While Haon was eating his ice cream, the two didn’t exchange much conversation. The man simply drank his coffee in silence, glancing back and forth between the raindrops clinging to the window and Haon.
“You can still cancel the movie if you want.”
As they stepped out of the ice cream shop, the man checked Haon’s expression one last time before speaking. Though Haon had been smiling in his own way, it must’ve looked awkward in the man’s eyes.
“If you’re tired, make sure to say so. Don’t try to tough it out.”
In response, Haon deliberately smiled brighter and said he was looking forward to the movie. And he meant it.
“I’ve always wanted to go to a movie theater.”
“There aren’t any theaters in the countryside?”
Haon said there weren’t, tugging at the corners of his mouth. There were plenty of houses that didn’t even have a TV—having a movie theater was out of the question.
“Thank you for taking me.”
Truthfully, ever since coming to Seoul, he’d wanted to visit a theater at least once. But it had always felt out of reach. The ticket prices were surprisingly higher than most meals, and he didn’t have the courage to go to such a crowded place alone.
If the man hadn’t brought him today, he probably would’ve gone back to the countryside without ever stepping foot in a theater.
“I’m thankful you came with me too.”
That warm response made Haon’s focus blur for a moment. He stared at the man’s face—the same face that always said such kind things—then consciously turned his gaze away. Somehow, it felt like he should.
“We’ve got about thirty minutes left. Want to wait at a café?”
The man checked the time and pointed toward a nearby café. They’d left the ice cream shop a bit early because it was chilly inside, which gave them some time to spare.
“You haven’t had anything to drink, Haon. You should get something warm.”
He had just started to feel the cold after eating something chilly, so he quickly nodded in agreement.
I have to be the one to pay for this, Haon resolved, slipping his hand into his pocket to grab his wallet. If he said it out loud, the man would definitely refuse, so he planned to hand over the money while paying.
Thankfully, the café was warm. Walking a few steps ahead, the man scanned the spacious interior and told Haon to sit wherever he liked. The place wasn’t busy, so every spot looked quiet and comfortable.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Um… I’ll look at the menu.”
Haon deliberately stood near the counter, pretending to look over the menu while secretly watching for a chance to pay. But the man had already ordered his drink in advance and was just waiting for Haon to choose—card already in hand.
With no chance to intervene, Haon hurriedly opened his wallet and tried to pull out some money.
“Let me pay for the drinks.”
“Nope.”
The man smiled gently and stretched out his arm to block Haon’s hand. As if determined not to let Haon spend a single won today, he had already handed his card to the staff.
Haon had no choice but to settle on a warm tea, then carefully tucked his wallet back into his pocket. As he did, he thought to himself that he’d have to arrange their next meeting as soon as possible.
“Where do you want to sit, Haon?”
“Anywhere’s fine.”
“Then how about the back?”
The man led Haon to the seat farthest from the window—a place where the rain outside couldn’t be seen.
Following the man’s lead, Haon took a seat on the sofa tucked deep inside. The tables were spaced widely apart, making the already quiet café feel even more spacious.
At the table nearest to them, a young woman was sitting alone, absorbed in her phone.
She was tall and stunningly beautiful—Haon found himself stealing glances at her, drawn in by the model-like aura she exuded. For a moment, he wondered if she might be a celebrity. His eyes wandered on their own.
“Haon, do you not usually drink coffee?”
The moment the man spoke to him, the woman vanished completely from Haon’s mind. When the most handsome and stylish person in the world is talking to you from just across the table, it’s impossible to notice anyone else.
“I’ve tried it before.”
“Got it,” the man said with a nod, placing the round vibrating pager on the table. Every time Haon answered, his lips would curve in that thin, crescent smile—as if something about Haon was endlessly amusing.
“I drink it a lot. I actually really like it.”
“How much is a lot?”
“Hmm, around four cups a day?”
Haon’s eyes widened at the number. Come to think of it, the man had already had a pitch-black coffee earlier—and he’d just ordered the same thing again.
Drinking that bitter stuff so often, and without even adding sugar… He must really enjoy the taste of it.
“Isn’t that bad for your health?”
“I eat a lot of good stuff too, so it probably balances out.”
“Still… four cups sounds like too much.”
Haon mumbled in concern, and the man gave a faint chuckle—then suddenly turned his head, as if someone had called out to him.
His gaze landed right on that model-like woman. She was still resting her chin on her hand, eyes locked onto her phone. But when she sensed the man looking her way, she glanced over and gave a slightly troubled expression.
What was that? Haon felt a flicker of confusion just as the pager began to vibrate. The man pulled his gaze from the woman and stood to retrieve their drinks. Haon made a move to go instead, but the man naturally stopped him and told him to stay seated.
As the man passed the woman’s table, she looked up at him directly. For a moment, Haon wondered if they knew each other—but she didn’t say anything, so apparently not.
It was probably just that both of them stood out. Maybe anyone would look if they happened to turn their head and see a beauty like that sitting alone. And the man was the type people couldn’t help but notice too.
“Excuse me…”
While Haon was lost in his thoughts, a stranger’s voice suddenly addressed him. He snapped his head up, startled, and the moment he saw who had approached, his expression turned serious as he opened his mouth.
“Are you okay?”
It was the woman who had been sitting at the front table just moments ago who had spoken. When she suddenly staggered, Haon quickly stood up and reached out to support her.
“Y-You’re… an Omega, right?”
The woman’s trembling voice barely made it out. On the table where she’d been sitting, her handbag lay wide open, its contents completely spilled out.
“Yes, I’m an Omega.”
“P-please… lend me a suppressant… just one…”
Leaning on Haon, the woman pleaded between sobs, saying she’d pay him back no matter what. It seemed she’d either lost her suppressants or forgotten to bring them.
Looking flustered, Haon tried to guide her back to a seat.
“I’m sorry… I don’t carry any with me.”
“I’ll pay you back…! Please, just help me…”
Whether she heard him or not, the woman clasped her hands together and begged desperately.
Then she pushed away the hand that was trying to ease her into a chair and rubbed her face against Haon’s shoulder. The fact that she was trying to cling to Haon, a fellow Omega, made it clear she’d already begun to lose control.
“P-please hold on. I’ll ask the staff if they have any on hand!”
Haon struggled to get her to sit. With her tall frame and high heels, she easily stood at least ten centimeters taller than him. Just supporting her swaying weight was enough to make his arms tremble.
“Just sit tight, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t go…!”
As Haon tried to lower her into the seat, the woman’s breathing turned ragged and she suddenly swung her arm. Her sharp nails raked across Haon’s cheek.
Haon quickly tilted his head away and grabbed hold of her tightly. With heels like those, if she collapsed, she was bound to injure her ankles.
“Haon, get behind me.”
The crushing weight pressing against his chest suddenly vanished in an instant. The man, now at Haon’s side with a café staff member, had grabbed the woman by the shoulders and pulled her off of him.
The moment the woman felt his touch, her body shuddered violently. With a desperate, almost crazed gesture, she threw her arms around him and began showering kisses along his pale neck and jawline.
Inho turned his head sharply to the side to avoid her mouth, but his eyes immediately found Haon, checking his condition first.
Next to him, the café staff—clearly shaken—nervously asked if he was an Alpha. Anyone could tell at a glance that Inho was one, and seeing him holding a heat-stricken Omega, her concern was understandable.
“Haon, are you okay?”
Regardless of the staff’s words, Inho focused solely on Haon.
Haon’s clothes were disheveled, and he was panting, his face pale with shock. A red scratch ran across his left cheek, clearly from the woman’s nails. It didn’t seem deep, but a few droplets of blood had already welled up.
Seeing that, Inho’s gaze twisted sharply, his expression turning dark.
“Where is the infirmary?”
Inho’s voice came out cold and cutting, making the staff flinch and hesitate to answer.
Though the employee was a Beta and unaffected by pheromones, she was small and extremely slight—far too weak to support the woman. The only other staff member nearby was also an Alpha, so at that moment, Inho was the only one capable of handling her.
“Y-You’re not really affected by pheromones, right?”
Even without an answer, it was obvious that Inho was an Alpha with strong pheromone resistance. A beautiful Omega was clinging to him, breathing out sultry gasps, and yet he didn’t show the slightest hint of interest. His attention was focused solely on the person he’d entered the café with—his lover.
The staff naturally assumed Haon must be his partner. The atmosphere between the two of them made it hard to think otherwise.
“The infirmary is just downstairs.”
The employee, who had taken hold of the woman’s other arm to help support her, quickly stepped in to guide the way. Ignoring the woman clinging to his body, Inho turned to Haon.
“Come with me.”
With no choice, he wrapped one arm around the woman’s waist and left the café. The other patrons inside had already begun to clear out, trying to escape the spread of her pheromones.
Haon stood frozen, staring blankly at the backs of Inho and the woman as they quickly disappeared into the distance. When Inho turned to glance back, Haon finally snapped out of it and hurried after them.
“I’m coming…! Go on ahead!”
He raised his voice deliberately, not wanting to make Inho worry.
After Inho had gone ahead, Haon ran as fast as he could, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up to them. Inho’s stride was too long, and the distance between them only widened.
Eventually, he gave up running.
His downcast eyes kept gravitating toward Inho’s arm wrapped around the woman’s waist. Why am I like this? Haon rubbed at the dull ache blooming in his chest and quickened his pace again.
