Lee Tae-rim’s eyes felt dry and sore from lack of sleep. His head pounded all day, and he had no appetite. Eating had become a chore, something he forced himself to do. Everything felt like too much. He hadn’t realized that simply not sleeping could be this overwhelming.
At least Tae-rim had spent the whole day confined to this room with nothing to do, so he was able to try and catch some rest here and there. But that wasn’t the case for Seon Juho. Seon Juho only came into this room for one reason—Guiding.
And that said it all: Seon Juho had been using his Esper abilities.
Tae-rim didn’t know exactly what was forcing him to activate his powers, but every time he came for Guiding, it was obvious he was in a dangerously unstable state. He was always pushing himself too far.
And now, he wasn’t even sleeping properly on top of that. It hurt just to look at him.
Even the woman who always accompanied Seon Juho—presumably part of the research team—looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. But Tae-rim couldn’t bring himself to care. All he could think was, How are they still going? He wished they’d just get tired of it already. They were relentless. Truly vicious people.
“Hyuung…”
Seon Juho’s fraying grip on reality began to snap again. He clung to Tae-rim, his mouth glued to the side of Tae-rim’s neck—biting, sucking, licking—completely lost in it. Tae-rim found himself wondering if Seon Juho might actually devour him, but oddly, he wasn’t afraid.
“It feels so good, hyung…”
There was no mirror to check, but with the way Seon Juho was sucking at his skin, Tae-rim had no doubt his neck was covered in red and purple blotches. A complete mess.
But he didn’t care. Being in Seon Juho’s arms calmed him. The moment he inhaled that sweet scent, the headache that had plagued him all day seemed to vanish. Tae-rim was buried against Seon Juho’s chest, taking deep breaths of his scent.
Lately, Seon Juho’s pheromones had grown stronger—almost aggressively so. Whenever they met, it was like his scent exploded out, completely wrapping around Tae-rim.
Because of that, Tae-rim found he could finally fall into a deep sleep after Seon Juho left. And it only made him crave him more. He missed that warmth. He needed to be held close, to feel that comforting body heat clinging to him.
Honestly, Tae-rim was too sleep-deprived to think straight. So it wasn’t surprising that he kept getting pulled deeper and deeper into Seon Juho’s pheromones. Even though he knew it was happening, he couldn’t stop it.
After Seon Juho left, Tae-rim would cling to the fading traces of his scent, trying to fall asleep. He’d wrap himself tightly in his blanket, trapping the pheromones inside, and as soon as he closed his eyes, sleep would come.
But it never lasted. The moment the scent faded, he’d wake up. And he hated it. He missed it. Just like Seon Juho did, he wanted to press his nose into someone’s neck and breathe in that addictive scent. He wanted to lose himself in it and drift into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Tae-rim had thought he might get caught up in Seon Juho’s pheromones once they grew stronger, but he hadn’t expected to spiral this hard. His body was already worn out, and now with his mind unraveling, those pheromones were like the final blow. He couldn’t resist anymore—he instinctively craved the Alpha’s scent.
He knew that Alpha pheromones had a powerful, drug-like effect on Omegas. But he hadn’t imagined it would be this intense. Knowing something in theory and living it were two very different things.
It was the same for Alphas. Omega pheromones could be just as potent, just as dangerous. And in Seon Juho’s case, he was constantly breathing Tae-rim in. Every day. So of course Seon Juho’s condition was even worse than his.
That’s why, whenever they were together, Seon Juho’s pheromones would flare wildly—and Tae-rim’s would erupt in response. Their instincts were calling out to each other. Come to me. I need you. Give yourself to me.
No Alpha could resist that kind of temptation. The instinct to reach for each other was too strong.
On top of that, Tae-rim’s body was currently Beta—he couldn’t regulate his pheromones at all. They just poured out uncontrollably. It was pure instinct. And that made it inevitable that Seon Juho would lose control.
Tae-rim reached up and touched his neck. The spot where Seon Juho had bitten was still sore. It seemed like he was still clinging to a sliver of reason—trying not to bite too hard. Tae-rim could feel it—Seon Juho holding back again and again, for his sake. It was… weirdly sweet.
But the real problem wasn’t now. It was tomorrow. And the next day. The more Tae-rim’s mind broke down, the thicker his pheromones would get. And tomorrow, it would be worse. Even stronger. He worried about how long Seon Juho would be able to hold on.
If an Alpha truly lost control and bit down, it wouldn’t end with just a few marks. There was a reason Omegas wore scarves even in the middle of summer. An unhinged Alpha’s obsession could be terrifying.
Tae-rim didn’t have much experience. He’d dated a shy guy back in college, and later, briefly flirted with someone he met through work.
The college guy had been so bashful they’d barely kissed—and even then, it was rare. He always got too flustered.
The one he’d actually advanced with was the guy from work. He was a good guy. Friendly, easygoing—he made Tae-rim feel at ease. They’d gotten close quickly, started hanging out at each other’s places, and eventually became drinking buddies.
That night, both of them had been in a good mood. Everything had gone well that day, and they got drunk fast. They were chatting and laughing when the guy suddenly leaned in and kissed him.
Tae-rim didn’t dislike it, so he smiled. The guy kissed him again. And again.
Everything after that was a blur. He thought they kept kissing, but he couldn’t really remember. He must’ve been more drunk than he thought.
At some point, he realized he’d accepted the guy’s advances. When he came to, his shirt was off. He had no idea when it had come off—just that it had.
The guy had clearly been just as drunk and was visibly turned on. Thankfully, he came to his senses and didn’t go all the way. But by then, Tae-rim’s chest was already covered in marks the guy had left behind—faint, blotchy bruises that told the story on their own.
That was when Lee Tae-rim finally understood—truly—what people meant when they talked about “an Alpha’s bite.”
It was far worse than he’d imagined.
When he sobered up and looked in the mirror, he was genuinely stunned.
Alphas had a terrifying ability: they could infuse their pheromones into their teeth. It wasn’t enough for them to make Omegas inhale their scent through the air—they would bite, physically injecting pheromones straight into the body. It was almost unfair, like cheating.
And that sensation—pheromones soaking directly into his skin—was absolutely intoxicating. The alcohol had played a part, sure, but it was the pheromones that had truly made his head spin.
That Alpha had bitten him hard, so hard that teeth marks were left behind. Tae-rim still couldn’t believe he hadn’t screamed when he saw them. They looked painful—angry red indentations that would make anyone wince just by looking at them.
But strangely enough, they didn’t really hurt. Because Omegas didn’t process that kind of bite as pain—it translated as pleasure. Still, the lingering scent left behind in those bite marks had been a problem. The pheromones were subtle enough to stay hidden under his clothes, but for two whole days, Tae-rim had to live with that Alpha’s scent clinging to his body. That part had been uncomfortable, to say the least.
And that had been the end of his brief attempt at a love life.
He and that man had just started something, a tentative spark… but then the man died.
After the possession, everything had been so chaotic that Tae-rim hadn’t even had the space in his mind to mourn or reflect. And now, with Seon Juho constantly needing his attention, there was absolutely no time to think about someone who was no longer here.
The guy had been good-looking, kind, and genuinely a great person—but the hellscape of Tae-rim’s current life had wiped all that away.
Now, it was simply too late for regret. Too much time had passed. And if someone were to ask him who was more attractive now… Tae-rim would have no choice but to say Seon Juho.
Sure, the other man had been more mature and emotionally stable—but Seon Juho was devastatingly handsome. And more than anything—
His pheromones were irresistible.
Tae-rim had sensed it from the very beginning, the first time he thought, This scent is so sweet. Even then, he’d suspected it—this was no ordinary compatibility. It was dangerously perfect. And as Seon Juho’s pheromones continued to grow stronger, that certainty only deepened. Tae-rim could even understand, a little, why Seon Juho kept burying his face in his neck.
Day after day, Seon Juho lost more of his reason, drawn to Tae-rim’s pheromones like a man starving. He would suck, bite, and nuzzle at the gland at the base of Tae-rim’s neck, completely consumed.
But that was all. He never went any further.
Which meant—somewhere inside—he still had a shred of restraint left.
The problem was, Tae-rim wasn’t sure he did.
Seon Juho’s pheromones were intensifying by the day. Just like how a boy grows into a man, his scent was maturing rapidly—wildly. He was becoming a true Alpha right before Tae-rim’s eyes. And at the rate things were going, Tae-rim didn’t know how much longer he could hold it together.
