Leaving Tae-yi behind—who had said he would be busy with work for a moment—Haram returned alone to the room, now in his human form, and fidgeted with his flat tail, pulling it forward. The trip abroad seemed to have fallen through, but he still hadn’t received a clear answer about whether he could stay by Tae-yi’s side.
Frustrated, he trudged into the bathroom and stared blankly at the mirror above the sink. If only I were sick. If he were so ill he couldn’t move, writhing in bed, Tae-yi wouldn’t leave his side. The thought was pathetic, but the more he dwelled on it, the more his resentment toward Kang Tae-jin, the root of all his problems, swelled. He wanted Tae-yi to worry about him and keep him close, but he didn’t want to burden him further when he was already so busy.
Suppressing his selfish thoughts, Haram gazed out the window. The red sky of sunset filled his view. The day was ending. But the day Tae-yi had promised to spend with him wasn’t over yet.
Pheromones… Tae-yi said I have pheromones too. The thought suddenly struck him. He didn’t know how to control them, but from past experience, he was certain Tae-yi liked his pheromones. If he used them, maybe Tae-yi wouldn’t avoid physical contact anymore—maybe he’d even kiss him. Blushing, Haram fidgeted with his fingers before stepping out of the bathroom, still naked, his tail barely covering his groin. He stood in front of the bedroom door, straining to release his pheromones. He’d heard other secondary genders handled pheromones as naturally as breathing. Since he was an Omega, he should be able to do it too.
But it wasn’t easy. After standing there for a while, shifting his weight from foot to foot, Haram suddenly flinched his shoulders.
Omega… It felt like just yesterday he had manifested as an Omega, sobbing in Tae-yi’s arms. Now, it didn’t bother him at all. After everything they’d been through—his heat, their rut—being an Omega didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Besides, aside from the heat cycles, his daily life hadn’t changed much.
Shaking off his thoughts, Haram tried to focus again on releasing his pheromones.
I don’t know… If only pheromones were visible, like water flowing from a faucet. He twitched his nose and sniffed, but all he could detect in the room was the faint trace of Tae-yi’s cologne. With a heavy sigh, he turned back toward the mirror in the bathroom.
Would furrowing his brows solve anything? Staring at his reflection, Haram felt his spirits sink. He really was useless at everything except farm work. Could Tae-yi teach him? Would learning even help? He had no idea what he was doing.
No matter how hard he concentrated in front of the mirror, nothing changed, nothing felt different. His body just grew warm. Dejected, Haram pouted and left the bathroom, heading for the walk-in closet. The spacious dressing room was packed with clothes. The comfortable-looking ones, he knew without asking, were fine for him to wear. Though Tae-yi’s clothes were big, Haram had grown used to wearing oversized garments to hide his tail, so they didn’t feel uncomfortable.
He hastily put on a white T-shirt and sweatpants, then approached the section of the closet where Tae-yi’s suits hung. Pulling one of the garments close, he inhaled deeply, savoring Tae-yi’s scent, and let out a languid breath.
He had thought that if Tae-yi was busy, at least he could comfort himself like this. But hugging the clothes only left him feeling empty and unsatisfied. Maybe he was just used to being held, not doing the holding.
Should I bring him a snack? Haram hatched a solid plan: he’d prepare a simple snack and use it as an excuse to stay by Tae-yi’s side. The thought of awkwardly lurking outside the study made him feel ridiculous, but right now, all he wanted was to be near him. Tae-yi probably already thought he was pathetic anyway, so it didn’t matter. Peanuts in soy sauce? Sweetened chestnuts? He pondered what snack to make as he swung open the door—only to find not an empty hallway, but Tae-yi himself.
“Tae-yi—mmpf!”Â
Before he could even say his name, Tae-yi grabbed him by the nape of his neck and pulled him into a rough kiss, pressing him backward. Haram’s eyes widened in shock as he caught sight of Yoon Ji-seok and Yoon Min-ho hastily retreating down the hall. He quickly shut his eyes.
“Tae-yi, Tae-yi—!”Â
He couldn’t tell if his heart was racing from the kiss or from embarrassment. Pushing Tae-yi away, Haram licked his damp lips and clutched at his shoulders.
“Why are you dripping pheromones like that? The whole house reeks of you.”Â
Tae-yi’s voice was lazy, his fingers brushing Haram’s flushed cheek. He had rushed out of the study the moment he sensed Haram’s overwhelming pheromones.
He didn’t even remember how he’d run all the way here. The Omega, who hadn’t even known he was leaking pheromones, was suddenly acting like he was in heat. Tae-yi was more worried than aroused—though that didn’t stop him from shoving his tongue into Haram’s mouth.
“Pheromones…?”Â
Haram blinked rapidly, his large eyes wide.
“Are you feeling okay? You seem feverish.”Â
Tae-yi’s concern was clear, but the bulge in his pants pressing against Haram’s stomach was unmistakable. Haram swallowed hard and turned his head away, avoiding his gaze.
“N-no, it’s not that… I mean…”Â
He couldn’t bring himself to say it. How could he admit he’d been trying to release pheromones because he wanted Tae-yi’s attention, at least a kiss? The idea of confessing to such clumsy seduction made him want to vanish into a mouse hole.
Stammering, Haram took a step back, glancing at Tae-yi, who made no move to deepen their contact. It was clear he had no intention of going further—just calming Haram down. Biting his lower lip, Haram gathered his courage and stepped forward, rising onto his tiptoes to kiss him again. He gripped Tae-yi’s shoulders, trembling as he pushed his tongue deep into his mouth. Tae-yi responded by pulling him close, their bodies fitting together perfectly.
Encouraged by Tae-yi’s lack of resistance, Haram wrapped his silver-gray tail around his waist, clinging tightly. Pressed flush against him, he could feel Tae-yi’s cock twitching against his stomach.
“Da Haram.”Â
“Mmm…”Â
A strand of saliva stretched between their lips as they parted. Tae-yi looked down at him, his face flushed, still wearing an expression of concern. Haram buried his face in his chest and murmured,
“I didn’t release pheromones by accident… I’m not sick. I just… wanted to do that with you…”
His voice, barely above a whisper, echoed in the spacious room. His pale face burned crimson with shame. Tae-yi was silent for a moment, letting out a long, sigh-like breath.
“So this was all your plan?”Â
Ever since his manifestation as an Omega, Haram had done nothing but deny it. The thought that he had deliberately lured him out with pheromones left Tae-yi speechless. His mind reeled. The guilt he’d been carrying evaporated selfishly from his thoughts. Right now, he didn’t care about any of that—he just wanted to throw the Omega in front of him onto the bed and give him exactly what he was begging for, all night long.
Haram had been defying his expectations from the moment he’d fled from him. He was no longer the clueless, innocent squirrel he once was. The fact that he had changed him, that he had shaped Haram into someone who could desire him so boldly, filled him with a thrilling sense of conquest.
Only after a long silence did Tae-yi finally speak. When Haram worked up the courage to meet his eyes, he found him wearing a faint smile. Overwhelmed, Haram grabbed his collar and demanded,
“Y-you’re just teasing me, right? I’m serious. You’ve been avoiding me… that’s why I did this.”
That had to be his teasing face. Seeing his playful expression after so long should have been a relief, but not now. Did he have to explain how hard he’d tried, how much courage it had taken, just to wipe that smug look off his face?
Tae-yi’s smile faded as he pulled Haram into another kiss. Stumbling backward, Haram gasped as he felt the soft bedding against his legs.
Tae-yi’s large hand slipped beneath his pants, rubbing him over his underwear. His already-hard cock jerked eagerly. Haram panted, his breath ragged, as he stared up at Tae-yi straddling him—then shuddered and came with a whimper.
