“What day is it?”
Yeon Yiseo set the bowl down on the wooden tray with a grim expression and asked.
“It’s Tuesday. Just past 6 p.m.”
The answer landed nowhere near what Yeon Yiseo had expected. And it was evening. What he’d thought was the break of dawn outside had actually been the setting sun.
He blinked slowly, then opened his eyes again. Didn’t Alexander say earlier that he’d contacted his company? Yeon Yiseo hadn’t even worked there a full year—there was no way this kind of unplanned absence would go over well on his performance evaluation.
“I explained everything to Ethan, so it should be fine. I also spoke to Natalie.”
“Ah… okay.”
That was all he could manage in response. Yeon Yiseo picked up the spoon again. He wasn’t feeling particularly hungry anymore, but his stomach was still empty.
“What exactly did you tell them?”
“I said that after the party, I wasn’t feeling well, and while you were taking care of me, you ended up catching something yourself.”
“…”
Never mind the part about him falling ill—would anyone really believe that an extreme-dominant Alpha like Alexander had needed someone to care for him? If he went to work, Natalie would definitely bombard him with questions. Just thinking of how to cover for it gave him a headache.
“Understood.”
Still, it wasn’t like Alexander had many options. No, he had done the best he could. Yeon Yiseo, feeling gloomy, scooped another spoonful of risotto into his mouth.
“…CEO.”
“Yes?”
“You said you washed me, right? My, uh… that part… was it okay? I honestly thought it’d never close again.”
“…”
“…”
A long silence stretched between them. Yeon Yiseo thought he heard Alexander clear his throat faintly. But he had to ask. He had to. He wasn’t joking—he was genuinely scared. The thought of checking in the mirror or touching it himself made him recoil. Even now, he still felt like something was lodged up inside him.
“There was no issue.”
“That’s… a relief.”
Yeon Yiseo picked out just the oyster this time and popped it into his mouth. The risotto’s oysters were fragrant, generously sized, and perfectly cooked. The subtle lemon and herbs balanced it beautifully.
“About what happened—”
“It’s okay. Wait—are you okay, CEO?”
“Hm?”
Alexander looked surprised, as though he hadn’t expected the question.
“I mean, not me—you. I’m fine. But are you alright?”
“I… Yes. I’m fine.”
“That’s good to hear. Oh, and I’m sorry for cutting you off earlier. I usually don’t do that. I just—my emotions kind of got ahead of me.”
“It’s alright.”
Alexander brushed it off casually.
“Apologies, but I have a very important meeting scheduled, so I’ll have to step out now.”
“Ah…”
So he was leaving. Yeon Yiseo wasn’t even sure if he could get out of bed, let alone walk. Just shifting his body earlier had left him in pain all over—walking was out of the question.
Still, if Alexander said he was busy, it probably wasn’t just an excuse. In fact, it was a miracle that he’d even been able to stay this long, including Monday. His secretary must be shedding blood and tears trying to reschedule everything. Yeon Yiseo couldn’t help feeling a little sympathy.
“If you’d like, you may stay here until tomorrow morning.”
Yeon Yiseo let out a sigh of relief at Alexander’s offer.
“Ah, yes. I’ll do that, then.”
“You’re also welcome to use room service as much as you like. I’ve arranged for all the charges to be billed to me.”
“As much as I want?”
“Yes. Freely and comfortably—use whatever you need.”
Alexander repeated himself, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
“Understood. That’s very kind of you.”
Yeon Yiseo replied in a flat tone, but he noticed Alexander’s urgency. His schedule must be packed.
For the head of a defense conglomerate, his days likely started at dawn and ran late into the night, without a single break. The fact that he was taking time to talk like this was, in itself, an act of remarkable courtesy.
“You must be busy. Go ahead—I’ll be fine.”
“I should be the one staying, not leaving first like this. Thank you for understanding.”
“Not at all.”
With a calm smile on his face, Yeon Yiseo saw Alexander off. After the door closed behind him, he scraped every last bit of food from the tray. His body had no strength left in it.
He couldn’t remember eating at all in the past few days. That meant he’d basically fasted for four straight days. Even with IV fluids, there was no way his body could handle that. When the body gives out, it’s no one else’s problem—it’s yours alone. No one was going to take over Yeon Yiseo’s workload. That’s why, full or not, he ate everything.
He’d only ever heard about an Alpha’s rut, but now that he’d experienced it—he could hardly believe it was real. Everything he thought he knew about ruts was wrong.
He wanted to lie back on the big bed and rest, but first he needed to deal with the muscle pain. Maybe soaking in warm water would help. He couldn’t imagine standing up right now, but if he wanted to return to work tomorrow, he had to push through.
“Ngh… Ugh.”
Even getting down from the bed took a while. Every part of his body ached—his inner thighs, his back, his waist and sides, calves, forearms—not a single muscle had been spared. Every time he moved, he discovered new places where he apparently had muscles. Still, he couldn’t just give up.
“…Ha.”
He was grateful to be alone. If someone else had been here, he probably would’ve asked for help—and ended up embarrassing himself. It was better this way. He couldn’t let himself get used to relying on others. They always disappeared in the end.
Groaning, Yeon Yiseo took careful steps. The hotel, which had seemed so spacious and luxurious when he first arrived, now just felt exhausting. Too big.
He finally made it to the bathroom and decided to sit on the floor while the tub filled. The thought of walking back to the bed and returning again was out of the question. Waiting here was better.
“…What the hell?”
Then he caught sight of himself in the mirror and let out a sigh. His upper body was covered in blotches—like a child had smeared paint all over him. Who knew how long it would take for those marks to fade.
He sighed again, his eyes trailing up to his face. Sure, he could cover up his body—but what about his face? His eyelids were so swollen it was hard to tell if his eyes were even open. He knew why, too.
He’d cried. That much he’d expected. But not like this. He hadn’t realized it had gotten this bad. The fact that Alexander had seen him like that—had treated him normally—was incredible. If it had been the other way around, Yeon Yiseo would’ve burst out laughing.
It took a long time to fill the huge tub. Then again, it was big enough to fit two people comfortably. Once he finally lowered himself into the steaming water, he let out a long, satisfied sigh. This was heaven. Every muscle in his body seemed to relax.
He thought about calling for a massage, especially since he’d been told to use room service freely. But he didn’t.
Other people’s kindness always came with a price. One way or another, you had to pay it back. There was no need to take on a debt he didn’t have to.
A hot soak would help loosen tight muscles. Afterward, a bit of stretching might ease the rest. What mattered now was showing up to work tomorrow and catching up on everything he’d missed. He also needed to figure out how to repay Natalie for covering his share.
But for now, he just wanted to enjoy this drowsy warmth.
He suddenly remembered the kiss Alexander had given him—that soft touch. Most people probably had memories like that from childhood—precious little moments they could pull out when things got hard.
“…”
Yeon Yiseo let out a breath and rested his head against the edge of the tub.
***
The past few days had been rough for Yeon Yiseo.
As soon as he returned to work, he was met with a storm of scolding from Natalie.
She was on the verge of shaking his soul out of his body—but when she saw how pale he looked, how much weight he’d lost, and how he limped around like he could barely walk, her tone softened with concern.
“What the hell happened to you? Are you okay now? You should’ve called! I was seriously freaked out!”
Yeon Yiseo kept apologizing and thanking her over and over again.
Natalie didn’t say much beyond a few complaints about how hard it had been to cover for him. She didn’t actually say anything mean.
When he offered to treat her to a meal in thanks, she refused, saying she couldn’t accept food from someone who’d just been sick. Instead, she handed him sweet donuts from a popular nearby shop two days in a row during lunch.
“Honestly, Yiseo, you seem like you’ve got it all together, but then you really don’t. That worries me.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
They were drinking coffee during what was left of their lunch break when Natalie said that. Yeon Yiseo blinked and asked in surprise.
She nodded without hesitation, completely serious.
He’d never thought of himself that way before, so her words were genuinely shocking.
