DD 9.2 Honeymoon

“Kun, Kun! Let’s do dictation!”

The child ran to Rau, who was preparing a piece of cake and milk in the kitchen. The child, clinging to Kun’s leg, held a thin notebook in one hand.

“Dictation? Okay. Sit at the table.”

The child quickly climbed onto the chair on his knees.

The child, named Leo, was Rau and Lee Hyun’s neighbor. Born to a Korean father who was a chef and an Australian mother who was a painter, Leo was born and raised in Bali. Thanks to that, he was fluent in Korean, English, and even Balinese.

Recently, after starting to learn to read, the child fell into dictation. It was easier than before when he had to play physically.

Rau placed the cake and milk next to the child’s notebook and sat opposite him. The child raised his pencil high and shouted.

“Number 1!”

“Okay, number 1. What should we do… um, cake.”

The child, who was only looking at Rau’s lips with sparkling eyes, moved his pencil with a confident expression as soon as the words were spoken. Rau, resting his chin on his elbow on the table, smiled silently, looking at the child’s sparkling little crown.

After the wedding, Rau and Lee Hyun moved to Ubud in Bali as planned. It was already five months ago. Leo, who couldn’t even greet properly, hiding behind his parents’ legs when they first met, was now a close friend of Rau and Lee Hyun.

“Cake!”

The child showed Rau the crookedly written letters.

“Correct! Leo is great. Cake was a difficult question.”

“It’s not difficult. Cake is easy.”

“Okay, you got it right, so take a bite of the cake.”

Rau took a piece of the cake he had brought out as a snack with a fork and put it in the child’s mouth. Rau was a little surprised that he was so focused on dictation even with his favorite cake in front of him.

“Okay, next is number 2… What should I ask for number 2?”

“Ask me something difficult! Something difficult!”

What word could satisfy the child’s desire to conquer difficult problems, but not be too difficult for the child to actually get right… Rau pondered, looking around.

It was then. A small voice whimpering and crying was heard.

“Parang must be awake!”

Leo was the first to shout that, before Rau. The two got up from their seats without either being first.

In the middle of the living room, on the mat and mattress, a small baby was lying face down, kicking his arms and legs and crying.

“Parang, did our Parang sleep well?”

The baby’s crying subsided at the sound of Rau’s voice. Rau lowered himself and revealed his face in front of the baby. Dark, wet eyes blinked and examined Rau’s face.

“Did you sleep well and even flip over by yourself?”

“Does Parang want to swim?”

Leo, who approached Rau, asked, observing the baby with fascinated eyes.

The baby knew how to flip over, but couldn’t crawl yet. The sight of him flailing his arms and legs while lying face down looked like he was trying to swim to Leo.

“That’s not it, he wants to crawl forward. He’ll be crawling around here and there soon. Right, Parang?”

As the baby’s crying grew louder again, Rau picked up the small body. This time, Leo said in a worried voice.

“Parang must have been scared because no one was there.”

“I guess so. He must have been surprised.”

Rau soothed the baby quite skillfully. Normally, he would have stopped crying soon, but for some reason, the fussing didn’t subside even with the gentle shaking.

“Parang, why are you so uncomfortable after waking up well? Huh?”

While shaking the baby’s body and rubbing his nose against his fragrant head, Rau checked his diaper first. The yellow star on the outside of the diaper had turned blue. It was a sign that the baby had urinated.

“The diaper was the problem. I’ll change it soon.”

“Diaper? Should I bring the diaper?”

Leo asked, his eyes shining as if he had been waiting. He always wanted to do something for the baby. Leo was usually like a lawless person, but he was very careful when it came to the baby.

“Would you?”

Leo quickly took out a new diaper from the diaper bag not far away and brought it to him.

“Thank you, Leo.”

Rau carefully laid the small body down again and gave the baby a doll lying on the mattress. The sky-blue rabbit with long ears was the baby’s favorite doll. Since he learned to flip over, he struggled to flip over as soon as he was laid down, so he needed something to focus the baby’s attention while changing his diaper.

Leo knelt quietly next to Rau, keeping his eyes fixed on the baby.

“Did you poop? Parang, did you poop?”

“No. He peed.”

“Aww, that’s boring.”

Rau burst into laughter at Leo’s disappointment.

“Leo really likes talking about poop, doesn’t he?”

“It’s funny.”

Rau couldn’t understand which part was funny, but he seemed to know that children all over the world were enthusiastic about such stories.

Rau smiled kindly, making eye contact with the baby, while laying a new diaper under the baby’s bottom and taking off the diaper he was wearing.

“If such a cute Parang grows up as much as Leo, will he like talking about poop?”

“Of course!”

Leo answered proudly, as if it were a glorious procedure. Rau couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

After taking off the heavy diaper and putting on a new diaper, Rau fanned the baby for a while. It was to prevent diaper rash.

“Can I do that too? Can I do it?”

“Do you want to try?”

“Is it okay for Parang if I do it?”

Leo was worried about hurting the baby, but he seemed to want to try it.

“Leo can do this too. Do you want to try?”

“Yes!”

Leo held the handle with his small hands and waved the fan very carefully.

“Kun, when can Parang talk?”

“Well, he can only babble yet. We’ll have to wait a little longer?”

“I want to grow up quickly and play with him.”

“Leo will take good care of him, right?”

“Of course! If we play together, I’ll tell him all the fun places and dangerous places where we shouldn’t play!”

“You’re really reliable? Parang is so lucky to have a Hyung like Leo.”

“Yes, I’m Hyung. So I have to protect Parang.”

Rau stroked Leo’s soft hair and looked at him lovingly.

“I’ll give up all my cakes and toys to Parang!”

It was amazing that even such a small child could think like that for others. Rau was moved by the child’s words, which he sincerely threw out without any calculation of profit.

Rau kissed Leo’s hair affectionately.

“Parang is the luckiest baby in Bali.”

“Because Leo is here?”

“Yes, because Leo is here.”

The child looked up at Rau, made eye contact, and smiled brightly without any hesitation.

After the fanning was over, Rau carefully put a new diaper on the baby. He checked that the waist was not too loose, and spread the wings well so that the waste would not leak. Even he thought that this procedure was quite familiar now.

“Mom and Dad said that Kun taking care of the baby is Rapid improvement.”

“Rapid improvement?”

Rau asked back, widening his eyes at Leo’s words.

“Yes, you’re getting better every day.”

“Ah….”

Since he was still young and used several languages ​​together, Leo sometimes made cute mistakes that made adults happy.

“Anyway, that means I’m taking better care of Parang, right?”

“Yes!”

“Then maybe what Mom and Dad said was Ups and downs?”

“That’s right! That’s it!”

Ups and downs, Ups and downs… Leo repeated the word several times and looked up at Rau, tilting his head.

“Then what is Rapid improvement?”

“Um, it’s a bit of a difficult word… A feeling that is happy but also sad is Rapid improvement. When happy things and sad things happen alternately, it’s also Rapid improvement. It might be a little difficult for Leo to understand.”

“I know what it is.”

“Really?”

“When I eat cake, I’m happy because it’s delicious, but I’m also sad because it’s getting smaller.”

“That’s right. That’s exactly Rapid improvement. Leo is really smart?”

When he stroked his head with a surprised expression, Leo smiled proudly.

When it was time to change the diaper and put on his pants, the baby started fussing again. It seemed like his patience had run out. Rau soothed the baby and sped up his hands.

“Our Parang was so bored. It’s all over now, it’s all over… It’s over!”

When he picked him up after putting on his pants, the baby kicked his legs and giggled. It seemed like his condition had completely recovered after changing his diaper. Rau adjusted his posture so that the baby was comfortable and got up from his seat.

The baby leaned his head and neck stably on Rau’s left shoulder and neck. He wrapped his chubby little arms around Rau’s thick upper arm and held onto the hem of his T-shirt tightly. Rau turned his head and kissed the baby’s head, and gently stroked the baby’s back with his large palm.

Leo pulled on Rau’s pants and looked up.

“Parang looks happy because Kun is holding him.”

“Should I hold Leo too?”

“I’m not a baby.”

He was pretending to hesitate, but Leo seemed to want to be held too. He was just obsessed with the role of Hyung these days, but he was also a six-year-old child. Leo, who was scratching his lips with his finger, shrugged his small shoulders and came to a conclusion that he could accept.

“Well. Lee Hyun isn’t a baby either, but Kun always holds him.”

“…….”

Rau was speechless for a moment in surprise.

It was interesting to look back on himself through the child’s remarks. It was always surprising that the child was carefully observing even ordinary daily events. Rau smiled and stroked Leo’s hair, which was clinging to his leg.

“Lee Hyun is special. Forever.”

“Because you love him?”

“Yes, because I love him.”

Then, holding the baby in his left arm, he bent down and stretched out his right arm towards Leo. Leo carefully climbed onto Rau’s arm, conscious of the baby held in Rau’s left arm. Holding the children in both arms, Rau returned to the kitchen. And he put Leo down on the dining chair.

Parang, love, thank you… Dictation proceeded up to number 10 with such words, and just as Leo had almost finished his cake, the doorbell rang.

“Who is it?”

Leo was the first to react happily to the visitor. Rau, who checked his wristwatch, lifted Parang, who was in his arms, high.

“Parang, it looks like Dad is here.”

■ ■ ■

Even after promising to marry, Rau and Lee Hyun could not live together immediately. There were still things that had to be dealt with realistically. But it was certain that the time they had to spend apart was less painful just because they had clearly promised to marry.

After the marriage promise, the two first came to Bali and signed a contract for this house. They liked the property, which consisted of two buildings, as soon as they saw it. The building facing the road was suitable as a gallery, and the building at the back was suitable as a home for the two. The small warehouse between the two buildings was to be renovated and used as Lee Hyun’s Atelier.

Before Rau and Lee Hyun organized their lives in Seoul and Paris and moved to Bali, a major remodeling was carried out. A swimming pool was also built in the backyard of the house. There was some trouble getting permission, but it was a decision that they were satisfied with for a long time.

A separate gate was installed between the gallery and the house to ensure privacy. Exchanges with affiliated artists and neighbors were always welcome, and in fact, the gallery was established like a living room in the neighborhood. However, Rau wanted the house to be entirely Lee Hyun’s and his private space. Anyone could come and go to the gallery during business hours, but no one could pass through the gate leading to the house.

The person who rang the doorbell and appeared at that gate was Seo Yi-han.

“Parang! Did you come out to greet Dad?”

As soon as Seo Yi-han saw the baby being held by Rau and coming to the front door, he looked moved.

“Dad is darker than he was this morning. Right, Parang?”

Rau turned his body so that the face of the baby in his arms could be seen better by Seo Yi-han.

“I know, right. I didn’t think he could get any darker there, but it’s possible.”

Seo Yi-han’s skin, wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts, was so brown that it looked almost dark gray.

“Don’t stand at the front door, come in. You have to pack Parang’s things too. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Ah, I’m too tired right now… Hyung, give me a cup of coffee instead of tea.”

As a matter of fact, Seo Yi-han looked very tired. He must have been after teaching all day. Seo Yi-han, who took off his shoes and went into the house, looked down at Leo, who was clinging to Rau’s leg, and smiled brightly.

“Leo, hello.”

“Hello.”

Leo also greeted awkwardly.

“Did Leo help a lot with watching Parang?”

Leo was friendly to Rau and Lee Hyun, calling them by their names, but he treated Seo Yi-han a little difficult and treated him in the Korean way.

“I fanned Parang.”

“Did you? Thank you so much. Please take good care of our Parang in the future.”

Parang was a son that Seo Yi-han and Im Morae had with difficulty.

As a male Beta and a female Alpha, they had almost given up on having a child for a long time. It was Rau and Lee Hyun who introduced Marcus to the two. They thought that Marcus and Ellen, who were in the same case as them, were able to successfully have a son, Jonas, so they might be able to help.

They soon started testing to see if they could really have a baby, and there were Ups and downs results.

Fortunately, Im Morae also had mature eggs like Ellen. However, her uterus was not very developed. The doctor recommended Im Morae to collect eggs and give birth through a surrogate mother as the top priority.

After much deliberation, the two decided to choose that method.

The huge cost of the entire process of difficult pregnancy and childbirth was borne by Im Morae’s father, Mr. Im.

He, who had long opposed the relationship between the two, the very person who had made the two run away to Bali, willingly paid the cost for the two’s second generation. It was a gesture of reconciliation.

The procedure was performed in Australia, where surrogate births are legal and close to Bali. Mr. Im visited Australia himself to hold his grandson in his arms in time for the surrogate mother’s delivery. He is now an ordinary Grandfather who lives with the pride of watching the growth of his granddaughter living in the East Sea and his grandson in Bali. He still stubbornly makes his children dumbfounded at times, though.

Anyway, Parang was a miraculous baby who came to the two with such difficulty.

The baby’s name is Parang. Waves.

Ripples and big waves. In other words, waves. It was a naming worthy of surfer parents.

While moving to the kitchen, Parang, who was held by Rau, was staring at Seo Yi-han. Then, judging that he was someone he knew, he stretched out his arms towards his father.

“Parang, do you recognize Dad? Do you want to come to Dad?”

Seo Yi-han, who was moved, received the baby and held him precious in his arms.

“I thought I was going to die because I missed you so much.”

Looking at Seo Yi-han, who was carefully kissing the baby’s head, Rau was in a complicated mood.

“He cried even if I wasn’t in front of him for a moment. He kept telling me to hold him.”

“Did he? Hyung must have had a hard time.”

“He was my clingy baby all day, but I’m a little sad to see him go straight to you and hug you?”

Rau smiled bitterly, patting Parang’s diapered butt, who was held by his father.

“Hyung can become a dad too.”

Rau only gave an unknown smile at Seo Yi-han’s words to have a baby. He turned his back, pretending to put water in the pot, and changed the subject.

“Sit down, I’ll make coffee soon. How was the lesson? Did you finish it well without any accidents?”

“Thanks to you. Morae also told me to tell you thank you so much.”

Seo Yi-han and Im Morae run a surfing school at Kuta Beach, one of Bali’s famous surfing spots. Since there are other instructors, the two owners did not schedule lessons on weekends when the nanny was off. However, this weekend there was a special advanced class that Im Morae and Seo Yi-han had to attend. That’s why they left the baby here.

Kuta is not a short distance from Ubud. It takes 1 hour and 30 minutes even when traffic is good. However, Rau and Lee Hyun willingly visited Kuta to take care of Parang whenever they were asked.

Today was the second time they had brought Parang to Ubud instead of going to Kuta.

“It’s Sunday, is Lee Hyun still working? The Atelier’s lights are on.”

“He’ll be wrapping up soon and coming over.”

Rau, checking his wristwatch, replied with a faint smile playing on his lips.

“His solo exhibition is only a month away, right? He must be swamped.”

“He’s always been the type to work diligently every day. He’s not behind on his work, but I guess he wants to do even better since it’s his first exhibition here. He hasn’t left the Atelier all day.”

Leaning against the counter, Rau gazed worriedly at the window facing the Atelier. Except for a brief stop at home for lunch, Lee Hyun had been holed up in the Atelier for eight hours already.

“So that’s why you brought Parang home today? Because Lee Hyun had to be at the Atelier.”

“I can’t just leave Lee Hyun alone and leave the house.”

Seo Yi-han chuckled, watching Rau shrug and speak as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Is Lee Hyun your baby, Hyung?”

Looking awkward, Rau just smiled without answering as he placed a filter in the dripper.

“How amusing… You still light up at the mere mention of Lee Hyun’s name, don’t you?”

“Still? We’re practically newlyweds, aren’t we?”

“Ah, yes. Of course. Is there anyone in Bali who doesn’t know you two are newlyweds?”

He added the mutter, ‘The way you two flaunt it,’ under his breath, but it was clear he meant for it to be heard.

“I know too! Kun and Lee Hyun are newlyweds!”

Leo, sitting next to Seo Yi-han, raised his arm and shouted proudly, leaving Rau and Seo Yi-han no choice but to laugh.

“Lee Hyun’s been working all day, so Hyung’s been looking after the baby all by himself?”

“Leo helped me.”

“Even though he’s my own son, watching him alone is seriously tough.”

“What’s ‘tough’?”

Leo looked up at Seo Yi-han, his eyes shining. Seo Yi-han, looking like he’d made a mistake, stroked the boy’s head.

“Ah… Never mind, I misspoke. Sorry.”

While Seo Yi-han was breaking a sweat dealing with Leo, Rau brewed drip coffee with the heated water. He set down two mugs on the table, one for himself, when Rau’s phone rang from the living room.

“I’ll get it!”

Recognizing Rau’s phone by the sound, Leo quickly jumped off the chair and ran to the living room. The boy returned in an instant with the phone, looking pleased with himself for helping. Rau stroked the boy’s hair.

“Thanks, Leo. Oh? It’s Dad.”

The caller was Leo’s father.

“No, I don’t want to go yet! I don’t want to go.”

Sensing it was a call to go home, Leo rubbed his face against the table, looking sulky. Rau stroked the boy’s hair as he answered the phone. It was indeed a call to come home soon.

“Dad says I should stop playing and come to the restaurant?”

Leo’s father ran a fusion Korean restaurant three minutes away from here, and the third floor of that building was Leo’s family’s home.

“Aww, but I want to play with Parang more.”

Having met the baby for the second time today, Leo seemed to have grown quite fond of him, as he went to Seo Yi-han’s side and stroked the baby’s small feet.

“He bought you a bike. You said you wanted one, right?”

At the word ‘bike,’ the boy completely changed his attitude in an instant. His eyes, sparkling with joy, darted back to Rau.

“A bike? That’s awesome, awesome!”

Leo, who had run halfway to the entrance, stopped and turned back. He grabbed the edge of the table and looked up at Seo Yi-han, his expression quite polite as he asked.

“Uncle, can I give Parang a goodbye kiss?”

“Of course, you can.”

Leo very carefully kissed the baby’s forehead, then properly greeted Kun and Seo Yi-han as well. And then he ran back towards the entrance.

Watching Leo’s retreating figure with a smile, Seo Yi-han brought the mug to his lips and asked.

“‘Awesome’? Where did he learn to say that?”

“He must have learned it from Yooni.”

Baek Yooni had also left ‘The Hands’ with Lee Hyun and moved to Bali. More skilled than before with her accumulated experience, she was in charge of the overall management of the gallery here, along with her partner, Michelle.

Michelle, who had worked as a designer in Paris, had joined Rau’s team and was in charge of all the gallery’s visual media design.

Immersed in Bali’s diverse nature—jungles, rivers, seas, rice paddies, lakes—Yooni and Michelle were enjoying their life here, working passionately during the week and enjoying short trips on the weekends.

“But seriously, Hyung must have had a really hard time watching the baby all day by himself. I’m so grateful.”

“You said you’d buy me a meal. Make it an expensive one.”

“I will. I’ll buy good ingredients and cook for you myself.”

“I was just kidding. Watching Parang isn’t that hard. How could it be hard when he’s so cute, right, Parang?”

As Rau spoke to him soothingly from across the table, the baby made eye contact with Rau and giggled.

“Hyung’s got a knack for childcare, doesn’t he? The way you hold him is so stable. It doesn’t seem like you’re just watching him once in a while.”

“I haven’t had many chances to be around kids. It’s kind of surprising to me too.”

“At first, you didn’t know what to do when he was handed to you.”

“He was so small, I was afraid I’d do something wrong because of me.”

“Now, when you take Parang out, everyone thinks you’re his dad, right?”

“I never thought I’d be like this. Parang is lovely. Maybe it’s because he likes me so much? It makes my heart swell when I see him holding onto my shirt with his little hands.”

Rau’s gaze was warm as he watched the baby, held by his father, tapping on the table with his small hands. Seo Yi-han stroked the baby’s soft hair as he looked at Rau.

“How much more beautiful would he be if he were my own child?”

“……”

Seo Yi-han’s voice was earnest. It wasn’t a casual remark. That’s why Rau couldn’t brush it off as a joke. Seo Yi-han, seeing Rau only sipping his coffee, asked as if he had made up his mind.

“Have Hyung and Lee Hyun not thought about it yet?”

“Lee Hyun is only twenty-six. It hasn’t even been half a year since we got married.”

“Lee Hyun may only be twenty-six, but Hyung is thirty-six.”

“Thirty-six is just the right age for marriage these days. Look around me. Manager Han, Choi In-woo, Shushu. They’re all my age, and I’m the only one who’s married, right?”

Rau spoke with a mix of laughter and his characteristic confidence. Seo Yi-han thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Well, that’s true.”

“Ah, I should get Parang’s dishes ready in advance. Our angel ate his baby food so well today. Didn’t you, Parang?”

Getting up from his chair, Rau stroked the baby’s round cheeks. The baby, drooling on his bib, looked up at Rau and smiled brightly, flailing his arms and legs. It was impossible not to smile back at that sight.

Weekends were the days off for the helper who took care of Rau and Lee Hyun’s household. Rau picked up the baby’s dishes, which he had washed himself, from the drying rack. They were still a little damp.

“Still, you know Lee Hyun wants it, right?”

“……”

Rau’s hand, which had been wiping the dishes with a kitchen towel, paused for a moment. Without turning his head, Rau replied in a nonchalant tone.

“It’s something we can think about in a year or two. Lee Hyun and I can still enjoy being newlyweds a little longer, right?”

“It’s a prejudice to think that the newlywed atmosphere disappears when you have a baby. Don’t you know that from looking at Morae and me?”

Rau chuckled at Seo Yi-han’s boastful cheekiness. It was undeniably true. Seo Yi-han and Im Morae seemed to have grown even closer since they had children. Not just as comrades in childcare. They were more grateful for each other’s presence and seemed to feel a different kind of charm in each other’s consideration.

Rau was also more confident than anyone else.

Having a baby wouldn’t make the sexual tension in his relationship with Lee Hyun disappear. It wouldn’t make them stop finding each other sexy.

If a baby were born, he would of course hire a reliable full-time babysitter, but that didn’t mean that parental care wouldn’t be needed at all. Even after finally putting a constantly crying baby to sleep and being exhausted, he would still long for Lee Hyun’s skin. Even with baby saliva all over his shoulder and wearing a T-shirt with a stretched neckline from the baby pulling on it, Lee Hyun would be attractive. Every time he looked at Lee Hyun like that, he would feel a strong desire along with his love.

Of course, wouldn’t he? How could Lee Hyun not be sexy, having given birth to his child and raising them together?

Saying he was putting off having a baby to enjoy being newlyweds longer was just an excuse.

“Morae said that the sexiest I ever looked was when I was holding Parang and putting him to sleep, kissing his tiny head.”

“Yes, of course. I’m sure you did.”

Rau chuckled as he packed the dried dishes into a special bag with a bear design.

“I guarantee, if you see Lee Hyun and the baby sleeping side by side, Hyung might cry from happiness.”

“……”

This time, Rau couldn’t say anything. Seo Yi-han’s words had made him imagine it.

Lee Hyun and his baby. The sight of that baby and Lee Hyun sleeping together.

There would be no greater happiness than that. At least, not among the happiness he could imagine now. He felt a surge of emotion that made his heart ache just from imagining it, even without actually seeing it.

“I don’t think that you need to have a child to complete your love. But you’re not thinking of not having one at all, are you?”

“Oh, no, I’m not.”

Rau, having zipped up the bear bag, returned to the table with as nonchalant an expression as possible.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Seo Yi-han, jiggling his thigh to soothe the baby who had started to fuss, wore a sly expression.

“What am I thinking?”

“Getting married at twenty-six was too early. How could you tell Lee Hyun, who’s like that, to get pregnant at twenty-six? All the physical hardship of pregnancy and childbirth would be Lee Hyun’s burden. I can’t do that to our Lee Hyun.”

“Is that supposed to be an imitation of me?”

Rau, standing in front of the table, crossed his arms and frowned.

“I know you this well, do you think Lee Hyun doesn’t know what you’re thinking?”

“……”

“Talk to Lee Hyun properly. I’m saying this because I’m worried you’ll change the subject if Lee Hyun tries to talk about it first.”

It was a direct hit.

When the baby continued to fuss, Seo Yi-han got up from his seat.

“You know he’s strong enough to decide for himself what’s best for him.”

That was also true.

Perhaps Rau was just being stubborn, clinging to the idea that he had to protect Lee Hyun. But he was always anxious that things like marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare would interfere with Lee Hyun’s personal development or achievements.

The baby, who had been shoving his hand into his mouth, smiled at Rau and reached out his arms. Without hesitation, Rau took his hand and kissed the small fist.

“Parang, it seems like your dad is really happy since you were born.”

Seo Yi-han, having packed the diaper bag and slung it over his shoulder, held the baby in one arm and headed out the door.

“Lee Hyun might be concentrating, so I’ll just go. Say hi for me.”

“Drive safe.”

The front door closed, and within seconds, the baby’s crying began. Seo Yi-han’s voice, soothing the baby, could also be heard.

“Uncle disappeared? It’s okay, Parang. Don’t cry. Let’s go home and see Mommy. Do you know how much Mommy is waiting for Parang? Let’s see Uncle again next week, okay?”

Rau’s heart ached at the sound of the sorrowful crying, which didn’t stop easily and gradually faded away. For a while, he stood with his hands on his hips, listening blankly to the crying. Only after the crying had completely faded away did he go to the living room and start cleaning up the baby’s traces.

Large baby items such as mattresses, blankets, and strollers, which were difficult to carry back and forth each time, were kept in Rau and Lee Hyun’s guest room.

Even though only one small baby had disappeared, the house felt empty, and his movements became unnecessarily busy. As Rau was putting away the mattress, blanket, and handkerchief that the baby had used today in the laundry room basket, he suddenly stopped and fell into thought.

「I’m saying this because I’m worried you’ll change the subject if Lee Hyun tries to talk about it first.」

Seo Yi-han’s meddling wasn’t an unfounded concern.

After watching Parang or spending time with his family, Lee Hyun always became quiet for a while. He was also aware of the envious gazes directed at the two of them, who looked happy surrounded by the baby. Rau also felt the same way as Lee Hyun, so he knew what those gazes meant.

Each time, Rau had only diverted the topic with light jokes instead of having a serious conversation, just to cheer Lee Hyun up.

That it was an important time to focus more on his work, that Lee Hyun could be more recognized.

Under the guise of caring for Lee Hyun, wasn’t he ignoring what Lee Hyun really wanted?

Hmm… Rau sighed heavily and left the laundry room. It was almost 6 o’clock. Lee Hyun didn’t work past 6 o’clock, even on days when his work was going well. Regular, consistent work that didn’t harm his health or daily life. That was Lee Hyun’s way.

It seemed like he needed a change of pace.

Even though it was the weekend, it was Sunday evening, so it wouldn’t be difficult to reserve a table at a nice restaurant. There were quite a few good restaurants in Ubud run by friends he had made in the past two weeks. He could order wine, and depending on the atmosphere, he could bring up the topic of having a baby.

Was it because he had such thoughts?

He felt his heart beating faster than usual.

It was a rare occurrence, so Rau smiled awkwardly to himself and rubbed the back of his neck. It made him laugh to think that only Seo Lee Hyun could make this arrogant heart as soft as a boy’s and make it flutter like the moment he proposed.

He straightened the disheveled sofa and put the traces of Leo’s play back in their place. He also washed the mugs that Seo Yi-han and he had each used. Even while doing so, the excitement in his heart didn’t subside.

Only then did Rau realize.

That this was something different from a fluttering excitement.

It felt like something was about to happen, or rather, that something was already happening but he was unaware of it, making him anxious… This wasn’t excitement, it was unease.

Rau couldn’t stay in one place for long. He wandered around the entire house—the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom. Then, standing in the dressing room, he grabbed the sleeve of Lee Hyun’s T-shirt and buried his nose and mouth in it, inhaling deeply. Even though it was a washed and hung-up shirt, it felt like he could smell his scent.

The unease didn’t subside. Rather, it grew stronger and stronger. It was a throbbing in a way he had never felt before. His heart was pounding in his temples.

He had to go to Lee Hyun.

He had to see with his own eyes that Lee Hyun was safe.

He would touch the warmth of his skin and hear his calm voice. Then he would be freed from this unease.

He was intensely consumed by that thought alone.

Leaving the dressing room, he crossed the hallway. By the time he left the front door, he was almost running.

The lights were on in Lee Hyun’s Atelier, between the gallery and the house. Before opening the door, he could look inside through the window first.

The moment Rau found Lee Hyun sitting on the floor beyond the large window, the hairs on his entire body stood on end.

“Lee Hyun!”

But he couldn’t run to Lee Hyun as soon as he opened the door. He had to take a half-step back and squeeze his eyes shut.

The Pheromone of an Omega, of Diamond Dust, filled the room. Like a greenhouse where hundreds of thousands of lilies had bloomed, like breaking a perfume bottle in a confined space. A deep, pungent, dangerous scent.

Rau approached Lee Hyun, leaving the door open. Lee Hyun, sitting down, had his head bowed and was heaving as if sobbing. As he got closer, he saw that he was clutching his neck and having trouble breathing.

So as not to startle Lee Hyun, Rau knelt down beside him. He carefully placed his hand on Lee Hyun’s back and stroked it.

“Lee Hyun, Seo Yi-hyun? It’s me.”

“Kun…?”

Lee Hyun’s eyes, as he raised his head, were unfocused. His languidly parted lips slowly exhaled and inhaled. Rau wrapped his arms around Lee Hyun and pulled him into his chest. And then he stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead. He wasn’t burning hot, but his body temperature was higher than usual.

Exposed to the concentrated Pheromone of Diamond Dust, Rau felt his own Pheromone leaking out uncontrollably. The desire for the body he was embracing throbbed painfully.

“Yes, it’s me. It’s okay now, Lee Hyun.”

“Really, really, it’s Kun, right?”

Lee Hyun’s trembling hand grabbed Rau’s chest.

“Smell my Pheromone. It’s me. How long have you been like this? Huh?”

Lee Hyun buried his nose and mouth in Rau’s neck.

“It’s Kun’s scent. It’s Kun.”

Then, as if searching for water in a burning thirst, he desperately sought Rau’s lips. But he couldn’t even kiss him properly.

“Touch me here, Kun.”

Lee Hyun grabbed Rau’s wrist and guided it between his legs. It was a sight only seen after foreplay had matured and he was sufficiently exposed to Pheromones. No, he was even more proactive than that.

Rau was startled. He could tell even through the pants that his crotch was completely soaked.

Lee Hyun hadn’t skipped a single day of taking suppressants. Rau made sure of it every day. Today was no different.

So how could this happen?

“My… my stomach is hot, Kun.”

Lee Hyun pleaded in a voice hoarse from the heat. Rau hugged Lee Hyun tightly.

Explosively thick Pheromones, high body temperature, heat in the abdomen, pouring Love nectar, strong sexual desire….

As far as Rau knew, this was Heat.

■ ■ ■

Lee Hyun couldn’t support himself on his legs, as if he had no strength in his knees. When Rau forcibly pulled him up, his thighs trembled, and Love nectar was pooling where he had been sitting. Seeing the stain darkening the gray tiles, Rau felt like he would lose his mind and pounce on Lee Hyun.

He gritted his teeth and shook his head. Then, he almost lifted Lee Hyun up and sat him on the sofa.

He had to find the suppressant and give it to him, but Lee Hyun wouldn’t let go. He wrapped his arms around Rau’s neck and clung to him sweetly and desperately.

“Don’t go….”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll get the medicine. You need to take your medicine now, Lee Hyun-ah.”

In case of emergencies, there were plenty of suppressants and contraceptives in the Atelier. Lee Hyun seemed to need to take an additional dose of the Sharp Suppressant on top of the Balance Suppressant he was taking every day. But Lee Hyun gripped Rau’s collar tightly and shook his head.

“You can’t leave me.”

“I won’t leave.”

“I feel like something terrible will happen if you leave me. That’s how I feel.”

He wouldn’t want to be separated from his Alpha. Because it was Heat.

“Where would I go, leaving you in pain?”

“You’re really not going anywhere?”

“I won’t go even if you push me away.”

Like a baby Parang who cried whenever he was put down after being held, Lee Hyun was soft and vulnerable now. Rau gently stroked Lee Hyun’s head as he clung to his collar.

“It’s right there. The medicine is in the cabinet. Okay?”

Even as he pointed to the cabinet in front of him and coaxed him, Lee Hyun stubbornly shook his head.

“I’m scared…. I’m scared that something will happen to my body if I’m separated from Kun, I’m really scared.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you think I’d let that happen?”

Tearful eyes searched Rau’s face. Behind the frightened and confused gaze, a dark and intense desire flickered. Like a nude figure lying face down on a bed glimpsed through the curtains.

Rau was also becoming increasingly dangerous. It was almost a miracle that he was maintaining this much reason in the face of these potent Pheromones. He was suppressing himself without suppressants, solely with the thought that he couldn’t make Lee Hyun, who was frightened by his first Heat, any more anxious.

He unwrapped Lee Hyun’s hands from his collar and kissed the palms and insides of his wrists. As soon as his lips touched Lee Hyun’s skin directly, the pulse inside Rau’s body surged even more.

“Take your medicine, and then I’ll make you feel better. You trust me, Seo Yi-hyun?”

Lee Hyun, his eyes filled with fear, nodded. Rau gave him the softest smile he could muster. Even that smile soon stiffened awkwardly and twitched. He didn’t know how much longer he could maintain his reason against the Pheromones.

Rau went to the cabinet in the corner of the Atelier and looked for the suppressant. His sturdy shoulders trembled like those of a drug addict suffering from withdrawal symptoms. He felt a pain as if his biceps had ruptured from exerting too much force. Clatter, clatter. He dropped the plastic container containing the suppressant twice.

Inside the soft indoor clothing, Rau’s penis was already stiffly erect. It stood up as if to pierce the front of his pants, changing Rau’s profile. It was clear at a glance that he was erect, his center jutting upwards.

He wanted to release. He wanted to ravage his Omega, his Diamond Dust, right behind him, until his balls were empty. Want? No, this impulse was closer to an order from his instincts.

Rau thought he knew what this was.

He felt like Rut was about to burst.

He bit down hard on his lower lip. He bit so hard that his teeth dug into it. Not yet. At least not here.

It wasn’t easy to pour water into a cup either. He cursed and righted the fallen cup, and at that moment, his back became warm and heavy.

“…….”

It was Lee Hyun’s body temperature and weight.

Rau was so out of his mind that he hadn’t even noticed that someone who couldn’t even stand properly had come all the way here.

Hot arms embraced Rau. They traced the curves of his hard, bulging muscles, and rubbed his face and lips against the back of his shoulder. Lee Hyun’s hot breath, filled with Pheromones, touched his nape.

Like a person stabbed in the abdomen while off guard, Rau tilted his upper body with his mouth open. Heat rose in his eyes, and he blinked slowly.

“Kun, hurry….”

What was he urging with that desperate voice? Medicine? Or….

Lee Hyun’s right hand, which had been groping Rau’s chest, went down. Rau barely managed to stop Lee Hyun’s hand from reaching inside the waistband of his pants.

“You don’t like this me? You don’t like it, do you?”

A voice filled with self-loathing came from behind him. Rau turned around to face Lee Hyun. Lee Hyun, whose ears and eyes were red, leaned on him. He couldn’t even stand properly without leaning on something. Rau put his arms around Lee Hyun’s waist and hugged him.

Lee Hyun would be more surprised and confused than anyone else by his own behavior. But Heat with a partner was never a dirty or shameful act.

“Seo Yi-hyun, you don’t really mean that, do you?”

“I don’t know…. My stomach feels like it’s burning. It’s not that I’m thirsty.”

Rau handed three pills to Lee Hyun, who looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“Take these quickly and let’s go home.”

And he handed him the cup he had poured water into.

You don’t like this me?

Of course not. He wanted to hold Lee Hyun right here, right now.

There was no time to undress him or caress him. He wanted to lay the bewildered body face down, pull down only his lower body to just below his buttocks, and immediately plunge his penis in.

Lee Hyun’s hole was now different from that of a Beta male. The plump, red mucous membrane would be pleasantly soaked. He wanted to push recklessly towards that ecstatic pleasure of tightly constricting and sucking his penis.

He had never had that kind of sex with Lee Hyun before.

But at this rate, he felt like he would. He felt like it would happen.

He absolutely couldn’t let things turn out that way.

Heat experienced in a perfectly safe and comfortable space, with a deeply trusted and loved partner. He wanted to make Lee Hyun’s first Heat that way.

Rau bit his lower lip even harder.

With Lee Hyun in his arms, Rau also swallowed the suppressant. It didn’t seem like it would work, but he still swallowed more than the recommended dose. He also swallowed more of the Alpha-only contraceptive pills that he took before sex than usual.

He smiled bitterly as he remembered when he first started sleeping with Lee Hyun. Back then, he used to pour whole bottles of these useless suppressants down his throat like this.

Rau, who had swallowed more than ten pills, turned his back to Lee Hyun and bent over.

“Get on my back. Let’s go home.”

“My pants are wet.”

“I don’t care about that.”

Lee Hyun, judging that it wasn’t the time to be stubborn, wrapped his arms around Rau’s neck. Rau straightened up, putting strength into his thighs. He felt dizzy for a moment because of the rush of Pheromones, but he shook his head to regain his senses.

Rau carried Lee Hyun out of the Atelier and almost ran across the dark garden as the sun set. He chuckled at the thought that he looked like a bandit from the distant past, kidnapping a virgin he had set his sights on. All the while, sweat dripped from his temples as he endured the Rut that felt like it was about to burst.

Lee Hyun’s front and buttocks were all wet. The liquid was seeping out so much that it squished under the palms of his hands supporting his buttocks. His penis, crushed against his back, was also erect.

He felt like he would get a nosebleed from the poison of the Pheromones rising from Lee Hyun’s breath on his neck. Not as a joke or a metaphor. His sympathetic nerves were overexcited in response to the excessive amount of Pheromones.

Rau bit his lower lip even tighter. He bit so hard that his lip burst this time, and the bitter smell of blood permeated, but he didn’t even feel the pain. He repeated only one thing in his head.

Just to the bed. Just to the bed. Just to the bed.

Just to the bed.

■ ■ ■

Rau entered the front door and went straight to the innermost part of the hallway, the master bedroom. Unlike the haste with which he burst through the door, the movement of placing Lee Hyun on the neatly made bed was careful.

As soon as he was placed on the bed, Lee Hyun pulled his buttocks back and hugged a pillow.

“I was trying to clean up to go home… suddenly, Love nectar just burst out….”

“I see. You must have been surprised. You were scared, weren’t you?”

Turning towards the open door, Rau raised his arm and wiped the sweat from his upper arm. He might seem to be answering casually, but it was because he was focusing all his energy on resisting the Omega’s Heat Pheromones. It was a miracle that he wasn’t already in Rut.

Rau closed the door. There were only two of them in the whole house, but closing it wasn’t enough, he even locked it.

Finally, at last. It was the bedroom.

“Now we’re home. It’s just the two of us. Relax. Okay?”

He said in as soft a tone as possible as he walked to the window.

He closed the double curtains so that not even a faint light could seep in, and checked the amount of bottled water left in the small refrigerator in the bedroom. He went to the bathroom in the master room and pulled all the towels off the shelf. All the while, he kept scratching his burst lip with his upper teeth and sucking the flowing blood.

Returning from the bathroom, Rau dropped a heavy pile of towels on one side of the bed.

This should be enough to prepare for Heat and Rut.

“The symptoms were exactly the same as what I saw in the book.”

Lee Hyun muttered, still hugging the pillow.

Book? Ah…. Thanks to all the theoretical books, historical books, and essays about Alphas and Omegas that he had been diligently reading since Paris, Lee Hyun had more related knowledge than most Alphas and Omegas who Manifested during puberty.

Finally, Lee Hyun raised his head and looked up at Rau.

“Kun, this… is Heat, right?”

“I think so.”

“Why? I’ve been taking my suppressants regularly without missing a single dose.”

Lee Hyun muttered in an aggrieved tone and buried his face in the pillow he was hugging. The back of his jeans, where he was sitting with his knees up, was soaked with Love nectar.

Rau’s breathing became rough and his chest swelled as he discovered the stain. He sucked on his bloody lip and took off his top, dropping it carelessly on the floor.

He climbed onto the mattress and crawled on his knees from the foot of the bed towards Lee Hyun, towards the head of the bed. Rau rubbed his cheek against Lee Hyun’s raised knees. He was like a feline predator with a large, sleek body.

“It’s not your fault.”

“…….”

“It must be because of Diamond Dust.”

He took the pillow that Lee Hyun was hugging and pushed his stubbornly closed knees outwards. Then he crawled deeper into the gap that opened up. He gently lifted Lee Hyun’s chin and raised his head.

“Seo Yi-hyun.”

Rau scratched the tip of his chin with his thumb and gave him a strained smile. To ease Lee Hyun’s tension even a little.

“You were just cleaning up and suddenly Heat burst out?”

“…….”

“Really?”

That couldn’t be. No matter how special Lee Hyun’s traits were, if Heat suddenly burst out, breaking through even the power of the suppressants he had been taking steadily, there must have been a trigger.

Lee Hyun glanced at Rau’s naked body but didn’t try to touch it. It was clear that the Heat instinct to take his Alpha in front of him and the unfamiliar intensity were causing conflict within him.

It was so hard to endure the Rut that was about to burst, but Lee Hyun was so cute and lovable that Rau chuckled. He thought he was seriously ill, and then he laughed again in vain.

Rau released the tip of Lee Hyun’s chin and overlapped his cheek with his cheek. His lips touched his soft ear. He licked the round, pretty ear with his tongue and gently scratched it with his teeth, whispering.

“We’re a couple, Lee Hyun-ah.”

“Heuh, eugh.”

Lee Hyun immediately reacted, shrugging his shoulders. His ear was one of his erogenous zones.

Rau’s pointed tongue slowly traced the complex cartilage that made up Lee Hyun’s ear.

“Couples have to be honest with each other. We promised to do that.”

“I, I was thinking about last night for a moment….”

Last night.

Last night, Rau was in charge of cooking and Lee Hyun was in charge of washing the dishes.

Rau approached Lee Hyun from behind as he was pre-washing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher and hugged Lee Hyun’s waist, who was wearing an apron. At first, he just hugged him like that. Lee Hyun tried to push him away, annoyed, but he knew he didn’t mean it.

He rested his chin on his shoulder, and when he turned his head, there was a long, smooth neck, and Rau lightly kissed that skin. His neck was also one of Lee Hyun’s erogenous zones.

Lee Hyun, who couldn’t concentrate on washing the dishes, started releasing Pheromones at some point, and Rau couldn’t resist Lee Hyun’s Pheromones. It was impossible. And the result… was exactly as anyone could have predicted.

Rau hurriedly swallowed the contraceptive pills in the kitchen drawer and hastily pulled down Lee Hyun’s pants while he was standing in front of the sink. Then he inserted deeply from behind.

Lee Hyun pleaded that it felt strange to have his erect glans rubbing against the apron. Rau, who had put his knees between his legs that kept trying to close, eventually lifted Lee Hyun’s left leg. Lee Hyun’s elbow, which was holding onto the edge of the sink, kept bending.

He wanted to see the connected area, so he pushed Lee Hyun’s T-shirt up. The long ribbon of the apron that flowed down over his white buttocks was terribly sexy.

He was thinking about that sex and Heat burst out… my other half.

Rau leaned back slightly and made eye contact with Lee Hyun. At a distance where the tips of their noses touched, he inhaled the Pheromones that were leaking from Lee Hyun’s lips. Lee Hyun, with his lips parted, kissed Rau’s burst lower lip, craving his Pheromones. He was probably doing it without realizing it.

“You cried that you didn’t like it, but you actually did?”

“…….”

“I knew it.”

Rau whispered like that while his lips were touching Lee Hyun’s.

Afraid of what would happen after their tongues and saliva mixed, neither of them rashly put their tongues into the other’s mouth.

Smack. Smack.

Rau kissed his dry lips and slid down, tracing Lee Hyun’s chin and neckline towards his chest. The bulging nipples were prominent over his T-shirt. Almost buried in Lee Hyun’s soaked legs, Rau sought out and bit his partner’s breasts.

“Heuh, heuk… eugh.”

Lee Hyun reacted immediately this time as well. His nipples were also one of Lee Hyun’s erogenous zones. He grabbed Rau’s bare shoulders and twisted them hard.

The shape of the nipples, which were soft but had a hard core inside and were larger than before Manifestation, was clearly felt in his mouth. Rau deliberately rubbed his tongue over the nipples to make the clothes even wetter.

“Haa, haa, heut. Eueung.”

Lee Hyun’s fingertips squeezed Rau’s shoulders as if they would dig into them. As his waist kept collapsing, Lee Hyun was unknowingly lying further and further back.

Because his nipples were larger than usual due to Heat, the volume in his mouth felt different. It felt fuller. Rau couldn’t let go of it. He raised the tip of his tongue and pressed down, chewing on it with his teeth.

“Ah! It hurts… it hurts.”

In an instant, Lee Hyun flinched and hugged Rau’s head.

“Over the clothes… st, stop… Augh! Ku, Kun, it hurts!”

Realizing that he had completely lost control and bit too hard, Rau quickly released what he had in his mouth.

Lee Hyun, pressed down by Rau’s weight, was lying on the bed, panting. He was sure he had been sitting a moment ago. When did I push him this far?

Rau’s breathing was also completely disordered. He shook his head to try to regain his senses and looked down at Lee Hyun, who was lying below him.

The crisp blue and white striped T-shirt was wet and clinging to his skin in circular patches over both breasts. The shape and reddish color of his erect nipples were erotically visible beneath the wet areas.

Lee Hyun, sensing Rau’s gaze, also looked down at his chest. Then, he pulled at the T-shirt, peeling the fabric away from his chest. Such actions only fueled Rau further.

Rau’s hand slipped inside Lee Hyun’s T-shirt. He groped upwards, his palm seeking his chest, pushing the T-shirt higher.

“Sorry for hurting you. But right now, I can’t stand it.”

Rau was completely captivated by the chest revealed beneath the T-shirt.

The areolas were more pronounced than usual, as if something had filled them from within, and the nipples at their centers were taut and swollen. A glossy sheen covered the entire nipple. He looked like an Omega in early pregnancy. It was because of the Heat. The Heat had transformed his body to be optimized for reproduction.

Round, bulging mounds of flesh. If he squeezed them between his fingers, milky white milk seemed ready to spurt out at any moment. No Alpha could resist rushing in to suckle.

Lee Hyun’s nipples, desiring pregnancy, were more sensual than ever.

Rau, who had only raised his upper body and was now lying on top of Lee Hyun, his lower body overlapping with his, simply gasped for breath. His mind kept fading. His lower body, already hard and unyielding, continued to poke at Lee Hyun’s crotch.

“Kun….”

Lee Hyun’s yearning voice sought Rau.

“Yeah.”

Very rarely, even when Lee Hyun called out to him, Rau’s gaze was fixed on his mate’s chest, not his face.

In an instant, Lee Hyun’s Pheromones bloomed. He used his palms to caress his own chest.

“Don’t just look. Do something.”

Lee Hyun twisted and writhed his hips while lying down, pleading in agony. Rau lowered himself again. He took the soft flesh between his lips and sucked, making a sound, drawing it in. Not using his teeth, only the strength of his lips.

“Ughhh… Ung. Haa, haa.”

Lee Hyun embraced Rau’s head and rummaged through the back of his head. Meanwhile, Rau sucked on his nipples to his heart’s content, pushing the T-shirt further up and stripping it off.

Having discarded their tops, the two embraced each other tightly and caressed wildly. Lee Hyun’s thighs rubbed against Rau’s flanks, and Rau repeatedly pressed his bulging penis against Lee Hyun’s crotch. Yet, they couldn’t dare to suck each other’s lips.

While rummaging through Rau’s rugged back, Lee Hyun whispered in his ear.

“I, I want Kun so badly.”

“Me too.”

“I want you so much it’s scary, and my body hurts.”

“Where?”

“Outside my body, inside too… it all hurts. I’m thirsty. No, my stomach… feels like it’s burning. It’s itchy.”

Lee Hyun pushed his back up, rubbing his stomach and crotch against Rau’s abdomen.

It was one of the main symptoms of Heat. The Triangle Zone heated up, causing him to feel a burning sensation inside his stomach, which he sometimes mistook for itching. Like when you shiver in a cold place and then enter a bathtub full of hot water, your skin itches.

An Alpha in Rut feels the same heat in his penis.

He instinctively realizes that he can only be freed from that heat by inserting it into the Omega’s body and rubbing it madly. Just as a newborn pup seeks its mother’s milk without anyone telling it to.

Rau hugged Lee Hyun tightly in his arms. He buried his nose and mouth in his fragrant nape and bare shoulders. And he inhaled his mate’s Pheromones. The powerful Heat Pheromones that struck, paralyzed, and destroyed his brain.

“If you just say that, I won’t know. Where does it hurt so much?”

“Itchy.”

“You have to tell me so I can make it better.”

“Does this really make it better? Does it even get better?”

Lee Hyun was almost crying. He had been taking his suppressants regularly, but his first Heat had still burst out; how terrifying it must be.

Rau raised his head and met Lee Hyun’s eyes. He brushed his hair back and rubbed his cheek with his thumb. He rubbed noses and gave an awkward smile.

“That’s what I’m here for. Your Alpha.”

Beneath slowly blinking eyelids, Lee Hyun sought Rau’s pupils.

“Don’t talk about yourself like… a tool.”

Even in this situation, Lee Hyun taking his side was endearing.

Maintaining eye contact, Rau reached down between Lee Hyun and his lower abdomen. He unbuckled Lee Hyun’s jeans and lowered the zipper. He slipped his hand behind him, grabbed the waistband of his jeans, and pulled them down in one swift motion, along with his underwear. Pheromones bloomed from his exposed lower body.

While stripping Lee Hyun’s jeans off his legs one by one, as he had done with Parang, Rau grinned at the lying Lee Hyun. But sweat was dripping from his face as he endured the Pheromones.

“Tell your husband. Where does it hurt the most?”

A drop of sweat that had pooled at Rau’s chin dripped onto Lee Hyun’s lower abdomen. Lee Hyun reached out to Rau. Rau reflexively bent down, and Lee Hyun ran his left arm down Rau’s shoulder.

Lee Hyun, naked and disheveled, breathing heavily from the Heat, was a Pheromone bomb himself. Rau couldn’t resist him.

Lee Hyun, gripping Rau’s wrist, guided his hand to his own moist and lukewarm Yoni. His strong hand, with its bulging veins, broadly covered the Love nectar-slicked Yoni.

In that instant, Pheromones exploded from Lee Hyun. It was like a river overflowing from a burst dam. Like a tsunami that destroyed and covered everything. Rau was helplessly swept away by his mate’s Pheromones.

While using Rau’s hand to rub his precious place, Lee Hyun spread his legs further.

“Here. The place Awi made into an Omega.”

“Umm….”

A painful groan escaped Rau’s lips.

“This is where it hurts the most.”

Rau, biting his lip tightly, exhaled deeply through his nostrils. A sensation he had never felt before rapidly bloomed in his penis. A heat like fire, a tingling sensation akin to itching. His temples throbbed. The taste of blood seeped through his bitten lips.

“Seo Yi-hyun.”

“Uung… Kuh, Kun.”

Rau, who had been letting Lee Hyun do as he pleased, moved his own hand. He caressed the soft flesh of his intimate area gently, yet lewdly.

“Whatever I do or say today, it’s because of the Rut.”

“…Rut?”

Rau nodded at Lee Hyun, who looked up in surprise.

“I think I’m really in Rut.”

“…….”

“You’ll take responsibility, right?”

Before he could hear an answer, Rau covered Lee Hyun’s lips.

■ ■ ■

Yoni.

The anus of a male Omega that has fully completed Manifestation and matured to be able to serve the role of a penis. In English, it’s Herma, and in vulgar terms, Cunt.

The entrance to the Yoni has developed nerve endings to feel pleasure, and the inner walls have become fleshy and elastic.

Lee Hyun’s lower body was now a complete Yoni. Moreover, because he was in Heat, the area between his testicles and anus was swollen, and the flesh around the hole was soft and fluffy. It was a sign that his body was ready to bear a child.

Instead of engaging in a violent sex, immediately shoving his glans in, succumbing to the Rut, Rau lingered, rubbing his penis around Lee Hyun’s Yoni.

“Umm….”

He groaned heavily, lost in pleasure.

His glans, moving up from the throbbing entrance of the Yoni, poked the back of Lee Hyun’s testicles, pressing on his balls while changing angles. Then, it slid back down, scratching the hole as it retreated.

“Heeuung, ung. Heut. Euut. Ku, Kun. Stop. That, please….”

Lee Hyun raised his right arm to cover his face. He was going crazy from the caress of rubbing his penis up and down on his Yoni, half of which was a penis. The gray towel that Rau had laid under his buttocks was stained black with the Love nectar he was constantly leaking.

“Please… Kun, stop! My stomach, my stomach hurts… it hurts….”

“I haven’t even done anything yet. What hurts?”

“Nothing… yet!”

It hurts because you haven’t done anything!

Instead of continuing with those unspoken words, Lee Hyun bit his lower lip. He crumpled the sheet he was clutching in his left hand even more. His body, consumed by Heat, was full of heat, but reason, suppressing his impulses, remained in a corner of his frontal lobe.

But how much longer could he endure?

Put it in, no, ram it in. Shove your Alpha into my anus that has become a Cunt and shake your hips wildly. He felt like he was about to blurt out those words.

“Tell me, Seo Yi-hyun. Nothing, what?”

Rau, smiling wickedly as he asked that with a sweaty face, temples throbbing, looked evil.

Lee Hyun’s gaze, looking up at him with resentful eyes, suddenly became languidly disheveled.

“Uung, ung… Uuuung… Heuk. Heeu, heuk.”

Rau had pulled Lee Hyun’s Yoni’s edge with his thumb. Then, he rubbed his thick glans, with pre-cum trickling out, around the stretched hole. It was a lewd friction.

Lee Hyun tilted his chin and arched his shoulders back.

“Uuuung, heeu, haak! Shi, shiluh… Aah, heu! That, I don’t like.”

The already soaked hole was wriggling as if it would suck in the tip of his glans as soon as it touched it. Rau’s red gaze was fixed on that spot. Hoo, hoo. He heaved hot breaths, his broad, thick shoulders shaking.

“I said, tell me?”

His suppressed voice kept urging Lee Hyun on. Below, he repeatedly pressed and lifted his glans slightly on the softly opened hole.

“Why can’t you say it? Are you still resisting the Heat? Huh?”

“So Awi is….”

“What about me?”

“You want to put it in, too.”

Tears welled up in Lee Hyun’s resentful eyes. Rau didn’t answer. He only forced a mischievous smile, pretending to be relaxed.

“I really hurt… it’s so hot….”

Lee Hyun was now scratching his abdomen, sobbing, asking for the heat of the Heat to be erased. The skin where his fingernails had passed quickly turned red. Rau grabbed Lee Hyun’s wrist to prevent him from scratching.

“It really hurts… Kun… don’t tease me. Stop it now, please….”

Knowing that it wasn’t painful, his heart was torn at the sight. Rau unknowingly chewed on his lip. The stopped blood flowed again, seeping into his mouth.

Rau pushed his hips gently towards Lee Hyun’s crotch. Then, he showed a faint smile with his sweaty face, which was full of frowns.

“Teasing? I’m showing miraculous patience and holding back.”

“Haa, eu… Heuep.”

“To not rape you.”

Lee Hyun’s tearful eyes stared at Rau. And he pulled the hand that Rau was holding towards him. After hesitating for a moment, Rau awkwardly bent down and approached. Lee Hyun cupped Rau’s face with both hands.

“I know what sex during Rut is like.”

“Just because you know doesn’t mean it won’t hurt.”

Lee Hyun licked Rau’s bleeding lips with the tip of his tongue. Why was this blood there? Why, what was this person enduring, even to the point of biting his lips like this? He knew everything.

Sex with an Alpha in Rut.

Dominated by reproductive desires rather than emotional exchange, simply repeating insertion and knotting until the egg sac was completely empty… copulation solely for pregnancy.

It was a trace of him holding back and enduring himself to avoid having that kind of sex with Lee Hyun.

“I know.”

“…….”

“What Kun does can never hurt me.”

Rau’s blood, tasted with the tip of his tongue, was as sweet as love.

Lee Hyun wrapped his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. He readjusted his slippery bare shoulders and whispered, clinging to his neck while biting his earlobe.

“I’ve wanted to do it… since the Atelier.”

He scratched the glistening skin with his teeth and caressed the back, shoulders, and arms where large and small muscles rippled to his heart’s content.

“Do what you wanted to do to me. You can. Do it.”

Rau hugged and caressed Lee Hyun’s back. He was madly in love with his mate, who was biting him here and there and whispering seductively. And at the same time, he wanted to impregnate Lee Hyun madly.

While brushing back Lee Hyun’s hair, which was gnawing at his chin, Rau kissed the tip of his nose. And he said, shaking his head slightly while touching noses.

“I don’t even know what I’m like in Rut. It’s my first time.”

“It’s okay.”

“What if I break you?”

“I won’t break. I’m in Heat, too.”

Lee Hyun stared intently at Rau from a close distance where only each other’s faces could be seen. Lee Hyun was now the fragrance itself, a lump of Pheromones. Just looking at him from this distance made his head spin as if he had been hit. If he lost his grip and slipped up even a little, he felt like he would be swept away by the Rut.

While caressing Rau’s cheeks, Lee Hyun wriggled his hips lewdly. A hot steam seemed to rise from below, where their penises were touching each other.

“Did you forget? Even when I was a Beta, I endured Rau’s knotting.”

Rau’s penis was now throbbing.

“It’s okay… do it. Give me Rut sex.”

His lower body throbbed as if it would burst at the seductive whispers in his ear. His urethra twitched, dribbling pre-cum. He could tell without even looking down.

Rau pressed Lee Hyun’s chest down with his upper body. As he pressed his firm waist firmly, Lee Hyun’s thighs spread wider. Wriggling, wriggling. Pushing the sheet away with his legs stretched far back, Rau crawled upwards, pressing his penis tightly against Lee Hyun’s crotch and rubbing it.

“Where did you learn those words?”

“I’m twenty-six years old, married, and a husband.”

“You’re saying that because you’re a husband, you’re used to sex?”

He reached down, grabbed the root of his penis, and scratched Lee Hyun’s crotch with his glans. The opened and ripe hole was easy to find. As expected, as soon as he put it to the entrance, it frantically sucked Rau in.

“Uuuung… Ung… Heeu, heu. Haat. Ung.”

Lee Hyun’s eyelids drooped languidly, finally having what he wanted. His dense eyelashes fluttered.

“Every night, you’re doing it with your husband?”

Even though he was trying to appear relaxed, Rau’s voice was also trembling with pleasure.

“Heeu, heut. Uung… Ku, Kun. Kun.”

As the insertion deepened, plaintive moans flowed from Lee Hyun’s lips. Lee Hyun, hugging Rau’s back tightly, buried his forehead in the huge shoulder in front of him.

The pleasure of sex between Alphas and Omegas during Heat and Rut is 5 to 8 times greater than usual.

Before he had even inserted half of his penis, Rau felt an immediate change in his body. He could no longer resist the Rut.

“It’s full… all the way…. Kun, rub it. Give me sex quickly. It’s itchy and hot.”

“You must be really desperate now, Seo Yi-hyun. Hearing you say such lewd things.”

Rau sat up, raising his upper body. The obscene hole, wriggling even after swallowing everything he wanted, and the dark red penis lying long in that hole were clearly visible. He picked up more towels and laid new ones on top of the already wet ones.

While pushing Lee Hyun’s knees outwards, he rotated his waist in a circle. Splish, splash, embarrassing sounds leaked from the point of intersection.

Then, thud, thud, thud. Thud thud thud.

He soon began to shake his waist back and forth. His thick but lean and firm waist moved without waste. He slammed the force of shaking back and forth directly into Lee Hyun’s stomach. Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack. The sounds of friction, crotch against crotch, flesh against flesh, Love nectar and pre-cum rubbing against each other, filled the room.

“Aahhh! Aah! Keuh, heu. Haat, hoo. Aah, ung….”

Lee Hyun was helplessly shaken as he was fucked. He felt like the heat and itchiness in his stomach subsided each time Rau’s penis scratched his flesh walls. He grabbed the towel he could reach and bit it.

Rau snatched it away and threw it under the bed.

“Heat Seo Yi-hyun is pretty, too.”

“Haeuu, eu… Ku, Kuhuun… Heuek. Ung.”

“If you have my baby, how much, more, pretty, will you be.”

“Keueu, heut, gi, give it to me, or, if you don’t…!”

Rau narrowed his brow. He doubted his ears, wondering if he had misheard.

“What? Pregnancy?”

Even while asking back in surprise, he didn’t slow down the speed of shaking his waist.

“You don’t, want it, Kun… Uuu, heut, aahhh.”

Lee Hyun, too, was not stopping his sensations even while speaking in a resentful tone.

“Don’t you, know me, that well? Or, are you doing this even though you know?”

Rau leaned his upper body further forward. He pressed his crotch tightly so that the pubic hair rubbed against Lee Hyun’s hole. In that state, he pulled Lee Hyun’s sides and shook his waist rapidly.

“I, don’t know! Aheuk, ung! Uung! Keuh, heut… A, I can’t, heuung!”

Lee Hyun reached out, flailing his hands as if to push away Rau’s lower abdomen.

“Now that I think about it, you were begging from the start, weren’t you?”

“Haa, heu, heuk.”

“Knot me. Impregnate me.”

“Iih, I, impregn… Ung… I didn’t say th, hng! Didn’t s, ngh….”

Lee Hyun’s struggles grew more intense. Rau released his side and seized the wrist of the hand flailing in the air. He firmly bound both hands, pulling them toward their joined area, and poured in the force of his thrusting. So that he couldn’t escape the pleasure even a little.

“No! Don’t do this! Let go! I, I ha, hng… I don’t like it, Kun.”

“If I ejaculate with knotting, you’ll get pregnant. And I didn’t take any birth control pills then. You begged that Alpha to knot you. That means you wanted to get pregnant, right? Isn’t that right?”

“No, I… I dihn… I, I was a… Beta….”

A thick shoulder leaned over Lee Hyun, who was shaking his head in denial. A large palm broadly cupped Lee Hyun’s jaw. It was a hand that could crush Lee Hyun’s jawbone if it exerted force. But the hand’s movements were as delicate as if handling a work of art.

Rau licked the saliva that had trickled from Lee Hyun’s lips with his tongue, whispering firmly yet sweetly.

“You were never a Beta.”

“Haa, hng. H, Kun… Kuun….”

“You were Diamond Dust. From the moment we first met.”

“Ku, Kuhee, hmm….”

Lee Hyun, who was only calling out Rau’s name like a person on the verge of death, had his voice swallowed by his mate’s lips. Lee Hyun, receiving Rau’s tongue fully in his mouth, wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Nghh, ngh… Ung. Hmm. Hmmm.”

The weight of Rau’s body covering him and pressing down steadily stabilized Lee Hyun. Chest met chest, and their joined area meshed even tighter. Lee Hyun’s penis rubbed against Rau’s lower abdomen. Stroking Rau’s rugged back muscles as if rummaging through them, Lee Hyun spread his thighs further apart.

He loved this large beast, panting as he lay prostrate between his legs.

“Hhee, hng. Hng. Hmm. Ung!”

Swish, swish, swish. Rau’s firm buttock muscles contracted and relaxed repeatedly, continuously entering and exiting Lee Hyun’s interior. With each repetition, Lee Hyun found it increasingly difficult to breathe. Noticing this, Rau removed his tongue from Lee Hyun’s mouth and instead sucked on his lips. Whether it was the upper or lower lip, he sucked as if he would melt it whole and swallow it. Even without using his tongue, just sucking on his lips, it was a very lewd kiss, like rubbing their genitals together.

“Uumm, hmm. Thuh, stop. Haa, I’m feeling too much, I.”

He tried to push away the chest he was embracing, but it didn’t budge. Rau’s Pheromone flared up, thick and intense. It was clear that he was deliberately releasing Pheromone to prevent Lee Hyun from resisting.

At that moment, Lee Hyun felt the pressure of Rau’s penis swelling even more inside his belly. He twisted his head to avoid Rau’s lips.

“Ah, ah, ah. Ngh, aah! Waa… Kun, waa, that, that’s coming… Haa!”

As if seeing a hallucination and terrified, Lee Hyun widened his eyes and shook his head wildly. His lower jaw trembled.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

The throbbing, as if Rau’s heart was beating inside his cock, was transmitted directly to Lee Hyun through the inner walls.

Knotting was coming.

“Seo Yi-hyun, is it okay?”

Kkuuuk, Rau pushed his penis as far inside as he could, pressing his lower abdomen tightly against Lee Hyun’s. Preparing for knotting. His eyes were cloudy and blurred.

“Ku, Kun. Kun….”

“Is it okay to knot in your Cunt? Huh?”

“Do it. Only do it to me. You can’t do this to other Omegas, Kun.”

Lee Hyun’s reason was fading with the pulse of knotting.

While Rau rubbed his lips against Lee Hyun’s, who was clinging to his neck, he said in a hoarse voice.

“Everyone but you is a Beta to me.”

Inside his body, at the entrance of his Yoni, Rau’s root swelled. No, not just the root. Lee Hyun’s inner walls contracted, squeezing Rau tightly, and Rau’s penis grew thicker, trying to push against Lee Hyun’s inner walls. They were completely stuck together, blocking all gaps to prevent semen from leaking out.

“No! No, I don’t like it! It’s scary. It’s scary, I like it… Ah, Kun! Please….”

Lee Hyun, with wide eyes, trembled while muttering incoherent words. Stroking Lee Hyun’s forehead with his palm, Rau twisted his waist from side to side, trying to thrust his penis further, further into his mate. Even though he was already all the way in, he wanted more.

“Seo Yi-hyun, you’re like this every time, even though we do it every day?”

“There, Kun! The entrance… the front, it feels like it’s going to tear. It’s big… too big…. It’s getting bigger… inside my belly….”

Kissing Lee Hyun’s cheeks and ears, Rau pressed down on Lee Hyun a little more with the weight of his body.

“It won’t tear. You’re good at sex, Seo Yi-hyun.”

As his penis swelled to its maximum size, the full-fledged throbbing began. The entire penis vibrated and throbbed like a high-performance massage gun, pounding Lee Hyun’s inner walls wildly.

“I, I like it…! Ah, I like it! The place it’s hitting, it feels like it’s all going to melt! I, I, I feel like I’m going to disappear, Kun.”

“What am I supposed to do if you disappear?”

“What do I do, what do I do! Kun, aah! H, save me…!”

In the madness of Heat’s pleasure, Lee Hyun writhed like a person on fire. Rau completely folded his body in half and hugged Lee Hyun’s upper body tightly. He licked his lips and licked the tears flowing from his eyes.

He couldn’t pull his penis back because it was tightly stuck at the entrance. Instead, he pounded his waist, continuing to shake Lee Hyun’s body. The penis, firmly embedded inside Lee Hyun’s body so that it wouldn’t come out, felt like a part of Lee Hyun.

Rau showered kisses all over Lee Hyun’s face.

“Lee Hyun-ah. Seo Yi-hyun.”

“Kun. Kuun. Kuhee, hng.”

“I love you. I love you…. Ha, fuck, I love you, Seo Yi-hyun.”

A voice gone mad with the pleasure of knotting his Heat-ridden mate. In a state of lost consciousness, Rau continued to whisper words of love as he ejaculated.

Lee Hyun’s inner walls, which massaged his penis as if undulating, felt good as if melting his brain. He felt like he would even forget his own name.

He even wished that knotting would continue forever.

Until the long ejaculation ended, and until the afterglow of the even longer knotting subsided. The two were embracing each other. Gradually regaining their senses, they sought each other’s lips, intertwined their tongues, and rubbed their lower bodies together, enjoying the lingering tingling sensation there.

Rau, who had been sucking on Lee Hyun’s lower lip, suddenly raised his upper body slightly. He shook his head as if dizzy and blinked his eyes several times. Lee Hyun, who had not yet fully regained his breath, anxiously touched his face.

“Kun, what’s wrong?”

“Me, pills.”

“Pills? Are you sick somewhere?”

“Birth control pills, I think I need to take more.”

Rau, who kept blinking slowly, looked dazed. He was somehow different from his usual self. He looked like someone possessed by something and had his mind stolen.

“You already took them. More than usual.”

“But I just feel like… I need to take more.”

Even after raising his upper body completely, Rau did not remove his penis from Lee Hyun’s body. The knotting hadn’t subsided yet, so it wouldn’t come out anyway.

He pulled Lee Hyun’s side, who was lying limp, and dragged him to the edge of the bed. He reached out and rummaged through the bedside table drawer, swallowing the pills with bottled water.

Even while taking the pills, he moved his waist slowly. The sound of the semen he had soaked in squishing inside Lee Hyun’s body made his lower body throb again.

Lee Hyun’s gaze, looking up at Rau, was as languid as that obscene sound.

“Don’t take the pills.”

Knowing that he had already taken a huge amount of birth control pills, and knowing that even if he didn’t take the pills now, a baby wouldn’t be born, Lee Hyun said so as if he were disappointed.

Rau shook his head and smiled at Lee Hyun.

“You’re really hopeless.”

■ ■ ■

Two more knotting sessions followed without removing his penis. Fluid mixed with Love nectar and semen continued to flow out around the edges of their joined area. No matter how much he blocked it with knotting, there was no more room to receive it inside Lee Hyun’s body.

The two finished their third knotting session in a position where they were lying face down and thrusting in from behind. Even after ejaculating, Rau lay on top of Lee Hyun’s body and rubbed against him for a long time. Then, he kissed Lee Hyun’s bare shoulders and cheeks and raised his upper body.

Lee Hyun, who had been lying underneath the whole time, was intermittently trembling.

“Stop….”

Lee Hyun gasped, his voice terribly exhausted and cracked.

“It’s full…. I can’t anymore.”

His breathing, as he swallowed, seemed labored.

While gently caressing Lee Hyun’s buttocks, Rau slowly pulled his penis out of his Yoni.

“Nghh, hng… Hng, aah, sob… I really don’t like it anymore…. Hhee, sob.”

Lee Hyun shuddered once again at the feeling of the knotting coming out and the loosened penis retreating. The sensitivity of Heat, which he didn’t want to feel but couldn’t help but feel, had made Lee Hyun’s entire body languidly melt. He was now in a state where he would pour out Love nectar with just a peck on the cheek.

Drip. Drip.

As soon as Rau’s glans came out, a tremendous amount of fluid flowed out of his Yoni. The hole couldn’t close immediately and remained open, fluttering. Every time Lee Hyun gasped, it gurgled, continuing to vomit a translucent liquid mixed with Love nectar and semen. The Cunt juice, mixed together, flowed thickly over Lee Hyun’s balls, which were pressed out and protruding by his prone groin. It was a terribly lewd scene.

Pheromone flowed thickly from Rau.

While fondling his penis, which was still aroused even after finishing three knotting sessions, he licked his lips with his tongue. His cock twitched, wanting to plunge back into that gap right away.

But Rau retreated for now.

After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he pulled Lee Hyun’s arm and raised him. He gathered his limp body into his arms and fed him bottled water with his mouth.

Only after laying Lee Hyun down again after he had finished drinking a bottle of bottled water did he drink water himself while glancing sideways for the pills.

He felt like he needed to take more pills. It was nonsense, but he felt like he had to. He kept feeling that way. It was a premonition he couldn’t ignore. Just like the moment he had anticipated Lee Hyun’s Heat and rushed over.

He found the pill bottle buried under the sheets and picked it up. He shook it, but he didn’t hear any sound. When did he finish them all? Rau threw the empty bottle carelessly onto the floor. Thud, thud, thud….

“There are no pills.”

When he turned around, Lee Hyun was crawling toward the other side of the bed. Rau grabbed his left ankle and pulled him. Drip. Lee Hyun, who was being dragged helplessly, tried to hold onto the sheets, but it was not a meaningful resistance.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. I’m going to stop.”

“You can’t even stand on your own.”

“You’re crazy. I can’t anymore…. I really can’t.”

Rau cupped Lee Hyun’s buttocks fully in one hand and swirled his thumb over the hole. The wet hole fluttered, wanting to swallow even Rau’s finger.

“You can’t stop. If I don’t have my thing in here, your belly gets hot and itchy like before.”

“You said you’d cure me. When will I be cured?”

Lee Hyun, who had turned over and was lying curled up as if crouching, was crying. Rau wiped his eyes and cheeks.

“It’s hard, right? I know. It’s harder because it’s the first time. But we’ve done it for longer than this, haven’t we?”

“Back then, Kun didn’t do it like this, like this….”

“I didn’t act like a beast like this?”

“……”

Looking down at Lee Hyun, who couldn’t answer, he patted his wet cheek with his palm.

“I’ll bring more pills and… water too. Okay? Rest for a bit.”

Rau, picking up a towel that was rolling around, roughly wiped away the fluid that was glistening on his penis and groin and walked toward the door.

Lee Hyun threw a pillow.

But he didn’t have enough strength left to hit Rau. The pillow hit the edge of the bed and fell to the floor. Rau, rubbing the back of his neck, silently picked up the pillow and threw it on the sofa next to the bed.

He left the room naked, without even wrapping a towel around his lower body. His erect penis bobbed with every step, making it cumbersome. It was also painful. But he was used to his penis not subsiding even after ejaculation. He knew well how to walk comfortably.

Pat, pat. Thud, thud.

Rau, who was walking down the hallway while lightly gripping the base of his root, cursed and stepped back half a step.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Pre-cum was oozing from his Rut-ridden cock.

But he didn’t have the luxury to wipe the floor. He avoided the fallen fluid and headed to the kitchen.

When he stood in front of the drawer filled with all kinds of pills that controlled Pheromone and hormones, he felt something warm on his philtrum.

It was a nosebleed.

“This is just great.”

He roughly wiped it away with the back of his hand and went to the sink to wash off the blood. So that Lee Hyun wouldn’t be surprised when he saw it.

He felt unfamiliar with himself. His mind was hazy as if in a fog, but his lust was hot and clear. It was as if he existed only for that act.

In the darkness, Rau chuckled to himself.

Because he was an Alpha in Rut, it was right that he existed only for that act.

Even though he was only slightly farther away in the same house, his arms trembled with the desire to have Lee Hyun. His cock felt like it was parching. He wanted to plunge that beast into Lee Hyun’s Yoni as soon as possible.

Without even taking the time to pour water into a cup, he swallowed three or four pills with tap water. He grabbed the pill bottle as he could and returned down the hallway.

The bed was empty.

The sheets were messed up, the pill bottle and water bottle were rolling on the floor, towels were scattered everywhere. And Pheromone was thickly pooled. Rau’s gaze moved quickly among the traces of the wild sex.

“Seo Yi-hyun.”

It was a leisurely voice. He didn’t rush. Rau scratched behind his ear and peered around the room. And he moved his steps toward the hallway leading to the bathroom and dressing room.

“Seo Yi-hyun?”

Pheromone was sending signals from deep inside. He used his heightened senses to follow the rich scent. He slowly stepped barefoot down the hallway that connected past the bathroom to the dressing room.

Slip. He stepped on a slippery liquid on the sole of his foot. It was Lee Hyun’s Love nectar. Rau rubbed it with his toes and went deeper inside.

The rectangular dressing room was surrounded by drawers and hangers. Lee Hyun’s feet were visible between Rau’s shirts, which were neatly hung in rows.

Rattle.

Rau, who was squatting in front of it, pushed the hanger with the shirts to one side.

Lee Hyun, hugging his knees, was trembling with his shoulder leaning against the wall.

“Are you Hansel and Gretel?”

“Go away.”

Lee Hyun didn’t even look at Rau.

“You kindly left a trail on the way here, right? Pheromone.”

“I’m going to stop now.”

Unlike his words, Love nectar was splashing on the floor where Lee Hyun was sitting. The Pheromone scent was strong. Rau’s mind became dizzy, and he didn’t even want to suppress it anymore.

He grabbed Lee Hyun’s shoulder and pulled him to look at him.

“You said to put it in and shake it quickly earlier. You said you were dying to knot.”

Instead of pulling Lee Hyun out, Rau crawled into the hanger. He pulled Lee Hyun’s resisting arms and covered his shaking upper body with his own body. Unable to withstand the weight, Lee Hyun lay down as he pushed Rau’s shirts back. While hugging Rau, who was lunging between his legs.

“I really can’t anymore. Please, Kun….”

Rau grabbed his cock and rubbed it against Lee Hyun’s crotch. His thing was still hard and smooth, dripping with saliva. Lee Hyun’s wet hole, which was softly open, fluttered and sucked it in as soon as his glans touched it.

“What are you talking about, your Pheromone is going crazy because I came.”

As if returning to its original place, his shameless penis burrowed into his winding Yoni. Lee Hyun opened his jaw and tilted his head back. He gripped Rau’s shoulder as if he would dig his fingernails into it.

“Aah! Ngh… Hhee, hng.”

“See? Your voice is getting sweeter too.”

Rau buried his lips in Lee Hyun’s jugular and sucked it, leaving a bruise.

“There, no…. I can be seen.”

Lee Hyun hit Rau’s shoulder. Rau didn’t care. Lee Hyun had already forgotten, but his neck, shoulders, and chest were already mottled with marks. It wouldn’t make much of a difference even if he made one or two more now. Rau rather bit down harder, using his teeth.

“Show it. To people. How much you’re loved.”

“Kun… really, I’m too tiiired, hng… Aah, hng.”

As his penis went all the way in and his glans pushed against the dead end of his inner walls, Lee Hyun groaned with a sound that felt like his hearing was melting and twisted his waist.

Rau hooked his arms behind Lee Hyun’s knees. He pushed them up so high that his knees touched his shoulders. The lower part of his buttocks was lifted into the air, and his crotch was spread wide open for easy sex. Rau, who had settled on top of him as if riding him, lifted and lowered his waist repeatedly, pounding his insides from top to bottom.

“Ah, aah, hng, deeper, deep… big… too… haah, ah, good! I like this, Kun!”

“You like it, Lee Hyun?”

“Y-Yeah! Feels good, Kun….”

Lee Hyun’s voice trembled from the pounding force. With his knees bent, Lee Hyun’s calves dangled in the air.

Forced into an uncomfortable position due to the top-down pressure, Lee Hyun couldn’t resist at all. He was simply fucked and fucked again, looking up at Rau with tearful eyes.

“My, my Heat, do you like it, Kun?”

“I fucking love it. Enough to knot already.”

Lee Hyun covered his mouth. His eyes widened as they always did when knotting was about to happen.

“Wh-What… why already… it’s weird. Kun, wait. Ah, no. Already? Why already?”

He tried to escape, but his position made it impossible even to turn his body.

Inside Lee Hyun, Rau became even more erect. He filled him so tightly it felt like his insides would burst, and he swelled the root of his penis, blocking the entrance. It was a knotting that felt like sealing Lee Hyun’s Yoni shut.

He was satisfied after firmly planting his thing inside Lee Hyun’s body so that it could never be pulled out. With a crazed look in his eyes, Rau smirked and panted.

“Do you understand, Seo Yi-hyun?”

“Hngh, yes… hahk! Hah! Hngh, Kun….”

“This is what happens when you encounter an Alpha bastard during Heat.”

“That Alpha bastard is you right now!”

Lee Hyun hit Rau’s shoulder as tears streamed down his face. Rau wiped Lee Hyun’s cheeks with his palm. Even so, he didn’t stop thrusting his hips.

“Am I the same as those other guys?”

“Ah, you’re not the same.”

Even while crying and in pain from the pleasure, Lee Hyun shook his head.

“Lee Hyun, do you hate it? Do you hate me in Rut?”

“I don’t hate it… I don’t hate it, but… hic, hng… I hate it now.”

“Is it too hard because you’re feeling too much? I’m sorry.”

Rau’s penis, vibrating with the knotting and pounding Lee Hyun’s insides, was also experiencing several times the usual pleasure. He felt like he would ejaculate into this wonderful Yoni at any moment.

“But, it hurts and itches if I don’t put mine in.”

“It hurts. It hurts, Kun. Make it better now. Make it stop. Please.”

Lee Hyun reached out his arms to Rau. Rau released the knees he had been pushing up and lowered his face to Lee Hyun. As soon as the distance narrowed, Lee Hyun’s kisses poured all over his face.

“Give it to me, give me that…. Kun, give it to me.”

“Yeah, it’s knotting. I’m knotting right now.”

Lee Hyun shook his head, saying that wasn’t it.

“Then what else. What do you want. What should I give you, Lee Hyun? Huh?”

“…Baby.”

Rau clenched his teeth and clicked his tongue. He tightened his core. Just the word baby almost made him cum.

“You really.”

“I, I know too.”

“What do you know.”

“What we’re doing right now, what people call it.”

“What do they call it.”

“Impregnation sex.”

He barely overcame the urge to ejaculate for the second time.

An Omega in Heat, an Alpha whose Rut was stimulated by that Omega.

If they entered their heat cycles together and had sex without taking birth control pills, the Omega would become pregnant with 100 percent certainty. Maybe there was a 0.05% exception? That’s why heat cycle sex was also vulgarly called impregnation sex.

Rau, who had briefly stopped thrusting, pressed his groin even harder.

“Who did you hear that from?”

“Don’t treat me like a child.”

“It’s a bad word you can’t say in front of people. It’s a word you can only say with me in bed.”

“Like Cunt?”

“…Yeah.”

Lee Hyun kissed Rau’s lips, who had only one layer of reason left.

“I won’t say it. I won’t say it in front of people….”

One of Lee Hyun’s hands, which had been around Rau’s neck, wriggled down. Then, he fiddled with the edge of his Yoni, which was tightly blocked by the knotting.

“Let’s do it too. Give me impregnation sex here, in my Cunt, Kun.”

It was the third time he almost ejaculated.

“You can say anything with Pheromones as an excuse, huh? Huh?”

Although he was speaking as if he were scolding him, Pheromones were pouring out of Rau. His penis, which was knotting, throbbed madly.

“If you have a baby, your breasts will get bigger and milk will leak. What are you going to do about that? You’re embarrassed about Heat too.”

“Kun, can suck it for me. So it doesn’t leak… we’re, we’re married.”

I’m going crazy. Rau muttered and hugged Lee Hyun’s waist with both arms.

“Heat is this scary.”

Rau firmly supported Lee Hyun’s back and pulled him out of the hanger, lifting him up. He sat him on his knees while facing him and gently rotated his waist to stimulate Lee Hyun’s sensitivity.

“Then call me.”

“Eueung, wha, whath… aah, oo….”

“We’re married. Let me know that I’m your husband.”

Ecstatic Heat Pheromones flowed from Lee Hyun. Eyes soaked not with tears but with Pheromones met Rau’s eyes. Lee Hyun’s lips, which had embraced Rau’s head, trembled.

“…Honey.”

Rau’s entire body was covered in goosebumps and his hair stood on end.

It was a word that Lee Hyun didn’t say often. It was a word he begged and begged for, and he was happy to hear it only once in a while. His dick felt so good that it was melting and crumbling inside Lee Hyun’s belly.

This time, Rau couldn’t endure the ejaculation. From the bottom up, from the top down. The thrill of orgasm swept through his entire body several times.

I have to impregnate him. I have to impregnate him. The blood flowing through his body boiled with that thought alone. Thought? No, there was no such thing as thought right now. His dick was the master of Rau Wikun.

“Ah! Kun! Kun! C-Cumming, I’m cumming! Kun. Kun….”

Almost at the same time, Lee Hyun also reached his climax. He shook his hips without realizing it, wildly rummaging through Rau’s head, which he was hugging.

The hot, boiling semen poured down as if to impregnate even Lee Hyun’s brain. The ejaculation was so strong that his intestines were all numb. It felt like it was pounding not only the Omega’s Tri-zone but also all his insides until they were bruised, and then spreading through his bloodstream to his entire body.

This was the Rut of an Alpha, of Rau Wikun.

Before the knotting was even over, Lee Hyun smiled brightly with tear-stained cheeks.

“I got Awi’s first Rut.”

It was a pure smile. So much so that he didn’t look like an Omega in the middle of Heat, having a frantic Heat sex with his mate.

That smile made the edges of Rau’s chest feel hot. It wasn’t about the first Rut, he wanted to give him everything. He could give it. Anything Lee Hyun wanted.

He stroked the bare skin from his slender back to his hips and looked up at Lee Hyun.

“You’ll take responsibility, right? For waking up my Rut.”

“Yeah….”

“It’s not over yet. For me.”

“No way.”

Rut was this scary.

■ ■ ■

After another knotting ended, Lee Hyun buried his face on Rau’s shoulder and slumped down. Rau hugged Lee Hyun and stroked his back until the swollen root came out.

“Ugh….”

While pulling his penis out for a long time, Lee Hyun trembled while being hugged. As always, a large amount of fluid gushed out as soon as his penis came out. It was definitely more than usual. Whether it was Love nectar or Rau’s semen.

Rau lifted Lee Hyun up as if carrying him on his shoulder and stood up. Lee Hyun’s limp arms swayed from side to side in Rau’s arms as he walked to the bed.

When he laid him on the bed and gave him water, Lee Hyun’s eyes began to return to normal little by little.

When the water he had taken out ran out, Rau brought a new bottle of water from the mini-refrigerator. As he stood next to the bed and twisted the lid of the water bottle, Lee Hyun called out to Rau in a parched voice.

“Kun.”

“Yeah?”

“That….”

Lee Hyun’s gaze was directed towards Rau’s groin.

“It’s become docile. I’ve never seen it before.”

Rau’s penis had never naturally withered after ejaculation. It was the same no matter how many times he ejaculated. Sometimes it took more than 30 minutes for it to return to normal. His penis was now quietly stretched downwards.

It had only released its erection after five knotting sessions.

“You said it was your first Rut, right?”

“It was the first time.”

“The answer was Rut sex, I guess.”

“The answer?”

“It was only by doing this much in a Rut state that it would calm down.”

Lee Hyun couldn’t take his eyes off Rau’s penis. At first, it was just out of curiosity. But soon, that wasn’t all it was. Pheromones bloomed from Lee Hyun.

Sigh, as he inhaled the scent that bloomed tirelessly, Rau stepped closer to the bed. So much so that the high mattress touched his thighs. Lee Hyun’s eyes, which had been lying limply, changed.

Lee Hyun turned over and lay on his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows and approaching Rau. The distance narrowed so much that Lee Hyun’s breath could be felt on Rau’s penis. He wrapped his fingers around the long, heavy thing that was not erect. As soon as Lee Hyun touched it, his penis twitched and quickly swelled.

Lee Hyun opened his mouth and swallowed his glans.

Hmm….

Rau closed his eyes languidly. He stroked his chest widely and intertwined his fingers in Lee Hyun’s hair.

As Rau was enjoying Lee Hyun’s caresses and Pheromones, he suddenly noticed the medicine bottle. Rau picked up the medicine bottle that was lying on the bed, gently grabbed Lee Hyun’s hair, and pulled it back.

“Lee Hyun.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Hyun, who had barely swallowed a third of it and was only barely holding the glans in his mouth, looked up with wide eyes.

“What I took today wasn’t birth control.”

Lee Hyun’s eyes, which had been loosened by sucking Rau’s dick, which was thickly melted with Pheromones, shook greatly.

“I think I took the wrong one.”

Lee Hyun spat out the glans that had been filling his mouth. Pre-cum dripped between Lee Hyun’s red, wet tongue and glans. Rau wiped it off with the back of his hand.

Lee Hyun stood up and stood on his knees in front of Rau.

“H-How, that. Did you check properly? There’s no way….”

Lee Hyun lunged to snatch the medicine bottle from Rau. Rau wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close to his belly. Lee Hyun, who had lost his balance, fell into his arms.

“See? You were surprised, right?”

“…….”

Lee Hyun, who had forgotten to blink, looked up at Rau and frowned.

“Was it a joke?”

Then he tried to remove Rau’s arm.

“It’s proof that you’re not ready to have a baby yet.”

“It’s not that, I was just surprised because it was sudden.”

But Rau didn’t let Lee Hyun go.

“If you were really ready, you wouldn’t have been that surprised, right? Even if my birth control pills were wrong, you took them too? Is it that surprising?”

“I just couldn’t think that far.”

Lee Hyun didn’t give up easily and continued to squeeze Rau’s hand that was wrapped around his waist. He seemed really angry.

Rau wrapped his arms tightly around Lee Hyun’s back and waist. He rubbed his lips against his bare shoulders, neck, and ears, and apologized in a gentle voice.

“Don’t be angry. Don’t be angry, honey.”

“…You’re a coward.”

Although there was still a sulky tone in his voice, Lee Hyun no longer tried to remove his hand.

Hmm. Rau put more strength into the arm that was hugging Lee Hyun and gently stroked his mate’s head. Then, he cupped Lee Hyun’s cheeks with both hands and kissed his forehead, nose, and lips. He whispered while pressing his forehead against his forehead.

“Our honeymoon is once in a lifetime.”

“…….”

“It’s okay if our honeymoon is a little longer, right? Huh?”

Chapter

■ ■ ■

After Lee Hyun got out of the bathtub, Rau dressed him in a gown and sat him in front of the mirror in the powder room.

Lee Hyun looked sleepy, as if he would fall asleep any minute. With his eyelids half-closed, Lee Hyun looked at Rau through the mirror.

“You can just sleep without drying your hair for one day.”

Rau, standing behind him, said firmly while preparing the dryer.

“No. You’re not in good condition today, and you might catch a cold.”

“Then I’ll dry it. Kun should go to the gallery first.”

“I sent a message, so it’s okay.”

Lee Hyun tried to snatch the dryer, but Rau stretched his hand holding the dryer far away so that his hand couldn’t reach it.

Giving up on the dryer struggle, Lee Hyun instead grabbed the waist of Rau’s gown and looked up at him.

“It’s right in front of the house, so it’s not good to just send a message. You’re still the CEO. And Yooni will definitely be worried.”

Holding the dryer in his hand like a gun, Rau looked down at Lee Hyun. He had intended to keep his eyes on Lee Hyun all day today, not even for a moment. His heart seemed to waver.

How could he disobey when Lee Hyun, who had just finished bathing and was wearing a fluffy gown, was clinging to his waist? Besides, this pleading expression, as if saying please, wasn’t something he could see often.

Stroking Lee Hyun’s cheek with his thumb and pinching it slightly, Rau said.

“Don’t you think that not only Baek Yooni, but I’m also worried about you?”

The sex that had started around dusk yesterday continued until dawn today. Both were completely drained and fell asleep as they were. It was the first time they had fallen asleep without changing the sheets or moving to the guest room bed after their encounter. Rau, who was confident in his stamina, couldn’t handle the Rut either.

They had woken up a little while ago, well past noon.

Rau immediately started filling the bathtub with warm water, and while the water was filling, he looked for his phone. He had received a few simple messages from Yooni.

[What time are you expected to come to work? It’s 11 o’clock and you haven’t come in.]

It was a typical message she sent because Rau’s working hours weren’t fixed.

[Mr. Carty is visiting in the afternoon. He needs a new painting to decorate the resort. You’ll be here by then, right? You know he’s coming to see the CEO. Please come to work. Okay?]

The second message, which arrived after a time gap, was somewhat threatening. But it wasn’t enough to separate Rau from Lee Hyun, who had gone through his first Heat.

[Hyun-i is not feeling well. Probably can’t come to work today]

He sent that reply and threw his phone somewhere. He moved Lee Hyun, who was in a daze, into the bathtub and quickly changed the sheets in the meantime.

After that, he got into the bathtub and washed with Lee Hyun.

He wanted to stay by his mate’s side all day today. That’s the only way he would feel at ease.

But Lee Hyun’s thoughts were different.

“I’ll be fine even if you leave me alone for a while.”

“Yesterday…”

Yesterday, you almost got into big trouble while you were alone. —Rau was about to say that, but he closed his mouth. It wouldn’t be good if that incident became a trauma and Lee Hyun got scared.

In the end, Rau sighed shallowly and declared surrender.

“I’ll dry your hair and then go.”

“Kun.”

“…Okay. Here, take it. Okay?”

Baek Yooni’s threat didn’t work, but he couldn’t resist Lee Hyun. Rau eventually handed the dryer to Lee Hyun. With an unwilling face, he left the mirror and walked to the dressing room, taking off his robe.

“Eat something, though. Eat and sleep. Okay?”

“Sleeping is more urgent than eating right now. I’m so sleepy.”

Rau, having thrown the robe into the laundry basket, looked for boxers in the drawer. He put on underwear and pants in order, and this time, he chose a top as he grabbed it.

“Can’t you even eat cereal?”

“Later.”

“I’ll bring it to the bed.”

He stretched his neck out as if wanting an answer and looked towards the powder room. Lee Hyun, who was looking this way, shook his head.

“Sorry. I have no appetite at all.”

“What about Omia’s carrot cake?”

Omia was one of Lee Hyun’s favorite small bakeries in Ubud. It wasn’t far from the gallery and the house.

Lee Hyun seemed to hesitate for a moment this time, but he shook his head again. And he walked out of the dressing room and fixed his gaze on Rau, who was approaching him.

“It’s something I like, but I’m okay.”

Rau was wearing thin and comfortable indoor pants made of cashmere that didn’t constrict his body. And he put on the top he was holding from over his head. His well-trained muscles, with bulges here and there, were quickly hidden from his shoulders to his chest and abdomen. But since both the top and bottom were comfortable clothes, they couldn’t hide the contours of his sensual body. It seemed like anyone could vividly imagine his muscular and beautiful body under the clothes. At least, that’s how it looked to Lee Hyun.

While placing the dryer on the shelf in front, Lee Hyun’s gaze swept down Rau’s figure. Even though it wasn’t directly visible, it was even more explicit because of the clothes that flowed along the lines of his body. It seemed like anyone could vividly imagine his muscular and beautiful body under the clothes. At least, that’s how it looked to Lee Hyun.

Rau, who had returned behind Lee Hyun, bent down and hugged his mate’s shoulders.

“Should I make pancakes? I can make egg porridge right away too.”

“Anything Kun makes is good, but after I sleep. I’ll eat when I wake up.”

Pancakes, egg porridge. All were foods that Rau had often made for Lee Hyun in the past.

Lee Hyun stroked Rau’s arm that was around his shoulders and made eye contact with him in the mirror. Rau rubbed his lips against Lee Hyun’s cheek and said.

“You haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday.”

“Awi hasn’t either.”

“I’m going to eat now.”

“You know that sleep comes first after Heat. I’m so sleepy that I can’t do anything.”

Lee Hyun’s words were true. Omegas who have finished Heat temporarily have a strong desire to sleep to replenish their energy. Omegas who spend 3 or 4 days in Heat sometimes sleep mindlessly for as long as the Heat period. A strong appetite only comes after waking up.

However, a normal Heat wouldn’t disappear in just one night like this. Rau kept worrying about that part.

“But.”

“Hmm?”

Rau, who had been lost in thought for a moment, made eye contact again in the mirror at Lee Hyun’s voice.

“Are you going to the gallery after that?”

“It’s just for a little while. There won’t be any customers during lunchtime.”

“Isn’t your outfit too… revealing?”

It was such an unexpected remark that Rau widened his eyes without realizing it. Then he burst into laughter as if he was enjoying it.

“What did you say? I think I misheard you, Seo Yi-hyun?”

It was the first time he had heard such words about his outfit from Lee Hyun. He had only thought that he was pointing out that he was going to the gallery in overly comfortable clothes… His interference, possessiveness, and monopolization made Rau so happy.

Conversely, Lee Hyun was belatedly embarrassed by his exposed emotions. But he couldn’t take it back now. He had no intention of taking it back even if Rau teased him.

He really couldn’t allow him to go outside the house in this outfit. He knew in his head that it wasn’t a matter of allowing or not, even if he was his spouse… but he knew….

“Your body is completely exposed.”

“You’ve never said that before.”

“That outfit is a bit much. It’s too thin.”

“You don’t want people to see my body? Even though I’m wearing clothes?”

“……”

Lee Hyun pressed his lips tightly. He stared blankly at Rau’s face, who was grinning in the mirror. Even with his lower lip swollen, his mate was excessively handsome.

He hesitated whether to tell the truth or not, but decided to be honest.

“I don’t want to see Kun, who was in Rut with me until a few hours ago.”

In the mirror, Rau had an expression as if he was melting. The arms that were holding Lee Hyun tightened even more. As if he had heard a romantic love confession, his face looked like he was dreaming.

“Ah… this is really too happy.”

He pressed his lips deeply on Lee Hyun’s cheek and kissed him with a smack.

“I’ll change.”

Returning to the dressing room without saying a word, he took off his top. The back view of him holding Lee Hyun’s body all night, lifting him up, and shaking his waist incessantly seemed more bulging than usual. The deltoids at the end of his shoulders, the trapezius muscles around his spine, and the latissimus dorsi muscles leading to his waist all seemed more distinct and larger today.

Although he was embarrassed for revealing his emotions honestly, Lee Hyun thought he had done well to say it. He also thought that it wouldn’t be bad to say these things more often if Rau could make such a happy expression.

“How about this? Is it okay?”

Rau, who had quickly changed his clothes, spread his arms and waited for permission. He was wearing jeans and a polo shirt. Lee Hyun nodded.

“You have to look closely. Doesn’t it look like it’s too tight on your shoulders or chest? Huh?”

“Don’t tease me.”

Lee Hyun felt his face getting hot. He picked up the dryer and turned his gaze away from Rau. Rau, who came closer with a smile, bent down and hugged Lee Hyun’s shoulders tightly once again.

“Dry it carefully. Like when I do it.”

Rau kissed his wet hair, grabbed his phone, and left the bedroom. Lee Hyun’s flushed face only returned to normal after a while.

■ ■ ■

The sunlight was piercingly intense. Rau had to stop for a moment on the steps in front of the front door.

Waiting for his pupils to adjust to the light there, he looked at the everyday scenery he faced every day with a fresh perspective.

The world was bright, radiant, and ordinary.

The wind created soft wrinkles on the surface of the swimming pool, and the leaves of the frangipani tree, which Lee Hyun carefully tended to, rubbed against each other and rustled. Cars and motorcycles sparsely passed by the road in front of the gallery, and a group of children were happily chattering in Balinese not far away.

He had been indifferent even when he had his first experience, but now that he had gone through his first Rut with Lee Hyun, the world seemed different.

He felt even closer to Lee Hyun. Even in this moment of being apart from him, it felt like his touch was enveloping him.

The first Rut was more powerful than he had learned in theory. When he thought of Lee Hyun, who had constantly wanted him so much that he cried in agony, he felt a throbbing heat gathering in his lower abdomen even now.

The Pheromone he had hated so much.

The Rut he had wanted to avoid so much, and had actually avoided.

But the Rut with his beloved mate wasn’t as disgusting or animalistic as Rau had feared.

It even felt like he and Lee Hyun had been reborn as a true couple. As an Alpha and Omega couple, they had shown, shared, and accepted each other’s most primitive parts, which they didn’t want to show to anyone and shouldn’t show.

However, there were still parts that he couldn’t understand.

The probability of Heat occurring in an Omega who had been taking suppressants every day was close to zero. The suppressants Lee Hyun was taking weren’t cheap either. He had also given him Sharp Suppressant that worked after Heat broke out, but that was also useless. The same was true for the suppressants Rau himself had taken.

One more thing.

He had never heard of a Rut that had started once ending in just one night like this.

Since waking up, Rau’s body was no different from usual. The same was true for Lee Hyun. He was just tired from being tormented by sex, but the Heat symptoms and Pheromone had completely disappeared.

What was it? What on earth was that thing last night?

Could it be called Heat and Rut?

It was a question that had no clear answer at the moment. Rau, who had been lost in thought while looking at the peaceful garden, turned around and quickly went down the stairs.

Instead of passing through the front gate, he passed by Lee Hyun’s Atelier and entered the gallery through the back door. It was lunchtime, so the front door was closed, and Yooni and Michelle were eating in the back lounge.

As soon as Yooni discovered Rau entering the room, she put down the bagel sandwich she was eating on the plate. And she jumped up from her seat and approached him with quick steps.

“How’s Lee Hyun? How is he?”

“He’s still not well.”

“Is he very unwell? He doesn’t catch colds often… Ri… What’s wrong with your lips, CEO?”

Alarm flashed across Yooni’s face as she narrowed the distance towards Rau. Rau touched his lips with his fingertips and turned away from her.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s nothing! Your lips are all messed up. Did you get into a fight with someone? Michelle, look at this!”

“It’s okay. Eat, Michelle. She’s like this because she can’t stand seeing me hurt.”

Rau spoke to Michelle in Korean. In the meantime, her Korean skills had improved rapidly, so this level of communication was more than possible.

But despite Rau’s efforts to reassure her, Michelle also got up from her seat in the end. Wiping her hands with a tissue, she approached and observed Rau from behind Yooni, who was making a fuss. And she added a word.

“But it’s really noticeable, isn’t it?”

“Right? Did the CEO really get into a fistfight with someone?”

“Who would I fight with? Am I the kind of person who uses my fists?”

“You’re the kind of person who would do that if someone picked a fight with Lee Hyun.”

“……”

Rau couldn’t refute Yooni’s words. He expressed his agreement by raising his eyebrows and shrugging his shoulders. And he went to the mirror hanging on the wall and looked at himself.

“Is it that bad?”

“I can only see your lips right now.”

“It looks worse because it’s swollen, but there’s almost no pain.”

“How did your lips get like that?”

Rau glanced at Yooni over his shoulder through the mirror and answered while pushing the inside of his cheek with his tongue.

“I bit them.”

“Did Lee Hyun do it?”

Yooni immediately asked that. As if it was much more natural for his mate Lee Hyun to bite him than for Rau himself to bite his own lips. Rau reflexively chuckled. It was a pleasing inference.

“It’s not far from the truth. Let’s just say that’s the case.”

Turning away from the mirror, Rau now tried to return to the bedroom where Lee Hyun was.

“Anyway, I’m taking a break today. There’s nothing special, right?”

“Is Lee Hyun that sick?”

Yooni’s concern for Lee Hyun, which had been temporarily forgotten because of Rau’s lips, was revived.

“It’s not like he’s particularly sick anywhere. But he has a bit of a fever and his condition isn’t good.”

Michelle took out a small bottle of mango juice from the refrigerator and handed it to Rau. Rau twisted the lid open and had to listen to Yooni’s another inference.

“He hasn’t come out to the Atelier yet either? Then he must be very sick. The CEO knows very well that he’s not the type to take a break from work just because he’s not feeling well….”

This time again, Yooni’s words trailed off. And she looked at Rau with squinting eyes and an unreadable smile, nodding her head.

“Ah….”

“What’s that ‘Ah’? I feel a nuance that’s accusing me?”

“It’s not an accusation. It just means I understand.”

“Understand what.”

“Why Lee Hyun is ‘not feeling well’ today.”

With a face that seemed to say she had worried for nothing, Yooni went back to the lunch table and sat on the sofa. In the meantime, Rau emptied half of the mango juice.

“If Lee Hyun is so sick that he can’t come to the Atelier, there’s no way the CEO would be more carefree than me. I’m not usually like this, but I was a little slow on the uptake.”

“It would be better if you sometimes had the sense to just let things pass.”

“Why? I’m deliberately tormenting you. Because it’s fun.”

Picking up the bagel sandwich she had thrown on the plate again, Yooni said with pleasure.

“I’ll have to torment Seo Yi-hyun tomorrow too.”

Rau seemed to see two small horns on her head.

“Don’t do it.”

“It’s overprotection. You know that, right?”

“If you keep teasing him like that, Lee Hyun will be more withdrawn in bed.”

After saying that, he brought the juice bottle to his lips.

Yooni, frowning deeply, threw the sandwich back on the plate again. And she covered her ears with both hands and shook her head.

“Aaaah! Don’t say things like that! To me, Seo Yi-hyun is still just a honeybee. Don’t defile him!”

Then, suddenly stopping her head shaking, she looked up at Rau with a face that couldn’t understand.

“But, Lee Hyun is the one who’s physically exhausted, so why are you taking a break too, CEO? Didn’t you see my message?”

“I have to be by his side.”

“At least stay in your seat when Mr. Carty comes. He doesn’t show much interest in the paintings unless the CEO is there.”

“There’s no need to sell to that extent. All of our artists’ works will soon be recognized, and he’ll regret his lack of insight when that happens.”

“Yes, well. That’s the CEO’s management policy. Then I’ll be aloof in my customer service too.”

Yooni had a natural competitive spirit, and she had a strong desire for sales since her days at Seoul Phantom. However, she seemed to have changed a lot while working with the non-profit organization, The Hands. It must have been influenced by her long-term interactions with artists who valued the work itself more than fame.

Seeing Yooni willingly give up on sales, Rau smiled silently. And before he knew it, he placed the empty glass bottle on the table.

“Then, can I go now? I’ll keep my phone on, so call me if there’s a really urgent matter.”

“Ah, CEO! The hat samples have arrived.”

“Already? They said it would take a few more days.”

Rau, who was about to leave the lounge, turned around. Michelle came out of the office next door with a cap.

It was a hat made to give as gifts to friends who helped the gallery and affiliated artists, and to use for promotion at the Hong Kong Art Fair next month.

“It turned out better than I expected. Take it and show it to Lee Hyun. He’ll be curious.”

“I will.”

As Michelle handed him the hat, Yooni approached and handed him a small paper box.

“And this.”

Visible through the transparent vinyl on the top of the box was Omia’s carrot cake.

“I bought a bagel sandwich from Omia. Since I went there… Lee Hyun likes it, right?”

“Thank you. He’ll like it.”

“It’s a bit annoying when the CEO talks like, ‘I’ll thank you on behalf of my husband for taking care of him. We’re one,’ though.”

Baek Yooni, who was as cynical as ever, and the reliable Michelle, who had become a complete team member. Leaving the gallery to the two of them, Rau turned and left the lounge.

His steps quickened as he headed home. He was worried that Lee Hyun might have developed other symptoms while he was alone. It seemed like the trauma had affected Rau himself, not Lee Hyun.

As soon as he entered the front door, he headed straight to the bedroom.

Lee Hyun, who had dried his hair and changed into pajamas, was just crawling into bed. Rau, holding onto the doorknob, let out a sigh of relief without Lee Hyun noticing.

“Hyung was worried, right?”

“He was worried that you must be really sick if you didn’t even come to the Atelier.”

Standing facing the bed, Lee Hyun’s spot was on the right, closer to the window, and Rau’s spot was on the left, closer to the bathroom and the door. Lee Hyun took his place on the right and looked at Rau with a worried expression.

“Kun, you didn’t talk about Heat or Rut, did you?”

“I didn’t. But… they were guessing that the reason you’re not feeling well is because of me?”

“Because of Kun?”

“That I’m tormenting you too much, so you’re sick.”

“Ah…”

Lee Hyun, who belatedly understood the meaning of the words, awkwardly avoided his gaze. And he fiddled with the blanket for no reason, changing the subject.

“But what’s that hat?”

“Ah, the one I ordered. They said the sample came out.”

“Already? I thought it would take a few more days. Can I see it?”

Lee Hyun’s face, which had looked tired and sleepy, brightened up. Rau, who had hung his bare Piketty on the back of the sofa, picked up the hat and approached Lee Hyun.

“I was worried about whether the color would come out right. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

Lee Hyun smiled as he received the cobalt blue hat and turned it around.

On the hat, below the embroidery of a cute ghost character that looked like it was wearing a large white cloth, was the gallery name, The Phantom Bali. The name of the new gallery they established here was also Phantom. Phantom Bali.

Rau sat on the edge of the bed. As he looked at Lee Hyun, who seemed happy and was carefully examining the hat, his anxiety faded and a smile appeared on his swollen lips. He reached out and straightened his partner’s hair. It was a touch that was more affectionate than usual.

“You dried it well? Good boy.”

“You shouldn’t treat your spouse like a baby like that.”

“It’s not because you’re younger, but because you’re the person I love.”

“……”

“I’m going to treat you like this even when I’m Grandfather, so Seo Lee Hyun, please bear with it.”

He declared the resolute content in a gentle voice. Lee Hyun shook his head as if he couldn’t help it, but the smile that gathered on his face was soft.

A few months after moving here, anyone who frequented the gallery knew. That Rau Wikun, the owner, was endlessly weak only to his spouse, Seo Lee Hyun. Even six-year-old Leo knew that much.

But no matter how much Lee Hyun asked, Rau could not give up taking care of his partner, worrying about him, prioritizing him, and being overprotective. Even if that partner was already a sufficiently capable and diligent person and such care was unnecessary.

Rau’s hand moved from Lee Hyun’s hair to his cheek. He carefully asked Lee Hyun.

“I guess we can’t go to the hospital now, can we?”

“I can’t move at all. Really…”

“Really?”

“No.”

Lee Hyun shook his head a couple of times, stopping himself from speaking.

“Why, what is it?”

“It’s not something to worry about that much.”

“If it’s not something like that, just tell me. You know I’ll worry more for no reason if you don’t.”

“I’ll tell you if you promise not to make weird jokes.”

“Weird jokes? You mean lewd jokes, right.”

“Are you going to make them?”

Rau made a gesture of surrender to Lee Hyun, who was threatening him with strength in his eyes.

“I won’t. So please tell me.”

Even after receiving the promise from Rau, Lee Hyun seemed a little hesitant. After biting his lower lip for a moment, Lee Hyun wrapped his arms around the back of Rau’s neck and pulled his face closer.

“Is it something we have to whisper even though it’s just the two of us?”

Rau asked with a puzzled expression, but Lee Hyun ignored him and pulled him closer. And he pressed his lips close to Rau’s fragrant ear, which had just been washed.

“It’s so numb that I wonder if this is what it feels like after giving birth.”

“……”

Rau couldn’t say anything. He just stared intently at Lee Hyun. Lee Hyun, who had slipped away from his gaze, shrugged his shoulders and picked up the hat again. And he glanced at Rau out of the corner of his eye, as if he was also embarrassed.

“You remember you promised not to make weird jokes, right?”

“I’m already regretting it intensely.”

Lee Hyun burst out laughing at Rau, who was muttering blankly with a serious expression. Then he casually placed the hat he was fiddling with on Rau’s head. It was an unintentional act.

But Lee Hyun’s eyes changed a little as he looked at Rau wearing the hat. The laughter disappeared and a serious curiosity lingered. It was an expression that made Rau nervous, as if he was carefully observing a man he had never seen before.

“Why? Is it weird?”

“We’ve been together for quite a while, but it’s the first time I’ve seen Kun wearing a hat like this.”

“I didn’t wear it often even when I was a teenager, so not caps like this.”

Even though they were already married, the fact that he was revealing a new side of himself to Lee Hyun made Rau awkward.

But for that very reason, Lee Hyun found this side of Rau refreshing.

Rau, wearing jeans, shirtless, and wearing a ball cap, was a figure that deviated from the category of Rau Wikun that Lee Hyun knew well.

The thick, long neck, the deltoids at the end of the rounded shoulders, the wide chest muscles, the hair sticking out from under the hat because it was casually pressed down, the grey-blue eyes under the deep brim, the high and firm bridge of the nose that cast a dark shadow.

Even for casual wear, Rau preferred elegant and simple designs with high-quality materials. His upbringing and profession shaped his current taste. He sometimes wore jeans and a leather jacket, but he never wore a ball cap even then.

But now he looked like a young surfer strolling shirtless on Kuta Beach in Bali.

Lee Hyun carefully examined his partner.

“Don’t wear it in front of other people in the future.”

“I guess this kind of casual wear doesn’t really suit me.”

Rau tried to take off the hat, lifting the brim, but Lee Hyun stopped him. He was completely wrong. Lee Hyun grabbed Rau’s wrist and pulled it down, unable to take his eyes off him wearing the cap.

“You don’t mean that sincerely, do you?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to wear it because it doesn’t suit me?”

“It’s the opposite.”

“It won’t suit me.”

“It’s cool. So much that I only… want to see it.”

It was a courageous thing to say, but Rau laughed as if he didn’t believe it, as if Lee Hyun was giving him lip service.

Since childhood, Rau had already attracted people’s attention and affection with his appearance alone. Lee Hyun knew this well because he had heard from Marcus and Ellen about how popular he was as a boy. And it was still the same now. Lee Hyun knew that Rau attracted people’s attention and admiration just by walking into a place. The only difference was whether the gaze was blatant or indirect, but no one could pass him by without feeling anything.

Yet he was doubting Lee Hyun’s compliment that he was cool.

Lee Hyun gently grabbed his chin and made him look at him. The first thing that caught his eye was his lower lip, which was particularly twisted and swollen.

The traces of Rau suppressing himself ‘not to violate’ Lee Hyun after losing consciousness to Rut last night. Knowing this, this wound was special to Lee Hyun. He knew to some extent theoretically how close to impossible it was to resist a Rut that had already erupted. That’s why this lip seemed like Rau’s love for him itself.

Lee Hyun’s thumb, holding the end of his chin, carefully stroked under his lips.

“You’re handsome even with your lips swollen like this.”

“Not like a fighter?”

“You could also call it wild.”

“Yooni asked if I had a fight as soon as she saw me.”

Lee Hyun felt responsible for Rau, who had a great appearance that was so cool that the word ‘cool’ was not just a compliment but a fact, and yet he did not accept that word.

“Am I not expressive enough?”

“What expression?”

“I always think in my heart. That I’ve got a really great spouse.”

Rau, who was leaning against the mattress and tilting his head to his shoulder, chuckled.

“You’re very generous with compliments about my appearance today?”

“I’ll say it more often in the future. How cool, handsome, and sexy Kun is.”

This time, Rau reached out and touched Lee Hyun’s ear.

“You wouldn’t know.”

“Know what.”

“How often your eyes tell me that.”

“That’s a relief.”

Rau’s face, wearing the cap, came closer. He twisted his head so that the brim of the hat wouldn’t get in the way, and he held Lee Hyun’s upper lip like cream and released it. And he whispered, gently massaging the back of his neck with his large hand.

“Your eyes are full of sleepiness. Go to sleep.”

“I have to work…”

“You’re doing it diligently every day. You should rest when you’re not feeling well.”

Rau took off his hat and pushed Lee Hyun’s shoulder down. He covered Lee Hyun, who was lying down with a pillow, with a blanket and bent down to kiss him. Lee Hyun called out to Rau once more as he was about to leave the bedside.

“Kun.”

“Hmm?”

“Later…”

“……”

“Do it wearing that hat.”

Rau, who was standing and looking down at Lee Hyun, broadly stroked his lower jaw. When he lowered his hand, a sly smile lingered around his mouth.

“What? What do you want me to do?”

“That thing Kun wants to do.”

“Now?”

“Not now. It’s right after Heat.”

Lee Hyun, who was only showing his face above the blanket, closed his eyes. Rau’s expression was full of injustice as he looked down at his irresponsible partner. But it didn’t last long. His partner, who had gone through his first Heat with him last night, was several times more lovely than usual.

■ ■ ■

After confirming that Lee Hyun was fast asleep, Rau roughly cleaned up the traces of last night. He gathered only the huge amount of towels and clothes lying on the floor into the laundry basket and left the bedroom.

There were five face towels and eight bath towels. He couldn’t entrust these towels and the clothes soaked with Lee Hyun’s Love nectar to someone else to wash. Anyway, he had already contacted the housekeeper to take a day off today.

Rau entered the laundry room and picked up Lee Hyun’s T-shirt, which had been taken off inside out. The fabric was twisted and stretched only in the area where he had sucked on his nipples.

“This… I can’t wear it.”

If Lee Hyun was here, he would have been embarrassed and quickly snatched it away. He chuckled at the thought and threw the T-shirt into the washing machine.

A blue and white striped T-shirt.

Saint James’ Minquiers 18.

Lee Hyun had several of almost every model of this brand in different colors. And these days, he wore this model the most often. Especially this color.

The one he was wearing last night, the one he was wearing on the day he moved to Bali, the one he was wearing the morning after the wedding, the one he wore most often during the art museum tour, come to think of it, it was all this T-shirt.

A cheerful blue and white stripe. A thickness that would sway pleasantly when the wind blew. The sleeves were always folded up twice to be wide so as not to interfere with work.

He liked looking at Lee Hyun wearing this T-shirt with blue jeans.

Lee Hyun wearing an apron over this outfit in the Atelier, holding a brush and palette, Lee Hyun taking care of the trees and plants while stepping on the grass in the garden without shoes, Lee Hyun standing by the poolside and scooping out the leaves floating in the swimming pool with a long net. Of course, even Lee Hyun wearing this T-shirt and disheveled in their bedroom last night.

He loved him in every moment.

He was grateful to be able to look at him in the closest position, as his partner.

There were still times when he couldn’t believe it.

That he was married to Lee Hyun, that they lived together in the same house, using the same bedroom, and that they no longer needed to be separated in Paris and Seoul.

At such times, Rau had to stop for a moment and take a deep breath to digest that great happiness.

As he pushed Lee Hyun’s jeans, which still had traces of Love nectar, into the washing machine, Rau thought.

Would it be the right decision to make Lee Hyun pregnant at such an early age, like now?

Of course, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t respect his wishes. Lee Hyun was a well-established professional artist and an adult worthy of respect and admiration as a partner. As Seo Yi-han said, he was also strong enough to decide for himself what was good for him.

Lee Hyun’s sweet expression and voice from last night, asking for a baby, came to mind.

Was that just lewd talk under the influence of Heat, or was it Lee Hyun’s true feelings?

Even if it was his true feelings, would having a baby now really be for him, just because Lee Hyun wanted it?

Rau put detergent into the dispenser and selected the washing mode. The washing machine started to work with a quiet noise. Leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed, he was lost in thought again.

After coming to Bali, there was about a month of leeway until the gallery opened. During that time, the two of them enjoyed their honeymoon. There were many days when they didn’t go out of the house at all and only rolled around on the bed. On such days, the whole house was filled with the smell of Pheromone.

They released Pheromone to their heart’s content without any hesitation and inhaled each other’s Pheromone. They did knotting and Changing as much as they wanted.

Lee Hyun, whose Manifestation progress was only a little over 80% when he moved to Bali, completely finished Manifestation during that month. As Rau himself admitted, it was evidence that they had ‘done an enormous amount of Pheromone sex.’

The Tri-zone corresponding to the Omega’s uterus and the Omega Road leading to the Tri-zone also developed normally. The current Lee Hyun was a mature Omega. If he hadn’t been pouring in birth control pills, he would have definitely been pregnant from last night’s Heat sex.

Rau ran his large hand over his entire face as if to crush it.

Pregnancy and childbirth would be Lee Hyun’s responsibility. That’s why, even if he wanted it, he couldn’t easily agree.

Anyway, that problem was later. There was something more important to check now.

Rau, who was staring blankly at the laundry tumbling in the regularly rotating drum, suddenly moved away from the wall as if he had made up his mind. He took his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and headed to the kitchen.

It was 10:30 AM Bali time.

Boston would be exactly 12 hours behind, at 10:30 PM. Rau, with a bottle of beer, sat at the table and tried to make a call.

[Who do we have here!]

Marcus answered promptly with a cheerful voice.

“How have you been? I called because it’s not your bedtime yet.”

[It’s not bedtime. I’m having a drink with Ellen. Why, is something wrong with Lee Hyun?]

Marcus asked in a teasing tone. It was because Rau always called Marcus right away even if Lee Hyun showed the slightest unusual symptom. Marcus often teased Rau, saying he was like an overprotective parent looking for a pediatrician for every little thing.

But this time, Rau didn’t even have the leeway to laugh awkwardly. He scratched the surface of the beer bottle with his thumb and repeatedly crushed his lower lip. The wound still smelled of blood.

“Yesterday, Lee Hyun had his Heat.”

[No way!]

Marcus, exclaiming as if sighing, seemed to jump up from his seat.

[There’s no way he skipped his suppressant.]

“He took it every single day without fail. Yesterday too.”

[Are you sure it was Heat?]

“It was definitely Heat.”

[How can you be so sure? Something else might be wrong….]

“It stimulated my Rut.”

[Ah… that happened….]

Marcus made a sound like a groan and couldn’t speak for a moment. This time, he seemed to slump down somewhere powerlessly.

After hearing a series of symptoms from Rau, Marcus seemed even more incredulous about this phenomenon.

[Heat can never end so briefly. You know that, right?]

“If it wasn’t Heat, then what was it?”

[…….]

Marcus didn’t answer right away. Only after a long time did he offer his opinion in a serious tone.

[It must have been something unique to Diamond Dust that only triggers in you, a Ghost.]

Rau had no choice but to think so too.

[Contraception?]

“Both Lee Hyun and I took medication. I increased the amount more than usual, and just in case, I made Lee Hyun take it even after it was over.”

[Okay, good job. You handled it well enough. How’s Lee Hyun? It must have been his first Heat, he must have been very surprised. Besides, it wasn’t a normal symptom either….]

Rau took three or four sips of the beer in front of him. In fact, Rau himself seemed more confused by this unidentified Heat and Rut than Lee Hyun. Just like when he first met Lee Hyun, he sensed a powerful Pheromone from the Beta Lee Hyun that he couldn’t resist.

“He was a bit confused at first… but he’s fine now. He’s okay. He’s sleeping.”

[Yeah, he’s a well-prepared and strong kid. And you reassured him and handled it well.]

Rau, who had barely maintained his composure, suddenly let out a long sigh. Then, he rested his elbow on the table, pressed his temple, and muttered quickly in an anxious voice.

“He had Heat even though he took the Balance Suppressant every day without fail, and even the Sharp Suppressant didn’t work. Then this can’t be stopped. What if something like this happens again when I’m not there….”

[Lau Wikun. Stay calm. What will Lee Hyun do if you’re anxious?]

“…….”

[In my opinion, it’s highly likely that it’s a sudden occurrence caused by the increased Pheromone exchange between the two of you after marriage. It means the bond between you has become that much closer.]

“Do you think so?”

[You said you felt like something happened to Lee Hyun even though you were in different spaces. Lee Hyun’s Heat must have been stimulated by something related to you, and when Lee Hyun had Heat, your Pheromone reacted to that Pheromone. You weren’t that far apart, were you?]

“It’s only a few meters from the house to the Atelier. But we’re separated in different spaces, is it possible for me to be affected by his Pheromone?”

[Your Pheromone must be that much Subordination to him.]

Subordination.

A strange phenomenon that appears in an Alpha who has continuously exchanged enough Pheromones with an Omega. They only react to their Omega’s Pheromone, and their protective instincts are strengthened to increase the probability of reproduction. That’s how it was known, at least.

However, in modern times where both Alphas and Omegas take suppressants, Subordination was nothing more than a legend, just like the existence of ‘Ghosts’.

[Because you guys are Diamond Dust and Ghost, the bond and Subordination of Pheromones might be much stronger. If Lee Hyun ever has a baby, it will probably get even stronger.]

“I don’t mind being Subordination to him. I welcome it. I’m just worried….”

[Don’t worry too much about something similar happening to Lee Hyun when you’re not there. Diamond Dust is stable as long as it’s not with a Ghost. It’s been like that until now, hasn’t it? Just be careful and watch him for at least 1-2 weeks.]

“Yes, I should do that.”

[Anyway, after you go to Bali, there’s hardly any time you’ll be apart, right?]

At Marcus’s joke, Rau was finally able to relax to some extent. He let out a long sigh of relief and took a few more sips of beer.

[Lau Wikun.]

“Yes.”

[Congratulations on having your first Rut with the person you love.]

Marcus knew as well as Rau’s parents how painfully Rau had faced Pheromones since he was a boy, and the fact that he was a Ghost and an Alpha. That’s why his congratulations felt so meaningful and profound.

The Rut he had so despised and tried to avoid.

The reason he was able to get through it safely was because the other person was Seo Yi-hyun.

Rau smiled faintly as he looked at Lee Hyun’s work ‘Colorful Ghosts’ directly in front of him from where he was sitting.

“It’s thanks to Lee Hyun.”

[Let’s meet at Lee Hyun’s solo exhibition. Helen and I are really looking forward to Bali since it’s our first time. We want to see Lee Hyun too.]

Rau’s parents, Marcus, and Ellen were planning to visit Lee Hyun’s solo exhibition, which was two months away. The Phantom Seoul family had also decided to close the gallery for a week and come here. It was to see Lee Hyun’s solo exhibition, which was being held for the first time in Bali, and to look around the two’s newlywed home. It was a reunion after several months since the wedding.

“Lee Hyun is looking forward to it a lot too. Please come.”

[Let’s stay healthy and meet then.]

Lee Hyun’s safety and health. That was what Rau wanted more than anything.

■ ■ ■

Rau, holding a large Boston bag in his hand, left the bedroom. Walking down the hallway, he placed the bag on top of the carrier that was standing in front of the entrance.

Two or three Wetsuits, two or three more comfortable casual outfits, three or four pairs of shoes, indoor clothes to wear as pajamas, and other basic belongings took up quite a bit of space. It was luggage for a 5-night, 6-day business trip to Hong Kong.

Lee Hyun, who had roughly finished cleaning up after breakfast in the kitchen, approached Rau.

“Are you all done now?”

“Um, I think so.”

“You timed it perfectly. Oh, did you pack your suppressant too?”

Lee Hyun, who had looked up at the wall clock, asked, meeting Rau’s gaze again as if he had just remembered.

“I put it here and there just in case.”

“Good job.”

Since Lee Hyun’s sudden Heat a month ago, the two had been paying more attention to Pheromones. As a Golden Alpha, Rau basically didn’t need suppressants for Omegas other than Lee Hyun. However, he packed plenty of suppressants for this trip in preparation for any unexpected situations that might arise.

Rau had put a lot of effort into preparing for this business trip over the past few months.

It was an important event for Phantom Bali as it was the first time they were participating in an international art fair, but what drew Rau’s attention was a more fundamental and mental reason.

Since coming to Bali, Rau had discovered several local artists, most of whom were completely unknown. Some artists refused to debut, so Rau spent months persuading them. And his passion and sincerity worked.

The art fair was an opportunity to finally showcase the works of those he had discovered with his own hands to the world.

Moreover, one more thing. It was also the first fair that Rau Wikun was officially attending as the gallerist of artist Seo Yi-hyun. That excitement made Rau even more immersed in his work.

Rau was clearly enjoying this event.

Except for the situation where he had to leave Lee Hyun alone on a business trip.

“Should I not go?”

He couldn’t leave the entrance easily and lingered around, wrinkling his nose with an unwilling expression, and asked Lee Hyun. In fact, it was a question he had been repeating since a week ago. Even the words he said to Lee Hyun’s face on the bed as soon as he opened his eyes this morning were the same question.

“Why are you doing this again?”

“Yooni can handle it well on her own. She knows the gallery work better than I do.”

“Then my sister will have a hard time.”

“I’ll have a hard time if I go on a business trip. Is it okay for me to have a hard time?”

Rau cupped Lee Hyun’s cheeks with both hands and met his eyes. His expression of disappointment and regret was directed at Lee Hyun. It was as if he was waiting for him to give him an order to stay by his side instead of going.

Lee Hyun held his wrist and said soothingly.

“It’s a fair you’ve been looking forward to and preparing for. You have to endure the hardship a little.”

“That’s not it, I’m saying it’s hard to be away from you.”

Rau put more strength into the hands covering his face. It was enough force to slightly press Lee Hyun’s cheeks and lips into a funny shape. Despite Rau’s serious expression, Lee Hyun couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing? I’m serious.”

“That’s not why I laughed.”

“Then?”

Lee Hyun stroked Rau’s arm gently up and down and said in a gentle voice. His gaze was looking down at Rau’s chin.

“I just… thought we really seem like newlyweds.”

Rau became quiet at Lee Hyun’s effort to convey his sincerity even though he was embarrassed. He looked at Lee Hyun silently with a look of affection, then slowly pulled him in and hugged him tightly. This hug, where chest to chest, cheek to cheek, ear to ear, body temperature to body temperature, and breath to breath met, never got old no matter how many times they repeated it.

Lee Hyun also rested his chin on Rau’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his back.

“I’m sorry I can’t go with you.”

“Preparing for the solo exhibition is more important. I’m sorry I can’t be with you.”

“It’s work. I’m not upset….”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And Kun has to take care of my paintings.”

“I can’t give that up as a gallerist.”

Originally, Lee Hyun was also planning to join this business trip. However, the preparation for the solo exhibition next month was not progressing as planned, so Lee Hyun’s accompaniment was canceled. The work itself was going smoothly, but it was a matter of speed.

His condition had not been good recently, perhaps because he was stressed about it. He often couldn’t sleep well at night and tossed and turned. Just last night, he woke up twice in the middle and went to the bathroom. Whenever that happened, Rau would hold Lee Hyun and pat his back until he fell asleep.

He wasn’t the type to complain outwardly, but Rau seemed to know that Lee Hyun was quite sensitive. That’s why Rau couldn’t force him to come along even more.

“My sister will nag me. Let’s go out now.”

Lee Hyun smiled and pressed his lips to Rau’s cheek after glancing at the wall clock. Only then did Rau reluctantly release his partner from his arms.

The two divided the carrier and Boston bag and left the front door.

The sky in Bali, where the rainy season had just begun, was filled with gray clouds. It was a time like the changing of seasons, when the dry and rainy seasons alternated. It wasn’t yet the full-fledged rainy season, so it rarely rained all day, but it was certain that it had been raining more frequently recently.

“CEO! Let’s leave quickly before it rains!”

Yooni shouted towards them from outside the gate.

A black van was waiting in the empty space next to the gallery in front of the gate. It was a reserved car that would take Rau, Yooni, Michelle, and two other employees to the airport.

“Does it really matter if it rains?”

Rau said indifferently as he opened the gate and went out. The driver, who was loading the luggage of the others who had arrived earlier, quickly approached and took Rau’s Boston bag.

The works and equipment for the art fair had already been sent as cargo, so it was enough for everyone to bring their personal belongings. Everyone’s clothes were also comfortable. Because of that, it looked more like a group of people going on a trip than a business trip.

“There’s news of a squall. The traffic will be heavy if it pours.”

Yooni answered briefly, greeted Lee Hyun, and got into the car first.

The driver was still loading the luggage. There was still enough time to say goodbye one more time.

Rau held Lee Hyun’s hand with one hand and stroked his cheek with the other.

“If anything happens, contact the neighbors around you right away.”

“What could possibly happen?”

“It’s your first time living here alone. If you’re alone, you might be flustered even by small things.”

“If anything happens, I won’t be foolish and will contact the neighbors right away.”

“And me.”

“Yes, I’ll contact Kun too.”

“If you don’t tell me because you think I’ll worry….”

“I know. That’s more worrying, right?”

It was a series of correct answers. Rau had to admit that he had nothing to worry about. He relaxed, smiled, and opened his arms to Lee Hyun.

“Come here. Let’s hug one more time for the last time.”

Rau, who put his arms around Lee Hyun’s waist as he walked closer, leaned his back against the passenger seat door of the van. He felt the warmth of Lee Hyun’s body touching his lower abdomen pleasantly, kissed his forehead and bridge of his nose, and then went down and kissed his upper lip briefly.

Beep.

The window of the second row went down, and Yooni, with a bitter expression, revealed her face. She rested her arm on the windowsill and tapped the car body with her palm.

“Hey, newlyweds. Keep it moderate.”

Lee Hyun tried to get out of Rau’s arms by pushing his chest, but the attempt failed.

Rau rubbed his nose against Lee Hyun’s nose and said to Yooni without looking at her.

“They’re still loading the luggage.”

“If you’re talking about our driver, he’s already finished loading the luggage and is sitting in the driver’s seat?”

“…….”

Only then did Rau glance around the inside of the car. As Yooni said, the car was ready to depart.

Rau, who squinted his eyes even though there was no sunlight, said to Lee Hyun in a voice with a bitter taste.

“I have to go.”

“Yeah, come back safely.”

Rau got into the passenger seat, rolled down the window, and waved his hand. Lee Hyun also waved back, stepping back so that the van could move easily. And he slowly followed the van as it backed out of the empty space.

The van joined the road and went straight without delay. And it got caught in a traffic light at the first intersection about 30m away. Lee Hyun, standing in front of the gallery, was looking at the back of the car with both hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

Suddenly, a long arm came out of the passenger seat window and waved. It was Rau. Lee Hyun chuckled and shook his head.

Soon the light changed, and the van was no longer visible. Lee Hyun stroked the back of his neck and slowly turned around.

He had never been apart from Rau for a single day in the months after their marriage. It was impossible for Lee Hyun not to feel anything about this separation. But thanks to Rau’s exaggerated expression of regret and disappointment first, Lee Hyun’s emotions were not overflowing. Thanks to Rau’s direct complaints that he didn’t want to go, his emotions were rather lightened, and he ended up laughing. As always.

He had gone through countless farewells of sending Rau, who had come to Paris, back to Seoul. Now they had rings on each other’s left ring fingers and were legally married. He was confident that he wouldn’t be weakened by being apart for about 5 nights and 6 days.

『When you’re having a hard time, mentally or physically, it’s best to try to maintain the same pattern as usual.』

It was Rau’s advice that he had been repeating and following like a guideline since his days in Paris whenever he felt like he was about to collapse. He doesn’t think deeply about other things. He silently does what he can do today. He just had to firmly protect his place in this house where he started his married life with him, as he always had.

Lee Hyun, who went inside the gate and locked the door well, headed straight to the Atelier.

He prepared for work as usual. The day’s work always started with loosening his hands with a drawing while sitting at the window table. It was Lee Hyun’s own way to revive and continue the emotions and immersion of the work he had done yesterday.

Lee Hyun, who was drawing the empty chair placed opposite him, sometimes bit his lower lip tightly, shook his wrist, and changed his posture while sitting in the chair.

It was a sign that something wasn’t going as planned.

He felt a bit stuffy for some reason and checked the air conditioner’s set temperature. It was the same as usual.

Of course, there were days like this. Work couldn’t be smooth every day. Still, if he persistently continued sketching for an hour or two, there would be a moment when his senses would return. He intended to silently move his hands, waiting for that moment.

But today didn’t seem easy. In an instant, he felt his energy drain from the core of his body, and a chill ran down his spine. Sweat beaded on his temples. It didn’t feel right.

It wasn’t just a day when work wasn’t going well; he felt physically unwell.

Lee Hyun put down his pencil.

He had reassured Rau that he wouldn’t worry him, but he was in this state as soon as he left.

Normally, he would have ignored these signs. He would have taken medicine and forced himself to work. But he was bothered by the promise he made to Rau not to overdo it and not to worry him. Whether Rau knew it or not, he didn’t want to do anything that would make him worry or be sad.

Drip, drip.

The sound of thick raindrops falling one by one soon turned into a squall, blurring the world outside the window. It was instantaneous.

Lee Hyun closed his sketch notebook. He took an umbrella, which was always available in the Atelier, and returned to his house.

The house Rau had left was silent. Lee Hyun was originally scheduled to accompany Rau to Hong Kong, so he had given the housekeeper a vacation to coincide with that time. For five nights and six days, Lee Hyun was completely alone.

He took a cold medicine tablet in the kitchen and went straight to the bedroom. He thought he would be fine after a good nap. By the time Rau arrived in Hong Kong, he would have recovered and be able to answer the phone with a normal voice.

He headed to the dressing room to change into his pajamas. He took off his T-shirt, threw it into the laundry basket, and turned to find his pajamas.

At that moment, a certain scent suddenly made Lee Hyun stop.

Forgetting for a moment that he wasn’t feeling well, Lee Hyun approached the source of the scent. As if drawn by something invisible.

The dressing room was where he had his first Heat with Rau. Since it wasn’t on the bed where they always had sex, the experience there was stored as a more intense memory.

While craving sex with Rau, Lee Hyun had fled here because the constant craving was painful. But it was no use.

“Hansel and Gretel?”

Rau, who had pushed aside the shirts hanging on the hanger, tilted his head while squatting and said that.

Lee Hyun clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling a tingling sensation in his hands.

Rau’s shirts were densely hung on both the first and second floors of the hanger. Now, five of them were empty. Because Rau had taken them.

He fiddled with a clean white shirt, then grabbed the sleeve and brought it to his nose. It was an unconscious action.

That’s when it happened.

Gush.

A large amount of Love nectar poured out from between his legs. Literally, as if pouring it out.

Outside the window, the squall was dancing like waves.

■ ■ ■

The waiting room around the gate at Ngurah Rai Airport.

Standing by the window, Rau stared at the ramp where the plane was waiting and the runway beyond, his hands in his pants pockets. A drizzle, its momentum significantly reduced, was flying over the rain-soaked, gleaming floor.

Not long after leaving the house, a squall began to pour down, and as Yooni had predicted, traffic became heavy as they came down from Ubud and approached downtown. However, they had left with plenty of time, so they were able to arrive at the airport without any trouble.

He was worried that there would be a delay, but fortunately, the rain had subsided in Denpasar, where the airport was located, though he didn’t know about other areas. There were no delays.

After taking a break in the lounge, Rau and his party had moved to the gate around boarding time.

The employees, excited about their overseas trip, were chatting happily in the chairs in the back. They were mainly talking about famous restaurants, pubs with good atmosphere, and clubs in Hong Kong. There were also occasional mentions of the large galleries participating in this fair. Everyone except Yooni, including Michelle, was visiting Hong Kong for the first time, so they seemed to have high expectations. Listening to their stories, Rau smiled faintly.

He was reminded of the memories of visiting Hong Kong with Lee Hyun.

The cool air inside due to the air conditioner, and the hot and humid Hong Kong summer just one step outside the door.

The tension that was taut between Lee Hyun and Rau himself, who were not yet lovers, and the gazes that crossed, deviated, and intertwined in a sticky way while being conscious of each other. Jealousy and relief, precariousness and exhilaration, craving and loveliness. And finally, the infatuation that he couldn’t help but acknowledge.

And shock.

The shock caused by the appearance of someone whose knotting and Changing he couldn’t control at all.

In just a few days of staying in Hong Kong, Seo Yi-hyun had completely shaken him. It was almost to the point of destruction.

He could still vividly recall Lee Hyun at twenty-two, becoming dazed by the first cigarette he smoked in Soho.

“Mr. Rabbit.”

It was also the moment when Lee Hyun first called him that, Mr. Rabbit.

It was such a special city for the two of them, so he was even more disappointed that Lee Hyun couldn’t accompany him on this trip to Hong Kong. Although they didn’t express it, his parents also seemed very disappointed that they couldn’t see Lee Hyun. After all, they were the ones who cherished Lee Hyun more than him. With that thought, Rau shrugged lightly and laughed to himself.

But there was another reason why he had a particularly hard time being apart from Lee Hyun.

Since that sudden Heat last month, Lee Hyun had shown no other symptoms. He had visited a clinic in nearby Singapore for a diagnosis, but as expected, they found nothing wrong with the Diamond Dust. According to the diagnosis, Lee Hyun was a 100% stable Omega.

Nevertheless, Rau couldn’t fully relax.

It wasn’t just because of the sweet sentiment of not wanting to be apart from his partner, with whom he was enjoying his honeymoon. He still hadn’t completely shaken off the events of that time and the anxiety caused by them.

Rau’s grey-blue eyes, which had been fixed on the runway in the distance, shifted slightly to the right. Yooni’s figure, approaching from behind, was reflected in the window. Yooni, who came to stand beside him, lowered her voice and asked.

“What’s wrong, CEO?”

“What do you mean, what’s wrong? What is it?”

“You’ve been quiet since a while ago, and you were keeping to yourself in the lounge. Is there a problem with the fair? If there’s something I need to know…”

“Ah… um… it’s nothing.”

Rau shook his head with a bitter smile and added awkwardly.

“It’s because of Lee Hyun.”

“Oh, I thought it was something else.”

Only then did Yooni relax her expression with a sense of relief.

“If there’s one person in this world you don’t have to worry about, it’s Seo Yi-hyun. You know he’s good at taking care of himself. Don’t worry too much.”

“No, it’s not the usual overprotective talk.”

“Then what is it?”

After hesitating for a moment, Rau thought that there was nothing to hide from Yooni and opened his mouth.

“Do you know about Domestication?”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“Really?”

He thought that Betas wouldn’t know much about it, so he was surprised by Yooni’s reaction, who nodded immediately.

“There was a time when movies and dramas based on that were very popular. I think Yoon Joo-ho even filmed such a drama before…”

She narrowed her eyes to recall the title and pondered for a moment. But soon, she gave up and shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway, these days, even couples don’t use Pheromones often. It would be a big problem if they got Domestication and then got divorced later…”

“……”

Yooni’s expression, which had been casually continuing the conversation until then, gradually became serious. As if someone might hear, she lowered her voice and whispered.

“Are you anxious about being apart from Lee Hyun? Because of that Domestication?”

“I’m not sure, but I think that might be it.”

Otherwise, this intense and unusual anxiety couldn’t be explained. It was different from simply being worried. No matter how much trauma he had, Rau himself knew best that Lee Hyun was a capable person who didn’t need to be worried about, as Yooni said.

“Wow… is that actually possible?”

“It’s very rare these days.”

“If they get separated from their Omega, they suddenly gain superhuman strength and tear through iron bars and escape, like in Hollywood movies.”

“That’s just a cinematic exaggeration.”

Rau couldn’t help but laugh at the extremely Beta-like fantasy about Alphas and Omegas.

Yooni put her hand on Rau’s shoulder and said with a serious expression.

“And they even become very violent, right? CEO, you can’t do that on a business trip. They’re all customers.”

“You’re being cheeky.”

Even as he scolded her like that, Rau was able to relieve some of his tension thanks to Yooni’s joke. As if she had aimed for that, she smiled and added a word of comfort.

“It’s the first time you’ve been apart for so long since you got married. Maybe that’s why.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Domestication is not a scientifically explained phenomenon. Just as many parts related to Pheromones still remain a mystery. A significant number of papers have also been published arguing that Domestication is merely a psychological phenomenon, not a physical or chemical one.

But what about Diamond Dust and Ghost?

There could be any number of exceptions. Like Lee Hyun’s past Heat, which couldn’t be explained.

An announcement was made that priority boarding would begin for business class passengers, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with disabilities. Rau and his party gathered their carry-on luggage and moved to the gate.

Before taking off, Rau sat in his seat and made one last call to Lee Hyun. After hearing Lee Hyun’s voice telling him to have a good flight and call again when he arrived, he was able to feel a little more relieved.

With a somewhat lighter heart, he switched his phone to airplane mode.

Completely unaware of what news he would hear from Lee Hyun after the 4-hour and 40-minute flight.

■ ■ ■

Lee Hyun was frozen in place for a moment. He didn’t know what to do.

The Love nectar that had poured out had soaked his underwear and was flowing down his thighs inside his pants.

He did miss Rau’s skin and body temperature a little, and the very faint scent emanating from Rau’s shirt. His lower abdomen and between his legs may have throbbed a little. But such a large amount of Love nectar with this level of sexual desire…

Gush. Before he could even finish that self-justification, it poured out again. It was more than when his Heat had broken.

Could it be…?

The possibility that flashed through Lee Hyun’s mind at that moment was pregnancy.

Lee Hyun had been steadily studying Alphas and Omegas, especially the bodies of Omegas. Thanks to that, he was able to recover relatively quickly from the panic when his first Heat came.

But this state was different from Heat. It wasn’t that sensation of his limbs trembling, his sexual desire surging, and wanting only Rau.

Frequent urination to the point of waking up in the middle of the night, and increased sensitivity were common signs of pregnancy. In addition, the sudden secretion of a large amount of Love nectar even though it wasn’t Heat, and being more easily stimulated by sexual desire than usual, were early pregnancy symptoms in Omegas.

But… how?

Kun and I always took birth control pills so carefully.

Although he knew in his head that pregnancy was impossible, his heart began to race. His breathing also became rapid.

It was an undeniable expectation. The expectation that he might be pregnant, that Rau’s and his baby might have come. Even though he knew it was a foolish thought, Lee Hyun couldn’t shake that expectation.

He didn’t think he could calm down unless he checked right away.

Lee Hyun first went to the bathroom to take care of the secreted Love nectar. While washing his body, he tried to think as calmly as possible.

The first person who came to mind was Morae.

Should he ask his sister to buy a pregnancy test?

But what if he really was pregnant? There was almost no chance, but still, what if, what if, what if he was pregnant?

Then he wanted to tell Rau first. He wanted Rau to be the first person in the world to know that there was a possibility of pregnancy and that he had tested for it.

By the time he finished showering, Lee Hyun had made up his mind.

He folded a hand towel the size of a handkerchief and tucked it into his underwear in case more Love nectar poured out again. Even though it was a private ritual that no one knew about, it stimulated a considerable amount of sexual shame. A shame closer to embarrassment than unpleasantness. But there was no other way. It would be a disaster if it poured out again while he was out.

The squall was still pouring down.

Lee Hyun, who had pulled his cap down low, drove one of the cars parked in the parking lot and left the house. He was sweating cold and felt a slight chill, but he wasn’t even aware of it because of the excitement and anticipation.

He headed to a pharmacy about 20 minutes away by car, where they didn’t know Rau Wikun and Seo Yi-hyun of Phantom Bali well.

It was a store closer to a drug store than a regular Korean pharmacy. Perhaps because of the rain, the store was overly deserted. The gazes of the young employees, who had been bored, all turned to Lee Hyun at once. It was a somewhat burdensome situation for a customer who had come to buy a pregnancy test.

“Are you looking for something? Can I help you?”

A friendly-looking employee approached and spoke to Lee Hyun.

“I, uh… um, I’m looking for a pregnancy test.”

Lee Hyun cleared his throat and tried to refine his voice. He felt resistance in his vocal cords when pronouncing the word pregnancy. It wasn’t easy to say that word.

Curiosity immediately flashed in the employee’s eyes. Whether he was a male Beta looking for a test for his girlfriend or wife, or a male Omega trying to use it himself. It was a gaze that wondered about that. As if he could find out the answer by staring intently at Lee Hyun, he couldn’t take his eyes off Lee Hyun.

“Yes. It’s over there. There, in front of the wall where the toothbrushes are hanging.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Hyun bowed his head lightly to express his gratitude and hurried away.

The hand towel tucked inside his underwear kept bothering him as it rubbed and chafed against his crotch. He kept pulling at the brim of his hat, as if someone would notice that he was wearing a towel in his briefs just by looking at his walk.

He was able to easily find the test at the display case that the employee had directed him to. He put various types of products from different companies into the basket as he grabbed them. He had seen many stories that it wasn’t certain with just one or two tests unless he visited a hospital for a full examination.

When he placed the small basket containing more than ten tests on the checkout counter, he had to endure the curious gaze of the cashier this time.

He didn’t feel malice in their gazes, but it was an unpleasant curiosity. But right now, he could easily overlook those things. No other problem felt as important as testing for pregnancy.

He left the store with a bag containing twelve tests.

Even in that short moment of folding the umbrella and getting into the driver’s seat, the rain was so heavy that his hat and clothes got wet.

Lee Hyun put the bag on the passenger seat and glanced back at it every time he stopped at a light.

And, thinking it was audacious of himself, he quietly placed his right hand on his lower abdomen. Then, a ridiculous chuckle escaped him.

He knew too well. It couldn’t be pregnancy. How could he be pregnant when they both took birth control pills so diligently?

Maybe it was a good thing that Rau wasn’t here right now. He could get excited like this, take the test by himself, and then keep it a secret after confirming that it wasn’t true. If a baby really came along in a few years, he could tell Rau then.

While watching the rain pouring down like a curtain that the wipers were pushing away, Lee Hyun anxiously gnawed on his lower lip.

■ ■ ■

Even after parking the car in the parking lot of his house, Lee Hyun remained sitting in the driver’s seat for a while.

He had been impatient to check right away, but now that he had arrived home, he didn’t seem to be ready yet.

Ready to confirm that he wasn’t pregnant.

Sitting blankly in the sound of rain covering the whole world, he quietly listened to the music that was playing.

Aaron Kellim’s ‘Stay In Love’.

It was a song that Rau had introduced him to.

Memories related to the music brought a smile to Lee Hyun’s face.

It was a Sunday, less than a month after moving to Bali. When he woke up a little later than usual, Rau wasn’t next to him. Lee Hyun came out of the bedroom without even changing out of his pajamas and looked for Rau.

The sweet smell of pancake batter tickled his nose, and fresh air and sunlight poured in through all the windows of the living room and kitchen on a late Sunday morning. This song was playing from the Bluetooth speaker in the kitchen, and Rau, standing in front of the counter, was singing along while making pancakes.

Lee Hyun stood at the entrance to the kitchen, watching his back for a long time. Until the end of this song.

Putting the batter in the frying pan, shaping it with a spatula, humming through the parts of the lyrics he didn’t know, and rubbing his left calf with the instep of his right foot, Rau was enjoying his Sunday morning.

It was then that Lee Hyun finished about a month of adaptation and was able to accept this place as his real home.

A place where Rau hums on Sunday mornings and bakes pancakes for him. Wherever in the world, that was his home. And this man was his mate. It was a memory of realizing that in his soul.

He quietly approached and hugged him tightly from behind. He pressed his cheek against the thin T-shirt and felt his body temperature and the movement of his muscles, feeling that he was alive.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I slept soundly.”

“You slept like a baby. I watched you for a while, but you didn’t even know?”

“We decided not to watch each other sleep anymore, didn’t we?”

“Will five pancakes be enough?”

Lee Hyun chuckled, recalling him changing the subject while feigning ignorance.

It’s a lie to say that it’s a good thing Rau isn’t here right now.

At this moment, he wished he was here with him. Even if it was just to confirm that he wasn’t pregnant.

Waiting for the song to end, Lee Hyun turned off the player and got out of the car. He seemed to have a little more courage to accept the results now.

He took the envelope and headed to the master bedroom’s bathroom.

He carefully read the test instructions written on the package. He laughed absurdly at the thought that testing might be a little easier for male Betas or male Omegas because of the structure of their genitals.

As written on the package, he absorbed the urine into the stick and placed the test on a small tray prepared in advance on the edge of the bathtub.

He set a 3-minute timer on his phone and wandered around the bathroom.

He tried to focus his mind elsewhere, looking at news articles or checking out his friends’ daily lives on social media, but all failed.

Rau would be flying to Hong Kong at this time. There were still more than two hours left until he arrived.

Beep, beep, beep.

The timer’s alarm stopped Lee Hyun’s wandering steps. He turned sharply toward the tray a few steps away. He chewed on his lips so hard that he crushed them with his hands. His heart was racing.

Why was he so nervous when he knew it wasn’t going to be?

Lee Hyun, unable to walk straight, took small steps sideways, his eyes gradually widening.

“Uh… uh… uh?”

Before he could even pick up the test, Lee Hyun involuntarily took a step back. Even so, his eyes were fixed on the tray.

Two clear red lines appeared under the letters T and C.

He was pregnant.

Lee Hyun felt goosebumps several times on his right cheek, side, and thigh. Later, he felt like even his hair was standing on end.

He didn’t know how many minutes he stood there blankly, covering his mouth.

Swish. The sound of rain penetrated Lee Hyun’s ears, which had not heard any sound from the world for a while. It was like a roar that made his eardrums feel numb.

Now, Lee Hyun began to move more calmly.

It was difficult to be sure of pregnancy with just one test. He rummaged through the envelope on the bathroom shelf and found a product from a different company than the one he had used before. Even though the companies were different, the usage was similar.

He washed his hands thoroughly again and repeated the procedure, taking out the package. He wondered what it would be like since he had urinated a little while ago, but fortunately, he was able to use the test.

This time, the result was also two red lines.

“No way. This really doesn’t make sense.”

He was secretly hoping, but he knew it was impossible. So, when he faced this result, he felt dazed rather than happy.

He wanted to do at least two more tests. It was a funny expression, but he needed more urine.

Lee Hyun went out to the kitchen to drink more water and opened the cabinet to take out a new cup.

“Ah.”

His chest hurt particularly when he just slightly brushed against the cabinet door. Leaning his upper body slightly, Lee Hyun grabbed his chest with his hand. He didn’t really feel any changes in volume, such as swelling. But, perhaps because of his mood, it felt subtly firmer than usual.

Really? Really?

His heart started beating fast again. Lee Hyun filled a cup with water and moved to the living room. He sat on the sofa, took a deep breath, and slowly drank the water. It was dark inside because of the rain, but he didn’t even think about turning on the lights.

Sitting in the dark living room, he quietly stared straight ahead.

Precious memories with Rau, family, and friends were displayed on the display cabinet. And behind it, a small-sized canvas was hanging on the wall. It was a painting that Lee Hyun’s father had brought as a gift to Lee Hyun and Rau’s wedding.

The southern hill cliff of the East Sea.

His father used to go up there alone and sit blankly on a bench, looking out at the sea.

It was also the place where Lee Hyun first broke the silence with his father, broke the isolation, and confessed that he was turning into an Omega.

His father painted that scenery. A clear sky, a sparkling sea, and two men sitting side by side on a bench.

It was a painting very similar to the one his father had painted in the days when the whole family was happy, which Lee Hyun remembered. Affectionate and warm silhouettes and colors. A painting with a feeling like a balloon floating into the sky, which only his father could express.

Lee Hyun gently placed his hand on his lower abdomen and smiled softly. The severe throbbing in his chest seemed to have subsided.

He waited for about an hour to feel enough urge to urinate to take the test.

The third and fourth times, there were clear red lines without a doubt.

And Lee Hyun crawled into the hanger in the dressing room where he had Heat with Rau. There was no way that Rau’s scent would actually be on the cleanly laundered shirts, but psychologically, it wasn’t. Surrounded by Rau’s shirts, he waited for another hour, curled up. Until his plane arrived in Hong Kong.

■ ■ ■

Unlike when he departed from Bali, the sky in Hong Kong was clear and bright. He could see the densely packed high-rise buildings in Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island in the distance. He began to feel that he had come to Hong Kong.

An announcement was made that it was okay to turn on the phone as the plane landed and moved to the terminal, and Rau immediately turned off airplane mode.

Dddrrk, dddrrk, dddrrk.

Among the messages that were routinely sent as the country of stay changed and the messages sent by the partner companies related to this fair, Lee Hyun’s message was mixed in.

『Did you have a good flight? Call me briefly when you get off at the gate and can talk alone. Don’t be surprised because it’s not something to worry about :)』

Even though the sentence that it was not something to worry about was added, Rau became a little anxious. This was because it was rare for Lee Hyun to send such a message.

The aircraft was connected to the gate, and passengers were disembarking in order.

As soon as he came out of the connecting passage, Rau took out his phone and looked back at Yooni, who was following him.

“Go ahead and pass through immigration first. I’ll catch up soon.”

“Why? Did you leave something on the plane?”

“No, Lee Hyun asked me to call him.”

“Okay. I’ll wait at baggage claim.”

“Okay.”

Yooni, who knew that Lee Hyun would not ask him to call for trivial matters, did not ask any further and led the other employees past Rau.

Rau stepped aside to one side of the hallway, toward the window, so as not to disturb the other passengers. He could see the busy movements of the ground handling teams managing the other planes that had landed earlier. He put the heavy Boston bag down on the floor and tried to call Bali.

[Did you arrive safely?]

Fortunately, Lee Hyun’s voice on the other end of the phone was the same as usual.

“Yeah, I just got off the plane and stopped briefly on the way to immigration. What’s wrong?”

[How about the others? Yooni Noona or Michelle…]

“I told them to go ahead. I’m alone.”

[Kun, we…]

Lee Hyun’s tone, which had seemed no different from usual until then, suddenly changed color. Instantly, Rau’s whole body was on alert. It was instinct.

[Our baby…]

Rau didn’t hear the word baby well. He just sensed that Lee Hyun’s voice was fading and his breathing was disturbed.

“Lee Hyun-ah, what’s wrong? Are you crying? What’s wrong?”

To hear even one more of Lee Hyun’s breaths, Rau blocked his other ear and stood closer to the window.

[Kun…]

“Yeah.”

[We’re going to be dads now.]

“……”

Rau was silent for about 30 seconds. It was 30 seconds that felt longer than 30 minutes.

Subsequently, the passengers who poured out were excited about the full-fledged start of their trip, or relieved to be back home, chattering noisily in Indonesian, Cantonese, or English, and passed by Rau. In the long hallway where everyone was flocking to the same destination, only the large man, who was one or two heads taller than the average person, was standing alone.

To properly understand what the words he had just heard meant, Rau had to wrestle with something inside. What Lee Hyun was saying was such a difficult ‘miracle’ to accept.

“Lee Hyun-ah? Seo Yi-hyun?”

He barely moved his lips to call Lee Hyun.

“I think I misheard something? Can you explain it slowly?”

[Kun left, and almost immediately I started feeling sick. So I was at the Atelier and then went home…]

Love nectar poured out, and he suspected pregnancy because something felt different than usual. Even though he didn’t think it would be, he felt like he had to check. He went to the drugstore and tested with five pregnancy tests. The results were all positive. ―Lee Hyun told Rau such a story as calmly as possible.

“How… how is this…”

While listening to the story, Rau walked back and forth by the window, put his hands on his waist, or rubbed his face. He looked like a businessman having a very troublesome call for work.

[Kun, is this really true? I’ve done five pregnancy tests. There’s no way it could be wrong, right? Our baby… it’s really there, right?]

Lee Hyun, who had been barely maintaining his composure until then, was hoping for some certainty from Rau. Only then did Rau come to his senses.

“Lee Hyun-ah.”

His tone was calm and firm. As if firmly grabbing Lee Hyun’s two shoulders in front of him and making eye contact.

“I’m going back right now. So, for now, don’t overdo anything and lie down and rest. Okay?”

Rau picked up the Boston bag and started walking. He strode through the people who had gone ahead.

[Are you… coming back now?]

“I’ll go on the fastest flight with available seats. If there are no tickets, I’ll go on a chartered plane. I’ll call you again to let you know as soon as the schedule is set. You just have to rest for now. Okay? Got it, Seo Yi-hyun? Can you do that?”

[Kun, Kun. Wait a minute.]

Lee Hyun called out to Rau, who was hurrying with his long legs.

“Why.”

[You don’t have to go that far. After Kun comes back, we can go to the hospital together then.]

“I can’t. You’re carrying a baby, so I have to be with you at times like this.”

[I’m really okay. I called you because I wanted to tell you quickly, not to tell you to come back. Finish the fair well and come back. And let’s go to the hospital together. Let’s do that, okay?]

“The fair is from tomorrow, and there’s a way to go now and come back here tomorrow.”

[Kun, not that far…]

Rau’s hurrying steps suddenly slowed down.

Lee Hyun was carrying a baby.

Theoretically, it didn’t make sense, but he had continued to experience impossible things while walking here with Lee Hyun. So Rau was slowly able to accept it as reality.

Lee Hyun’s Heat, which was impossible, and their child, who was finally conceived despite pouring in birth control pills.

“Lee Hyun-ah.”

Standing alone among the countless people passing by, Rau called Lee Hyun, quietly swept away by the overwhelming emotions.

[Yes.]

“You’re carrying our baby.”

“……”

“Even if I leave you alone at times like this and gain something else, I… I don’t want to live such a life. That’s not why I proposed to you.”

Rau murmured softly, as if whispering love. Slowly shaking his head.

On the other end of the phone, Lee Hyun changed his mind after a moment.

[Okay. Then, find out about the flight and call me again. I’ll be waiting.]

“Okay, I will. Good boy, our Seo Yi-hyun. You’re really good, admirable… so amazing…”

Lee Hyun’s laughter wrapped around Rau’s ears.

“Ha… I can’t hang up.”

Rau quickened his pace again. Faster than before. Almost running.

[Come quickly. Actually… I want to be with you too.]

“Lee Hyun-ah.”

[Yes.]

“Seo Yi-hyun.”

[I’m here.]

Lee Hyun’s low laughter tickled Rau’s hearing once again.

Lee Hyun was carrying a baby, might be carrying a baby. His brain hadn’t even properly recognized that fact yet, but his chest was swelling, he kept laughing, and he wanted to jump into the air.

“Seo Yi-hyeooooon!”

Rau shouted Lee Hyun’s name as if the whole world could hear it. It was the first time in his life that he had been educated to have good public morals and manners.

People turned around and looked at Rau, whispering. He didn’t care. He felt like grabbing each and every one of them and shouting as much as he wanted.

That our Seo Yi-hyun, my mate, is carrying our baby.

“How… how can you carry our baby? How can you do such an amazing thing? Huh?”

As the surprise and shock subsided, this time intense realization and excitement swept over Rau. It felt like the gloomy airport interior, which had been all gray, was now in full color. He felt so strong that he could swim to Bali.

“I’m so happy, Seo Yi-hyun, really.”

Heading to the fast track where he could quickly proceed with immigration, Rau had to take a long breath. He felt like he had to take out even a little bit of something that was so full in his chest.

[See?]

Suddenly, Lee Hyun’s tone felt playful.

“Yeah?”

[You’re happy to hear that we’re having a baby, right?]

“What are you talking about? Of course, I’m happy. I don’t even want to express it simply as happiness.”

[It’s proof that Rau actually wanted a baby.]

Only then did Rau realize what Lee Hyun was talking about.

[If you really didn’t want a baby, you wouldn’t have reacted like this now, right?]

That day when Heat and Rut came. Rau had joked to Lee Hyun that he had taken the birth control pills wrong. Lee Hyun was giving Rau back the words he had said at that time.

Rau could willingly and gladly admit his true feelings to his mate’s clever retort.

“That’s right. Actually, I wanted it.”

“……”

“Our baby.”

[Yes, our baby.]

On the other end of the phone, Lee Hyun repeated Rau’s words. Those words were like a new love that had never existed in the world before. This time, Rau’s eyes welled up.

■ ■ ■

Lee Hyun put the empty skewer that had chicken satay

on his plate. It was the last of the five satays that Rau had portioned out for Lee Hyun on his personal plate in advance.

“I heard your morning sickness is gone, and I’m glad that Lee Hyun seems to be eating well now.”

Im Morae, who was sitting across the table and watching Lee Hyun closely, said in a warm tone. She was in a mood to applaud Lee Hyun, who had finished his meal well.

Seo Yi-han also chimed in with Im Morae’s words.

“That’s right. He couldn’t eat anything at all when it was severe.”

“It wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t eat anything.”

“It wasn’t?”

“I still ate egg porridge.”

“Ah, the egg porridge that your husband made for you?”

Seo Yi-han said teasingly, raising his eyebrows above his forehead at Lee Hyun’s small protest.

In the early stages of pregnancy, Lee Hyun suffered from quite severe morning sickness. Lee Hyun, who used to eat anything well, whether it was Korean food, Balinese traditional food, French, or Italian, had become an extreme picky eater.

He could only barely eat the egg porridge that Rau had made for him whenever Lee Hyun was not feeling well.

Because of that, Rau had tried various things with the egg porridge to make it as nutritious as possible. He also tried adding finely chopped truffles or abalone of the highest quality that his parents had sent from Hong Kong for Lee Hyun, or melting cheese into it.

Lee Hyun ran to the bathroom every time he took a spoonful. The baby only allowed Jeong Seok’s basic egg porridge.

‘Our Didi is very picky, isn’t she? How did she notice even though I only put in a little bit? Huh?’

Lau said, stroking Lee Hyun’s still flat stomach to hide his upset feelings.

The severe morning sickness disappeared like a lie as he entered his fourth month of pregnancy. Thanks to that, it was a dinner with friends after a long time.

Yooni and Michelle, Leo and Leo’s parents, Im Morae and Seo Yi-han also left Parang with a babysitter and came all the way to Ubud.

“I really thought Lee Hyun’s morning sickness would never go away. I felt so bad for him.”

Yooni, who watched Lee Hyun closely while going to the gallery every day, looked at Lee Hyun with pitiful eyes. It was a look full of affection.

“He became so sensitive to smells that he couldn’t even go outside.”

Lau, who took the seat right next to Lee Hyun, said, carefully stroking his partner’s hair. His chair at the end of the table was turned about 30 degrees toward Lee Hyun.

“He couldn’t even smell food like that, but one morning he woke up and said he wanted to eat bulgogi as soon as he opened his eyes.”

“Hyung must have been happy.”

Lau nodded at Seo Yi-han.

“I felt like I was going to cry.”

Baek Yooni shrugged her shoulders as she finished her meal last and wiped her hands with a napkin.

“Lee Hyun only needs to see something go into CEO Lau’s mouth to feel full. There must be some kind of mystery of the human body.”

Everyone laughed at her words, but at the same time, everyone agreed.

“I’m glad Lee Hyun’s morning sickness is getting better and I get to see your face like this.”

“Yeah, our house is only 5 minutes away, but this is the first time I’ve seen Lee Hyun’s face since the new year.”

Leo’s parents, who became close by running a restaurant nearby, were also happy that Lee Hyun was free from morning sickness.

Im Morae smiled at Lee Hyun and brought up a story as if she had just remembered it.

“Oh, by the way, when I saw you earlier, your belly was already slightly protruding, right?”

“It’s so cute.”

A happy smile overflowed on Lau’s face as he carefully placed his hand on Lee Hyun’s stomach.

“Yes, I’m sure you do.”

“Look at that face, like he has all the happiness in the world.”

Friends’ jokes full of affection poured out on Lau.

Seo Yi-han narrowed his eyes and looked at the air, recalling his memories. Then he tilted his head.

“Lee Hyun is only twenty-six years old and hasn’t been married for even half a year, so who was it who said it was too early to have a baby? That was… who was it?”

Lau nodded his head as if admitting guilt and raised his left hand.

“Yes, it’s me. I said that.”

“And then as soon as you found out he was pregnant, you were grinning from ear to ear…”

“What about hiding Lee Hyun’s pregnancy for a month?”

“And he didn’t tell us first, we found out.”

Lau, who flew straight from Hong Kong to Bali as soon as he heard the news of the pregnancy, did not tell Yooni or other employees even after returning to Hong Kong the next day. They only knew that Lee Hyun was not feeling well.

Without telling anyone, not his parents in Hong Kong, Lee Hyun’s family in Donghae, or his friends, Lau kept that happiness to himself for a month.

It felt like such great happiness would invite envy.

It was such precious happiness that he couldn’t even talk about it carelessly.

It was like a happiness that wasn’t meant to be carried around and shown off, but rather to be put away deep in a drawer and secretly taken out and looked at with satisfaction late at night. Just like Lee Hyun did with the diamond necklace Lau gave him when he proposed.

But because it was such great happiness, it was bound to be discovered in the end.

It was because Lau reacted too sensitively when he found Lee Hyun helping to move the artwork after coming to the gallery ahead of his solo exhibition.

“I’ve never seen the CEO act so scary before. Lee Hyun is not a gallery employee but an artist, so why are you making him do this?”

Yooni, who finished the remaining wine, put down her glass and added.

“I’m glad I knew it was because Lee Hyun was pregnant, otherwise I would have quit at that time, really.”

Even though they hadn’t seen what the situation was like, the friends added a word about Lau’s overprotectiveness, saying they knew it very well.

As if he was happy for them to tease him and have fun, Lau volunteered to be a scapegoat with a generous attitude. No matter how much he was teased, as long as it was about Lee Hyun and the baby, it couldn’t put a small dent in his happiness. Moreover, the teasing of the people gathered here was based on strong affection. There was no reason to be unpleasant.

It seemed like the meal was completely over.

It had been a while since everyone had taken their hands off the food, and the wine was almost empty.

Lee Hyun and Lau, the hosts, exchanged glances. It seemed like it was time to bring out dessert.

Lee Hyun got up first, and Lau immediately followed. Seo Yi-han pointed at Lau as if he had been waiting.

“Look at that, look at that! Look at him following Lee Hyun as soon as he gets up!”

Lau turned around and playfully threatened in a threatening tone.

“I’m going to get dessert. Your wife’s favorite carrot cake.”

“Does only Morae like carrot cake? Everyone here knows that Lee Hyun would wake up in the middle of the night if it’s Omia’s carrot cake.”

That was true. Lau feigned ignorance and shrugged his shoulders, then hurried to the kitchen after Lee Hyun.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t suit the onomatopoeia ‘trot’ like him.”

At someone’s words, cheerful laughter erupted behind the two. It was a lively atmosphere that had not been heard in the house for a long time.

There was a slight distance between the dining room where the multi-person dining table was placed and the kitchen. Nevertheless, the guests’ jokes and laughter could be heard vividly in the kitchen. Thanks to that, Lau and Lee Hyun chuckled throughout the dessert preparation.

Lee Hyun placed the large whole cake on the cake stand, and Lau took out dessert plates from the cabinet according to the number of guests. Lau, who brought the plates to the counter, stroked Lee Hyun’s shoulder and asked affectionately.

“Are you sleepy? Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m a little sleepy, but I’m okay for now. It’s fun to have everyone together after a long time. I want to hang out a little longer.”

“I’m glad then.”

Lau gently pulled Lee Hyun’s shoulder and kissed his partner’s temple. Then, with a slightly excited expression, he asked Lee Hyun.

“Shall we take out ‘that’ now?”

Lee Hyun nodded with a smile, and Lau brought out a bundle from the pantry connected to the kitchen. It was a shopping basket containing several small paper boxes.

“So when are you going to announce it? I’m dying to know!”

Someone shouted loudly at the hosts from the dining room with playfulness.

Lau and Lee Hyun, who were transferring the boxes to a large tray, looked at each other and smiled.

As Lau appeared with the cake and plates, and Lee Hyun with the tray containing the boxes, the guests’ attention was focused all at once.

“Oh, what is that?”

“Is it a gift?”

The reaction wasn’t bad.

A cream-colored box with a cream-colored ribbon was placed in front of each guest. Cream white was the color the two hosts chose for their wedding attire.

Some shook the box, while others held it up high and shone it in the light. Leo, the only young guest, was the first to untie the ribbon and open the box.

“It’s a balloon! Dad, it’s a balloon!”

As soon as Leo shouted excitedly, Lau immediately advised the child’s father.

“You have to prick it with a pin, so be careful, Leo.”

Led by Leo, all the other guests opened their boxes as well.

A small balloon inside the paper box and a small pin attached to the box to pop the balloon. Im Morae and Seo Yi-han were the first to realize what it was for. That’s because they also held a Gender reveal

party for Parang’s surrogate mother.

“I thought you weren’t going to have a Gender reveal, when did you prepare this?”

“Because we said we’d throw you a party.”

“No, we’re not going to do it that formally.”

Lee Hyun, who was standing side by side with Lau in front of the table, smiled faintly. Becoming the main character of the party was still embarrassing for Lee Hyun.

“Did you two invite us to dinner and then make this during the day?”

“You two are so cute, so cute.”

The other guests also held a box in their hands and enjoyed it like children.

“What is it? How do you do it?”

Michelle kindly explained to Yooni, who had no idea how Gender reveals usually proceed.

“It says here on the box. Purple for a daughter, yellow for a son.”

Leo’s father, who had the child sitting on his lap, also explained to the boy, who was showing interest in the balloon.

“Leo, Kun and Lee Hyun’s baby. If it’s a sister, purple, if it’s a brother, yellow paper will come out of the balloon.”

Lau, who was leaning over with his hands on the edge of the table, made eye contact with Leo and asked.

“Leo, would you like purple or yellow to come out?”

“Purple!”

The child raised his arm high without hesitation and shouted coolly.

“Purple? Why?”

“Parang and I are both boys, so I think it would be nice to have a girl to play with.”

Lau and Lee Hyun exchanged glances and smiles that only they could recognize after hearing Leo’s answer.

“Leo, one, two, three, we’re all going to pop it together, okay?”

One, two, three.

Pop, pop pop, pop.

Someone couldn’t prick it all at once and the air leaked out with a hiss. However, most of them popped the balloons almost simultaneously with a very short time difference.

There was a moment of silence in the dining room.

It was purple confetti that scattered on the table and floor as the balloons burst.

“Lee Hyun, is it a daughter?”

It was Im Morae’s excited voice that broke the silence first. Lee Hyun smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Nuna. Our Didi, it’s a daughter.”

“No way. What a beautiful baby it will be!”

Im Morae got up from her seat and approached Lee Hyun. Not only her, but all the other guests followed and stood up. They hugged the two hosts or kissed them on the cheek, congratulating and blessing them.

“Daughter-obsessed Lau Wikun, we can already predict it, right?”

Seo Yi-han nudged Lau’s arm and joked, and the other guests threw in a word each.

“Aren’t you going to carry her around so she can’t even walk on two feet?”

“How are you going to let her get married when she’s so precious?”

Lau shrugged his shoulders and frowned.

“Are we already talking about getting her married? What about all the steps in between?”

Yooni and Michelle gathered the confetti that had fallen on the table and sprinkled it on Lau and Lee Hyun’s heads. Lau took off a piece of paper stuck to Lee Hyun’s face and made a fuss to the guests.

“Okay, now that we know our Didi’s gender, everyone go home. Lee Hyun is tired.”

“I just ate one bite of cake. And you’re kicking us out?”

Seo Yi-han raised his fork and made an unfair expression. Baek Yooni took a piece of cake on her plate and continued Seo Yi-han’s words.

“They say that if a husband makes his wife feel wronged when she’s pregnant, it lasts a lifetime. But when I asked Lee Hyun, he said he really didn’t feel wronged even a little bit.”

“It’s no wonder. He’s so devoted.”

“But aren’t we wronged? Lee Hyun has been so cold to us since he got pregnant?”

Moonlight poured in through the large window next to the table. The purple confetti scattered around the table sparkled as if it had come to life under the moonlight.

■ ■ ■

It was past 11 p.m. when they returned after seeing the guests off outside the gate. It had been quite a while since Lee Hyun had been awake until this hour.

As soon as he closed the front door and they were alone, Lau lightly hugged Lee Hyun’s back and stroked his hair. Lee Hyun’s complexion looked a little tired.

“Are you tired?”

“A little.”

“Go in and wash up first.”

“What about Kun?”

“I’ll just move the dishes to the kitchen and go in. Seo Yi-hyun should lie down quickly.”

Even though the housekeeper would take care of the dishes and cleaning up the next day, it was Lau’s habit to at least move the dishes himself.

“I’ll do it with you.”

“We agreed not to feel sorry for things like this.”

Lee Hyun stroked Lau’s arm and nodded after a moment’s pause.

“Then, please.”

Lau watched Lee Hyun’s back as he walked down the hallway toward the bedroom, sighed, and walked to the dining room.

The table where seven people, including Leo, had eaten and drank was quite messy. It took longer than he thought to move the dishes and roughly clean up the confetti that had fallen on the floor and table.

He turned off the lights in the dining room and kitchen and checked the front door again. He closed the curtains on the living room window and turned off the living room lights just before entering the hallway.

As it became dark all around, the faint light leaking from the end of the hallway felt very bright.

Warm lamplight was flowing from the crack in the bedroom door, which was open about a hand’s breadth. Lau smiled at the light, which was like a signal that Lee Hyun was waiting for him.

As Lau expected, Lee Hyun was asleep.

With pillows propped up against the head of the bed, leaning against it.

He had been trying to wait for Lau without falling asleep.

Lau first adjusted the brightness of the light to be darker. Then he sat in the armchair next to the bed and watched Lee Hyun sleeping for a while.

The hustle and bustle of just a while ago felt like a distant past, and the room was only quiet. Only Lee Hyun’s regular breathing could be heard comfortably.

Whether it was an unconscious action or not, Lee Hyun had his left hand resting on his stomach. As if protecting the belly that had just begun to bulge slightly. Lau carefully placed his left hand on top of that hand.

Under the two hands that were overlapping, their baby was breathing healthily.

Lau sometimes couldn’t believe that a human being could give such happiness to another person. Am I making Seo Yi-hyun this happy? As much as Seo Yi-hyun makes me happy?

Maybe not. It wouldn’t be. It didn’t seem like it could be this much happiness.

However, he was sure that he would love Lee Hyun with all his heart, body, mind, and life. Just like he had promised him someday, he would protect Lee Hyun’s choices and hopes with everything he had. And now, not only Lee Hyun, but also Lee Hyun and the baby. This miraculous being that Lee Hyun is sacrificing, enduring, and raising in his body.

Seo Yi-han was right that the honeymoon doesn’t end just because you have a baby.

Life with Lee Hyun will be a honeymoon every day.

The matching rings on the overlapping hands shone faintly like moonlight.

As Lau himself had bitterly criticized, even diamonds were not eternal. But he knew that this light, the light emitted by his Diamond Dust, would not fade.

Forever. Or for a very long time, close to eternity, it was a light that would illuminate the two as one.

Diamond Dust Side Story 2

Diamonds are Forever

The End

3 – Chapter (Text/Section0003.html)

A traditional skewer dish from the Malay region. Each piece is relatively small.

Revealing the gender of a fetus to people around you. Or it can also mean a party for that.