Da Haram picked up the pine nut on top of the buckwheat pancake with his chopsticks and looked over the dishes that filled the table. Some were neatly plated, others extravagantly decorated—he couldn’t take his eyes off any of them.
“Try this too.”
“I can eat on my own.”
As Kang Tae-yi scooped some braised eggplant onto Haram’s side plate, Haram quickly protested. Then he picked up a piece of grilled short rib patty and placed it onto Tae-yi’s plate in return.
Tae-yi looked down at the short rib patty that had filled his plate and couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from lifting into a slow smile.
***
The moment he opened his eyes in the morning, Haram knew something was off. He’d eaten a lot of fruit yesterday, sure—but that had been his first real meal of the day. It wasn’t like he’d overeaten. Maybe it was the tension from eating a full-course Korean meal while nervous?
“…Ugh.”
A dull ache throbbed in his lower abdomen, sometimes spiking into sharp jabs.
Was it appendicitis? But appendicitis was supposed to hurt so bad you couldn’t even straighten your back…
Haram, who’d been curled up like a shrimp, cautiously stretched his spine and let out a sigh of relief. It didn’t seem to be appendicitis. Still, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt—it was annoying enough to be a constant distraction.
Knock knock—
At the sound of the knock, Haram peeked his face out from the cozy blankets and grunted as he pushed himself up.
When Kang Tae-yi opened the door and walked in, he instinctively frowned at the thick scent of peanuts that still clung to the room. But when he saw Haram sitting up on the bed with a similarly pained expression, he rushed over.
“Are you sick?”
“My stomach… just a little…”
He’d asked thinking it might just be a nightmare, but now that Haram was really saying he was in pain, Tae-yi’s face turned serious.
“Can you get up? Let’s go to the hospital.”
As Tae-yi gently placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to help him up from the bed, Haram shook his head.
“It’s not that bad. I’m fine.”
Haram slipped away from Tae-yi’s hand and lay back down again, meeting Tae-yi’s gaze as the man looked down at him with visible worry.
Being told Haram was sick the moment they got to Seoul didn’t just make him feel unsettled—it pissed him off. Even though there was a reason behind it all, he still felt like he’d dragged a perfectly healthy kid out of his peaceful rural life only to make him sick.
“Does it still hurt when you shift into your animal form?”
Haram’s eyes went wide at the question, surprised.
“Should I try it…?”
He blinked and, as soon as he finished speaking, disappeared. Tae-yi quickly pulled back the blanket to reveal a small figure lying belly-up, his fluffy white stomach exposed—Da Haram in his sky squirrel form.
“Still hurts?”
“Chrp…”
Haram blinked his large eyes and answered weakly.
“Let’s go to the hospital, yeah?”
Tae-yi gently stroked Haram’s belly with his palm as he spoke.
But the more Tae-yi touched his belly, the worse the pain became. Alarmed, Haram wriggled free and slipped into the narrow space between two pillows to escape Tae-yi’s hand. His body usually responded well to home remedies—both his grandma and his mom had the kind of “healing hands” that soothed pain. But Tae-yi’s hand clearly wasn’t one of them.
Watching Haram so clearly retreat from his touch, Tae-yi let out a shallow sigh.
Did he really hate hospitals that much? It might’ve made sense as a human, but right now, Haram was a sky squirrel—he could just scoop him up and take him in.
Staring at the fluffy lump hidden between the pillows, Tae-yi debated whether to forcibly carry him out but eventually just stood up.
“If it still hurts in the afternoon, we’re going to the hospital.”
“Chrp…”
Hearing the faint squeak from between the pillows, Tae-yi quietly left the room.
***
“Are there any Omegas among Beastfolk?”
As he was organizing some documents, Chief Yoon paused at the sudden question from Kang Tae-yi and thought for a moment before replying.
“Aren’t all Beastfolk Betas?”
“Do Betas even have pheromones?”
“…I doubt they even know what pheromones are.”
Yoon looked at Tae-yi with a puzzled expression, surprised by such basic questions, and handed over the documents.
“Why do you ask?”
Standing off to one side of the study, gazing out the window, Tae-yi took the papers and walked over to the desk.
“Am I going crazy?”
This time, Yoon had no answer. How could he? All he could do was steal nervous glances at the Dominant Alpha, who radiated an intimidating presence just by sitting there flipping through paperwork.
“Schedule dinner with Kang Tae-jin tomorrow.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And find out if it’s possible for an Omega to exist among Beastfolk.”
“…Yes, I’ll look into it.”
After Chief Yoon bowed and left the study, closing the door behind him, Tae-yi leaned back in his chair and recalled the scent that always lingered around Da Haram.
It was definitely pheromones. A savory, almost nutty aroma that fit Haram’s innocent nature—it was enough to arouse him.
Rising from his chair again, Tae-yi stared out the window, torn between taking Haram to an internal medicine clinic or having him undergo a Designation Test.
***
“Chrp, chrp!”
Haram crawled out from between the pillows, thrilled that the pain in his belly was gone. He bounced around on the bed in excitement. Sleep really was a cure-all.
More than anything, he was relieved he didn’t have to go to the hospital. Hospitals were full of people—you were bound to catch something worse just by going.
Rolling happily on the plush bed, Haram buried his nose into the spot stained with strawberry juice from the mess he’d made yesterday and sniffed deeply.
“Chrp, chrp.”
I’m hungry.
Feeling hungry was proof that he was fully recovered. Returning to human form, Haram went into the dressing room. Remembering Tae-yi’s words that he could wear whatever he wanted, he put on a white T-shirt and ivory cotton pants, neatly adjusted his tail, and stepped out.
Tae-yi should be off work by now. As Haram wandered the hallway looking for him, he suddenly caught a whiff of alcohol and twitched his nose, following the scent. It was like fruit that had been briefly soaked in alcohol—a faint, fruity liquor scent.
“Tae-yi.”
Haram stopped in front of the room at the end of the hall and knocked on the door.
Not long after, footsteps approached and the door swung open.
“You okay?”
Tae-yi looked down at Haram, who was now fully dressed, and glanced toward his stomach.
“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I think my digestion was just off.”
“…Really?”
Despite the cheerful reply, Tae-yi stared at him with a complicated expression and gently grabbed his wrist, pulling him into the study.
Bookshelves stretched up to the ceiling, packed with books. The solid wood desk also looked high-end. As Haram looked around the study with curiosity, he glanced at the desk and asked,
“Did you drink?”
“Drink?”
Tae-yi tilted his head at the sudden mention of alcohol, then followed Haram’s eyes to the desk.
“Guess not…”
Haram murmured, rubbing his little nose.
“You smell alcohol?”
“Yeah, I followed the scent here… Thought you were drinking.”
He figured Tae-yi, who apparently liked alcohol, had been drinking heavily in the middle of the day. But there wasn’t even a glass on the desk—let alone a bottle.
“Still there?”
Apparently, he’d unconsciously released pheromones. Tae-yi withdrew the scent and stared intently at Haram.
“A little…”
When Haram said he’d followed the alcohol smell, Tae-yi felt the urge to test something. He looked down at Haram, who was clearly confused, and slowly released his pheromones.
“Ungh…”
Haram hunched over slightly, clutching his lower belly as the stabbing pain returned. Unlike Haram, whose brows furrowed in pain, Tae-yi’s expression lit up in elation.
“Da Haram.”
“I’m fine—hngh…”
A rush of that strong alcohol scent made his head spin as the pain surged again. He tried to insist he was okay, but the words caught in his throat when Tae-yi suddenly stepped closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
He’d heard those same words earlier, but this time, Tae-yi’s tone wasn’t worried—it sounded… excited.
Haram, his face buried in Tae-yi’s chest, looked up at him. Tae-yi had wiped the smile from his face, but their eyes met.
“I—I’m fine… we don’t need to—ah…”
“No. We do.”
His firm tone left no room for argument. Haram shook his head, forcing out words despite his tongue feeling sluggish.
“No, hey… haah… I don’t wanna…”
His body felt strange. Stranger than this morning. He felt hot—but not in his head, it was lower, deep in his core. His toes curled involuntarily, and his legs went weak.
As Haram clung to Tae-yi’s waist, panting, Tae-yi finally pulled back his pheromones.
Supporting Haram, whose legs were too shaky to stand, Tae-yi scooped him up by the buttocks and calmly carried him out of the study.
***
Before getting into the driver’s seat, Tae-yi placed Haram in the passenger seat and called Chief Yoon.
“He’s getting a Designation Test. Get things ready.”
He hung up without waiting for a response, quickly climbed into the car, and turned to Haram, who was blinking at him slowly.
“You okay?”
“Mm… It’s better now. I don’t wanna go to the hospital.”
Haram answered while rubbing his lower belly, not even bothering to fasten his seatbelt.
Of course he felt better. Tae-yi had pulled back his pheromones.
Just as Haram looked like he might jump out of the car any second, Tae-yi released a strong wave of pheromones. As Haram doubled over again with a moan, Tae-yi leaned over and gently rubbed his back.
“Let’s just go. You’re still in pain.”
“Hngh…”
He didn’t know why. Why the pain kept flaring up, then disappearing. He had no idea. In the end, Haram slowly nodded, and once the pain faded again, he straightened up and fastened his seatbelt.
He’d assumed they’d go to a small local clinic—but instead, Tae-yi pulled into the parking lot of a university hospital.
