
Pheromones I usually didn’t notice attacked me simultaneously. The pheromones of my second Hyung, felt closest; the pheromones of my eldest Hyung, living on the other side of the building; and the pheromones of my Alpha Father, felt from the floor below. Even the pheromones of my sister-in-law and Omega Father were faintly transmitted.
The smell of all sorts of mixed pheromones was more nauseating than fragrant. Do Alphas and Omegas live smelling this kind of scent normally? I thought it would be better not to smell pheromones at all.
“I feel… like I’m going to throw up. Hng, my stomach feels strange.”
“You can throw up. Don’t try to suppress it or hold it in. That will only make it more miserable, so relax your body and let it happen naturally.”
Chief Cha pushed my body to the side to let me curl up and patted my back. The shirt, soaked with sweat, clung to my back, creating an unpleasant sensation.
After spending time like that for a while, the pain that had been eating away at my body gradually faded. My body became heavy and lethargic, and now my strength vanished as if my joints were melting.
“Chief Cha…”
“Yes, Young Master. I am here. Rest assured.”
“My body… feels strange. …I have no strength at all.”
“The medicine must be kicking in. There’s nothing to worry about, so please rest comfortably. If you feel sleepy, you may sleep.”
I didn’t feel sleepy. However, my body felt heavy like a water-soaked cotton ball, and my mind became blurred, which made me feel very miserable. It was more unpleasant than I thought that my body and mind were not following my will.
“I don’t want to sleep.”
“Yes, that’s fine. Do as you wish, Young Master. I will stay by your side.”
The pain that gnawed at my skin was gone, but instead, my joints ached. My stomach churned as if I had taken strong medicine on an empty stomach. Eventually, I heaved up something sour from the back of my throat.
“Your stomach is upset. It’s alright.”
Without a hint of annoyance, he wiped the corners of my mouth with a towel and cleaned up the vomit that had soiled the bed. The more he did, the more miserable I felt. As I let out faint, sobbing whimpers, Chief Cha continued to whisper in my ear, “It’s okay, Young Master. It’s okay.”
“Why… I took the medicine, so why…?”
Wasn’t I supposed to be fine if I took the suppressants? Why does my body hurt so much even after taking them? Though it wasn’t Chief Cha’s fault, resentment leaked out of me.
“It’s because it’s the first day. Your pheromones are raging and clashing with the effects of the medicine, which is why your body is struggling. It will be a bit easier tomorrow.”
I have to endure this until tomorrow? The words felt like a bolt from the blue. I couldn’t see how enduring the pain with suppressants was any better than rolling around with an Alpha like a mindless beast.
“I’ll bring you some water. Please wait a moment.”
Whispering in a low, quiet voice like a lullaby, Chief Cha left the room. Left alone on the bed, I writhed helplessly. I wished I could just fall asleep, but I felt a fear that if I closed my eyes now, I would be flung into an unknown darkness.
I reached out to find my phone. I pulled the phone from my pocket and struggled to call Kwon Yi-kang. The time it took for the signal to go through felt exceptionally long.
—Hello.
“I… it started. My heat cycle. I took the medicine, but my body hurts so much.”
As I let out a cry as if acting spoiled, a suppressed groan erupted from the other end of the phone.
—Where are you right now?
“Home. I’m hurting. Hmm?”
—There aren’t any Alphas around you, are there?
“I don’t know. It hurts even though I took the medicine. My body feels strange.”
It hurts. Since I’m hurting, just say something sweet to me.
I wished I could feel pheromones through the phone. I needed Kwon Yi-kang’s sweet scent. I took a deep breath, but the mixed pheromones stung my nose as if paralyzing it.
—Can you come to my apartment? Should I come pick you up?
“Driver Lee… is outside.”
—Then tell him to take you to my apartment. I’ll leave now, too.
“I have no strength in my body.”
It’s heavy and lethargic. As I spoke through sobs, he called my name, “Soo-kyung.”
—It’s okay. You’ll be okay soon.
“Are you coming now?”
—Yes.
“Will you hold me?”
—…Yes.
“You have to come quickly.”
To my unreasonable demands, Kwon Yi-kang answered “Yes” until the very end. Clutching only the phone in my hand, I struggled to lift myself from the bed. Chief Cha, who was just entering the room with a glass of water, approached in surprise.
“Young Master, why are you getting up?”
“I… want to go.”
“Where? Please lie down. You need to rest.”
“No, I want to go. …Please let me go.”
Even as I limped due to lack of strength, I stubbornly stepped toward the door. Supporting me, Chief Cha let out a sigh.
“At least tell me where you intend to go. Please? It’s dangerous if you go outside.”
“I want to go to Kwon Yi-kang. Driver Lee, please take me there.”
Lee Kyung-jin, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, approached and cast a questioning look at Chief Cha.
“He keeps insisting on going to someone.”
“Driver Lee, you remember Kwon Yi-kang’s… apartment, right? Take me there. Please?”
With a short groan of “Ah,” Lee Kyung-jin whispered something to Chief Cha. After a short while, Chief Cha nodded.
“Take care of the Young Master and do not leave him alone until you arrive. Do not stop anywhere else. Make sure you see him enter after meeting that person. Do you understand, Driver Lee?”
“Yes.”
“Take him safely.”
Chief Cha followed me to the front door, helped me lie down in the backseat, and closed the door. I could feel Chief Cha’s gaze watching over me until the car departed. I realized that Chief Cha, who always appeared as precise as if measured by a ruler, had a gentle side.
“Please endure a little longer. I will get you there as quickly as possible.”