I had a dream. A very deep one.
We were thirty years old, crying like children as we promised each other our future. Choi Tae-gyeom, who I thought would be the one to break up with me, smiled with the utmost tenderness as he slipped a ring on my finger.
The way he looked at me, the touch of his fingertips, and even the subtle pheromones that spread around us.
With Choi Tae-gyeom, I felt like I could face any future that awaited me. If it was this guy, who had been with me since birth, I wouldn’t regret spending the rest of my days with him.
The only thing I regretted was the past five years or so that I hadn’t spent with him.
“…Yoon-woo.”
I heard someone speaking in my sleep. Gently shaking my shoulder and calling my name in a low voice.
Lee Yoon-woo. It was a familiar call, but the voice was strangely unfamiliar. Or rather, it felt nostalgic because it had been so long.
“…Yoon-woo…”
Yeah, what is it? That’s what I wanted to say. But what actually came out was a light groan, “Ugh.” The other person chuckled and called my name even louder.
“Lee Yoon-woo.”
“……”
Slowly, I lifted my eyelids. A familiar face came into view at the end of my blurry focus. Fair cheeks and refined eyes. Someone with long, drooping eyelashes looking intently at me.
“Are you awake?”
Oh, it’s Choi Tae-gyeom.
As soon as I realized that, I reached out without thinking. I wanted to pull him close and snuggle a little longer. When I grabbed the hand on my shoulder and pulled, Choi Tae-gyeom collapsed into my arms.
“……”
“Just five more minutes…”
He buried his face in my chest without any resistance. To be precise, it was closer to him collapsing weakly because I suddenly pulled him, but either way, it didn’t matter much, so I gently patted his broad back.
“Let’s sleep a little longer…”
Fine hair tickled the edge of my chin. In the silence where I could hear him breathing, I felt a heartbeat that didn’t seem to belong to anyone. I lowered my head and took a deep breath, and Choi Tae-gyeom’s unique pheromones…
“……?”
Pheromones…?
“……”
I rubbed my nose against his hair again. I took a deeper breath than before, but instead of pheromones, only the fragrant scent of shampoo wafted up. Feeling strangely like I had become a beta, I curiously ran my fingers over his ears and the back of his neck.
“……”
Choi Tae-gyeom flinched and shrugged. The skin under my fingertips felt strangely warm. Under normal circumstances, this would be a situation where pleasant pheromones would be overflowing. Despite that, I couldn’t feel any pheromones from him.
Not only that, but Choi Tae-gyeom’s posture had been strange since a while ago. Usually, he would be snuggling up to me like he was being affectionate, but now he was stiff as a stone and had stopped moving. Only then did I feel a sense of unease, and I slowly opened my eyes to look down at Choi Tae-gyeom in my arms.
“……”
“……”
Could I still be dreaming?
It was Choi Tae-gyeom. Choi Tae-gyeom with his delicately drawn features and unusually pale complexion. The very Choi Tae-gyeom with the most beautiful face I had ever seen.
The problem was that his glamorous appearance looked particularly young today.
“You… did you always look like this?”
“……What?”
He blinked and replied in a dazed voice. At the same time, his crumpled face was completely red, all the way to his neck. Could it be that he wasn’t feeling good, but had a fever? Just as I was about to touch his forehead with that thought in mind.
“Lee Yoon-woo, stop talking nonsense again.”
He escaped from my arms as if running away. In the blink of an eye, he was off the bed and adjusting his clothes with his back turned to me.
A jacket and tie. Clothes he always wore to work, but today there was one thing different.
“……A school uniform?”
Instead of a suit, it was a school uniform. I saw Choi Tae-gyeom wearing a navy blue school uniform instead of his usual monochrome suit. The neat school uniform jacket suited his broad shoulders, but it wasn’t something he could wear at the age of thirty.
“Why a school uniform?”
“……”
Choi Tae-gyeom looked at me again as if I was talking nonsense. His subtly youthful face was clearly different from what I had seen until just yesterday. He narrowed his brow slightly and snapped his fingers in front of my eyes with a ‘snap’ sound.
“Get a grip.”
“……”
I suddenly came to my senses. The sleepiness that had lingered until just now disappeared as if washed away. A light question was asked to me as I blinked.
“Are you still not fully awake?”
“Uh……”
I slowly moved my lips to find something to say. As I did, the surroundings I looked at were very different from what I had imagined. There were frames on the walls, and awards and certificates were stuck in the bookshelf. It wasn’t the house I lived in with him, or my studio apartment from college, but my room in my parents’ house.
And the person in front of me was,
“Hurry up and get ready. You’re going to be late.”
It was Choi Tae-gyeom from high school.
* * *
It took longer than I thought to shake off the lingering effects of last night’s dream. As I changed into my school uniform, as I was led to the living room by Choi Tae-gyeom, and as I ate breakfast with him as usual, I endlessly replayed the scenes that came to mind.
The first thing I did was pinch my cheek as hard as I could. I did it because I thought I wasn’t fully awake, but unfortunately, I only felt a stinging pain. And to make matters worse, Choi Tae-gyeom, startled by the ‘Ah’ sound, made a very serious face and worried about me.
The second thing I did was take out my phone and check the date and background. Instead of the D-day with the number of days I had been dating Choi Tae-gyeom (which he had set), there was the date of the college entrance exam, and the year was a whopping 11 years in the past.
11 years. Choi Tae-gyeom was nineteen, not thirty.
“Tae-gyeom.”
“What?”
I stared intently at Choi Tae-gyeom’s face. Choi Tae-gyeom, who was picking up side dishes, glanced up. His neatly arranged eyelashes cast a long shadow.
“……”
It was Choi Tae-gyeom, but it wasn’t Choi Tae-gyeom. His light-colored eyes were the same, but his face felt subtly younger. His face line was a little softer, as if the baby fat hadn’t completely disappeared, and there was still a prickly feeling in his eyes.
Did he always look like this?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, just.”
Instead of explaining, I loosened my lips into a smile. I couldn’t help but laugh because I thought he was cute. The way he couldn’t avoid my eyes, but couldn’t look me straight in the eye either, and awkwardly wrinkled his eyes, was etched in my mind.
“You look really young.”
“……Are you going to say that again?”
Choi Tae-gyeom let out a chuckle and told me to stop talking nonsense and eat my rice. He also said that I was bigger now, and when was I going to stop treating him like a kid. Listening to his prickly voice, I finally felt a sense of reality.
“Hey, Tae-gyeom.”
Yeah, this is reality after all.
I thought I had a pretty fun dream, though I didn’t know why. A dream where I developed as an omega, ran away from Choi Tae-gyeom, and finally got married. And such indescribable… such, acts.
“I had a dream that I married you.”
“……”
At my playful words, Choi Tae-gyeom blinked with a blank face. A beat later, he dropped the side dish he had picked up with his chopsticks. Seeing his cute reaction, I couldn’t help but think.
That dating Choi Tae-gyeom wasn’t so bad after all.
* * *
We left the house side by side and headed to school. The breakfast prepared on the table (the skill of my mom, who had recently taken up cooking as a hobby) was very bad, but it wasn’t bad because I was in a good mood. Of course, unlike Choi Tae-gyeom, who forced himself to eat everything, I left about half of it.
“You’re weird today.”
Choi Tae-gyeom kept saying those words after breakfast. I wondered if the words that I had dreamed of marrying him were so shocking that he kept twitching with a red face. Even so, the way he sent me worried glances, was Choi Tae-gyeom still Choi Tae-gyeom?
“Are you not feeling well?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief then…”
Looking at his furrowed brow, I tried to recall my memories. Until I ate breakfast, all sorts of things came to mind, but the moment I left the house, everything became blurry. As dreams usually do, now only the feelings I felt at the time remained vaguely.
“Still, take care of yourself. You always get really sick when you get sick.”
“You worry too much.”
I don’t know why I had that dream, but it was amazing that I had felt Choi Tae-gyeom’s pheromones. It was as if I had really become an omega, and every time he showed his emotions, the rippling pheromones touched my skin. It was a precious experience that I would never have again.
“What a strange dream…”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
I shook my head and grabbed Choi Tae-gyeom’s hand, who was half a step behind me. As soon as I intertwined our fingers, he was startled and shook my hand off.
Both Choi Tae-gyeom, who had widened his eyes, and I, who had stopped moving, were caught in an awkward silence.
“……”
“Uh……”
“……”
“Sorry.”
I was the one who apologized first. Choi Tae-gyeom was still staring at me with a blank look. I raised both hands as if surrendering with the most innocent face I could muster.
“It was kind of habitual…”
I feel like we used to do this much skinship all the time. No, did we stop doing it when we graduated from elementary school?
“……No, that’s not it…”
Choi Tae-gyeom frowned with a troubled face. He sighed and ruffled his hair. If I fix that bangs for him, would he be surprised again? With that thought in mind, I pressed down on my twitching hand.
“Ha, this is driving me crazy.”
Choi Tae-gyeom, who muttered quietly, bit his lower lip tightly. The gaze that met mine by chance seemed to have a slight heat.
He quickly composed himself as if nothing had happened, but I couldn’t forget the expression I had seen for a moment.
After that, no words were exchanged between him and me until we arrived at school. As always, Choi Tae-gyeom walked half a step behind me, and I occasionally looked back at him and took slow steps. Looking at his serious face, I wanted to say something to him, but there was no topic to bring up.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to school.”
The school we arrived at in silence felt somehow new. The teacher guarding the front gate, the student disciplinary committee members, and some of the children being punished. Even the glances at Choi Tae-gyeom felt different.
“What are you talking about? We came to school yesterday too.”
“Yeah, but something…”
“……Are you sick after all?”
Choi Tae-gyeom widened the distance between us and frowned ambiguously. His glancing eyes and moving lips showed that he was worried about me even in the midst of his troubled state.
“Tae-gyeom.”
“……Why do you keep calling me?”
What did Choi Tae-gyeom say in my dream? He said he had liked me for a long time.
“That…”
I was going to ask him why he was so worried about me. I was also going to joke about whether he really liked me.
“……Just.”
But when I tried to say it, I couldn’t get the words out. There were students all around, and I thought Choi Tae-gyeom would be embarrassed, wondering what I was talking about.
“It’s nothing.”
But… why is he so cute today?
“……Why does everything keep being nothing?”
The way he was secretly looking at me, and the way he was checking to see if I was sick. Everything about Choi Tae-gyeom felt clumsy.
Should I just tell him he’s cute? Then he would frown openly, and then turn his head with his neck all red.
“Because I like being with you.”
“……”
Both Choi Tae-gyeom and I were embarrassed by the words that popped out. I didn’t mean to say it so sweetly, but I couldn’t help but put my feelings into it.
“Lee Yoon-woo, you’re really weird today.”
Choi Tae-gyeom turned his gaze away from me, his ears flushed red. All sorts of emotions seemed to be swirling in his fleeting eyes. It was a reaction that I was ashamed to say I hadn’t noticed until now.
“You need to put out some pheromones.”
I could feel the omegas around me glancing at him. I casually told him and walked past him through the school gate. The teacher, who I saw every day but was still unfamiliar with, made a face as if he was sick of us, saying, “Did you guys come together again today?”
“Choi Tae-gyeom, what are you doing? Come on.”
He stood there blankly for a long time, and only after I urged him did he catch up with me. He walked up to me with his long legs and grabbed my arm without saying a word.
“What did you just say?”
It wasn’t an oppressive touch. It was just closer to urging me to answer.
What? As soon as I asked that, his handsome face crumpled.
“……Put out pheromones?”
Ah, that face again.
Since I was young, Choi Tae-gyeom had always made that face whenever I said anything related to pheromones. He would frown slightly, bite his lip, and quietly watch my reaction.
I always interpreted this expression as ‘he’s worried that I’ve developed a special trait, and that I’ve felt his pheromones because I’m an omega.’
“……”
But why, today, did I just think that Choi Tae-gyeom was simply anxious? Why did I think that the type of anxiety was different from what I expected?
“……I just said it because the kids were staring.”
Just because the word pheromone came out of my mouth didn’t mean I was going to become an omega. Even if I did develop a special trait, there was a possibility that I would become an alpha instead of an omega. In the first place, was it even reasonable to overinterpret it that much with just one word of pheromone?
“Aren’t those kids staring at you omegas?”
It was a belated realization, but I felt a subtle sense of unease. That feeling intensified as soon as I saw Choi Tae-gyeom’s relieved face. Could it be that, apart from being an omega, he didn’t want me to feel his pheromones?
“……It’s not like kids staring is a new thing.”
Choi Tae-gyeom sighed and naturally wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He smiled softly and bumped his head against mine. Maybe it was just my imagination, but my eye level seemed a little lower than usual.
“Lee Yoon-woo, you’re not really sick, are you?”
“I told you I’m not sick.”
“If you’re sick, make sure you tell me. Don’t foolishly hold it in.”
“You’re just asking for trouble…”
I chuckled and intertwined my fingers with the hand that had come up to my shoulder. It was a semi-habitual action, but it seemed that it wasn’t at all for Choi Tae-gyeom, who had wrapped his arm around my shoulder as if hugging me. I could feel his intertwined fingers twitching.
“……”
But funnily enough, Choi Tae-gyeom didn’t take his hand out of mine. He just put a little more strength into his hand and walked as if nothing was wrong. Even the way he seemed to have become more daring in the meantime, just because I had grabbed his hand once while walking to school, felt cute.
* * *
He kindly took me to the classroom with my hand in his. He was in class 1 in the entrance, but he stubbornly crossed two more classes.
‘3-3’ I stared blankly inside in front of the classroom with those words written on it.
“……”
“What’s wrong?”
Choi Tae-gyeom gave me a puzzled look. He tilted his head as if he thought it was strange that I was just standing there.
If I say these words, he’ll really think I’m sick. Knowing that, my lips moved.
“It just feels kind of nostalgic.”
It was when the winter vacation of my second year ended and the class assignments came out. I remember Choi Tae-gyeom complaining a lot because we were separated for the first time since becoming high school students. It was only a few meters away. I wondered why I felt so sorry. It was only a short time ago, but it felt as nostalgic as if it had been a long time ago.
“……Do you want to leave early?”
This time, Choi Tae-gyeom made a serious face and touched my forehead. He quietly checked my temperature and told me to open my mouth and checked the inside of my throat.
After confirming that everything was normal, he even followed me to my seat and told the guy sitting next to me, “If Lee Yoon-woo is sick, tell me.”
“Hey, stop being so nosy and go quickly.”
“If you’re sick, make sure you leave early. No, call me. Okay?”
“I know.”
I felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly sent Choi Tae-gyeom away. My classmate, whose name I didn’t even know, gave me an envious look, saying, “You guys are really close.”
We are close. Of course we’re close… But do you usually do this much for a friend?
‘You really.’
‘Did you only realize that now?’
“……”
I stared blankly at the back door where Choi Tae-gyeom had disappeared. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu along with a familiar voice. Where did I hear these words before…?
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before I gave up trying to figure out the cause of the déjà vu. The teacher came in through the front door, took attendance, and started the morning assembly. Lee Yoon-woo. The moment I answered the short call felt awkward, unlike usual.
And the morning classes that followed weren’t as bad as usual. No, rather, they were more interesting than I had expected.
I stayed up all night studying to memorize this… I thought that far, then shook it off with the question, ‘Did I ever do that?’
“Let’s stop here for today.”
With five minutes left until lunchtime, the fourth period ended. The English teacher packed up his textbook and left the classroom, and, as if promised, more than half of the students collapsed onto their desks. A few moments after the bell rang, everyone except a few would jump up and run to the cafeteria.
I rested my chin on my hand and looked around the quiet classroom. A spring breeze wafted in through the open window. The backmost seat by the window. The perfect place to see everyone at a glance if I turned my head.
It was sudden, but now I wanted to be in the same class as Choi Tae-gyeom. I was a little curious about the guy who was in the class next to mine.
Habitually, I picked up my mechanical pencil and wrote interpretations under the English passage. Things that had felt so difficult now read naturally, like flowing water.
There were no unfamiliar words in the not-so-long passage, and as soon as I put the last period, the lunch bell rang.
“Hey, what’s for lunch today?”
“Spaghetti?”
“Crazy. Hey, get up, quick, quick, quick.”
It didn’t take long for the bustling classroom to empty. As if by appointment, the children left the classroom in groups.
Choi Tae-gyeom, who already hated crowded places, would come when only two or three people were left in the classroom.
“Lee Yoon-woo.”
Sure enough, he came to find me when the classroom was almost empty. At the quiet call, those in the classroom glanced at Choi Tae-gyeom. A dress shirt and tie, and slightly rolled-up sleeves. Even the unremarkable attire looked stylish, as if he were a school uniform model.
“Are you feeling any better?”
Choi Tae-gyeom, who had come inside, sat down next to me without hesitation. My desk mate had already left for lunch a long time ago. We used to hang out in the classroom and head to the cafeteria when the crowd thinned out.
More than that, I’m not sick…
“Looks like you studied hard.”
The textbook flipped through Choi Tae-gyeom’s hands. Reading the passage written across two pages, he chuckled. Just looking at the slightly upturned corner of his lips made me feel good.
“Anyway, terrible handwriting…”
I stared at Choi Tae-gyeom’s face. The softly curved eyes and sparkling pupils were so pretty that I felt it was a waste for others to see.
If it were before, my admiration would have stopped there, but now it went further, even to this thought.
“…”
Why does it seem like he likes me so much?
“It’s a talent to write so badly.”
He said that, but his face was full of pleasantness. As if even the bad handwriting was cute. It was already affectionate enough to make me tingle even if I stayed still, so wouldn’t it be more than just my imagination at this point?
Only Choi Tae-gyeom and I were left in the classroom. Lunch was supposed to be spaghetti. Since it was a popular menu, the front of the cafeteria must be crowded by now. I checked the empty classroom and met Choi Tae-gyeom’s eyes.
“Tae-gyeom-ah.”
“…”
Just calling his name made the tips of his ears turn red. If I could feel pheromone like in the dream, I would feel the emotions contained within it rawly. Disappointed, I stopped speaking, and Choi Tae-gyeom frowned and muttered.
“…Lee Yoon-woo, you’re really strange today.”
What is? I didn’t ask. Because the guy, who was twitching his cheeks, added in a sulky voice.
“Why do you keep calling me like that?”
I blinked, opening and closing my eyes. Choi Tae-gyeom was still biting his lips with a flushed face. Looking at him, I couldn’t help but ask.
“What’s ‘like that’?”
How did I call Choi Tae-gyeom? Hasn’t it been the same from a long time ago until now?
“It’s very…”
He started, but couldn’t readily continue. His neat brow furrowed slightly as if he was trying to choose his words. Even his eyebrows are pretty. While I was thinking that, a very small voice seeped into my ear.
“…ticklish.”
It was only four letters, but it was enough to represent his heart. Tae-gyeom-ah. I also knew well how I pronounced those three letters.
“You call me too… ticklishly.”
‘Yoon-woo-yah.’
Again, a familiar voice came from somewhere. The sweet voice, like melted sugar, was definitely Choi Tae-gyeom’s. Choi Tae-gyeom in front of me didn’t call me like that. Why did I naturally call him following that voice?
“Usually, you say, ‘Hey, Tae-gyeom-ah.’ But today, Tae-gyeom-ah, Tae-gyeom-ah…”
“…”
“People will misunderstand if they hear it.”
“Misunderstand?”
“Yeah, misunderstand.”
Choi Tae-gyeom, who answered calmly, shook his head lightly. In the gaze that met mine, all the remaining expectations had disappeared. That was the same with the neatly raised corners of his lips.
“Anyone would think you like me.”
“…”
The area around my chest tingled and ached. It was difficult to explain the reason in words, but one thing was certain. The expectations that Choi Tae-gyeom had to kill to say those words were empathized with as if they were my own.
“…That might not be a misunderstanding.”
I opened my mouth cautiously. At the words I said like a soliloquy, Choi Tae-gyeom blinked. I snatched the textbook from his hand, closed the book, and put it on the desk.
“That’s not a misunderstanding.”
“What?”
Suddenly, I just wanted to say something like that. It would have been impossible for me until yesterday, but it was possible for me now. My heart for Choi Tae-gyeom, which I had realized like a thunderbolt.
“Tae-gyeom-ah.”
Was it because of the swaying spring breeze, or because Choi Tae-gyeom’s gaze was trembling? Or was it because Choi Tae-gyeom’s emotions were being assimilated into me?
“I like you.”
The moment I said the words, I felt like I was going to cry without realizing it. My heart was beating so fast that I thought pheromone, which I didn’t even have, was going to pop out.
Even so, I kept talking because Choi Tae-gyeom, who was staring at me, had a surprised face without even breathing.
“Not as a friend, and not as someone to protect.”
“…”
“I’m saying it with the heart of wanting to be lovers.”
The moment you put a name on an emotion, it grows so big that you can’t control it.
Throughout the confession I was making as if possessed, I thought I should have done this sooner. I don’t know what point that ‘sooner’ is based on, but it wouldn’t be too late now.
“…What is…”
I like Choi Tae-gyeom. I like him, I like him so much that I was convinced that if I took a little courage before my liking ate away at my honesty, I could narrow this one step.
“I like you, Tae-gyeom-ah.”
“…”
Choi Tae-gyeom stared blankly at me without saying anything. He seemed to have lost his mind, forgetting to breathe.
I didn’t think he would be this surprised. I was about to grab his hand out of some unknown guilt.
“…Ha.”
Choi Tae-gyeom, who took a deep breath, lowered his head. The nape of his neck, which was faintly visible, was as red as if paint had been spilled. A large hand covered his eyes, and he swept his face up and down as if washing it.
And the moment I heard his breath again,
“…”
Choi Tae-gyeom, who jumped up, left the classroom without looking back. There was no time to grab him or add any more words.
When I came to my senses, Choi Tae-gyeom was no longer in front of me.
* * *
What are some ideal reactions that the other person might show when you confess? Accepting it with a flushed face, or crying and hugging you as I once saw in a drama.
I didn’t want either, but I was secretly convinced that Choi Tae-gyeom would be happy. Yeah, at least I didn’t think he would run away pretending he didn’t hear anything. And even more so, I didn’t think he wouldn’t show me a single strand of hair until the end of school.
‘Tae-gyeom said to tell you that he went home first.’
That was what a student I didn’t know from class 1 told me after school. We had never left school separately no matter what (even on days when I was sick, Choi Tae-gyeom would get an outing pass and take me home), so it was shocking in a way.
Anyway, I left school alone without Choi Tae-gyeom and returned home. When I arrived in front of the gate, the password had been changed, so I wandered around for a long time. Fortunately, my mom answered the phone, and I regained my senses a little during that series of events.
“…”
So, am I dumped now?
I lay on the bed and quietly looked at Choi Tae-gyeom’s picture. He was about the same height as me, and his face was whiter than now. This was probably at the middle school graduation ceremony. My aunt put the same picture on Choi Tae-gyeom’s desk because she put them in frames side by side.
“Isn’t that too much…”
It hadn’t been long since we broke up, but I felt empty because I couldn’t see him. Choi Tae-gyeom’s side felt more comfortable than the house I had lived in all my life. Well, it wasn’t unreasonable to feel that way since we had been stuck together almost like one body lately.
…No, have we been stuck together like one body lately?
I shook my head and put the frame down next to me. I should think that I was dumped because Choi Tae-gyeom ran away, but I didn’t think that he ran away because he hated me even a little bit. I just guessed that he needed time, vaguely.
“Should I go first?”
With that thought, I jumped up from the bed. I had only taken off my tie after school, so my dress shirt was crumpled and messy. I hurriedly smoothed out the wrinkles and roughly straightened the protruding hem of my shirt, and just in time, I heard a vibration sound from somewhere.
“…”
The source of the vibration was the bag I had thrown on the floor. Judging from the multiple vibrations, it was definitely a phone call. Who would call me at this time? There was only one person who would do that.
[Choi Tae-gyeom]
I was really seriously ill. How long has it been since I realized my feelings, and I’m so excited by just one name.
“…Hello.”
My voice cracked. Like when I confessed to him earlier, my solar plexus was constricted with tension.
For a long time, no words came back from the other side of the phone.
―…….
“…”
The reason for the call was probably the answer to my confession. He must have organized his thoughts to some extent during the time he was away from me.
Maybe my guess was mostly correct. But I wanted to have the part I had roughly estimated confirmed directly by Choi Tae-gyeom’s mouth. It was an unfounded confidence, but I wanted him to tell me the name of his heart.
―…Lee Yoon-woo.
He made a voice after a long time of silence. Like me, the end of his words cracked slightly.
Yeah, Tae-gyeom-ah. As soon as I answered, a breathy voice gently asked for permission.
―Can I come in?
“…”
Ah, how can he be so cute? Even though I like him, this is a bit too much.
“Since when have you asked something like that…”
No sooner had I finished speaking than I heard the sound of the password being pressed outside.
I didn’t hang up the phone. But there was no need to go out to the front door to greet him. I didn’t ask why you knew the password that even I didn’t know.
While I was sitting on the bed waiting for Choi Tae-gyeom, a breath that I didn’t know who it belonged to tickled the air.
The moment the door opened felt slow, like slow motion. Choi Tae-gyeom with his phone to his ear was visible, and my heart started beating loudly. The fact that he hadn’t even changed out of his school uniform like me was so exciting that I couldn’t express it.
“…”
“…”
He leaned against the door and stared at me silently for a long time. His handsome face was unusually stiff today. I don’t think I’ve seen him with such a nervous face before. In a way, he looked like a soldier going to battle.
“…Are you going to keep standing there?”
From the door to the bed, a vague distance of only a few steps. Whether to narrow this distance or not, everything was entirely up to Choi Tae-gyeom.
“Tae-gyeom…”
“Lee Yoon-woo.”
Choi Tae-gyeom called out quietly and strode towards me. One step, one step, the closer he got, the more intense the throbbing became.
And finally, with just one step left, he asked in a trembling voice.
“Do you really like me?”
They say emotions are contagious. Seeing his stiff face made me nervous too.
Did you worry this long to ask this question? How much did you want to ask from the time you jumped up and ran out until now?
“Yeah, I like you.”
I met Choi Tae-gyeom’s eyes and answered in an indifferent tone.
A small, different color floated in his glossy eyes. No, to be exact, it was moisture.
“…Since when?”
“Well…”
‘I just liked you from some point.’
I spat out the words that came to my mind. It seemed like words I heard in a dream, but the feeling when I heard those words was really vivid, like reality. The eyes that looked at me, the hands that caressed me, the pheromone that surrounded me, and the warm warmth that touched my neck.
“You like me…”
“…”
“Like me, you said.”
Emotions welled up. The overflowing heart could not be hidden and was revealed in his eyes, which were as pretty as glass beads. Choi Tae-gyeom trembled his eyelashes and barely let out a breath.
“Ha.”
The fact that I couldn’t express it was upsetting at times like this. I wanted to feel all these emotions vividly and show all my emotions. I definitely wanted to feel the pheromone that would have filled the room with my skin.
“Then…”
Very slowly, he reached out his hand. His fingertips were trembling slightly, he was so nervous.
He carefully cupped one of my cheeks as if touching something that would break and lowered his eyes.
“If I do something like this, are you okay with it?”
Something like this. The Choi Tae-gyeom I know would only be able to kiss me at most, even if I was sitting on the bed. If he knew what kind of dream I had, he might be surprised and fall backwards.
“Tae-gyeom-ah.”
I grabbed Choi Tae-gyeom’s wrist and leaned my face against his large palm. Choi Tae-gyeom flinched in surprise, but didn’t take his hand away and waited for me to continue. The gazes that met in the air contained a strange current.
“I made the confession, but you didn’t answer.”
“Ha.”
Everything was full of clumsiness. The way to confirm our feelings, the way to be a little greedy, and the way to barely catch our breath without hiding the overflowing emotions.
And slowly, even the way he lowered his waist.
“…”
“…”
The breaths that came closer so slowly stopped with a very slight gap. His light brown eyes were filled with various hesitations. It seemed like worry, and it seemed like some kind of impulse.
“If you don’t like it… turn your head.”
It was a natural thing to say, but I didn’t turn my head. I just closed my eyes and waited for our lips to touch.
The lips that overlapped like feathers did not go any further or move any further away, but remained as they were.
Ah, this is a bit… like a crime. Just as I had a strange thought, our lips parted slightly.
“…Yoon-woo-yah.”
Gently, a soft sensation brushed against me. The two eyes that were visible from a close distance were rippling with all sorts of complex emotions. He lightly wrapped his hand around the back of my ear, the part of my neck.
“Can I put my tongue in?”
“…”
It was a word that was so embarrassing that my face turned red. Where did the confidence from just now go? My heart sank at the subtle voice. It was definitely his first time, but he was acting so lewdly.
“…Do whatever you want.”
‘You’re developing bad habits now.’
It seemed like I could hear Choi Tae-gyeom’s voice from somewhere. It was a hollow blame on others, saying that it was because of you that he was stretching his legs. He was the one who made a painful expression.
“Everything you do is…”
I didn’t even have time to say I like it.
“…”
The second time our breaths touched was different from before, it was uninhibited. He cupped my face with both hands, tilted his head, and locked his lips with mine. The warmth that overlapped without any gaps felt so hot that it felt like it would melt.
Choi Tae-gyeom needs to raise his self-esteem a little more. What’s lacking in such a pretty guy that he’s afraid? I sometimes think that the reason for that is not his trauma, but the 5-year gap that I created.
…More than that, was there a gap?
“…”
As if possessed, I reached out and hugged Choi Tae-gyeom’s neck. As my lips parted, a soft tongue cautiously pried into the gap. Tongue rubbed against tongue, and trembling fingers caressed my ear.
“Mmm…”
Ridiculously, I even found his saliva sweet.
Even without feeling any pheromone, kissing him felt so good it made my head spin. It seemed he felt the same, as he tilted his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
Ah, why does this feel so good?
In my dreams, I had done even more with him. Not just mingling tongues, but bodies, and the location wasn’t limited to the bed. But now, just the fact that this was reality made my heart pound like it would burst.
When I came to my senses, I was half-lying down, accepting Choi Tae-gyeom. Choi Tae-gyeom had one knee on the bed, cupping the back of my head, skillfully supporting my back and embracing me. As expected of Choi Tae-gyeom, who was good at everything physical, it was an instinctive movement.
Our lips parted very slowly. With a soft smack, he pulled away, leaving behind a lingering regret, and only blinked after exhaling a long, heated breath. His eyes, swirling with excitement, meticulously scanned my face.
Then, suddenly, he asked in a cracking voice.
“Why… are you so good at this?”
“…What?”
It felt like sparks were flying at the end of his gaze. Who does this guy think he is, saying that…? Despite that thought, his flushed face looked more anxious than ever. Seeing that, my lips unconsciously opened.
“…Maybe because I’ve done it before.”
“What?”
Choi Tae-gyeom immediately retorted with a serious face. If I teased him any more, the good atmosphere might be ruined.
“I’ve done it with you in my dreams…”
“…”
“So maybe that’s why I’m good.”
Thump, our foreheads met. Choi Tae-gyeom remained blank for a long time, then collapsed into my arms with a bright red face.
“Lee Yoon-woo, seriously…”
He’s so big, but he still seems to think he’s small. He keeps burying his face in my neck and burrowing into my arms. Of course, I’m just as bad, casually hugging him back.
“Lee Yoon-woo.”
“Talk to me.”
Good grief, he’s like a child. No, wait, he is a child at nineteen.
“Yoon-woo…”
Choi Tae-gyeom rubbed his face against me, calling my name several times. Every time his head touched the edge of my chin, it tickled like a feather.
Finally, he laid me down on the bed and propped himself up next to my face, careful not to put his weight on me.
“Say you like me again.”
“…”
“Huh? Lee Yoon-woo.”
It’s honestly too much to ask like this. Looking down at me from this distance is also cheating, strictly speaking. No matter how I think about it, this guy knows too well how to entice me.
“Yeah, I like you.”
I cupped his pretty face with my hands and gently pulled him towards me. He lowered his head without resistance, offering his lips as I directed. With a soft smack, I saw his delicately lowered eyelashes flutter.
“Want me to do it again?”
Choi Tae-gyeom closed his eyes at my casual question. That’s not what I meant… He looked so cute waiting for a kiss that I just touched my lips to his. It wasn’t as intense a kiss as before, but he looked even more nervous.
“What about you?”
“…”
“You have to answer too.”
Choi Tae-gyeom pressed his lips together tightly and slowly raised his eyelids. His glossy, pretty eyes were as bright as glass beads. I don’t know how beautiful they look when the sunlight shines on them, sparkling.
“…How long have you known I liked you?”
Instead of answering, he asked in a slightly aggrieved voice. He made it so obvious, but he must have thought he was hiding it perfectly. Well, I only realized it today, so I couldn’t really say anything.
“Hmm, about five years?”
I said it half as a joke, but he immediately became serious. Five years ago was when we were just in the first year of middle school. I couldn’t believe it, but he must have liked me even back then.
“…I like you.”
Choi Tae-gyeom confessed in an even more trembling voice.
And once he started, he acted like a child desperate to express his feelings. He gently leaned over me, pressing his ear to my chest, and kept muttering that he liked me. After the sweet whispers, he asked a quiet question.
“Then…”
“…”
“Are we not friends anymore?”
I wondered if he was stating the obvious. After receiving a confession and even kissing, he was trying to go back to square one. I’d already done that too many times, so I didn’t really want to do it again.
“Friends can’t do this.”
I ran my hand through his soft hair, gently stroking the back of his head. The scent of shampoo wafted from his tousled hair. Pheromones, I’ve never even felt them. Feeling a sense of emptiness, I pressed my lips to the crown of his head.
“Do you want to keep being friends?”
“No.”
Choi Tae-gyeom answered sharply and rubbed his face against my chest. Goodness, as I stroked his head while he made those noises, he said in a daze.
“You’re weird today.”
“What is?”
“Why are you acting so mature?”
And you’re acting like a child today.
“I’ve always been mature.”
“Sure…”
Choi Tae-gyeom had always been so big lately, but today he seemed like he’d gone back to the old days. Like back then, when I always had to protect and help him.
Back then, Choi Tae-gyeom was so small that he looked no different from the chicks they sold in front of the school. Well, Choi Tae-gyeom gave me a very dumbfounded look when he found out I thought that way.
“I liked you first.”
“…Huh?”
“I liked you, Lee Yoon-woo, first.”
That was quite out of the blue. I could feel Choi Tae-gyeom’s heartbeat through the palm of my hand on his back. He raised himself up, met my gaze, and tilted his head slightly.
“I feel like I’m going to die from nervousness, so don’t act so relaxed all by yourself.”
His lips met mine in a sulky manner. The breaths that followed were as tense as his words.
I obediently accepted his soft tongue and clutched at his collar. I felt like his excitement was being fully transmitted to me.
* * *
Nineteen. An ambiguous time on the border between immaturity and maturity. A reckless time to realize your feelings for Choi Tae-gyeom and confess at the same time.
In just one day, I became Choi Tae-gyeom’s lover. I confessed that I liked him and even shared a sweet kiss. Although I lost a friend, I gained a loved one to spend my life with.
“…But why do I feel like I’ve forgotten something?”
I twirled a pen in my hand and sighed. My desk mate, who was listening to the homeroom teacher’s announcements, glanced at me. I stared at the paper labeled ‘University Application Form’ and rested my chin weakly on my hand.
The day after the confession, I lay in bed and thought for a long time. I confessed, we’re dating, I should be happy, so why do I feel so empty?
While I was pinching my cheek again, Choi Tae-gyeom came to find me, and as soon as I saw his bright smile, all my worries melted away. I guess I just wanted to see Choi Tae-gyeom. With that thought, I came to my senses and realized I was eating breakfast with him and on my way to school.
That’s how it was for a week. Similar days repeated. Days when I felt empty when I didn’t see him, and full when I saw Choi Tae-gyeom. I wondered if I was having a late adolescence.
“Submit the application forms you received to the class president by Friday of this week after consulting with your parents. We’ll have career counseling based on this.”
No sooner had the homeroom teacher finished speaking than jeers erupted. I looked over the university application form and filled in the empty spaces one by one. First choice, second choice, third choice, and the reasons for applying to those departments.
“…”
I felt a sense of déjà vu. Like there was a time when I filled this out and got caught up in emotions. Like these murmuring voices weren’t a new experience.
“Then everyone, study hard.”
The teacher left, and the classroom became a little more noisy. Amid the various school names being exchanged, I looked at the university I wrote as my first choice and thought of Choi Tae-gyeom.
Why, I naturally thought that we would walk on the same campus.
* * *
The morning hours passed in the blink of an eye. I focused on class, and during breaks, I looked over the university application form, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. Maybe it was because I was sleepy during fourth period today, but despite the bell ringing, about half of the students remained in the classroom.
I rummaged through my desk and took out the notebooks I had been piling up. Choi Tae-gyeom would come a little later, so I planned to organize them while I remembered.
I should put them all in my locker. With that thought, I turned around, but someone nudged my arm.
“Ah.”
Crash, the notebooks I was holding fell to the floor with a loud noise. The students who were lying down, startled by the loud noise, turned around.
In the brief pause, the guy who bumped into me quickly squatted down.
“Sorry, I’ll pick them up.”
“…”
So, who is this guy…?
I glanced at his face, but I couldn’t remember his name at all. I’m not good at remembering people in the first place, and it was even more so because it hadn’t been long since the semester started.
Well, it’s enough if I know the class president. With that thought, I bent down with him.
“It’s okay. I’ll pick them up.”
“Oh? Oh…”
He was a student who faintly smelled of cigarettes. Choi Tae-gyeom would have hated it as if he were looking at a bug. Maybe it’s because he has a sensitive sense of smell, but Choi Tae-gyeom especially couldn’t stand these kinds of smells.
“Give me that too.”
“…”
I held out one hand to receive the notebook. I thought he would give it to me right away, but he kept his mouth shut and stared at my notebook. Then, out of the blue, he asked.
“…Are you a Beta?”
It was a sudden question. It was also a question I had heard often.
‘I thought you were an Alpha.’
Maybe it’s because I have Choi Tae-gyeom’s pheromone on me, but other people sometimes mistake me for an Alpha. We’re always together, and Choi Tae-gyeom is so dominant. My parents were special types, but I was a Beta anyway.
“Yeah, I’m a Beta.”
“…Are you going to put this in your locker?”
The repetitive questions were somehow strange. He seemed hesitant, or maybe anxious. When I nodded and tried to take the notebook, he held onto the edge and wouldn’t let go.
“Why?”
“Ah, no. Sorry.”
The guy who flinched back blushed. Then, before I could say anything, he quickly returned to his seat. Because it was such a noisy movement, some students frowned and glared at him.
“…”
What a weirdo.
I gathered the notebooks neatly and headed to the back of the classroom. I briefly wondered how to organize them because the locker was full.
Just as I decided to take out the workbooks first, a familiar call came from the back door of the classroom.
“Lee Yoon-woo.”
It was Choi Tae-gyeom. He was wearing his gym clothes instead of his uniform, probably because fourth period was gym. How can that ugly gym uniform look so good on him? I felt that way every time I saw him.
“What are you doing, organizing your locker?”
“Yeah, I’m trying to clear out my desk.”
Choi Tae-gyeom approached me with his usual kind smile. It had only been a week, but his eyes were overflowing with affection more and more each day. That feeling was so ticklish that I sometimes felt like I had become a really great person.
“You guys have to write your university application forms too…”
“…”
“…”
Choi Tae-gyeom stopped talking, leaving one step between us. The smile disappeared from his bright face, and his kind gaze turned cold. I felt a chill run down my spine at the sudden silence.
…Why is he suddenly like this?
“Why?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. He twitched his cheek and fluttered his eyelashes. This is the expression he only makes when he’s really angry. Slowly closing and opening his eyes, anger gradually filled them.
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
Instead of answering, he puffed up his chest greatly. He took a few deep breaths as if trying to hold back his anger. Even so, he didn’t calm down, and he finally muttered a curse under his breath.
“Ah… fuck.”
“…?”
It happened in the blink of an eye. He turned his body and strode across the classroom, grabbed the student who was about to go out the front door, and pushed him roughly against the wall without hesitation.
“Hey!”
Screech, someone screamed. Surprised, I ran over and saw a student who was pale as if he was about to faint. It was the friend who had picked up my notebooks a little while ago.
“Choi Tae-gyeom!”
Veins popped out on the hand that grabbed his collar. I grabbed his arm to tell him to calm down, but Choi Tae-gyeom didn’t care at all. He just glared at the student and spoke in a low voice.
“Hey.”
It was a chillingly low voice. Maybe it wasn’t just me who felt it, but the student who was grabbed by the collar started to tremble. No, judging by the fact that some others were trembling too, it might have been because of the pheromones, not the voice.
“…Hng…”
Fuck, the curse Choi Tae-gyeom spat out was drowned out by the student’s groan. I put strength into the arm holding Choi Tae-gyeom and quietly watched the situation.
The Choi Tae-gyeom I know isn’t the type to get angry out of the blue. And judging by the atmosphere, the student who was grabbed by the collar seemed to have something he was guilty of.
Could he be… an Omega?
“…Hey, let’s talk after you let him go.”
Whatever the reason, it wasn’t good to cause a commotion in the classroom. Too many people were watching, and someone would call a teacher soon. The guy who was grabbed wasn’t short, but Choi Tae-gyeom was so much taller that it was likely to look like a one-sided assault.
“Choi Tae-gyeom.”
“…”
Choi Tae-gyeom only let go of the collar after I sternly called his name.
He threw the student away carelessly and covered his eyes with his hand, taking a deep breath. Now that I saw it, about half of the people in the classroom had already left.
“…”
“…”
His panting was very strange. Has he ever been this angry in front of me? Even when talking about the Omegas who harassed him, Choi Tae-gyeom hated them, but he didn’t really get angry.
“Tae-gyeom, let’s go.”
I grabbed Choi Tae-gyeom’s hand and intertwined our fingers. He already has a high body temperature, but now he’s like a hot pack.
Fortunately, Choi Tae-gyeom didn’t shake off my hand, but instead quietly warned the student who had lost his strength.
“I’m definitely not letting this go.”
“…”
“Don’t think it’s over just because I grabbed your collar.”
Hic, I heard a hiccup. He covered his mouth and bent over, as if his stomach was twisting.
As I left the empty classroom, I suddenly realized one thing. I don’t know for sure, but Choi Tae-gyeom’s pheromones must have spread like crazy in the classroom.
* * *
Instead of eating lunch, we headed to the back of the school side by side. It was a good place to have secret talks, where some students would secretly come to smoke. Choi Tae-gyeom silently followed me and said just one word.
“…Lee Yoon-woo, you have to eat lunch.”
Is my meal important to him in this situation?
“I’m not hungry.”
“But you have to eat…”
“Choi Tae-gyeom.”
I stood Choi Tae-gyeom against the wall and looked around. Fortunately, the guys who were usually stationed there seemed to have left to eat. Choi Tae-gyeom stared at me as if telling me to speak.
“Was he an Omega?”
First, I needed to confirm. Whether my guess was right, things like that. But he asked back with a slightly displeased face.
“Do you think I’m the type to pick fights with Omegas for no reason?”
I thought he was being unnecessarily sulky. He knows that’s not my intention.
“It’s not that, I thought it was because of the pheromones.”
“…”
“I thought he leaked Omega pheromones on you… or something like that.”
I thought it was a plausible guess. Whether it was completely wrong or not, Choi Tae-gyeom also raised the corner of his mouth slightly and replied.
“Lee Yoon-woo, you’re getting a little more perceptive.”
There was no time to be happy. It wasn’t something to be happy about in the first place, but Choi Tae-gyeom immediately added.
“But he’s an Alpha.”
“…”
“He put the pheromones on you, not me.”
I reflexively raised my arm and smelled it. I couldn’t smell any pheromones on my clothes, just the fragrant scent of fabric softener. Choi Tae-gyeom reached out and grabbed my arm, finding it funny that I kept sniffing.
“It’s gone now.”
He said that and pulled me into his arms. When I hugged him back without resisting, a quiet whisper was heard in my ear.
“I erased it all.”
“…”
Choi Tae-gyeom’s unique warmth always felt so comforting. I have a low body temperature, but he runs particularly hot, so especially before going to sleep, when I lay down using his firm arm as a pillow, the sense of security that enveloped my whole body was indescribable.
“…Have you ever given me a pillow arm?”
“Huh?”
“No… It’s just, I suddenly thought of it.”
As if I were talking nonsense, Choi Tae-gyeom patted my back. I’ll do it next time. Judging by that, we haven’t slept hugging each other yet. Come to think of it, we rarely shared the same bed after we were little.
“Anyway… You got that angry just because he left some pheromone on me?”
“He left ‘some’ pheromone on you?”
His questioning voice was sharp and prickly. I tried to look him in the face, but Choi Tae-gyeom pressed the back of my head, so I couldn’t. He pressed his cheek against my hair and muttered to himself.
“How filthy was the pheromone that bastard left behind…”
Thump, thump, I could feel his heartbeat. It wasn’t mine, but Choi Tae-gyeom’s, transmitted through the gym uniform. Whether it was from anger or some other reason, the repetitive beating was faster than usual.
“Lee Yoon-woo, you…”
“…”
“It’s a relief you’re not an Omega.”
It was a familiar feeling. Similar to what I heard when I found Choi Tae-gyeom in the bathroom when we were kids. And the words I once said in a self-deprecating tone.
‘It’s a relief you’re not an Omega…’
“…”
When else did I hear those words? A memory that seemed to be on the verge of surfacing buzzed in my head. At the same time, the vague thought that had been like fog cleared up as cleanly as after a rain.
“…Would you hate me if I were an Omega?”
It wasn’t a question to test him. After all, I wasn’t an Omega, and it wouldn’t matter even if he hated Omegas. I just wanted to confirm it.
“What are you talking about?”
Choi Tae-gyeom pulled away from me and frowned slightly. A slight wrinkle formed on his smooth brow.
“How could I ever hate you?”
The moment I heard those words, a shiver ran down my spine. The words he had said were neatly organized in my head.
“Then…”
“…”
“You hate that I can sense pheromones?”
His tightly closed lips were a confirmation even without words. Even the series of expressions as he lowered his eyes looked like worry to me.
‘It’s a relief you’re a Beta.’
Only now, so late, did I fully understand the meaning of those words. I think I know a little now how he felt when he said them.
He pulled me back into his arms and whispered in a very small voice that if I were an Omega, he wouldn’t have been able to get so angry in the classroom.
It sounded like he was relieved that I couldn’t sense pheromones.
The commotion that occurred during lunchtime spread throughout the entire school in just half a day. The ‘handsome guy from the liberal arts’ beat up someone from class 3, the Dominant Alpha from class 1 was provoked by another guy, and so on. Even in the rumors, which were full of exaggeration, Choi Tae-gyeom was mainly referred to as ‘the handsome guy’ or ‘the handsome Alpha.’
Choi Tae-gyeom, who was called to the faculty room, received a written apology and cleaning the hallway as punishment. This was because he was such an exemplary student, and there was testimony that the student who had been grabbed by the collar was also somewhat at fault.
The funny thing was that Choi Tae-gyeom didn’t make any excuses, but other students took his side. I guess being handsome really pays off. Choi Tae-gyeom seriously agreed with the statement that it would have been fine even if he had thrown a punch, expressing his regret.
“Auntie’s gonna scold you.”
On the way home, Choi Tae-gyeom replied nonchalantly to my casual remark. Far from being scolded, he said he would be praised for doing a good job. When I asked why, he glanced over me and chuckled.
“Our family must really adore you.”
Surprisingly, Choi Tae-gyeom’s words were true. My aunt, who had been waiting at home after receiving a call from the homeroom teacher, said just one word to Choi Tae-gyeom as soon as she saw him: “Good job.” I, who had been determined to take the scolding on his behalf, ended up eating a delicious meal made by my uncle and returning home, contrary to my solemn resolution.
After that, it was a series of uneventful days. Although Choi Tae-gyeom’s overprotectiveness became even more severe, thanks to that, the rumors that we were dating spread even faster.
Choi Tae-gyeom, who used to receive confessions three times a day, has now been free from any Omega’s attention for over three weeks. However, on the contrary, the number of friends who talked to me gradually increased.
‘Don’t smile in front of others.’
Choi Tae-gyeom seemed very displeased with that fact. I could tell by the way he was being childish and acting prickly for no reason. When I said that the atmosphere had changed and that I was smiling more than before, I had something to say in rebuttal.
‘It’s because of you.’
‘……’
‘I’m smiling because of you.’
His dumbfounded face, so unlike him, was still vivid. He’s usually so good at saying even more embarrassing things, but my one sentence made the tips of his ears turn red.
‘Ha… Lee Yoon-woo, seriously…’
However, as the days passed, the inexplicable emptiness grew deeper. When I was with Choi Tae-gyeom, I was fine, but when I was alone, I kept feeling like I had forgotten something. Perhaps that’s why, conversely, I felt especially happy whenever I saw Choi Tae-gyeom’s face.
In any case, it was a peaceful daily life. We went to school together, attended classes, and went home together, side by side. Comfortable days where we sought each other out without any hesitation and spent time together.
On Teacher’s Day, which was also my birthday, he bought me sneakers, saying he was congratulating me on my birthday. I had told him several times how much I liked the ones Choi Tae-gyeom was wearing. The colors were different, but the design was the same.
‘When I was buying these, the employee said that if you give someone shoes as a gift, they’ll run away.’
‘Do you believe that?’
‘I bought them because I don’t believe it.’
Choi Tae-gyeom even put the shoes on for me and looked up at me intently. He rested his chin on my thigh and pleaded softly.
‘Still, don’t run away, Yoon-woo.’
I don’t know why that one sentence lingered in my mind so much. The only comfort I could offer was that it would never happen.
As time passed, we reached our last summer vacation of high school.
The weather forecast announced that this summer would be the hottest on record.
However, Choi Tae-gyeom, who came to our classroom before morning self-study, had already made me wear his gym uniform over my outer garment. As he carefully zipped it up, he muttered in a small voice.
“They say even dogs don’t catch summer colds, but this year, at least I’m better than a dog.”
It was a jab at me, who always caught a cold every summer. I was about to retort, asking if I was worse than a dog until now, but I decided to stop because he looked so worried. He hates me being sick so much, so I had to put up with this kind of grumbling.
After eating lunch (since there was no school lunch during vacation), we ate ice cream together in the classroom. It was a popsicle with strawberry flavor on the outside and apple flavor on the inside. As expected, Choi Tae-gyeom tore open the wrapper and said something worrisome.
“Don’t eat too much ice cream. You’ll get a stomachache.”
“One of these is fine.”
“Fine, my ass… You don’t get hot easily, so why do you hate the heat so much?”
“That’s your prejudice. It’s not just people who get hot easily who hate the heat.”
“If only you couldn’t talk back.”
Hmph, Choi Tae-gyeom snorted and poked my nose with the ice cream wrapper. I furrowed my brow at the ticklish sensation, and he wore a gentle smile as if looking at something cute. His softly curved eyes were bewitchingly seductive.
“But something’s strange.”
“What?” I asked, biting off the end of the ice cream. Crunch, crunch, the cold mass melted in my mouth. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I had ice cream.
“With Lee Yoon-woo’s personality, I thought you’d be studying all night around this time and your body would be a mess.”
“Well…”
I couldn’t bring myself to refute it. That’s because, until I became a senior, I was definitely incredibly stressed during vacations. But why don’t I feel that pressure now?
“It’s my loss if you get sick…”
He said it casually, but in reality, other things came to mind. His worried eyes, the way he carried all kinds of cold medicine that I didn’t prepare, and even the expression of despair as if the sky had fallen.
“You thought well. You have to take care of your body to study.”
I don’t know when I became so imaginative. Scenes I had never actually seen came to mind as vividly as if they were drawn.
“There are a lot of empty seats here, should we study here?”
Choi Tae-gyeom gestured to the seat next to me, looking around the empty classroom. Perhaps because it was the end of summer vacation, there were many absent students today. Even the students who had attended packed their bags and ran away as soon as lunchtime came.
“Anyone else would be fine, but you’ll catch a cold right away.”
“Is that so.”
“You should go to the study hall instead.”
“That’s assigned seating too.”
The study hall, which could be used by the top 50 students in the school, had seats assigned according to rank. We were relatively close, but not right next to each other. In the first place, both he and I preferred the classroom to the study hall because of its suffocating atmosphere.
“……”
Ah, it’s getting cold.
“Stop eating.”
I had eaten about half of it when the stick was suddenly snatched from my hand. Choi Tae-gyeom nonchalantly finished the ice cream I had left. It was such a perfect timing that I blinked blankly without realizing it.
“……You sometimes seem like you can read minds.”
“I’ve known you my whole life, there are some things I can’t not know.”
He put the wooden stick in the wrapper and broke the trash in half.
“If you keep sitting in the air conditioning like this and eat a whole one, you’ll get sick.”
I smacked my lips silently. The feeling was strange because the cold air remained. He rested his chin on his right hand and asked casually.
“Why?”
“My mouth is cold. Even my tongue.”
I bit the tip of my tongue slightly. As Choi Tae-gyeom said, I might have felt chilly if I had eaten a little more.
It was then that he reached out with his left hand, watching me quietly.
“Why……”
His large hand cupped the back of my head. He stroked my ear with his thumb and pulled my face closer with force. Beyond my blinking eyes, I could see his eyelashes slowly lowering.
“……”
Before I could even grasp the situation, his soft tongue entered my mouth. The cold breath mixed with the similarly cold air inside my mouth. He ran his tongue over the roof of my mouth as if exploring the inside, and then entwined his tongue with mine.
Choi Tae-gyeom pulled away only when the cold sensation had turned warm. He gently bit my lower lip and then gave me another light kiss. He gave me a very nonchalant remark as I stood there blankly, as if possessed.
“It’s not cold anymore.”
“……”
My face seemed to flush. I quickly looked around, but fortunately, Choi Tae-gyeom and I were still the only ones in the classroom. Choi Tae-gyeom gave me a sly smile as I covered my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Did you think I wouldn’t have checked that?”
“……You really.”
And you’re only nineteen years old.
I swallowed the rest of my words. I was dumbfounded even by my own thoughts. I’m also nineteen, who am I to call someone else young?
“If you really hate the heat, eat it like this from now on.”
I was going to say no, but without realizing it, I was tempted. Choi Tae-gyeom, who couldn’t possibly not know that impulse, gently rubbed the cheek he was still cupping. Seeing the desire slowly rising in his eyes as well, I finally burst out laughing.
“You have so many excuses.”
He didn’t deny it and glanced at the back door. The deserted hallway was still silent. Without either of us saying anything, we closed our eyes and our now warm lips met.
That summer, I didn’t even catch a light cold for the first time in my life. Choi Tae-gyeom, who celebrated his birthday near the end of the vacation, proudly demanded my future health as a gift, saying that my not being sick was a gift.
Perhaps it was thanks to Choi Tae-gyeom’s earnest concern. I made it through the winter without any minor illnesses. We both passed the early admissions process, and all that was left was to meet the minimum grade requirements.
And finally, the day before the college entrance exam arrived.
Every year during the college entrance exam, there are always certain things you hear. That it’s the worst cold wave ever, that it’s the highest competition rate ever, or that it’s the last chance to retake the exam.
Perhaps because I had heard so many bad things, I didn’t have a good dream that night. Choi Tae-gyeom, who appeared in my dreams every day, showed me a cruel expression with an unusually cold face. We faced each other in a heavy atmosphere, and he spoke in a frighteningly calm voice.
‘……You don’t seem to know what I’m angry about.’
Choi Tae-gyeom being angry at me. It was a truly awkward beginning. It was the first time it had ever happened, and that’s why it felt even more real.
‘I’m not angry because you’re an Omega, I’m angry because you deceived me.’
Why am I an Omega? I couldn’t ask that. It was because his beautifully curled lips created a self-deprecating sneer. Even though I knew I had to say something, I couldn’t open my mouth and just stared at Choi Tae-gyeom.
‘……I’m leaving. I can’t stay any longer today.’
He left without looking back. Through the crack of the closing door, I could clearly see Choi Tae-gyeom’s back. I stared blankly at the closed front door, then curled up as I felt a twisting sensation in my stomach.
And when I woke up, I had manifested as an Omega.
I did nothing but sleep for a week. Except for a brief visit to the hospital, even my parents didn’t bother me, who was holed up in my room. They probably thought that I was greatly saddened by not being able to take the college entrance exam, but unfortunately, the reason I was depressed wasn’t just because of retaking the exam.
“……”
How should I face Choi Tae-gyeom?
I manifested as an Omega. Yes, not an Alpha, but an Omega. It was like a bolt from the blue for me, who had thought I would live my whole life as a Beta. I don’t know how much I complained to the god I didn’t even believe in about why I had to be an Omega.
No matter how much he says he can’t hate me, actually sensing Omega pheromones is a different story. Since I had seen his hatred of Omegas since I was young, his contemptuous gaze was clearer than anyone else’s.
Whether liking me and not hating my pheromones could be placed on equal footing, I couldn’t be sure of that fact.
“Yoon-woo, aren’t you going to see Tae-gyeom?”
A week and a day after I had holed myself up in my room. Around the time I had somewhat adjusted to the ‘pheromone’ thing.
My mom carefully brought up Choi Tae-gyeom’s name with a worried face. She said that he had come every day without fail, and that he had stood in front of the house, staring intently at my room’s window. She even said that he barely ate and was more upset than anyone else.
“You can’t just ignore it like this.”
As expected of a prosecutor, the voice she used to say those words was excessively cold. Perhaps my mom felt that too, as she added that she respected my opinion. I got up unsteadily and asked in a cracked voice.
“……Did Tae-gyeom leave?”
The first thing I did was to wash the sweat-soaked body clean. Even if I was an extremely recessive Omega, pheromones would burst out like a typical Omega right after manifestation. I couldn’t meet Choi Tae-gyeom in this state, so I needed to make myself look somewhat human first.
After showering, I checked the messages that had accumulated on my phone. Not only my homeroom teacher, but also my aunt and uncle, and even classmates I didn’t know. Amidst all the worried messages, I opened the chat room with Choi Tae-gyeom with trembling hands.
Choi Tae-gyeom: [Don’t be sick.] 04:13am
“……”
I was more concerned about the time he sent the message than the content of the message. What reason would a guy who usually sleeps so regularly have to wake up at this early hour? Imagining him tossing and turning in bed all night made my chest ache.
“Haa……”
I took a deep breath and calmly wrote a message. It was a short message asking to meet in front of the house, but as soon as I pressed send, the ‘read’ mark appeared. I could have thought that he just had the screen on. I don’t know why my body moved instinctively.
I pulled back the curtains that had been gloomily closed for a week. The outside scenery came into view at a glance through the translucent window.
A space that could be checked directly from my room on the second floor. The front gate, which was wide open and where you could look at each other if the other person raised their head.
“……”
Choi Tae-gyeom was there. Holding his phone in his hand, standing in place as if nailed to the spot. He slowly raised his head and looked at me steadily.
‘But you’re hiding because you’re an Omega.’
I don’t know why I heard Choi Tae-gyeom’s voice back then. And why I felt that the choice I made now would determine the future.
When I came to my senses, I was leaving the house without even putting on a coat. There was no time to put on sneakers, and I didn’t even have the mind to close the open front door. I just ran barefoot across the yard in slippers towards the gate.
The moment the gate burst open, I felt strangely nostalgic. It was because the pheromone I was supposed to experience for the first time felt so familiar that it brought tears to my eyes. The way he looked at me, the worry he held deep inside, and the subtle anxiety he revealed, too.
“Tae-gyeom, I…”
Even after starting, I couldn’t continue for a long time. It was because I was scared again the moment our eyes met.
What if he doesn’t like me because I’m an Omega? What should I do then?
‘He just doesn’t trust me, that’s why.’
“…”
My breath caught in my throat. My mind went blank as if I had been hit in the back of the head. Whether it was a dream or reality, Choi Tae-gyeom’s hurt expression kept flickering before my eyes.
“I,”
That feeling was like a tattered medicine packet. Like a wound festering from the inside, slowly wearing away. Or like an expectation that was now too old and worn out to be fixed.
“I’m an Omega.”
Tears streamed down my face. Once the emotions poured out, they turned into sorrow before I could even gather them up. How scared I had been during that short week. All those things poured out endlessly.
“At the hospital…”
But he didn’t give me a chance to pour out all my emotions. Before I could even finish my sentence, he took off his coat and put it around my shoulders. The distance that had been so far closed in an instant, and Choi Tae-gyeom hugged me as if he would crush me.
“…Are you in pain?”
Funnily enough, even in this moment, Choi Tae-gyeom was worried about me. His voice, pathetically subdued, was filled with affection for me as always. I nodded with difficulty, and Choi Tae-gyeom buried his face in my neck.
“Then that’s enough.”
Ah, what should I do?
“I was so…”
“…”
“I was so scared, Tae-gyeom.”
Yes, it was actually this easy. We didn’t need to break up, we didn’t need to have a long gap. A misunderstanding that would be resolved cleanly after suffering through it like a cold.
“I…”
I don’t know why I was so scared. What was funny was that even while thinking that, I burst into tears like a spoiled child.
Tears flowed endlessly, and my shallow breaths grew more and more frequent. Choi Tae-gyeom hugged me tightly without any effort as I collapsed into his arms.
“…I didn’t know I would develop as an Omega.”
Although it was a short time, that week felt like five years to me. It was as if I had sent away Choi Tae-gyeom, who had been with me for a lifetime, and given up on my feelings alone. The constant anxiety made me unable to trust you in front of me.
“You hate Omegas.”
I couldn’t see what expression Choi Tae-gyeom was making. I was too busy controlling my own emotions to spare any room to understand him. So I didn’t even notice that his pheromone had sunk into a gloomy state.
“You said it was a relief that I was a Beta.”
“…”
“But if I’m an Omega…”
I had already broken up with Choi Tae-gyeom countless times just in my imagination. A future where I couldn’t see him, just missed him, and eventually let go of his hand was drawn as if it were yesterday. Choi Tae-gyeom didn’t hold me back, but instead turned away from me first and moved away.
“Then you’ll hate me…”
I didn’t intend to cry like this. At least, I had organized my thoughts enough to calmly convey my feelings. But when I came to my senses, I was crying like a child.
“That’s why I was scared.”
I grabbed Choi Tae-gyeom’s collar and poured out all my sorrows on his shoulder. I poured out the emotions I had been holding back in such a mess that I wondered if I could ever cry like this again in my life.
Choi Tae-gyeom, who had been quietly patting me, spoke in a voice that was barely audible after a long time.
“…I’m sorry.”
It was a painful voice. The words that followed were the same.
“It’s my fault, Yoon-woo.”
His heartfelt confession was full of regret for his immature self. His hands, patting my head, back, and then my shoulders again, were filled with an anxiety I had never felt before.
He kept apologizing and even begged me not to cry with a voice that was endlessly subdued.
“I didn’t know I would scare you.”
Who would have known? That the possibility that I had simply covered up and ignored would be the starting point of this whole situation. Even I didn’t know that I would become an Omega, let alone Choi Tae-gyeom. Even the doctor said that it was extremely rare for a case to develop at this age.
“I can never hate you.”
Despite the sub-zero cold, he hugged me wearing only a thin t-shirt. He apologized in a gentle voice and gently stroked the back of my head.
“Omega or Beta, it doesn’t matter.”
“…”
“I just like Lee Yoon-woo, you.”
It was a sweet voice that melted away all my fears. But I still couldn’t stop crying easily and gasped for breath. I couldn’t control the endlessly rising emotions, so I could only pour out the sorrows of the past few years on the spot.
Choi Tae-gyeom gave me soft confessions several times and hugged me for a long time until I calmed down.
When I stopped crying, it was quite a long time later than I thought. Choi Tae-gyeom took me, who was shivering, and headed to my house together.
My mom, who was in the midst of preparing to go to work, let out a sigh of relief when she saw us coming in side by side. Neither Choi Tae-gyeom nor I could answer her question about why a grown-up was crying.
“Tae-gyeom.”
I stood in front of the door and took a deep breath for a moment. Choi Tae-gyeom nodded as if telling me to speak, holding my hand tightly.
“…Tell me if you feel bad.”
The Omega pheromone I had released was felt through the crack in the open door. I had ventilated the room, but it wasn’t a trace that could disappear completely in a short time.
What if this pheromone triggers his trauma? Choi Tae-gyeom frowned with a shallow breath, making my worries pale in comparison.
“This is… Lee Yoon-woo’s pheromone?”
I could tell just by looking at his face. Ah, at least he’s not feeling bad. No, rather, he had a dazed expression because he couldn’t control his surging emotions.
“…”
“…”
A strange atmosphere flowed in the room, and we came out to the living room as if we had promised. It was because I had a feeling that we shouldn’t be in a confined space in this state. Fortunately, my mom was at work, so the living room sofa became the place for our conversation instead of my room.
“Tae-gyeom, did you do well on the college entrance exam?”
During the week we didn’t meet, a subtle gap formed between Choi Tae-gyeom and me. He successfully met the minimum requirement, but I was destined to retake the exam. I wasn’t upset about that fact, I was just sad that we couldn’t be freshmen in college together.
“Should I take a leave of absence?”
Choi Tae-gyeom said something that my aunt would slap him on the back for if she heard it, as if it were nothing. Moreover, there wasn’t even a speck of playfulness in those pretty eyes. I held Choi Tae-gyeom’s hand tightly and spoke with a mixed laugh.
“You have to go to the army.”
“…”
“I’m not going to the army.”
Now that I had developed as an Omega, I didn’t have to go to the army. Without Choi Tae-gyeom taking a leave of absence, I would end up graduating first.
In a moment of mixed joy and sorrow, he stubbornly insisted on something ridiculous.
“…Lee Yoon-woo, you take a leave of absence.”
I didn’t affirm it, but I couldn’t deny it either. It was because the thought ‘Is that really possible?’ came to my mind as soon as I heard those words. If I could graduate with Choi Tae-gyeom, wouldn’t it be okay to just take a year off?
Choi Tae-gyeom was one thing, but I was also seriously ill.
* * *
After that day, we became close again as if we had never distanced ourselves. We went to school together at a late hour, and during self-study time, we went back and forth between each other’s classes, avoiding the teacher’s eyes. Choi Tae-gyeom was the one who mainly came over, and Choi Tae-gyeom was also the one who nonchalantly got caught by the teacher.
‘How did you guys end up dating?’
Once, while watching us, a guy who was playing a board game asked. He didn’t ask if the rumor was true, it was a question full of conviction from the start. I didn’t answer, but Choi Tae-gyeom smiled proudly and said.
‘Just because it’s Lee Yoon-woo.’
I remember my classmates jeering at him for being a fool for his girlfriend. Choi Tae-gyeom didn’t care about the guys whose names I couldn’t even remember.
School after the college entrance exam is so friendly and free. I think I felt those things anew.
‘I’m going to prepare for the retake after graduation.’
Time passed strangely quickly. When I came to my senses, it was winter vacation, and we were seriously talking about the future we each envisioned.
I was planning to go to a study room instead of a retake academy, and Choi Tae-gyeom said he was planning to enter the army as soon as the first semester of his freshman year was over.
‘…You can’t meet anyone else.’
Even though it was still more than half a year away, I felt Choi Tae-gyeom’s absence greatly. For some reason, my heart ached at the thought of him coming out on vacation often. I replied that I was already worried too much, but I already felt like I had sent Choi Tae-gyeom far away.
The day the first snow fell.
Christmas.
And the New Year when we turned twenty.
The scenery that changed every time I blinked became faster and faster, as if it had gained momentum. Even the drinking party we had alone and the New Year’s Eve bell we heard together leaning on each other’s shoulders.
And finally, the day of graduation, the last of our high school days.
‘…Therefore, I sincerely congratulate the students on their graduation.’
It was the moment when I was standing in front of the camera with Choi Tae-gyeom, led by my aunt’s hand. The surrounding scenery slowly distorted, and the sound of the camera shutter was heard particularly loudly. The hand I was holding with Choi Tae-gyeom, and the faces of my family smiling brightly. Everything was blurred as if it was fading away far away.
That sight was scary, but I just had that thought.
‘I liked you even before I developed as an Omega.’
Yes, we could have actually had this kind of future together. If I had said it a little earlier. If that had happened, Choi Tae-gyeom and I would have had this ordinary relationship.
‘Sorry for telling you late.’
‘…’
‘That I’m an Omega, and that I like you.’
What if I had said it sooner? I had made that assumption countless times while meeting Choi Tae-gyeom. If that had happened, could we have been together a little longer? Then we wouldn’t have had to fill this long gap.
‘Are you thinking bad thoughts again?’
But even the past full of regrets was ultimately the path I chose. So it was okay. We had come a long way, but Choi Tae-gyeom and I would be together at the final destination we finally reached.
‘Kim Do-hyun said that you and I think too much.’
There’s nothing more foolish than clinging to an irreversible past. If you regret the relationships you haven’t built, you can just focus on the relationships you will build in the future.
We’ll be together longer than the time we were apart. Even if a moment’s choice is a mistake, that doesn’t mean the process is wrong.
‘I’m pregnant.’
Ah, I think I know what I forgot.
Things that vaguely came to mind in my hazy mind. The look in his eyes as he looked at me, the tips of his fingers caressing me, the pheromone that spread subtly, and even the way he cried like a child on rare occasions.
‘I’ll make you happy.’
Choi Tae-gyeom was there. Choi Tae-gyeom, who was thirty years old, not nineteen. The person who promised to marry me, and the only lover I had never forgotten in five years.
‘Let’s get married, Yoon-woo.’
The moment I realized it, I wanted to see him so badly that it was surprising. I had made him wait for so long, but I couldn’t make him wait for a lifetime again, so it was time to go to the Choi Tae-gyeom of the present, not the past.
To Choi Tae-gyeom, who was waiting for me, who I loved.
* * *
“…”
Slowly, my eyelids opened. The sunlight shining through the gap in the curtains stretched long in the dark room.
I slowly closed my eyelids and then slowly lifted them again. Familiar scenery came into my eyes with a clearer vision.
“Tae-gyeom…”
I groped for the seat next to me. There was no one on the bed, but instead, a faint pheromone was subtly felt. I pulled the pillow next to me, buried my face in it, and inhaled. Choi Tae-gyeom’s unique pheromone loosened my tense body.
“…”
Yes, this is reality.
“What a dream…”
I chuckled. Should I call it regret? Or should I call it regret? All the parts I was regretting seemed to have come out in my dream.
The New Year at twenty that we didn’t greet together, the high school graduation photo that we were the only ones who didn’t take. And even the confession I couldn’t make.
“Should I sleep again…”
I closed my drowsy eyes, but just put the pillow down and got up. I had gone to high school so much that I was sick of it, and I didn’t want to dream of retaking the exam. Besides, for some reason, I really wanted to see Choi Tae-gyeom at thirty.
I heard a rustling sound, and Choi Tae-gyeom was in the kitchen. Why didn’t he go to work? As I pondered, I suddenly realized that today was the weekend. I must have slept too long and lost my sense of the date.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
Choi Tae-gyeom turned around as soon as I entered the kitchen. Is it because my pheromone has become stronger since I became pregnant? Lately, he knows when I’m coming even if I just get a little closer.
But it didn’t seem like it was that obvious, so I once asked him how he knew, and he just said it was an instinctive feeling.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m making stew. You have to eat breakfast…”
I staggered over and quickly hugged Choi Tae-gyeom’s waist. Choi Tae-gyeom, who had hesitated for a moment, turned around and hugged me back with a ticklish laugh. Even the voice that muttered that I had become a baby after having a baby was so sweet that the tip of my nose tingled.
“Are you going to sleep more?”
“Uh-huh…”
Ah, it’s Choi Tae-gyeom.
I rubbed my nose against his neck as if I was acting spoiled. As I inhaled, my dry thirst slowly subsided. As if he knew what I was trying to do, Choi Tae-gyeom loosened his pheromone.
“Tae-gyeom.”
“Yeah?”
He asked back gently and stroked my back. The hand that touched the back of my head was as careful as if he was handling a fragile object. He kissed the top of my head and asked again in a gentle voice.
“Why?”
“I missed you.”
It was an abrupt remark, but Choi Tae-gyeom wasn’t flustered. He just smiled as if he couldn’t help it and rubbed his cheek against my hair. The answer that flowed out like that, ‘I missed you too,’ was as sweet as if he had melted a lot of sugar.
* * *
“High school?”
While eating breakfast, I told Choi Tae-gyeom about the dream I had last night. You at nineteen came out, and we went to high school together. The guy who had been listening to the story quietly jokingly retorted after hearing the words ‘We shared ice cream at school.’
“You’re not studying.”
His crescent-shaped eyes were more affectionate than what I had seen in my dream. His expression was softer, and his facial lines were much clearer. I didn’t know because I saw his face every day, but he definitely had a more mature appearance.
“…We wouldn’t look good in school uniforms anymore, would we?”
I just had that thought. So many things have changed for us as much as the years have passed.
Now, we don’t wear school uniforms or get to school late because we overslept. We no longer cling to the fence called friends, and we have no hesitation in expressing our feelings.
“Well, I don’t know, but you’d look good in it.”
Choi Tae-gyeom replied nonchalantly and pushed the side dishes in front of me. He stared at my face and muttered, ‘Who would see Lee Yoon-woo as thirty years old.’ He’s not in a position to talk about others. Who would see that face as his age?
“Is the school uniform at your parents’ house?”
“No, I brought it all when I was cleaning up last time.”
“Really…?”
Choi Tae-gyeom’s expression changed subtly when I asked back with a voice that was more eager than I realized. He narrowed his eyes as if trying to gauge my intentions, and then curled up the corners of his lips as if he had heard something interesting. He then met my eyes intently and asked in a subtle voice.
“Why, do you want to try it on?”
To be honest, it would be a lie if I said I didn’t expect it. Choi Tae-gyeom in a school uniform. I had seen it in my dream, but I also wanted to see it in real life. I was curious about how much we had grown, whether it wouldn’t suit us, and things like that.
‘We can wear it after a long time. It feels like April Fool’s Day.’
Of course, I jumped at Choi Tae-gyeom’s suggestion. I took out the school uniform that I had carefully stored deep in the closet in the bedroom and readily handed it to him.
Choi Tae-gyeom, seeing my expectant eyes, naturally took out my school uniform as well.
“You wear it too.”
“…Why?”
“Then only I should wear it?”
Yeah, you only wear it.
The reason I couldn’t answer that was because my conscience ached at his clear eyes looking at me. ‘Didn’t you just want to wear it together for old times’ sake?’ That gaze stimulated the slight guilt I had left.
How could I say it? Forget the memories, I just wanted to see you in a school uniform again. Of course, I had no intention of wearing it, and I even had a slightly voyeuristic intention.
“If you’re embarrassed, I’ll wear it in the living room.”
In the end, I was left alone in the bedroom, hesitatingly changing into the school uniform. It wasn’t because I was embarrassed to show my naked body or anything like that. It’s just that wearing a school uniform at this age felt a bit much. Choi Tae-gyeom is one thing, but me, at thirty, wearing a school uniform?
“It’s weird…”
The figure reflected in the mirror was as awkward as ever. Was it because I didn’t look in the mirror in my dream? The school uniform that looked so good on Choi Tae-gyeom now felt somehow foreign. It was better than I thought, but it was still embarrassing.
Knock knock.
“Yoon-woo, are you done changing?”
“Uh… come in.”
Click, the door opened and Choi Tae-gyeom came in. I stopped looking in the mirror and turned my gaze to Choi Tae-gyeom as he came in.
“…”
To put it bluntly, Choi Tae-gyeom was still Choi Tae-gyeom. Choi Tae-gyeom, who single-handedly pulled off the gym uniform that everyone hated in high school. Choi Tae-gyeom, who was called ‘Management Department God’ in college, even when he wore any old clothes.
“I knew Lee Yoon-woo would look good in it.”
Unlike his satisfied eyes, I could only see Choi Tae-gyeom. The navy jacket, the shirt, the tie. Unlike a suit, the subtly immature atmosphere was even more eye-catching, like a magazine cover or a pictorial.
Wow, this is… he’s even more handsome than I saw in my dream.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
When I answered reflexively, Choi Tae-gyeom crinkled his eyes. Even the always shameless guy seemed embarrassed in this situation. The prominent veins on the back of his hand, which was habitually adjusting his tie, were clearly visible.
“Let me see. Does the size fit?”
I approached Choi Tae-gyeom and looked over his shoulders, back, and the hem of his pants. Even as he turned his body as I did, his gaze was fixed on my face.
As expected, are the pants a little short? Everything else fits well, but my ankle was slightly exposed whenever I moved.
“How many years did you grow until?”
I grabbed Choi Tae-gyeom’s arm and tilted my head. He stared blankly at me, then slowly blinked. For some reason, his pheromone seemed a little stronger.
“Twenty… twenty-one? I kept growing until I went to the army, so I don’t really know.”
“I knew it.”
I thought his growth was originally slow. It seems he grew longer because he grew late. It wasn’t just my imagination that he looked taller and more handsome when I met him again after five years.
“What about you?”
Choi Tae-gyeom lightly asked back, gently hugging my waist. As the distance narrowed in an instant, Choi Tae-gyeom’s pheromone wafted even more strongly.
I didn’t grow at all. I was about to answer that, but Choi Tae-gyeom lowered his eyes first.
“You’re the same as before.”
Very carefully, Choi Tae-gyeom met my lips. He gently bit my lower lip and used his tongue to tickle the gap between my lips. I’ve done more than this countless times. But even a simple kiss sent shivers down my spine as if I had been electrocuted.
“…Yoon-woo.”
Choi Tae-gyeom took his lips away and gently rubbed his nose against mine. I frowned at the ticklish sensation, and a seductive whisper came.
“Can I use my tongue?”
“…”
Since when did he ask for permission for that? It was an embarrassing thing to say that made my face turn red. He must have noticed my embarrassment, as he trailed off with an awkward laugh.
“No, just…”
“…Just?”
“I just feel like I’m harassing a real kid.”
The hollow laugh couldn’t escape my lips. Choi Tae-gyeom, who had wrapped his hand around the back of my head, locked his lips more deeply than before. Because of the tongue that immediately invaded my mouth, I unknowingly grabbed Choi Tae-gyeom’s forearm tightly.
It’s a kiss we always do, but it felt particularly stimulating today. The pheromone that came over in clumps, the sensation of tickling the roof of my mouth. I didn’t even notice that Choi Tae-gyeom was taking me to the bed and sitting me down.
“…Hah…”
Why does this feel so good…
It didn’t take long to figure out the reason. The moment I hugged Choi Tae-gyeom’s neck as if urging him on, he took his lips away with a feeling of ‘oops’. The two eyes that met at close range were full of suppressed desire.
“…”
“…”
He probably thought the same thing. It’s been over a month since we had sex, since the last rut.
‘It’s best to refrain from excessive relations until you enter a stable period.’
That’s what happened when I told Choi Tae-gyeom about the pregnancy and we went to the hospital together. The doctor said that fortunately, there seemed to be no problem with the implantation, and that if I got enough rest, there would be nothing to worry about.
Instead, he told me to refrain from frequent relations, but the problem was that Choi Tae-gyeom really didn’t touch a hair on my head after that day.
“…Lee Yoon-woo.”
His low voice was full of excitement. Emotions that would be brushed off as if nothing happened after a little time. He even stopped kissing because he was afraid he couldn’t stand it. As the same man, isn’t this a bit harsh on me?
“It’s okay…”
Like a bird pecking at its food, I kissed Choi Tae-gyeom’s lips briefly.
After our lips touched about three times, he slightly loosened his tie. The words that flowed out with it were full of playfulness that didn’t fit the atmosphere.
“We shouldn’t do this, Yoon-woo.”
Choi Tae-gyeom spoke gently and gently stroked the back of my neck. His fingers, which had dug into the collar of my shirt, gently rubbed the protruding bone. Choi Tae-gyeom, who supported my chin with his other hand, kissed me under my eyes, near my cheeks.
“Huh? What if a high school student does this already?”
“What are you talking about…”
I chuckled. It was a nonsensical joke, but it succeeded if the purpose was to ease the atmosphere.
But he wasn’t giving up. I slowly released pheromones and rubbed my face against Choi Tae-gyeom’s hand.
“I’m hard, Tae-gyeom.”
Choi Tae-gyeom slowly inhaled. Because we were so close, I could vividly feel him tensing up. I glanced down, and the outline that was bulging out under the school uniform pants was clearly visible.
“You’re hard too.”
“…”
“You’re not really a high school student, what if you get hard while kissing? Huh?”
I smiled playfully and mimicked Choi Tae-gyeom’s words. He frowned as if he couldn’t win, and kissed my eyes, nose, and mouth in turn.
“It’s not like I’m a pervert who gets excited by school uniforms…”
Unlike those words, Choi Tae-gyeom had eyes covered in lust. The way he slowly scanned me from head to toe was also like that. His fingers, which had subtly climbed up my thigh, lightly rubbed between my legs.
“Doing this makes me feel like I’ve gone back to when I had a crush on you.”
“Hngh…”
“Should I touch you, or should I do it with my mouth?”
Choi Tae-gyeom seems to be acting particularly passive today. He wasn’t a guy who did whatever he wanted in the first place, but giving me choices was a bit embarrassing. In the meantime, swirling around the buckle with his long fingers was even more so.
“Can’t you pick something like this because you’re still young?”
“You keep, hngh…”
I don’t know if he’d just blatantly rub it, but this kind of contact was like torture. Knowing that I was already frustrated, he was tantalizingly avoiding all the direct parts. When I couldn’t stand it and grabbed the hem of his jacket, he suddenly knelt between my legs.
“I’ll do it with my mouth.”
Before I could say anything, my thighs were wide open. With a hesitant touch, Choi Tae-gyeom lowered the zipper and pulled down my pants and underwear at once. The penis, with pre-cum at the tip, was immediately bitten by red lips as soon as it came out.
“Ah…!”
It was a hot and wet sensation. Choi Tae-gyeom, who naturally had a high body temperature, had an incredibly warm mouth even at times like this. His soft tongue wrapped around the glans and his Adam’s apple moved up and down.
“Hngh…”
My instincts started thrusting first. I grabbed his soft hair in my hand and unknowingly wiggled my butt. He patted my thighs as if soothing a child, then pulled his head back and swallowed it all the way to the root again.
“…Hah.”
It’s not like I’m receiving it for the first or second time. But today, I feel a little strange. Is it because Choi Tae-gyeom is wearing a school uniform, or is it because he’s moving a little clumsier than usual? Even the gaze that occasionally looked at my face was so stimulating that my heart tingled.
It’s all because Choi Tae-gyeom said unnecessary things. Because, as he said, I felt like I had gone back to when I had a crush on him.
Is this what it would be like in the dreams I had when I was young? After having dreams like this, I would always wake up with my lower body completely wet.
“…What are you thinking about?”
Choi Tae-gyeom took his penis out of his mouth and asked in a slightly sulky tone. No, he just asked, but I might have felt that way. Just because he changed his clothes, doesn’t it feel like he’s doing something terrible to a real kid?
“You’re so relaxed. You’re thinking about other things while you have me.”
“That’s not… Hngh!”
Choi Tae-gyeom put his penis in his mouth again, all the way to the root. Then, unlike before, he started moving his head with skillful movements. As if he had been watching me to adapt until now.
The tongue that rubbed the shaft dug into the gap of the glans as if to tear it apart.
“Ah, no…!”
The hand that grabbed his hair tightened. The stimulation was so strong that my posture crumbled.
Whether it hurt to pull, Choi Tae-gyeom didn’t care and shoved his penis all the way down my throat. The pleasure that had been slowly building up flooded like a wave in an instant.
“…Ah…!”
It was quick to reach climax. I curled my toes and shot a long stream into Choi Tae-gyeom’s mouth. Even while my thighs trembled, he grabbed my pants and ate all the cum that came over.
“You again…”
I hurriedly pushed Choi Tae-gyeom away, but he had already swallowed everything in his mouth. A long thread stretched from the slowly pulled out penis. The sight of cum dangling from the tip of his red tongue looked even more lewd than when I had cum on his face before.
“…”
Ah, I don’t think this is good for prenatal care.
My heart was pounding. The sight in front of me was so obscene that I felt like I had done something I shouldn’t have done. Would it have been better if it was my naked body instead of a school uniform, at least more than it is now?
“…Take off your school uniform.”
I grabbed Choi Tae-gyeom’s shoulder with a hand that didn’t have any strength. Choi Tae-gyeom, who glanced up at me, answered, ‘Okay,’ and took off my pants. I definitely said to take it off, but it was a slightly different form than I thought.
“No, not me…”
“Yeah, not you?”
Choi Tae-gyeom kissed the inside of my thigh and took off my jacket himself. Knowing that something was wrong, I couldn’t help but move obediently as he told me to when I saw his face. Before I knew it, I was lying on the bed with only my shirt and tie left.
“Should I take it off too?”
“…”
I should have said yes, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. At this rate, Choi Tae-gyeom might think I’m a pervert who gets excited by school uniforms.
But I couldn’t help it, I was really excited by the sight of him in a school uniform, like a child experiencing first love.
“You even wore socks.”
Choi Tae-gyeom grabbed both of my ankles and smiled, folding his eyes as if he thought it was cute. Then, as he kissed my calf, I unknowingly closed my thighs. Did he take off my underwear with my pants? His unnecessarily good dexterity shines even more at times like this.
“Haa…”
His softly overlapping lips slowly went down my chin. He rubbed my chin and Adam’s apple and left a dark mark on my collarbone after undoing one button. Reddish heat flowers bloomed inside the collar along with a lewd sensation.
Choi Tae-gyeom gently released pheromones and undid a few more buttons. A ticklish touch stroked my bare skin through the open shirt. He made bite marks from top to bottom and gently rubbed the protruding bumps with the tip of his tongue.
“Eup…”
He pressed down hard and gnawed at it with his front teeth, teasing my chest as if playing with a toy. Meanwhile, his fingers, which had dug under my clothes, started rubbing my nipples between them.
“…Ah…”
Even though I had already come once, I felt strength in my lower abdomen again. I instinctively tried to touch between my legs, but Choi Tae-gyeom only looked up at my face. It seemed like he was closely observing my expression, which was swept up in excitement.
“…Choi Tae-gyeom.”
“Yeah.”
“My bottom…”
It meant that I wanted him to somehow relieve this heat. I deliberately rubbed my lower body against him while pressing it against him. He lifted his upper body so that my stomach wouldn’t be pressed down, and took a short breath and raised his body.
“Tell me if the position is uncomfortable.”
His frowning face felt somewhat threatening. He blew on his bangs and swept them back, then had me gather my legs. Soon, he put both legs on one shoulder and released the buckle to take out his erect penis.
“…”
I always think it’s a really big thing no matter when I see it. I’ve touched it and put it in for years, but why is it different every time I see it?
“First of all…”
Choi Tae-gyeom smiled kindly as if he had interpreted my eyes. His softly curved eyes were still sharp like a beast’s. He rested his cheek on my calf and rubbed his penis against my perineum.
“I won’t put it in.”
His thick penis dug between my thighs. It came in long as if to really insert it, then slowly pulled out again. From between my buttocks, past my scrotum, to the half-erect shaft. The sensation of the glans being rubbed was as soft as touching it with my hand.
“Eup…”
It wasn’t like he had inserted it deeply, but for some reason, I felt strange. Was it because I had ambiguously gained some leeway? My senses were heightened and Choi Tae-gyeom’s expression was nothing short of explicit. That was even more so because he deliberately slid his penis between my thighs as if piercing my wet hole.
“Ah, this… Euh, it’s weird…”
Every time Choi Tae-gyeom moved his waist, I could see something dark red between my thighs. The lumpy, veined thing didn’t match the neatly dressed school uniform at all. He raised his waist greatly once again, with one arm wrapped around my calf and the other around my thigh.
“Hngh!”
His hot penis rubbed against my shaft for a long time. The pleasure of being recklessly crushed made my head tingle.
“Lee Yoon-woo, you’re too skinny…”
“…Hng, euh.”
“This place doesn’t, tighten at all. You know?”
The sound of flesh rubbing against flesh gradually changed to a squelching sound. It was because the love nectar that came out from below had wet Choi Tae-gyeom’s penis. His penis, which had been circling the entrance as if he was about to insert it at any moment, scraped the perineum again and came between my thighs.
“Ah…”
I unknowingly closed my legs tightly. At the same time, his penis, which was tightly attached, gave me a tingling pleasure. Choi Tae-gyeom continued to thrust his waist with a more excited face than before.
“Hahng, eup, hng…”
“Close your legs more, Yoon-woo.”
“How… How…”
Choi Tae-gyeom’s penis got stuck in the squelching hole. He pressed down hard as if to insert it, then scraped it upwards again. Choi Tae-gyeom, who had raised it so deeply that my pubic hair touched, bit my ankle slightly.
“Ah!”
“Is the position okay?”
“Yeah, eup… It’s okay…”
My legs were raised, but it was okay because Choi Tae-gyeom was holding me firmly. My stomach wasn’t being pressed down, and it wasn’t a position that would make me tired. Rather, what was hard to endure was that he wasn’t putting it in, even though he seemed like he would.
“Hngh, hng!”
The sound of flesh sliding against flesh was clear. Body fluids that I didn’t know whose were rubbing wildly and my senses were slowly rising. And the moment I felt strength in the hand that was holding my legs, his penis, which had been wiggling, twitched and ejaculated.
“Haa, haa…”
Because the two of us came at the same time, my shirt was soaked with cum. On my stomach, chest, and under my chin. The squelching liquid flowed down to the side.
“…Hoo.”
Instead of lying on top of me, Choi Tae-gyeom rubbed his forehead against my legs. His bangs, wet with sweat, were scattered here and there. His large hand stroked my thigh and gently fiddled with my softened penis.
“…Don’t touch it…”
“What to do with something so cute.”
Unlike me, whose erection had subsided, Choi Tae-gyeom’s member was still going strong. Its intimidating form, almost touching my navel, was so lewd that I couldn’t help but gulp. Even after ejaculating twice, I was drawn to Choi Tae-gyeom’s penis as if possessed.
“…Aren’t you going to do it?”
It wasn’t a question for confirmation, but for assurance. It felt like, ‘You’re not going to stop now, are you, when you’re this turned on?’
Choi Tae-gyeom, who was carefully lowering my legs, furrowed his brow as his Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Hiss… the doctor told us to be careful.”
The hot rod twitched in my hand. As I moved it up and down, Choi Tae-gyeom lightly stopped my hand.
“I’m worried something will happen to you.”
Even as he said that, he still had an aroused look on his face. His eyes were languidly unfocused, and his pupils were full of lust. Even after ejaculating once, he was still so tempting; how could I even think about stopping now?
Choi Tae-gyeom was probably planning to just do some petting and stop there. I could tell from the way he hadn’t taken off his clothes and was biting his lip. I intertwined my fingers with Choi Tae-gyeom’s and opened my mouth hesitantly.
“I asked the doctor again about it…”
Other people’s sex drives decrease when they’re pregnant, but I felt like mine had actually increased. I was thirstier for Alpha pheromone than before, and I felt incredibly excited whenever we touched like this.
“She said it’s okay if we do it gently.”
The doctor said that all of this was a natural symptom. It was natural for an Omega to crave their partner’s pheromone when pregnant. She also added that it was okay to enjoy light sex as long as it wasn’t too rough.
Of course, I didn’t know Choi Tae-gyeom’s thing would be this big, but conversely, I was confident that he would be able to control himself well.
“Don’t put it all the way in, just this much…”
I grabbed his hand and placed it below my navel. It was the part that would bulge out when he went in deep. As I moved his hand lower, my soaked sex brushed against the back of Choi Tae-gyeom’s hand.
“…Yoon-woo.”
Reason flew out of his eyes. He was trying to act like it was nothing, but having known Choi Tae-gyeom for so long, I could tell. That precarious thread of reason was now almost at its limit.
All that was needed was a tiny trigger.
“Good marital relations are good for the baby too.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Choi Tae-gyeom stroked my exposed belly. It was still flat, so there was no sign of pregnancy at all. He still seemed hesitant, but even that disappeared cleanly as he kissed my belly.
“Where did you learn to be so lewd?”
“……”
“Our baby shouldn’t get a tummy ache…”
It felt like he was talking to me. There was no way he would call me baby, but still.
“You can’t say things like that while wearing a school uniform. Got it?”
Wait, was he really talking to me?
“…You said you weren’t a pervert who gets turned on by school uniforms.”
I blurted out a word for no reason. Choi Tae-gyeom let out a soft laugh and slipped his hand inside my dress shirt. It was all covered in semen, so it felt damp every time his hand brushed against it.
“Lee Yoon-woo in a school uniform is a different story.”
“Hiss.”
He pinched my chest, then bit the opposite nipple through the fabric. His touch was more impatient than before, and it was also persistent, as if savoring the moment. After playing with me in circles, he soon moved his other hand to the inside of my thigh.
“I’ll take it slow.”
His thick fingers dug into my tight hole. It was already wet, so one finger was inserted without any difficulty. As he slowly traced my inner walls, he buried his face in my neck.
“Ah, wait…”
His sensual breath tickled the back of my neck. Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, even the brush of his nose was stimulating. The sound of squelching seeped into my ear, and the number of fingers increased from one to two.
“Ugh…”
Choi Tae-gyeom deliberately didn’t touch the parts that would make me feel good. He just circled around them, being careful not to stimulate me.
He scratched my erect nipples with his fingernails and nibbled on my earlobe.
“Not there, Tae-gyeom…”
I raised my knees and moved my hips according to instinct. I wiggled my lower body and lifted my butt, and I could feel Choi Tae-gyeom pausing. He had already ejaculated twice, but I was still turned on.
“Hurry…”
I grabbed the wrist that was piercing my lower body and shook it up and down as if urging him on. Then, the hand that had been touching my chest immediately grabbed both of my wrists. I couldn’t beg him, but there was the achievement that Choi Tae-gyeom became a little more reckless.
“Haah!”
The three fingers that had increased in number touched the exact spot that made me feel good. He pressed down on my inner walls, then rotated as if widening the inside. The pleasure that gradually built up didn’t explode and stayed below my navel.
I was out of my mind not only from the pleasure I felt below, but also from the breath that lingered in my ear. I cringed at the chilling sensation, but even that had now turned into lust. I didn’t know why my perfectly fine ears had become such a sensitive spot.
“Look at me.”
“Hngh…”
“Look at me, Yoon-woo.”
He was still dressed impeccably. Only his tie was a little loose; his jacket and dress shirt were all still on. It was nothing compared to me, who was covered in semen and only wearing socks below my dress shirt.
“I don’t think I can… control myself right now.”
The fingers that had been widening my lower body gently pulled out. Choi Tae-gyeom grabbed my hand, just like I had done earlier, and placed it on my lower abdomen. The fingers intertwined with mine seemed to have more strength than usual.
“When it gets here, tell me to stop.”
A soft pheromone flowed out. It was a pheromone that Choi Tae-gyeom had loosened to make insertion easier. He positioned himself between my legs and aligned the tip of his glans with my entrance.
“Ah… quickly…”
“Don’t rush me…”
My thighs trembled. Not from anything else, but from anticipation.
Soon, my throbbing entrance barely opened, and his thick penis slowly pushed its head in.
“Ah, ah…”
Of course, it didn’t hurt. Rather, it was tantalizing to the point of frustration. Before I knew it, I wrapped my legs around his waist, and Choi Tae-gyeom firmly grabbed my thighs.
“Ha… No, Yoon-woo. Huh?”
“Ah, ugh…”
“Shh…”
It was the slowest insertion ever. The glans, the thick part below it, and even the vein-covered shaft. Every time the hot flesh entered, my wet inner walls clung to it.
“Hngh, Choi Tae-gyeom…”
I reached out my arms to Choi Tae-gyeom, meaning for him to hug me. Perhaps he thought it wouldn’t work, so he stopped inserting and lowered his upper body. He kissed my cheeks and neck, but he didn’t forget to be careful not to bend my body.
“It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“Yeah, ugh, it feels good…”
He was just putting it in, but my mind was becoming hazy. A tingling thrill ran up my spine. My body, already familiar with him, seemed to be anticipating the pleasure that was about to come.
“You today…”
Choi Tae-gyeom couldn’t finish his sentence and furrowed his brow. His half-inserted penis touched the inside. Even that small stimulus caused a moan to flow out as if I were breaking down.
“Haaah!”
“…Ha.”
Choi Tae-gyeom, who let out a short breath, gently pushed up my inner walls. He slowly pulled his penis out, then plunged it in as if gauging the depth. I didn’t tell him to stop, but he seemed to have found a line that wouldn’t put too much strain on me on his own.
“Ah, there…”
“…Here? Huh?”
“Yeah, hngh, ugh…”
It had been too long since we had sex, so it was clear that I was more sensitive. My body was already hot, and on top of that, the visual stimulation was satisfying, so my senses were heightened even without deep insertion. Even his troubled face was so sensual that it made me choke up.
“Haa, hngh…”
I placed my hands on Choi Tae-gyeom’s shoulders and wiggled my lower body. It wasn’t a rush of chaotic pleasure, but a heat that rose from deep inside my stomach. I wanted to insert it deeper, but both Choi Tae-gyeom and I knew that we couldn’t do that.
“Belly, huh… are you okay?”
“I’m okay, hngh, ugh… I’m okay…”
His suppressed voice whispered words of concern. He told me to tell him if it hurt, to put my legs in a more comfortable position. He stroked my twitching lower abdomen and meticulously kissed my flailing fingers.
“Why do you feel so much today, huh?”
“I don’t know… Ah, hiss…”
I curled my toes as much as I could. I heard that you can feel orgasms better if you wear socks. Was that why? Every part of me that touched Choi Tae-gyeom was burning hot.
“Don’t squeeze too much.”
I couldn’t say that I wasn’t squeezing because I wanted to. He let out a warning-filled word, then rotated his waist with his penis shallowly inserted. The feeling of barely pressing against my inner walls spurred on the rising pleasure.
“Ah, I… I think I’m going to go… hngh…”
At the moment of reaching climax, Choi Tae-gyeom hastily kissed me. His listlessly shaking penis spewed out watery semen. Choi Tae-gyeom mixed his tongue with mine as if sharing oxygen, then belatedly pulled his waist back as I hugged his neck.
“…Kgh.”
A gush of hot liquid was sprayed on my thighs. It was his second ejaculation, but the amount was as much as the first time. Choi Tae-gyeom rubbed his glans against the soft skin on the inside of my thighs and let out a long, languid breath.
“Haa…”
The expression Choi Tae-gyeom makes after reaching climax is so satisfying. He lowers his eyes like a satisfied lion and takes a long, excited breath. Then, when our eyes meet, he showers my whole face with kisses with a very loving expression.
“Ugh… it tickles.”
The lips that touched my cheeks and neck were as soft as feathers. I hugged Choi Tae-gyeom’s shoulders tightly and shook my head. Choi Tae-gyeom, who was still fully dressed, rubbed his lips against my ear and laughed.
“So cute…”
Because our legs were close together, the sticky semen was smeared on my thighs. Not only my upper body, but now even my lower body was covered in each other’s fluids. Ah, the school uniform… I should have taken it all off. While I was regretting that, he brushed back my sweaty hair.
“You’ll catch a cold.”
Since when had I been sweating so much? It was definitely a relaxed and comfortable act, but still.
His long fingers neatly arranged my hair. Then, he kissed my exposed forehead again. I didn’t have the energy to stop him anymore, so I just blinked obediently while hugging Choi Tae-gyeom.
“What should I do with the school uniform…”
“What do you mean? Just wash it.”
He replied calmly and undid all the buttons on my dress shirt. His hand, which touched my exposed belly, was as careful as a feather. He briefly put his ear on my stomach and gently rubbed around my navel with his fingers.
“Does it hurt anywhere?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Is the baby okay too?”
“…Listen to what it’s saying.”
It wasn’t the week to feel fetal movement yet, but Choi Tae-gyeom held his breath and listened. If he’s this eager with this flat belly, I wonder how much more he’ll like it later.
“How can even this be so cute?”
Choi Tae-gyeom, who let out a soft laugh, kissed my belly. He hugged my round head tightly and even stopped moving in case he put any weight on me. At times like this, I wonder if this guy mistakes me for something that will break if he touches me.
“I’ll take your clothes off.”
Choi Tae-gyeom said that and took off my dress shirt. After neatly taking off my tie and socks, he rolled my naked body in the bed sheets. I felt like a silkworm, but it was cozy and not bad.
“I’ll get the bath water ready, so stay like that for a bit.”
“Yeah…”
My whole body was as heavy as water-soaked cotton. I was languid and also sleepy. I wonder if he’s not tired.
In the meantime, Choi Tae-gyeom, who had tidied up his clothes, turned to look at me in his dress shirt.
“Lee Yoon-woo.”
“Yeah?”
I inadvertently raised my gaze. Choi Tae-gyeom, who smiled brightly, swept back his disheveled hair. The afterglow of the earlier act remained on his face, but he looked like Choi Tae-gyeom from high school.
“I like you a lot.”
“……”
Like us in those days of nineteen, he confessed in an excited voice. He also kissed me, who was squatting next to the bed in a daze. His hand, which gently stroked my cheek, was also full of affection.
“I wanted to confess like this when I was younger too…”
“……”
“I’m glad I can say it now, even if it’s late.”
Is it because I’m pregnant? I guess I’ve become more emotional. To see those sparkling eyes as so lovely.
No, Choi Tae-gyeom has already been a very beautiful person since before. That’s why I wanted to protect that smile since childhood.
“I love you.”
“Yeah… me too.”
I replied in a dreamlike voice and rubbed my face against Choi Tae-gyeom’s hand. And I slowly blinked and asked cautiously.
“Tae-gyeom, if you were to go back to the past…”
“Yeah.”
“Then what would you want to say to me?”
I was just suddenly curious. What would Choi Tae-gyeom have wanted to say to me, the nineteen-year-old me? I wanted to confess that I liked you, and I wondered if he also wanted to express his feelings to me.
“Hmm…”
He didn’t answer right away and playfully curled up the corners of his lips. I know that if he makes that expression, he’ll never tell me no matter what.
As expected, he answered with a languid smile like a cat basking in the sun.
“It’s a secret.”
It was a disappointing answer, but I didn’t urge him to answer. I just spat out a joke-filled lament, saying that it was too unfair. Choi Tae-gyeom stroked my head and told me to rest before disappearing into the bathroom.
That day, I spent the whole day in Choi Tae-gyeom’s pheromone. It was because he, who had washed me clean, didn’t leave my side for a single moment. The warm warmth that enveloped my whole body was a complete happiness that made me happy now.
“Yoon-woo, are you asleep?”
Around late at night, I fell asleep in Choi Tae-gyeom’s arms. In the midst of the blurred boundary between dream and reality, Choi Tae-gyeom gently started, and he hugged me tightly and whispered like this.
I like you, and I hope you don’t hate the Omega trait because of me.
Maybe that was the story Choi Tae-gyeom wanted to tell the nineteen-year-old me.
Omega Complex Special Side Story
―End.