By Zephyria 
===
“You look pretty when you cry, but if you keep it up, I’m really going to collapse.”
To Eun-won, Cha Se-jin was a fascinating person. He could be playful yet tender, distant one moment and then the closest person to him the next. He turned ordinary moments into something extraordinary, and the moments of worry that would have dragged on if Eun-won were alone were made to feel light and trivial. And even now, in a moment where he didn’t know what to do and couldn’t lean on just anyone, Cha Se-jin gave him a place to lean.
He felt like he finally understood why so many people who met Cha Se-jin came to like him, and why they desired his affection so desperately. Of course, there were plenty of obvious reasons anyone could guess—his striking looks that were unforgettable at a single glance, a body superior to anyone else’s, his skilled lead, and his background—but that wasn’t everything.
It was likely the things they encountered. The momentary kindness that Cha Se-jin himself might not realize, but the recipient could feel. The gaze that recognized the exact moment someone needed him most.
However, Cha Se-jin had said he had never loved anyone. He said he found it tedious when people misunderstood trivial things and poured out one-sided feelings. He meant that his touch and his gaze were not born of love.
Therefore, Eun-won must not be mistaken. Just because the touch reaching him was hotter than a feverish body, just because he kept closing the distance with a smile, just because he kissed him deeply while touching his cheeks and hair, just because he paused to check his face when Eun-won grabbed his arm even while he was digging deep inside him… he must not mistake that for liking him.
The heart that had been momentarily swept away by the pleasure of those gradual touches was shaken. Watching Cha Se-jin rub away the tears from his eyes, Eun-won slightly lifted his chin and closed his eyes as the other’s face drew closer. Strangely, a warmth that blanketed the heat spread through his mouth. Despite his numerous resolutions… he liked Cha Se-jin.
* * *
Eun-won suffered through his heat cycle for two more days. Although the heat had subsided compared to the first day, he would crumble at a single touch from Cha Se-jin just when he thought he was okay, and he was shaken violently by the kindness of being washed.
Once he became conscious of Cha Se-jin, his body would heat up without end. In those moments, he was held, and held, and held again by Cha Se-jin. When the heat completely overwhelmed him and his mind melted away, he would cling to Cha Se-jin’s neck, moaning frantically as the other thrust deeply inside him.
After spending three days in the annex without taking a single step outside, spending most of their time entwined, it was the morning of the fourth day when he finally felt his body grow light and left the bed. Even last night, he had fallen asleep while shaking violently in Cha Se-jin’s arms, yet his body didn’t hurt at all, nor did it feel heavy. Even though he hadn’t slept that long, he felt refreshed, and above all, he could feel the heat that used to spread throughout his body even while still had subsided.
As soon as he felt this, Eun-won looked nervously at the sleeping Cha Se-jin beside him. Yesterday, though not to this extent, he had felt as if the heat cycle was over, only to realize it was a mistake the moment Cha Se-jin wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him back, telling him to sleep more.
No, in truth, the moment he had seen Cha Se-jin, he had felt a flutter in his lower abdomen. Feeling that flutter and the heating body, Cha Se-jin had smirked with his eyes closed, and only after pouring himself into Eun-won twice more mid-sleep had his consciousness finally faded.
Blushing at the vivid, hot… and overwhelmingly explicit memories, Eun-won looked at the sleeping Cha Se-jin and lay back down beside him. Sensing his presence, Cha Se-jin reached out and wrapped his arm around Eun-won’s naked waist, pulling him into his embrace. It was an action that had become a habit over the past three days.
“…….”
The dry, soft skin touching him was warm. It made him tremble, and it felt good. The pheromones softly leaking out while he slept were lovely, as was his fringe that simply covered his forehead since he had only washed and dried it, the eyelids closed beneath it, and the long eyelashes clinging to the ends… everything was lovely. To the point where he wanted to look at every single detail and press his lips to every single part.
If he had the composure to look at his face like that yesterday, he might have actually done it. Because until last night, he was a person whose pleasure overcame his shyness.
But now, he had returned to his usual self. No, he couldn’t help but be more conscious of Cha Se-jin and feel more shy than usual. It was because he remembered most of how he had clung to Cha Se-jin for three days, how he had cried, and what sounds he had made.
The fact that he remembered this much meant that Cha Se-jin remembered even more. Including the things he remembered and even the moments he didn’t remember at all, Cha Se-jin would have seen and remembered everything. Just that thought made his face flush for a different reason than the heat of the past three days, making it impossible for him to even meet Cha Se-jin’s eyes properly.
“Is your body really okay? Even if it is, you should rest one more day.”
“I’m really okay now. I don’t have a fever, and I don’t feel that flutter anymore….”
And my underwear isn’t getting damp from excitement just by breathing. The part he thought but couldn’t say was the most important, but swallowing the words, Eun-won looked at the chin of Cha Se-jin, who had placed a hand on his forehead. He knew that if he lifted his head just a bit more, their eyes would meet, and he wanted to see him so badly, but he lacked the courage.
“The fever has gone down. Still, just in case, call me if you don’t feel well.”
“…Yes….”
“Let’s go.”
On the first-floor table, there were fruit cups with various fruits cut into bite-sized pieces. Cha Se-jin picked one up and pressed it into Eun-won’s hand.
“You barely ate dinner yesterday. Eat this on the way.”
“…Aren’t you eating, Director?”
“I worked out and drank protein earlier.”
He had used his body for three days straight just like him—no, even more than him—and yet he still managed a morning workout…. Marvelling once again at Cha Se-jin’s stamina, Eun-won left the annex while clutching the fruit cup tightly with both hands.
Since there was nothing urgent in the morning, Eun-won was going to school late, and Cha Se-jin offered to drive him, so they got into the car together. Eun-won looked at Cha Se-jin as he got into the driver’s seat. Just by looking at his face, various scenes from the past three days filled his mind.
Recalling how he had stuck out his tongue first, begging for a kiss, and how he had cried and said it felt too good when asked in a voice that thrust deep inside him if he liked it there, Eun-won turned his head away and looked down deeply.
“You’ve been avoiding me for a while. Are you that shy?”
“…….”
“It’s not like you did anything wrong, so what’s there to be shy about? What’s wrong with saying you liked it because you liked it.”
He thought Cha Se-jin might tease him mischievously by mentioning his behavior, but unexpectedly, Cha Se-jin was very straightforward. At that calm tone, Eun-won looked back at the driver’s seat. After driving out of the garden, Cha Se-jin looked at Eun-won and smirked.
“I’ll probably be worse during my Rut. I might cling to you saying, ‘Darling, spread your legs more,’ ‘Darling, stick out your tongue,’ ‘Darling, can I come deeper inside?’”
The playfulness was contained there. His heart hammered fast again at how Cha Se-jin described himself so mischievously just to ease Eun-won’s embarrassment. Every time that sudden adult side of him appeared, emotion filled his entire body.
“So there’s no need to be embarrassed—no, I mean, ashamed. I liked it. Didn’t you?”
“…….”
“No, really?”
“…I… I liked it… too….”
How could he possibly have hated it? It was so hot, tender, and sweet. There was surely no one in the world who could hate gestures that evoked such sensations and emotions. He loved every single moment he had spent touching Cha Se-jin.
“That’s why I liked it even more.”
“…….”
“Somehow, I ended up doing it right away without teaching you a single thing properly.”
While there was playfulness in the words directed at himself, there was none—absolutely none—in the words directed at Eun-won. That was why talking about the sex they had during the heat cycle wasn’t overly embarrassing. It felt as if they were calmly discussing things that truly needed to be discussed.
“I didn’t hear you say it hurt, but how was it while we were doing it? Did you ever endure pain?”
“…Um….”
He remembered feeling some pain when Cha Se-jin’s member first entered his body. Although it felt like the inside was opening flexibly, it was inevitable since something so large was entering.
“……At first… when we started… a little….”
Hearing the small voice, Cha Se-jin glanced at the passenger seat and smiled, reaching out to lightly touch Eun-won’s cheek. His cheeks were flushed red, perhaps because he was shy to be recalling those erotic few days so early in the morning. If he sent him to school like this, the Alpha bastards’ eyes would surely flip. He was already concerned about leaving him alone because of a face that was almost too pretty to be real; there was no need to give them an extra point of attraction.
“Shall we talk more about this over dinner later? Let’s eat out before going back. We can talk more comfortably.”
“…Yes, I’d like that.”
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Umm…. The steak we had before… I want that.”
“Ah, that place. Okay.”
While sharing various light conversations, they arrived at the school before they knew it. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Eun-won smiled and said goodbye to Cha Se-jin. Cha Se-jin waved back at him.
After getting out of the car, Eun-won waved one more time and headed toward the building. Watching him from the steering wheel, Cha Se-jin let out a laugh mixed with a sigh.
They had been stuck together for three days without almost any separation, so seeing his back as he walked away so readily felt a bit disappointing. It would have been nice if he had used the maximum amount of sick leave possible for his cycle to stay with him longer, but in truth, he liked Eun-won even more because he wasn’t that type. Didn’t it make him anxious? That back, which had clung to him frantically but then calmly said he was okay and went to school as soon as his condition improved.
Cha Se-jin watched until Eun-won disappeared into the building, then he straightened up and left the school, though a lingering attachment remained. In his mind, where the memories of the three days remained vivid, Eun-won’s cheeks, flushed a pale pink, flickered. It was as if a pink filter had been placed over the entire world.