“Mm….”
I felt a warm embrace. Gentle hands were patting my back.
“Sleep a little longer, Yuri.”
It was a familiar voice.
My body felt comfortable. Instinctively, I burrowed deeper into the warm arms. My mind, which had been about to wake from drowsiness, sank back down into deep sleep.
***
My body felt heavy. Even though I twisted around restlessly because it felt suffocating, I couldn’t move at all, as if a boulder had been placed on top of me.
“So heavy….”
My eyes snapped open. With a hazy mind, I looked around. It was a place that felt familiar yet strangely unfamiliar.
It was my family home.
I blankly wondered why I was here. Then the events of yesterday began to surface one after another like a panoramic flood. The familiar pheromone wrapped around my body that had begun trembling with anger.
I turned my head to the side. Do Jihoon was asleep while holding me tightly.
“What the….”
I twisted my body back and forth. But like I was wedged between rocks, I couldn’t escape his arms.
“…You’re awake?”
His voice came right beside my ear. It was low and rough, flowing from deep within his throat.
My head filled with question marks. There were mountains of things I needed to ask Do Jihoon. Why I was here. What had happened yesterday. How he even knew to come find me.
“Doji. First, move your arm.”
“Do you have somewhere urgent to go? Let’s stay like this a little longer.”
I was pretty sure I told him to let go. But the arms and legs wrapped around me only tightened more. For a moment, a rational suspicion flashed through my mind that this bastard might be drunk, then disappeared.
A thick pheromone scent flowed from him. It was a stable scent. Maybe he’d released it in case I was still tense because of yesterday. Seriously, what a good guy.
I couldn’t fall asleep. And because Do Jihoon had my entire body wrapped up, I couldn’t even get out of bed. Before I knew it, the steady sound of his breathing drifted out.
I whispered quietly.
“Do Jihoon. Are you asleep?”
“……”
There was no answer. Guess he was sleeping.
I lifted my head and looked at his sleeping face. Do Jihoon’s brows were deeply furrowed. I wanted to reach up and smooth out the crease, but since my limbs were completely pinned down, it was impossible.
I lowered my head and rested my face against his collarbone. I could smell his warm scent. But suddenly—really suddenly—the urge to bite his nape rose up.
“This is crazy.”
So this is why Do Jihoon kept chewing on my neck. For a moment, I understood his behavior. But I was a civilized intellectual of this era. I couldn’t just bite the neck of someone who was sleeping.
I raised my gaze. Do Jihoon’s face came into view. Strangely, his lips looked red and pretty. Not a single bit of dry skin. Looking at them made my mouth feel dry for no reason.
No. I’m not a pervert.
Maybe because I almost went through something shitty yesterday. My affection for him seemed to be overflowing beyond reason.
But we’re engaged anyway. And he likes me too.
Wouldn’t it be fine…?
After rationalizing it to myself, I wriggled upward little by little. Now his face was right in front of mine. Carefully, so I wouldn’t wake him, I leaned closer to Do Jihoon.
And pressed my lips against his.
“……”
Our lips touched.
They were warm and soft. Maybe because it felt like I was doing something bad, I swallowed dryly.
After our lips touched, I wanted to kiss him properly. But I didn’t have the courage to go that far. If I kissed him, Do Jihoon would wake up. It was disappointing, but I couldn’t wake him.
We stayed like that for a while.
Then I carefully pulled my face back so he wouldn’t wake up. Just as I was looking at his face with a bashful feeling—
“……”
Do Jihoon’s eyes suddenly snapped open.
…Damn it. At this timing?
Did he feel it? Or did he wake up because I moved? If he noticed… what if he gets angry? My head filled with all sorts of thoughts. I looked at him nervously.
“Yuri.”
He was smiling like sunlight. A smile that matched his pheromones perfectly.
My mouth fell open.
Eyes curved downward, lips curved upward. Cheeks puffed up from smiling. The shadowed bridge of his nose.
And the lips that had been touching mine just moments ago.
The moment that thought reached me, heat rushed to my face. Even the back of my neck felt hot. My skin was probably as red as a carrot.
I’m screwed. Do Jihoon is insanely perceptive. Even if he didn’t realize it before, he definitely will now!
“Yuri. Can’t sleep?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then what should we do?”
Do Jihoon patted my back. I bit my lower lip while watching his reaction. Then Do Jihoon frowned.
Of course. Looks like he realized the stolen kiss and was about to get annoyed at me.
“Yuri…”
“Ah! Sorry for the peck!”
“……”
Startled, I shouted an apology first. But he said nothing. Do Jihoon creaked like a broken machine.
He acted as if he hadn’t even known that I’d pressed my lips against his.
…Wait.
Did he not notice? Then why did he frown?!
“…What did you say?”
Do Jihoon asked in shock.
Damn it. He didn’t know. He really didn’t know. Once again, I’d dug my own grave. His expression quickly relaxed, and he started grinning mischievously.
“……”
“Right. So that’s what happened. You finally…”
Do Jihoon muttered incomprehensible things. He opened his mouth cheerfully, then suddenly stiffened his face and shut it again.
“Later. Let’s talk later. Right now what matters most is whether you’re okay.”
Do Jihoon showed no sign of loosening the arms wrapped around me. He lifted his upper body from the bed. Naturally, I ended up sitting up as well.
Even though he’d acted like he was going to say something, Do Jihoon didn’t open his mouth. It seemed like he was choosing his words.
He stayed silent for a long time. I appreciated the consideration, but honestly, it was suffocating.
“Doji. I’ll just ask first. Who was that bastard, and what happened to him? And how did you come yesterday? What about Kim Bo-jin? Why am I at my family home?”
“…I’ll answer one by one.”
Do Jihoon’s explanation was as follows.
First, that bastard.
Apparently he was a dominant alpha and the club owner’s cousin. He’d always been promiscuous, but after getting a call from that avocado bastard yesterday, he came to see me.
Right now he’d been caught red-handed and arrested. There was apparently debate over whether it counted as attempted rape or sexual harassment…
That fucking bastard. He wasn’t a molester—he was a rapist. If it ends up ruled as mere sexual harassment, I’ll appeal and take it all the way to the Supreme Court if I have to. I’ll turn his life into a garbage dump. That bastard.
Next was Do Jihoon.
He said he became suspicious because the usual messages checking in on me suddenly stopped. He tried calling too, but since I’d left my phone at the bar when I was dragged away, I couldn’t answer.
So Do Jihoon contacted Kim Bo-jin. After hearing from Kim Bo-jin that I had gone missing, he immediately came to the club. Using a bit of power—and some hush money—he checked the CCTV and found the room I’d been dragged into.
And Kim Bo-jin.
When I saw him right before collapsing, his face had been streaked with tears. Apparently he’s still suffering from guilt. Meeting me at the club, leaving me to go to the bathroom—he’s been blaming himself for everything. Right then Do Jihoon called him, and the two of them came to find me together.
Lastly—
“Then why am I at my family home?”
“…I brought you here. I figured you could calm down somewhere familiar. And since today’s Saturday, I thought you could rest for two days before going back.”
“I see….”
Held in Do Jihoon’s arms, I quietly thought.
Yesterday I’d been trembling with fear.
But now, rather than fear, I was pissed off. That filthy bastard dared to shove his disgusting dick at me? Unless I put a life sentence on that asshole’s life, I didn’t think I’d be able to enjoy living in this world.
If possible, I’d like to delete his lower half too. Unfortunately, in the law-abiding Republic of Korea—which even respects the human rights of criminals—that wasn’t possible.
“I’m going to see that bastard rot in prison.”
“I’m glad you seem to have regained some energy.”
Do Jihoon looked somewhat uneasy. He even let out a sigh of relief. But the worry in his expression still hadn’t disappeared.
“Hey. I’m fine. Yesterday I was just soaked in that bastard’s pheromones and shaking. I’m fine now!”
“…Yuri.”
“I said I’m fine!”
“Your hands are shaking right now.”
“……”
Truthfully, I was still a little—just a little—scared. The fact that I had almost been raped by some random bastard frightened me.
I finally faced the feeling I’d been trying to avoid and admitted it. Yeah. It wasn’t as strong as the anger I felt toward that bastard, but a bit of fear about yesterday still remained.
“You’re right. I’m still a little scared.”
“……”
Without a word, Do Jihoon pulled me tightly into his arms. That warmth was more comforting than ten sentences.
“But Jihoon. You know….”
Doji, Doji. Somehow this felt like the perfect chance. I deliberately trailed off to catch Do Jihoon’s attention.
Fortunately, he responded gently.
“What is it? If there’s something you want to say, it’s okay. Go ahead, Yuri.”
Since I had Do Jihoon’s permission to speak, I buried my lips against his shoulder and mumbled.
