By Zephyria 
Joo Tae-hyun knew Seo Baek-han was trying to impress him, but he wished he wouldn’t trot out such absurd nonsense as a joke.
But Seo Baek-han, as if determined to tease Joo Tae-hyun, even nodded with an utterly serious voice, saying, “I’ve never felt this way before.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? How many people have you dated, Hyung?”
“That’s the thing, those people didn’t mean anything.”
“No, so even if you’ve dated a hundred people, if you meet someone you like the most later, that person is your first love? What kind of calculation is that?”
“Well, I haven’t dated a hundred… people, you know.”
With that, Seo Baek-han filled his glass with juice. As if he knew Joo Tae-hyun’s heart was burning and he wanted to drink something.
“I know, I know you don’t care or wonder whether I’ve dated ten people or a hundred.”
“That’s not it—”
“I also know it’s far from what I originally wanted to talk about.”
Seo Baek-han lightly shrugged, saying he just wanted to joke around a bit and pretended not to notice, latching onto the end of his words.
Tiny bubbles clinging to the glass popped with a cheerful sound. Even the small sounds that usually didn’t bother him felt so annoying…
“It might sound absurd to the person listening, but what can I do if it’s really like that? I just realized that the first person you date and your first love can be different.”
It was as if he was telling someone else’s story, with a brazen attitude.
If he had tried to continue persuading him after that… for example, if he had made excuses like he had only used the people he had met before for political reasons, or that he had dated suitable people from time to time to avoid marriage with the royal family, he would have clung to it more. Seo Baek-han was so calm, as if he was telling him a common sense he didn’t know, that he lost the will to continue arguing about this topic.
“…Give me some beer.”
“Huh?”
“Hyung is closer to the refrigerator, right?”
It was pointless anger. In the first place, the refrigerator was behind the dining room, so it was closer to where Joo Tae-hyun was sitting. But he had been scratching at him with ridiculous logic, hadn’t he? So he wanted to be this petty.
“Is one can enough?”
Seo Baek-han put down the pizza he was eating and obediently brought him the beer. Rather, he seemed very pleased with Joo Tae-hyun’s bluntness, to the point where Joo Tae-hyun, who had deliberately used him, felt a little embarrassed.
“…Not bad, this.”
“What is?”
“It’s the first time you’ve comfortably asked me to do something for you.”
Was it… Joo Tae-hyun took a sip of the ice-cold beer, a chill running down his spine, and pondered the past.
Wasn’t that not the case? When they attended events together or discussed something while drinking tea at home, he seemed to have often made light requests… Even though Seo Baek-han was happy beyond words, he wasn’t so intimidated by him that he cowered to that extent.
Above all, Joo Tae-hyun knew Seo Baek-han’s tendencies well. He wanted to keep someone decisive and confident by his side, whether as a lover or as an acquaintance.
A spouse who would cater to his every whim and couldn’t even make a simple request to hand him a small item?
Wouldn’t he have decided to divorce immediately, no matter what people said?
Because he wanted to maintain the title of ‘Seo Baek-han’s spouse’ at all costs, Joo Tae-hyun knew when to act timid and when not to. And Seo Baek-han would know this as well.
Maybe this was an extension of that first love talk from earlier? It’s definitely not the first time, but he wants to insist it’s the first time based on his own standards?
“Why? Want me to bring you more beer?”
“…No, I’m going to drink something else.”
He couldn’t stand it because he felt so stuffy. He needed something stronger than beer. He had never looked for alcohol as an excuse for his mood… I guess I’ve become an adult too.
Joo Tae-hyun gestured to stop Seo Baek-han, who was also getting up, and opened the door next to the refrigerator. As part of the interior, it was naturally blended into the wall, so people who didn’t know would have thought it was just a line connecting the marble.
“I knew it. There’s a boundary only here.”
“……”
“This kind of decoration isn’t your style.”
Seo Baek-han, who had followed him, added this and that. Whether he did or not, Joo Tae-hyun, who was alternating between looking at the wine cellar and the display case with various types of alcohol, eventually chose whiskey. He didn’t really enjoy whiskey, but beer was too bland, and wine… somehow, he didn’t like it because it felt like he was being conscious of the atmosphere. After eliminating everything, the only remaining option was this.
“You like these glasses when you drink whiskey, right?”
When did he prepare it? Seo Baek-han, who seemed to be just looking at the display case from behind, had taken out the glasses. Seeing that he had also prepared ice in a basket, it seemed that he had looked closely at where everything was while rummaging through the kitchen earlier.
…Or, since they had lived together for a long time, he might have guessed that I would have put this item around here.
“Thanks… but why are there two glasses?”
“It’s not beer, and it’s a bit much to drink this kind of alcohol alone.”
“Do you know that you’re a shifter who collapsed from pheromone shock?”
“Well, it’s true that I’m a shifter in better condition than ever thanks to being with my imprinted partner.”
Perhaps because his gaze staring at him was so sharp, Seo Baek-han quietly put down the small glass he was holding and shaking.
“…But I can’t cause any more trouble here.”
With that, he picked up the half-empty can of beer that Joo Tae-hyun had been drinking. Maybe Seo Baek-han had been aiming for this from the beginning. Because he thought it was much better to drink the leftover beer than to drink whiskey.
“By the way, Tae-hyun, didn’t Doctor Woo say anything earlier?”
“About what?”
“Your pheromones, they seem quite stable.”
“My… pheromones?”
What does it matter if he hurts his own body, it’s not my business to care. He replied to Seo Baek-han insincerely with such a twisted mind, but the question he threw was quite unexpected.
“Well, when I first visited the lab, your pheromones were… how should I put it.”
“Ah. The control was a bit… off, right?”
Come to think of it, from some point on, no one mentioned pheromones in front of him anymore. Did Seo Baek-han monopolize them all? The imprinting phenomenon doesn’t suck up the other person’s pheromones like a pheromone thief, but that was the only thing he could guess.
“So, you still can’t feel it, right? My pheromones.”
“Well, yes.”
“That’s a relief.”
Seo Baek-han rubbed the surface of the beer can, where water droplets were starting to form due to the temperature difference, with his index finger a few times. It’s a good thing that I can erase all traces of me and live well, he muttered so quietly.
“…But get regular checkups. It’s more stable than before, but there are still times when it feels strong.”
“Is it like that now?”
“Right now… I don’t know.”
Seo Baek-han smiled awkwardly, saying it was hard to tell because he was in a house full of his scent.
“……”
“I’m imprinted on you, even if it’s anyone else. I’m trying not to be conscious of it… well, it’s still a little, anyway.”
He was indirectly saying that he was too busy controlling his body, which was just going crazy with joy, to even gauge the concentration of his pheromones.
“…When you go back, what are you going to do then?”
“Huh? About what?”
“After you return home, what are you going to do about the pheromone problem? You said you wouldn’t appear in front of me again.”
“Well, there might be a way. Everyone lives on somehow, even if their imprinted partner passes away.”
“Well, if that state can be described as ‘living’.”
Yes, they’ll still be breathing. By collecting pheromones from the imprinted partner’s belongings and inhaling artificial substances that are as similar to them as possible through a respirator.
Collecting pheromones from the other person’s belongings in preparation for when an imprinting is forcibly formed is strictly prohibited. There have been no such cases in Korea yet, but the imprinting phenomenon has not been clearly identified, so safety measures are being put in place in advance.
Therefore, pheromone collection is only possible if you prove that the imprinted partner has died, or if you prove that you were complete strangers but an imprinting was formed due to an accidental accident.
In other words, Seo Baek-han can’t even receive medical treatment to absorb something similar to pheromones from the things Joo Tae-hyun left behind.
“If you’re thinking of glossing over this issue again—”
“That will never happen. I’ll keep my promise, I have to keep this at least.”
“……”
“Tae-hyun, you’re… too kind.”
Seo Baek-han smiled faintly with his eyes slightly lowered. Perhaps because of the indirect lighting, his eyelashes felt particularly long.
“If it were me, I would have left you to die.”
Thank you so much for letting me into your house, letting me bask in your pheromones, and worrying about what will happen next.
Each time he paused in his sentence, his eye level was gradually adjusted to him. By the time Seo Baek-han said, “Thank you so much,” they were able to look each other straight in the eye.
“Ah, I wasn’t allowed to say thank you either. Hmm. Then what should I say?”
“……”
“I guess all that’s left is to say I love you.”
With that, Seo Baek-han playfully begged him not to forbid him from saying this much.
“…Hyung.”
“I can’t say it anymore anyway, so let me say it as much as I want while I’m here.”
If you put it that way, aren’t the words ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ the same? But if he argued unnecessarily and Seo Baek-han made some nonsensical claims that couldn’t be found anywhere, like before… then it would be more difficult to deal with. Joo Tae-hyun swallowed the words he was about to say along with the alcohol.
“By the way, I think you’re drinking too fast.”
Seo Baek-han, slightly surprised by the rapidly decreasing bottle of alcohol, slyly pulled the bottle towards himself.
“Give it to me.”
“No, I’m not saying I’m going to drink it.”
“I said give it to me.”
“I’ll give it to you in a little while. First, drink some water, eat some pizza too. Okay?”
The alcohol had decreased by about a third, but he knew his alcohol tolerance. He was unhappy with Seo Baek-han, who was treating him like a child when he wasn’t drunk at all.
“Alcohol…”
The moment he stood up, holding onto the table to argue with him, his body tilted to the left.
“See, I told you you’re a little drunk.”
It was really just a slight, light sway. But Seo Baek-han, horrified, rushed over to him in a hurry. As a result, the bottle he had thrown away was pushed off the table and fell over.
“…It’s because I stood up suddenly.”
“Uh-oh, yeah. I know. I know, so let’s get up first.”
The scent of whiskey and beer spilled on the table spread throughout the dining room. If I seem drunk now, it’s because of the alcohol he spilled.
“…Smells like alcohol.”
“I’ll clean it up. You go up and… no, never mind. Rest in the living room for a while, and when you feel a little better, go up to the bedroom. That would be better.”
As if trying to get as far away from the smell of alcohol as possible, Seo Baek-han put his arm around his shoulder and moved his feet.
“Hyung.”
When Joo Tae-hyun kept trying to pull his arm away, he scolded him with a hiss and held his hand tightly so he couldn’t run away.
“I can walk by myself.”
“If I let go of your hand here, you’ll fall.”
“Let go, and see if I fall or not.”
Seo Baek-han let out a long sigh through his nose and led Joo Tae-hyun. He was dumbfounded by the way he was treating him like a drunkard. He had drunk with him before, he knew very well that he would never get drunk with this much. Why is he being so fussy?
“…Now, it’ll be okay.”
…Could it be because of that.
“What do you mean it’ll be okay.”
“The alcohol… it’s all spilled… so now there’s only the smell of alcohol.”
Unlike himself, he blurted out a reproach that he would never have made normally.
“Now, I don’t think you’ll feel my pheromone scent anymore either.”
Joo Tae-hyun, realizing what he had said after muttering, quickly raised his head. …Ah. Am I really drunk? I definitely drank it quickly.
“So…”
Joo Tae-hyun, who was glancing at Seo Baek-han, hesitated and closed his mouth.
Because he felt an unexplainable heat in his eyes that were staring at him.