20
“…Why did you come out so early?”
At my question, Jin Woohyeon glanced at his wristwatch once and shrugged.
“That doesn’t seem like something I should hear from hyung who came out 40 minutes early. And hyung, why did you come out so early? What if I had come late?”
I was the one who asked, but it seemed I had to answer too.
When I pouted, Jin Woohyeon burst into laughter. His low, refreshing voice was pleasant to hear.
“I was considerate because I didn’t want to leave someone with a hurt ankle standing on the street. You didn’t seem like the type to be late, so I allowed plenty of time, and my prediction was exactly right.”
He was right. I preferred to come out first and wait when possible. Especially since I had a poor sense of direction. It was more comfortable to arrive at least 30 minutes early.
As I nodded at Jin Woohyeon’s words that I shouldn’t worry since he’d only arrived a few minutes ago, I glanced at his expression.
I couldn’t sense any annoyed mood from him, who said he’d come out early to wait considering my convenience, and that was both welcome and grateful.
“Shall we go?”
I stared up at him as he naturally matched my pace while walking, then turned my head. It was completely opposite to the path from the dorm down to the main road.
“If we’re going to the bus stop, we shouldn’t go down this way.”
“Hmm?”
When a motorcycle passed by, Jin Woohyeon naturally wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me to the inside of the road.
“We’re not going to catch a bus right now.”
“The taxi stand is around there too.”
“Hey, hyung.”
Jin Woohyeon smiled with his eyes curving.
“I may not be a top star yet, but I’ve already debuted in independent films and web dramas. Small as it is, I even have a fan café.”
Ah, right. He definitely had a face that would stand out if he used public transportation.
“There’s a public parking lot nearby. I parked my car there, so let’s go there.”
The car he had driven was a blue sedan. A foreign car with a calm color like the morning sea on a cold day, looking very stylish and sophisticated. The emblem embedded in the center of the hood looked familiar somewhere—it was probably the same brand as the car driven by Lee Chan’s mother, who was a famous designer.
‘I don’t know what it is, but wasn’t it incredibly expensive?’
While I was briefly examining the car with its sleek appearance, he lightly pushed my back to get me into the passenger seat.
“I haven’t had it long. Hyung is the first person I’m giving a ride to. Come on, get in quickly.”
“…Wow.”
As I bent down and squeezed my body into the car, I let out a small exclamation.
The inside of the car was blue too. Not just the seats, but the door trim, center fascia, and console box—everything. Because the interior was dark, it felt exactly like being underwater.
Jin Woohyeon, who had gotten into the driver’s seat and started the engine, glanced at me. Thinking it might have been rude to look around the car like that, I turned my gaze to the window pretending not to notice.
Instead of saying anything, he leaned his upper body toward me.
“……”
Flustered by the suddenly shortened distance without warning, I opened my eyes wide. His serious face, submerged in the bluish darkness, was right there. His gaze fixed on me was so clear that it felt like my throat was tightening.
Jin Woohyeon reached out his hand while keeping his eyes on me. His hand, stretching across his torso, lightly fumbled around near my right shoulder area. Not knowing the reason or intention behind this series of actions, I just held my breath and waited quietly.
And, a few seconds later.
Click. A small sound came from around my waist. It was the sound of the seatbelt being fastened.
“You have to wear your seatbelt, hyung.”
“……”
“I’m happy filling my own selfish desires. But why didn’t you avoid it and just stayed still?”
“Uh…”
When I opened and closed my mouth, he spoke quite seriously.
“What if someone suddenly kissed you like that? There are so many bastards in the world.”
His face was endlessly playful as he smiled, asking ‘You know our faces were really close just now, right?’ As if he wasn’t included among the ‘bastards’ he mentioned, he moved away with a refreshing attitude and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
“It’s not like we actually touched or anything.”
When I muttered, he giggled.
“And Jin Woohyeon-ssi doesn’t seem like he’d suddenly do that without permission.”
“You trust me too much. We’re only seeing each other for the third time. I don’t know if I should thank you for seeing me as a good person, or be disappointed that you’re not being cautious…”
His tone was light, as if he wasn’t really expecting an answer. The car carrying us smoothly exited the alley.
“It’ll take about 30 minutes to get there, so get some sleep. Hyung looks tired.”
I hadn’t slept well. It might have been because I was sensitive before my heat cycle, but it was also because I still couldn’t adapt to life in the dorm. Even knowing that cameras were turned off late at night, I kept being distracted by the black object occupying one corner of the room.
Still, I couldn’t sleep with someone driving next to me. It would be impolite to the person who drove all the way here to take me to the hospital…
“……”
I fell asleep. Really deeply too.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Wh-when…”
“You passed out around the time we crossed two traffic lights.”
If Jin Woohyeon hadn’t shaken me awake, I probably would have slept even more obliviously. As I straightened my posture feeling embarrassed after washing my face dry, he leaned back in his seat and smiled leisurely.
“It’s okay. We still have 10 minutes before the appointment.”
I was tired, but I didn’t expect my consciousness to just shut off like that. Even though he drove quietly, I should have woken up in the middle. Moreover, since I’m not the type to sleep peacefully outside, it felt strange beyond just surprising.
As if reading my confusion, he said.
“I released pheromones. Just a tiny bit, considering hyung is approaching his heat.”
Only then did I somewhat realize his scent that was subtly spread around me. It had seeped in so naturally that I was a beat late in noticing it.
When I followed him to the hospital, a doctor with a strict and sharp-looking impression bowed his head to me.
“Hello.”
“We meet again after last time. Please sit over here.”
It seems like we’re meeting for the first time, what’s this about?
“Last time?”
The answer came from Jin Woohyeon, who was standing behind me.
“I briefly came to the hotel. Hyung fainted so I had him get IV fluids. I was worried he might get dehydrated.”
“…Ah, so that’s why there was a band-aid on my arm.”
He answered with a meaningful smile.
“I treated you so well but you ran away immediately, sorry about that, right?”
“Anyway, please lie down here. Do you have any regular medications or chronic conditions?”
This time too, Jin Woohyeon answered instead.
“He went for stomach cramps a few days ago and got medicine. He said he has gastritis too, right?”
“Yes. I don’t have any other chronic conditions that require medication.”
“You’re not pregnant or possibly pregnant.”
“No.”
“I heard that your cycle might have been disrupted by more than ten days due to dominant Alpha pheromones, so we’ll do a simple test along with this.”
As I nodded while lying flat on the bed, simple-looking machines attached to my neck and wrist. Soon something began being recorded on a small monitor.
“It was a good decision not to take medication. Pheromone-related drugs tend to be quite hard on the stomach.”
The doctor, who had been explaining in a calm voice, skillfully opened an ampoule and transferred its contents to a syringe. Soon the IV fluid color changed to a pale lemon color.
Looking at the graph being drawn in jagged shapes on the monitor, he said.
“You seem to have a constitution that shows drug reactions very quickly. You should find time later to get tested for your pheromone glands.”
Jin Woohyeon, who had been standing quietly beside me, asked.
“Is something wrong? Can’t you just do it now?”
“The pheromone glands themselves are very sensitive, so we need to check if they’re reacting like this due to damage. The test takes a long time. About five hours?”
I quickly shook my head.
“Then I can’t do it today. I need to be back by evening.”
“Is there some kind of curfew?”
“…Something like that.”
“Huh.”
We would eat dinner together. It was a rule of dorm life. Moreover, tonight there was an important event to decide the first date, so it would be troublesome to be late.
“Since we’ve given you IV fluids, your heat cycle should pass as quietly as possible, but you should still rest for about a day because pheromone control will be difficult. Don’t overdo it for a few days.”
“Thank you.”
The explanation continued that since the principle of suppressants is to accumulate pheromones that should be released, next time they should be resolved by spending the cycle with a partner or resting for several days.
When I heard about a partner, I unconsciously glanced at Jin Woohyeon. He somehow looked a bit displeased. Even though telling manifested individuals to spend their cycle with a partner was such a common expression that it felt boring.
Since getting IV fluids would take about an hour or two, the doctor left the room for a while. I thought Jin Woohyeon would follow him out too, but he brought over a round chair without a backrest and sat down by my bedside.
“Want to sleep some more? They said you might feel drowsy when the suppressants kick in.”
“No. I won’t sleep, so don’t release pheromones.”
“Tsk, too bad. I should have put you to sleep now instead of earlier.”
“What were you planning to do while I was sleeping, Jin Woohyeon-ssi?”
“What do you mean? Just watch hyung’s face sleeping peacefully. It’s pretty, so it’s fun to watch. But Jin Woohyeon-ssi, are you going to call me by such a distant title? Though it’s better than calling me ‘you.'”
“Then what should I call you…”
“Try calling me Woohyeon-ah. Woohyeon-ah.”
It’s just asking me to call a name, so why am I getting goosebumps? I shuddered and quickly pulled the thin blanket up to cover my face. The sound of chuckling fell onto the back of my hand.
Whether it was true that the medicine could make me drowsy, I dozed off slightly even though he didn’t release pheromones. Fighting hard against drowsiness while blinking my eyelids that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, I eventually sat up but couldn’t immediately come to my senses and yawned loudly.
‘Should I go back early and take a nap before dinner…’
But Jin Woohyeon seemed to have no intention of sending me back early. He brought my coat that had been hanging on the wall and held it up so I could easily put my arms through, then asked in an affectionate voice.
“Sanho hyung. Won’t you go somewhere with me?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
