#44
The personal physician seemed worried and was pacing the corridor outside the bedroom where Eunsol was lying.
“Has the patient had a seizure?”Â
“Yes.”
When the physician tried to enter the bedroom, Kim Myungjun extended his arm to block him. This was to prevent any potential incidents, as the physician was an alpha.
“I’ve already stuffed a cloth into his mouth. Based on Eunsol’s condition, I think it would be better to send in beta servants first instead of you, doctor.”
All he needed was someone to watch over Eunsol’s condition while he was briefly away, and the servants would be sufficient for that.
“You two, go in and prevent Eunsol from hurting himself if he thrashes around too much.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, Manager.”
Following Kim Myungjun’s instructions, two beta servants entered the bedroom. The physician also adjusted the collar of his medical coat with a serious expression.
“I’ll remain on standby as well. If the seizures continue, it might be better to administer suppressants.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After offering a brief word of thanks to the physician, Kim Myungjun took out his phone. He checked the message window he had sent to Hyun-oh, but as expected, there was no reply.
Kim Myungjun tapped his phone screen with his thumb for a moment, then pressed the call button.
Looking at the time displayed on his phone, he realized it was now when all the important formalities would have ended and those attending the party would be freely mingling.
The call signal continued, but Hyun-oh’s voice never came through before the automated voice message played.
Kim Myungjun closed his eyes and took a deep breath to make a decision. Would continuing to attempt calls lead to a different result? When he asked himself this question, the answer was “no.”
Even if he gave Eunsol medication to reduce the heat, he would need to be given suppressants if the seizures continued. If Hyun-oh ultimately didn’t come, it might be better to administer suppressants again.
“Let’s… proceed with the suppressants.”
“Understood.”
The physician also nodded heavily at Kim Myungjun’s decision. The two of them stepped into the bedroom but had to cover their noses with their sleeves.
Though a form-manifested person’s pheromones aren’t only perceived through the sense of smell, it was true that the air breathed in while breathing greatly affected them.
Currently, the bedroom was filled with Eunsol’s pheromones. The concentration was even thicker than when Kim Myungjun had left Eunsol alone in the room.
Even the non-manifested servants seemed affected, with their cheekbones flushed red. They were also sweating profusely, likely because Eunsol’s thrashing was more violent than expected.
“Open the window… I’m going to administer the suppressant.”
At Kim Myungjun’s words, one of the servants hurried to the window. The bedroom windows weren’t very large. Usually, they were hidden behind blackout curtains.
Though small, when the window was opened, fresh air flowed in and the air thickened with pheromones improved somewhat. The physician, who had been breathing shallowly, pulled out a syringe from his bag.
“Please hold him still so he doesn’t move.”
Eunsol was still writhing. His whites of his eyes were visible through his half-closed eyelids. His neck, with blood vessels clearly standing out, looked as if it might snap at any moment.
At the physician’s request, the two servants grasped Eunsol’s limbs to immobilize him.
“Mmph, ugh…”
Eunsol emitted muffled groans through his mouth, stuffed with handkerchiefs. His small face, drenched in cold sweat and tears, alternated between flushing red and turning pale.
“I’m administering the injection.”
The physician rubbed an alcohol swab over the skin where clear blue veins were visible. He was using the opposite arm from the one used for the previous injection. The syringe wasn’t large, but Eunsol’s arm was so thin that the act of inserting the needle seemed almost brutal.
“…Hyun-oh.”
Even in his unconscious state, Eunsol was searching for someone who wasn’t there. His condition had worsened after recalling Han Hyunyong’s touch.Â
He struggled to breathe, gasping as if suffocated. His entire body felt as if it were coated in a sticky fluid. He wanted to strip off all his clothes to relieve the heat burning inside him, but even that was difficult.
His fingers and toes curled and straightened involuntarily. His calves also experienced dull pain. Additional suffering came from his muscles, which were hardening like solid stones.
Eunsol finally closed his eyes in resignation. Submitting to the restraining hands was all he could do now.
The hope that Hyun-oh might come looking for him had completely vanished. The remnants of that hope were eating away at his heart, leaving it in tatters.
Just as Eunsol’s consciousness was about to crumble, the bedroom door burst open with a loud sound.
“What are you doing right now?”
The needle was about to pierce the skin. Startled by the cold voice behind him, the physician’s shoulders jerked violently.
Clear liquid that couldn’t enter Eunsol’s body trickled down the side of the syringe.
“…Director!”
Kim Myungjun was equally surprised. Hyun-oh had definitely not responded to his messages, and when he tried calling, all he heard was the extended ring tone.
“Take everyone out with you. I’ll handle this.”
Hyun-oh frowned at the smell of Eunsol’s pheromones filling the bedroom as he loosened his necktie. The physician and servants first bowed to Hyun-oh before quickly leaving the bedroom. Their gazes were sharp enough to cut when they met Hyun-oh’s eyes, which had grown cold to the point of savagery.
Hyun-oh’s gaze quickly scanned over Eunsol’s arms and legs, which bore reddish handprints. Though they were red now, they would undoubtedly turn into purple bruises over time. At these marks, Hyun-oh’s expression hardened even further.
“…I’ll be leaving as well.”
Kim Myungjun was the last one remaining in the bedroom. Based on his experience serving Hyun-oh, he realized that Hyun-oh’s mood was currently extremely poor.
He seemed angry in a different way than when he had handed the unconscious Eunsol to him.
Hyun-oh didn’t even turn his gaze toward Kim Myungjun. His sharp eyes remained fixed on Eunsol, who was breathing laboriously.
Kim Myungjun had to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from pathetically falling to his knees before Hyun-oh. The agitated pheromones emanating from Hyun-oh made his skin tingle.
Hyun-oh didn’t respond to Kim Myungjun’s words. Kim Myungjun was momentarily concerned for Eunsol, but now that Hyun-oh had arrived, there was nothing more he could do.
The sound of the door closing behind Hyun-oh’s back could be heard. Eunsol had been conscious since Hyun-oh’s voice echoed through the room, breathing with difficulty. With trembling hands, he removed the cloth bundle stuffed in his mouth. Saliva mixed with blood trickled down like tears.
“Hyun-oh, you came…”
The hope that had seemed completely burnt to ash rekindled from the gray powder. The sorrow that had been building in his chest melted away like snow when his eyes met Hyun-oh’s.
Eunsol carefully moved his arm, which bore red handprints. He lacked the strength to sit up, so all he could do was stretch his hand toward Hyun-oh.
Hyun-oh stood about five steps away from the bed, still as a statue.
If not for his slowly blinking eyelids, he could have been mistaken for a sculpture, with even his breathing barely audible.
But Eunsol could sense Hyun-oh’s pheromones beginning to permeate the space that had previously been filled only with his own.
During his time suffering alone here, his own increasingly strong pheromones had overwhelmed any trace of Hyun-oh’s scent that normally lingered in the bedroom. Even burying his face in the sheets and rubbing couldn’t help him detect Hyun-oh’s scent, forcing him to shed bitter tears.
But now he could clearly perceive Hyun-oh’s pheromones with his entire body.
“I’ve been… wanting to see you…”
What he truly wanted to say first was that he had been frightened. He had bitten his tongue when pinned down by Han Hyunyong. If the fear had been something Eunsol could handle, he would have found another way to cope.
But Eunsol had been so cornered that the only solution he could think of was to harm his own body. Fortunately, Hyun-oh had rescued him before anything worse happened.
Though his memories were hazy, the firm embrace that held him at that time was clearly imprinted in his mind.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
