21 – Acquaintances Once More

Eun-soo practically pushed Myeong-hui out. He ended the meeting by saying he would think about it a bit more and visit her later.

Afterward, he contacted Secretary Jeong and found out where Do-kwon was. It was a hotel on the outskirts of Seoul. Having found the address, Eun-soo immediately grabbed his car keys and left the house. It was only after arriving in front of the hotel that he questioned his own actions.

Why did I come here? What am I going to do? What do I plan to do upon meeting Do-kwon, who is likely groaning in the throes of a rut? Demand to know why he lied? Or, like nursing someone with a cold, place a wet towel on his forehead?

Eun-soo buried his forehead in the steering wheel.

But… wasn’t he someone for whom medicine didn’t work? He was probably forcing down narcotic suppressants. If he had been alone until today, he had been alone for two days. He must have been enduring it this whole time.

Eun-soo grit his teeth. Then, with an expression as if he had made a decision, he stepped out of the car.

Do-kwon was in a suite on the top floor. Since there was only one room per floor, when he stepped off the elevator, there was no hallway—only one thick, large door.

Do-kwon was beyond that door. A Do-kwon in rut.

His feet wavered side to side, but Eun-soo took one large step toward the door. He took a deep breath. He felt like he could sense Do-kwon’s pheromones… or perhaps it was just his imagination…

Eun-soo clenched and unclenched his fists. Then, he narrowed his eyes. He had come this far. What difference would it make to hesitate or search for a reason now? He came because he wanted to see Do-kwon. Once he met him, he would know why he had come.

Swallowing hard, Eun-soo pressed the bell on the corner firmly. Soon, a ding-dong alarm rang.

“…”

Eun-soo held his breath and waited for the door to open. However, even after ten seconds, then a minute, there was no sign of the door opening. There wasn’t even a sound of movement. He began to worry if Do-kwon was even in the room, or if he had fainted while enduring the rut.

After hesitating for a moment, Eun-soo pressed the bell again. The same bell sound rang out loudly. But this time, too, Do-kwon did not appear.

By the time he had pressed the bell about four times, Eun-soo became anxious. He feared that something had happened to Do-kwon.

Omegas who die during a heat cycle, Alphas who die during a rut. It wasn’t common, but it was something seen occasionally in news articles. If people could die from a cold, why couldn’t they die from the whims of pheromones?

Moreover, Do-kwon was a Dominant Alpha. His pheromones were far more abundant and intense, making him a Dominant Alpha for whom ordinary rut suppressants didn’t even work.

A groan escaped through Eun-soo’s teeth. Pacing in front of the door, he started to press the bell again but stopped and pulled his phone from his pocket. He found Do-kwon’s number and pressed the call button.

Ring, ring—the signal went through, and unexpectedly, Do-kwon answered quickly.

—Uh… Eun-soo.

Do-kwon’s voice, rough and thick with the sound of heavy breathing, flowed through the speaker. Even though he was the one who had called, Eun-soo was startled and straightened his back.

—Is something… wrong?

Do-kwon asked in a low, sunken voice. There was a hint of bewilderment in that voice. Wondering if his call was really that surprising, Eun-soo let out a short “ah.” Come to think of it, he had never called Do-kwon first. There had been no need to. Do-kwon had always been by his side before he even had to look for him.

—…Eun-soo?

At Do-kwon’s call, Eun-soo finally snapped back to his senses.

“Do-kwon. I’m in front of the hotel where you are right now.”

—…

Silence flowed over the receiver. Then, suddenly, there was a crashing sound, as if something had broken or fallen. A few seconds later, he heard movement beyond the thick door, and then—slam. The door opened.

Do-kwon appeared, holding a phone in one hand. Their eyes met immediately.

“…Do-kwon.”

It really was Do-kwon. He hadn’t answered despite the bell being pressed so many times. Seeing him standing there brought relief. Eun-soo roughly wiped the cold sweat from his own forehead.

“Eun-soo, you…”

Do-kwon seemed very surprised by Eun-soo’s sudden visit. Eun-soo stared intently at him.

Do-kwon’s state… was a mess.

A face pale as a ghost. Hair drenched in what could have been sweat or water. A shirtless upper body for reasons unknown. Sweat flowing between his thick chest muscles. Bloodshot whites of his eyes. Heavy, ragged breaths. A thick Adam’s apple bobbing violently. Deeply sunken pupils.

And… and the pheromones flowing out, so heavy they made his head spin… were excessively… decadent.

For a moment, Eun-soo’s legs gave way and he almost collapsed, but he barely managed to hold on. He took a step toward Do-kwon. In response, Do-kwon took a step back.

“Eun-soo, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Why? Is your work that busy?”

“That’s…”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you work shirtless.”

Firing off the words sharply, Eun-soo brushed past Do-kwon and entered the room. The suite was extremely spacious, as it took up the entire floor. Beyond the open living room, the night view of Seoul looked down upon them, and a swimming pool was visible in the distance. There was a separate dining room and private table, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms.

After scanning the room, Eun-soo let out a sigh of relief behind Do-kwon’s back. No one else was here. Do-kwon was alone. Despite being in rut, he hadn’t met an Omega. That fact made his hammering heart feel much more at ease.

It was ridiculous. He wondered what kind of nonsense this was, but he still thought it was a good thing he had come.

Meanwhile, the living room table entered Eun-soo’s field of vision. The chair had been knocked over as Do-kwon rushed out, and on the table were various types of whiskey, liquor, and vodka, with unidentified pills scattered haphazardly.

The pills ranged from circular to oval and capsule-shaped. There were many kinds. Seeing the crumpled, empty medicine packets, it seemed they had already gone deep into Do-kwon’s stomach.

“Eun-soo. Let’s go out.”

Do-kwon lightly pulled Eun-soo’s wrist backward. However, Eun-soo planted his feet firmly and resisted. He looked at Do-kwon with worried eyes.

“What kind of medicine… do you take this much of?”

“It’s just, something like a sleeping pill.”

“And. Did you actually sleep after taking those sleeping pills?”

“…”

Do-kwon’s mouth shut tight. It was a denial. Eun-soo’s lips twisted in disapproval. Why force himself to take things that didn’t even work? If he had taken that many sleeping pills, it would have been a lethal dose. If he took drugs like that, he might have died from acute overdose.

Picking up a trash can from the corner, Eun-soo threw away all the pills on the table. Do-kwon sighed repeatedly, brushing back his wet bangs over and over.

“How did you know to come here?”

“Why does that matter?”

“And you came here knowing… why I’m here?”

“Yes.”

Eun-soo was preoccupied with throwing away the medicine. He gathered the pills that had rolled across the wide table and picked up the ones that had fallen underneath, tossing them into the trash. Then, this time, Do-kwon grabbed Eun-soo’s wrist strongly. Eun-soo’s lean body was jerked forward toward him.

“Then you shouldn’t have come here.”

Do-kwon murmured in his characteristic low bass. His voice, trembling slightly, was full of anger and excitement. The palm gripping his wrist was so hot that Eun-soo felt as if his skin were being scorched.

“Do… kwon…”

Eun-soo’s shoulders stiffened. But Do-kwon didn’t stop there; he tightened his grip on Eun-soo even more.

“Knowing what state I’m in, why did you come?”

“…”

“Knowing what I might do to you.”

“…”

“Knowing what kind of rough treatment you might endure.”

The extreme threat and warning drained the color from Eun-soo’s cheeks. A delayed wave of terror washed over him. Seeing this change from right in front of him, Do-kwon slowly released Eun-soo’s wrist. Then, he took a large step back.

“I came here because I’m not confident I can stay sane, Eun-soo.”

“…….”

“I came because I’m not confident I can stay by your side as a human.”

“…….”

“So, leave.”

Do-kwon pointed toward the door. However, Eun-soo didn’t even glance in that direction. It was because of Do-kwon, whose face was completely distorted even as he told him to get lost immediately.

“……I don’t want to.”

Turning his back to Do-kwon, Eun-soo began putting the pills back into the trash can.

“Yoo Eun-soo.”

Do-kwon called Eun-soo’s name in a voice that sounded like it was boiling over. At that, Eun-soo bit his own lip. Do-kwon’s pheromones grew more intense by the second. His legs trembled, his stomach churned, his skin stung, and his backside began to itch, but he struggled with all his might not to run away.

Because when his own heat cycle had come, Do-kwon hadn’t run away either. Even though it must have been hard for him to deal with Eun-soo’s pheromones, he had stubbornly stayed by his side. Although they had sex because of Eun-soo’s insistence, if he hadn’t begged, that day would have likely ended as nothing more than a day of suffering through a severe fever.

After putting the last pill that had fallen by the leg of the chair into the trash, Eun-soo straightened his bent back. Then, letting out a long sigh, he turned around to face Do-kwon.

“I’ll stay by your side, so don’t take the med—”

He couldn’t finish the sentence. Do-kwon’s eyes flashed, and before he knew it, the man had strode forward and sucked on his lips as if to devour them.

“Hng…….”

The momentum and strength were overwhelming. Eun-soo’s waist arched back sharply. Then, with a low growl, Do-kwon gripped the back of Eun-soo’s head and pulled him toward himself.

As Eun-soo froze under the pressure, feeling as if he had been pounced upon by a predator, Do-kwon’s thick, hot tongue forced its way past his lips. Simultaneously, thick pheromones poured into Eun-soo’s mouth.

The stiffened Eun-soo collapsed limply, like an animal hit by a tranquilizer. However, because Do-kwon held onto him and wouldn’t let go, he couldn’t even fall properly. He could only squirm, trapped in Do-kwon’s embrace.

“Ugh…….”

Do-kwon’s tongue was aggressive. He licked Eun-soo’s tongue, scraped against the roof of his mouth as if to pierce through it, and sucked the entire inside of his mouth until Eun-soo’s teeth felt numb. Due to the powerful suction, Eun-soo’s limp tongue was pulled deep into Do-kwon’s mouth.

Do-kwon vigorously chewed on Eun-soo’s tongue once it had crossed into his territory. He scraped the tongue with his front teeth and smacked his lips as if Eun-soo’s saliva were delicious.

Around then, Do-kwon firmly gripped Eun-soo’s buttocks over his pants. Feeling the soft, plump flesh fitting perfectly in his large hand, Do-kwon’s tongue movements became even more intense. His other hand dove inside Eun-soo’s knit sweater. Passing over his flat stomach, he gathered and squeezed his chest, which had barely anything to hold.

Eun-soo’s body was naturally drawn into Do-kwon’s embrace. Their angry lower halves rubbed together frantically.

Do-kwon’s breathing grew ragged. Every bit of light filling the hotel room seemed to shatter the moment it touched his pupils.

It was a messy kiss. Greedily filled with animalistic desire, it was impossible to tell if it was sex or a kiss.

Eun-soo’s fingertips trembled with spasms. His mind grew clouded by Do-kwon’s pheromones constantly flowing down his throat. He was confused as to whether Do-kwon was in rut, or if he himself had entered his heat cycle.

Eventually, Eun-soo too lost his reason to lust. His limp hands began to fumble over Do-kwon’s forearms. He stroked his shoulders and touched the smooth nape of his neck.

Because Do-kwon was half-undressed, his skin was felt without filter. The skin touching his fingertips was hard and thick—truly Alpha-like. Just touching him made his lower half throb. It was the moment he understood why Do-kwon was growling like a beast while kneading his buttocks.

Just as Eun-soo tried to hug Do-kwon’s neck with all his might, Do-kwon suddenly let go of him. Like someone who had touched something hot and hurriedly released it.

“Haah……, haah…….”

Eun-soo let out ragged breaths and slid weakly down to the floor. Since a thick carpet covered the entire floor, there was no pain from the fall. However, he felt an indescribable longing for Do-kwon’s lips, saliva, body heat, and skin, which had suddenly vanished.

As Eun-soo looked up at Do-kwon with hazy eyes, Do-kwon rubbed his face harshly with both hands.

“Fuck…….”

Thick veins stood out on Do-kwon’s forehead. He muttered curses repeatedly as he stumbled backward. Then, he stared at Eun-soo with distorted eyes.

“Eun-soo, please…… leave…….”

“…….”

“Please…….”

Do-kwon grit his teeth. He bit hard into the inside of his cheeks and his lips. The tender flesh burst, and blood leaked from the corners of his mouth. Do-kwon wiped it away carelessly with the back of his hand.

The rut that he had suppressed with medication was boiling like lava from the brief taste of Eun-soo’s pheromones. If he delayed any longer, he felt he might actually do something to Eun-soo.

That couldn’t happen. He couldn’t foist his wicked desires upon Eun-soo. How could he. How dare he do that to Eun-soo.

Do-kwon took another step back. He wanted to run away from Eun-soo. He wanted to go anywhere. He even felt like throwing himself out the window.

But contrary to Do-kwon’s wishes, Eun-soo showed no sign of moving. He simply gazed steadily at Do-kwon while remaining seated on the floor.

“Leave, now!”

Frustrated, Do-kwon raised his voice. But that, too, was useless. Eun-soo didn’t even blink. Do-kwon bit his lip again. The torn flesh split further, and blood flowed out in a surge.

Do-kwon licked his own lips with his tongue. A red tongue, like a crushed cherry stained with blood, appeared and disappeared. Seeing this, Eun-soo slowly stood up.

Do-kwon let out a sigh of relief, expecting that Eun-soo would finally leave the room. However, Eun-soo approached Do-kwon instead of the door. Do-kwon shook his head, trying to stop Eun-soo with his eyes.

Despite that, Eun-soo stubbornly came to a stop right in front of Do-kwon. Their pheromones intertwined without order. They were pheromones that were lethal to anyone.

As Do-kwon frowned and covered his nose, Eun-soo, with a languid expression, gripped Do-kwon’s pelvis and spoke.

“Do it.”

“……What?”

“I said, let’s have sex.”

Do-kwon looked bewildered at Eun-soo’s words. He couldn’t believe what had come out of Eun-soo’s mouth. He stared intently at Eun-soo’s face. He looked a bit flushed, but he didn’t seem to have lost his reason. He wasn’t in heat. Do-kwon was the one in rut. He wondered how those words could possibly come from Eun-soo.

“Eun-soo. If you say that…… I keep having bad thoughts.”

“Why just think about it? I’m saying let’s do it.”

Eun-soo’s hand slid up Do-kwon’s waist. Do-kwon felt goosebumps erupt along his spine. It felt as if all his senses were migrating along the tips of Eun-soo’s fingers.

With his face completely crumpled, Do-kwon gripped Eun-soo’s wrist and pleaded for mercy.

“Please, Eun-soo……. I can’t…….”

“Why not?”

“I’m not confident I can treat you with care…….”

“…….”

“I……. I’m not in my right mind right now…….”

“So what? If you’re not in your right mind? You said that’s what heat cycles and ruts are for. You told me that, Do-kwon.”

“…….”

“What happens if you don’t treat me with care? I’ve already been through your rut several times. At most, you’ll just bite my toes.”

“…….”

“Then I’ll just kick you again.”

Do-kwon was left speechless by Eun-soo’s spirited words. There was no way to persuade him. Should he call someone to drag him out? He didn’t want to. He hated the idea of another person touching Eun-soo’s body so much he felt like he might faint.

While Do-kwon’s mind raced, Eun-soo pressed his body close. Then, rubbing his knee softly between Do-kwon’s thighs, he whispered.

“You said I’m always welcome to be used as a masturbation tool.”

“……Eun-soo.”

“I’ll use that masturbation tool now.”

At those words, Do-kwon grit his teeth. Then, he cupped Eun-soo’s small head with both hands and swallowed those luscious lips whole.

“Ah, nng, hng…….”

Eun-soo twisted his slender waist from side to side. His lower abdomen tingled at the feeling of Do-kwon’s face buried between his buttocks. His knees kept drawing inward. Then, Do-kwon gripped the insides of Eun-soo’s knees and pushed them wide open.

Eun-soo’s legs spread like a frog’s. Everything from his groin to the space between his buttocks was exposed. It was an excessively embarrassing and shameful position, but he had no time to feel modest. He was completely entranced by Do-kwon’s tongue poking and prodding at his hole.

Do-kwon had been sucking on Eun-soo’s back hole for nearly thirty minutes. He spread his tongue wide to lick the folds, dug into the hole with the tip of his tongue, and rubbed his face against it as if he wanted to shove his entire face inside; there was no way Eun-soo could stay conscious.

“Hnnng, ah, hiek…….”

Eun-soo scratched the pillow with his nails, scritch, scritch. His fingers felt numb from how much he had clawed at the bedding.

An hour ago, after stripping Eun-soo’s clothes off as if tearing them, Do-kwon had begun to suck every inch of Eun-soo’s body, contrary to the expectation that he would insert immediately.

Not just the lips, but the tender flesh under the armpits, the chest where the ribs protruded, the round nipples, the concave navel, and from the genitals all the way to the back hole. He sucked, licked, and nibbled like a beast that had been starving for days craving meat.

Thanks to that, Eun-soo’s body was covered in red and purple marks, completely ravaged by his lip prints.

“Ah……! Stop!”

Do-kwon’s teeth scraped harshly against the folds. Eun-soo’s thighs trembled at the unfamiliar yet stimulating stimulation. The teasing pleasure was agonizing. His genitals, unable to ejaculate cleanly and hovering on the edge of an ambiguous climax, felt tight.

He wanted Do-kwon to come inside now. He wanted him to fill his back so much that his stomach ached. A tongue was far from enough. He needed something thick, hard, and hot.

Eun-soo shook his legs wildly. As a result, his sweat-slicked skin slid, and he was able to slip out of Do-kwon’s grip. Eun-soo crawled desperately toward the head of the bed. Even though Do-kwon hadn’t inserted anything yet, his back hole felt sore. It felt heavy, as if it had been swollen by Do-kwon’s saliva.

With a tearful expression, Eun-soo couldn’t bring himself to touch his buttocks and only rubbed them against the blanket, but Do-kwon’s shadow swallowed him again. Startled, Eun-soo’s eyes widened. He tried to call out to Do-kwon urgently, but his body was flipped over once more.

“Haah……. Eun-soo…….”

Do-kwon stuck out his tongue and licked Eun-soo’s buttocks in one large stroke. He also nibbled on them with his teeth. His hot breath and panting scattered over the sensitive skin. Eun-soo’s buttocks trembled like pudding.

“Do-kwon-ssi……. Stop…….”

Eun-soo pushed Do-kwon’s forehead away with his palms. Unexpectedly, Do-kwon was pushed back easily. He, too, was suffering from his fully erect member. Thanks to that, Eun-soo’s flesh remained safe.

Do-kwon pressed kisses all along Eun-soo’s spine. While doing so, he rubbed the swollen back hole thickly with his thumb. Eun-soo’s body stiffened at the hardness, which was different from a tongue.

Do-kwon’s thumb pressed as if crushing the folds, teasing him by almost entering and then pulling back. He rubbed as if unfolding the plump folds and rubbed quickly enough for the heat to be felt.

“Ah-nng, ah……!”

At the dull pleasure, Eun-soo’s buttocks tightened. His reddened backside gathered inward. Do-kwon whispered as he forced open the buttocks that were tightening around his hand.

“Relax.”

It was a very coercive command. Before Eun-soo could relax at the order, the thumb slid deep into the hole. Just like sliding a thumb into a bowling ball.

Do-kwon’s hands were as large as his frame. They were thick and long. As it entered, the back hole that had been softly relaxed suddenly stiffened.

But Do-kwon didn’t care. With an expressionless face—no, a focused face—he pushed his thumb in and out repeatedly. With his other hand, he kneaded Eun-soo’s buttocks like he was kneading dough.

“Nng, nng, aaah…….”

The hole, intoxicated by Do-kwon’s pheromones, soon adapted to his finger. It even began to twitch as if it weren’t enough. Eun-soo’s waist moved slightly. It was a signal that he wanted something more, something larger. Then, Do-kwon’s finger slid out with a squelching sound.

Then, three fingers—the index, middle, and ring fingers—entered all at once. At the volume that had increased twofold, Eun-soo’s back hole tightened sharply.

“Hng, not yet, not yet…….”

Startled, Eun-soo looked back, but Do-kwon gripped his chin. Then, their lips overlapped. Do-kwon’s pheromones poured into Eun-soo’s parted mouth like a rainstorm.

Eun-soo’s eyes clouded instantly. His stiffened muscles melted away.

As the back hole relaxed, Do-kwon began to move his hand slowly. Since it was already drenched, there was no need to loosen it further, but he wanted to feel Eun-soo’s back hole with his hand. It was entirely different from feeling it with his genitals.

Soft, smooth, and hot. Feeling it move every time Eun-soo breathed made his entire skull feel hot. If possible, he wanted to keep his fingers in Eun-soo’s back hole all day.

The more Do-kwon’s fingers moved with lewd, squelching sounds, the more Eun-soo’s back melted, leaking lubrication. Then, the moment Do-kwon’s fingers went in all the way, Eun-soo’s eyes snapped open.

He felt something foreign over Do-kwon’s finger. Something colder than a hand, protruding like a ridge, smooth yet hard……

“The, the ring, Do-kwon-ssi, the ring…….”

It was a ring.

Every time Do-kwon’s finger moved back and forth, the ring caught on the folds or scraped the inner wall. It was a strange sensation. It was his first time having an object that wasn’t a human body part inserted into his back hole. Even though it was nothing compared to the size of Do-kwon’s fingers, its presence felt very distinct and vivid.

“Ah-hng, ugh, the ring…… please…….”

Eun-soo tightened his back unconsciously. At that, Do-kwon frowned slightly. He shouldn’t tighten like this. His fully erect member was swollen larger than usual.

Do-kwon’s mouth twisted crookedly. Even after sucking, rubbing, and poking him like this, Eun-soo’s tightening back hole was both lovely and irritating. Just how long was he planning to make him wait?

After poking his fingers in to the root a few times, Do-kwon suddenly spread his fingers wide horizontally. Eun-soo’s hole was stretched wide to the sides.

“Ehiik!”

Terrified, Eun-soo pulled his waist upward. However, since Do-kwon was gripping his pelvis and lower abdomen with one arm, he couldn’t even escape a hand’s breadth.

“Ah, aaah…….”

He felt the cold air between his spread back hole. He felt Do-kwon’s hot, persistent gaze, and he felt the hole twitching even though it was spread wide open.

“Do, Do-kwon-ssi……. Please…….”

Eun-soo scratched the back of Do-kwon’s hand that was gripping his pelvis. No matter how long they had dated or how they had done everything imaginable in bed, showing his insides so clearly was embarrassing.

Eun-soo’s feet beat against the bed like he was splashing in water. It was a desperate struggle to escape Do-kwon’s grip.

Just then, Do-kwon’s fingers moved back and forth like scissors. Eun-soo’s spine stiffened. He couldn’t feel more ashamed of his twitching backside. Just as tears began to well up in Eun-soo’s eyes, Do-kwon pulled his hand out abruptly.

“Ah…….”

At the sudden sense of loss, Eun-soo’s body trembled slightly. Then he slumped limply. He had lost all his energy even before receiving Do-kwon’s member.

Fortunately, the effect was good. The back hole that had spat out the large object was so relaxed that it moved on its own, pulsing.

Eun-soo panted for breath. His back, exhausted by Do-kwon’s tongue and fingers, felt hot. His genitals, which had been erect from the thick foreplay, then shrunk from the sudden invasion, and then erect again, were throbbing.

As Eun-soo lay prone, rubbing his groin and groaning, Do-kwon flipped his body over. Then, after spreading his soft thighs to the sides, he positioned himself between them.

Do-kwon rubbed his member up and down. Veins stood out prominently over the member that looked like a well-baked baguette. The glans was large and glossy, and the shaft was straight and thick. The testicles also looked sturdy and heavy.

It was a shape that suited not only the titles of ‘huge’ or ‘massive’ but even that of a ‘weapon.’

Eun-soo swallowed hard. Do-kwon rubbed his penis between Eun-soo’s thighs. The hard glans pressed and rubbed against Eun-soo’s softly melted perineum, back hole, and testicles. With every movement, Do-kwon’s penis became hotter and harder.

“Haa… Eun-soo.”

Do-kwon rubbed the glans quickly over Eun-soo’s folds. A squelching sound echoed due to the lubrication leaking bit by bit from the hole.

“Hng, nnng…”

Eun-soo’s chin curled inward at the ticklish pleasure. He felt as if he could ejaculate just from the friction of Do-kwon’s penis. He focused all his attention on the sensations below, but suddenly, his eyes met Do-kwon’s.

Do-kwon was looking down at Eun-soo with dark eyes while wielding his penis. They were eyes that didn’t seem human. He looked as if he were possessed by something, or as if he had no soul.

Feeling a sudden chill, Eun-soo subtly averted his gaze. As if reprimanding him for doing so, Do-kwon pressed down firmly with his penis. Just as the folds felt concave from the pressure, the glans slid inside.

“Ahk…!”

Eun-soo’s waist arched upward. His ribs protruded like a mountain range. His eyes flew open, and his head snapped back. He had taken three fingers, so he thought receiving a penis wouldn’t be too difficult. He was mistaken.

As Eun-soo gasped for air, Do-kwon pushed in further, inch by inch. Terrified, Eun-soo scratched frantically at Do-kwon’s forearm.

“Wa-wait, just a moment…”

“…”

But Do-kwon did not answer. He was preoccupied with shoving his penis in, staring intently at the back hole that was chewing and swallowing the thick piece of flesh.

“Ugh…”

Eun-soo let out a suppressed groan and clawed at the blanket. Do-kwon’s penis hadn’t even entered halfway yet, but it already felt like his stomach was going to burst. The tightly stretched inner walls were agonizing.

Was Do-kwon’s always this big? How was it during the last heat cycle? He remembered thinking it was large then, but not to this extent. Then why was it so big now? Could a man’s penis suddenly grow after the age of thirty?

Because he was in so much pain, all sorts of random thoughts crossed his mind.

Just as Do-kwon’s penis, which had been stubbornly pushing in, had disappeared halfway, his movement stopped abruptly. It wasn’t that Do-kwon had stopped on purpose, but that Eun-soo’s hole had become too narrow to allow further entry.

Do-kwon shifted his hips slightly, searching for a gap. However, Eun-soo’s hole showed no sign of opening. Do-kwon’s mouth twisted in dissatisfaction. After contemplating for a moment, he gripped Eun-soo’s penis, which was limp from tension and pain. He wrapped four fingers around the shaft and rubbed the tip of the glans vigorously with his thumb.

“Nnnng!”

At the direct pleasure, Eun-soo’s hole relaxed for a moment—just a brief moment. Not missing the chance, Do-kwon instantly shoved his penis in with a forceful thrust.

“Kgh…”

“Hieut…”

Eun-soo’s eyes widened. In the instant he thought it hurt, that his stomach was tearing, and that his hole was about to burst, a bolt of pleasure struck. His prostate, flattened by Do-kwon’s penis, generated a heavy wave of pleasure.

“Ah…!”

Eun-soo’s penis spurted semen in short bursts. His body trembled with small convulsions. As he took a deep breath, his stomach dipped inward. Through the thin skin of his belly, the silhouette of Do-kwon’s penis was faintly visible. Seeing this, Do-kwon stroked Eun-soo’s lower abdomen, pressing down with his palm.

“N-no, stop!”

Eun-soo thrashed wildly. However, neither Do-kwon’s persistent penis nor his hand withdrew. Consequently, Eun-soo was forced to reach a second climax. Although nothing came from his penis, it was definitely an orgasm.

“Aaah…”

Tinnitus roared in his ears. His thin legs shook violently. His toes stretched out, and the inner walls that had barely relaxed clamped shut tightly. His penis twitched and jerked. The air brushing against his body felt like the fingernails of an invisible assailant.

As Eun-soo remained stiffly frozen, twisted like a dry branch…

“Whew…”

Do-kwon blew up his bangs. Then, he slowly withdrew the penis that had been jammed tight. Eun-soo closed his eyes tightly. It felt as if all the organs in his stomach were being dragged out. Even then, the pressure on his prostate felt so good that his penis twitched.

Do-kwon repeated the motion of inserting and withdrawing his penis at a very slow pace. The veins at his temples bulged and he was gritting his teeth; it was obvious he wanted to thrust wildly. He seemed to be fighting his lust with all his might, fearing he might hurt Eun-soo.

Perhaps recognizing Do-kwon’s extreme devotion, Eun-soo’s back hole began to steadily adapt to Do-kwon’s penis. In truth, between Do-kwon’s gaze, touch, and pheromones pouring over him, and the Dominant Alpha’s penis filling him up, it was an environment where an Omega could not possibly maintain their reason.

The thing that had felt so overwhelming now felt teasingly insufficient. He wanted him to stir his insides more strongly, more deeply. Writhing his body, Eun-soo habitually hooked his legs over Do-kwon’s shoulders. Then, meeting Do-kwon’s eyes, he curved the corners of his eyes in a pretty, beaming smile.

“…”

Do-kwon’s lips tightened. Licking his dry lips, he grabbed Eun-soo’s buttocks. He pulled his penis out to the glans and then—thump!—thrust it in very quickly and hard.

“Huu…”

“Ah, aaah…”

Eun-soo’s chin tilted toward the ceiling. His eyelids were half-closed, and his mouth hung open in a circle.

It was… maddeningly good. It felt as if his brain were melting. Do-kwon’s penis, filling his stomach, was so lovely that he wanted to live his whole life with it inside him.

Perhaps reading Eun-soo’s mind, Do-kwon gripped his thin waist firmly and began to pound into him vigorously.

“Huu…”

“Nng, ah! Ah-hng, nng!”

The sharp sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoed. The thick penis traversed Eun-soo’s narrow hole relentlessly. Eun-soo let out breathless, feverish moans at the stimulation of the glans stabbing deep and crushing his prostate. The fingertips scratching Do-kwon’s forearms tightened. The red lines carved into the firm skin were strangely satisfying.

“Uhit, ngh, it-it feels good… Ah! Good, nng…”

“…”

With an expressionless face, Do-kwon stared intently at the whimpering Eun-soo. The way Eun-soo’s face melted every time he slammed deep inside was incredibly erotic.

Do-kwon had a strange experience. His vision kept blurring, but Eun-soo alone remained perfectly clear. The flushed face, the white skin, and the erotic swaying of his body seemed to stick firmly to his retinas.

Every time Do-kwon moved, Eun-soo’s legs draped over his shoulders twitched. Whenever he crushed the soft inner walls, Eun-soo would shriek and pull his knees inward. He would even tap Do-kwon’s shoulders with his heels. It was a quite distracting movement.

With languid eyes, Do-kwon readjusted his grip on Eun-soo’s buttocks. Then, he collapsed forward onto Eun-soo.

“Ah-hng!”

Eun-soo let out a long moan. This was because the penis, now added to by Do-kwon’s weight, dug even deeper inside. Eun-soo’s body folded in half, and his buttocks, pressed against Do-kwon’s pelvis, were flattened. The penis that had been stirring his insides was now practically hammering into the hole.

In that position, Do-kwon began to thrust deeply and repeatedly. The rounded glans entered so deep that Eun-soo had to gag. Unconcerned, Do-kwon exhaled rough breaths into Eun-soo’s ear and moved his hips busily.

As his inner walls were slowly crushed, Eun-soo hugged Do-kwon’s neck tightly. He buried his face in the crook of Do-kwon’s neck.

“T-too deep… ugh, it’s too deep… I feel like my stomach is going to burst…”

Eun-soo pleaded in a damp, wet voice. However, Do-kwon’s clouded eyes gave no answer. Rather, the more Eun-soo’s voice continued, the stronger the hammering motions became.

“Uaang, ah! Hng, huu…”

Eun-soo let out a moan that sounded like a scream. His stomach was full of Do-kwon’s penis, and the weight of Do-kwon pressing down on his entire body made it hard to breathe.

It was hot. He could feel beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. Tears were mixed in. His chest felt tight, and his lower half felt itchy, as if he needed to urinate. The crushed prostate was agonizing yet terrifyingly pleasurable.

The pleasure grew exponentially without end. By now, he should have reached a climax, but with Do-kwon hammering away without variation, it was just good, and good, and overwhelming, and then good again.

“Ah-ng, kgh, ah-hu… nng!”

“Huu…”

Trapped in Do-kwon’s arms, Eun-soo had no choice but to endure the pouring pleasure. His eyelashes trembled. As he did, the world and his reason began to scatter. His body felt as if it were being sucked into the bed.

In a black world where there was no earth, no sky, no past, and no future, he was alone with Do-kwon.

The two moved their bodies like beasts, following only instinct. In truth, Eun-soo, pinned under Do-kwon, had little room to move, but the mere act of acting coquettishly, claiming it felt good despite the insertion being deep enough to make him gag, was already beyond the realm of normalcy.

Do-kwon’s movements quickened. The impact of his testicles hitting between Eun-soo’s buttocks was stinging. He began to pant like a dog as his back hole was repeatedly pierced. Heat gathered below. His penis, pressed against Do-kwon’s stomach, throbbed.

“Hng, nng, ah, Do-kwon… ssi, ah-hng!”

“…”

Frowning, Do-kwon hugged Eun-soo’s body tightly. Burying his nose in Eun-soo’s hair, he slid his penis in and out rapidly. Eun-soo also closed his eyes tightly and wrapped his arms around Do-kwon’s broad back.

Do-kwon’s penis began to pulsate. The way it writhed and moved made it seem as if it had a will of its own. Do-kwon’s hip movements became fast and relentless. Then, as his member seemed to grow even harder and larger, it pushed in completely, all the way to the root, into Eun-soo.

At that moment, something hot exploded below his navel. Filled to the brim with the piece of flesh and semen, Eun-soo also ejaculated uncontrollably.

“Hieut…”

“Huu…”

The thin ankles draped over Do-kwon’s shoulders trembled with convulsions. The fingertips digging into Do-kwon’s back also twitched. Though he was staying still, his waist flopped like a fish just pulled out of water.

Do-kwon hugged Eun-soo even tighter. Groaning lowly, he slowly withdrew his penis and then slowly inserted it again, savoring the afterglow. At that sweet yet lingering pleasure, tears streamed down the corners of Eun-soo’s eyes. Do-kwon spread his tongue wide and licked those tears away.

Do-kwon continued to move in and out of Eun-soo for a long time after that. While doing so, he sucked deeply on Eun-soo’s earlobes, cheeks, the tip of his chin, and his neckline.

Due to Do-kwon’s movements, the semen he had released inside the hole leaked out bit by bit. It flowed down the crack of Eun-soo’s buttocks. Eun-soo convulsed intermittently, struggling to emerge from the lingering aftereffects of the climax.

And finally, Do-kwon lifted his body off Eun-soo. He then slowly pulled out his penis. It took several seconds for the long member to exit. The moment the glans came out, Eun-soo’s back hole tightened, making a ‘pop’ sound like a soap bubble bursting.

“Nng!”

Eun-soo’s legs collapsed helplessly. His thighs trembled. The fluid pooled inside was flowing outward. Lubrication from the back hole, Do-kwon’s saliva, and the semen he had released all came out in a jumbled mess.

Perhaps because his penis was large, or because his testicles were as heavy as stones, the amount of semen Do-kwon ejaculated was immense. The sensation of his semen sloshing inside his stomach gave Eun-soo a strange feeling, even though he had experienced it several times.

As Eun-soo stared at the ceiling with a blank face, touching his lower abdomen, Do-kwon lightly gripped his chin. Then, he gave him a moist kiss. The lips that touched and parted briefly were truly sweet.

When Eun-soo slightly opened his mouth, Do-kwon tilted his head and kissed him deeply as if he had been waiting. His tongue poured in immediately. Do-kwon’s saliva, flowing down a throat dried from moaning, felt like holy water. Eun-soo sucked on Do-kwon’s tongue like a baby bird.

“Hau…”

Eun-soo’s mind became clouded again by Do-kwon’s pheromones surging down his throat. His vision blurred, and his cooling body heated up again. His fearless thighs rubbed gently against Do-kwon’s waist, acting coquettishly.

Do-kwon did not ignore that cute gesture. Withdrawing his lips, he flipped Eun-soo’s body over. Eun-soo then slowly bent his knees and raised his buttocks. His buttocks, covered in Do-kwon’s bite marks, were revealed under the bright light.

Do-kwon stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips. Then, he gripped the plump, soft buttocks tightly. As he pried them apart, the round, open hole was revealed.

The bloodshot hole spat out bits of Do-kwon’s semen every time Eun-soo breathed. Staring at it, Do-kwon used his thumb to push the semen back in.

“Ah…”

Eun-soo’s hips flinched. He didn’t know why a thumb felt this good when he had just been holding Do-kwon’s thick penis. Eun-soo rubbed his forehead against the pillow and let out a low groan. He also swayed his waist gently.

Only after pushing the semen that had flowed down to the perineum back into the hole did Do-kwon remove his thumb. Then, fearing the semen he had just pushed back in would leak out again, he quickly aligned his penis over the hole.

The second round of lovemaking began.

Pressed against the glass wall, Eun-soo let out short, shallow moans. Every time Do-kwon, standing behind him, moved, Eun-soo, impaled on his penis, shook up and down, and left and right. His nipples and penis, swollen from Do-kwon’s constant sucking and biting, were rubbed harshly against the cold glass wall.

Distressed by the stinging sensation in his chest, Eun-soo tried to push away from the glass wall with his palms, but Do-kwon thrust his penis upward from below with a powerful surge.

“Nnnng…!”

Eun-soo’s head snapped back. His sweat-soaked bangs swept back, revealing his pretty forehead. Do-kwon rubbed his lips against it. The beads of sweat were sweet, just like Eun-soo.

Eun-soo’s eyes distorted. Most of the sex he had with Do-kwon was overwhelming, but receiving him while standing like this was exceptionally taxing. He truly felt as if he were skewered on a spit.

“Huu, Do-kwon ssi… Uat! Let’s- let’s go to the bed, the be-ah-hng!”

Eun-soo spoke while scratching the back of Do-kwon’s hand, which was gripping his pelvis. But Do-kwon did not answer. He had been like this for an hour or two. As if he couldn’t hear Eun-soo’s voice, he just kept pounding the back like a beast lost to lust.

Do-kwon’s rut didn’t fade as he ejaculated; it grew more intense. He acted as if he intended to be compensated today for the rut he had suppressed with medication for years.

“Ah-hng, nng, Do-kwon… ssi…”

Eun-soo called Do-kwon again in a thin voice.

“Huu…”

But Do-kwon only nibbled on Eun-soo’s earlobe and neckline, still offering no answer.

Eun-soo sniffled and looked down. He saw his feet dangling in the air. The whitish fluid flowing down his thighs hung in droplets from the tips of his toes. It was the semen Do-kwon had released several times already.

Do-kwon was a head taller than Eun-soo. Because of this, to receive him while standing side-by-side, Eun-soo had to lift his heels as high as possible. It wasn’t easy to endure Do-kwon’s rough movements while standing on his tiptoes.

Moreover, when Do-kwon became overly excited, as he was now, he would lift Eun-soo’s pelvis up to his own height while thrusting, causing Eun-soo’s feet to frequently leave the ground.

Then, Eun-soo would worry that Do-kwon might lose his grip on him. He feared he might plummet to the floor, so he began to rely on the glass wall. However, since the glass wall was smooth with nothing to grip, his sweat-soaked palms often slipped.

If he slipped and his arm twisted, his head would collide directly with the glass. Of course, Do-kwon would steady Eun-soo’s body before that happened, but the already startled Eun-soo would have to hold his breath and tense his entire body. This naturally caused his back to tighten sharply, and then Do-kwon would groan in his throat and shove his penis even deeper.

Sometimes, Eun-soo wondered if Do-kwon was doing this on purpose. He was probably right about that malicious intent. Seeing how he had suddenly dragged him from the bed to the window to pound into him.

Perhaps noticing Eun-soo’s momentary distraction, Do-kwon pushed him against the glass wall, pulled his penis out completely, and slammed it back in all at once.

The flattened prostate. The wide-open inner walls. The glans crushing the deepest part of his stomach. A shiver ran down his spine. His toes curled inward. Eun-soo’s eyes rolled back for a moment before returning to normal.

“Ah… aaah…”

Eun-soo’s penis poured out a whitish, cloudy fluid. By now, it was a liquid closer to thick water than semen.

As if it weren’t enough, the glass—already stained with all sorts of fluids, namely Eun-soo’s tears, saliva he hadn’t managed to swallow, semen, and handprints—became even more chaotic. He worried that whoever cleaned up later might faint upon seeing it.

While Eun-soo was trembling violently, Do-kwon forced him to lie face down on the single-seater sofa. Then, he shoved his half-withdrawn member back in and began to move frantically. It seemed that Eun-soo tightening around him as he reached a climax had driven Do-kwon into a frenzy.

However, for Eun-soo, it was an utterly distressing act. Pale with shock, Eun-soo writhed, trying to escape Do-kwon’s grip.

“Wa-wait, just… ngh, wait a second…”

“Haa, Eun-soo…”

“I just, I just came—ahng!”

Before he had even descended from the peak of his climax, pleasure was already building up again. Eun-soo’s knees pressed inward. Tension locked his buttocks and thighs, and his stomach sucked in. Every pore in his body opened, releasing a cold sweat.

The bathroom. He wanted to go to the bathroom. He needed to urinate. This was a completely different sensation from ejaculating. The tingling in his bladder and the itch in his urethra were clearly signs of the urge to pee.

“Do-kwon, I, hng, bath… bathroom…”

Eun-soo looked back at Do-kwon urgently, pleading.

“…”

But Do-kwon was preoccupied with leaving bite marks on Eun-soo’s shoulder. He occasionally bit hard enough to sting, and that pain caused Eun-soo’s rear to tighten, which made Do-kwon’s member feel even more vivid, leading to a cycle where Do-kwon would growl and dig deeper into the narrow inner walls.

The focus in Eun-soo’s eyes began to scatter. His mouth hung open weakly, and his tongue lolled aimlessly. The only thing clear and vivid was Do-kwon’s member stirring inside him.

The urge to urinate grew more intense. Do-kwon’s yaksha-like thrusts grew more violent.

Then, the moment Do-kwon shoved himself in to the hilt and twisted his pelvis from side to side, crushing the prostate.

“Huaaaang…”

A stream of transparent liquid shot out from Eun-soo’s urethra—squirt, squirt. It was a powerful stream, like a jet of urine, but fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—it wasn’t urine.

Eun-soo’s body shuddered. He had convulsed every time he reached a climax before, but this was a completely different kind of trembling.

His ears went numb, and the world felt distantly far away. Every muscle in his body contracted. It felt as if electricity were flowing through his veins.

“Kh…”

He could faintly hear Do-kwon let out a short groan from behind. He felt Do-kwon’s member pulsing as he ejaculated deep inside his belly. Cruelly, the moment he felt that hot liquid soaking the inner walls, Eun-soo’s own member twitched and shot out another powerful stream of fluid.

A dark stain formed on the charcoal-colored sofa. His body shook more violently than before. He could feel the muscles contracting and releasing with excessive detail. Of course, the most detailed sensation was Do-kwon’s member sloshing inside him. He gasped for air as the hot semen soaked the inner walls, which were tingling from the prolonged friction.

Do-kwon, who had been thrusting with all his might, let out a long breath and gave a few shallow thrusts. Eun-soo shook his head from side to side as his prostate was rubbed once more.

“No, ngh, no…”

He felt as if he would truly go insane if he felt any more pleasure. A terror engulfed Eun-soo—the fear that his brain would pour out of his nostrils, his reason would evaporate, and nothing would remain but the hole embracing Do-kwon’s member.

As Eun-soo flailed his arms, trying to grab the back of the sofa, Do-kwon’s hand gripped his lower abdomen. That hand slid down through the sweat and reached Eun-soo’s member. The large, hard hand gripped Eun-soo’s roughly. Then, it began to stroke up and down.

“N-no, stop…”

Pale with dread, Eun-soo writhed frantically. But he could not escape Do-kwon’s hand. A thunderbolt of pleasure pierced through his entire body. Do-kwon’s member pounding inside him, his semen seeping between the inner walls, his pheromones flooding the air, and his hand shaking his member.

“Hieee…”

Helplessly, Eun-soo had to reach something beyond a climax once again. A transparent stream poured from his urethra even more violently than before. Eun-soo’s waist arched back, and his upper body collapsed into Do-kwon’s embrace. His body trembled, and his vision kept surging upward.

Then, everything before his eyes went pitch black.

“Ah, hng… ngh…”

Eun-soo let out a small, barely audible moan. His voice, cracked to the point of wheezing, was utterly pathetic. It wasn’t erotic, nor was it sexy. It wasn’t much different from the moans of a terminally ill patient dying.

But it didn’t seem that way to Do-kwon. Highly aroused, he sucked on Eun-soo’s lower lip while thrusting his hips rapidly. As their lower bodies, drenched in all sorts of fluids, collided, lewd sounds—splat, squelch, slap—echoed. Do-kwon’s rough breath scattered thickly over the bridge of Eun-soo’s nose.

Eun-soo looked at the sunset filling the window. The sunset had been falling when he first entered this room. Another sunset. It meant a full day had passed.

During that day, this violent and relentless sex had continued without a single moment of rest. Eun-soo had repeated the cycle of fainting and waking up several times, and each time, Do-kwon’s member was filling his hole.

His entire body was numb. In the rear where Do-kwon was stirring, only a blunt sensation remained; he couldn’t distinguish detailed feelings like pleasure or pain. His skin was a mess. His arms, the thighs and calves Do-kwon had gripped, were covered in bite marks. He likely had plenty in places he couldn’t see as well.

“Do… kwon, hng… please, stop…”

Eun-soo pushed against Do-kwon’s chest with his lifeless arms. He felt like he would die if this continued. A headache flared from the semen and pheromones filling his body. His skin stung in various places, feeling as if it had been chafed raw.

And what about his hole and groin? He was terrified that his skin might be rubbed off every time Do-kwon thrust.

As Eun-soo groaned and tried somehow to push Do-kwon away, his wrist was suddenly grabbed. He was pulled straight toward Do-kwon’s mouth. Do-kwon, his eyes burnt black, greedily devoured Eun-soo’s hand. He sucked on the fingers, licked the palm, and struggled to bite the webbing between the fingers with his molars.

He truly looked no different from a beast. Eun-soo frowned in pain. In the midst of this, Do-kwon’s movements quickened, and he once again vomited semen into the hole that had no more room to take it.

“Kh…”

With a short groan, Do-kwon tilted his head toward the ceiling and closed his eyes languidly before opening them again. Thick droplets of sweat rolled down his jaw. Eun-soo stared at them blankly.

After savoring the afterglow of ejaculation for a while, Do-kwon leaned his upper body down. His deep shadow completely covered Eun-soo.

“…”

Do-kwon looked at Eun-soo beneath him without a word. He carefully observed the eyes swollen from tears, the reddened tip of the nose, the weakly parted lips, and the flushed cheeks. Then, he kissed Eun-soo’s forehead with a chu.

“Eun-soo, I love you.”

“…”

“Hmm? I love you, Eun-soo.”

Murmuring in his characteristic low voice, Do-kwon reverently kissed all over Eun-soo’s face. Finally, he sucked on the lips three times in succession—chu, chu, chu—before letting go.

Eun-soo let out a dry laugh. The gap between Do-kwon acting like a yaksha and now acting like a tender romantic was absurd.

Still, the feeling of being loved… wasn’t so bad.

Eun-soo gently stroked the corner of Do-kwon’s eye with his thumb. Do-kwon grasped the back of Eun-soo’s hand and rubbed his cheek against the palm. While doing so, he shoved his slightly withdrawn member back in.

The size and girth were still the same. It seemed he was still in the middle of it.

“Hng…”

Eun-soo let out a thin moan. The light from the lamp visible over Do-kwon’s shoulder blurred. Then, he suddenly remembered the words Do-kwon had said when he first arrived.

‘Knowing what state I’m in, why did you come?’

‘Knowing what I might do to you.’

‘Knowing what kind of terrible things you’d suffer.’

Recalling that growling voice, Eun-soo let out a hollow laugh.

No… I didn’t know you’d do this to me…

I didn’t know I’d suffer this much…

I really… truly… didn’t know…

Regretting his actions from a few hours ago, Eun-soo slowly closed his eyes.

* * *

Eun-soo squirmed his body. He tried to lift the blanket because it was too hot. But his waist gave a sharp zing! His touching thighs were sore, and his groin stung as if the skin had been torn.

It had been a long time since his body had hurt.

Because of that, the pain felt immense and sharp. It was sharp enough to instantly pull his consciousness out of the depths of deep sleep and onto the shore.

Eun-soo snapped his eyes open. His stiff eyeballs pained him. His eyelids were excessively heavy, and his tear ducts stung. His vision was blurry. All he could see was a murky golden light. It didn’t look like sunlight; it looked like light from an indirect lamp.

As Eun-soo blinked hard, trying to clear his vision, something blocked his sight. It was someone’s firm and warm palm. Judging by the scent brushing his nose, it was likely… Do-kwon’s palm.

“You can sleep more.”

“…”

At the familiar voice, Eun-soo belatedly recalled the events before he fell asleep—or rather, before he passed out. He also remembered the intercourse that had continued relentlessly, to the point where he wished he had just died.

As he recalled the haphazardly tangled masses of flesh, Do-kwon’s tongue constantly sliding down his throat, and the lewd fluids that had soaked his crotch, the remaining drowsiness evaporated instantly.

Eun-soo twisted his head and shook off Do-kwon’s hand. He tried to push himself up using the bed. However, his arms kept buckling. Do-kwon, who was sitting close by, quickly supported Eun-soo to help him sit up.

“You shouldn’t be getting up yet… What’s uncomfortable? Are you thirsty?”

Crouching beside the bed, he asked with a worried face. Eun-soo rubbed his eyelids vigorously with the back of his hand and shook his head. Then, with bloodshot eyes, he scanned the surroundings. He was looking for a clock, but his vision was still blurry, so he couldn’t tell what was what.

“What… time is it now?”

“Uh… 6 o’clock.”

“Morning?”

“No… evening.”

At Do-kwon’s hesitant answer, Eun-soo slightly furrowed his brows. It was hard to regain his distorted sense of time. Evening? Why? When had he passed out? He thought he had seen the sunset. If it was 6 PM, that meant only an hour or two had passed since then.

But his body, which felt as if someone had painstakingly washed it, Do-kwon, who seemed to have regained his senses after the rut ended, and the muscle pain dominating his entire body—these were not things that could happen in just two hours.

Then… another day had passed. Which meant they had been having sex for two days straight.

How much more had Do-kwon stirred his rear after he had passed out? No, no, that wasn’t the important part. Work. How many days had he missed work?

“I-I have to go to work…”

His face turning white in an instant, Eun-soo lowered his feet from the bed. Do-kwon lightly gripped his elbow to stop him.

“I handled it as annual leave. You can rest until tomorrow.”

“But still…”

“It’s almost time to leave work; what would you do if you went now? Just rest.”

“…”

“Right? You have to rest to go back to work and do your job.”

At those words, Eun-soo shut his mouth tight. Then, he obediently put his feet back on the bed. Do-kwon supported his back and carefully laid him down. Eun-soo stared blankly at the ceiling. But somehow… the ceiling felt a bit unfamiliar.

It was just a hotel ceiling, and they were all more or less the same, but it was quite different from the one he had seen before passing out. Since he had spent hours staring at the ceiling while pinned under Do-kwon, he remembered the lighting fixtures clearly, if nothing else.

I don’t think it looked like that… As Eun-soo narrowed his eyes, Do-kwon began to ramble about something he hadn’t even asked.

“We moved to the floor below. The room… was a mess… They said it would be noisy while cleaning. So we came here… yeah…”

After chewing over Do-kwon’s words a couple of times, Eun-soo let out a hollow laugh. How many guests would move to another room because they made a mess while having sex? Guests who pissed on the sofa probably weren’t common either.

Eun-soo closed his eyes tight. He grit his teeth. He felt like he could die of embarrassment. How much must the hotel staff have grumbled behind their backs? Do-kwon probably provided ample compensation, but embarrassment was still embarrassment.

As Eun-soo sighed repeatedly, another sigh that wasn’t his drifted over and mingled with his own. Eun-soo turned his head toward Do-kwon.

Leaving the perfectly fine sofa and chair, Do-kwon was still sitting on the floor beside the bed. His face was dark, and his expression was grave. He looked like someone facing a great family tragedy.

Lying on his side, Eun-soo looked at Do-kwon and asked.

“Why that expression?”

“…Huh?”

“I’m asking why you have a face like a criminal.”

At that question, Do-kwon dropped his head. He had interpreted Eun-soo’s question as a scolding. Do-kwon’s lips parted as he wondered what to say to avoid upsetting Eun-soo further, but Eun-soo spoke softly in a heavily rasped voice.

“I’m the one who begged to have sex. Anyone seeing this would think you raped me, Do-kwon.”

“Uh… in the early morning… it wasn’t that different from that…”

“…”

Eun-soo fell silent. It was because he remembered the ‘early morning’ Do-kwon mentioned.

“…”

Do-kwon also shut his mouth. Silence descended.

Do-kwon haphazardly ruffled his own unkempt, naturally falling hair. He should have known when to stop. Just stop. He didn’t know why he had spent two days chewing up and sucking on Eun-soo. He had been so excessive that he himself had been horrified by what he’d done while washing Eun-soo.

Do-kwon covered his eyes with his large hand. Then, in a damp voice, he apologized with all his heart.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, Eun-soo. I’ll make sure… this never happens again.”

At the desperate apology, Eun-soo hesitated, unable to easily find the words to respond.

Do-kwon had done everything he could. He knew the rut was coming, and since it would be dangerous for Eun-soo to be by his side, he had tried to push him away with pathetic lies. He had pushed and pushed away the man who had stubbornly come to him. The scabs on the corners of Do-kwon’s mouth were proof of that.

And yet, hadn’t he been the one to beg? Hadn’t he babbled that he wanted to do it, that he’d use him as a sex toy? Do-kwon had simply embraced an Omega who begged for sex as an Alpha in rut.

And yet, he was apologizing like that. That great Dominant Alpha, that great man, was sitting sprawled on the floor, regretting and apologizing. Meanwhile, Eun-soo, who had actually brought things to this state, was looking down at Do-kwon from the bed with an expressionless face.

This was the position of Eun-soo and Do-kwon.

Cruelly, Eun-soo found this situation quite satisfying. It was because remnants of the past were still lodged deep in his heart.

The last time he experienced Do-kwon’s rut—that is, two years ago. When Do-kwon had lost his memory. When Bomi was in his belly. The rut that took place at Do-kwon’s house had been completely different from now.

Do-kwon had been indifferent throughout, and after the sex ended, he had leaned against the headboard and lit a cigarette, while Eun-soo had staggered around picking up his clothes and bid him farewell. Then, he had collapsed in the elevator and cried as if the world were ending.

But now, it had become the exact opposite. It was secretly exhilarating.

Eun-soo thought to himself that he was truly a childish and petty human being.

Eun-soo reached his arm out toward Do-kwon. He intended to touch his hair and tell him it was okay. But the moment he extended his arm, the muscles in his shoulder and elbow felt as if they were tearing, and he let out a gasp, curling his arm back.

Startled, Do-kwon bolted upright. He then picked up a medicine envelope from the small tea table. With the experience of having tended to Eun-soo’s needs until now, he very skillfully took out the pills, checked the precautions, poured some lukewarm water, and brought it to Eun-soo.

Eun-soo shakily raised his upper body. There were three pills in total that Do-kwon offered. As Eun-soo stared at them blankly, Do-kwon explained the medication.

“One is a painkiller, and the other two are… emergency contraceptives.”

“…”

“I bought some ointment too; I’ll apply it for you in a bit.”

Eun-soo stared blankly at the pale pills. Seeing this, Do-kwon slowly waved his palm, urging him to take them quickly.

Even so, Eun-soo did not reach for the medicine. Instead, he secretly felt his stomach, hidden beneath the blanket.

He would definitely get pregnant. Having received that much semen from a Dominant Alpha in rut, there was no way he wouldn’t conceive. If he didn’t take this medicine, his belly would begin to swell in a few months. Life would sprout, and as it grew, it would let him know of its existence with kicks and flutters.

Eun-soo swallowed hard.

Pregnancy. Pregnancy… A family of his own…

Just as Eun-soo’s eyes were beginning to grow hazy, Do-kwon leaned down and met his gaze.

“No.”

“…Yes?”

“Don’t think about other things.”

“…What things?”

“The thoughts you’re having right now. No. Take the medicine.”

Do-kwon grasped Eun-soo’s hand and placed the pills in it. Eun-soo looked down at the medicine tickling his palm. His eyes narrowed sharply. He was very displeased with Do-kwon’s actions.

“Why? Because… I’m too lacking to have a child? Because I’m not whole? Because I don’t have the right to give birth?”

Eun-soo asked with a twisted expression. Irritation, sorrow, sadness, and resentment were all tangled together in his large eyes. Watching him intently, Do-kwon shook his head and spoke firmly.

“No. It’s because I’m lacking. Because I don’t have the right, so it can’t happen.”

“…”

“I haven’t even won your heart yet. Your child—our child—would be too much for me, Eun-soo.”

“…”

“So, take it.”

Despite Do-kwon’s earnest persuasion, Eun-soo couldn’t easily toss the pills into his mouth. It was because of a stubborn lingering attachment. Perhaps the idea of a child would remain a lifelong longing for Eun-soo.

As Eun-soo’s lower lip trembled intermittently in deep thought, Do-kwon gently brushed his bangs aside. However, contrary to his gesture, his gaze had grown cold. He spoke slowly and clearly in a low voice, as if issuing a warning.

“If you don’t take it, I’ll start expecting things.”

“…”

“I’ll expect that you’ve opened your heart to me, that we can go back to the past, that I can put a ring on your finger, and that you and I will become a family.”

“…”

It was a truly trivial threat. What was “expectation”? It was something invisible, something that couldn’t be held in one’s hand, and something that couldn’t be certain. To try and stop his actions with something like that.

And yet, because every word that came out of Do-kwon’s mouth was never spoken in vain, he couldn’t just scoff and ignore it. Do-kwon, who had “expected” in his own clumsy way, had bought a building to look after him, tended to his needs, and established a company to create a job for him.

If he started expecting in earnest, there was no telling what else he would do.

Right. It’s too early. Not yet. Neither he nor Do-kwon were ready to welcome a new existence.

Eun-soo tossed the pills into his mouth. Do-kwon personally held a glass of water to Eun-soo’s lips. Then, he watched Eun-soo swallow the water, looking at him as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

Soon, Eun-soo pulled his head back. Do-kwon wiped away a drop of water clinging to Eun-soo’s lower lip with his thumb. Then, he set the glass down and laid Eun-soo back down.

Eun-soo let out a heavy breath, his body feeling stiff. His chest tightened at the thought that he would have to live with this pain for the next few days. His throat stung, making him wonder if he’d even be able to eat.

While Eun-soo was lost in gloomy imaginations, Do-kwon straightened the pillow and pulled up the blanket. Then, he spotted Eun-soo’s foot peeking out from under the covers. Do-kwon carefully wrapped his hand around the slender ankle. He gently stroked the top of the foot, which was covered in his own lip marks, with his thumb.

“Eun-soo.”

“Yes.”

“Actually… I’ve been expecting things since the day you came to see me during my rut.”

“…What?”

“From the moment you called saying you were in front of the hotel. From the moment I opened the door and saw you. I’ve been expecting.”

Do-kwon pressed his lips firmly against the top of Eun-soo’s foot before pulling away and speaking softly. Eun-soo’s eyes widened at those words.

He was flustered. It felt as if Do-kwon had seen right through the emotions he hadn’t even realized he had—those vague and blurry feelings.

Right, there was no way he wouldn’t know. After all that hating and pushing him away. Now he slept in the same bed, ate meals together, and conversed while locking eyes. Moreover, hadn’t he rushed here in a panic, worried about him spending his rut alone?

This… this shouldn’t be happening. This is strange. This is wrong. This relationship shouldn’t be flowing in this direction.

Eun-soo’s pupils shook anxiously. A reddish heat rose to his cheekbones, ashamed of his own emotions. The blanket Do-kwon had covered him with felt like a boulder crushing him.

Do-kwon sat on the edge of the bed. He quietly met Eun-soo’s gaze.

“You don’t need to be shy. You don’t need to feel ashamed. And you don’t need to feel guilty. Because you’ve done nothing wrong.”

“…”

“Just follow your heart, Eun-soo.”

“…”

“Don’t care about what others say, or even what I say.”

A small smile crept onto Do-kwon’s lips. Eun-soo looked up at him blankly. Do-kwon carefully stroked Eun-soo’s eyebrows, the corners of his eyes, and his lips. Eun-soo’s reaction—flinching every time he was touched—couldn’t have been cuter or more lovely.

Do-kwon slowly leaned down and kissed Eun-soo’s forehead. Then, he whispered secretively into his ear.

“I told you. If there are any bastards who point fingers and call this strange, I’ll kill them all. So just do whatever you want.”

“…”

At those words, Eun-soo could neither agree nor disagree. As if he weren’t particularly expecting an answer, Do-kwon continued the conversation like a monologue. Lying face down with his cheek against Eun-soo’s chest, he spoke in a calm voice.

“I’ll match my pace to yours. Slow if you’re slow, fast if you’re fast.”

“…”

“I love you, Eun-soo.”

Do-kwon slowly closed his eyes. Through the thick blanket, he could faintly feel Eun-soo’s heartbeat. It was a fast, powerful beat.

A smile bloomed on Do-kwon’s lips as he savored that sweet sound.

* * *

[As of today, ‘831’ parents have welcomed their ‘First Season’ with their children.]

Employees moved busily beneath the glowing monitor. Eun-soo was among them. The youngest member of the team entered the meeting room holding poster drafts that had arrived via courier. The entire design team followed him into the room.

The company had been busy lately. This was because the number of users had begun to increase rapidly as reviews were posted on blogs and “mom cafes.” Consequently, surpassing 1,000 users came much sooner than expected.

They had been planning a baby fair as an event for surpassing 1,000 users, and they were currently frantic trying to prepare it.

Normally, a baby fair is an event where childcare products, including birth preparations, are gathered and sold. Parents could buy various products at once, and companies had a great opportunity to advertise new products or clear out excess inventory.

However, the baby fair hosted by allowed people to buy high-quality items—not inventory—at discounts of up to half price. They lowered prices by dealing with companies and provided vouchers that attendees could use within the venue.

Financial issues had cropped up here and there due to the sudden event, but the Seong-jin Group—meaning Do-kwon—provided a massive amount of sponsorship. Thanks to that, they were able to prepare childcare lectures, prize events, and even a kids’ cafe for the children accompanying the parents.

As part of the design team, Eun-soo had to create the promotional posters and banners for the event, as well as the pamphlets containing the event’s purpose and booth layout, and even the overall interior of the venue. Trying to handle all that with only four team members was enough to give him a migraine.

“The poster colors seem to have come out darker than expected, don’t they?”

Eun-soo frowned while examining the poster draft.

“Yes. I was thinking of a brighter pink.”

“But the wristbands and pamphlets came out well,” one team member said, touching the wristbands and pamphlets that had arrived.

“It wasn’t this color when I printed it on the office printer. Why is that?” another team member wondered, tilting their head.

In response, Eun-soo gently felt the poster with his thumb and index finger. He felt a stiff, thick texture.

“It must be a paper issue. Let’s just go with basic art paper. Glossy, not matte. Also, the corners of the pamphlets came out too sharp. If children touch them or put them in their mouths, they might get poked. What does everyone think?”

“Oh… you’re right. Many children of an age where they try to put everything in their mouths will be coming. I’ll contact the vendor and ask if they can round the corners.”

“Good. If they can’t, let’s just outsource the pamphlets to a different company.”

“Yes.”

The meeting continued. By the time Eun-soo’s throat felt scratchy, the inner pocket of his jacket vibrated faintly. Eun-soo pulled his phone out halfway and glanced at the screen.

[Eun-soo.]

[When do you finish?]

It was a message from Do-kwon. Eun-soo checked the time. It was already 6 o’clock. Eun-soo stood up from his seat.

“Uh… it’s time to leave. Shall we call it a day?”

“Ah, yes!”

The team members cleaned up the meeting room together. Eun-soo also gathered the scattered markers and put them in the storage bin.

Eun-soo and his team members left the office together. In the elevator, Eun-soo pressed the first floor, while the team members pressed the basement button for the parking lot.

Soon, the elevator reached the first floor.

“I’ll head out first. See you tomorrow.”

Eun-soo greeted his team members with a bright smile.

“Get home safely, Team Leader.”

“See you tomorrow!”

The team members greeted Eun-soo back. However, for some reason, one of the team members, Seo-young, got off with him today. As Eun-soo raised an eyebrow in curiosity, Seo-young added an explanation after a short “Ah.”

“I have drinks planned with a friend in Gangnam today. So I’m leaving my car behind.”

“Ah, I see. It’s Tuesday, but you have drinks planned?”

“Yes. My friend’s boss is a total psycho—I mean, well, yes. He’s kind of violent, selfish, and a total ‘kkondae’… My friend said they got chewed out again today. I’m going to comfort them.”

Eun-soo let out a dry laugh. At the same time, he worried internally if he was also being cursed at behind his back as a “total psycho” boss. It was likely a common worry for any boss with subordinates. As Eun-soo became unnecessarily serious and pressed his lips together, the perceptive Seo-young spoke up in a playful, bouncy voice.

“Ayyy, Team Leader Yoo is always nice and kind, so you don’t have to worry about being cursed at behind your back.”

Eun-soo laughed again at those words. Seo-young was very similar to Mi-young from Seong-jin. Not in appearance, but in personality. She was bright, energetic, and human.

The two walked together. Just as they tapped their employee IDs at the gate and stepped out, Seo-young asked.

“You always get off on the first floor, Team Leader. Your house must be close to here. Or… don’t tell me you take the subway?”

“Why? Am I not allowed to take the subway?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that you’re not allowed. But… it’s just…”

“…Just?”

“If you wear ‘subtle luxury’ and take the subway, it would feel… a bit dissonant, I guess.”

Eun-soo stopped dead in his tracks. After blinking a few times, he burst into laughter. It was the first time in his life he had heard such a phrase. “Subtle luxury.”

“What on earth is ‘subtle luxury’?”

At that, Seo-young said with wide eyes.

“The clothes you wear, Team Leader, are subtle luxury. They’re definitely luxury brands, but the logos aren’t printed huge. The kind of things only ‘real’ rich people wear. Not something bought because it’s a luxury brand, but something that happens to be luxury after you buy it.”

“…I don’t know what you mean.”

“I mean, it’s not like, ‘I’m going to make a big decision today and buy a luxury shirt,’ and then buying it. It’s just finding a piece of clothing you like and buying it. But it turns out to be luxury. Not particularly caring about the price when buying. I can feel that difference in you, Team Leader.”

“Hmm…”

Eun-soo tilted his head with a puzzled expression. Then, Seo-young waved her hand and shook her head.

“Ayy, if you don’t know, then forget it.”

Then she started walking again. Eun-soo followed her. It took only a moment to cross the lobby and reach the main entrance.

“So, do you walk because your house is close, or do you really take the subway?”

Having passed through the doors, Seo-young asked again. Eun-soo hesitated, “Uh…” His house was close, but he didn’t exactly walk. And he certainly didn’t take the subway. Just as Eun-soo was about to say he just walked, after a moment of deliberation…

“Eun-soo.”

A low voice called Eun-soo’s name. Eun-soo’s head whipped around quickly. Do-kwon, who had parked his car by the roadside, was walking toward them with long, confident strides. Having approached quickly, he smiled, the corners of his lips curving up.

“You came out early. You didn’t reply, so I thought you were very busy.”

“Ah… I came down right after I got the text…”

“Did you? You could have taken your time.”

Do-kwon naturally took Eun-soo’s bag. Then, he looked at Eun-soo with eyes full of love. Even though he had seen him this morning, it was a face he missed so desperately that he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Seo-young stared intently at Do-kwon. Noticing the gaze, Eun-soo introduced her to Do-kwon.

“Ah, this is a member of my team. Ms. Lee Seo-young.”

“Hello.”

Seo-young gave a slight nod. Eun-soo, smiling faintly, tried to introduce Do-kwon next. But.

“And this is… this is… uh…”

He couldn’t think of how to introduce him. What should he say? Ex-lover? Ex-boyfriend? The person he lives with? Should he just vaguely call him a friend? While Eun-soo was agonizing over it…

“I’m someone Eun-soo knows. I’m Seo Do-kwon.”

Do-kwon introduced himself instead.

“…”

Eun-soo snapped his gaze toward him.

“Ah… someone… you know… I see…”

Seo-young repeated Do-kwon’s answer, drawing out the words. “Someone he knows.” She had never heard such an introduction in her life. But Do-kwon’s expression was too neutral. So she was about to just let it be, but Eun-soo’s expression was strangely distorted.

Thus, Seo-young was caught in the middle, unable to do anything but read the room between the two.

A chilly breeze passed through the three of them.

* * *

Weekend evening. Sitting in the study, Eun-soo was staring at the monitor with narrowed eyes. As the event drew closer, there were more things to worry about. He was currently working on the booth layout, and since this wasn’t something he could decide alone but had to create while communicating with the marketing team, it required double the attention.

After clicking the mouse for a while, Eun-soo glanced to the side. Do-kwon, sitting a few steps away, was staring at a monitor filled with a jumble of English and numbers.

As Eun-soo spent more time working in the study, another desk suddenly appeared in the room one day. Whenever Eun-soo entered the study, Do-kwon would subtly follow him in a few minutes later and sit in the seat next to him to do his own work.

With two desks side by side, the study felt like a reading room. Of course, the desks were as large as beds and the chairs were thick, but sitting side by side and working made it impossible to shake the feeling of being a student preparing for an exam.

If Do-kwon spent four hours in the study, he spent three hours stealing glances at Eun-soo and one hour working. At first, that fiery gaze had been incredibly burdensome. Now, it was almost admirable that he worked for at least one hour.

Eun-soo gazed blankly at Do-kwon’s profile. Do-kwon seemed not to notice Eun-soo’s gaze because he was focused on his work. Thanks to that, Eun-soo could admire Do-kwon to his heart’s content.

The line from the slight dip between his brows to the high bridge of his nose was a work of art no matter when he looked at it. His full lips, his thick jawline befitting an Alpha, and the smooth nape of his neck leading down from his short hair.

Eun-soo rested his chin on the desk and began to steal glances at Do-kwon in earnest. He blinked in sync every time Do-kwon slowly blinked. How long had it been? Do-kwon asked without taking his eyes off the monitor.

“Eun-soo. It’s time for dinner. Aren’t you hungry?”

Startled by the sudden words, Eun-soo flinched and quickly turned his head away. In response, Do-kwon looked at Eun-soo a beat late, a faint smile on his face.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Uh… uh…”

Eun-soo groaned, awkwardly stroking his chin. After taking a few breaths, Eun-soo peeked sideways.

“Ramen?”

There was no ramen in Do-kwon’s house. Eun-soo had been very surprised by that. Do-kwon wasn’t the type of person to cook ramen for himself, nor was he someone who enjoyed such spicy and salty food, so it was natural that there was none. But it had been several months since he moved into this house. He was surprised that he hadn’t looked for ramen once during that time.

In the past, he felt like he had eaten it regularly, maybe twice a month. Perhaps it was because Do-kwon always provided delicious food. There hadn’t been a single day where he craved ramen.

Anyway, that’s why I grabbed a few different kinds of ramen from the convenience store in a rush. Eun-soo, who had put a pot of water on the stove, found eggs and green onions in the fridge. Since someone came over regularly to cook, everything else could be found in the refrigerator.

As Eun-soo washed the green onions and placed them on the cutting board, Do-kwon, who had been hovering nearby, quickly seized the knife.

“I’ll do it.”

“It’s fine. I’ll do it.”

“No. I’ll do it. You just sit.”

“…….”

Eun-soo clamped his mouth shut. It wasn’t as if he were a five-year-old. How dangerous could boiling a pack of ramen be? Do-kwon was worried sick that Eun-soo might face-plant into the water and die, get burned by the hot pot, or cut himself with the knife.

The bridge of Eun-soo’s nose wrinkled like an angry puppy.

“I said, I’ll do it.”

At Eun-soo’s rather ominous tone, Do-kwon’s broad shoulders flinched. After adjusting his grip on the knife handle a few times, he sullenly handed it over to Eun-soo.

With a satisfied look on his face, Eun-soo chopped the green onions. Every now and then, he checked if the water was boiling and even gave Do-kwon the task of tearing open the ramen soup packets. Do-kwon’s grief-stricken face brightened instantly.

Cooking was enjoyable. One might argue that boiling ramen hardly counts as cooking, but it had been so long since he’d held a knife in a kitchen that he felt excited. So, he also finely chopped some kimchi and fried a few frozen dumplings.

While Eun-soo was watching the dumplings cook in the pan, waiting for the right timing to flip them, Do-kwon suddenly poked the nape of his neck with an index finger. Startled by the sudden physical contact, Eun-soo almost dropped the tongs.

“Wha—what is it?”

With wide eyes, Eun-soo covered the back of his neck and looked back at Do-kwon. Do-kwon narrowed his eyes and spoke.

“It’s already fading.”

“What is?”

“The marks I left.”

At those words, Eun-soo let out a small moan. Ah… He was referring to the hickeys left about two weeks ago, during Do-kwon’s rut.

His entire body had been mottled red, as if he had some kind of skin disease, from all the biting and licking. After taking painkillers and sleeping for a full day, Eun-soo had gone into the bathroom late and been horrified. He had even gone looking for a knife, thinking, ‘Yes, now is the time. I think I could kill Do-kwon right now.’

After that, it was a series of awkward situations. Setting aside the pain, he couldn’t go outside because he had been chewed up all the way down to his jawline. He had no choice but to wear turtlenecks, but since such stifling styles weren’t to his taste, he didn’t own any.

So, he had made Do-kwon buy several different types of turtlenecks. For a while after that, he rotated through those turtlenecks for work. There were more than a few times he had been startled while absentmindedly pulling at the fabric because the feeling of being strangled was so suffocating.

The marks that had tormented Eun-soo for several weeks were finally, at last, disappearing. Setting the tongs down, Eun-soo glared at Do-kwon with narrowed eyes.

“They’re finally fading, finally. What do you mean ‘already’?”

“……Sorry.”

At Eun-soo’s scolding, Do-kwon cast his eyes down. Yet, for some reason, his cheekbones were slightly raised. Eun-soo gritted his teeth.

“Don’t smile while saying you’re sorry.”

“Right. Sorry for that too.”

Do-kwon apologized again, even pressing down on the corners of his mouth with his hand. Eun-soo let out a sigh deep enough to sink the ground. Just then, wisps of white smoke began to rise from the frying pan. It seemed the dumplings were burning.

Startled, Eun-soo reached for the tongs. Do-kwon also reached for them. Eun-soo reached them first, and Do-kwon’s hand overlapped over Eun-soo’s.

Eun-soo caught his breath. The moment Do-kwon’s hot, firm palm covered the back of his hand, goosebumps prickled down his spine. While Eun-soo stood frozen in a daze, Do-kwon flipped the dumplings while still holding Eun-soo’s hand. With his other hand, he pressed the induction buttons to lower the heat.

The smoke cleared, and fortunately, the dumplings were only slightly charred, not burnt. Do-kwon narrowed his eyes at the dumplings. They weren’t burnt, but the quality seemed too poor to put into Eun-soo’s mouth. He figured it would be better to start over.

Just as Do-kwon was about to say he’d fry some more quickly—

“Do-kwon, your hand……”

Eun-soo flicked his wrist, looking uncomfortable. Only then did Do-kwon realize he was still holding Eun-soo’s hand. Startled, he quickly let go.

“Sorry.”

“……It’s okay.”

Setting the tongs down as if throwing them, Eun-soo rubbed the back of his hand where Do-kwon had touched him. The atmosphere became strange. Do-kwon kept his mouth shut and watched Eun-soo’s reaction, while Eun-soo stubbornly stared only at the sizzling dumplings.

It was just a coincidence, a brief touch of hands, but he didn’t know why it felt so awkward. Just a few weeks ago, they were in a relationship where they had sex for two days straight. To be this shaken by a mere hand-hold.

It was strange. The tickling sensation inside his ribs was strange, the way their gazes avoided each other was strange, and the discarded tongs were strange. Everything was just strange.

Biting his lower lip, Eun-soo forced a smile as he looked at the pot where the ramen was bubbling.

“I—I think it’s done…… shall we eat now?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

The two of them prepared to eat, creaking like broken robots. They put the food on the table, set out the cutlery, and brought out various types of kimchi. Thus, a humble meal was prepared, one that didn’t quite fit Do-kwon’s lavish home.

Eun-soo enjoyed the ramen Do-kwon served him. He ate the crunchy cabbage kimchi, the dumplings, and the cubed radish kimchi. When the noodles were gone, he added an egg and some cold rice to finish it off.

After that, his stomach was bulging. Leaning back deep into his chair, Eun-soo sipped some cold water. He had boiled four servings intending to eat with Do-kwon, but it felt like he had eaten three of them himself.

“I have strawberries. Want some?”

Do-kwon asked while cleaning up. Eun-soo snapped his head up. After rolling his eyes for no reason, he nodded.

“Just a few. Maybe…… five, no, about eight.”

At that, Do-kwon chuckled and opened the refrigerator. Soon, strawberries with the stems removed were placed in front of Eun-soo. Eun-soo poked a strawberry with a fork and popped it into his mouth. The sour yet sweet juice washed away the lingering salty smell of the ramen.

Do-kwon sat opposite him, watching Eun-soo munch on the strawberries. Every time Eun-soo’s cheeks puffed out, Do-kwon’s smile deepened.

It was when the strawberries had dwindled down to about three. Eun-soo tentatively opened his mouth.

“A few days ago.”

“Yeah.”

“You met Seo-young.”

“…….”

Do-kwon narrowed his eyes slightly. It was because he couldn’t remember who the ‘Seo-young’ Eun-soo was talking about. Since he had no interest in any human or entity other than Eun-soo, it was hard for him to remember and recall. Then, a strange face finally came to mind. The woman who had been leaving the office with Eun-soo.

“Yeah. I did.”

“Why did you say you were ‘acquaintances’ then?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I know there aren’t many other words to describe our relationship, but…… I’m just curious why you chose to say we’re acquaintances.”

Eun-soo spoke while twirling the handle of the fork. His gaze couldn’t meet Do-kwon’s and wandered downward. It wasn’t as if he were asking an forbidden question. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. He didn’t know why he felt so bashful and embarrassed.

Do-kwon gazed steadily at Eun-soo. Then, he answered with a faint smile.

“Because I think being ‘acquaintances’ is the best.”

“What’s so good about that? What could be more common than being acquaintances? Both you and I probably know over a hundred people if we’re just counting acquaintances.”

He’s acquaintances with the security guard here, the part-timer at the cafe in front of the office, the owner of the print shop. What is that even supposed to be? Eun-soo muttered as if dissatisfied. Hadn’t they spent too much time together and gone through too much to be lumped together as mere ‘acquaintances’?

Being acquaintances is a commonplace relationship. A relationship that is neither special nor precious. He couldn’t understand why Do-kwon described such a relationship as ‘good.’

As Eun-soo’s expression grew increasingly twisted, Do-kwon rested his chin on his hand and let out a hum from his throat.

“That’s why it’s good. There’s no relationship as full of possibilities as being acquaintances.”

“……What?”

“Ex-lovers, ex-boyfriends. If we were in that kind of relationship, wouldn’t it be too uncomfortable for us to start over?”

“…….”

“Being acquaintances is just right. Because it’s a relationship where it’s not strange at all, no matter when or how we start.”

Eun-soo chewed over Do-kwon’s words. Now that he thought about it, that made sense. ‘He said he’s an ex-boyfriend, are they meeting again?’ That would be strange. It wouldn’t be wrong, but it probably wouldn’t feel good.

But still, ‘acquaintances’ was a bit…… And what was this about ‘starting over’? About an hour ago, Eun-soo rubbed the back of his hand where Do-kwon had held it and pursed his lips.

“You say things like that so easily now.”

“Do I seem easy?”

“Yes.”

Eun-soo nodded. At that, Do-kwon clasped his hands together on the table. He leaned his upper body toward Eun-soo and whispered in a husky voice.

“You saw wrong. It’s not easy. I’m so scared you’ll hate me or get angry that I feel like my heart is rushing up into my throat.”

“…….”

“I was thinking that if you get angry, I should quickly say I was wrong. I should beg you to never do it again.”

Eun-soo filled Do-kwon’s black pupils. Do-kwon was the one saying he was nervous, but strangely, Eun-soo’s throat felt parched. The back of his hand grew itchier.

Silence fell. Throughout that silence, the two kept their eyes locked. It was Do-kwon who broke the silence first. He pushed his chair back and stood up.

“Want more strawberries?”

“Ah, uh……”

“Or I have mangoes. Want some mango?”

“Yes……”

Eun-soo gave a vague affirmation. Passing the table, Do-kwon took a mango out of the fridge. And then, stealthily, he picked up ‘that’ paring knife from the kitchen.

Do-kwon stared at the thick, soft mango for a long time. Then he washed it thoroughly under running water. Then he stared at it again. The blade moved, but it didn’t touch the mango. He seemed to be hesitating.

Eun-soo watched Do-kwon’s behavior from behind with interest.

Soon, Do-kwon placed the mango on the cutting board. Feeling an ominous sensation, Eun-soo slowly stood up. Then, Do-kwon sliced the mango right in half. Instead of laying it on its side and cutting vertically, he just sliced it horizontally. There was a crunching sound. It was the sound of the thick, large seed in the center of the mango being crushed by Do-kwon’s clumsy knife work.

Horrified, Eun-soo quickly approached Do-kwon.

“What are you doing! Why are you cutting it like that!”

“……Then? Ah, should I peel the skin first? Like an apple?”

Do-kwon held up the mango split in half and jammed the knife into the skin. Eun-soo shook his head vigorously and snatched the mango and knife from Do-kwon’s hand. He then stood the mango upright and cut long strips along both sides of the seed. Then, holding the skin side up, he made a grid pattern with the knife while scolding Do-kwon.

“Why did you ask if I wanted to eat it when you don’t even know how to prepare it?”

“I didn’t know that I didn’t know how to prepare a mango.”

“That’s why I’m asking, why did you say you’d do it if you didn’t know?”

“Because you like mangoes, Eun-soo.”

It was an utterly frustrating answer.

“Sigh……”

As Eun-soo let out a long sigh and prepared the mango, Do-kwon, watching over Eun-soo’s shoulder, spoke as if making a vow.

“I’ll learn. For sure.”

“No, there’s no need to learn.”

“I’ll learn anyway.”

“Where on earth are you going to learn how to prepare a mango?”

Eun-soo expected the internet, videos, the chef who came to the house periodically, or perhaps Myeong-hui or Ki-ho. But Do-kwon’s answer was completely unexpected.

“……A cooking academy?”

At those words, Eun-soo’s hand stopped abruptly. He imagined Do-kwon attending a cooking academy just to learn how to prepare mangoes. Do-kwon in a white chef’s coat, preparing a mango with a serious face. Then Do-kwon getting scolded by the teacher for making a mistake.

“Pffft……”

Eun-soo let out a laugh. It was truly a surreal and ridiculous scene. Shaking his head, Eun-soo took out another mango.

“I’ll teach you. Look. Mangoes have a thick, flat seed in the middle like this.”

“This is the seed?”

“Yes. You can’t eat this, so you have to stand the mango up and cut along the sides of the seed. If you just put the knife in, you can feel the seed. Want to try?”

“Yeah.”

Do-kwon stood the mango up, following Eun-soo’s lead. Then he carefully poked the knife in and began to cut out the flesh.

Eun-soo watched Do-kwon quietly. It was just cutting a mango. The fact that Do-kwon was trying to do it somehow just because he knew Eun-soo liked it, the way he focused with his brow furrowed… it was just… just…

“I’m done. Now what?”

“Then you cut a grid pattern. Horizontally and vertically.”

“Like this?”

“Yes. And then you flip it inside out like this.”

“Oh…… it looks like it’s for sale.”

“Now you just eat it with a fork. Done.”

“That’s it? It’s easy. I don’t need to go to a cooking academy.”

“……I guess so, you don’t need to go.”

“I’ll try again.”

Do-kwon proceeded to destroy five more mangoes after that. During that time, Eun-soo leaned against the counter, looked at Do-kwon, and thought.

That perhaps, just perhaps, it wouldn’t be so bad to forget all the time they had spent together, go back to the beginning, leave the infinite possibilities open, and become ‘acquaintances.’