06 – The Pit of Misunderstanding

Wearing glasses and typing on his laptop, Eun-soo let out a faint moan, “Ahhh…” and collapsed onto the table. As it approached midnight, Eun-soo was working because he couldn’t sleep. But his body was shivering. His entire body throbbed as if he had a severe cold.

Since ‘that’ incident at the hotel, his physical condition had worsened day by day. Now, even just sitting still, his bangs were damp with cold sweat.

The doctor had asked, almost accusingly, if he was in continuous contact with an Alpha, given that his pheromone levels weren’t dropping at all, and Eun-soo had lied and said yes.

With Do-kwon gone, who could he possibly be in contact with? The perceptive doctor said it would be okay to contact another Alpha, and that simply sharing pheromones in the same space would be effective, but Eun-soo hated the idea terribly.

It wasn’t cheating, nor was it doing something bad—it was for the sake of his own body—but somehow it felt like he was doing something wrong to Do-kwon.

In truth, Eun-soo… was punishing himself in solitude. None of ‘that’ incident, not a single moment of it, had been Eun-soo’s intention, yet his heart felt heavy as if he had committed a grave crime.

But he hadn’t expected his physical condition to deteriorate this much.

“Haa…”

Eun-soo stared blankly at the large living room window. The window was damp from the rain that had fallen since early evening. Because of that, the Seoul night was blurred and glowed turbidly.

That made it feel more desolate and cold. He felt lonelier and more solitary. Before his parents passed away, back when he was an active college student, he thought he liked rainy days. He had enjoyed the peculiar noisy silence and the damp atmosphere of the rain. He used to get intoxicated by the feeling of being an adult.

But now, he was just… just sad.

Even at the late hour of midnight, Eun-soo stared for a long time at the lights scattering busily. Then, his eyes met the small shoes placed on the table.

They were baby shoes he had brought from Do-kwon’s house once. He hadn’t even been able to open the box because they were too precious.

Eun-soo carefully stroked the shoe box with his fingertips. He saw them every day, yet every time he did, he found himself lost in thought. He didn’t know why shoes so small that only his finger could barely fit in them were so fascinating and lovely.

How long had he been like that? His stomach began to throb again.

Eun-soo wrapped both hands around his stomach and rubbed his forehead against the cold table.

The pain was getting worse. Bomi must be hurting as much as he was. Just as the doctor said, should he just… just meet another Alpha? Since he didn’t necessarily have to engage in skinship, wouldn’t it be okay? After thinking that, he let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

Taking off his glasses, Eun-soo slowly stood up and headed to the kitchen. Among the piles of supplements and vitamins, he found the hormone suppressants.

He had taken six today. Since it’s past midnight, it should be okay to take one more.

With such a cowardly thought, he opened the lid.

The doctor had said so. Regardless of who was around, whether he had to hide his pheromones or not, he should take suppressants frequently. Although suppressants weren’t good for a pregnant body, the exploding pheromones were a bigger problem right now, so he was told to think of it as killing a large bacterium with a small one. However, the doctor added that he shouldn’t exceed six a day.

Placing a pale pill in his hand, Eun-soo closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. Even though it hadn’t been long since he showered, his spine was damp with cold sweat. He felt he should take the medicine, wash up lightly again, and go to sleep.

Since tomorrow was the weekend, it would be okay to sleep in a bit. And he should go to Do-kwon’s house again.

Just as Eun-soo poured lukewarm water from the purifier and was about to put the pill in his mouth…

Thump, thump, thump.

The front door rang.

The knocking was so powerful that Eun-soo’s shoulders jumped in surprise.

With a glass of water in one hand and the pill in the other, Eun-soo peeked his head out into the entrance hallway.

Fortunately, the front door was intact and not broken. Eun-soo let out a sigh of relief.

But as he cautiously approached the front door, thump, thump, thump! The door rang again. It felt as if someone were trying to break the door down with a massive iron ball.

Eun-soo looked at the door with frightened eyes. Could it be that man he met at the hotel? How did he find out where he lived? Then again, the man knew his heat cycle, knew he was seeing Do-kwon, and had even mimicked his pheromones; there was no reason he wouldn’t know the home address.

I have to… I have to report this to the police…

Just as Eun-soo turned around, a faint, familiar scent brushed past the tip of his nose.

“…”

With an expression as if possessed, Eun-soo turned back. Then, he hesitantly approached the entrance. As he did, the scent he had caught a glimpse of began to grow clearer and clearer.

It was Do-kwon’s pheromone.

Eun-soo stood before the front door, his face quite flushed, when a sudden chill ran through him. He was struck by the suspicion that the man might be stealing Do-kwon’s pheromones again to impersonate him.

It was just as Eun-soo was about to press his eye against the peephole in the center of the door.

“……Yoo Eun-soo.”

A chillingly low voice flowed turbidly through the gap in the door. Eun-soo’s eyes widened. It was Do-kwon’s voice. It was definitely Do-kwon’s voice.

Startled, Eun-soo dropped the glass of water and the pill he was holding. The pill skittered lightly across the floor, and the heavy mug fell with a dull thud. The mug, which miraculously didn’t break, splashed water everywhere.

Eun-soo hurriedly opened the door.

“Do-kwon?”

Before he could even face Do-kwon through the open door, the man’s scent poured over Eun-soo like a thick fog. Because the entire world was drenched in rain, his scent felt even more intense.

Smelling him like this, he felt entirely different from the man he had met at the hotel.

It was a pheromone that was far more distinct, erotic, comforting, yet stimulating.

“Do-kwon, where were you?”

Eun-soo grabbed Do-kwon’s hand. Then, suddenly, he noticed a foreign scent. The smell of alcohol.

Do-kwon could drink well. However, he usually drank just enough to enjoy with good food; he wasn’t the type to drink so heavily that the smell of alcohol stung the tip of one’s nose.

Eun-soo scanned Do-kwon with an anxious gaze.

Do-kwon was dressed in a suit. However, he didn’t look as neat as he did at the office. He wore no tie, a couple of shirt buttons were undone, and his jacket and pants were heavily wrinkled. If not for his handsome looks, he looked like a homeless person who had been wandering the streets for days.

“…….”

While Eun-soo examined him with a look of horror, Do-kwon said nothing. He simply stared at Eun-soo with clouded eyes.

Eun-soo tried his best to ignore that gaze. It was because he had realized why Do-kwon had appeared before him in this state. He had tried to comfort himself that it wasn’t true, that such a coincidence couldn’t exist. It seemed Do-kwon was standing firmly in the middle of the very thing he had feared.

“First, first, come inside.”

Eun-soo pulled Do-kwon’s arm and led him into the house. Do-kwon entered Eun-soo’s home without a word.

After closing the door tightly, Eun-soo gazed up at Do-kwon, who stood right in front of him. Do-kwon was also staring at Eun-soo. Do-kwon’s pupils, devoid of a single sliver of light, were pitch black. Because of that, Eun-soo could not gauge at all what Do-kwon was thinking or what emotion he was feeling.

He was simply desperately afraid, terrified.

Fidgeting with his fingers, Eun-soo cast his eyes down slightly and asked.

“Did… something… happen?”

It was a cowardly question. It was a cunning and mean question.

But he had no choice. It might not be what he thought. It might not be his fault that Do-kwon was in this state. If Do-kwon didn’t know, and if it could be hidden, he wanted to hide it by any means.

Because he didn’t have the slightest desire to be branded as a promiscuous Omega by Do-kwon.

At that, Do-kwon’s lips twisted into a smirk.

“Did something happen?”

“…….”

Eun-soo let out a silent, sharp breath. Then, Do-kwon stepped closer, pressing right up against him. It was a distance so close that his breathing faintly tickled Eun-soo’s forehead. Eun-soo, not knowing what to do, could only roll his eyes.

Then, Do-kwon spoke in a tone like an actor in a play.

“Ah, something. Yes, something. Did happen.”

Do-kwon’s low voice scraped harshly against the shell of his ear. Moreover, his excessively thick pheromones made Eun-soo’s mind go hazy.

Eun-soo put strength into his trembling knees.

Having suffered pheromone shock, Eun-soo’s senses had been on edge for twenty-four hours a day, like an Omega right before a heat cycle. In such a state, encountering Do-kwon’s voice and pheromones was no different from another form of heat inducer.

As Eun-soo instinctively tried to step backward, Do-kwon roughly seized his wrist. Then, he yanked him forward and pressed his hand against his lower body.

“Your scent was so rampant from the hallway, Yoo Eun-soo. This part of me just won’t settle down.”

“Do, Do-kwon.”

Startled, Eun-soo tried to pull his hand away. The thick, hot volume was utterly bewildering.

No matter that they had known each other for two years, and that as an Alpha and Omega they had done everything imaginable in bed, it didn’t mean he was comfortable touching his lower body just like this.

Eun-soo tried to withdraw his hand somehow. However, he could not overcome Do-kwon’s strength. It was only natural, as Do-kwon was a man who could break Eun-soo’s wrist with sheer grip strength if he put his mind to it.

As Eun-soo squirmed like a frightened squirrel, a sneer crept into Do-kwon’s mouth. Do-kwon pushed Eun-soo backward just as he was. Eun-soo hit the wall with a thud.

“Ugh…….”

A suppressed groan escaped through Eun-soo’s teeth. It wasn’t that his back hurt. The problem was his shoulder, which hadn’t fully healed. The shoulder blade, where a dark bruise resided, triggered a stinging pain.

Do-kwon didn’t care whether Eun-soo frowned or not. He gripped Eun-soo’s chin, lifting it, and slowly lowered his head.

Eun-soo stared blankly at the approaching Do-kwon. Even then, his lips parted out of habit, preparing to accept him.

While leaking pheromones as if exploding due to the pheromone shock, a thirst and desire that could not be put into words had relentlessly stirred Eun-soo. In such a state, Do-kwon’s lips would feel like a refreshingly brilliant oasis.

It was the moment their lips were about to touch.

“…….”

Do-kwon stopped abruptly. Then, he slightly tilted his head, bypassing the lips to bury his face in the crook of the neck. It was a moment that made Eun-soo’s parted lips feel embarrassing.

Do-kwon kept his nose buried in Eun-soo’s neck for quite a while. In the meantime, the entryway sensor light went out. The house, which was already silent, became even quieter. All that could be heard was the sound of rain tapping on the window in the distance and the breathing of the two men.

Eun-soo quietly inhaled Do-kwon’s pheromones. Like someone who had barely made it to shore after being underwater, he drank and drank. It felt as if his tingling, twisted insides were finding their place. The blood that had been traveling through his veins like shards of glass became much smoother.

Yet, it wasn’t enough. During the few days Do-kwon had disappeared, how much had he missed and craved him?

Eun-soo’s pupils melted languidly. He knew he shouldn’t, but he wanted to touch Do-kwon more. He wanted to throw off these useless clothes he was wearing and feel his skin and body heat entirely.

But Eun-soo knew very well that now was not the time. He wasn’t that oblivious, nor was he that impatient. He had endured nearly a week of Do-kwon’s disappearance. Enduring a few more hours was nothing.

With blurred eyes, Eun-soo looked at the suppressant that had fallen on the floor. He had to put that in his mouth first.

“Do-kwon, just a… moment… just a moment…”

Eun-soo pushed Do-kwon’s shoulder. At that, Do-kwon snapped his head up. His eyes, which had been merely black until a moment ago, were now filled with bloodshot veins. It felt as if he had become a different person in an instant.

While Eun-soo, flustered by that face, froze, unable to do this or that, Do-kwon seized Eun-soo’s wrist with his large hand. Then, he strode into the house. Eun-soo was helplessly dragged along by the stubborn force.

“It hurts. It hurts, Do-kwon!”

It was the wrist he had sprained while falling off the bed while escaping from the man. The wrist that stung with pain even when typing or clicking a mouse. Being held like this, it hurt so much that his brain felt a stinging sensation.

But Do-kwon didn’t give Eun-soo a single glance. Instead, he scanned the house thoroughly. As if searching for someone hiding, as if digging through it.

The place where Do-kwon’s footsteps stopped was the bedroom. He roughly pushed open the half-open door, confirmed no one was there, and shoved Eun-soo onto the wide bed.

Falling helplessly, Eun-soo clutched his throbbing wrist. The swelling had barely been going down. It felt as if it would be swollen again by tomorrow.

As Eun-soo pouted in sorrow, Do-kwon climbed onto the bed.

The bedroom was dark because the lights were off. The only light seeping in was the living room light flowing through the gap in the door. With that light behind him, Do-kwon felt immense. Because of the deep shadow, it was impossible to tell what expression he was wearing.

Still, he could clearly feel the gloomy atmosphere he emanated. Beyond the stinging smell of alcohol, Do-kwon’s pheromones were pouring out like thick thorns. They were emitted so fiercely that the bedroom felt as if it would burst, filled to the brim with his scent.

Feeling a threat instinctively, Eun-soo shuffled backward. Even then, it was only at the level of wiggling his hips, so he was pulled right in front of Do-kwon in one go as Do-kwon grabbed his ankle and yanked.

And Do-kwon’s cold hand entered the pants hanging around his waist.

Terrified, Eun-soo gripped his waist tightly. However, he could not overcome Do-kwon’s strength. The loose band of the homewear swallowed Do-kwon’s hand without hesitation and slid straight down. Cold air brushed against his groin.

“Do, Do-kwon. Why are you doing this?”

“…….”

Despite Eun-soo’s protest, Do-kwon did not respond. The deep shadow cast over Do-kwon. The invisible face. The massive build. All of it made Do-kwon seem as if he weren’t Do-kwon. In other words… he overlapped with that blurred man he had met at the hotel.

Eun-soo’s heart beat heavily, thumping, thumping, thumping against his chest. His breathing became labored. He wished the light would be turned on…

It didn’t matter what expression Do-kwon was making. It was fine if he looked at him like trash, or glared at him with disgust. He just wanted proof that the person in front of him was Do-kwon.

At that moment, Do-kwon hooked a finger into Eun-soo’s drawers. With arms that had grown thin over the past few days, Eun-soo pushed wildly at Do-kwon’s chest.

“No, you can’t!”

Do-kwon lightly ignored Eun-soo’s hands. At that, Eun-soo grit his teeth. No matter why he was angry, this wasn’t how to vent it. No matter that he and Do-kwon were an Alpha and Omega, and that rubbing bodies was natural for their beings, this was not right.

Furthermore, the doctor had told him to avoid sexual intercourse. Pheromones were already surging from his body; if he had sex with him, he might foam at the mouth and faint.

It didn’t matter if he fainted. But it would have a bad effect on Bomi inside his belly. That was unacceptable.

Eun-soo clenched his fist tightly. Then, he struck Do-kwon’s cheekbone.

Smack. A fairly heavy sound echoed. Do-kwon’s head turned to one side. The hand that had half-lowered the drawers also loosened.

“I told you, don’t.”

Eun-soo growled in a low voice. Then, he quickly escaped from under Do-kwon and pulled up his drawers. His slightly exposed buttocks disappeared again.

Hiding his pounding heart, Eun-soo tried to act as if nothing were wrong. Then, as he looked at Do-kwon, a large hand filled his vision.

Do-kwon covered Eun-soo’s entire face with his large hand. Then, in that state, he pressed Eun-soo down onto the bed. Eun-soo collapsed as if crushed by a giant boulder. His nose and lips were pressed simultaneously against the hard, flat palm.

Startled, Eun-soo flailed his limbs, but his body was flipped over just like that. Do-kwon’s hand, which had been pressing his face, also disappeared. Not missing the chance, Eun-soo tried to bolt upright. However, both his hands were yanked back, and his arms were immediately bent and bound behind his back.

Do-kwon used only one hand. With one hand, he made all of Eun-soo’s resistance meaningless. Then, with that hand, he pressed Eun-soo’s back down firmly.

“Kh…”

Eun-soo let out a suppressed groan as his chest was pressed flat. He was suffocating. Because his chest was pressed, the pressure didn’t reach his stomach, but even that was precarious.

“Stop it! Stop it, Do-kwon!”

Feeling threatened, Eun-soo twisted his waist and shoulders wildly. His injured shoulder and pelvis throbbed, but he didn’t care in the slightest.

He hated this position with a shudder. Because his upper body was bent, his buttocks naturally rose upward; his limbs were immobile. It was such an Omega-like, Omega-ish position that he felt intensely ashamed and angry.

At this, Do-kwon let out an irritated breath. Then, he climbed on top of Eun-soo’s body and asked slowly in his characteristic bass voice against his ear.

“Why?”

“Wha, what?”

“Why can’t I?”

It was a strange question. It was no different from a moronic question like, ‘Tell me why you shouldn’t die.’ It was so absurd that no answer came.

As Eun-soo mumbled with his lips buried in the blanket, Do-kwon gripped Eun-soo’s gathered hands tightly and continued.

“It’s a back hole made to receive an Alpha anyway. Why can’t I?”

“Ugh… Do-kwon… Don’t… do something you’ll regret.”

Eun-soo warned in a turbid, pressed voice. It was a pathetic, insignificant warning, enough to make the listener feel embarrassed. Do-kwon’s Adam’s apple moved as he laughed.

“Regret? Who? Me?”

Having asked that, Do-kwon laughed again. It seemed Eun-soo’s words were very amusing. After chuckling for a while, his expression vanished in an instant. Then, he yanked down Eun-soo’s briefs, which had been precariously hanging.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do that.”

“Do-kwon!”

At the cold air brushing against his exposed buttocks and Do-kwon’s gaze plunging down upon them, Eun-soo twisted his body again. It was a much fiercer resistance than before. Gritting his teeth, Eun-soo squeezed out every bit of strength to writhe.

“…….”

The corners of Do-kwon’s mouth twitched and spasmed. Irritation surged at Eun-soo, who kept choosing the hard path. Do-kwon took a light breath. And then, he frowned deeply.

At that moment, Do-kwon’s pheromones—the maximum pheromones a Dominant Alpha could emit—roughly crushed Eun-soo. It was a pheromone that felt like a heavy rain shower, or perhaps a heavy snowfall. It quickly drenched Eun-soo’s body.

“…….”

Eun-soo couldn’t even scream. Like a small animal hit by a tranquilizer gun, he simply slumped over to the side. His breath hitched and twisted. Not only his hands and feet, but even his eyes, which were rolling aimlessly, were hard to control.

It was the first time in his life. To be exposed so defenselessly to such a raw and intense pheromone. It was only natural, as Do-kwon was the only Dominant Alpha among the Alphas he had met.

He had been with Do-kwon for a long time and had slept with him countless times, but Do-kwon had never intentionally emitted pheromones like this. He had always emitted them subtly, or just enough to be stimulating and teasing.

It was a pheromone like a fierce bombing. The pheromones being emitted now were not sexual appeal, but a threat and, simultaneously, violence.

Eun-soo felt the muscles of his entire body tremble. At the first-time stimulus, his internal organs twisted, straightened out, and then coiled again. The sound of his racing heart was enough to make his ears ache, and his vision turned red with the surging heat.

A war had broken out inside his body with bombs exploding and bullets flying, yet Eun-soo remained quiet. Only occasional whimpering groans escaped. Nothing was blocking Eun-soo, yet he could not move an inch.

Do-kwon looked down at such an Eun-soo. While doing so, he leisurely took off his clothes. He took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. Then, he gripped Eun-soo’s soft buttocks. The gap between the buttocks opened, revealing the back hole that twitched in response to the Alpha’s pheromones.

Fortunately or unfortunately, because the bedroom was dark, that movement was not visible.

Do-kwon didn’t bother with the effort of turning on the light. He didn’t have the mind for it, nor did he want to. It was because he didn’t want to see Eun-soo’s face.

“The smell of an Omega is vibrating like this. Why are you resisting?”

“Hng…”

“I’ll poke it for you right here.”

The tip of Do-kwon’s finger touched the folds. Eun-soo’s spine, faintly visible, flinched and spasmed. Do-kwon sneered as he rubbed the back hole of Eun-soo, which had already melted soft.

Since that brief moment after waking up in the hospital having lost his memory, he hadn’t recognized Eun-soo as an Omega. But being like this, the fact that Eun-soo was an Omega reached him very clearly and loudly.

Yes, in the end, he’s an Omega. An Omega who pants at Alpha pheromones, twists his body, and spreads his legs.

Do-kwon lay flat and rubbed his nose against the crook of Eun-soo’s neck. Then, he whispered lowly.

“I’m going to shove it in deep, stir it up, and fill you up completely. To the point where you’ll be sick of the sight of a cock for a while.”

Eun-soo’s fingers trembled violently at the rough voice brimming with lust. He stared at Do-kwon’s shadow moving slowly across the duvet. As he did, he began to lose track of whether this situation was reality or a dream.

His body was in pain, his mind was hazy, and his vision continued to crumble, causing his sense of reality to drift away.

Just then, the distinct sound of a trouser buckle being undone echoed clearly. Eun-soo’s languidly drooping eyelashes snapped upward.

Eun-soo tried to push himself up somehow. However, his limbs, completely conquered by Do-kwon’s pheromones, remained unresponsive.

While Eun-soo swam in the tidal wave created by Do-kwon’s pheromones, Do-kwon flipped him over like a piece of luggage, as Eun-soo had been lying diagonally. Soon, his buttocks were spread apart, and a heavy, hot piece of flesh pressed against his still-unrelaxed rear entrance.

At that moment,

“No… please…”

Eun-soo, managing to force words through his constricted throat, murmured in a voice that was barely audible.

Of course, Do-kwon acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. After splitting Eun-soo’s buttocks wide, he repeatedly pressed the glans firmly against the rim of the opening and pulled back.

With trembling fingertips, Eun-soo scratched the back of Do-kwon’s hand as if tickling him, pleading.

“No… Do-kwon… please…”

“Shut up, for once.”

It was then that Do-kwon irritably grabbed Eun-soo by the hair. A single tear streamed down Eun-soo’s cheek. Even in his darkened vision, that streak of a tear sparkled with a strange brilliance.

“Bomi… is hurting…”

Eun-soo spoke in a voice laced with tears.

“…”

At those words, Do-kwon froze. He stiffened, not even breathing, his eyelids not even flickering.

“If we… do it now… Bomi, Bomi will be in pain…”

With the hand that had been tickling Do-kwon’s hand, Eun-soo clutched his stomach. His belly felt cold. It was his own skin, yet it felt strangely cold. While his entire body radiated a scorching heat from Do-kwon’s pheromones, only his stomach remained chilled.

It was almost unbelievable that a life was sprouting inside him. He hadn’t been able to eat properly, hadn’t been able to say much, and had barely called the baby by name a few times because he was too embarrassed.

It was obvious that if he took Do-kwon now, his physical condition would worsen. Perhaps the worst-case scenario would arrive.

Eun-soo felt relieved that Do-kwon had stopped moving. He thought that the anger directed at him hadn’t reached Bomi. Just as Eun-soo swallowed his relief along with his tears…

Do-kwon picked up his jacket, which he had thrown on the bed. Eun-soo thought he was putting on his clothes to leave. But his movements, seen as a shadow, were somewhat strange.

Just as Eun-soo was wriggling his body to try and see Do-kwon, Do-kwon’s hand, spread wide like a bat, approached. Startled, Eun-soo instinctively shrank his neck, but Do-kwon gripped his chin violently.

“Kh…”

Under the immense grip, Eun-soo’s cheek was flattened, and his jaw was forced down, leaving his mouth agape like a goldfish. And through that gap, a slick piece of fabric was shoved in.

“Ugh, hmph, kh…”

It was a long, smooth, and sturdy piece of cloth, like a snake. For example… something like a necktie.

With a face like a demon who had just crawled up from hell, Do-kwon shoved the tie recklessly into Eun-soo’s mouth. Eun-soo’s small mouth was quickly filled. No, it was more than full; the rolled-up tie was on the verge of popping out. It pushed deep into his throat, making his uvula feel suffocated.

Eun-soo gagged, his chest heaving. Do-kwon looked down at him with a cold gaze. Then, he slowly withdrew his hand.

As if he had been waiting, Eun-soo tried to pull the tie out of his mouth. But there was no way Do-kwon would just watch that happen.

Do-kwon rolled up Eun-soo’s top with both hands. The loose, soft homewear was swept upward, instantly exposing his bare body.

As Eun-soo’s eyes widened, Do-kwon used the clothing draped over Eun-soo’s elbows to wrap and bind his wrists. The soft fabric instantly became a harsh rope.

Now, Eun-soo’s mouth was blocked and his hands were tied. No matter how you looked at it, this was not the appearance of sex that would occur between lovers.

Having finished preparing to handle Eun-soo as he pleased, Do-kwon carelessly swept back his bangs. Then, he immediately forced himself between Eun-soo’s buttocks.

Fortunately, Do-kwon’s member was not fully erect. Even so, it was large. Very, very large. Just the mere touch of that thick, hot thing against his rear entrance made every hair on Eun-soo’s body stand on end.

No, no. Don’t do it. Stop it.

Many words surged from within, but filtered through the necktie, the only sounds that survived were pathetic, muffled groans.

Tears streamed down the corners of Eun-soo’s eyes.

In this state, how was Do-kwon any different from that man?

How was this situation any different from that situation at the hotel?

Furthermore, that man had at least stopped when he heard he was pregnant. How could Do-kwon, knowing everything, act like such a demon?

While Eun-soo slid into a pit of confusion and despair, Do-kwon’s member began to invade his rear. Although his muscles were very melted due to Do-kwon’s pheromones, which had practically marinated his entire body, it wasn’t enough to accept him without any foreplay or preparation.

“Ugh…”

At the pain of feeling as if he were being torn apart, Eun-soo pressed his face hard into the duvet. Like someone trying to suffocate. He also bit down on the tie filling his mouth as if it were his sworn enemy.

Despite this, the presence of the member splitting his rear did not fade in the slightest. It was natural, as what had barely been the glans was now entering more and more.

“Kh…”

Do-kwon gritted his teeth at the tightly constricting inner walls. Even though piercing through the closed walls was far from pleasure, he stubbornly forced his member in. He could clearly feel Eun-soo’s body trembling. Feeling that seemed to dull his twisted heart, if only slightly.

Do-kwon continued to rummage recklessly into Eun-soo’s rear. Then, when his massive member had disappeared halfway, he paused for a moment. It was because the tightly blocked hole offered no pleasure at all.

“Relax.”

Do-kwon commanded in a low voice.

“Huu, ugh, h…”

Eun-soo slowly shook his head. Tears clinging to his eyelashes fell in droplets.

It didn’t mean he didn’t want it. It wasn’t defiance. Did he think he wanted to tense up? His body simply wouldn’t listen.

There had been no exchange of breath through sweet kisses, nor had his rear been gradually widened with fingers, so there was no way the entrance would be loose. It would be stranger if it just slid in and out without any preparation. He wasn’t some worn-out male prostitute.

Although Do-kwon’s pheromones were rampant in the air, as mentioned before, they were far from being sexually appealing. They were pheromones like knots or shackles that bound the body tight.

“…”

Do-kwon looked down at Eun-soo without a word. Then, he suddenly slid his hands under Eun-soo’s armpits, gripping one shoulder and the chest with each hand, and yanked him backward.

“Hmph!”

Eun-soo’s thin body snapped upright like a roly-poly toy. He was now in a position with his knees bracing the bed. Do-kwon’s chest pressed against his back. It was a hard, hot body.

Do-kwon let out a long breath in that position. That breath flowed into Eun-soo’s nostrils as he gasped for air through his nose, his mouth blocked. In that instant, Eun-soo’s pupils became hazily clouded. As if he had drunk heavily, or as if he hadn’t fully woken from sleep.

Then, the stiffly frozen rear entrance began to loosen little by little.

At this change in Eun-soo, a fishy smile played on Do-kwon’s lips. Then, without hesitation, he released his grip on Eun-soo’s body. Eun-soo collapsed forward. With his buttocks thrust up, his chest slammed into the bed, his bound hands left lying haphazardly, and an expression that looked more vacant than languid—it was a truly vulgar sight.

Do-kwon gripped Eun-soo’s waist. Then, he shoved back in the member that had slightly slipped out. Unlike before, the member entered much more smoothly.

Do-kwon pulled out slightly and then pushed in deep, repeating the motion as he dug into Eun-soo’s rear.

When Do-kwon’s member finally disappeared completely into Eun-soo’s hole, the two let out different kinds of groans.

“Huu…”

“Uhu, ugh…”

Do-kwon’s was from the satisfaction of the tight hole, and Eun-soo’s was from the overwhelming burden of the heavy, large volume.

Around then, Do-kwon’s rationality also began to unravel. It wasn’t just him emitting pheromones. Eun-soo was also releasing his pheromones without restraint. His brain was already hot from the alcohol he had poured in for days without sleep, and now it felt as if it were melting away in chunks.

Do-kwon toyed with Eun-soo’s twitching waist, enjoying the feeling for a moment. Eun-soo was staring at the duvet and the empty air with unfocused eyes.

After some time, Do-kwon lightly blew up his bangs that had fallen forward. Then, he pulled his member out halfway and slammed it back in slowly but deeply.

“Ugh…”

Eun-soo let out a short groan, his hips jerking. Do-kwon observed him. But the darkness was so thick that he couldn’t gauge what expression Eun-soo was making.

Twisting the corner of his lips, Do-kwon slid his hand down and gripped Eun-soo’s member. The hot, plump piece of flesh fit entirely in one hand. He had expected it to be limp, but the fact that it was half-erect was perfectly Omega-like. After confirming the state of erection, Do-kwon released his grip.

After that, Do-kwon continued his hip movements at will. He gripped Eun-soo’s buttocks and shoved in as much as he could, then moved teasingly with only the glans, and whenever Eun-soo’s reaction seemed to dull, he gouged the prostate sharply.

Because he knew Eun-soo—or rather, Eun-soo’s body—too well, the sex was even more desolate.

“Haa, haa…”

“Ugh, h, ugh…”

The sound of their breathing echoed hollowly in the spacious bedroom. The sound of rain occasionally tapping the window and a distant, muffled car horn could be heard.

“Uuung…”

With his hands, voice, and even his five senses and pleasure stripped away, Eun-soo was like a soulless doll or a cheap masturbation toy, swallowing whatever was shoved in and fluttering helplessly however he was shaken.

Eun-soo was slowly breaking down.

In this dry yet fierce act, Do-kwon’s rough movements, the pheromones he poured out, the blocked throat and bound wrists, the member pounding against his stomach, and even the anger that recklessly stirred his heart.

It had far exceeded the range of what Eun-soo could endure.

So how could he possibly hold on? He had no choice but to be conquered and sucked down to the bottom, into the pit, into the mire.

Eun-soo slowly closed his eyes.

The tears that had been soaking his eyes fell in droplets.

Eun-soo breathed sharply through his nose. Do-kwon’s movements continued for a very long time. The bedroom with the blackout curtains was dark, and the clock on the nightstand was invisible due to the angle, but since he had ejaculated inside his rear twice in a row, he could roughly estimate the time.

Eun-soo felt his consciousness gradually fading. Drenched in Do-kwon’s pheromones, he kept forgetting what the situation was and how he should react. He wanted to let go of his reason in the face of the desires for pleasure that surged up abruptly.

In fact, it seemed he had already let go. He was arching his waist in desperation because Do-kwon’s member wasn’t hitting the right spot. He was pushing his buttocks toward Do-kwon, hoping he would rub against a deeper place.

Eun-soo was an Omega. An Omega weak to the pleasure provided by an Alpha. An Omega created to obey an Alpha. Moreover, since Do-kwon was a Dominant Alpha, it was a miracle he had resisted and said no for this long.

“Uhu, ugh, ugh…”

Eun-soo’s fully erect member dripped a thin, cloudy fluid. The once-stiff rear entrance had become completely soft, and his groin was damp with the gushes of lubrication. Thanks to that, an obscene, squelching sound echoed in the bedroom every time Do-kwon moved.

At the sight of this, a fishy smile crept onto Do-kwon’s lips. He gripped Eun-soo’s pelvis tightly and pulled his member out to the glans. Eun-soo’s spine shivered.

Eun-soo looked back at Do-kwon with questioning eyes. Why? You haven’t even ejaculated, so why are you pulling out? That was the look in his eyes.

Reading that gaze even in the dark, Do-kwon let out a hollow laugh. Then, he pulled out the glans as well. A sound like a soap bubble bursting came from the rear entrance that had been tightly gripping Do-kwon’s member. Cold air seeped into the open hole. And Do-kwon’s semen, which had been pooled inside, flowed out slowly, mixing with the lubrication.

He hated that feeling so much. And he felt the loss of Do-kwon’s semen so acutely.

Eun-soo pressed his thighs together and rubbed his knees. If his mouth hadn’t been blocked by the tie, he looked as if he would have begged him to shove it back in.

Do-kwon roughly swept back his sweat-drenched bangs with one hand. Then, gripping Eun-soo’s thighs and waist, he flipped his body over. The thin body was easily overturned.

With hazy, unfocused eyes, Eun-soo hesitantly spread his legs. Then, he presented his buttocks squarely in front of Do-kwon. He was desperate. He wanted to swallow his member quickly and roll around in ecstasy. He wanted to mix their bodies obscenely until he simply died.

The more he thought this, the more intensely Eun-soo’s pheromones flowed. Do-kwon’s eyebrows twitched. He had intended to make Eun-soo anxious by not shoving it in for a while, but he couldn’t hold back himself.

Gritting his teeth, Do-kwon gripped both of Eun-soo’s knees and slammed his member in forcefully.

“Hieuk…”

At the volume filling his rear, Eun-soo’s eyes snapped open and his head jerked back. His slender neckline, drenched in sweat, glowed faintly even in the darkness.

Do-kwon leaned his upper body down and buried his nose there. Eun-soo’s scent and pheromones were sucked into his nostrils. His vision, which had already been blackened by the darkness, grew even blurrier.

Do-kwon thrust his hips faster than before. The feeling of Eun-soo’s heavily loosened rear entrance made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The way it tightened as if squeezing the member, then loosened softly as if caressing it, and then tightened again in a soft way felt like he had come to heaven.

“Haa, haa…”

Do-kwon grabbed Eun-soo’s buttocks and pulled him upward. While doing so, he hammered his member in. He hammered, shoved, forced, and rubbed.

“Huu, ugh, h…”

Eun-soo’s face, buried in the deep darkness, loosened lewdly. His bound hands fluttered, curling and uncurling. His distant toes were no different.

The piece of flesh filling his stomach was indescribably satisfying. He loved the round, hard glans that crushed and scraped his prostate, and he loved Do-kwon’s heavy testicles that thudded against his perineum.

Every time those large hands gripped his chest, where there was nothing to hold, or pinched his buttocks, his waist trembled. Whenever Do-kwon’s sweat dropped onto his forehead or cheek, his member twitched.

“Ah, uhu, kh…”

Eun-soo made animal-like sounds, scratching Do-kwon’s chest with his bound hands. He put all his strength into his waist and lifted only his upper body to rub his forehead against Do-kwon’s neck.

He wanted to touch Do-kwon. He wanted to beg and plead for more. But with his hands and throat blocked, there was nothing he could do. That was so frustrating and agonizing.

Just then, Do-kwon clicked his tongue in irritation. Even focusing all his attention on shoving his member in wasn’t enough, and Eun-soo’s constant wriggling was incredibly distracting.

To stop Eun-soo’s movements, Do-kwon pressed down hard on his stomach. Then, he was startled by a slight bulge in the flesh, unlike other parts of the scrawny body, and quickly pulled his hand away.

In an instant, his body turned cold. The rationality that had been leaking away, enchanted by Eun-soo’s pheromones, rushed back.

With a hardened expression, Do-kwon pulled out his member. At that, Eun-soo twisted his waist and jerked his hips.

“Huuu…”

Eun-soo’s fingertips weakly scratched Do-kwon’s clearly defined abs. It was as if he were begging for more. Do-kwon irritably brushed Eun-soo’s hand away. With a slap, Eun-soo’s hand was pushed back.

Startled, Eun-soo gathered his hands and brought them to his chest. Tears welled up in his large eyes.

The back of the hand that had been hit hurt. He hated Do-kwon. Yet, the sight of himself, with his rear entrance still twitching, was indescribably loathsome and hateful.

But what could he do? In the end, he was an Omega.

Eun-soo was still not satisfied. The pheromones that had been simmering at the base of his heat cycle exploded the moment they encountered Do-kwon’s pheromones.

Every muscle and inch of skin in his body staged a protest, demanding Do-kwon. He didn’t care what happened to his body or what kind of catastrophe this relationship led to; he wanted to take the man’s member into his mouth right now.

Eun-soo looked up at Do-kwon and mumbled. However, blocked by the necktie, all that came out were insignificant babbles.

“…….”

Watching him silently, Do-kwon reached toward his mouth. He then shoved his thumb and index finger into Eun-soo’s mouth. Eun-soo gagged repeatedly at the wet fabric pressing heavily against his throat.

Do-kwon stubbornly forced two knuckles of his thumb and index finger in, then grabbed the rolled-up tie and yanked it out in one go. The mouth that had been stuffed was suddenly empty.

“Cough, cough……, cough, cough.”

Eun-soo coughed hoarsely. His lean chest heaved violently. Tears and snot leaked out, and saliva dripped shamelessly from the corners of his mouth. With his bound hands, Eun-soo fumbled to touch his own mouth.

His jaw felt stiff and his tongue stung. The corners of his mouth were sore. Judging by the stinging sensation, it seemed they had split.

Do-kwon tightly gripped the tie he had pulled from Eun-soo’s mouth. His large hand crushed the rolled fabric. He waited. He was curious about what Eun-soo would actually say, and with what words he would criticize and slander him.

After coughing violently for a long while, Eun-soo finally looked at Do-kwon. His large eyes sparkled. There was no light in this dark bedroom, yet they sparkled as if they had swallowed all the faint, scattering light around them.

As Do-kwon gazed intently at him, Eun-soo crawled across the bed on his knees. He stopped in front of Do-kwon, who was standing by the bedside. Their gazes locked in the murky air. Simultaneously, Eun-soo’s lips parted slightly, and a damp voice flowed out.

“Do-kwon…….”

“…….”

“Kiss me, kiss me…….”

“……What?”

Do-kwon asked back with a blank expression. Expecting words like bastard or son of a bitch, Eun-soo’s request left him utterly bewildered.

However, Eun-soo didn’t seem to care about Do-kwon’s expression at all. He knelt gracefully before Do-kwon and parted his lips. The sound of a red tongue sweeping across the saliva pooled in his mouth echoed.

“A kiss…….”

“Ha…….”

“Yes? Do-kwon……. Please…….”

Eun-soo bobbed his waist and opened and closed his mouth like a hatchling waiting for food brought by its mother.

Do-kwon rubbed his face harshly with both hands. The back of his neck tightened. The rationality he had barely managed to regain scattered once more. It was a state of grogginess born from irritation, confusion, and anger.

While Do-kwon’s body trembled with hatred, the oblivious Eun-soo rubbed his cheek against Do-kwon’s thigh. All the while, he stuck out his tongue, begging for just one kiss.

Throwing the tie aside, Do-kwon grabbed the back of Eun-soo’s small head. Eun-soo’s head was jerked upward.

“Shut up if you don’t want to eat the tie again.”

Do-kwon warned him in a coldly sunken voice. But Eun-soo’s soul was already gone from the room. His mind was filled only with a longing for pleasure.

In the darkness, Eun-soo fumbled and found Do-kwon’s member. Then, he peeked his tongue out and licked the tip. It was smeared with Do-kwon’s semen and his own lubrication, but he didn’t care in the slightest.

At the sight of Eun-soo acting like a dog in heat, Do-kwon let go of his hair. Eun-soo then rubbed his soft cheek against the large member.

“Then let’s, have sex. I won’t say, hng……, I won’t say anything……. Yes? Let’s have sex.”

Eun-soo spoke while gazing longingly at Do-kwon’s imposing, thick member. It was as if he were talking to the member rather than to Do-kwon himself. Do-kwon let out a hollow laugh. Then, he gripped Eun-soo’s neck as if strangling him and flipped him backward onto the bed.

“Fine, fuck. Let’s do it, sex.”

Everything was messy. The messy moans, the messy acts, the messy emotions. Everything was a shambles.

“Nng, ah, hng, nnng…….”

Eun-soo, mounted on Do-kwon’s pelvis, moved his body up and down. Because the intercourse had lasted for a long time, his arms trembled, and he occasionally wavered or collapsed onto Do-kwon’s body, but he stubbornly pushed himself up to keep moving.

If he didn’t, Do-kwon would slap his buttocks as if punishing him, or he wouldn’t move while thrusting his hips upward.

Every time Eun-soo moved, a squelching, unpleasant sound echoed. Below, where semen and bodily fluids were entwined, it felt as if someone had spilled a massive amount of water-based lubricant.

And for good reason; the two had been mixing their bodies for over a full day. The sunlight that had faintly peeked through the thick blackout curtains had died down, and night had arrived once more.

During that long time, Eun-soo clung to Do-kwon, losing his mind. It was as if he were in a heat cycle. Well, perhaps it actually was a heat cycle. Do-kwon didn’t particularly care. Either way, he was nothing more than an Omega in heat.

After moving his body for a long time, Eun-soo collapsed as if his strength had run out. A small, soft, and warm body covered Do-kwon. Do-kwon grabbed Eun-soo’s hair and yanked him upward. He then bit hard into the slender line of his neck before letting go, leaving tooth marks.

“Hng…….”

It hurt quite a bit, but Eun-soo lacked the energy to scream. He merely flinched. His physical condition had been a mess even before Do-kwon arrived. It would have been stranger if he were fine after taking Do-kwon for twenty-four hours in that state.

Seeing Eun-soo’s lackluster reaction, Do-kwon’s lips twisted crookedly. He, who had been lying long on the bed, suddenly sat up. Eun-soo, who had been sprawled over him, slumped limply.

Do-kwon carelessly pushed one of Eun-soo’s legs up. Then, he forced himself into the hole at the deepest part of his crotch.

“Ahh…….”

Eun-soo groaned, twisting his waist.

“Huu…….”

Do-kwon also let out a sigh-like groan at the still-tight inner walls.

Do-kwon moved his hips without haste. He teased Eun-soo by poking only irrelevant spots, and only when Eun-soo groaned like a spoiled child and scratched his forearm would he plunge in once, as if crushing his prostate.

With a thin moan, Eun-soo ejaculated. At the sudden tightening of the back hole, Do-kwon furrowed his brow and slammed his hips in. Eun-soo shivered violently, gripping the blanket as if it were a lifeline.

Do-kwon opened his mouth wide and took a large bite of Eun-soo’s chest, which was heaving upward. He sucked hard on the nipples and left tooth marks all over as if marking his territory. As he thrust his hips rhythmically, Eun-soo gasped for air, tumbling down into a pit of pleasure.

Do-kwon pulled Eun-soo’s buttocks toward himself and whispered lowly.

“Yoo Eun-soo. Does it feel good?”

“Hng, nnng…….”

“I asked, if it feels good.”

“Yes, yes……. It, it feels good……. I love it…….”

Eun-soo answered a beat late. Tinnitus surged in his ears, so he couldn’t hear what Do-kwon was saying. Even when he did, it took a long time to understand.

“I really…… love it, Do-kwon…….”

Eun-soo smiled, his eyes curving with a vacant expression. Even in the darkness, that smile was clearly imprinted on Do-kwon’s retinas.

“…….”

Feeling inexplicably foul, Do-kwon abruptly pulled his member out.

Eun-soo whined like a child and wriggled his body downward. It was a desperate attempt to take Do-kwon’s member back in. Do-kwon flipped Eun-soo over. He grabbed and spread Eun-soo’s buttocks, which were flushed red from continuous friction and frequent slaps, and shoved his member into the twitching hole.

Eun-soo’s pouting eyes smoothed out again. He did not hide the moans that continuously escaped his lips.

The intercourse, which had paused for a moment, began to climb rapidly again. Kneeling and prone, Eun-soo shook helplessly while staring at the crumpled blanket. More accurately, he stared at Do-kwon’s hand supporting himself on it. Because of the darkness, he could only see the silhouette, but he kept watching.

Eun-soo braced his arms, which felt as if the muscles had all melted. Then, he carefully stroked the back of Do-kwon’s hand. It was a hand much larger, thicker, and stronger than his own. He did it as if he were worried it might break if touched incorrectly.

“…….”

At that, Do-kwon’s movements came to a dead stop. Just as he was about to shake his hand off with a look of disgust, as if a bug had landed on it, Eun-soo slid and collapsed sideways, lifelessly.

A pungent smell stung his nose. Unable to endure it, Eun-soo emerged from a deep dream.

Before he could even open his eyes, a heavy pain crushed his entire body. He was damp with cold sweat, and his hands and feet were ice cold. His muscles ached, and every joint in his bones tingled as if they had rusted. His eyeballs were dry, his throat was sore, and his back hole was burning. Additionally, some unknown liquid was stuck all over his groin, and it felt incredibly unpleasant.

And above all, his stomach hurt.

Eun-soo let out a faint moan, clutching his stomach and curling his body. The sensation of his intestines twisting was similar to what he had lived with for the past week, yet different. It was a similar kind of pain, but the intensity was far stronger.

Why? Why does it suddenly hurt this much?

As Eun-soo searched for the source of the pain in his mind, he flinched, his shoulders trembling.

He had remembered the fundamental reason why he woke up. The pungent smell. It wasn’t a familiar scent, but one that could be commonly encountered. Especially for an office worker.

Eun-soo forced his clumped eyelashes apart. Even though he had opened his eyes, everything in front of him was pitch black. Eun-soo blinked slowly, adapting to the darkness.

By the time he had moved his eyelids about five times, a few wisps of grayish smoke drifted through his vision. Eun-soo’s pupils followed the smoke.

He saw a back sitting on the edge of the bed. Short hair. A long neck. Broad shoulders. A back with prominent shoulder blades. Tightly knit muscles. It was a familiar back. So familiar that he could draw it if he closed his eyes.

Eun-soo stared blankly at the broad back. Why is Do-kwon here…… While having such a foolish thought, he recalled what happened before he closed his eyes.

The thundering sound that seemed ready to break down the front door. Do-kwon’s pheromones and low voice leaking through the gap in the door. Being dragged into the bedroom. His lower clothes being stripped off. His own voice pleading for him to stop and his mouth being blocked. Bound wrists. And Do-kwon’s pheromones.

After that, his memories were hazy. Only the short pain of something penetrating his back and the long pleasure vaguely came to mind. He also remembered rubbing his face against the man’s member like a dog.

Eun-soo’s unfocused eyes suddenly sharpened. He bolted upright. However, since there was no strength in his arms, waist, or legs, he collapsed onto the crumpled blanket several times.

Still, Eun-soo did not give up. He stubbornly pushed his upper body up and approached Do-kwon, practically crawling. It was the bed he lay in every day, but today it felt as wide and desolate as a barren desert.

Having barely reached Do-kwon’s side, Eun-soo used his trembling hand to snatch the cigarette from Do-kwon’s mouth.

“Are you crazy?”

Who do you think you’re smoking in front of? Eun-soo growled in a cracked voice. As he tried to crush the snatched cigarette on the nightstand, his wrist was grabbed.

The grip was immense. It was frighteningly strong, as if his wrist might be crushed like a cracker.

“Ugh…….”

Eun-soo groaned, furrowing his brows. Do-kwon took the cigarette back from Eun-soo’s loosened fingers. Then, as if to show off, he took a deep drag and exhaled a long breath. Thick smoke scattered over Eun-soo’s face.

Horrified, Eun-soo tried to pull his body back. But since his wrist was held, there was a limit to how far he could move. Eun-soo clenched his teeth and twisted his wrist.

“I told you not to!”

He wasn’t just referring to the cigarette, but to everything that had happened from yesterday until today. Do-kwon let out a short laugh at the belated anger.

“You’re the one who asked for it.”

“If you hadn’t just blasted your pheromones…….”

“You’re the one who succumbed to those pheromones.”

At Do-kwon’s blatantly forced words, Eun-soo’s eyebrows shot up. Just as he was about to snap back,

“I saw it.”

Do-kwon murmured in his characteristic low tone.

“Saw what?”

Eun-soo asked sharply.

Do-kwon gave a short laugh at Eun-soo, who looked like an angry cat. He felt a sense of disillusionment at the man’s excessive confidence. He took another drag of the cigarette. And along with the thick smoke, he let out the nightmare he had seen a few days ago.

“You entering a hotel room with some Alpha bastard.”

At those words, Eun-soo’s breath stopped. The struggling of his wrist also ceased.

“You clinging to that bastard in his arms like a dog in heat.”

Having finished speaking, Do-kwon hurriedly inhaled the smoke. With the deep drag, the remaining half of the cigarette shortened instantly. Do-kwon looked down at the butt and recalled what happened at the hotel.

The meeting with the buyer ended exactly at the expected time. He had wanted to wrap things up roughly and meet Eun-soo as early as possible. But the buyer kept beating around the bush. He went to the restroom so often. He made so many phone calls.

Do-kwon had even wondered if these bastards were screwing with him despite having no intention of signing the contract. But as it approached 8 o’clock, the buyer suddenly agreed to all the disputed contract clauses, and it was finished in an instant.

The process was like shit, but the result was a decent meeting.

Do-kwon bid a hasty farewell to the buyer and quickly stood up. Secretary Jeong asked if he was going to see Team Leader Yoo again and said he would handle the cleanup before leaving. Do-kwon gave a casual wave and left. He exited the restaurant room on the highest floor and stood before the elevator.

Then, a familiar scent tickled the tip of his nose. It was the scent of Eun-soo’s pheromones.

At first, he thought Eun-soo’s scent had lingered on his clothes. Since they had been hugging in the director’s office for a while during the day. But it was strange that he hadn’t smelled it throughout the meeting, only to feel it now.

As he tilted his head in confusion, he noticed Eun-soo’s scent faintly drifting from various places in the hotel. It was as if he had just passed by. No, to say he had just passed by, the scent was quite intense.

If it remained in the air, it meant it wasn’t the level of scent he usually emitted.

But that couldn’t be. Why would Eun-soo be in this hotel? And why on the top floor? Furthermore, he had taken his suppressants when he went to work today. The scent of Eun-soo he had encountered in the morning was perfectly ordinary and moderately sweet.

Therefore, it was highly likely that everything was Do-kwon’s delusion.

However, curiosity—especially curiosity regarding Eun-soo—would not let Do-kwon stay still.

Do-kwon frowned and focused on Eun-soo’s scent permeating the air. Then, he followed it with hurried steps.

He had a bad feeling. It was an emotion he had felt a few times before.

‘The scent of one’s lover smelled in an unfamiliar place.’

Wasn’t that a truly wretched sentence? But it was familiar to Do-kwon. Because every Omega Do-kwon had met until now had mocked him in situations that fit that sentence.

But until then, he hadn’t thought that Eun-soo would be the same. How could he dare suspect Eun-soo? Suspecting that pure and beautiful person was a sin in itself.

The place Do-kwon eventually reached was a floor full of guest rooms. Do-kwon, who had been glancing at the hallways of each floor through the emergency exit, stopped. While other floors were filled with the hotel’s characteristic damp carpet smell, this place was vibrating with Eun-soo’s scent.

Entering the hallway, Do-kwon followed the intense smell.

And then,

“……Eun-soo?”

He could see Eun-soo.

Eun-soo, held in the arms of some man. Eun-soo, rubbing his cheek against the man’s chest and hugging his waist. Eun-soo, loosening the man’s tie without even distinguishing whether they were outside or inside. Not stopping there, Eun-soo, undoing buttons with fumbling hands. Eun-soo, looking at the man with a face flushed as if completely drunk and an expression that was nothing short of lewd.

“…….”

Do-kwon stood frozen on the spot as if he had died. Only after Eun-soo and the man disappeared into a room did his eyes widen.

Strangely, the first emotion he felt was not anger. He denied what he had seen and took Eun-soo’s side. He told himself that it surely wasn’t his intention. That there must be something he hadn’t seen. That he had to save Eun-soo from that unknown man. He composed and persuaded himself in that way.

But by the time he had walked halfway down the hallway, his jaw trembled violently from the surging sense of betrayal, anger, and hatred.

Because I had seen it clearly with my own two eyes—seen Eun-soo nestled in the arms of a strange man as if he were accustomed to it, seen him pouring out that beautiful smile without reserve—I simply could not deny the situation.

“…….”

Do-kwon stood before the hotel room door that had swallowed Eun-soo.

The sleek door seemed to giggle at him. Ignoring the mockery, Do-kwon gripped the doorknob.

He felt the cold, smooth metal.

If he set his mind to it, he could break it. Even if his grip strength wasn’t enough, there were plenty of ways to open it. He could call a staff member and tell a pathetic lie about his lover being trapped inside, or he could use his power and money to force the door open.

But.

Even so.

Do-kwon could not open the door.

Far from opening it, he couldn’t even turn the knob.

If he opened the door, he would see them—tangled masses of flesh.

Just like the Omegas he had met before, who had slept with other Alphas. Just like they had deceived and mocked him. Eun-soo would be moaning beneath another Alpha with that white body of his.

He didn’t have the confidence to take that in with his own eyes.

Do-kwon was afraid. He had seen Eun-soo in another’s arms for less than a minute, yet chills ran through his entire body as if he had been having nightmares all night. If he were to witness something worse than that, he couldn’t fathom how he would break and crumble.

And so, in the end, Do-kwon let go of the doorknob.

As he turned away, he felt emotions deeper and more severe than any sense of betrayal or rage.

He thought Eun-soo was different. That was why he had loved him sincerely. This was the first time in his life he had felt such emotions. He had been certain it would be the last. He never imagined he would meet that end in this manner.

Though he didn’t remember it, he was told they had dated for two years. Every other person he had met hadn’t lasted more than three months, yet Eun-soo had been with him for a whole two years.

Whenever Myeong-hui, Ki-ho, or even Secretary Jeong spoke of Eun-soo, they did so with constant, beaming smiles. That alone was enough to know that Eun-soo was a lovely person. In the short time he had experienced him, Eun-soo was a person so beautiful that the good reputation almost felt insufficient.

But in the end, you were just an Omega too.

Not Yoo Eun-soo, not my lover carrying my child, but just an Omega.

Do-kwon felt rage and sadness simultaneously. It was a pain so sharp it felt as if his body were being torn in half.

He spent several days drowned in alcohol, thinking all sorts of things. What should he do about this situation? What should he say to Eun-soo? What about the child in his womb? Was it even his child? Or was it the child of that man he saw at the hotel?

Then, completely wasted, he headed to Eun-soo’s house. But the words Eun-soo spoke upon seeing him after so long were:

‘Did… something… happen?’

He had never imagined Eun-soo would say something like that to him. That innocent face pretending to know nothing, that expression acting like the victim, and that faintly trembling voice.

It was utterly disgusting.

As Do-kwon crushed a cigarette butt while recalling that face, Eun-soo spoke up urgently.

“That day was…….”

“Ah… save it. I have no intention of listening to some pathetic excuse.”

Do-kwon didn’t even give Eun-soo a chance to explain. Even if he listened, would anything change? He’d probably hear things like: a sudden heat cycle, the man’s rut, meeting an old friend and rekindling old feelings while talking, it just happened, it was unavoidable—that kind of nonsense.

Do-kwon pulled a new cigarette from his jacket, which was crumpled beside him. He hadn’t smoked since joining the company. He had bought them for the first time in years after seeing Eun-soo at the hotel. He would probably keep buying them from now on.

Just as Do-kwon put the cigarette to his lips and was about to light it, Eun-soo snatched it away. He threw it into the corner of the bedroom as if to make a point. Then, clutching his cold stomach, he glared at Do-kwon, and Do-kwon let out a long sigh.

It wasn’t a sigh of irritation, but one steeped in exhaustion.

He looked at Eun-soo with a face devoid of even a shred of emotion. His gaze was so indifferent and dry that Eun-soo felt a pain as if his heart were cracking like a wasteland.

“Let’s end it here.”

Do-kwon spoke in a toneless voice. If the setting hadn’t been a bedroom, and if Eun-soo hadn’t been half-naked, one could have believed he was speaking after a business meeting.

“……What?”

Eun-soo, not understanding the words immediately, asked back. However, Do-kwon did not give him an answer. But he came to understand in another way.

Do-kwon grabbed his jacket and stood up from the bed. As he did, he spoke casually.

“Bomi—no, the baby. Get rid of it.”

“……What did you say?”

Eun-soo looked as if he had been struck hard in the back of the head. He looked like someone who had been scammed out of their entire fortune in an instant, or someone who had accidentally discovered that the world would end tomorrow.

In truth, it was no different. Bomi—no, the baby. Get rid of it. The moment Eun-soo heard those words, he felt a shock similar to when he had heard the news of his parents’ deaths long ago.

Get rid of what?

Bomi?

Why?

How?

How could you say such a thing? How could you say that to me? I, who have lacked everything as much as family, finally have a family now. How can you tell me to get rid of it?

While Eun-soo gaped, unable to find words, Do-kwon, unable to wait for an answer, kindly elaborated.

“If it’s not my child, I don’t care whether you get rid of it or not. But if it is my child, get rid of it.”

“…….”

“Don’t bother me later.”

“…….”

“I’ll give you as much money as you need. That little dating game was fun, after all.”

“……Fun?”

Eun-soo repeated Do-kwon’s words in a hollow voice.

If it’s my child, get rid of it. Don’t bother me. I’ll give you money. Dating game. Fun.

The sentences Do-kwon spat out were shattered into words, then syllables. Eventually, they split into consonants and vowels, falling atop Eun-soo’s head like fist-sized hailstones. Simultaneously, heavy tears fell bluntly.

What, how, what kind of, this, right now…….

His mind was a mess. Eun-soo just froze blankly. He was too shocked, the despair too great, that he couldn’t even react hastily. The only things moving were his pupils, twitching rapidly from side to side, and the ceaseless flow of tears. At some point, he stopped breathing.

While Eun-soo was falling down an endless cliff, Do-kwon picked something up from the floor.

It was a tie. The tie that had been in Eun-soo’s mouth. At the same time, it was the tie Do-kwon had picked up in front of the hotel room door. The tie that Eun-soo, held in that man’s arms, had untied himself.

Do-kwon fiddled with the tie. What had been damp with Eun-soo’s saliva had since dried crisp.

Do-kwon crouched by the bedside. He draped the tie around Eun-soo’s neck and tied a knot with practiced movements. It was a common tie knot, yet he looked like an executioner preparing a hanging. Indeed, if he tightened the knot further, it would flatten Eun-soo’s Adam’s apple and windpipe.

However, Do-kwon simply tied the tie. Then, he quietly met Eun-soo’s eyes.

“Let’s end it here without seeing any more filthy sights, Mr. Yoo Eun-soo.”

His tone was languid, as if soothing a child. In the midst of that, the way he drew a line using formal language was cruel.

“…….”

Eun-soo could not say a word.

Do-kwon stood up. And without a hint of lingering regret, he turned his back. The bedroom door opened, and Do-kwon left. The sound of his receding footsteps trampled over Eun-soo’s reason and thought.

Soon, the sound of the door lock echoed, and Do-kwon was completely gone. At the hollow electronic sound, Eun-soo belatedly came to his senses. He violently yanked the tie from his neck. Then, without thinking, he stepped off the bed. It was a foolish move.

His limp legs could not support his weight, and he fell with a loud thud, unsightly. His wrists, which had instinctively hit the floor, and his knees, which collided with the ground, hurt, but he quickly stood up again.

Eun-soo hastily threw on the clothes scattered on the floor. Without even putting on underwear, he wore only an oversized hoodie and pajama pants. Even so, his hands slipped and his feet stumbled, forcing him to grit his teeth and curse several times.

Having barely managed to dress, Eun-soo rushed out of the house. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to put on shoes, so he went out barefoot. The cold chill of the hallway traveled from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

Since there were only two houses per floor, the hallway wasn’t wide, and no one was there. The elevator he urgently checked had already gone down.

Eun-soo bit his lower lip and glared at the descending numbers of the elevator. The moment the elevator stopped on the first floor, he bolted for the emergency exit.

How stupid. There was no way a drunk Do-kwon had driven his car. He would obviously get off on the first floor. He had spent far too long staring at the numbers, idiotically wondering if it might stop in the underground parking lot.

As Eun-soo descended the stairs to the 20th floor, he felt a pain as if his joints were being displaced. His buttocks, which had accepted Do-kwon for an entire day, hurt; his pelvis and shoulders, injured at the hotel, as well as the knees he had fallen on, creaked; and the wrists and fingers gripping the railing were tingling.

Yet, Eun-soo managed not to collapse and reached the first floor.

There were things he had to say to Do-kwon. That it was all a misunderstanding—no, that the scene he saw wasn’t a misunderstanding, but it wasn’t what he intended. That someone had malicious intentions. That the man had pretended to be him. That he thought the man was Do-kwon. That he would never have done it otherwise. That in the end, nothing had happened. He had to tell him.

Otherwise, as Do-kwon said, their relationship might end just like this.

Reaching the first floor, Eun-soo looked around. But Do-kwon was already gone. Only his scent remained faintly in the air.

Without hesitation, Eun-soo headed outside. The night, just entering summer, welcomed Eun-soo heartlessly.

Regardless, Eun-soo searched the area. He must have taken a taxi. He must have gone to the main road. Or perhaps he had called Secretary Jeong; he searched for his phone. He fumbled through his pockets, but having left without even underwear, there was no way he had brought his phone.

People on the street looked at Eun-soo as if he were a madman. A pale face and bare feet. He looked like someone fleeing from an invisible ghost.

Even so, Eun-soo pushed through the crowds, ran over the uneven pavement, and looked with vacant eyes at the cars whistling past his ears.

Do-kwon was not there.

He was nowhere to be found.

It wasn’t that big of a deal. He could just meet him at the office. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know his home address; he could just visit his house tomorrow looking presentable. The world wouldn’t end just because he cleared up the misunderstanding a few hours late.

Yet, Eun-soo felt a despair as if he were dying helplessly in a world that had reached its apocalypse.

That despair was so heavy and painful that he eventually couldn’t hold on and slumped down onto the street. His body was heating up. Everything hurt. Especially his stomach.

Eun-soo clutched his stomach with both hands. Ah, he shouldn’t have come outside. He shouldn’t have run. This behavior couldn’t possibly be good for Bomi. He was stupid.

“Ah… ugh…….”

As Eun-soo stared at the ground with a pale face, a sleek dress shoe entered his field of vision.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

A voice full of goodwill asked after Eun-soo’s well-being. Eun-soo instinctively looked up. It was a young man. In his late twenties at most. But that wasn’t what was important. The pungent scent brushing against the tip of his nose. The pheromones that caused every muscle in his body to contract instantly.

……An Alpha.

Eun-soo’s pupils trembled violently.

He felt a chill. What if… what if this Alpha was that man? Surely not. How would he know he was here?

His mind recognized it, but his body did not. His shoulders shook. His body, which had been simmering with a slight fever just a moment ago, turned ice-cold in an instant.

Seeing Eun-soo’s condition visibly worsen, the man reached out. Terrified, Eun-soo let out a shrill scream. People’s gazes converged instantly. Those eyes were so creepy. To make matters worse, a car abruptly changed lanes and blared its horn—BEEP—as if to tear the sky apart.

Everything pushed Eun-soo toward the cliff. Everything strangled him. It felt as if someone were ripping his brain apart.

Springing up, Eun-soo ran without looking back.

He sensed it then.

That his life from now on would become quite miserable.

Returning home, Eun-soo locked the door thoroughly and stood in the entryway for a moment. He was afraid that the Alpha might have followed him here.

Then, just as his knees began to tremble, he confirmed the hallway was empty and went into the bathroom.

Eun-soo washed his body with water so hot that steam filled the room. Do-kwon’s bite marks were scattered all over his body. Seeing them, strangely, his mind felt at ease.

He washed his face, scrubbing hard with all the strength in his fingertips, and his face stung. It was only natural, as the corners of his eyes were raw from ceaseless tears and the corners of his mouth were torn from biting the tie. Over the bruises on his pelvis and shoulders, Do-kwon’s finger marks overlapped.

His wrists, which had been grabbed, bent, and twisted, were swollen like blood sausages. Because he had run through the streets barefoot, the soles of his feet stung.

However, Eun-soo did not waste his gaze on the injuries scattered across his body. He looked only at his budding stomach.

‘Bomi—no, the baby. Get rid of it.’

‘If it’s not my child, I don’t care whether you get rid of it or not. But if it is my child, get rid of it.’

Do-kwon’s low voice echoed in his ears. The voice was so loud and clear that he couldn’t even hear the sound of the water hitting the crown of his head.

Standing blankly, Eun-soo staggered out of the bathroom. Then, he paused as he instinctively entered the bedroom.

“…….”

He didn’t want to sleep in the bedroom. The clothes that had bound his wrists were crumpled between the bed and the frame, various messy fluids were clung to the duvet, and above all, the image of himself and Do-kwon rolling around up there—not as lovers, but simply as an Alpha and an Omega—flashed before his eyes, causing him agony.

Looking at the messy bedroom, Eun-soo came back out to the living room. Then, he lay down on the sofa.

He had to take his medicine. He had to eat, as he hadn’t eaten anything while entwined with Do-kwon for over twenty-four hours. Bomi must be hungry.

He didn’t have the strength to lift his body.

With a blurred gaze, Eun-soo looked at the baby shoes placed on the table. He stared at them without even blinking before drifting off to sleep.

Eun-soo opened his eyes in less than two hours. His body felt heavy. It felt as if someone large were sitting on top of him. Even though he was covered with a thick blanket, he was cold.

He had been sick for the past few days, but his body was hot and throbbing to a degree that was incomparable to that.

Eun-soo pushed through his blurred vision and looked at the living room clock. 3 AM. It was a time when neither hospitals nor pharmacies were open.

Eun-soo fell into thought for a moment. He was an adult of a certain age and had the obligation to take care of his own body. Staying in such a miserable state wouldn’t be good for him or for Bomi.

While showering, the whole world had seemed scary and painful, but as his reason returned, his brain, which had stopped functioning, began to move, albeit sluggishly.

Eun-soo struggled to lift his body. Then, he reached for the phone on the table.

Eun-soo pressed those numbers for the first time in his life. Since he had no chronic illnesses and hadn’t neglected his health, he never thought he would press those numbers in his lifetime. To think that the first time would be today.

With a small, hollow laugh, Eun-soo pressed the call button. Then, he spoke in a flat voice.

“Yes, hello. I’m sick. I’m a male Omega, and I’m pregnant. I’m in a state of pheromone shock, and my stomach hurts too much. I have a fever, and I have muscle pain like a severe flu; it feels like my eyeballs are falling out. The address is Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul…….”

Having called 119 for the first time in his life, Eun-soo also rode an ambulance for the first time in his life. Until the paramedics arrived, Eun-soo had sat slumped in the entryway, having thrown on an outer garment and grabbed his wallet and phone. He had felt his body aching and aching, and now even standing was a struggle.

Soon, the paramedics arrived, and with their support, he boarded the ambulance. Since an ambulance was, after all, a ‘vehicle’ with wheels, he thought he might not be able to ride it. But lying down and staring at the pale ceiling, it was quite bearable.

No, in truth, his consciousness was so hazy that there was no such thing as bearing it or not. He couldn’t even distinguish whether this situation of being in an ambulance was reality or a dream.

The paramedic checked Eun-soo’s condition. After checking his temperature and various other vitals, he took out an IV drip and needles. Seeing this, Eun-soo flinched and curled his arms toward his body.

He had mentioned the pregnancy when making the call, but he still wanted to be cautious. He was careful even with hormone medications; he couldn’t just let them inject whatever into him. Seeing Eun-soo’s heightened vigilance, the paramedic spoke in a soft voice.

“It’s okay. This is for pregnant Omegas. It will alleviate the pheromone shock.”

“…….”

Even at those words, Eun-soo did not easily lower his guard. The paramedic waited patiently until Eun-soo reached out first. After rolling his eyes back and forth, Eun-soo tentatively extended his hand. The paramedic smiled faintly and wiped the back of Eun-soo’s hand with an alcohol swab.

The needle pierced the back of his hand, and a tough bandage covered the spot. Soon, the medication seeped through his veins.

Feeling the cold medicine, Eun-soo slowly closed his eyes.

He was so, so tired.

He saw his parents. It had been a long time since he had seen their faces. The two of them were standing in a garden where green grass swayed and flowers were in full bloom. They looked happy, their faces beaming with smiles.

Eun-soo was watching them from very far away, but strangely, their smiling faces and the sound of their laughter were perfectly clear. Eun-soo opened his mouth and called out to them.

‘Mom. Mom. Dad.’

His voice echoed hollowly. It wasn’t loud enough for them to hear from that distance. Just as Eun-soo opened his mouth wide to scream again—

His mother and father looked at him. Then, they gave him a warm smile. It was a smile he missed desperately, so deeply.

Eun-soo smiled back. It was a bright smile, one that pulled at the corners of his mouth and made his cheekbones rise. Eun-soo wanted to go to his parents’ side. As he took a step, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. Something was approaching.

Eun-soo couldn’t look back. Yet, another version of himself was watching his back. It was strange, but he didn’t feel that strangeness.

What was approaching from behind was black smoke.

The smoke was so pitch-black that it felt eerie just looking at it; no matter how he saw it, it wasn’t a good sign.

However, there was nothing Eun-soo could do. So he just stood there blankly. No matter how black it was, it was just smoke, so it didn’t feel particularly threatening.

But then, the smoke began to tangle with itself. It started to create sparks—crack, crack. Between the thick smoke, finger-sized bolts of lightning appeared and disappeared sporadically.

It was when Eun-soo leaned forward to look closer at the smoke. The crackling sparks suddenly grew intense, and a fire erupted. It wasn’t a large fire. It was a fireball about the size of a fist.

Eun-soo blinked. Every time he did, embers burst here and there, and the entire mass of black smoke instantly turned into flames.

Terrified, Eun-soo ran forward, toward his parents who were smiling at him. The smooth floor did not hinder his running at all. He wasn’t out of breath, and his knees didn’t hurt.

He felt that if he could just reach his parents, if he could just arrive at that beautiful garden where they stood, he would be safe. No one had told him, but he just felt it.

However, the flames, surging forward like a wave, were incredibly fast. Even without looking back, Eun-soo could feel them accelerating.

And finally, the flames reached the nape of Eun-soo’s neck. The heat brushing against his skin was scorching. He didn’t actually feel a burning temperature; he just thought, ‘It’s hot.’

So he moved his feet faster. But it wasn’t enough. Just before he reached the garden, the wave of fire swallowed him whole.

Eun-soo squeezed his eyes shut. Yet, he could still see the situation. This was because another Eun-soo was watching from above, looking down at the Eun-soo buried in the flames.

Then, something bizarre happened. The fire passed right through him. It didn’t burn him, nor did it chew him up. It passed through as if Eun-soo were a ghost, as if he were a non-existent entity.

And in that moment, the fire doubled in size.

The wave-like flames instantly grew as large as an apartment building. The fire swept over the garden where his parents stood with terrifying speed.

The fire that had passed through Eun-soo fiercely incinerated the garden. The green grass and beautiful blossoms vanished in an instant. Only black ash fluttered down.

Within a few seconds, the fire reached his parents. Eun-soo held his breath.

‘Eun-soo!’

‘Aaaah! Eun-soo!’

His mother and father, consumed by the flames, screamed. The shimmering silhouettes beyond the fire looked as if they were dancing. He couldn’t see how they were burning or how their skin was melting.

But the screams—the screams filled with agony—were heard with absolute clarity.

Eun-soo stood there blankly, like an idiot.

Why was that? He couldn’t even think to move his body. He just stood there, as if someone had nailed him to the floor.

Eun-soo listened to his parents’ screams for a very long time.

Until the screams of agony turned into screams of resentment.

Waking up, Eun-soo thought that he had been closing and opening his eyes far too often lately. Fainting, sleeping, or falling into a sleep that felt like fainting.

He had never been the type to sleep a lot. Well, actually, he hadn’t been sleeping much lately either. It was just that if he lay down for five hours, he woke up five times.

His body felt dull. He couldn’t feel the throbbing pain or the searing heat. It was as if he had been given a massive dose of painkillers or anesthesia. The medication from the IV in the back of his hand was likely doing its work.

He saw the typical hospital ceiling and thin curtains. They weren’t curtains hanging on a window, but the partition curtains surrounding the bed. The bed was small and narrow, and a stiff, light-blue blanket covered his body. The pillow smelled of pungent disinfectant.

Eun-soo blinked slowly.

He had a dream about his parents. No, saying it like that sounded too romantic. He had a dream where his parents burned to death.

It was a dream he had every single day after his parents passed away. He hadn’t had it since meeting Do-kwon. But of all times, he had it today, for the first time in years.

Eun-soo knew exactly what this dream meant.

His mind, his reason, and his emotions were collapsing. Back when he had this dream frequently, Eun-soo had drifted between several psychiatric clinics. Because he wanted to live.

No, actually, he had wanted to die. He had gone to the hospital to cultivate the desire to live.

He had forgotten all about it because he hadn’t had the dream for a while. But just from one dream, the despair and sadness of that time rushed back like a tsunami.

Eun-soo watched that tsunami passively. He knew that even if he writhed and screamed, he couldn’t escape.

After staying dazed for a while, Eun-soo sat up at the sound of various noises coming from beyond the thin curtain. He pulled the curtain back a few inches.

The noise became even louder. There seemed to be well over forty beds filling the emergency room. There were many nurses and doctors, as well as patients and guardians. All sorts of medicinal smells mixed haphazardly, stinging his nose.

Some people were screaming in pain, some guardians were fighting with nurses for some reason, and there was a chaotic mix of people arguing with doctors while holding payment slips, people just entering the hospital, and others leaving.

If the background hadn’t been entirely white, it would have been no different from a marketplace. Eun-soo watched the scene from a distance, as if watching TV. Since he had woken up in a private room every time he came to the hospital recently, this sight was very unfamiliar.

After he had been dazed for some time, a nurse approached him. As she walked toward him, staring intently, Eun-soo straightened his hunched back.

“Patient Yoo Eun-soo.”

“Yes.”

The nurse explained the medications administered to Eun-soo today and his current physical condition. It was a sound he was well-acquainted with. It was natural, as he had heard the same things from the obstetrician.

The nurse listed the tests he needed to undergo and recommended hospitalization, adding that the pheromones sparking off him were very dangerous.

“First, we’ll treat the wrist fracture and the sole of your foot, then move you for testing.”

She, who had spoken a long string of words without a single pause, finally took a breath. In the meantime, Eun-soo opened his tightly closed mouth.

“Is the… baby okay?”

That was what he was most curious about. He wasn’t even that curious about his own condition. It wasn’t as if he was bleeding out from a rupture. It wasn’t as if a bone was broken—well, one was, but thanks to the painkillers, his body was movable enough.

“…….”

At Eun-soo’s question, the nurse’s mouth, which had been chatting busily, snapped shut. It wasn’t a good sign. Eun-soo gripped the coarse blanket tightly.

The nurse licked her dry lips. Then, she spoke as if sighing.

“They’re okay for now.”

At those words, Eun-soo unconsciously let out the breath he had been holding. Whether they were ‘okay for now’ or ‘barely okay,’ as long as they were okay, that was enough. Eun-soo gently patted his stomach. He was indescribably proud of Bomi for holding on until now.

Watching him, the nurse took a ballpoint pen out of her pocket.

“Could you give me the name and contact information of your guardian?”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, we’re taking it in advance in case the tests show that surgery is needed.”

“…….”

Guardian. Eun-soo’s mouth parted instinctively, then snapped shut. Do-kwon’s name had flickered on the tip of his tongue.

Since his parents passed away, he had lived a life without a guardian. It wasn’t particularly inconvenient. Once he shed his status as a student and became a full adult, he became quite distant from the word ‘guardian.’

Furthermore, Eun-soo had never been sick enough to be hospitalized, and there were few other cases where a guardian’s name was required. The most he had done was leave the family section blank when writing resumes.

But since the pregnancy, he had been in and out of the hospital like it was his own home. And he had the misfortune of getting into a car accident. In every hospital he visited, the name written in the guardian column had been Do-kwon’s.

But now that things had turned out this way, no one in the world could be Eun-soo’s guardian.

It had been a long time. The feeling of being completely alone in the world. He hadn’t felt it once since meeting Do-kwon. Between the dream and this moment, today was a bit overwhelming for Eun-soo.

Eun-soo rubbed his eyes hard with the back of his hand. Then, he answered in a voice that was barely audible.

“I… don’t have one.”

“…….”

The nurse’s eyebrows shot up and then dropped. She clicked the button of her pen a few times and stared at Eun-soo. Then, she spoke as if trying to reason with him.

“If you have legal family and leave it blank, you can’t have surgery. There are many consent forms and things to verify.”

Eun-soo pressed his lips together tightly and then released them. With his youthful appearance and pregnant body, she probably thought he was some immature kid living away from home. He didn’t know if he should be happy about that… Eun-soo let out a dry laugh.

“…I really don’t have anyone. They’ve all passed away.”

“Then…….”

The nurse started to speak again but stopped. Eun-soo could easily predict what she was going to say. She probably wanted to ask about the child’s other father.

But since he had come alone at this hour, covered in wounds, she must have realized that such a person either didn’t exist or wasn’t in a state to come.

After rolling her eyes for a moment, the nurse wrote various things on the chart she was holding. Then, she put the pen back in her pocket and gave Eun-soo a conventional smile.

“Then we’ll move to the testing room. Can you walk?”

Eun-soo drifted from one testing room to another. Dressed in a patient gown, with an IV in his hand, dragging the metal pole the IV was hanging from through the hallways, he felt like a real patient.

Given his physical and mental state, he truly was a patient, but realizing it made him feel strangely sad and depressed. It seemed he still hadn’t become an adult.

Eun-soo decided to be hospitalized until the test results came out. Depending on the results, the hospitalization might be extended.

While waiting for a room to be prepared, Eun-soo sat on a hallway bench and instinctively lit up his phone. Unlike his chaotic dawn, the phone was silent without a single notification. Then, he checked the time and date.

“Uh…….”

He realized today was Monday. Specifically, Monday at 7:00 AM.

Eun-soo’s nose wrinkled in bewilderment. It was definitely around midnight Friday when Do-kwon had come to his house. Why was it already… He had assumed it would be Sunday.

His twisted sense of time left him confused.

With a blank expression, Eun-soo looked at the small window at the end of the hallway. A pale morning was settling over the world. Come to think of it, the hallway that had been empty when he entered the testing room was now crowded with people.

Eun-soo let out an annoyed sigh and rubbed his face vigorously.

If it’s Monday, he has to go to work. In two hours, he should be sitting at his office desk. How far did the project he was working on progress? He thought he had something to confirm today.

Ah, what was the point of all that. In this state, with this appearance and this physical condition, going to work was impossible. Then he’d have to use annual leave… Would annual leave be enough? He might not even be able to be discharged tomorrow…

Ah. Should I just quit everything? He’d have to devote himself to childcare once the baby was born anyway, and even if he returned to work, he didn’t know if he could concentrate.

His mind was becoming a mess.

“Ugh…….”

Eun-soo let out a faint groan.

Quitting work… was something he hated to death. After all the effort he’d put in to reach this position. He had grown very fond of his team members, too.

Money was also an issue. He had enough assets that he didn’t have to worry about basic survival, but who knew what might happen in the future. No one knew if that bank balance would remain sufficient when he turned forty, fifty, or when he became a white-haired old man.

Moreover, to raise Bomi… he absolutely had to work.

Besides, there was no other place with a salary as generous and benefits as good as Seong-jin’s.

Covering his face with both hands while organizing his thoughts, Eun-soo bit his lower lip hard and then released it. Then, he made a phone call.

He wasn’t the type to enjoy using connections or exploiting people, but right now, his own body and Bomi in his womb were the top priority, so he could do that much.

The ringing sound went on—ring, ring—and soon the voice he had been waiting for answered. Eun-soo forced a smile and spoke.

“Mother. It’s Eun-soo. I’m sorry for calling so early.”

* * *

Do-kwon entered the director’s office leisurely, under the astonished gaze of Secretary Jeong. After hanging his jacket in the air dresser and turning on the computer, Secretary Jeong, who had followed him in, shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Where on earth have you been? The Chairman is very angry.”

“I know. I’ll handle the urgent tasks first, then I plan to go get scolded.”

Do-kwon sat in his chair, pressing his palm against the area below his tie. He moved the mouse back and forth. Secretary Jeong stared at him blankly. Do-kwon arched one eyebrow.

“What are you doing? Sort through the things that need immediate approval and bring them…”

“I’ve already brought them.”

Secretary Jeong placed a tablet in front of Do-kwon. Do-kwon picked up the tablet pen. Following the dense text with his eyes, he spoke.

“I’ll process only these this morning and then go up to the Chairman’s office.”

“…….”

“I don’t know if I’ll still be the director when I leave the Chairman’s office, but organize my schedule so I can get straight to work after lunch.”

Despite Do-kwon’s string of requests, Secretary Jeong remained motionless for some reason. He just kept staring at Do-kwon’s handsome face—a face that looked completely unchanged despite having been practically missing for a long time.

It felt very unsettling.

Secretary Jeong had assisted Do-kwon for nearly ten years. The big data accumulated over that long period was strongly asserting that Do-kwon was strange and that this situation was wrong.

Under Secretary Jeong’s burning gaze, Do-kwon reluctantly looked up. His expression said, ‘Why, what, what is it?’

“You met Team Leader Yoo, right?”

Secretary Jeong pressed, as if he had been waiting for the moment.

“…….”

Do-kwon’s mouth shut firmly in a straight line. Secretary Jeong continued regardless.

“A few days ago, he came by and asked if I could contact you, and I can’t tell you how surprised I was. Since it was Team Leader Yoo’s heat cycle, I naturally assumed you were together…”

“Heat… cycle?”

Do-kwon frowned slightly at the unfamiliar term. Eun-soo had been in heat? He hadn’t known at all. Had he been in heat while they were together? No, he hadn’t. While the pheromones had been unusually rough and primal, it was different from a heat cycle.

Then when on earth…

Tracing back through his memories, Do-kwon let out a quiet, secret laugh. It was at that hotel. He realized Eun-soo must have been in heat back then, while held in the arms of that nameless bastard.

The veins on the back of Do-kwon’s hand bulged as he gripped his pencil. Unaware or indifferent to this, Secretary Jeong continued to speak.

“Yes. Around this time every year, you’ve always vanished without a word. And then you’d suddenly reappear two days later with a beaming smile. I may be a Beta, but I know how things work.”

“…”

“But this time, you weren’t with Team Leader Yoo, right? Where on earth were you and what were you doing?”

“…We were together. Since two days ago.”

Do-kwon answered, rubbing his clean, exposed forehead. At that, Secretary Jeong tilted his head to the side. After a moment, his gloomy expression brightened considerably.

“Ah… Well then… I’ll be on my way. I have to go organize your schedule—if it can even be called a schedule for a Director.”

With a polite bow, Secretary Jeong turned and left the office. Left alone, Do-kwon repeatedly gripped and released his pencil.

He had wanted to push thoughts of Eun-soo away. To hear about the man’s heat cycle the moment he clocked in—it left him feeling utterly foul.

* * *

Do-kwon got a severe scolding from Myeong-hui. Being scolded by one’s parents at his age was quite pathetic, but since he was being reprimanded by a superior—the Chairperson, no less—it wasn’t that humiliating.

Furthermore, it was undeniably Do-kwon’s fault for taking an unauthorized absence and cutting off all contact despite being a Director of Seong-jin.

Do-kwon took Myeong-hui’s harsh torrent of words head-on. After venting her anger, Myeong-hui sank into the sofa. She crossed her legs sharply and glared at Do-kwon.

“I truly cannot face Eun-soo because of you. I’ve lived my whole life without knowing shame, but because of you, I’ve been indescribably embarrassed for days. Not only did you pretend to have amnesia, but you vanished. Good grief…”

“…Why is Yoo Eun-soo coming up in this?”

“Why is he coming up?! Why?! The boy is pregnant, and you, the father, disappeared! How dare you ask why he’s coming up!”

Myeong-hui clenched her fists, trembling. If Do-kwon had been any younger, she would have given him a thorough spanking. However, he had grown up far too tall and handsome for physical discipline to be easy. To punish him now, she felt she’d have to break a desk leg to use as a switch.

Myeong-hui slowly smoothed back her disheveled hair. Even then, her criticisms of Do-kwon did not cease.

“Do you have any idea how much Eun-soo worried about you? A pregnant boy couldn’t even eat properly, and his already pale face became completely bloodless. It felt like my heart was tearing apart.”

“…”

“How shocked must he have been for such a diligent boy to take sick leave…”

Myeong-hui muttered to herself about how surprised she had been to see the phone call this morning, noting that he wasn’t the type to do that. At those words, Do-kwon’s eyes twitched.

“Sick leave?”

“…What, you didn’t know? You didn’t know Eun-soo took sick leave? You? Why not?”

Myeong-hui’s gaze instantly sharpened. Do-kwon quickly shut his mouth under her tiger-like, glinting eyes.

“…”

He felt he shouldn’t mention what had happened with Eun-soo. They weren’t married, so reporting every little detail would be ridiculous. Even if he did tell her, she would undoubtedly take Eun-soo’s side. At that point, she might not just strip him of his directorship, but erase him from the family registry entirely.

Even before meeting Eun-soo—back when he shuddered at the thought of Omegas and had no interest in dating—they rarely spoke face-to-face like this.

Moreover, judging by the situation, it seemed Eun-soo hadn’t said a word about it either.

“I was… busy getting to work this morning, so I couldn’t contact him. When I saw him yesterday… he was fine.”

Do-kwon spoke in an awkward tone. Having never told a lie in his life, his tongue felt numb.

Yesterday, Eun-soo had not been fine. He didn’t know exactly how ‘not fine’ he was. Since they had spent the entire day rolling around in a bedroom without a single ray of light, he didn’t remember Eun-soo’s exact state. He had also been heavily intoxicated.

But he couldn’t be normal. Not after Do-kwon had poured out his pheromones like that and treated him so roughly. He could understand why he took sick leave.

Still, it was strange that he had called Myeong-hui directly to say so. There was a company system and a proper procedure; he wondered what Eun-soo had been thinking.

Just as Do-kwon’s expression soured slightly, Myeong-hui’s face lit up.

“Ah, you met yesterday?”

“…Yes.”

“Even so. No matter how busy you are, contact him every morning, noon, and night. When you’re pregnant, you have to be careful even of falling leaves. How can you be so complacent, not knowing what might happen while you’re out of touch?”

Myeong-hui chided Do-kwon softly as she picked up her teacup. Upon realizing the tea had gone cold, she set it back down without even taking a sip.

“Eun-soo must be suffering from severe morning sickness. Though I heard he ate galbi well last time… Should I send some galbi? You’re going to see Eun-soo after work, right? I’ll prepare a few things, so leave work early and take them to him. Watch him eat. Give him his supplements. Clean up after him.”

Ah, maybe I should hire a helper for Eun-soo’s house. It’s not right for a pregnant body to do cleaning and laundry. The law needs to change. The state should assign a domestic helper to every home with a pregnant Omega. That would be wonderful. It would create jobs, too.

Myeong-hui continued to mutter to herself.

“…”

Do-kwon did not answer. He didn’t laugh, he didn’t cry, and he didn’t agree with her.

Because he had absolutely no intention of meeting Eun-soo after work. He had too much backlogged work to leave early. In short, he could not carry out Myeong-hui’s instructions. He intended to just keep his mouth shut and let it pass.

However, as always, Myeong-hui was not an easy opponent. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at Do-kwon with disapproval.

“Why aren’t you answering? I told you to bring food to Eun-soo.”

“…Yes.”

Do-kwon answered with a deep sigh, sounding as if he were gagging. He then tried to end the conversation quickly before Myeong-hui could start speaking again.

“May I leave now? I need to process my work quickly if I want to leave early.”

“Then you shouldn’t have skipped work.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But why on earth did you skip? Is something going on with Eun-soo?”

“…No. I had a headache. I think it’s an aftereffect of the car accident.”

“You’re still seeing Dr. Kim, right?”

“…Yes.”

The first lie was the hardest; once he started playing along with Myeong-hui, the words flowed smoothly. Do-kwon stood up as if he had nothing more to say. He looked to Myeong-hui for permission, and she waved her hand dismissively. It was a sign to leave.

Do-kwon bowed and left the Chairperson’s office. He remained tense until the door closed, and only after the click of the latch did he loosen the tie that had been strangling his neck.

His mother was not the type of person to care for or worry about others. She had always been cold even toward her own child. Yet, whenever it concerned Eun-soo, she melted like a snowman in the spring sun and maintained a constant smile.

After waking from his coma following the accident, he had been shocked to encounter this version of Myeong-hui. He found it surprising and fascinating that Eun-soo could change her like that.

But regardless, that was all in the past.

Wrinkling his nose, Do-kwon strode across the hallway.

He wanted a cigarette.

* * *