“Tsk”
A sharp clicking of the tongue echoed as Harold let out a short tsk.
In that instant, Yu-jin froze in place, his face draining of all color. His terrified expression, as he stared back at Harold with wide, bloodless eyes, only made the older man extend his hand in silence. With a slow, beckoning motion, he curled his fingers, wordlessly summoning him closer.
Yu-jin wanted to cry.
But instead of bursting into tears and running away, he forced himself to move forward, his feet dragging with every step. No matter how much he despised this, he had nowhere else to go. No other choice to make. All he could do was obey.
As he inched toward Harold, his body stiff and unwilling, the man never lowered his outstretched hand, nor did he avert his intense gaze.
Gulping dryly, Yu-jin hunched his shoulders and instinctively shielded himself—one arm pressed against his chest, the other trembling in front of him. The closer he got, the more suffocatingly thick the sweet scent in the air became. It was overpowering, making it hard to breathe.
When he finally came to a halt, just close enough for his knees to graze Harold’s, the man’s lips curled into a smile.
“Good boy,” Harold murmured, his hand shifting to stroke Yu-jin’s waist in approval. “Such an obedient child.”
Yu-jin didn’t respond. He only trembled. Harold’s touch was deceptively gentle, but it sent a shudder of revulsion through him.
Ignoring his reaction entirely, Harold placed both hands firmly on Yu-jin’s waist and pulled him even closer, pressing his face against the boy’s stomach.
Sniff.
The deep inhale came from below, the warmth of Harold’s breath ghosting over Yu-jin’s skin. He clenched his hands together, forcing himself not to push the man away, and squeezed his eyes shut.
Harold exhaled slowly, then inhaled again, drawing in the scent deeply, over and over. Only after indulging himself several times did he finally speak.
“You smell wonderful. You’re ripening so beautifully.”
His voice was laced with satisfaction as he lowered his nose once more, grazing it over Yu-jin’s skin as if savoring every whiff. Yu-jin’s breath hitched.
What scent was he talking about? Did he… did he smell bad?
Panic rose inside him, the discomfort unbearable. But before he could recoil, Harold spoke again, this time with an air of knowing amusement.
“Ah, of course. You wouldn’t be able to smell it. You don’t know men yet.”
Lifting his head, Harold met Yu-jin’s gaze directly, his violet eyes gleaming with eerie delight. Even with his eyes shut, Yu-jin had felt the intensity of that stare, but now that their gazes had actually locked, a violent shiver ran down his spine.
Harold chuckled, mistaking the reaction for something else entirely.
“My pheromones must be frightening you.”
As if to prove his point, the thick scent enveloping the room grew denser, pressing down on Yu-jin from all sides. He wanted to cover his nose, block it out somehow, but his body had turned to stone, unable to move.
“Don’t be afraid. You’ll learn to love it soon enough.”
Harold’s hand trailed up Yu-jin’s bare arm, his touch light, almost reverent.
“When you mature a little more, your response will be very different. I’m looking forward to it.”
His eyes crinkled with a smile, his expression one of pure contentment. The more naïve Yu-jin appeared, the more pleased he became.
“When your scent fully ripens…” Harold murmured, voice rich with promise, “I’ll be the one to teach you myself.”
With that, he leaned in again, his nose brushing against Yu-jin’s skin as he greedily traced his scent.
Yu-jin stood rigid as a plank, struggling not to recoil. Desperately, he fought the instinct to shove the man away.
“Then, have sweet dreams.”
Standing at the front door, Harold smiled as he bid Yu-jin goodnight. Frozen in place, Yu-jin could barely manage a whispered, “You too, Mr. Campbell.”
Harold’s smile remained as he reached out, gently caressing Yu-jin’s cheek before pulling away and turning on his heel. Yu-jin watched in silence as the man got into his car and disappeared into the darkness. Only after the taillights vanished from sight did Yu-jin finally move, spinning around and bolting for the bathroom.
“Urk— Uwek—!”
The nausea he’d been holding back surged all at once, his stomach convulsing violently. He collapsed in front of the toilet, gagging over and over, but nothing came up except for bitter bile.
“Haa… haa…”
Panting heavily, Yu-jin blinked rapidly to clear his vision. His body trembled with the force of his dry heaving, and tears streamed down his face in an uncontrollable flow. He hastily wiped them away with his sleeve.
Whenever Harold left, Yu-jin was always left utterly drained.
He wanted to just collapse on the floor and not move, but he couldn’t. The stifling scent of Harold’s pheromones clung to the air, saturating every corner of the house. Stumbling to his feet, Yu-jin forced himself to fling open every window and door.
Thankfully, no one ever came here.
For years now, the only visitor to this place had been Harold Campbell.
Once the windows were open, the next thing he did was head straight for the bathroom again—this time, to scrub himself clean.
Yu-jin washed himself in a hurry, running a towel over his skin with almost violent desperation. Especially the places Harold had touched—he scrubbed them over and over until the sensation was completely gone. It was always the same; his skin would remain raw and red for days after Harold’s visits.
After drying off and throwing on his pajamas, Yu-jin meticulously checked every room, making sure there were no lingering traces of Harold’s scent. Only once he was satisfied did he shut every door except for the window by his bed.
The crisp scent of grass and trees always helped calm him down.
Curling up beneath the sheets, Yu-jin pulled the covers up to his chin, finally releasing a quiet, shaky breath as he willed himself to sleep.
Harold’s behavior had changed not long after Yu-jin’s first manifestation.
That day, Harold had come to the guest house as usual. But instead of greeting Yu-jin with casual conversation, the first thing he did was pull him into a tight embrace. Without a word, he buried his face against Yu-jin’s body, pressing his nose to his skin and inhaling deeply.
It was the first time they’d ever had such close contact. Yu-jin was caught completely off guard, his body locking up in shock as Harold continued to nuzzle against him, unabashedly taking in his scent.
For a long moment, Harold simply breathed him in, each inhale slow and deliberate.
Then, exhaling in satisfaction, he murmured, “It’s the same scent.”
His voice was soft, almost wistful.
“Ah… I’ve missed it so much.”
Yu-jin didn’t understand what he meant. But the atmosphere didn’t allow for questions, so he simply remained silent, listening to Harold’s rambling monologue.
Harold continued inhaling deeply, indulging himself in Yu-jin’s scent for what felt like an eternity. Then, as suddenly as he had come, he left, wearing an utterly pleased expression.
At the time, Yu-jin had thought nothing of it.
He’s happy. That’s all that matters.
For once, he’d managed to please Harold.
After that day, Harold started visiting more frequently.
It wasn’t by much—before, he would only come once every few months. But now, it had become once every month or two.
To Yu-jin, even that slight change was a welcome one.
Each time Harold visited, he would pull Yu-jin onto his lap and inhale his scent, as if getting drunk off it.
For an Extreme Alpha, someone supposedly immune to all substances, it was as though Yu-jin’s pheromones were the one exception.
Then, a year later, Harold’s requests began to change.
The first time, he had calmly instructed Yu-jin to remove his pants.
Yu-jin had been completely taken aback by the unexpected demand. Naturally, he refused.
But Harold’s demeanor had shifted in an instant—his expression darkening, his voice turning harsh.
Frightened, Yu-jin had no choice but to comply.
Trembling, he hesitantly unbuttoned his trousers and slipped them down.
Harold had smiled at him then, his tone suddenly warm again.
“Good boy,” he praised.
“Sorry for scaring you.”
Harold made sure to add, “Of course, if you’d just obeyed from the start, I wouldn’t have had to scold you.”
After that, every time Harold visited, Yu-jin had to take off his pants.
At first, Harold would give the order each time, but eventually, he changed it. Instead of making Yu-jin undress in front of him, he instructed him to be waiting, already undressed, before he arrived.
Yu-jin cried, but he had no choice.
Harold was the only person he could rely on.
And this isolated guesthouse was the only world he knew.
Months passed, and Yu-jin got used to removing his pants. Once that became routine, the next step was his shirt. Just like before, he was made to strip in Harold’s presence for a while. But soon, that changed too. Now, Yu-jin had to be completely naked by the time Harold arrived.
It had taken a year and a half to reach this point.
Even a three-year-old could guess what would come next.
The thought alone was enough to fill Yu-jin with terror.
That was when the vomiting started.
As soon as he learned Harold was coming, his stomach would twist in knots until he threw up.
The first time it happened in front of Harold, he’d been unable to hold it in, and the contents of his stomach had splattered onto the man’s expensive trousers.
Since then, Yu-jin stopped eating entirely on the days Harold was scheduled to visit.
“You’re so sickly, it worries me,” Harold had murmured, feigning concern.
Yu-jin had grown taller, but his body was getting thinner and thinner.
That was the only reason Harold hadn’t moved on to the final step yet.
Or rather, it was one of the reasons.
The bigger reason was that Yu-jin hadn’t gone into heat yet.
For Alphas and Omegas, even after their first manifestation, pheromones wouldn’t fully develop until their first heat or rut cycle arrived. Sometimes, however, faint traces of pheromones could leak out before then.
That was the case with Yu-jin.
As he grew older, his scent deepened little by little, serving as an unmistakable warning—his first heat was drawing closer.
Harold had no reason to rush.
In fact, waiting only made the anticipation more enjoyable.
That day would inevitably come.
And when it did, Harold would take Yu-jin’s body whenever he pleased.
It was only natural.
After all, he’d spent all these years carefully keeping the boy locked away in this world—his world, where only he existed.
There was no need to hurry.
None at all.
But Yu-jin’s perspective was entirely different.
The looming inevitability of that day was driving him insane.
I need to think of something. There has to be a way…
That night, as he tossed and turned, a thought suddenly struck him.
Maybe… Maybe that person will listen.
The realization jolted him upright.
Yes. They’ll definitely help. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
Hope bloomed in his chest for the first time in years.
His heart pounded with nervous anticipation as he lay back down, telling himself to sleep.
Tomorrow, he would need his strength.
But despite his exhaustion, it took ages for his racing mind to settle.
After countless restless tosses and turns, Yu-jin finally drifted off—this time, without a single dream.
