By Zephyria 
===
Cha Se-jin, who had leaned over Eun-won with his arms braced on the dresser on either side, let out a long breath before straightening his body. Even the way Eun-won tilted his head up as Se-jin grew taller in his sight was beautiful.
Had there ever been a moment in his life when he wasn’t beautiful? Countless people must have felt desire, lust, or even love for him. It was impossible not to, with a face like that.
Among them, the impatient idiots who couldn’t control their lust would have rushed toward Eun-won without any regard for his feelings, only to be met with antipathy and end up as nothing more than perverted nuisances or trash. But Se-jin was different.
Though he had long since lost any sense of leisure, he could still pretend to be patient for a couple more days, pretend to be considerate, and mimic the act of having a kind side. And even after those two days, he would not act rashly. He couldn’t risk making Eun-won want to run away.
Slowly, he intended to painstakingly open him up, carving into his body every touch, the sensation felt when those hands brushed against him, and the pleasure of the moment their lips lingered. So that eventually, the mere touch of his hand would make every part of him remember the sensation and force him to throw himself into Se-jin’s arms.
Teaching someone inexperienced step by step was still not his taste, nor was it interesting, but that didn’t apply to Eun-won. From the moment Cha Se-jin first saw Seo Eun-won, everything had been interesting. His face, the way he looked at him, the sound of his voice when he answered, the way he was wary yet obedient, obedient yet not crushed, and the way he sobbed even while not being crushed—all of it.
“…….”
“…….”
As Se-jin tilted his head, the eyes looking up at him wavered before the eyelids finally closed. He had learned how to kiss. He had learned from Se-jin that when Se-jin tilted his head down like this, it meant a kiss was coming, and that one must close their eyes when kissing.
What would he learn next? What should he teach him first, one by one? What he once considered a tedious chore had now turned into something he anticipated with excitement. With a smirk, Cha Se-jin lowered his head toward Eun-won, who was waiting with his eyes obediently closed. The meeting of lips and the tangling of tongues were sweet. Like ice cream, jelly, or cake.
* * *
Before the final exam, Eun-won went to a vending machine, bought an ionic drink, and swallowed two more suppressant pills. For a few days, it felt as though he couldn’t control his pheromones well, his body felt chilly, and he was in a strange state where his underwear became damp whenever he thought of Cha Se-jin.
Yesterday, he couldn’t help himself at home and masturbated while thinking of Cha Se-jin. This morning, too, he experienced a dangerous moment where his lower abdomen tightened as he recalled Cha Se-jin ruffling his hair and saying in a low, playful voice, Finally, the exams are over today, huh?
‘Shall we go this far today?’
As he was about to say goodbye and get out of the car after Cha Se-jin dropped him off at school, Se-jin lightly touched his right shoulder with his fingertips. Then, he slowly slid his hand down, passing over his chest and stomach, briefly dipping inside his inner thigh before withdrawing.
Recalling his shoulder, where the marks had faded slightly but were still visible, Eun-won was startled by how vividly he imagined Cha Se-jin’s lips touching his inner thigh. He fled without even saying a proper goodbye. And now, before the exam started, thoughts of Cha Se-jin were boiling over like a fever, forcing him to swallow two more suppressants.
“…….”
Why is this happening… I think I have my pheromones under control… but just thinking about the Executive Director…
The problem was that thoughts he had never even considered were now rushing in without hesitation. He felt that it would be okay if Cha Se-jin just did whatever he wanted without teaching him one by one, and he even felt that he wished Se-jin would stop holding back. In fact, both the day before yesterday and yesterday, he felt a sense of regret when Cha Se-jin ended things with just a kiss and pulled away. He felt a strange, embarrassing sensation—difficult to describe in words—as if something in his body wanted to open, like a door being unlocked.
Even after going to the restroom to wash his hands with cold water and taking the medicine, Eun-won pressed his cold hands against his face to cool down the heat before entering the classroom. Time passed far too slowly.
He didn’t remember how he took the exam. He tried to focus as much as possible while writing, but he couldn’t recall a single thing he had written. Only Cha Se-jin’s face flickered before his eyes. Just thinking of Cha Se-jin’s name caused a sudden, violent churning in his stomach. Mistaking it for nausea, Eun-won quickly left the classroom and ran into the restroom.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you!”
Jung Woo-min, who was packing his bag to leave, followed the pale Eun-won.
His body was too hot. His vision kept blurring due to the fever, and his legs were shaking. And repeatedly… something was leaking from his body, soaking his underwear. After entering a stall and dry-heaving, Eun-won caught his breath and stepped out to the sinks.
Thinking it was due to the heat, he turned on the cold water to splash his flushed face and washed his hands, but instead of the fever breaking, his condition grew stranger. He felt his body temperature fluctuating wildly; he would be hot, then suddenly cold, then suddenly hit by a surge of heat again.
“Hey, are you okay? Your face is completely white.”
“I’m a bit dizzy… I’m okay.”
Closing the tap, Eun-won took a deep breath and left the restroom. His head spun with every step. The symptoms were too severe to be a simple cold or flu. The fact that he kept getting wet down there was also strange. And the pheromones that he had been able to control until a moment ago now seemed completely uncontrollable.
Could it be…
Only after feeling the heat searing through every inch of his skin did Eun-won realize it was a heat cycle. Until now, he had been able to control it easily with suppressants, and even when he was in poor condition, it had never been this bad, so he was utterly bewildered.
“Hey, hold onto me. Are you really okay?”
“I’m okay. Just… help me get to the department room.”
“Uh, okay, let’s go.”
With the help of Jung Woo-min, who was fortunately a Beta, Eun-won stepped outside the building and felt the blatant gazes of people passing by. Some turned their heads sharply to look at him, and some even stopped in their tracks.
“I think I can help you.”
As their eyes met, an Alpha approached him without hesitation, speaking in a strained voice, unable to take his eyes off Eun-won. His eyes were glistening, and his breathing grew heavier.
Along with that breath, the Alpha Pheromone reacting to the omega’s pheromones flowed out intensely, uncontrolled. A thick, bitter scent, like cigarettes, reached him. Despite his dislike, he felt his mind instinctively leaning toward the Alpha Pheromone. To snap himself out of it, Eun-won bit the inside of his lip hard and closed his eyes tightly before opening them.
Cha Se-jin… He had to contact Cha Se-jin. He had to tell him quickly. That his body felt strange. That the suppressants weren’t working, and he didn’t know what to do. He had to ask if Se-jin could come to where he was. Eun-won moved his hand to take out his phone.
…Huh? My bag.
His bag was gone. Only then did Eun-won remember that in his haste to run to the restroom, he had left his bag at his seat. He needed to go back and contact Cha Se-jin immediately, but the short distance he had walked now seemed dauntingly far.
“Let’s go. Please?”
The Alpha, whose eyes were half-crazed, gripped Eun-won’s wrist tightly. A sound of pain escaped him due to the immense grip. He tried to shake him off, but he lacked the strength in his body to break free.
“Ah, damn it. What the hell! Let go, now! I said let go!”
Jung Woo-min, who had been watching the situation, frowned deeply and grabbed the Alpha’s hand that was scanning Eun-won’s body, shaking it off. Fortunately, Woo-min’s build was not inferior to the Alpha’s, and he managed to create a gap with relative ease.
“Hey, who is this guy? Do you know him? What’s going on?”
“…I think… I’m in heat… Please help me.”
“What? Ah… Ah! So that’s why those bastards are all staring at you? Ugh, filthy bastards.”
Only then did Jung Woo-min realize; he looked at the Alphas staring at Eun-won with disgust and quickly gripped Eun-won’s arm firmly again.
“Hey, let’s go quickly. Let’s go to the department room and lock the door. No, maybe it’s better to take a taxi home? Ah, damn. Those guys have crazy looks in their eyes. For now, let’s just get inside somewhere.”
“I left my bag in the classroom, so I think I have to go back…”
“Ah, crap. Right. Ah, I’ll go get it quickly. But you can’t be alone. Uh… let’s go to the department room first. I’ll be right back, so stay there and I’ll go get your bag quickly.”
Threatening the guys trying to approach Eun-won by pretending to kick them, Jung Woo-min hurried toward the department room while sending a message to Ju Yi-deun and Yoon Ji-woon. Because he sent it hurriedly with one hand, it was full of typos, but fortunately, Yoon Ji-woon checked it immediately and replied that he was in the department room. Sending another typo-ridden reply telling him to come down quickly, Jung Woo-min walked as fast as possible while holding onto Eun-won.
A distance that would normally take five minutes felt long today. It was even worse because of the guys who kept approaching him, trying to strike up a conversation and claiming they could “solve” his problem. Sweating profusely as he pushed those guys aside, Jung Woo-min shouted toward Yoon Ji-woon, who was strolling out of the building.
“Hey! I told you to hurry up!”
“Ah, what is it all of a sudden? What’s wrong with him? Hey, Seo Eun-won, are you sick?”
“The situation, gasp, is seriously bad. Right now, ugh, damn. These crazy bastards, as soon as they see Seo Eun-won, they lose their minds…”
“Eh? Why?”
“Just, just go up. Is anyone in the department room?”
“Everyone left a while ago, so I’m alone. Why! Do you need more people?”
“No, no. Then you take Seo Eun-won up. I’ll go get the bag.”
Leaving Eun-won in Yoon Ji-woon’s care, Jung Woo-min quickly ran back the way he came. Yoon Ji-woon, shouting “What bag?” at the retreating back, looked at Eun-won, who was trembling all over despite only being held.
“Where does it hurt? Are you cold?”
“…I think I’m in heat. The suppressants aren’t working.”
“What? Whoa, crazy. You can’t just walk around like this. Let’s go, quickly.”
Seeing a few Alphas who couldn’t leave the vicinity and were watching them—much like something out of a zombie disaster movie—Yoon Ji-woon felt he had seen something he shouldn’t have and quickly wrapped his arm around Eun-won’s shoulder, leading him back into the building.