By Zephyria 
Haon flinched, his shoulders trembling, and turned his head toward the sound. A man was just getting up from the sofa. Haon was sure the sofa had been empty when he looked a moment ago; he must have been lying down in a way that made him invisible.
“You’re hungry, right?”
The man gave a pleasant smile as he looked at Haon’s face, which looked as though he had slept deeply. Drawn in by that soft smile, the corners of Haon’s mouth reflexively curled upward.
“It’s late, so would you like some porridge?”
“Ah, no. I’m okay.”
Haon cast his eyes downward, fearing he might stare at the man’s face again. In the bright light, the man’s handsome features were far more striking.
“Um… I should be going now.”
He continued speaking while trying his best to avoid looking at the man. Since this was a house and not a hotel, he felt a sense of relief knowing he wouldn’t have to worry about money. He felt that if the man simply let him go, he could return home with a light heart.
“You’re leaving now?”
The man took a step closer. Haon glanced up and gave a small “Yes” in response. In the bright light, he noticed the man had light brown hair. It was a color that suited his translucent skin perfectly.
“It’s too late. Just sleep here and leave tomorrow.”
“It’s okay. I’ll go now.”
Avoiding his gaze again, Haon shook his head. He had to go to work tomorrow, so he had no room for leisure. Having spent an entire day sleeping was already a significant blow to Haon’s finances.
“Thank you for letting me stay.”
He gave a polite bow and looked around for the exit. The house was so vast that he didn’t even know where the front door was.
“You’re going like that?”
While glancing at the man and searching for the entrance, Haon belatedly looked down at himself with an “Ah.” He had forgotten he was only wearing a robe.
“I’ll get your clothes, so go wait in the room.”
Turning his back to Haon, the man walked away with slow strides. Perhaps because his legs were long, even though he walked slowly, his pace was twice as fast as Haon’s.
Haon stared blankly at his retreating figure before returning to the bedroom. Now that he looked closer, the man was quite tall.
Knock, knock.
Reacting immediately to the soft knock, Haon quickly opened the door. He had intentionally stood near the door.
When he faced the small part of the man’s face peeking through the gap, the man chuckled and handed over some clothes and a shopping bag.
“Take your time getting dressed and then come out.”
Looking at the clothes, which were folded as neatly as items displayed in a store, Haon momentarily wondered if they weren’t his. But what was this shopping bag?
“This is….”
Haon tilted his head, awkwardly holding the shopping bag the man had pushed toward him along with the clothes. There were also clothes inside the black shopping bag.
“Take them. They were at my house, so they aren’t new. If you don’t like them, you can just leave them behind.”
Then, without giving Haon a chance to ask, he closed the door.
Standing before the softly closed door, Haon looked down at the weight in both hands, feeling puzzled. Why did he give him more clothes? He had already laundered his own.
Carrying this curiosity, he first went to the bed and took off the robe. As he carefully picked up his ironed sweatshirt, he smelled a scent he had never encountered before. Because it smelled good, he pressed his nose against the fabric for a moment and sniffed.
The more he saw of the man, the more he seemed like a truly good person. He had experienced his clothes being torn before, but this was the first time a partner he had slept with had washed and even ironed his clothes.
Yes, he is definitely a kind person.
Thinking about it again, the fact that his body hurt more than usual was probably just because he was in poor condition. He couldn’t imagine a man like that handling his body roughly. He was completely different from the other Alphas he had met.
“Huh?”
After putting on the top, Haon paused as he leaned down to pick up his pants. The collar of the thin sweatshirt was severely stretched, as if someone had grabbed it violently. Since that part had been folded inward, he hadn’t noticed when he received it.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a mark of someone being grabbed by the collar. Seeing that, his body suddenly tensed up.
Haon fumbled with the loose collar before taking the sweatshirt off again. Since his collarbones would be fully visible if he wore it, he chose the new clothes the man had given him. He also wore the pants the man provided.
I need to leave quickly.
He hurriedly put his own clothes in the shopping bag, tidied the blanket on the bed, and stepped out. He felt he had been too complacent in a stranger’s house, especially when he didn’t even know who the person was.
Carrying the shopping bag containing his shabby clothes, he went out into the living room. Wondering if the man was lying on the sofa again, he cautiously approached the center of the room and spoke.
“Excuse me….”
However, the man was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t on the sofa, in the kitchen, or in any other room. Should he just sneak out? Just as he was contemplating this…
“Are you really not hungry?”
The man, walking out from the end of the hallway, asked. For some reason, he had also changed his clothes.
“I can heat up some porridge for you quickly.”
At the sight of the man’s kind demeanor as he pointed toward the kitchen, Haon’s guard crumbled once again. It couldn’t be easy to build a wall against a man who spoke such gentle words with a face like that. At least for Haon, it was difficult.
“I’m really okay. I have trouble digesting things if I eat at night.”
He muttered a plausible excuse while rubbing his stomach. Having engaged in intense exercise all day, he should have been hungry, but he had no appetite at all.
“Thank you for the clothes.”
Approaching the man, Haon gripped the handles of the black shopping bag tightly. He didn’t bother asking about the state of his own clothes. It was easier to just pretend he hadn’t seen it.
“I guess this happens often for you.”
The man, who had been watching Haon, suddenly tilted his head slightly. Haon’s expression, which had been smiling in gratitude, wavered.
“You seem used to it. You aren’t surprised, and you didn’t even ask who I am.”
Ah, I looked used to it.
Haon scratched his cheek, hesitating to answer. He wasn’t exactly “used to it,” but he wasn’t particularly surprised either.
The only way to suppress a sudden heat was sex with an Alpha. Since his body didn’t respond to medication, he couldn’t use suppressants and had no choice but to rely on Alphas.
“It’s just… not a rare occurrence.”
Not knowing how much to reveal, he trailed off ambiguously. Since he and the man were destined to part ways after a simple greeting, there was no need to explain his circumstances in detail.
Above all, Haon didn’t want others to know about his peculiar physical symptoms. There were occasionally people who showed strange curiosity and interest upon hearing about his abnormal heat symptoms. Although he didn’t think this man would be like that, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
“Do you remember coming here?”
The man, with his arms crossed, continued his questioning. Haon answered by faintly shaking his head. He had no memory of meeting the man or entering this house. He lost his memory every time a heat hit. That was why he hadn’t been panicked when he woke up in the man’s bed.
As these things accumulated, he no longer wondered why he was here or who that Alpha was. He only hoped this situation would pass quickly. He only thought about erasing this stranger from his memory as soon as possible.
Digging deeper only led to more heartache. The one who always ended up hurt was Haon, not the Alpha. It was always that way.
“Shall I explain?”
At the soft voice, Haon shook his head side to side even faster.
“You don’t have to tell me.”
He could live perfectly fine without knowing. He just wanted to go home quickly, cover himself with a blanket, and fall asleep. He needed to get at least some sleep before work, if only to preserve his already weak stamina.
“How old are you?”
Startled by the sudden question, Haon blinked. Why ask about his age all of a sudden?
The man, now wearing a slightly stiff expression, looked closely at Haon’s face as if gauging his age.
“…You’re not a minor, are you?”
“No, I’m not! I’m twenty-one!”
A vehement denial burst out at the man’s serious tone. It was a common misunderstanding due to his youthful appearance.
Seeing the frown on the man’s forehead, Haon fumbled through his pockets for his ID. However, since he was wearing the man’s clothes and not his own, there was no way his wallet would be there.
Come to think of it, neither his wallet nor his phone was in sight. He might have left them in the locker at the changing room. He prayed he hadn’t lost them.
“I’m really not a minor.”
Having nothing to prove, Haon’s voice trailed off, sounding discouraged. When the man let out a faint sigh, Haon’s shoulders hunched. He really wasn’t.
“I get it.”
The man stared at Haon, who was biting his lower lip, and then turned around. He looked back at Haon once as if telling him to follow, then walked ahead.
He must be walking him to the front door. Clutching his aching lower back, Haon followed the man, walking as fast as he could. Perhaps hearing the hurried footsteps, the man’s pace naturally slowed down.