By Zephyria 
“Ji Sunbae.”
Jeong-min waited from early morning for Ji Su-han to arrive at work. If he didn’t do this, he simply couldn’t meet him.
Sure enough, he could smell Omega pheromones on him. Fortunately, they were very faint, suggesting he hadn’t come straight from a hotel.
“Let’s talk for a bit.”
Seeing Ji Su-han’s face stiffen the moment he saw him, Jeong-min’s heart grew heavy. He needed to discuss Su-eun’s matter as well… he worried if they could even have a proper conversation. Jeong-min led him to his own consultation room. The consultation rooms in the Alpha department where Su-han worked were clustered together, making it impossible to talk much, but Jeong-min’s room was in a relatively secluded area, making it suitable for a conversation.
“Hyung, did I do something wrong by any chance?”
“What are you talking about? Nothing like that.”
“Then why does it feel like you’re avoiding me?”
He was finally able to ask the question that had been bothering him.
“If I did something wrong, please tell me. I’ll fix it.”
“It’s not that. It’s just… my mind has been a bit complicated lately.”
He avoided eye contact again. However, it wasn’t as if he wasn’t looking.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
If he went this far, it must be true. If so, that was a relief, but….
“Is there… anything I can do to help?”
“…No. I’m sorry for making you worry. But this is my problem. I’ll solve it.”
“Okay…. But it might be better to refrain from one-night stands for a bit. Su-eun was worried.”
“Right… I should.”
He brushed back his hair as if exhausted. There really must be something going on. His pheromones have felt a bit heavy lately, too.
“It’s been a while since you talked with Su-eun.”
“That’s true. I haven’t been able to talk to that kid much lately.”
“I met with Su-eun yesterday, and we worried about you a lot.”
“You met with Su-eun alone?”
“Yes, after work.”
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why did you two meet alone?”
“I told you. We met because we were worried about you. And also….”
Jeong-min told him what he had heard from Su-eun yesterday. After hearing the story, Su-han seemed relieved for some reason.
“Right, I should coordinate with Su-eun.”
“Yes, I’m planning to make some preparations too.”
Jeong-min spoke enthusiastically about adjusting his holiday schedule. It felt good to have a real conversation with Su-han for the first time in a while. Then, feeling a gaze, he looked up to find Su-han staring straight at him.
“Hyung, what is it?”
It had been a long time since they had a conversation while locking eyes like this.
“I just can’t understand why you go this far for Su-eun.”
“Isn’t that conversation already over? Why bring it up now?”
“You’re losing too much.”
“I don’t think so. Su-eun is a good person…. And thanks to her, I’ve become close with you, so I’ve gained more than I’ve lost. Besides, there isn’t much time left anyway. Actually, the grueling hospital life has been better because of you and Su-eun. I haven’t thought about wanting to go home once lately. If anything, I want to stay longer.”
Jeong-min spoke with a smile. Su-han gazed at Jeong-min for a long time, struck by how clear that smile was.
✽✽✽
“Thank you, Jeong-min.”
The day before heading to the hotel after finishing all preparations, Ji Su-eun thanked Jeong-min and gave him a tight hug.
Su-eun smelled of a lovely Omega scent. As an Alpha, it gave him a sense of stability.
‘I’m envious.’
What Jeong-min envied was her Omega scent. The scent of an Omega in love…. That scent, which stabilized an Alpha and was fragrant whenever it was smelled, made Jeong-min sigh, but he soon shook his head and returned to his daily routine.
From the next day, Su-eun did not come to the hospital so she could spend time with her beloved partner. Jeong-min also took a leave from the hospital and packed his bags for a three-day, two-night trip.
“Jeong-min, are you going on a trip?”
Seeing his mother’s puzzled expression as he packed, Jeong-min smiled bashfully.
“Ah, well… Su-eun is having a heat cycle, so I decided to spend it with her.”
It pained him to lie to his parents, but since he had promised to protect her, he had to do everything in his power.
If he acted clumsily and got suspected, everything would crumble, and only more people would end up hurting.
“My goodness. Really? The hotel? Where are you going? You picked a nice place, right? You mustn’t make things hard for Su-eun. You have to love her a lot. Got it?”
Jeong-min’s parents were, naturally, delighted. His father laughed heartily, asking if he could finally see grandchildren. His heart felt heavy, but Jeong-min forced himself to say he would try and left the house.
The place where Jeong-min would stay for the three days and two nights was Su-han’s house. When he first asked, Su-han’s brow furrowed slightly. Seeing his expression stiffen for a brief moment, Jeong-min thought he had made a mistake and said he would just look for a separate hotel, but Su-han smiled again and slapped Jeong-min on the back, asking why he would go anywhere else when he could come to his house. Thus, Jeong-min was able to rely on Su-han with peace of mind.
Actually, he had considered just leaving his luggage at Su-han’s and going on a domestic trip, but he decided to stay quietly at Su-han’s house, fearing it would be a headache if he were caught by someone while wandering.
While Su-han was away at work, he flipped through TV channels, stopping when he found something interesting, and when there was nothing to watch, he surfed the internet and rolled around… he also ordered food. At some point, he wondered what on earth he was doing, but since it was his own choice, he had no regrets.
“Haa….”
After rolling around to his heart’s content, he stood up to drink a glass of water, rubbing his sleepy eyes, when his phone rang. Thinking it might be Su-han, he checked the screen and saw it was Ju-hwan. Jeong-min firmly put the phone back down. Soon, the vibration stopped and a text notification sounded. This time, it was a message from Kim Ju-hwan. He hesitated to check it, but flinched at the sentence visible in the preview.
‘At a hotel with your fiancée?’
What? What does this even mean? As Jeong-min frowned, trying to grasp the meaning, the phone rang once more. This time, he couldn’t help but answer.
“Hello.”
─ Sunbae.
“Yeah.”
─ Is it a hotel?
“Huh?”
─ Or is it a pension?
Ah, does he… know? He might. If it’s this guy.
“It’s a hotel. How did you know?”
─ Your fiancée’s family is spreading the news all over the neighborhood.
“I see.”
Then it’s going according to plan.
─ By the way, you’re quite relaxed.
“What?”
─ Answering the phone during your fiancée’s first heat cycle. I thought you wouldn’t pick up.
He could feel the mockery from the other end of the line. Jeong-min felt that answering this call had been a mistake. He thought he should hang up quickly, but silence lingered as he didn’t know how to bring it up.
─ Why aren’t you answering?
“Right, she’s calling me right now. Let’s hang up.”
─ Where are you?
“What?”
─ Which hotel?
“Find it. You can find it if you try. But even if you do, don’t interfere. It’s an important day for me. You know, right? If I’m engaged to her and planning to spend her heat cycle together, you can imagine how I feel. How much I cherish her. I think you’d understand. Since you’re an Alpha too.”
─ …….
“Hanging up. You should find a good person too. Stop talking nonsense. Oh, and don’t call me after this. I won’t answer. I won’t read your texts either. Got it?”
Jeong-min took the initiative, blurted out everything he wanted to say, hung up, and finally blocked Kim Ju-hwan’s phone number and chat.
“Phew.”
Talking to Kim Ju-hwan always left him feeling exhausted, but today, for some reason, he felt refreshed. He hadn’t said much, but why did it feel like he had landed a blow?
“How childish. Even me.”
Jeong-min flopped back onto the sofa. Only the ticking of the clock echoed in the quiet house. Then, a message arrived. It was from Su-han.
‘Company dinner today. I’ll be late.’
He had a company dinner yesterday too, and he’d been so soaked in alcohol that he ended up sleeping at the hospital instead of coming home…. Jeong-min had hoped that while he was here, he could drink with him and talk a lot like they used to, but it seemed that opportunity wouldn’t come, which left him feeling bitter. When they talked recently, he had hoped that things might be okay from now on, that they could go back to how they were. It seemed that wasn’t the case either. He wasn’t unaware that the reason Su-han wasn’t coming home was to avoid him.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”
Looking at the ceiling, it felt strangely unfamiliar. Right. This wasn’t a place where he belonged. Thinking that, he suddenly felt lonely. Jeong-min curled his body up and closed his eyes. While he was like this, he hoped that Su-eun would spend a happy time with the person she loved.