Cha Jaehyuk felt a sense of unease, but he decided it wasn’t necessary to discuss it at that moment, so he quickly changed the topic.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll order some comfortable clothes then.”
– By the way, isn’t Junghyun with you right now?
“He has a slight fever, so he’s resting alone. I just came out to buy some clothes.”
– A slight fever? Is it a cold?
“He says it doesn’t feel like a cold, but I’ve been making him move around a lot these past few days, so I’m not sure.”
– No, he’s not the type to get sick easily. He has really good stamina… He does get seriously ill every 3 or 4 years, though. When that happens, it’s so bad he needs to go to the emergency room…
“The emergency room?”
– Yeah, when it hits him hard. He has such a strong immune system that he doesn’t even catch the flu when everyone else is sick. But when he does get sick, like with a cold or swollen lymph nodes, he gets a high fever and can’t move. Seojun has had to carry him to the emergency room a few times…
Juwon, who had been rambling on about his worries for Junghyun, suddenly stopped as if he had made a mistake.
Cha Jaehyuk reassured him, saying, “It’s okay. We met at a breakup party, so it’s fine.”
Although he didn’t know they were that close, he was aware of Seojun’s existence and what he meant to Junghyun.
So when he said it didn’t matter, the conversation finally continued.
– …Well, that’s good… Anyway, go check on him when you get back. He’s so healthy that he doesn’t know how symptoms come on. You’ll know when you see him suddenly getting sick.
“Okay. And do you have any favorite foods? Or favorite porridge?”
– Porridge… He doesn’t get sick often, so I’m not sure… Oh, he likes seafood porridge. And he gets grumpy when he’s hungry. But if you feed him well, he’s generally calm, so just take good care of his meals.
“Got it.”
– Okay, I’m counting on you.
“Yes. I’ll stop by to greet you when I get back.”
– No, it’s okay. Seeing the two of you together makes my heart race so much I feel like I might faint. Let’s meet later… much later.
Cha Jaehyuk, understanding that he meant to wait until they were more comfortable with the relationship, simply said, “…I’ll contact you.”
After hanging up, Cha Jaehyuk immediately returned the phone to Jeonghoo.
“Send me your mother’s contact information.”
“Okay.”
“Alright, go eat and have fun.”
After finishing the call, Cha Jaehyuk stood up as if he had finished his business. Everyone seemed to accept his somewhat cold demeanor as typical of him and said their goodbyes.
“Give my regards to Junghyun.”
Instead of saying “okay,” Cha Jaehyuk just waved his hand and turned around. At that moment, Junyoung remembered something he had forgotten.
“Hey, should we send this to your room?”
“I already told them.”
As Cha Jaehyuk was about to leave quickly, this time Sunghyun stopped him.
“Wait, wait a minute.”
“What now?”
“Are you sure it’s okay for you to go back like this?”
“Why?”
“Junghyun might be in heat.”
Cha Jaehyuk paused at that, but then replied confidently, “No, he’s not.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s not his cycle yet.”
At Cha Jaehyuk’s confident response, Sunghyun and Junyoung laughed in disbelief. Jeonghoo also looked a bit skeptical.
“You need to be more aware that you’re a dominant Alpha.”
“What does that…” Cha Jaehyuk started to say but then realized the issue.
A dominant Alpha’s mere presence can significantly affect those around them, especially Omegas, and sometimes even other Alphas and Betas.
But Cha Jaehyuk was sure that wasn’t the case here. Based on his observations, Junghyun’s hormonal reactivity was very low. Moreover, he hadn’t noticed any signs of Junghyun being in heat. If Junghyun were in heat, Cha Jaehyuk would have sensed it. His sensitivity to pheromones was high, even though his tolerance was low.
Before Cha Jaehyuk could explain this, Jeonghoo spoke up first.
“That’s not it. His cycles are usually long. And his hormone levels are quite low. His mother is a Beta.”
Everyone turned to look at Jeonghoo in surprise.
“Wait, his mother is a Beta? Does that mean…”
“She’s a Beta woman. It’s a very rare case. Her father must have been an Alpha. That’s why Junghyun was born an Omega, but he’s more like a Beta. That’s why he’s so healthy.”
Sunghyun looked at Cha Jaehyuk in shock. “Did you know that?”
Everyone turned to look at Cha Jaehyuk, but his gaze remained on Jeonghoo.
“Why did you feel the need to share that information here?” Cha Jaehyuk asked sharply.
Jeonghoo looked taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected that reaction. After a moment, he managed a smile and said, “…They would have found out eventually. It’s better to be open about it than to have them hear it from someone else and gossip.”
“That’s not something they need to know about,” Cha Jaehyuk replied coldly.
“Who would gossip about it?” Cha Jaehyuk asked, his tone implying “Who dares?”
Everyone understood the underlying message: even if Junghyun was the son of the JS Holdings chairman, as Cha Jaehyuk’s partner, his personal matters were not to be discussed lightly.
Jeonghoo finally fell silent, realizing his mistake.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any harm.”
“Don’t pry or judge. I’ll let it slide this time, but not again.”
At Cha Jaehyuk’s stern warning, Jeonghoo looked down. Junyoung stepped in to ease the tension.
“Alright, let’s drop it. Jeonghoo, watch your words, and we’ll pretend we didn’t hear anything.”
With that, Junyoung started eating again, and everyone else slowly followed suit. Cha Jaehyuk looked around the room once more before turning and walking back the way he came.
As he disappeared into the indoor dining area, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Some took a sip of water, others put down their utensils. Then Sunghyun said to Jeonghoo, “I know you’re upset that your brother is marrying Cha Jaehyuk, but don’t be so obvious about it. Cha Jaehyuk wouldn’t have married him without knowing everything. And even if he didn’t know, he chose to go ahead with it anyway.”
Sunghyun, who knew Cha Jaehyuk well, continued, “You think Cha Jaehyuk is someone who makes mistakes like that? Even if he didn’t know, he decided to go ahead with it because it didn’t matter to him. And if his grandfather approved, that’s the end of it. His grandfather wouldn’t have agreed without knowing everything. So, as outsiders, we shouldn’t interfere.”
“His grandfather wouldn’t have approved if he knew,” Jeonghoo insisted.
“And if he did?” Sunghyun challenged, looking straight at Jeonghoo. The implication was clear: “What are you going to do about it?”
Jeonghoo fell silent, realizing he couldn’t do anything about it.
“Just let it go. He’s completely smitten. I thought he was crazy for suddenly getting married, but he really is crazy. He might not show it, but Cha Jaehyuk is a dominant Alpha. He hates it when people mess with his stuff, no matter the intention.”
Jeonghoo said nothing, and Sunghyun continued, “Let’s finish eating and take a short break before we head out. It looks like it’s going to be an early night. We can go for a light ride and swim later.”
Everyone focused on their meals, pretending nothing had happened. But Jeonghoo couldn’t let it go so easily. He felt a dark emotion rising from his feet, a mix of jealousy, resentment, and anger.
* * *
He was sure he was asleep, and he was aware that this was a dream.
In the dream, he found himself in a familiar neighborhood. It was the small village where he grew up, with low one-story and two-story houses lined up. But unlike his memories, all the buildings were gray, with no doors or windows. They were just gray masses in the shape of buildings.
He wandered aimlessly through the dark, damp streets, but he couldn’t find a place to rest. It felt like an endless maze, repeating over and over. Suddenly, something wrapped around his ankle, and he felt himself falling into an endless abyss.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
