“I feel like I’m dying…”
That wasn’t just a figure of speech or casual complaint.
After being “bathed” over a long period and now lying on the long sofa wearing a robe, Junghyun sincerely thought he was about to die at this very moment.
“It hurts…”
In response to Junghyun’s continued groaning, Jaehyuk, who had thoroughly cleaned him as if bathing a puppy before laying him down on the sofa, calmly responded.
“As I’ve been saying all along, that’s the most useless worry in the world.”
Silently adding “because you definitely won’t die,” Jaehyuk had an incredibly pleased expression on his face.
This demeanor had been apparent from the moment he’d carried the limp Junghyun, who could barely crawl, to the bathroom. He had seemed strangely happy while scrubbing every inch of Junghyun in the bathtub, and had even started humming while washing his hair.
While Junghyun was whimpering from pain that made him feel like his limbs would fall off, Jaehyuk seemed to have reached the pinnacle of happiness.
Junghyun had started feeling uncomfortable about it but couldn’t quite put his finger on why. However, when he heard Jaehyuk openly saying “you’re like a puppy” while drying his hair, he realized the truth.
To this man, he really was just a puppy.
Thinking that wasn’t so bad, Junghyun remained still and let Jaehyuk do as he pleased. As Jaehyuk stroked his damp hair, he muttered softly with an extremely happy face.
“You’d make a perfect Chihuahua.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Of course it’s a compliment.”
“Since you’re in such a complimentary mood, would you consider ordering a muscle relaxant for me? My entire body feels like it’s about to break apart.”
“I already ordered one. But are you really okay?”
“Not at all. I told you I’m not even a little bit okay.”
When Junghyun raised only his head from the sofa and looked at him incredulously—wondering if his declaration of imminent death had somehow been interpreted as being fine—Jaehyuk smacked his own forehead while still stroking Junghyun’s hair.
“Not that. I meant the risotto.”
That was shorthand for asking if it was okay for him to eat risotto.
While sitting in the bathtub getting his hair washed, Junghyun had said he was starving and requested samgyeopsal (pork belly), seafood ramen, green onion pancakes, and intestine hot pot.
Since Junghyun usually seemed somewhat crazy, but especially out of his mind at that moment, Jaehyuk had completely ignored that order.
Instead, he had sensibly tried to order rice porridge, but Junghyun had insisted he couldn’t move after eating something like that, so they had compromised on risotto.
Though he had placed the order, Jaehyuk remained skeptical about the menu choice.
He had never been sick himself, nor had he ever gone without food for more than a day, so he wasn’t sure what one should eat after fasting for an extended period. Honestly, he thought an IV nutritional supplement might be better, but when he suggested this, Junghyun had given him a look that said, “What the hell are you talking about?”
And then he had kindly explained.
The problem wasn’t lack of energy but hunger.
At that moment, Jaehyuk remembered something.
That Junghyun becomes ferocious when hungry.
“Don’t worry about the food. I once ate grilled marinated beef ribs after fasting for four days, and it went down fine.”
“What were you doing?”
“Right after I got hired, the CEO made a huge mistake and I spent three whole days running around trying to fix it. I survived on nothing but caffeine and taurine without sleep for three days, then after finishing the work, I slept for 24 hours straight before eating, and I was fine.”
“…You must have a very strong stomach and heart.”
Jaehyuk complimented him, thinking it was quite impressive that his heart and stomach remained intact after three days without sleep and consuming only stimulants.
“My liver is healthy too.”
“Everything’s healthy except your head and mouth.”
Meaning that Junghyun’s mouth and head were the problem.
Junghyun laughed softly at the typical comment from him.
Then, feeling a bit uncomfortable with his position, he let his right leg drop off the sofa. Jaehyuk, who had been sitting beside him stroking his hair like one would pet a dog, paused abruptly.
When Junghyun looked up as if to ask why he had stopped the pleasant head patting, Jaehyuk suddenly removed his hand from Junghyun’s hair and stood up.
“Wait quietly. I think you should get dressed before the food arrives.”
Since it would be difficult for Junghyun to move to the bedroom, Jaehyuk said he would bring the clothes to him and left the living room.
Junghyun sprawled out on the sofa, as if to say “do as you please.”
Though his muscles had loosened a bit from soaking in hot water, he still didn’t want to move at all.
No, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to—he couldn’t.
His limbs felt too heavy.
Even now, he felt like he was sinking deep into the sofa.
“…So this is what uncle meant when he always said he was in pain.”
When he first went to that house and saw his father bringing him in, the man had rushed over, angrily asking how he could separate such a young child from his mother, but after gasping for breath in just one minute, he had fainted three minutes later. Junghyun had thought he might be putting on a show, but now he realized—his uncle was in this state 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Being naturally healthy since childhood, Junghyun had never been able to understand his uncle, but now he knew.
What it meant to find even breathing exhausting.
Along with that, he now understood why his uncle had insisted that Omegas absolutely must be healthy and made him exercise.
He had been a truly lucky case.
“Haah…”
As he was reflecting, thinking he should call his uncle, he saw Jaehyuk returning with clothes and approaching him.
“…I don’t even have the energy to get dressed.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you put them on.”
“Can’t I get dressed after eating?”
“If you want to go home tomorrow, you’d better get dressed now.”
“Why…?”
As he asked, Jaehyuk’s gaze, with a strange smile, shifted downward.
For an instant, something flashed in his eyes.
Instinctively, Junghyun closed his gaping robe in response to that gaze filled with explicit desire.
If they did it just one more time like this, he might not die, but he’d certainly end up being carried out.
“I’ll dress myself.”
“Why?”
At Jaehyuk’s tone that seemed to ask what’s wrong with me helping you dress, Junghyun groaned as he sat up his heavy body.
“Because I want to go home tomorrow. Give them to me.”
“I was just joking.”
As Jaehyuk handed over the clothes saying Junghyun had taken him seriously, Junghyun smiled back.
Yeah right, where could I get such medicine?
That definitely wasn’t the look of someone joking. And his gaze had been directed precisely between his thighs.
And that remained true even now.
He wasn’t pretending—he genuinely wanted to look between those legs.
Realizing this, Junghyun was dumbfounded.
People are so inconsistent.
“I thought you said you don’t like sex?”
“That’s why I told you I’m reconsidering. I’ll let you know when I’ve finished sorting out my thoughts.”
“Don’t bother.”
“You’ll need it. Who knows when your heat will come again.”
“That’s what suppressants are for.”
After placing the clothes he received from Jaehyuk on the table, Junghyun put his legs into his underwear first, but Jaehyuk stared intently at him.
Staring with an intense gaze, as if observing.
That look was extremely uncomfortable.
Junghyun tried to quickly put on his underwear under that blatant gaze—seemingly cold yet making no attempt to hide his desire—but his movements were sluggish.
It was taking forever just to put on a pair of underwear. At this rate, it would take hours to get fully dressed.
Once again, he realized the importance of good health.
“Would you mind looking away?”
“Why?”
“Because I feel like my life is being threatened.”
“Not your chastity?”
“Right now, my life is more important.”
“You are indeed clever.”
“So please look away. Staring like that is sexual harassment too.”
“Like what?”
When he brazenly asked what “like that” meant, Junghyun explained his current expression in precise language.
“Like you’re dying to do it.”
When Junghyun added with slight exaggeration that he was practically licking his lips, Jaehyuk smiled thinly.
“You have a good eye for these things.”
“So please stop staring. I want to get dressed.”
“If you’re going to dress that slowly, wouldn’t it be better to ask for help?”
“I can do it myself.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll regret it.”
“I won’t.”
As Junghyun insisted that his heat had ended, his reason had returned, and now he just needed his muscles to recover, a bell rang from somewhere distant.
It seemed the food Jaehyuk had ordered had finally arrived.
“Then, come to the dining room.”
Instead of answering, Junghyun struggled to get dressed as Jaehyuk left the living room and disappeared toward the entrance.
When the life-threatening presence left of its own accord, Junghyun unconsciously let out a long breath.
He hadn’t realized he was so tense.
Finding that a bit strange, he tried to scratch his neck but stopped due to the muscle pain that felt like his arm would break off, and gasped for breath.
“This hurts like hell…”
If he moved consciously and slowly it was fine, but sudden movements made his muscles feel like they would tear.
He had only properly experienced heat about four times, and even then the symptoms hadn’t been severe enough for him to be fully aware, but whether one endured it, took medication, or had intercourse, heat was the worst.
Thinking he wished heat cycles would disappear forever, he finally managed to pull up the underwear that had been resting on his thighs.
As soon as he moved his body even slightly, he felt an insane hunger and wanted to hurry to get dressed and go to the dining room, but suddenly he realized something.
And only then did he understand why Jaehyuk had just asked if he really wouldn’t regret it.
“I’ve been had…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
