What the hell is even going on?
Nearly half a day had passed, but Yu-jin was still dazed. Until now, he hadn’t once set foot on the ground. No—more accurately, Winston had never let him go. Even when they were traveling by car, Winston held Yu-jin in his lap the entire time, which finally pushed Yu-jin to say something.
“Isn’t this uncomfortable?”
He didn’t mean to be sarcastic, but his tone wasn’t exactly pleasant either. On top of that, they weren’t in a sedan like usual—today, they were in an SUV. Even though the interior was far more spacious, the distance between them was still unreasonably close.
“No, I’m fine.”
The reply was pretty much what he’d expected, so Yu-jin wasn’t surprised. What did catch him off guard was what came next.
“Are you in pain? We’ll be there soon. Can you hold on?”
At Winston’s question, Yu-jin hesitated and looked up. The face that came into view was nothing like he had expected. Not a hint of a smile—just a deeply serious expression. He was momentarily taken aback.
…What the.
That was all he could think. Winston’s pale, blood-drained face clearly showed his anxiety. The tension in the arms wrapped around Yu-jin made it obvious how tightly wound he was.
“…If I said I was in pain, would you believe me?”
The words slipped out without him realizing, and he saw Winston’s lips stiffen. After a brief pause, Winston slowly opened his mouth.
“You can’t hide pain.”
For some reason, it felt like those words carried more than one meaning. Suddenly, Yu-jin hesitated. What would this man do if I lied right now?
He was curious, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the energy to test it. With a sigh, he muttered in a limp voice.
“I’m not in pain. Just… uncomfortable.”
Right before they left, he’d been given an injection—probably something to dull the pain. Even now, he felt numb, not just physically but mentally. His head was in a fog. When he gave his answer, Winston murmured, “Okay,” and exhaled quietly. Yu-jin could feel Winston burying his nose in his hair, followed by the sound of a deep inhale.
It was then that Yu-jin realized the scent of his own pheromones.
When did I last take my meds…?
Thinking back, he hadn’t taken anything since he got hurt. If it hadn’t been an actual suppressant shot earlier, then the effect had probably worn off long ago. The fact that he could smell his own pheromones now was proof enough.
Maybe Winston went into rut because of me.
The image of Winston, soaked in the scent of another Omega, suddenly came to mind. It must’ve been an incident caused by a buildup of pheromones. Winston surely didn’t want something like that to happen again. That being the case, Yu-jin figured it was only right for him to be the cautious one this time.
“…Suppressants.”
He murmured softly, and Winston froze.
“What?”
Yu-jin paused before speaking again.
“I need to take a suppressant.”
“Why?”
For a moment, he was caught off guard, but he answered calmly.
“Because I can smell my pheromones. It can’t be good for you either, right? Sure, maybe you couldn’t help it last time because of the rut, but you don’t want that happening again.”
He laid it out clearly, backing his words with sound logic—or so he thought. But Winston’s reaction was, once again, completely unexpected. Why is he looking at me like that? Yu-jin tilted his head, puzzled. Winston was frowning deeply, blinking in silence, before finally parting his lips.
“…You think I don’t want it? Me?”
“Yeah.”
Yu-jin nodded without hesitation. Then he repeated the very words Winston had said to him over and over again.
“Why would you want to sleep with me? I’m a filthy rag who’s been used by anyone, just a whore.”
Winston didn’t say a word. Surprisingly, his face looked even more stunned than Yu-jin’s. Now he was the one confused again.
“What’s wrong? That’s what you always told me.”
This time, the question was genuine—he was honestly curious. Did he forget all the things he used to say to me? That couldn’t be possible. Because if he had forgotten, that would mean Winston had also forgotten that Yu-jin betrayed him and slept with other men.
“…That…”
Winston finally spoke after a long silence—but that was it. He didn’t continue, like he was searching for the right words. Yu-jin watched him with quiet fascination. What’s he going to say now, this man? It was the first time he’d ever waited for someone’s response like this. And then, Winston finally spoke.
“Don’t take it.”
“What?”
The words left Yu-jin’s mouth before he realized it. Eyes wide, he stared as Winston bit off each word slowly, deliberately.
“I said, don’t take it. Not anymore.”
“Wait, that’s not—”
That’s not even what we were talking about, he was about to say, but Winston cut him off.
“It’s not good for your body. And besides, you’re pregnant.”
There are plenty of medications that are safe to take while pregnant. This was the same man who once told him he didn’t care if Yu-jin became infertile from taking whatever pills he wanted—did he not remember saying that?
“That’s not what I was trying to—”
“What about back when you were with Angie? Didn’t they say if your condition is stable, your pheromones won’t come out and you won’t go into heat?”
Yu-jin tried to steer the conversation back, but Winston bulldozed ahead. In that moment, it felt like a massive wall had risen between them. He was intentionally avoiding the subject.
Is he refusing to admit he gave in to my pheromones?
Winston was an Extreme Alpha. Yu-jin was just an ordinary Omega. Maybe Winston’s pride had taken a hit. But if that were the case, then he was only making an even more foolish choice. Yu-jin’s pheromones would keep seducing him—and in the end, he’d just keep falling into the same trap, over and over again.
Watching it unfold might not be so bad.
A man once so arrogant crumbling because of mere pheromones—wasn’t that just laughable? And if his pride was so fierce that he willingly hurled himself into the fire, then all the more entertaining it would be.
“Fine.”
Yu-jin decided not to say anything more about the suppressant and opened his mouth.
“I won’t take it. Happy now?”
His words came out with an involuntary hint of sarcasm, but Winston didn’t seem to mind. Maybe he was just relieved the uncomfortable topic had been swept aside.
“Get some rest. We’ve still got a bit to go.”
With that, Winston adjusted Yu-jin in his arms again. It would’ve been more comfortable for both of them if he’d just let Yu-jin sit in the seat, but Winston refused to do that. Eventually giving up, Yu-jin let himself be held, and before he knew it, drifted off to sleep.
***
The slow deceleration of the car stirred his consciousness. As he let out a faint noise, the body he’d been leaning against tensed briefly. Only then did memories of just before he’d fallen asleep come back to him, followed by the realization of the firm arms still holding him tight.
“We’re here.”
Winston’s voice whispered from above. Yu-jin startled, his entire body flinching at once. As if anticipating that reaction, Winston tightened his grip to steady him, though it couldn’t completely prevent the dull ache that followed. Ugh… At the small sound of pain he let out, Winston spoke again.
“You’ll be able to rest properly soon.”
His comforting words were tinged with a strange heaviness, as though this situation weighed painfully on him.
But there was no time to dwell on that. Just as he’d said, the car came to a full stop. Moments later, the door opened, and as always, Winston stepped out while still holding Yu-jin in his arms. Yu-jin instinctively squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden flood of sunlight, but as his eyelids lifted slowly, his eyes widened several times over.
A landscape he had never seen before stretched out before him. In the middle of land blanketed by towering conifers stood a pristine white mansion. A massive lake, thinly veiled in a sheet of ice, glistened nearby. And aside from the guards who’d traveled with them, there wasn’t another soul in sight.
It was nothing like Delight—nothing like what Yu-jin had imagined. Struck speechless, he stood dumbfounded, eyes roaming the unfamiliar scene.
“Where… are we?”
He barely managed the question, and Winston answered nonchalantly.
“You’ll stay here until you recover.”
“What?”
“Daddy!”
Just as Yu-jin was about to ask again, an unexpected voice cut through the air. Startled, he turned his head—and saw the one person he’d been aching to see beyond the wide-open doors of the mansion.
Angie.
Breath catching in his throat, Yu-jin froze, unable to speak. Angela came rushing toward him with urgency in her steps. He wanted to hold her—desperately—but Winston didn’t put him down.
“Don’t. Wait.”
The command sounded like something you’d give a dog, and Yu-jin was just about to protest when one of the bodyguards standing nearby swiftly stepped forward and lifted Angela into his arms.
