By Zephyria “A repeat student isn’t a prisoner, you know.”
Yeo Min-young, beta, 20 years old, a fresh-faced repeat student.
“Isn’t it too much to not let me order delivery food even once?”
Currently confined at a certain boarding academy in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Gone were the days when she enjoyed the Atlantic on a cruise with Seo-woon, and now she was half-slumped in a counseling room chair, having become one with it.
“You’re right. That’s true.”
Seo-woon, who had driven over an hour and forty minutes under orders from uncle and aunt, generously agreed. Because Min-young had refused regular outings for three months since admission, even a limousine with a refrigerator had been brought along.
“Want some bubble tea if you’re done eating?”
“Do you know what I said last time… bubble tea?”
“You said you wanted to try brown sugar bubble tea.”
Min-young wouldn’t like to hear it, but perhaps thanks to the regular lifestyle, her complexion had improved compared to before entering the boarding academy. I don’t think uncle needs to worry. Thinking of uncle who couldn’t have peace of mind worrying about his child, Seo-woon took out a cooler bag.
“Oh my. Oppa, I really… I’ll be filial. I’ll be filial! Mr. Jeong Seo-woon, may you live ten thousand years.”
Making all sorts of fuss, Min-young reverently received the brown sugar bubble tea. No matter how I look at it, she doesn’t seem to be forcing herself to act bright. She has endless complaints about the academy (mostly about the ban on ordering delivery food), but there don’t seem to be any problems with her friends either.
“So freaking delicious. Oppa, this is insane! It’s so good!”
“Want to leave even now? I’ll buy you something even more delicious.”
“……”
“Don’t want to?”
“…It’s not that I don’t want to…”
Min-young listlessly chewed on her bubble tea straw.
“I’m anxious…”
“What could our Min-young be so anxious about?”
“…I have a mock exam in three days.”
Only her face looked dispirited, as the chewy pearls went up through the straw one by one.
“Not going on outings doesn’t mean I’m studying all the time, but… it makes me anxious. I didn’t do well on last month’s mock exam either…”
Being troubled was one thing, and being delicious was another. Seo-woon swallowed his laughter inwardly. This was just like when she was little.
“Can’t you tell mom and dad? Then they’ll worry like crazy again.”
The kid who was worried about that had turned down all regular outings. Seo-woon comforted Min-young, telling her not to worry. It would be a big concern for Min-young, but fortunately it wasn’t as big a deal as expected. It was a general worry that any repeat student might have, and Seo-woon also felt relieved of one worry.
“How did you memorize vocabulary, oppa? I think I’m really stupid. I can’t memorize words. What should I do?”
“It’s been too long since I studied… Want to try using this?”
He had deliberately hidden it in his bag to surprise her. At the brand logo that was clearly an electronic device, Min-young spat out the bubble tea straw she was holding.
“Yi-jin prepared this for you to give to you. It’s still an unreleased product, so don’t tell your friends. He said it’s been upgraded three levels from what’s on the market. Everyone studies with these nowadays, right?”
“Huung, brother-in-law! I love you…! I really, really love you…!”
“I get filial piety and brother-in-law gets love…”
“Holy shit, this is crazy. What should I do? I want to talk to brother-in-law! I want to right now!”
Min-young hugged the box and wailed. He knew she’d be happy, but when Yi-jin was instantly promoted to love, he felt a little, just a little betrayed. After how I raised you… Seo-woon had old-fashioned thoughts while looking down at his silent phone. Naturally, there were no calls or messages whatsoever. Seo-woon unnecessarily flipped his phone over. The pitch-black screen was annoying.
“What should I do. Brother-in-law is probably too busy.”
“Can’t you do it just for a bit? Just 10 minutes, no, just 5 minutes!”
“…He’s not in Korea right now.”
“What?”
Seo-woon familiarly announced Yi-jin’s absence.
“He went on an overseas business trip.”
“Again?!”
Six months into marriage, Yi-jin had gone on another overseas business trip.
People don’t change easily.
*
“He must be busy making things like this.”
Min-young came to Yi-jin’s defense. Just in case she might get upset, the innocent tablet PC had been safely evacuated.
“He’s not in electronics though.”
“Still, he must be busy!”
Well. Would it have been easier to understand if it were electronics? Since trading companies don’t have visible results, it’s hard to accept just how busy Yi-jin is. Maybe it’s because it’s a different industry – when I ask, he happily tells me about work, but even so, I have no idea what he’s talking about. I just listen because Yi-jin talking enthusiastically is cute.
“When is brother-in-law coming back?”
“Tomorrow.”
“That’s soon!”
“Well…”
He left yesterday morning, so it was only a 2-night, 3-day business trip. Compared to the days when he went on month-long business trips right after marriage, it wasn’t without progress, and it would be reasonable to laugh it off, but Seo-woon’s reaction was quite lukewarm.
Laughing it off was fine once or twice. Recently it’s been like this continuously. Yi-jin no longer went on month-long business trips like before, but instead he became routinely busy with small things. It didn’t seem to be this extent until before the cruise trip, but this month alone he’d been on four business trips. He’d been away from home four times, 2 nights and 3 days each time, so there was no way Seo-woon would be particularly moved. Now that I think about it, the time they spend together has also subtly decreased.
Small things, subtle. The words had no persuasive power whatsoever, but given the situation, there was no way to explain it except for Seo-woon’s intuitive feeling. What couple would measure the time they spend together? In Yi-jin’s case, since his departure time isn’t fixed, calculating time is even more difficult. There are plenty of days he comes home at dawn, and breaking regular departure times is nothing. This month, business trips were particularly frequent, so Seo-woon was now gaining certainty that wasn’t quite certain.
He’s become particularly busy lately. Seo-woon thoughtfully recalled his last conversation with Yi-jin. Since it was almost 2 PM in Korea, Yi-jin would already be in the middle of the night. He said he’d go to sleep right after hanging up, so wouldn’t he really be sleeping now? Seo-woon had talked with Yi-jin right until just before meeting Min-young. As long as Yi-jin’s overseas business trips didn’t stop, their video calls would continue.
“Go to sleep now.”
– Seo-woon…
“Why do you keep calling me?”
Making my heart soft. Seo-woon stubbornly maintained his cold attitude. For Yi-jin who was being strangely stubborn when he hadn’t even adjusted to the time difference yet. I have to take care of my own business. Seo-woon had become increasingly interested in managing Yi-jin’s health.
– Don’t I still have more time before I need to arrive?
“That’s true, but… Yi-jin, you’re tired. You said you have to wake up early tomorrow, no, today too.”
– I’ll take care of that myself. It’s not something for you to worry about, Seo-woon.
It was surely meant with good intentions, but why did it feel bad? In many ways, Yi-jin hadn’t changed. It was Seo-woon who had changed.
“I don’t like that. I will worry about it.”
This much is nothing. Perhaps flustered, Yi-jin’s pupils rolled around busily. Being more worried about the other person’s physical condition rather than getting upset over a few harmless words like this was also a change, if anything.
“If I don’t worry about you, who will?”
– …That’s true too.
“Right?”
– That’s right. Seo-woon is indeed wise.
Yes, yes. I don’t know what’s so consistently wise about everything, but when someone you love keeps expressing their love with all sorts of reasons, there’s no one who would dislike that. You know what? When I look into your eyes, I want to believe anything. That the recent decrease in our time together is purely due to company work – I want to believe that. I don’t even want to think about other possibilities.
Separate from Seo-woon’s personal hopes, it was also natural that there was no contact from Yi-jin. How could someone who went to sleep contact him? It was Seo-woon who had coaxed and persuaded to end the call worried that Yi-jin would stay up all night again, and it was Yi-jin who had tried all sorts of unsuccessful tricks to continue the phone conversation somehow. Even thinking about it again, it was hard to think that Yi-jin’s feelings had changed.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look like that? Are you already missing him like crazy? Missing him to death?”
“…Is that so?”
It should definitely be that way, but why does it feel so unsettling? Seo-woon chewed over his feelings once more. This couldn’t be expressed as anything other than unsettling. It wasn’t bad enough to say he felt disgusted, but it also wasn’t something he could just brush off casually – a state he couldn’t understand himself.
Something seems strange after all. Perhaps it showed on his face because Min-young quickly caught on.
“Huh, what’s that? Did you two fight?”
“No. We don’t fight.”
“You know. Brother-in-law learned marriage from the internet so he’s like that, but he’s not a bad person.”
“I’m telling you we really didn’t fight.”
“Sometimes he’s a bit… provocative though…”
Min-young unconsciously trailed off. She seemed to want to take her brother-in-law’s side thinking of the tablet PC, but considering Yi-jin’s past actions, it didn’t look easy in many ways.
“…He probably doesn’t do it on purpose.”
“Of course he shouldn’t! If you’re going to defend him like this, why did you fight in the first place?”
“I said we didn’t fight. I don’t fight with that kid.”
“Brother-in-law does have baby-like charm. But his face isn’t baby-like, which makes it even better!”
“…What do you mean by ‘not baby-like.'”
“His body isn’t baby-like either… Brother-in-law’s body is just, thick. Are all alphas like that? I think he could easily lift someone like oppa.”
What do you mean ‘someone like me’? I almost asked my twenty-year-old relative sister without acting my age.
“Still, you oppas are lucky. You can know everything about each other.”
“Know everything?”
“You have pheromones! You can know everything through pheromones, right?”
As a beta, Min-young was interested in alphas and omegas like other betas. Indeed, the relationship between alphas and omegas through pheromones was the public’s favorite topic. Among them, imprinting symptoms that become bound to the other person’s pheromones could provide both romantic and provocative narratives, so they appeared without fail in soap operas. Of course, imprinting was common only in the world of dramas and movies – alphas and omegas who actually experienced imprinting were only a very small minority.
“This bastard is hiding something from me, this bastard’s heart is wavering? This is… another person’s pheromones? Things like that! How great!”
Yes, it would be great. If I were a viewer. Seo-woon inwardly shuddered at the horrifying scenario just from hearing about it. Having to realize your loved one’s change of heart with your whole body – there couldn’t be a more cruel breakup notice than this. You might be able to lie about love, but you couldn’t deceive your own heart that shows through pheromones. It was the so-called reverse effect of pheromones.
There was no problem when hearts were in sync, but emotions were inherently like living organisms, making it difficult to always maintain the same state. That’s right. How could yesterday’s feelings and today’s feelings be exactly the same? Of course, there was no problem when each other’s emotions were similar, but the moment either side changed their heart even a little, the other person’s changed pheromones were just violence. Imprinting, which was portrayed as an eternal vow of love in dramas, was called a blessed curse in reality for the same reason.
A life dominated by alpha and omega instincts. Even excluding imprinting as it was a special case, as long as alphas and omegas were influenced by pheromones, they couldn’t escape the prejudice of being more instinctive and emotional than betas. Nowadays, ruts and heats could be suppressed just by taking medication, but alphas and omegas were instinctively designed to follow pheromones. What could you do about what you felt? The prejudice of being instinctive and emotional wasn’t entirely unfounded.
Most of the alphas Seo-woon had met were like that too. Among them was a bastard who said he would personally treat Seo-woon’s heat cycle and told him not to take medication. Are you fucking God? When medication makes it fine, why should you? I should have hit him one more time thinking about it again.
Our Jini can’t be compared to those bastards. Even when he didn’t try to, his stream of consciousness naturally led to Yi-jin. Seo-woon instinctively recalled Yi-jin’s pheromones. Unlike Seo-woon, it wasn’t sweet at all and was closer to a cold feeling rather than warm – a heart-piercing mint scent. He hadn’t liked such cool scents and thought he’d never have any connection to them.
“…I do miss him.”
His true feelings unconsciously leaked out. It hadn’t even been a year since he got to know Yi-jin, but now he couldn’t imagine time without Yi-jin. Seo-woon felt somewhat newly aware of the reality of his marriage.
“Oppa! They got divorced!”
Min-young had apparently started up the tablet PC and was displaying a divorce article about a celebrity alpha-omega couple on the large screen.
D-1, one day left until Yi-jin’s return to Korea.
Moderately ordinary and moderately peaceful.
The unsettling feeling Seo-woon experienced was relatively recent – his married life had been extremely smooth. Like the spring buds felt everywhere, like Seo-woon’s stable daily routine, like his married life with Yi-jin. Usually, couples fight constantly from the newlywed period due to differences in lifestyle habits, but there was no such thing with Yi-jin. Yi-jin’s answer had been predetermined from the start.
Please do as you’re comfortable with, Seo-woon.
You can do whatever you want, Seo-woon.
Does that guy really have no sense of self? Unconditional consideration was nice at first, but now it was seriously worrying. No, wait. He does have a sense of self. Sometimes, very occasionally, Yi-jin would often confuse Seo-woon with his stubborn antics that put his persistence first. Even that was stubbornness limited to Seo-woon, but anyway, Seo-woon was doing well. This much was a clear fact.
There was no bullying from the chaebol family like in dramas, no envious meddling from people around them. He wasn’t called to gatherings of third-generation chaebols who seemed like they should be walking around with wine glasses. Apparently such gatherings existed, but since Yi-jin himself didn’t feel the need to attend, Seo-woon naturally didn’t need to go either.
“If you don’t even go to places like this, when do you meet friends…”
“Yes.”
“…Oh.”
“I’m listening. Please continue, Seo-woon.”
“…It’s nothing.”
When would he meet them? Yi-jin doesn’t meet friends. To put it more bluntly, he can’t meet them because he doesn’t have any. Thanks to this, Seo-woon was thoroughly guaranteed his life with Yi-jin. Wasn’t marrying into a chaebol family supposed to mean being called to family gatherings every day and attending business parties every night?
Well, no, it wasn’t. There was absolutely no invasion of privacy that Seo-woon had secretly worried about. To the extent that it was more amazing for Seo-woon to watch, Yi-jin was never exposed in the media, and Seo-woon, as his spouse, was also living a perfectly ordinary person’s life. This was worlds apart from Yi-jin’s family members who appeared in news and newspaper social pages several times a day. Even though he knew this was also consideration from family members who wanted to do more for Yi-jin, he never thought it would be to this extent.
Can we not go to places like movie theaters anymore? When he first learned about Yi-jin’s family background, he had secretly worried about such things, but apparently there was no such concern at all. Since it was right after their cruise trip, it was already several months ago, but the two had even been to an amusement park.
It was an impulsive outing decided after being shocked that Yi-jin had never been to an amusement park. Since they had skipped dating and went straight to marriage, it was practically their first date. After realizing this fact, Seo-woon couldn’t just let it slide carelessly, so he brazenly wore animal headbands alongside Yi-jin. Saying the food here was different, he personally had Yi-jin taste amusement park-style churros and bubble ice cream.
“It’s delicious!”
“It tastes like ice cream.”
“No, is it delicious?”
“Yes. This… tastes like sugar.”
“I’m asking if it’s delicious?”
“It’s sweet.”
“Hey, you…”
Whether Yi-jin enjoyed eating it was questionable, but Seo-woon had fun as a result. Instead of renting the entire amusement park for just the two of them like in movies, the two normally stood in line and waited for their turn. He also taught the unwritten rule that you should raise your hands at the top of the Viking ride, but it didn’t translate into action. Yi-jin held onto the safety bar until his hands turned white throughout the entire Viking ride. Seo-woon tried to hold his hand seeing this, but failed because Yi-jin wouldn’t let go of the safety bar. That day, Yi-jin got hand cramps several times, and each time, Seo-woon silently massaged his hands.
“Seo-woon, it’s okay. You can stop now.”
“Okay nothing. They’re still white. Does it hurt?”
“Yes, there’s no pain. My palms are just a little numb. I can’t tell about my fingers because they still have no sensation.”
“……”
Just how tightly had he been gripping to end up like this? From now on, they should probably just ride bumper cars or the carousel. He rides airplanes fine so I thought it would be okay, but roller coasters and Viking rides seem to be exceptions. It was a new discovery they wouldn’t have known until the end if they hadn’t come to the amusement park.
The small moments of learning Yi-jin’s new sides were nice. It was another change that happened to Seo-woon after marriage. The daily life spent with Yi-jin became so precious he couldn’t bear it. He liked watching Yi-jin slowly learn aspects of himself he didn’t know.
The boarding lines decreased one by one, and huge crowds gathered along certain paths. Seo-woon, who had lived by reading the room, could tell. This was clearly a parade viewing line. Since it seemed like Yi-jin wouldn’t need to ride any more attractions, the two watched the parade while they were at it. Good spots were already full so they had to watch from behind, but Yi-jin would have been able to see without difficulty.
Since they were in the back anyway and couldn’t see well, Seo-woon made up his mind to watch Yi-jin watching the parade. Among all the people laughing happily, Yi-jin standing tall alone with an expressionless face was very alien. The people’s joyful cheering and loud parade music also quietly settled down when they met Yi-jin. If someone accidentally bumped into Yi-jin, they would quickly return to reality from their childlike immersion and hurriedly apologize first. An unsmiling adult man in perfect business attire who went to the company even on weekends seemed like he would never be welcomed in a world of adventure and mystery.
It’s okay. I’ll welcome you. Seo-woon firmly re-gripped Yi-jin’s hand. Yi-jin, who would normally have shown some reaction, didn’t even flinch and kept watching the parade. He stood so still that Yi-jin really felt like a robot sometimes. When the parade’s characteristic brilliant lights shone their way or when giant sculptures approached with colorful illumination, Yi-jin’s hand in his would flinch. That was all there was to his reactions, but that alone was enough.
This is just the beginning. Looking at Yi-jin’s profile shining clearly even in the darkness, Seo-woon dared to dream of the future. We’re going to create our own world. He wanted to make this person happier. He wanted to fill Yi-jin’s empty spaces one by one. For you whom I love, for me who loves you. He hoped the happiness of daily life with Yi-jin would increase more.
That was already several months ago. The world was still overflowing with things to do and the weather was even bringing spring, but somehow there was just no time. Seo-woon was overflowing, but Yi-jin had no time. He really had none at all.
Is it really something that would take up this much time? Seo-woon calmly looked back at the past time. Even when he first went to the amusement park with Yi-jin, yes, even until then, it wasn’t this extent. Business trips were at most twice a month, and dawn departures weren’t as frequent as nowadays. He didn’t go to work like clockwork every weekend either.
That’s right. Just how long are you going to be busy? When are you going to hang out with your husband? Even to himself, it was quite an embarrassing complaint, and Seo-woon’s face flushed red. Wow, that was really embarrassing just now. When are you going to hang out with me – Jeong Seo-woon, you are an adult. Seo-woon scolded himself and stood resolutely in front of the entrance door. Was it seasonal? He had lived fine by himself until now, but he didn’t understand why he was feeling this way now. It wasn’t like he didn’t know about Yi-jin’s workaholic tendencies either.
Seo-woon stopped thinking any further and mechanically entered the entrance door password. No matter that it was for security, the password was annoyingly long. It would open automatically if someone just pressed a button from inside, but Seo-woon had never used the intercom. There would have to be someone at home for that. Of course, the housekeeper was an exception. In the early days of marriage, he tried not to hire help, but once he actually started living there, it was absolutely impossible.
As he entered, the scent of spring wafted from the garden where green buds were sprouting. With the afternoon sunlight lingering, it felt even warmer and cozier. The negative thoughts that had been nagging at Seo-woon seemed to lessen somewhat.
“You’re back.”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t because of the sunlight. There was someone to welcome Seo-woon as he trudged into the house. Seo-woon reflexively checked the time.
“My schedule moved up, so I just arrived. Were you also coming back from somewhere, Seo-woon?”
As Yi-jin said, since he hadn’t been back long, Yi-jin was still in his business suit. How thoughtful. Seo-woon said while hurriedly taking off his shoes:
“Don’t surprise me with things like this. I went to look at some fabrics.”
“I apologize. I contacted you before departure, but when I arrived, I found the message had failed to send. It’s my oversight for not double-checking.”
He was definitely apologizing with words, but his pheromones didn’t seem sorry at all. Even after video calling yesterday, he was staring at him so intensely that it wouldn’t be strange if Seo-woon got a hole burned through him. At Yi-jin’s pheromones swaying like a dance, Seo-woon’s movements putting on slippers quickened.
“Oversight nothing. It’s fine. The carrier messed up.”
“Are you forgiving me?”
“It’s not like you came late, you came early. Still, I don’t want us to miss each other, so please let me know properly from now on.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. But what did you need to look at fabrics for? Do you want some?”
“I went for market research. Usually colors hit the fabric market first… Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, I had a good…”
“……”
“…trip.”
All done. Before Yi-jin could finish his answer, Seo-woon hugged him. For a moment, Yi-jin’s pheromones seemed to surge up, then Yi-jin awkwardly hugged Seo-woon’s back in return. Ah, he really came back. Yi-jin came back. Seo-woon familiarly buried his face in Yi-jin’s embrace.
Was it just his imagination? He seemed to have lost some weight. Seo-woon subtly felt around Yi-jin. So let’s go easy on the business trips. Don’t go to work either. I’m getting contract money this time and I’ll give it all to you. Swallowing complaints he couldn’t voice out loud, he welcomed Yi-jin with all his strength.
“Only now are you giving me a ‘welcome home’ greeting.”
“…That’s right.”
Yi-jin’s responding pheromones swayed irregularly. His gaze looking down at Seo-woon was infinitely warm, but the alpha’s pheromones directed at Seo-woon were somehow only cool. Yes, this scent. Yi-jin’s fragrance. Seo-woon deeply inhaled Yi-jin’s pheromones. After repeatedly breathing in several times, Seo-woon was the first to escape from Yi-jin’s embrace. He roughly put down the fabric samples he’d been carrying onto the sofa and took off the jacket he was wearing.
“When did you arrive?”
“15… 12 minutes ago.”
Yi-jin answered haltingly. Even so, his eyes directed at Seo-woon didn’t know how to move.
“What were you doing alone for 12 minutes?”
“I was working.”
Right. Of course. He asked something obvious. Seo-woon, now in thin knitwear, said while carefully placing his jacket next to the fabrics:
“Since I went out… should I wash up first?”
“Yes, please do so.”
What are you doing there again? Seo-woon had put down his jacket, but Yi-jin was picking up his tablet PC instead. When Seo-woon didn’t go to the bathroom and stared straight at Yi-jin, Yi-jin asked in an awkward position:
“Why are you doing that?”
“What are you doing there, Yi-jin?”
“I have something to check for a moment…”
“Weren’t we going to wash together?”
“Oh, yes! We’ll wash together!”
Crash! The tablet PC fell spectacularly onto the table. If it was going to fall, it could have fallen onto the rug. What a loud collision sound.
“Is it broken?”
When startled Seo-woon tried to turn around to look, Yi-jin quickly blocked Seo-woon’s view and said:
“No, it’s not broken.”
He didn’t even pretend to check. Yi-jin’s repertoire of antics was growing day by day. The house was also unnecessarily spacious – the detached house that Yi-jin said he built modestly was still enormously wide to Seo-woon, making the path to the bathroom treacherous.
“Yi-jin… slow, ly…!”
Especially when there was someone pushing from behind. Seo-woon was pushed by Yi-jin and sucked into the bathroom. When the faint remaining water scent mingled with the mint fragrance, Yi-jin’s pheromones felt even more intense.
Seo-woon was frantically swept away by Yi-jin’s pheromones. Would a few days apart cause this? Setting aside the water scent, Yi-jin’s pheromones seemed to have gotten stronger while they were apart. Yi-jin being more swept away by such pheromones from Seo-woon, and Seo-woon being more swept away because of that – a happy vicious cycle occurred. Huff, huff… Yi-jin’s breathing was rough as he rushed toward Seo-woon.
“I under-, I understand…”
“Ah…! You said you understand…!”
“……”
“Wait, Jini, wait…! Ah!”
“Seo-woon, Seo-woon…”
Yi-jin’s pheromones rushed in frantically. Yi-jin, who couldn’t get his bearings just from not seeing him for that short time, Yi-jin who was telling him with his whole body that he liked him, was lovely. More than now, more, more – he wanted to love him freely.
Unsettling nothing! The moment Seo-woon’s knit was thrown to the floor and their two members rubbed together through fabric, Seo-woon’s unidentifiable anxiety also flew away. This emotion couldn’t be anything but real. The alpha’s pheromones, frantic to mark Seo-woon as his own, were telling him everything.
Where were you? Why did you come only now?
He was the one who left, and now he was making such a fuss. Seo-woon, who had only been to the fabric market at most, had to be drenched in mint scent so vivid that his original pheromones couldn’t be felt. Even with Yi-jin’s hasty hands that first gave him a pheromone shower, arousal steadily came and melted their pheromones together like one body.
Sweet toothpaste scent vibrated from all directions. It was the result of their pheromones melting together, having become as familiar as Yi-jin’s mint scent. Whether pheromones also followed personality, Seo-woon would produce decent results no matter who he was paired with, but of all things, meeting mint, he became mint chocolate which boasted extreme love-or-hate reactions.
Mint chocolate, shortened to mint-choco. He didn’t know when they’d have one, but it seemed like they’d instantly decided on a pet name. Sweet toothpaste scent gathered cozily around Seo-woon, who had expelled everything and fallen asleep as if fainting. A familiar, affectionate, sweet smell. It was truly a peaceful moment. Although nothing had ever been wrong in the first place, it finally seemed like everything had returned to its proper place.
“Seo-woon.”
“……”
“Seo-woon, please wake up for a moment.”
“…Uh, yeah…”
Seo-woon had been deep in post-sex slumber, the kind where he wouldn’t notice if someone carried him away. He had to force himself awake without even opening his eyes properly at the urgent yet familiar touch shaking his arm.
“I have something to tell you. Seo-woon, Seo-woon.”
“What…”
“Should I have them prepare something soft for dinner?”
Had time already passed that much? Seo-woon buried his face in the soft pillowcase and habitually groped the space next to him, looking for Yi-jin.
“I don’t need to eat…”
“That won’t do. Please eat something. Isn’t there any food you want to eat?”
“…What does Yi-jin want to eat…”
But this is strange. The big guy who should always be lying next to him as usual can’t be felt.
“I already ate.”
Our Jini… you must have been really hungry…? When he belatedly opened his eyes, he could see Yi-jin dressed neatly. Why is he in a business suit again? The question didn’t last long.
“Now you just need to eat, Seo-woon.”
“What?”
“As I mentioned. I already ate before going to work.”
He was so dumbfounded that he became fully awake. When Seo-woon weakly got up from under the blanket, Yi-jin quickly extended a helping hand. While helping Seo-woon up, he subtly stroked his waist and buttocks… he’s learned to pull all these tricks too, hasn’t he grown up a lot. Unable to hide his pleased feelings, Seo-woon unconsciously asked in a soft tone:
“Work? Isn’t it night right now?”
“That’s right. Since I came straight home after returning to the country, I’m only going to work now.”
“What…?”
“I’ll be back, so please make sure to eat.”
Yi-jin looked ready to rush to the company right away. Is he serious right now? Seo-woon urgently grabbed Yi-jin.
“If you go now, when will you come back?”
“…Well.”
It was the most ambiguous answer he’d ever heard. “Huh…?” Seo-woon was flustered, and Yi-jin was serious. After some thought, Yi-jin provided a specific answer.
“I think 3 o’clock should be sufficient.”
“3 o’clock… you don’t mean 3 AM?”
“That’s right.”
At this point, he wondered if there was something hidden at the company. There probably was. Documents and data carefully hidden away. That would be fortunate.
Surely his heart hadn’t really changed. Where did his confidence from a few hours ago go – now he was full of distrust. Unable to bear it any longer, Seo-woon voiced his complaints for the first time.
“Isn’t it a bit too much lately?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re too busy.”
“…I’m sorry.”
It was good that he voiced it, but… seeing Yi-jin immediately apologize while even dropping his head drained all his energy. Was that all? He even looked somewhat dejected. Yi-jin’s pheromones, which had been circling around Seo-woon and trying their best to please, instantly settled down.
“It’s all because I’m lacking.”
“Huh? Suddenly?”
“I’m truly sorry…”
Is this kid doing this on purpose? Rather than just being drained, now he was starting to feel unnecessarily sorry. You haven’t done anything right from the beginning, but there’s nothing to be sorry about… Contrary to his original intention, Seo-woon found himself comforting Yi-jin.
“No, well… if we really have to assign blame, it’s the company’s fault, not yours, Yi-jin.”
“No. It’s because my concentration has been scattered. It’s clearly affecting my work now.”
“Concentration? Why? Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing’s wrong.”
“…Then?”
“I’m not entirely sure of the exact reason myself. I’ll tell you when I’m certain.”
What is this kid talking about now? Seo-woon started playing twenty questions with Yi-jin.
“Are you sick somewhere…”
“I’m not sick anywhere.”
“Did you cause some big trouble at work…?”
“How could that be?”
Even in the midst of this, he said it wasn’t that. It was a resolute tone that somehow felt proud. He hadn’t even lost his spirit. Thanks to this, Seo-woon was able to recall his original intention.
“Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You, Yi-jin. I’m asking if you’re okay. You probably haven’t even adjusted to the time difference yet.”
I have to take care of my own business. Jini, you have to live with me for a long, long time. While we’re at it, we should live healthily until we die. There’s a reason for the curse of living long with illness. It was also then that Yi-jin’s pheromones, which had been dejected, began to regain energy and gently bloom.
“Are you worried about me?”
“…Why are you acting so surprised about something so obvious?”
“Obvious? It’s not obvious.”
Yi-jin straightened up and began to refute. An unexpected fierce battle was about to begin.
“Don’t you not say such things, Seo-woon?”
“Not say them? I do say them when I need to.”
“No? You don’t say them.”
“…I don’t think so?”
“You don’t.”
“I don’t…”
“You never have. You’re mistaken, Seo-woon.”
I didn’t show that much worry? As if leaving no room for doubt, Yi-jin repeatedly emphasized. He certainly never expressed it directly, but… suddenly how did the conversation turn this way? At the voice that felt hurt beyond just being resolute, only Seo-woon listening felt awkward. Seo-woon muttered his true feelings while pretending not to be hurt.
“When you don’t even give me time to say such things…”
“Time?”
“Yeah, time. These days every day… you’re busy. Don’t tell me you’re going to work tomorrow too?”
Since he went on a business trip, and overseas at that, wouldn’t he definitely rest tomorrow? Especially since he’s acting like he’ll go to work on the very day he returned, he surely would. To Seo-woon’s casually thrown question, Yi-jin seriously nodded.
“That’s right.”
“…You’re going to work tomorrow too? Why?!”
“If you ask why…”
Yi-jin hesitated in his answer. His face showed he didn’t know what or how to answer because Seo-woon was asking something too obvious. How could such a thing exist? Feeling like he’d been hit in the back of the head, Seo-woon was furious.
“Can’t that damn company run without you, Yi-jin? Even if they work people hard, there should be limits!”
“I’ve never been worked hard…”
“What kind of company is that?”
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
What is this now? When he cursed the company, Yi-jin immediately apologized. Then with the most serious face in the world, he said:
“I’ll work even harder.”
Ah, right. That company is his. He hadn’t intended to fight with Yi-jin, but for something like that, he had successfully hit the mark brilliantly.
“Then I’ll be going.”
What is this? What really is this kid? With indescribable emotions, Seo-woon looked up at Yi-jin with a sour expression. It didn’t seem like he was deliberately trying to mess with Seo-woon, but if those words were sincere, that was problematic in its own way.
He thought he’d stay home today, but he insists on going to the company after all. Seo-woon sighed. It wasn’t like he was going to meet friends – he was going to do work he couldn’t finish because he came straight home, so it was awkward to get angrier than this. Above all, when the person involved said he was fine, what more needed to be said? Seo-woon knew best that Yi-jin wasn’t tired.
Don’t go. This time too, Seo-woon succeeded in swallowing his complaint disguised as sincerity.
“…So, if you go now, when will you come back?”
“I’m scheduled to arrive at 3 o’clock.”
He answers well. He’s saying he’ll leave work at 3 AM no less. Since Yi-jin keeps his word like clockwork, he’ll definitely come home exactly at 3 AM. Right. Go ahead and work harder. Seo-woon flopped down on the bed. His whole body ached, making it hard to sit up straight any longer.
That’s right. This time seems particularly more painful? Though he was never skilled to begin with, lately Yi-jin seemed even less able to control his strength. Perhaps knowing this himself, he’d pause to catch his breath in the middle trying to be careful, but it wasn’t much help. Not just hand marks but sometimes even bruises beyond kiss marks.
Oh, my whole body aches. Setting aside his back, why did his arms and legs hurt – from his shoulders to his stomach, there wasn’t a place that didn’t hurt. It wasn’t intentional on Yi-jin’s part, and Seo-woon often only noticed later, so he’d never mentioned it separately, but the degree of pain had definitely intensified. If it continued like this, it might interfere with daily life.
He should probably tell Yi-jin about this once… Seo-woon glanced up at Yi-jin. When Seo-woon blinked, the huge shadow looking down at him reacted sensitively.
“Seo-woon?”
“…It’s nothing.”
He’ll be tired today, so next time, let’s talk about it next time. A relationship where “next time” with someone was natural – Seo-woon would realize his marriage with Yi-jin at moments like these.
“Seo-woon.”
“Yeah.”
“I need to go out now.”
“Okay. Don’t overdo it and take care.”
He’s really going after all. Seo-woon saw Yi-jin off while pretending to be nonchalant.
“The goodbye…”
“…Wasn’t what I just did a goodbye?”
“Not a verbal goodbye…”
Ah. He understood immediately. Since it’s going to work, he’ll take what he should take? You’re lucky I go easy on you because you’re cute. Once he became aware of the pain, he had no strength to get up, so Seo-woon gestured to Yi-jin while lying down.
“Come here.”
“Yes.”
*Smooch, smoooch!* Then he gave him a deep kiss. When he deliberately didn’t use his tongue and bit lip to lip instead, Yi-jin’s eyes became hazy. How cute – Seo-woon patted the firm buttocks hidden under the business pants and personally saw Yi-jin off. He hadn’t intended to do this, but out of habit he ended up patting his butt.
“Go on. Come back right away if it gets too hard.”
“Leave work?”
“I’m getting contract money this time. I’m not using it, so let’s spend it together. We can go to the amusement park a hundred more times.”
“……”
“Humanly speaking, don’t try to calculate it, okay?”
How did he know? Since Yi-jin made a very surprised face, Seo-woon couldn’t stand it and urged him on.
“Hurry up and go. That way you’ll come back quickly.”
Though he said that, Seo-woon actually knew too. Yi-jin would return exactly at 3 AM. Not earlier, not later – he’d return home precisely at 3 AM.
Would they have to live like this for their whole lives? In the newlywed home left to just the two of them, Seo-woon thought. That day, Yi-jin came home at 3 AM.
* * *
It was an ordinary morning when Yi-jin, who returned home exactly at 3 AM, bolted out to the company as soon as the sun rose. After seeing Yi-jin off half-asleep, Seo-woon fell into serious contemplation.
Emotional consumption was the greatest waste of energy. Until now, Seo-woon had lived putting moderate effort into everything. Mainly just with people-related matters, but anyway, Seo-woon liked the word “moderate” when it came to human relationships. Since money doesn’t betray people, no matter how hard things got, he never did his work only moderately. He just worked hard. For the same reason, he vowed not to quit work even after marriage, and he was actually doing so.
Wasn’t this enough emotional consumption? Caring this much about someone was very awkward for Seo-woon himself. People like Min-young and other family members had been within Seo-woon’s boundaries from the beginning, but he didn’t know that Yi-jin, who had been legal family for less than a year, would break down Seo-woon’s boundaries.
I’m scared. Feeling Yi-jin’s presence returning at dawn, Seo-woon became afraid of Yi-jin for the first time. A person who would definitely return to Seo-woon no matter how late he got off work – even if not today, there would always be a next time. Yet to feel sorry about today that he couldn’t spend with this person, how could such feelings arise? Thanks to this, Seo-woon had to toss and turn all night.
Moderate nothing – when he came to his senses, he discovered himself completely fallen beyond just leaning. He couldn’t even remember when it started. Seo-woon was afraid of his own overflowing heart, so unlike himself. He was scared that Yi-jin, who held his heart in his hands, would manipulate him at will.
He no longer wanted to be carelessly swayed by others. I don’t want to lose who I am now. Yet even so, Seo-woon steadily finished preparing to go out. Now he just needed to meet Driver Yoon and he’d arrive at his destination automatically.
His meetings with Driver Yoon, which he thought he’d never get used to, had already exceeded ten times. He had been confident he’d never need a driver for personal errands in his lifetime, but when he actually tried it, it was more convenient than expected. Especially on days like today when his physical condition wasn’t good.
Except for cases like the fabric market where public transportation was more convenient, Seo-woon had become quite naturally inclined to call Driver Yoon. Just over ten times in six months wasn’t that many, but considering his initial assertion that it would absolutely never happen, it was tremendous progress.
Wouldn’t he eventually get used to this current overflow too? Seo-woon’s world, which Yi-jin had expanded, showed no signs of shrinking, and it seemed like he’d lose the way back forever.
Yes, forever. When I look into your eyes, when I’m with you, I want to believe anything. Absurdly, I want to believe in forever. It was for the same reason that Seo-woon was going to find Yi-jin, so unlike himself.
Just as Seo-woon had his own work, Yi-jin had his own work too. Since it wasn’t something Seo-woon could understand even if he heard about it, he had lived without much interest in Yi-jin’s company until now. Even when TV or the internet talked about Yi-jin’s company occasionally, Seo-woon would just half-listen as if it were someone else’s business. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Seo-woon’s business – it was a problem for Yi-jin and his family to handle, so it didn’t feel like his own concern. It was also because he didn’t feel the reality that those people were his family.
Such a Seo-woon was going to Yi-jin’s company. To be precise, he was on his way to meet Yi-jin during lunch time. Seo-woon still didn’t know exactly what Yi-jin did, and even if he heard about it, he wasn’t confident he’d understand properly, but seeing Yi-jin’s different appearance from usual the day before bothered him so much.
His concentration had dropped? That kid who only worked even during the honeymoon? Seo-woon still vividly remembered his tumultuous honeymoon when he had decided on divorce on the plane to their honeymoon destination. Of course, they were still newlyweds now too.
Actually, well. He hadn’t been able to see him much lately either. So the conclusion was that he missed Yi-jin. Though this was definitely the first time visiting the company like this, since they were even married, wouldn’t this much be okay? It would be okay… right? Seo-woon called Yi-jin while feeling anxious inside.
– No. I’m outside the company.
“What? Why!”
And he got played. To be precise, he failed. He had tried to meet Yi-jin during the middle of a weekday afternoon using lunch time as an excuse, but Yi-jin said he wasn’t at the company. After bolting out of the house like clockwork as if there was a honey jar hidden at the company, he actually wasn’t at the company?
– Because it’s lunch time…?
“…Ah.”
Now that he heard it, that made sense. Seo-woon quickly understood. If Yi-jin’s answer had been even a little later, he would have almost made a fool of himself in front of Driver Yoon.
– Is something wrong?
“It’s not that there’s something wrong… did you perhaps go out to eat lunch?”
– No. I already ate lunch.
“Already? Why!”
It’s just lunch time now like you said? Before Seo-woon could wonder, Yi-jin kindly reported his schedule.
– Today I had to go to the hospital, so I ate lunch early while working. The lunch menu was quinoa and chickpeas, with grilled salmon…
“Wait, hospital? Why the hospital? Are you sick somewhere, Yi-jin?”
– As I mentioned yesterday, there’s nowhere that hurts. It’s not pain. It’s just that daily life is somewhat inconvenient.
“Sick, what? Inconvenient? What does all this mean!”
– You can think of it as a kind of examination.
“So why are you going for an examination!”
Not one satisfying answer. Seo-woon’s voice only grew louder from frustration, but Yi-jin on the other end of the phone was perfectly peaceful.
– Since the symptoms haven’t clearly manifested yet, it’s difficult to explain.
“Hey, you…!”
Is he calling that an explanation? He almost cursed. What should I do, Driver Yoon? He says he’s not at the company right now. From the way he’s earnestly talking nonsense, it really seems like he needs to go to the hospital. Through the window, Yi-jin’s company building without Yi-jin was visible. A massive high-rise building that you could never see the top floor of while sitting stood majestically in the middle of the building forest.
Even so, it’s utterly useless. I think I can finally understand a little that money isn’t everything in the world. So thought Seo-woon, who was comfortably crumpled in the back seat of a large sedan with a driver.
– Rather than telling you uncertain facts, it would be better to inform you based on a specialist’s opinion after the examination. Would that be alright?
“No, that won’t do.”
Even reporters wouldn’t do it that way. Seo-woon cut off Yi-jin’s nonsense with a single stroke.
“I’ll be there soon, so wait right at the hospital.”
– When it’s over, I have to return to the company…
“Go ahead, then. But I won’t be home when you come back.”
– …I’ll be waiting.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Yi-jin immediately responded. After living with him for six months, his perception had improved quite a bit. Seo-woon ended the call with Yi-jin without needing to hear more.
“Shall I take you to the hospital?”
Driver Yoon, who had been listening quietly, asked perceptively. Ah, he must have heard everything. Seo-woon, belatedly embarrassed, said modestly:
“…I would be grateful if you could do that.”
“Not at all.”
Embarrassing was embarrassing, but he had to do what needed to be done. The car carrying Seo-woon headed to the hospital.
Next was the real thing.
“It’s been a while, Seo-woon!”
It was always a boisterous welcome. Having been contacted in advance, the medical director and attending medical staff were lined up in front of the elevator. Since the last examination was on the day of the cruise trip, this was a visit after a whole three months. Even after returning from the trip, Seo-woon hadn’t had any reason to come to the hospital separately.
It really has been a while. While he felt purely glad, on the other hand he had a modest wish that they wouldn’t have to see each other often. Seo-woon clasped the medical director’s hand and warmly exchanged greetings.
“Have you been well?”
“I’ve been well indeed! Being safe and sound is the greatest blessing. Jini is inside having tests done.”
Tests – so he really is sick somewhere. And I didn’t even know… Seo-woon’s face, which had been smiling politely, gradually crumbled. The distinctive disinfectant smell of hospitals brought endless ominous imaginings.
“It’s just checking pheromone trends, so don’t worry.”
“Is it a regular check-up?”
“It’s different from a regular check-up. This is a test conducted on a doctor’s recommendation. This time we should be able to make a definitive diagnosis.”
What does all this mean? What’s this about a doctor’s recommendation, and what exactly are they diagnosing – Seo-woon hadn’t heard anything about any of this. Even seriously thinking about where Yi-jin might be sick, there was absolutely nothing that came to mind. Just until yesterday, Yi-jin had been as vigorous as always. Seo-woon knew that best.
Even on the day he returned from the European business trip, he had sex without difficulty and worked until dawn. Yi-jin had the best stamina of anyone Seo-woon had met. Otherwise, he couldn’t handle a schedule that was almost hellish. It was for the same reason that workaholic Yi-jin hadn’t been divorced until now. Because he spent all his non-working time on Seo-woon, because he didn’t seem tired during time spent with Seo-woon. Had he actually been overexerting himself? Even until Yi-jin voluntarily went to the hospital, Seo-woon hadn’t noticed at all.
There was something Yi-jin would say like a habit regarding hospitals. It was nonsense about how he had caused financial losses to his family when they neglected business to care for him during his illness. Losses, what losses – that child was neglected and suffered alone for years, so they should treat him well even if late! Seo-woon absolutely disagreed but didn’t say it out loud. This was a matter between Yi-jin and his family, so Seo-woon thought he just needed to be faithful to his relationship with Yi-jin. But…
This way, I’m no different from his family. I only worried about Yi-jin with words – until Yi-jin went to the hospital alone, Seo-woon hadn’t been able to help with anything. Far from helping, he had been busy throwing childish tantrums.
Looking down at the medical director’s white coat, Seo-woon completely emptied his noisy head. Now nothing else mattered as long as Yi-jin was healthy. Even if Yi-jin’s affection cooled someday and he hurt Seo-woon, he didn’t want to let him go like this. He hadn’t yet been able to love this person to his heart’s content.
“It should be finishing up soon. Shall we go in?”
“…No. I’ll… hear about it from Yi-jin later. There must be a reason he kept it secret from me…”
“Did Jini say it was a secret?”
He definitely never said it was… secret. That’s right, he didn’t? Seo-woon, who had been serious by himself, crawled out of the tunnel and cautiously poked his head out. What did he say again – something about talking about it later rather than conveying uncertain facts.
“This is quite troubling. You need to hear this together, Seo-woon…”
“Me too?”
“That’s right. This isn’t just Jini’s matter alone…”
“That’s right! Of course. Since Yi-jin isn’t single anymore, I should be there with him!”
“Exactly…”
“I understand. Where should the guardian sit?”
If that’s the case. Seo-woon immediately switched his stance. Even he thought it was a very Yi-jin-like way of speaking, but since that wasn’t what was important right now, he decided to pretend not to notice. He also pretended not to see the flustered medical director’s face.
Setting aside Yi-jin’s opinion, Seo-woon had a legal obligation to protect Yi-jin. It was good that he had stubbornly entered the examination room, so unlike himself, but once he actually entered, he became even more unsettled. While half-listening to the medical director’s comfort not to worry, Seo-woon anxiously waited for Yi-jin’s examination to finish. Thinking of Yi-jin who would have come to the hospital alone, neither sitting still nor just standing around felt comfortable at all. What kind of feelings did you have when you went to the hospital alone? Seo-woon wandered around the examination room in circles, waiting for Yi-jin with nothing else to do. He could no longer hear the medical director’s voice offering him a seat.
“Seo-woon.”
He had seen him this morning, but could it be this wonderful to see him? Perhaps because he’d had blood drawn, Yi-jin’s shirt sleeve was slightly wrinkled. Discovering this, Seo-woon’s brow also wrinkled deeply.
“You came.”
“…What exactly is all this about?”
Perhaps feeling that Seo-woon’s voice was trembling, Yi-jin also became serious.
“Is something wrong? Are you perhaps not feeling well somewhere…!”
“Not me, you!”
“Now, now. Save the lovers’ quarrel for later and listen to my story first. Once you hear it, you’ll be able to have a more passionate lovers’ quarrel than usual.”
“We weren’t fighting, but… fine. Please speak.”
How fine indeed. He didn’t know what had caught his attention, but Yi-jin immediately straightened his posture. The medical director, who had observed Yi-jin for a long time, was quite skilled at handling him.
“You’ve imprinted.”
“I thought so.”
“That’s right. With an imprinted omega by your side, it’s natural that suppressants wouldn’t work.”
The medical director and Yi-jin calmly exchanged conversation. Only Seo-woon couldn’t follow their dialogue.
He imprinted? He thought so? Seo-woon looked back and forth between the two like a fool watching movie protagonists. On the medical director’s monitor that the two were looking at seriously, a strange graph far from uniform was displayed. The graph rose endlessly to the right, as if planning to soar infinitely. Even to Seo-woon, who was an outsider, it didn’t look normal.
“How about raising the suppressant level?”
“Since you’re already suffering from side effects, I don’t recommend it. Is it still difficult to concentrate on one thing these days?”
“Yes. From what I’ve confirmed, migraines come about every hour…”
“Wait, hold on. Imprinting? You imprinted? Yi-jin, did you imprint on me?”
Unable to listen anymore, Seo-woon interrupted their conversation. Though the suddenly cut-off conversation should have been flustering, Yi-jin dutifully answered the question first.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yes, that’s right…? Seo-woon repeated Yi-jin’s answer exactly. Not believing what he heard with his own ears, he tried saying it out loud himself.
“Yes.”
Watching such a Seo-woon, Yi-jin obliviously nodded. What are you nodding about now… Seo-woon calmly turned his gaze away, escaping from the frustratingly adorable sight.
“Yes, you’ve imprinted.”
This time it was the medical director. You’ve imprinted…? He tried repeating the medical director’s answer that followed like a refrain. As expected, it was unbelievable.
Imprinting, he said he imprinted. After a long while, Seo-woon stammered as he opened his mouth.
“Imprinting…! Imprinting, you did… you imprinted? On me?”
Yi-jin had imprinted on Seo-woon.
“When exactly… real imprinting, is it real imprinting?”
Imprinting, an eternal vow of love. Wasn’t that something that only existed in movies and dramas?
He thought he’d never have any connection to something like imprinting in his lifetime. Not only Seo-woon imprinting on someone else, but he never dreamed he himself would become the object of imprinting.
“Then is there fake imprinting too?”
“Don’t joke around!”
“Me?”
Yi-jin asked back with a face that didn’t understand, looking at Seo-woon. As Seo-woon silently fumed at the rising frustration, the watching medical director added:
“I’m sorry to interrupt while you two are talking, but if I may add a medical opinion, things like imaginary imprinting don’t exist. Therefore, the term ‘fake imprinting’ is impossible to establish in the first place.”
“That’s what he says.”
That’s not what I meant! As if the years they’d known each other weren’t a lie, Yi-jin and the medical director showed maddening coordination.
“The imprinting… when exactly did you imprint? And what’s this about suppressant side effects!”
After taking a breath to compose himself, Seo-woon began a full-scale interrogation. If he kept sitting quietly listening to their conversation like this, he might not live out his natural lifespan.
“Between the timing of imprinting and suppressant side effects, which should I answer first? If you could set the order, I’d be grateful…”
“Ah! Ugh! Ah!”
“Jini, in order! At times like this, you go sequentially!”
While Seo-woon fumed once more, the medical director’s generous coaching continued. Go sequentially! Once the command was input, everything that followed was swift.
“It started because of suppressants. The suppressants I’d been taking for over ten years suddenly started causing side effects. I came to the hospital to get alternative suppressants prescribed. Neither I nor the director initially considered imprinting. There are infinite possibilities for why suppressants might not work. On the other hand, the possibility of imprinting is virtually non-existent, isn’t it? Even though we’re an alpha and omega with a brilliant pheromone matching rate of 96.72%, imprinting is a separate matter.”
Having received the command input, Yi-jin began speaking smoothly on his own. Yes, this is it. With the familiar algorithm, Seo-woon also gradually regained his peace of mind.
“Well, that’s true. Just because the pheromone matching rate is high doesn’t mean everyone imprints.”
“Exactly! That’s exactly what you said, Seo-woon. But seeing that we did imprint, our pheromone matching rate must be quite remarkable. Isn’t that right? Considering that the average pheromone matching rate for typical alpha-omega couples is about 77%, our numbers are truly miraculous. As soon as the test results came out, they were worthy of being included in alpha-omega research papers, so we can take pride in…”
“Stop, that’s enough. So when exactly did you first come to the hospital?”
He always does this when pheromone matching rates come up. Seo-woon caught Yi-jin racing off on a tangent and brought him back.
“It’s already been three months.”
“Three months ago means…”
“To be precise, the first examination was three days after we returned from the cruise trip.”
Three months, three months. While Yi-jin’s answer was crystal clear, Seo-woon found himself speechless. That meant Yi-jin had been enduring suppressant side effects alone for a whole three months.
“As you know, Seo-woon, my rut didn’t subside easily in Australia. I suspect the imprinting happened on the cruise.”
“…On the cruise…”
“That’s right. Based on the rut, that’s the most likely time. When the suppressants first stopped working, I suspected allergies, but tests showed that wasn’t the case either. Since the most likely cause was the manifestation of allergies that conflicted with suppressants, it took longer than expected to find out the exact reason. Who would have thought imprinting was the cause?”
It was his usual dry, emotionless voice. Yi-jin recounting the past days with the hospital seemed to have no feelings about it at all. This time too, it was Seo-woon who couldn’t manage that.
“It took… three whole months to figure it out?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Three months…”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Three months alone…”
“No. It wasn’t alone. Under the director’s judgment, we proceeded with tests…”
“When were you going to tell me?”
Even in this situation, Seo-woon interrupted Yi-jin who was trying to correct the facts and asked.
“Why… why didn’t you tell me until now? Why, alone…! Why like that again…!”
And yet you went on about love so well. Three months, a whole three months. For three months, Seo-woon hadn’t noticed anything. He didn’t know that Yi-jin was suffering from suppressant side effects, or that he had imprinted on him. All he knew was that Yi-jin had become particularly busy lately. That was about all.
No, that’s not right. There’s one more thing. At the familiar dull pain he felt in his lower back, Seo-woon suddenly recalled an important fact. It did seem like his pheromone control hadn’t been working well lately. Same with strength control. If Yi-jin’s rut had become irregular due to imprinting and suppressants weren’t working well, all of this made sense at once.
“Because it wasn’t certain. This is also the first time I’ve received a definitive diagnosis.”
“The diagnosis isn’t the problem! Something must have seemed wrong. You said there were suppressant side effects too!”
“That’s… correct. It interfered with daily life. As suppressant side effects accumulated, work efficiency dropped significantly. For the past 10 days, sleep disorders came, making it difficult to maintain my existing routine…”
Sleep disorders! He said sleep disorders came. On top of everything else, he’d been having sleep disorders too! Seo-woon forgot about his back pain and jumped up from his seat.
“Seo-woon, please calm down and sit. How romantic is imprinting in today’s world?”
Ah, right. It wasn’t just the two of us here. Even with the medical director’s pleased interjection, Seo-woon’s anger showed no signs of subsiding. Romantic my foot. Where in the world is there such an imprinting confession! Trying to imprint once nearly caused a funeral. Seo-woon grabbed the medical director to confirm the most important fact.
“Doctor, then there’s nothing wrong with his health, right?”
“Of course! Except for the unstable rut cycle due to imprinting, Jini is very healthy. Only the cycle is unstable – his sperm is very healthy, so you don’t need to worry.”
“That’s what he says.”
“What are you looking so proud about!”
I’ve been patient enough. Finally a loud voice burst from Seo-woon’s mouth.
Yi-jin had imprinted on Seo-woon.
“Are you perhaps angry?”
They had just returned home with Yi-jin in tow. When Seo-woon, who had been silent the whole time, even refused lunch, Yi-jin asked with a confident tone.
“No.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right answer. Contrary to Yi-jin’s expectation, Seo-woon wasn’t angry with Yi-jin. Of course, he was a little, just a little pissed off at first, but there was a bigger reason for what was troubling Seo-woon so much.
“Then…”
“……”
“…Why are Seo-woon’s pheromones…”
Well. I don’t really know either. Seo-woon looked up at Yi-jin without denying or affirming. At a glance he seemed infinitely cold, but in reality he was a man who couldn’t even ride roller coasters properly, who liked amusement park parades more than Viking rides – Seo-woon didn’t know what to do with the man in front of him.
Are you really okay? Are you okay with me? Seo-woon wanted to ask Yi-jin right away. It was just the beginning, there were still so many things he hadn’t been able to show Yi-jin, yet Seo-woon had already become Yi-jin’s world. He didn’t want to lock them in a world of just the two of them while leaving Yi-jin’s world empty.
Why were you doing that alone? Why were you enduring it alone again? While Seo-woon was just worrying about whether or not to visit Yi-jin’s company, Yi-jin had gone to the hospital alone. It wasn’t even his first visit – he’d been diligently going to the hospital for three months.
How could I not know? When Yi-jin was sick, when his body wasn’t well, why didn’t I notice? A heavy guilt he’d never felt before weighed down on Seo-woon. Why hadn’t he ever properly asked what was keeping him so busy lately, whether his body was okay? He was beginning to understand a little what it meant that responsibility follows affection. The shackles of responsibility that Seo-woon had voluntarily walked into constantly reproached him.
“Yi-jin.”
“Yes, Seo-woon.”
“…About the imprinting.”
“Yes.”
“……”
“Seo-woon?”
“…Just a moment.”
It was good that he had called out to Yi-jin so seriously, but that was as far as it went. Seo-woon just stood still in place. The boundaries he had established with others were so distant that he felt like he would lose balance and crash to the ground at even a small wound. Perhaps sensing Seo-woon’s anxiously swaying pheromones, Yi-jin reacted sensitively.
“Is something wrong with you?”
“It’s not that kind of thing…”
“If you have something to say to me, please feel free to speak.”
It had been nearly 20 years since Seo-woon manifested as an omega. It wasn’t the early days right after manifestation, and there was no way Seo-woon would fail at pheromone control, so this was entirely Yi-jin’s fault. The shackles that Yi-jin possessed from imprinting on Seo-woon, where Seo-woon was prioritized over himself. Yi-jin’s world was swayed by faint pheromones that even Seo-woon couldn’t perceive.
“I don’t mind anytime, so you can speak whenever you want to, Seo-woon.”
The constant eyes looking down at Seo-woon were filled with passion.
“Requests are fine, advice is fine. Whatever it is, I’ll listen to everything.”
“Everything?”
“Whatever you want, Seo-woon.”
The only moment when a machine-like man who felt nothing finally seemed human – Seo-woon was Yi-jin’s only passion.
How can you be like that? Seo-woon no longer stayed stopped in place. This place that had felt so distantly far no longer felt unfamiliar.
“…Let’s take medical leave from the company.”
It was quite an impulsive decision. Yi-jin’s company and whatever – he just didn’t care anymore, and he didn’t want to keep weighing his feelings back and forth. It’s his own company, so would he really get fired for not going for a few days? He had that kind of feeling inside too. For the first time, Seo-woon looked at the world from a position of power.
“Medical leave… you mean? Why medical leave all of a sudden…”
“If suppressants don’t work, you can take medical leave for rut.”
“Legally that’s true, but…”
“But what?”
“I should take medical leave…?”
“Yeah, you.”
As if he’d never thought of such a thing, Yi-jin couldn’t easily understand Seo-woon’s meaning. Then I’ll have to tell you several times. Seo-woon spoke more directly.
“You’ve already changed medications three times, and since they’re not working anyway, don’t take suppressants and spend your rut with me.”
“Rut, with Seo-woon…”
“Yeah. Spend it with me. That would work, wouldn’t it? The director also said that would be the best method.”
“……”
“Actually… I’ve never experienced a rut either, so I don’t really know…”
“This would be your first rut too, Seo-woon?”
But… Yi-jin abruptly cut off Seo-woon’s words. It was very brief, but Yi-jin’s pheromones burst out like a geyser. Even though he hastily contained them, there was no way Seo-woon, who was right beside him, wouldn’t notice. The somewhat threatening alpha pheromones were circling around Seo-woon, tracing an ominous trajectory. To think this was what he managed to contain – it was quite surprising.
This is no joke… Only then did Seo-woon truly realize Yi-jin’s condition. An alpha whose rut had become unstable due to imprinting, and even suppressants weren’t working properly. At Yi-jin’s appearance, completely different from usual, Seo-woon carefully nodded.
“Mm-hmm. It’s also my first time experiencing a rut together… um, you know? Just the rut is… first… uh… um, so…”
He even added unnecessary words in case Yi-jin might misunderstand. Regardless, Yi-jin didn’t seem to care much. Yi-jin quickly pulled out his phone.
“I’ll take medical leave. How many weeks should I take?”
“What kind of rut lasts for weeks? Wouldn’t about 3 days be enough?”
“……”
“…Is that too short?”
“Yes, I think so.”
Yi-jin, who had been silent, quickly answered. It’s his first time spending a rut without suppressants too, yet he spares no confidence.
“Really? Then 5 days?”
“How about a clean week?”
“Deal. Let’s contact them right now.”
“Understood.”
Is this what life is like for a worker who doesn’t need approval? In less than 5 minutes, Yi-jin’s vacation under the guise of medical leave began. It was their first vacation together.
“What should we do now?”
They had only one week – they had to finish everything within that time. Once Yi-jin’s vacation was decided, only Seo-woon became urgent. Hurriedly searching for domestic travel destinations on his phone, Seo-woon asked:
“Where should we go to have fun?”
There were many things he wanted to do but time was far too short. They needed to have the time together they’d been lacking, have in-depth conversations about imprinting, and he wanted to create good memories for Yi-jin. Since he’d suffered from suppressant side effects and unstable ruts, he needed sufficient rest too, so a resort would be better than tourist spots. Whether he knew of Seo-woon’s concerns or not, Yi-jin immediately provided an answer.
“Yes, that sounds good.”
“You’ve had a hard time, so let’s go rest properly.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“Anywhere is fine.”
“We’ve been to the ocean a lot… should we try the mountains this time? We can do forest bathing and breathe in phytoncides.”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”
“……”
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Could this also be because of imprinting? Whenever he suggested anything, he just said everything was good.
“What am I supposed to do if you say everything’s good?”
“Don’t worry about me. You can do whatever is comfortable for you, Seo-woon.”
Ah, right. He was always like that originally. Seo-woon quickly withdrew his suspicions. It was too late to suspect imprinting now – Yi-jin had been like this from the beginning.
“You always say ‘whatever’s comfortable for you.’ Don’t be so dutiful to me.”
“Dutiful? Please don’t say such things.”
Was he perhaps hurt? Yi-jin uncharacteristically grew serious and cut off Seo-woon’s words sharply.
“If I were to be aroused by someone I should be dutiful to, wouldn’t that be unfilial?”
“…Are you calling that words right now?”
“Still… unfilial is…”
“…Come here.”
Warm touch is medicine for nonsense. Seo-woon, who was sprawled on the living room sofa, called Yi-jin with an arrogant posture. Yi-jin, who had been sitting upright, quickly bent his knees to match eye level with Seo-woon.
“Closer.”
“Yes.”
“……”
“……”
“Yi-jin.”
“Yes, Seo-woon.”
“…Why does it feel like I haven’t seen you in so long?”
Looking at each other quietly at a distance where their lips could touch, he felt very strange. To think this person imprinted on me. Thinking of Yi-jin’s past three months, going to the hospital alone while suffering from suppressant side effects, the fact of imprinting wasn’t purely joyful.
Fortunately, Seo-woon’s upset feelings didn’t last very long.
“You saw me yesterday…”
“Stop.”
“Yes.”
Seo-woon barely managed to preserve his emotions. He began earnestly massaging Yi-jin’s face while pouring out his accumulated curiosities.
“Why did you go on so many business trips when you weren’t feeling well?”
“…Did you think it was many?”
“……”
“Seo-woon, your pheromones…”
“…Don’t mind them and keep talking. Let me hear it first.”
For a moment Seo-woon’s pheromones surged with anger and the conversation almost stopped, but the two were able to safely overcome the crisis. It was thanks to Yi-jin’s honest answer.
“Usually, that is, until I met you, Seo-woon, this was average. Recently, work efficiency has dropped, so… feeling the limits of work that should be processed domestically… I made the somewhat inefficient… choice of going on business trips directly. I’m sorry.”
In the end, it was all because of suppressant side effects. Considering the symptoms of side effects – migraines, unexplained trembling, sleep disorders, dizziness, visual spots – Yi-jin’s increasingly frequent all-nighters also made sense. But is that really something so shameful…? His expressionless face was the same as usual, but there was somehow a feeling of indignation in his tone and voice. Others might not know, but Seo-woon could tell.
Feeling somewhat curious, he stared at Yi-jin intently when an unmistakable signal came from his fingers touching near Yi-jin’s neck. Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump… Under Seo-woon’s fingers, Yi-jin’s pulse was sending passionate courtship.
“Your heart is beating really fast…”
“Is that so.”
“Is this also because of imprinting?”
“It is part of the symptoms.”
“Since when has it been like this?”
“Well. I’m not sure if it’s because of imprinting.”
“Huh?”
“Because it’s always been like this when I look at you, Seo-woon.”
It was a line that could appear in a romance movie. Even knowing this, Seo-woon’s eyes curved gently with blind sweetness that wanted to be deceived. Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump… When Seo-woon smiled, Yi-jin’s pulse began to surge as if it had been waiting. Seo-woon gently cupped Yi-jin’s face and whispered:
“When you say things like that, Yi-jin, it doesn’t sound like a joke.”
“Because it’s not a joke. I don’t make jokes.”
To think the day would come when I’d be moved by those words. Seo-woon sighed at his own situation while willingly surrendering to the mercilessly pouring rigid affection. The two looked at each other completely without saying anything for a while. Their pheromones became thoroughly soaked with languid fulfillment, and before long, a familiar and comfortable fragrance enveloped them both. It was the sweet mint scent of their pheromones amicably mixed together.
Could time spent with another person be this comfortable? Feeling unprecedented comfort, Seo-woon’s eyelids blinked sleepily. His body, still affected by the previous day’s afterglow, kept leading Seo-woon into dreamland. Maintaining eye contact with Yi-jin until just before sleep, Seo-woon thought:
“If they looked like you, Yi-jin…”
Somewhat impulsively, somewhat instinctively.
“A baby that looks like you, Yi-jin… I’d like to see that…”
With all the affection I can give you. Seo-woon fell asleep like that. If he had continued sleeping, he probably would have slept quite deeply.
Seo-woon was forced awake not long after. Though he hadn’t been asleep long, when Seo-woon opened his eyes again, Yi-jin was still in front of him. To be precise, he was kneeling on the living room floor, half-leaning against the sofa.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Yi-jin?”
“Seo-woon… I’m sorry…”
Yi-jin buried his face in the edge of the sofa and writhed in pain. Kneeling in front of the sofa where Seo-woon was lying, he was at a loss, and his large back was heaving with distress. Could it be because of side effects? Seo-woon, forgetting that he had just woken up, sprang up and grabbed Yi-jin’s shoulder.
“Okay… oh!”
And then, with a single jerk, he shook it off. I didn’t mean to do it, but I instinctively pushed Yi-jin away. For a moment, the shoulder of Yi-jin, touched by Seo-woon’s hand, was excessively hot. The air around them, and even Yi-jin’s pheromones, were all heated to the limit.
“Seo-woon-ssi…”
Yi-jin struggled to call out Seo-woon’s name.
“Seo-woon-ssi, Seo-woon-ssi…”
“……”
What should I say in response? Even at the sound of Yi-jin desperately calling out to him, Seo-woon couldn’t say a word. No, that couldn’t be. The dissonance between knowing something obvious in your head and witnessing it firsthand with your own eyes is truly something. The ominous pheromones that had finally caused Seo-woon to rise were sharply enveloping Yi-jin. Yi-jin is in heat.
“…Are you okay?”
I knew it was a question that didn’t even need to be asked when I saw Yi-jin’s back heaving like he was gasping for air. Since he hadn’t expected the rut to come so quickly just because his rut cycle had become irregular, Seo-woon was extremely flustered. Above all, seeing Yi-jin in so much pain made the rut feel like a serious illness.
“Rice, hospital… get to the hospital quickly… What number was 119 again…?
“…Ugh…”
“Yi-jin-ssi? Are you coming to?”
“Ha, ah…”
“…Huh?”
“Oh… Seo-woon-ssi…”
Even while Seo-woon was rambling incoherently, if he hadn’t been listening to Yi-jin, he would have completely forgotten that a rut is ultimately a heat cycle. Tap, tap, tap. Beyond Yi-jin’s excited breathing, a familiar scraping sound was repeating.
“Seo-woon-ssi…”
Yi-jin, who had been burying his face in the sofa, followed the fading scent of Seo-woon and moved closer to the sofa. The moment Yi-jin moved, Seo-woon saw it.
“I’m sorry… Seo-woon-ssi, I’m sorry…”
Yi-jin was masturbating. Tap, tap, tap, tap! A large hand firmly grasped and shook the erect penis, creating a rhythmic motion. Ah, it was only then that Seo-woon also understood the true nature of the rut. Seo-woon was currently looking at an alpha in heat. It seemed like Yi-jin had almost no reason left.
“Okay, wait a minute! What are you doing…!”
Otherwise, there’s no way he could lick Seo-woon’s feet while sober. As Seo-woon instinctively tried to pull his foot away, Yi-jin grabbed Seo-woon’s ankle with one hand. Seo-woon knows better than anyone that Yi-jin isn’t good at controlling his strength, but it’s only now that he’s realized that even that was a somewhat refined grip.
“Good, the smell…”
“Yi-jin-ssi! Just a moment!”
“It smells delicious..”.
“Th, that’s, ah…!”
Even if I push his shoulder, he doesn’t budge. Despite Seo-woon’s attempts to stop him, Yi-jin frantically licked Seo-woon’s feet. Burying his face in Seo-woon’s feet, he was busy running his tongue over every inch of them. As the hot tongue traced between his toes, leaving a wet trail, Yi-jin licked the same spot over and over again, as if to retrace it. Following the pulsing blue veins, he would sometimes lick his foot from the ankle all the way up the instep in one go.
It was a part of his body that wasn’t used to the touch of others, or even his own. The damp heat emanating from his toes kept twisting Seo-woon’s body. Now, even just breathing, I could feel Yi-jin’s lustful pheromones, and when I closed my eyes, I could feel the firm hand gripping my ankle and the hot tongue licking Seo-woon’s feet.
Even with my eyes closed and trying to ignore the sensations, the repetitive friction sound of someone grabbing and shaking my genitals continued to follow me. I just couldn’t, couldn’t clear my head.
“Ah!”
The pain came on suddenly. Just when it seemed the hem of his pants was going to ride up, and no more bare skin would be exposed, Yi-jin bit Seo-woon’s calf, pants and all. The pained scream, distinctly different from a groan, caused Yi-jin’s back to arch convulsively.
As a result of frantically rubbing his face in pursuit of Seo-woon’s traces, Yi-jin’s hair was a complete mess. He looked completely disheveled, as if the suit he hadn’t even changed out of yet was completely irrelevant.
“Did it hurt?”
“Not a lot, but…”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Seo-woon-ssi, how could I… I, Seo-woon-ssi, you…”
Yi-jin rambled incoherently and buried his face in the sofa again. Unable to regain his composure, Yi-jin couldn’t easily lift his head. He just buried his face in the sofa, making animalistic sounds that were either sighs or groans, and he didn’t seem to be aware of what he was doing. The veins in Yi-jin’s neck, visible thru the collar of his shirt, were standing out prominently.
“Yi-jin-ssi, look up.”
Watching that scene, I suddenly made up my mind. Seo-woon gently coaxed Yi-jin.
“No, it’s not possible…”
“It’s okay, just listen. Huh?”
“……”
“Yi-jin-ah.”
He flinched. He had only called his name, but whether it was the influence of the imprint or not, the back of Yi-jin’s head bristled with sensitivity. Jini, when Seo-woon called out Yi-jin’s name one more time, Yi-jin finally slowly lifted his head. Although not yet completely convinced and still hesitating somewhat, they are diligently meeting his gaze as Seo-woon suggested.
Even though his shirt is heavily wrinkled, he has buttoned it all the way up to his neck, and even though his breathing is a little rough, he’s still wearing the vest that securely hugs his thick chest. His tie was even properly done, so aside from his disheveled hair, languid eyes, and the prominent veins in his neck, Yi-jin didn’t seem much different from usual. If it weren’t for the erect penis visible through the pants, which he had barely managed to unbuckle, he would have looked perfectly fine.
Yeah, that’s how they always were. It’s just a little busier than usual. Seo-woon thot that way and bowed toward Yi-jin. No, I was trying to bow.
“No, Seo-woon-ssi…”
Even though his erect penis, dripping pre-cum on its own, must have been sore, Yi-jin stubbornly refused Seo-woon’s touch. Look at this? Looking down at Yi-jin, who had taken a step away from Seo-woon, Seo-woon resolutely rolled up his sleeves. People are naturally more inclined to do something when they’re told not to.
“What do you mean it can’t be done? Come here.”
“I’m feeling strange right now… Oh, no, Seo-woon-ssi, I can’t…”
“Be quiet. Stay still.”
“Seo, Seo-woon-ssi…!”
I don’t understand what’s changed now, after you were the one who masturbated in front of Seo-woon while he was sleeping. Even then, they can’t really resist much, and when they feel hurt, all they do is pull their tail back a little. Finally, Seo-woon, who was thoroughly infuriated, played his trump card. Yi-jin’s feeble resistance was quickly extinguished.
“Is it good?”
“Oh…”
It was a game that wasn’t even a contest from the start. Seo-woon applied a little more pressure, stimulating Yi-jin’s dick. The firm sensation of his penis against the sole of my foot felt very unfamiliar.
“You should answer.”
“Yes, yes…”
“Yi-jin, do you like it?”
“Okay, yes, that’s good…”
Watching Yi-jin, who couldn’t move a muscle after his genitals were stepped on, was also a unique kind of fun. While Seo-woon was sitting on the sofa, Yi-jin was kneeling on the living room floor, so the visual stimulus of looking down at Yi-jin couldn’t be ignored.
It was the first time my feet had been caressed, but it was also the first time I had caressed someone with my feet. Lacking any skill, all he could do was press his penis with the soles of his feet, yet Yi-jin’s reaction made Seo-woon dance with disappointment more than ever before. If Seo-woon even brushed his genitals with his toes, Yi-jin’s thighs would tremble as if in a spasm. Even when sitting with his knees bent, the fact that his thighs didn’t spread out to the sides sometimes led to the unfortunate incident of Seo-woon unconsciously tensing his feet.
“Ha, ah…!”
Fortunately, Yi-jin enthusiastically accepted even the pain Seo-woon inflicted. The penis, throbbing beneath the soles of his feet as if it were about to burst, was like a living creature itself. Seo-woon mustered the courage to rub his sensitive glans with the soles of his feet. It might feel a little rough compared to the palm of your hand, but since there’s pre-cum, it probably won’t hurt.
“Ah, Seo-woon…”
“Mm. I’m here.”
“Seo-woon, Seo-woon-sii….”
What should he do? It felt as though he was awakening to a strange hobby. He could simply move Seo-woon’s foot away, but the sight of Yi-jin groaning while his genitals were crushed under Seo-woon’s foot—more accurately, the sight of Yi-jin looking up at Seo-woon with longing, not knowing what to do—was adorable. Ah, what is this? He wanted to tease him. As Seo-woon applied pressure with his toes, squeezing Yi-jin’s member as if pinching it, a sigh-like moan erupted from Yi-jin’s lips.
Yi-jin’s member had swollen to its limit, unable to grow any further. Knowing this full well, Seo-woon asked a cliché question.
“Do you want to come?”
“Yes, yes….”
“Should I let you?”
“Yes….”
“Hmm….”
“…Seo-woon…”
Yi-jin pleaded with Seo-woon meekly. He instinctively thrust his hips slightly in pursuit of pleasure, but the moment he looked at Seo-woon, he willingly stopped. He said it was a rut, a heat. Feeling an uncontrollable urge, Seo-woon beckoned to Yi-jin.
“If you kiss me, I’ll let you come.”
“Yes.”
As if he had been waiting, Yi-jin sprang up from his seat. Dressed in a vest and tie on top while exposing his vein-bulging member below, Yi-jin gave off an incredibly dissonant vibe. Perhaps that was why the situation felt surreal, as if it weren’t actually happening.
As if possessed, Seo-woon grabbed Yi-jin’s tie. Despite being right in front of him, Yi-jin hesitated as if being overly cautious, so Seo-woon gripped the tie and pulled him forcefully toward himself. Because the angle was off, Yi-jin’s lips landed on Seo-woon’s cheek, feeling as hot as if they had been burned by fire. Why is he still holding back on his own even now? Seo-woon replaced his pity with a kiss.
After the brief kiss, Seo-woon licked Yi-jin’s lips and whispered.
“You have to do it properly, what is this….”
“…May I put my tongue in?”
“I told you not to ask things like that….”
“I’m sorr—”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“Ha….”
“Ngh….”
Their lips locked completely. Tongues tangled, saliva exchanged, and pheromones flowed in. Their tongues and the insides of their mouths tasted sweet, drenched in each other’s pheromones. Yi-jin climbed on top of Seo-woon just like that. Seo-woon willingly embraced him, groping inside Yi-jin’s shirt. The broad back, where the movement of muscles could be vividly felt, was burning hot. The tongue swimming in his mouth and the large hand gripping Seo-woon’s face boasted a temperature unlike anything before. Every single place Yi-jin touched felt so electric it was maddening.
“Should I do it with my mouth…?”
Seo-woon asked, barely pushing away the lunging Yi-jin. From the moment Yi-jin had climbed on top of him, instinctive hip movements had continued.
Despite the situation below his waist, Yi-jin didn’t answer. Seo-woon gently stroked Yi-jin’s back and asked once more.
“Do you hate it?”
“No. I don’t hate it.”
“Then.”
“I don’t hate it, but….”
“…Do you want to put it in right away?”
*Gush.* Whether it was something he imagined or not, Yi-jin’s member spat out pre-cum for the nth time without tiring. What was he hesitating for at this point? As if urging an answer, Seo-woon softly stroked the glans. The damp, sticky fluid wet Seo-woon’s fingertips, heightening the sensitivity of the organ. Ha, ah…. Soon, Yi-jin responded with his whole body, mumbling his true desires.
“I… I want to do everything….”
“Everything?”
“Yes….”
“What is ‘everything’?”
“With your mouth… and….”
“Mm.”
“I want to put it in, too….”
“I see….”
Ah, Seo-woon…”
What should he do with this guy, he’s too cute. When Seo-woon intentionally stroked the entire shaft, Yi-jin groaned as if crying. Unable to hold back any longer, Seo-woon pulled Yi-jin into a tight embrace. Then, with all his strength, he rolled over, pushing Yi-jin down into the spot on the sofa where Seo-woon had been sitting.
“Ah…!”
Seo-woon, who had voluntarily descended to the living room floor, immediately leaned over and took Yi-jin’s member into his mouth. Whether it was due to pleasure or hesitation, Yi-jin’s thighs were tense, so Seo-woon used all his weight to forcibly pin Yi-jin’s legs down. As he sucked Yi-jin’s member harder the more Yi-jin resisted, Yi-jin’s breath stopped for a moment.
“It’s o-kay, just do it….”
Seo-woon mumbled while sucking. Stubbornly, Yi-jin had not been breathing until now. As if to soothe him, Seo-woon kissed the glans with a series of wet smacks and spoke clearly.
“You can do whatever you want, as much as you want.”
“…….”
“You can do everything exactly how you want….”
“May I really?”
Startled, Seo-woon gasped as Yi-jin suddenly straightened his hips, causing his member to pierce deep into the back of Seo-woon’s throat. *Cough, cough!* As a startled Seo-woon reflexively pulled away, Yi-jin immediately cupped Seo-woon’s face. It was true that the deep penetration had surprised him, but because it had slipped out of his mouth immediately, the impact was minimal.
Since Yi-jin worried about Seo-woon more than Seo-woon worried about himself, it was impossible to gauge how shocked Yi-jin must have been. Seo-woon stepped forward to reassure him of his own well-being.
“I’m okay….”
“May I really do everything I want, exactly how I want to do it?”
It seemed that, from Yi-jin’s perspective, Seo-woon looked perfectly fine. Yi-jin was less interested in Seo-woon’s well-being than expected. Rather, he seemed interested in something entirely different. While that, too, was a part of Seo-woon, the nuance was completely different from his usual self, who prioritized Seo-woon’s safety above all else.
*Yes, it’s okay. If it’s you, everything is okay.* The large hands cupping Seo-woon’s face were hot to the touch everywhere, providing a strange, inexplicable sense of stability. Seo-woon willingly buried his face in Yi-jin’s hands.
“Yes.”
As he breathed in deeply with his face buried, he felt the menacing pheromones of an Alpha, far from any sense of stability. *Ah, a dangerous scent….* An alarm rang instinctively in his head, but it didn’t matter.
“Do that for me.”
*Don’t hold back alone anymore.* Seo-woon desired Yi-jin’s indulgence more than anyone.
Perhaps Seo-woon’s sincerity hadn’t reached him. Yi-jin was silent for a moment. He simply continued to cup Seo-woon’s face as he had been.
That made it even more sudden. Before he knew it, Seo-woon had been pushed back, his back meeting the floor. Thanks to the rug on the floor, it didn’t hurt, but for a moment, he couldn’t grasp the situation. It was largely due to the strange position—his legs were half-draped over the sofa, so he wasn’t lying completely flat.
“Uh, uh…?”
“…….”
Yi-jin, Yi-jin? Yi-jin…!”
Everything happened in an instant. Yi-jin grabbed both of Seo-woon’s legs with one hand and stripped off his pants right then and there. There was no intermediate process of undoing the buckle or lowering the zipper. Under the crude force of a hand that simply pushed through, the thin slacks Seo-woon was wearing were ripped away past his ankles.
There was a faint sound of fabric tearing, but unfortunately, there was no way to check. Before he could identify the sound, Seo-woon’s legs were spread wide apart.
“Wait, wait a second! What are you—ah!”
Soon, he felt a hot sensation where it shouldn’t be, between his buttocks. Yi-jin had buried his face between Seo-woon’s legs and was frantically licking his hole.
Yi-jin! Wait…! Wai…!”
“…….”
“Ugh, ah, ah…!”
Licking up every bit of lubricant that leaked out, he sucked on Seo-woon’s hole like a starving man. It was a type of foreplay Yi-jin often did, but the situation was different now. Because Seo-woon’s back was against the floor, he could see far too clearly the sight of Yi-jin licking his hole. That alone was enough, but having to face his own member, which was hanging upside down and growing in size, was quite agonizing.
Why is it that Seo-woon…”
Yi-jin’s focused face appeared between Seo-woon’s legs.
“…no matter how much I eat, you still smell so delicious…?”
Then he disappeared again. Yi-jin buried his head between Seo-woon’s legs, savoring the finest delicacy in the world. The tongue slowly licking the hole felt like a snake. Due to the excessive stimulation, Seo-woon struggled unconsciously.
Yi-jin! The tongue, stop! Th-ah…!”
Ha… Seo-woon…”
Even that wasn’t easy since his legs were lifted in the air. Fortunately, it wasn’t entirely ineffective, as Yi-jin simply draped Seo-woon’s legs over his shoulders.
“Are you uncomfortable…?”
“The tongue, the tongue! Take the tongue out and speak, take it out—ah…!”
Thanks to that, Seo-woon had to endure Yi-jin’s foreplay in full. Aided by the stable position, Yi-jin’s tongue licked even deeper. The way he sucked on the hole with wet, smacking sounds made Seo-woon feel like he was going crazy from the itch inside. With his waist half-lifted off the floor and his legs draped over Yi-jin’s shoulders, there was no way to escape Yi-jin’s persistent stimulation.
“Ah!”
“…….”
“Why, you bit me. It stings….”
“I feel like I’m going, crazy… ha….”
“Ah! Again…!”
If he was going to do one thing, he should have stuck to it, but Yi-jin persistently licked between his legs while occasionally biting Seo-woon’s buttocks. With the inside itching and the outside stinging, the conflicting sensations only maximized the pleasure. As the area below became drenched, Seo-woon’s own member became moist. He had reached his limit.
Seo-woon… Seo-woon…”
“Uh, uh…! Yi-jin! Ah! My, waist! Ugh, my waist… it hurts, ah!”
“Ha… ah….”
“Slo-slowly…! Yi-jin, slowly, slo—ah! Ah!”
Perhaps he had sensed Seo-woon’s feelings. Spreading the damp, loosened hole, Yi-jin’s member pushed inside. Even though their last sexual encounter had been only the day before, the hard sensation of a foreign object forcing its way through the inner walls felt excessively unfamiliar.
This was the first time Yi-jin hadn’t looked for a condom, and the first time he had a proper rut. Yi-jin’s member, twitching as if it were about to ejaculate at any moment, stimulated the inner walls the moment it entered. Whether it was because of the rut or the position, the pressure was several times stronger than usual.
Literally, it felt like his stomach was going to burst. Enduring the sensation of being split apart between his legs, Seo-woon barely managed to gasp for air. Insertion had never been easy, but this was too much. Taking a gamble, he glanced at the explicit sight of him being connected to Yi-jin, and the visibly bulging lower abdomen provided visual confirmation. Seo-woon’s flat lower belly was protruding only in the center.
*No way….* Textbook knowledge from sex education classes flashed through Seo-woon’s mind. As far as Seo-woon knew, there was only one reason why an Alpha’s member would swell during a rut.
*He couldn’t be planning to knot right now.* An instinctive fear of the unknown overwhelmed Seo-woon. *It’ll hurt, it’s going to hurt.* Seo-woon was suddenly seized by terror.
“Yi-jin, ah!”
Before he could do anything in his terror, Seo-woon’s body shook violently. *Thump, thump! Thump!* With the force of being hammered from above, Yi-jin’s member drove in like a stake, ravaging Seo-woon’s inner walls.
“Ah! Ugh! Yi-jin! This is too, ah, ah!”
“…Ha….”
“Slo-slowly! Ah! What do I—ah, ugh! Ngh…!”
Forgetting to breathe, Seo-woon shook frantically beneath Yi-jin. Even when he tried to match the rhythm, he couldn’t keep up with Yi-jin at all. There were no tender touches stroking each other, no warm, soft kisses exchanged. The entirety of the act was the primitive thrusting of the member in and out, stirring up the inner walls.
It was like the mating of animals. It was in the face of Yi-jin as he continued to thrust while looking down at Seo-woon shaking beneath him, and it was in the rut of Yi-jin that Seo-woon faced head-on. Had he ever been wanted by someone to this extent? It didn’t take long for the vague fear to turn into pure pleasure. The inner walls, drenched in the Alpha’s pheromones without a single thin barrier, induced only pleasure no matter where or how they were pierced. The vague fear of the rut and the massive pressure that felt like his lower abdomen would burst were no longer felt. The heat that had consumed Yi-jin was transmitted entirely to Seo-woon.
*It’s strange. This is strange.* The abnormal pleasure that skipped several stages gave him a bizarre sense of dissonance, as if his body didn’t belong to him. The pain below that had terrified Seo-woon just moments ago was not felt at all. It was as if every sense in his body, except for pleasure, had been paralyzed. Even the moment Yi-jin’s member left his inside was hard to bear. Why on earth? Yi-jin was the one in rut, but now it seemed as if Seo-woon was the one in heat.
*Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump….* Now he was even hearing hallucinations. The sounds overlapped as if he had two hearts.
“Ah… uh, ngh! Ah, ah…!”
The pleasure doubled. Animalistic moans leaked from Seo-woon’s mouth. Yi-jin’s pheromones crashed over Seo-woon as if they were alive. He stroked Seo-woon’s face, bit his nape, and sucked on the nipples exposed beneath the rolled-up knit. Unconcerned that Seo-woon was in a pitiful state, with his hips lifted and his waist half-folded, he pinned Seo-woon’s waist firmly so he couldn’t move and ruthlessly drove his member in. Since Yi-jin only had two hands, the two actions couldn’t happen simultaneously, yet Seo-woon couldn’t even distinguish what was reality and what was imagination. Seeing that the pleasure didn’t fade, it seemed Yi-jin had chosen the latter, but for some reason, Seo-woon was resonating perfectly with Yi-jin’s desires. He could feel on his skin what kind of heart Yi-jin had while looking at him, and specifically what Yi-jin wanted to do to him. He felt like he understood now.
*Ah.* Seo-woon’s member, which hadn’t been touched once, spat out pre-cum in surges on its own. As if possessed, the sensation of ejaculation surged instantly. It was maddening. No, he felt like he had already gone mad. Having lost his reason, Seo-woon shook his own hips.
“Ah, ngh! It feels, ah! Too, ah!”
“I, I feel good too. Ah, Seo-woon. Ah….”
Half by will and half by force, lubricant continuously flowed from Seo-woon’s groin. Even though Yi-jin’s member filled him tightly, the fluid continued to leak out like water through the gaps. As the insertion became much easier, Yi-jin pulled his member out to the root and slammed it back in all at once. Even though there was no more room to enter, it felt as if he were trying to carve himself into Seo-woon somehow. At that desperate gesture, vulgar moans erupted from both of them.
“Ri-right now is good. Ah! Like, that! More, more, more… ah!”
“Like this, is it?”
*Splat!* Half-risen from the sofa, Yi-jin rammed his member between Seo-woon’s legs. He hit so hard that lubricant splashed onto Seo-woon’s lower abdomen. Normally, it would have flowed down his thighs, but since both legs were draped over Yi-jin’s shoulders, the fluid was pooling back on Seo-woon’s lower belly. At that obscene sight, Yi-jin’s thrusting grew increasingly rough. *Slap, slap!* The sound of flesh hitting flesh was explicit.
“Ugh, ngh! Down, below! From the bottom, below…!”
“If you tell me, ha, specifically….”
“I, I don’t know, ah! Ah! Right now is also good. Ah!”
“…Ah….”
“Uh, th-that! Ugh, ngh…!”
Ah, Seo-woon…”
“Ngh, ngh…!”
“If you say everything is good….”
“It’s, good. You’re the best! Ngh…! I love it.”
“Ha… ah…!”
“Yi-jin, ah… Yi-jin-ah….”
Seo-woon clung to Yi-jin like a child. He scratched the back of Yi-jin’s hand as Yi-jin hammered his hips like a dog, swinging his arms blindly several times. Because of the position, he could never actually reach Yi-jin, yet he did so without tiring.
“Ah, ah, ah…!”
“Ha, ugh…!”
“Haa, ah….”
Just as he thought Seo-woon was clinging to him unlike his usual self, Seo-woon suddenly erupted with semen. Even though no one had touched him, Seo-woon’s member, having reached ejaculation on its own, trembled as if convulsing. He had reached his limit. Yi-jin didn’t stop and drove his member in once more. Ah! Before he could even soak in the afterglow of ejaculation, Seo-woon’s member quickly regained its shape.
Looking down at such a Seo-woon, Yi-jin’s gaze deepened. The pheromones were the same. *Do all people live with this kind of feeling?* Looking at Seo-woon, all disheveled and broken, he wanted to break this person even more. Driven by violent urges, Yi-jin’s thrusting became urgent.
“Seo-woon 씨, Seo-woon 씨, Seo-woon…”
“Ugh, ngh. I’m, here, ah!”
“What should I, do….”
“Ngh…! Ah, Jini-ya….”
“What should I do, ha….”
“Uh, uh…? Yi-Yi-jin, ah! Th-this, what is this! Ah, ugh! Ah, it hurts! It hurts, ah!”
Seo-woon groaned weakly, his lower body pierced by Yi-jin’s dick. Because my lower body was firmly fixed, I couldn’t move, and any resistance was futile. At most, he would only whine like a child.
“Stop, I’m done. Huh? Take this out. Yi-jin, take this off. Take it out…”
Yi-jin didn’t say anything. I just stood there, silently looking down at Seo-woon. Yi-jin didn’t say anything, but Seo-woon could feel it. As he looked down at the terrified Seo-woon in that moment, the satisfaction and fulfillment Yi-jin felt were incomparable to the fear Seo-woon was experiencing.
“Why, what’s wrong…?”
“……”
“I, um, don’t like this…”
“……”
“Yi-jin…”
It couldn’t be, it shouldn’t be, but the fact that Yi-jin showed no reaction to him was unfamiliar. The Yijin who used to be at a loss for what to do at a single gesture from Seo-woon was nowhere to be found anymore.
“Yi-jin, Yi-jin-ah…”
They didn’t even realize they should be ashamed. Terrified, Seo-woon finally burst into tears. The first complete knot was still terrifying, and it was difficult to watch Yi-jin, whose pleasure took precedence over Seo-woon’s pain. I was scared.
Yi-jin’s massively swollen penis kept pounding deep inside Seo-woon. It was a private area that had never been touched by anyone, not even by Seo-woon himself. The unknown world I had only encountered through textbook knowledge felt like it was about to swallow up Seoul at any moment. It felt like I was going to be devoured completely, leaving nothing behind.
Actually, isn’t it all just a dream? Seo-woon’s vision blurred. I don’t know how long it’s been since I cried in front of someone else. The unfamiliar sensation of tears flowing down my cheek was so strange that it momentarily diluted the pain.
“…Please don’t cry.”
Finally, Yi-jin spoke. The cracked voice gently checks on Seo-woon’s well-being, and clumsy hands carefully stroke Seo-woon’s face. The Yi-jin Seo-woon knew is back. Yi-jin bowed and wiped Seo-woon’s tears.
“Is it because of me?”
“No, don’t! Don’t move! Just like that, still…”
“I’m sorry…”
“Stay just like that…”
“Sorry, sorry…”
Has he finally come to his senses? The pheromones that had been raging fiercely in Yi-jin quickly subsided. Seo-woon writhed in the unfamiliar sensation, yet remained acutely sensitive to Yi-jin’s emotional shifts. Even if I try not to be aware of it, Yi-jin’s emotions keep pouring down like stars. Feelings of apology, anxiety, worry, and unease toward Seo-woon were intricately mixed with instinctive satisfaction and fulfillment, creating a dizzying blend.
“…Do you like it?”
“What is it?”
“This…”
“Knotting… you mean?”
“Yeah. Do you like it?”
Looking into Yi-jin’s face, which was now even closer, Seo-woon asked, “Are you disappointed?” The way Yi-jin looked at Seo-woon was no different than usual, making me want to believe anything and it felt like the pain in my chest was easing a little. What can you do? Even tho they’re dying of guilt toward me, they’re so happy right now, it makes me want to pretend I don’t know anything either. As if sensing Seo-woon’s softened heart, Yi-jin immediately gave an answer.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“…how much?”
“I want to live like this forever.”
“……”
“It’s so good, I wonder why I didn’t do it sooner…”
“Ah… if it moves, then…”
“From the beginning, I should have done it this way…”
“Who starts out notating, um… where is…”
“If it had been like this from the beginning…”
Yi-jin groaned softly and willingly leaned his body against Seo-woon. As the two bodies were completely pressed together, the joint became even more firmly secured.
“Oh, Seo-woon-ssi…”
“Uh, yeah… Ah…!”
Now, even if Seo-woon just breathed, he could feel Yi-jin inside and out. Oh, that was warm. Seo-woon forgot his pain and hugged Yi-jin with all his might.
“I can smell your pheromones, Seo-woon-ssi…”
Yi-jin buried his face in Seo-woon’s neck, as if sniffing the scent. The pain below was still there, but the warmth of Yi-jin’s body radiating up and down brought a sense of relief. Seo-woon, who had been stiff with tension, gradually regained his composure.
“It was already there, originally…”
“No. No. Now, even just breathing, Seo-woon-ssi’s pheromones are noticeable to me.”
“Because I did it yesterday too…”
“Much more than that…”
“Uh, yeah…”
“Oh, Seo-woon-ssi…”
Yi-jin kissed Seo-woon all over like a child who was upset. He was on the verge of kissing Seo-woon’s neck, collarbone, shoulders, earlobes, chest, and every other visible part of her.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Seo-woon-ssi cr”y.
From a certain point on, Yi-jin had only been kissing Seo-woon on the cheek.
“…I don’t usually cry easily.”
“That’s a relief. I never want to see that again.”
Now the tear stains must be completely dry, but Yi-jin’s lips kept lingering near Seo-woon’s cheek.
“How can I make you smile again?”
“That was just because I was surprised…!”
If there’s anything you need, you can ask me for anything. Just say the word. We will accommodate any financial transactions, including cash and in-kind contributions.
“Anything…?”
“That’s right. Anything is fine, just tell me what you need. However, divorce is not allowed.”
Suddenly, divorce? Surprisingly, it wasn’t the first time I’d heard that. Yi-jin had told Seo-woon a similar story before.
“Absolutely not.”
Is it just my imagination? Just as we were talking about divorce, my lower abdomen lurched and semen churned inside. Seo-woon was just starting to get used to the situation below. As the unfamiliar sensation stimulated his inner walls once more, Seo-woon instinctively hugged Yi-jin tightly.
“Are you very tired?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“That won’t work. Seo-woon-ssi, please come up on top of me.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
“That’s alright. Just a little bit longer, just a little bit longer, and you’ll be fine.”
“No. I can’t move. It hurts…”
“There’s no way I would hurt Seo-woon-ssi.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yi-jin lifted Seo-woon with his strength. Suddenly, I felt semen gushing inside, but thankfully it didn’t leak out. It was also the reason for Notting’s existence.
Yi-jin sat back on the sofa, holding Seo-woon in his arms, with a look of disappointment on his face. Yi-jin, sitting on the sofa, was looking up slightly at Seo-woon, who was on top of him. The two people’s perspectives finally aligned.
“Are you still having a hard time?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you still want to take it off?”
“…Yeah.”
“Do you not like knotting?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but…”
“Then do you like it?”
“…If you like it, I like it too.”
I don’t like being hurt. Even thinking about it again, I still hate it, really hate it, but this one thing was genuine. If you like it, I like it too. Avoiding the creeping pain, Seo-woon buried his face in Yi-jin’s neck. Indeed, just as Yi-jin had said, Seo-woon’s pheromones could be felt with every breath Yi-jin took. It was completely different from a pheromone shower, where you apply pheromones to your skin. Seo-woon’s pheromones began to seep out from deeper beneath his skin. At that moment of the knotting, I could understand the satisfaction and fulfillment Yi-jin must have felt.
“How did Seo-woon-ssi…?”
“Huh…?”
“Oh no… Ugh…”
Yi-jin threw himself into Seo-woon’s arms, feeling suddenly disappointed. No matter how you looked at it, Seo-woon seemed to be buried in Yi-jin, but that didn’t matter. After stroking Seo-woon’s back, nuzzling his neck, and biting all over his body, Yi-jin finally reached for Seo-woon’s lower abdomen.
“Although Seo-woon-ssi isn’t quite ready yet…”
“Ah!”
As if sensing the situation inside, Yi-jin carefully stroked Seo-woon’s lower abdomen. At one point, he intentionally pressed down hard on Seo-woon’s lower abdomen.
“I hope the child will resemble Seo-woon-ssi.”
“Don’t press it, don’t press it! That, that’s strange…”
“I, anytime…”
“Strange, oh! Move!”
“Ugh…!”
“No! Oh, no! Ah, ah!”
Yi-jin firmly gripped Seo-woon’s shoulders and thrust his penis upwards from below. As the semen-filled inner walls rubbed against his penis, Seo-woon’s stomach churned. Facing Seo-woon, who was desperately hugging himself, Yi-jin arbitrarily thrust his penis upwards. It was just as Seo-woon had hoped. A week where Yi-jin can do as much as he wants, however he wants.
It was only the first day of the vacation, and it was already passing by.
* * *
Quiet.
Faint breathing replaced the silence. It had already been several days since he hadn’t let anyone into the house. This was also right after an intense pheromone bonding had occurred, incomparable to any pheromone shower. Ah, how long he had waited for this moment. Yi-jin held his breath and listened quietly.
Huff, huff, huff…Huff…
On the disheveled bed, something small and round was breathing softly. Huff, huff, huff… No matter how deeply asleep he was, there was no sign of waking even as Yi-jin wrapped his arms around the sleeping figure, blanket and all.
Just pressing his ear close brought on drowsiness from the languid breathing. From the regular, warm breath came a cool mint scent that didn’t match its owner. Every time Seo-woon breathed, he was practically exhaling Yi-jin’s pheromones. There wasn’t even a trace of what Seo-woon’s original pheromone scent had been. That’s what knotting was. Yi-jin embraced Seo-woon with satisfaction. His own scent was vibrating from Seo-woon.
Between the familiar mint scent, he could detect something sweet. To others, only Yi-jin’s pheromones would be perceptible, but Yi-jin could tell. This was Seo-woon’s scent. The pheromones of Seo-woon, his spouse and omega, a sweet fragrance that paralyzed reason. Yi-jin went into heat for Seo-woon again without tiring. He wanted Seo-woon, this person, this omega.
Yi-jin didn’t know when it had started. Since getting to know Seo-woon, Yi-jin had constantly battled uncertainty. The order and systems that Yi-jin had believed in and followed no longer worked. Everything became powerless before Seo-woon.
Every moment with you has been an anomaly to me. Emotions were difficult, and he wasn’t accustomed to desires. The heart that wanted someone had no form or correct answer, so Yi-jin had to get lost and wander several times a day. His own emotions and desires were so unfamiliar that he didn’t know what to do with himself. The only way to find his path was through Seo-woon alone, and whenever Yi-jin got lost, he desperately searched for Seo-woon. Seo-woon was both a new world and order and system. He couldn’t possibly think of any other way. Any other person. If not Seo-woon, if he hadn’t met Seo-woon.
No. It won’t do. It has to be this person. Yi-jin’s world, which had been close to emptiness, became solid. Starting with the instinctive realization that this person must not be broken, large and small fragments of emotion began filling Yi-jin’s empty spaces one by one. The dark red bruises on Seo-woon’s body were Yi-jin’s best effort.
“You can do everything you want to do.”
“You can do whatever you want…”
He doesn’t say such efforts from Yi-jin are lacking. He doesn’t blame or scold Yi-jin’s inexperience. Seo-woon looking up at Yi-jin always has a smiling face. Even with red handprints on his waist, he just laughs playfully asking if he likes him that much.
Seo-woon is still trapped in Yi-jin’s embrace. Hiding under the blankets to escape Yi-jin, sleeping like a dream with soft huff, huff sounds. Holding Seo-woon buried under the blankets with all his strength, Yi-jin thinks of Seo-woon. He thinks of Seo-woon who allowed his desires, who taught him all of this. A warm and kind person, too good for him. Seo-woon’s embrace was always warm, so Yi-jin believed he might melt away and disappear like this. Perhaps even the moment his whole body melted away would be sweet.
If so, he might as well melt away. Yi-jin lifted the blanket without hesitation. Seo-woon was curled up with his whole body covered in bruises and handprints, red and blue congestion, sleeping as if unconscious. Using his rut as an excuse, he hadn’t let him sleep properly. All he’d given him was minimal water and a bit of food. To push someone to this state and still want to touch Seo-woon again, to want to reach him.
Is this normal? Yi-jin pondered. Emotions were still difficult, and he wasn’t used to desires. Even so, he could willingly cross this line because he couldn’t bear it otherwise. He wanted to touch Seo-woon. He wanted to reach him, to have him. He wanted to be with this person somehow.
The inside of the blanket warmed by Seo-woon’s body temperature was warm. This was exactly Yi-jin’s world. The world Yi-jin would live in from now on.
It was the shackle Yi-jin had trapped himself in.