By Zephyria We’re almost there. After the company dinner, I fell asleep drunk, and when I opened my eyes, I was already in front of the apartment complex. After quickly paying, Lee-eum got out of the taxi and headed to the convenience store, buying his usual ice cream and bottled water. He had taken only a few steps when he received a call from his Noona.
【Are you off work?】
“I’m heading home after the company dinner.”
【Did you drink?】
“Yeah, a little.”
After that, his Noona’s nagging about drinking in moderation continued for a while. Knowing she was saying it out of concern for him, he listened silently, but then his Noona brought up something out of the blue.
【Team Leader Oh hasn’t told you yet, has he?】
“Told me what?”
【That your name is on the list of promotion candidates.】
“Ah….”
【You don’t sound happy?】
Having graduated from the police academy and immediately becoming a police lieutenant, he was higher in rank than the other team members. That’s why even the older team members couldn’t easily speak informally to Lee-eum. It was also why they initially found Lee-eum uncomfortable.
【Lee-eum-ah.】
“Yeah….”
【I heard the Intelligence Division is looking to fill internal affairs positions. What do you think? The Head of section there is a classmate of mine, and he took a liking to you. It’s a good opportunity.】
Lee-eum understood his Noona’s intentions well enough but didn’t answer. Every time an opportunity arose, Lee-eum worried. Was it thanks to his father or his Noona?
【You’ve had plenty of experience.】
His Noona was still anxious about Lee-eum working in the field.
“Okay, I’ll think about it.”
If he switched to an internal affairs position, he wouldn’t have to be bound by his Omega status anymore. Even as an Omega, he wouldn’t have to worry about someone exploiting his weakness. However, Lee-eum couldn’t easily give a definite answer, and his Noona didn’t press him further and ended the call. Soon after, a message arrived from Choi Won-joon.
【Where are you?】
His abrupt way of asking where he was bothered him, so he ignored it and waited for the elevator.
【I can’t sleep. I’m dying.】
Yeah, just drop dead. He muttered to himself, got on the elevator, and went up. When he arrived on the 13th floor, he checked before getting off, just in case, but no one was in front of his door.
Lee-eum felt relieved and reached for the lock, changing the password as soon as he got inside. He changed his password regularly to prepare for any possible accidents.
He dragged his tired body to the bathroom to wash up, and another message came.
【Are you home?】
Lee-eum typed.
【I’m working overtime. Don’t contact me, I’m busy.】
As soon as he sent it, the doorbell rang as if on cue. With a sinking feeling, he looked at the intercom, and Choi Won-joon’s face was plastered on the screen. Goddamn it. A curse escaped him involuntarily. He pretended not to notice and held his breath, and then another message came.
【Am I going to keep waiting?】
This guy, seriously. Lee-eum was about to go to the door but stopped.
【If I get marked by you, Choi Won-joon won’t be able to mess with me anymore, right?】
Maybe he should have just asked him to do it. Marking wasn’t like having sex, it was just applying pheromone that Lee-eum couldn’t even smell. He belatedly began to seriously consider Jeong Dae-han’s offer when the doorbell rang incessantly.
In a fit of resignation, he opened the door to find Choi Won-joon standing there in comfortable clothes. Had he just come from home? His hair was slightly damp, and he was wearing a T-shirt with a bear on it. Only the size of the bear’s head was different from the one he used to wear, but it was quite similar.
“Pretending you weren’t home when you were inside.”
“……”
“Did you drink again? I told you to drink in moderation.”
He even nagged him and shamelessly walked inside, and Lee-eum tilted his head back and ground his teeth. Choi Won-joon went to the living room, found the ice cream on the table, checked the contents, and looked for the red bean ice cream. How could his ice cream preference be so similar to his father’s? Then he grabbed only the bottled water and went to the sofa to pick up the remote.
“You must be tired, go wash up.”
For a moment, he thought this was Choi Won-joon’s house.
“Shut up and get out, now.”
“I have something important to say, so go wash up first.”
“What is it? Tell me now.”
“After you wash up.”
“No, why do you keep telling me to wash up?”
“You smell like another bastard’s pheromone.”
Lee-eum flinched. Choi Won-joon was smiling, but his eyes were cold. Like the day he came to the funeral home and brought up Kim Ji-cheol. Lee-eum unconsciously brought his nose to his arm. Could Jeong Dae-han have applied pheromone? He was too timid to do that without permission.
Then Choi Won-joon raised an eyebrow.
“Damn, I was just testing you, and you confirmed it?”
Feeling tricked, he surged forward and grabbed Choi Won-joon’s arm. Get out. Go home. Don’t piss me off. Choi Won-joon instantly pulled Lee-eum onto the sofa and climbed on top of him. His weight made him fall backward, and Lee-eum had no choice but to be pinned underneath.
“Get off me while I’m asking nicely. I don’t want to see blood.”
While he was seriously considering punching him, Won-joon collapsed as if hugging him tightly.
“Let me sleep. I want to sleep, but I can’t. I feel like I’m going to die.”
He buried his face in his chest and mumbled, causing a moment of confusion. This guy really knew how to manipulate people’s feelings. If Choi Won-joon had been forceful, he would have punched him. But he was so easily backing down and acting like a beaten dog.
Lee-eum regained his senses and pushed his shoulder.
“Get off me. I’m too tired to fight today.”
“I can sleep when I hear your heart beating.”
“Get off! You’re heavy!”
When he snapped, Choi Won-joon only lifted his head and drooped his eyebrows.
“Ajusshi, is Young-shik fat? Why do you say I’m heavy? That makes me sad.”
Lee-eum almost threw up the beef he had for dinner on Choi Won-joon’s face. But then Choi Won-joon changed his expression completely, twisting his lips into a smile.
“Oh, and just a warning,”
What bullshit was he going to say this time?
“If you’re thinking of getting another guy’s pheromone on you to get rid of me, you better drop it. I’m a worn-out rag, so I won’t be hurt by that. I’ll just be a little pissed. And I’ll take that anger out on the guy who put the pheromone on you, so keep that in mind. Okay?”
Lee-eum stared at Choi Won-joon with his mouth shut tight. He wondered if he had been followed, but he knew from his expression that wasn’t the case. It was a hunch. An animalistic hunch. And Lee-eum’s hunch was telling him that if Jeong Dae-han marked him, something bad might happen.
“Don’t talk nonsense and get out.”
Despite Lee-eum’s warning, Choi Won-joon pressed his lower body against him and subtly moved his hips. When something like a club poked his thigh, Lee-eum grimaced and pushed his shoulder. But he didn’t budge, and being stimulated while pinned down, Lee-eum’s body slowly began to heat up.
“Goddamn it, get off!”
Choi Won-joon buried his face in Lee-eum’s neck and whispered.
“Just let me have you once.”
His voice was so wet that his lower abdomen tingled, and Lee-eum couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed Choi Won-joon’s hair. Choi Won-joon frowned, but he didn’t care and pulled hard. His already sharp eyes were pulled up, and he let out a sound.
As his upper body lifted, Lee-eum used the opportunity to push Choi Won-joon off the sofa. Choi Won-joon rolled onto the carpet, clutching his torn hair and groaning. He lifted his head, his hair a mess, and it was funny. He laughed, and Choi Won-joon brushed back his torn hair with his hand.
“Wow, so you just tear people’s hair out like that.”
“Be grateful I didn’t punch you, and get the hell out of here.”
He was about to get up to go to the bathroom when Choi Won-joon quickly hugged him from behind. He was already heavy and exhausted from drinking, and he felt like all his energy was being drained from arguing with this guy.
“I’ve been having severe insomnia since that mess in the mountains. When I close my eyes, I keep seeing the faces of those gangsters. My heart is pounding like they’re going to come get me.”
“That’s what they should be saying…. You have no conscience at all.”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa. This is a really important issue for me. Please, Lee-eum-ah? Huh? Darling?”
“If you call me Darling one more time, I’m going to rip your mouth off,”
“Okay, Detective Kim-nim-.”
Lee-eum squeezed his eyes shut. It was like no matter how he attacked, it didn’t work and was all deflected, leaving him drained. In the meantime, Choi Won-joon rubbed his cheek against his shoulder as if being affectionate, and Lee-eum reluctantly agreed.
No sooner had he given his permission than Choi Won-joon lay down on the sofa, and Lee-eum glared at him with narrowed eyes. Won-joon gestured for him to go wash up, and Lee-eum went into the bedroom, locked the door, and then locked the bathroom door.
Then, as he was taking off his clothes, he was dumbfounded to find himself erect. Lee-eum cursed and turned on the cold water, soaking himself from head to toe. After standing under the water for a while, he sobered up and his mind cleared.
After washing up and changing his clothes, Lee-eum stopped in front of the door and gripped the towel tightly. Choi Won-joon was asleep on Lee-eum’s bed, holding his breath, having somehow gotten in.