By Zephyria At the unexpected words, Yu-jin was dumbfounded. It was surprising enough that the man had appeared in such a state, but what on earth was he saying now.”What are you doing here? Showing up out of nowhere.”
Yu-jin asked, carefully lowering his voice so as not to wake his daughter. But Winston, as if not caring in the slightest, glared at Yu-jin and muttered harshly.
“Daring to slip away without permission, don’t you remember the terms of our contract? Shall I remind you of each and every one?”
Why he was so angry, Yu-jin couldn’t fathom. Frustration welled up, and he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“I sleep with you, isn’t that enough? Do I have to sleep next to you as well?”
Winston paused for a moment. Suddenly, silence descended. He opened his mouth at Yu-jin’s face, filled with emotion and glaring at him, but instead of saying something, he let out a short, dumbfounded gasp.
“Alright, let’s leave that aside for now.”
Yu-jin wanted to argue why he was just glossing over it, but Winston spoke first.
“How on earth did you find this storage room? I didn’t even know there was a space like this in my house. Did you think I wouldn’t find you if you hid here?”
Yu-jin was anxious that his daughter would wake up and see this mess, but there was no way Winston would consider such a situation. Well, of course, he thought. Who in the world would dare to stop Winston Campbell from doing what he wanted?
“Hide? Me?”
Yu-jin retorted, dumbfounded, and Winston narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brow.
“Am I wrong?”
Winston deliberately scanned the storage room as if emphasizing the point. But the cramped space didn’t require much time. In barely three seconds, his gaze returned to Yu-jin’s face, filled with accusation. As if daring him to say something. Of course, there was plenty to say.
“We’ve been living here since we first came to this mansion. What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
For the first time, Winston hesitated.
“……What?”
He opened his mouth after a pause. Winston’s expression looked genuinely innocent, as if he really didn’t know anything. But Yu-jin wasn’t fooled.
“We’ve been living in this room since we first came here. So, it’s only natural that we’d come back here, right? Oh, did you not know? Well, now you do. Goodbye.”
It was meant as a request for him to leave, but Winston didn’t budge. His gaze scanned the room again. This time he took a little longer, but it still only took a few seconds.
“You’re not trying to say that I deliberately stuck you in this storage room, are you?”
Even if it wasn’t deliberate, wasn’t he at least condoning it? The thought suddenly occurred to him, but even if that wasn’t the case, he didn’t care. What mattered now was Angela.
“I don’t care.”
“You don’t care?”
Winston repeated Yu-jin’s cold words. Yes, Yu-jin nodded, frowning as he continued.
“It seems like we’re done talking, so could you please leave? The child is sleeping.”
As if to show him, he glanced down at Angela, and Winston also shifted his gaze in the same direction. Confirming that Yu-jin was covering both ears of the still-sleeping child with his hands, Winston wore a fierce expression.
“Come out, we’re not done talking.”
Perhaps because of the child, his voice was low and quiet. It was clear he was suppressing his emotions, but Yu-jin still didn’t budge.
“Come out before I drag you out, right now.”
Winston spat out, grinding his teeth. His eyes turned golden as he spoke. When Yu-jin felt goosebumps all over his body, Angela stirred slightly from below and slowly opened her eyes.
“Daddy?”
Yu-jin was startled and looked down, his daughter rubbing her still-sleepy eyes and sitting up.
“Angie, baby.”
Yu-jin stammered, unsure what to do with the hands that had been covering the child’s ears until then. Angela tilted her head, looking around, and accidentally met Winston’s eyes.
“Angie, that, well, that person is.”
Yu-jin, momentarily flustered, opened his mouth to try and explain somehow, but nothing came to mind properly. In his haste, he mumbled vaguely.
“That, Angie. That person is the owner of this house. You should say hello. Mr. Campbell, hello. Go on, say it.”
Just as he was about to hug the child’s waist and pretend to bow slightly, Yu-jin suddenly realized that Angela’s reaction was strange.
“Angie?”
Before he could ask what was wrong, Angela suddenly burst into tears and jumped into Yu-jin’s arms.
“Daddy, Daddy, waaaah!”
“Angie.”
He hurriedly tried to hug the child, but unexpectedly, Angela grabbed onto Yu-jin’s body and went behind him.
Huh?
Caught off guard, he tried to grab the child’s body and pull her forward into a hug, but Angela desperately resisted, trying to hide behind Yu-jin with all her might, crying even louder. Why was she doing this? Yu-jin, at a loss, paused as he tried to soothe his daughter again. The child, hiding behind Yu-jin’s waist, was trembling as she stared in one direction.
The direction of her gaze was clear. Yu-jin slowly turned his head and met Winston’s eyes, his expression clearly bewildered. He had noticed it too.
The child was crying because of him.
“Leave, you’re scaring her.”
Yu-jin spat out in a strong tone. Deep wrinkles formed on Winston’s brow, but he didn’t back down.
“I said leave! Close the door and disappear right now! Quickly!”
Forcibly raising his voice and shouting, Winston finally let out a dumbfounded breath and opened his mouth.
“We’re not done talking, let’s do this again soon.”
He said, grinding his teeth as if warning, then turned and grabbed the doorknob. He was worried, but thankfully, the sound of the door closing was very soft and peaceful. Yu-jin was grateful that Winston hadn’t vented his anger on the door.
Once they were finally alone, Yu-jin turned his arms and pulled the child, who was still clinging tightly to his shirt, towards him.
“He’s gone now, you can come out.”
He soothed the child in a gentler voice than usual, and this time she was easily pulled out.
“Daddy.”
“Yes.”
Angela called out to Yu-jin in a voice still filled with sobs and hugged his neck. Yu-jin hugged the child as if to reassure her and patted her back, then asked carefully.
“Why did you suddenly do that? Did you have a scary dream?”
No, the child shook her head.
“It smelled like……”
“Huh? Smell?”
Yu-jin asked, puzzled by his daughter’s mumbling, drawing out the end of her words, and Angela barely pulled away and looked at Yu-jin’s face.
“Didn’t Daddy smell it? There was a really sweet scent. It wasn’t like candy, and it wasn’t cake either… it was a reeeally sweet smell. I think it was coming from that, Mr. Campbell.”
Pheromone.
Yu-jin immediately recognized the identity of the scent. Although he couldn’t smell it, Angela was fine, so she must have smelled the scent clearly.
But to be so scared and trembling like this.
Perhaps it was because Yu-jin was an omega, but when he had smelled Winston’s scent before, he hadn’t felt any fear at all. Rather, his scent had made Yu-jin feel so good that he had wanted to smell it even more.
But why.
Suddenly, something came to mind. When was the timing of Angela waking up?
When Winston’s eyes turned golden.
Only then did Yu-jin realize. Angela had woken up startled by the scent. Pheromones can seduce someone, but they can also threaten them. Winston’s pheromones, filled with anger, must have instilled fear in the child.
If I could smell the scent, this wouldn’t have happened.
He was upset with his own insensitivity. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He had clearly seen the color of his eyes change. He couldn’t smell the scent, but he could see it. You idiot, you moron!
“It’s okay, Angie. Nothing will happen now.”
He was frustrated again that those were the only words he could say to soothe the child, but nothing would change. As Yu-jin, he could only hold her tightly until his daughter calmed down.
It was late in the afternoon when the Butler came to their room and told them to move their belongings.