The dim lighting made it feel like starlight was pouring in through the large window, almost giving the illusion of being in a planetarium. On the day they arrived, Junghyun had fallen asleep immediately, and on the second day, he had been dragged around by Jaehyuk for exercise all day. On the third day, he had exercised again, and on the fourth day, his heat cycle started, so he hadn’t had a chance to properly explore the room or notice this area.
The luxurious sight was almost overwhelming. As he gazed up at the sky, Jaehyuk approached the bathtub and slowly helped him into the warm water. The heat began to relax his muscles, though he knew it wouldn’t be enough to fully relieve his discomfort. He figured it would at least help temporarily.
He remembered that Jaehyuk had brought some muscle relaxants and looked down at his legs in the water. The silence felt awkward, so he spoke up.
“I haven’t had muscle pain like this in a long time.”
Feeling embarrassed and awkward, he made small talk. Jaehyuk responded casually, “It’s because you’re using different muscles than you do during exercise.”
“Yeah, it’s not something a human should do… I usually don’t get muscle pain easily.”
“Still, I’ll give you credit. You held up well.”
Jaehyuk’s compliment made Junghyun recall that he had mentioned his previous partner couldn’t handle their relationship because they were too fragile. At the time, Junghyun had thought it was a strange thing to say, but now he understood. Jaehyuk’s stamina was extraordinary, and Junghyun realized that he had only been able to keep up because of his own endurance.
“You should be careful about who you sleep with in the future, especially during their heat cycle. You could seriously hurt someone.”
Exhausted and embarrassed by his own behavior, Junghyun’s tone was resigned. Jaehyuk, who had been laughing outside the tub, suddenly stripped off his robe and stepped into the water. Junghyun, flustered, looked away. Jaehyuk seemed unfazed as he sat down next to him.
Junghyun had suspected that Jaehyuk intended to use the bath too, so he didn’t comment on it. He simply stared at the bubbles rising from the bottom of the tub, enjoying the sensation of the warm water enveloping him.
After a moment, Jaehyuk asked, “The suppressant?”
“What?”
“The suppressant. Did you bring any?”
Junghyun fell silent. He had planned to discuss this after the bath but hadn’t prepared an answer yet. This situation wasn’t part of his plan. He hesitated, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want to lie to Jaehyuk, but he also couldn’t tell the whole truth.
“I don’t usually carry it with me.”
“Not even as emergency medication?”
“I never thought I’d need it.”
The conversation felt awkward, and Junghyun struggled to find the right words. Finally, he decided to be straightforward.
“I’m sorry about this time. I was careless. I should have brought the suppressant, even if I thought it was safe.”
He admitted his mistake and apologized, hoping to move past the issue. Jaehyuk listened quietly.
“I was careless too. I thought you wouldn’t react so strongly, so I didn’t worry about it.”
“No, it was my fault. Let’s just forget it happened and move on. I’ll handle the aftermath according to the contract.”
Junghyun avoided Jaehyuk’s gaze, reciting the contract terms from memory. Jaehyuk watched him silently, his expression serious. Junghyun felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny and scratched his neck.
Jaehyuk noticed the gesture and asked, “Is that a habit?”
“What?”
“Scratching your neck when you’re uncomfortable.”
Junghyun realized he was right. He hadn’t noticed the habit before, but it made sense. He quickly lowered his hand, feeling self-conscious.
“I guess it is.”
He didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he hugged his knees to his chest. Jaehyuk shifted in the water and asked, “How’s your heat cycle now?”
“It seems stable for now. But this situation is unusual, so I’ll try to get more suppressants. I should be able to get a prescription from a nearby clinic.”
The safest and most effective suppressant for an Omega was an Alpha’s bodily fluids, especially semen. Junghyun had received a large amount of Jaehyuk’s semen, which should theoretically end his heat cycle. But he wasn’t sure if it would be enough, given Jaehyuk’s strong pheromones and his own unstable condition.
He needed more suppressants to be safe. The thought of his heat cycle starting again made him anxious. He wanted to take the medication as soon as possible.
Suddenly, he remembered the birth control pills. He had forgotten about them, but they needed to be taken within 24 hours. He looked around for a clock, but Jaehyuk spoke up calmly.
“Not yet.”
“What?”
“It’s not over yet. You’ll probably have another wave.”
Jaehyuk’s confident tone made Junghyun pause. He realized Jaehyuk was probably right. As a dominant Alpha, Jaehyuk’s senses were more attuned to these things.
“I’m so tired of this…”
The thought of going through another wave of heat made Junghyun sigh in frustration. Jaehyuk agreed with him.
“Hormones are a pain.”
“Yeah. You have it easy as a dominant Alpha. No heat cycles and high resistance to pheromones.”
Jaehyuk looked at him intently, and Junghyun felt uncomfortable under his gaze. He tried to ignore it and asked, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Jaehyuk hesitated before replying, “I’ll hold off for now. I need to sort some things out first.”
“What things?”
“Things about you. I need to reassess my thoughts about you. You’re not what I expected.”
Junghyun’s heart raced at the sudden personal turn in the conversation. Jaehyuk’s gaze was intense and scrutinizing.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m reevaluating my opinion of you. You’re different from what I thought.”
Jaehyuk’s tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp. Junghyun felt a mix of curiosity and unease. He tried to keep his voice steady as he responded.
“That’s surprising. I thought you would have figured out everything about me by now, even down to my childhood nickname and the name of the neighbor’s dog.”
“Unfortunately, not yet. But I did find out about your hormone levels.”
Junghyun was taken aback. “Officially or unofficially?”
“Both.”
Junghyun was impressed. He knew his official hormone levels would be easy to find, but the unofficial ones were more surprising.
“That must have been difficult to find.”
“Not as hard as you might think. Especially with a name like Lee Junghyun…”
Junghyun was shocked to hear his real name. He had been careful to keep his identity hidden, but Jaehyuk had managed to find out.
“Your brother must be very resourceful.”
“Surprisingly, it was quite simple. If you want to hide your information, you should go to a completely unknown clinic. But Omegas can’t risk their hormone levels with just anyone, so they tend to stick to a few trusted specialists. It’s easy to trace from there.”
Junghyun felt a mix of admiration and frustration. Jaehyuk had outsmarted him, and he couldn’t help but acknowledge it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
