#101
In an instant, Idam left the villa and entered the forest. He had no clear destination but ran endlessly.
The surroundings were dim, but he could see ahead without difficulty due to the lamps hanging on the trees.
His socks quickly became covered in dirt, and the twigs and stones he stepped on were very painful. As a result, he tired easily and his breathing became rapid. Gradually, his legs lost strength and his speed decreased. Finally, Idam’s legs came to a stop.
“Haa… Haa…”
Taemin would surely follow right away… There was no time for this… Contrary to his thoughts, his legs wouldn’t move as he wanted, and he felt frustrated. Soon, Idam anxiously looked around. Taemin was not yet in sight. It was fortunate, but he could appear at any moment.
Moreover, if he was caught, he didn’t know what disaster would await him. That man was a madman who could easily throw punches even at his own father, beyond common sense. A chill ran down Idam’s spine, and he started running again. After running for a while, he felt a stinging pain in his foot.
“Ah…”
Groaning, Idam checked the sole of his foot. A broken twig was stuck in it, causing bleeding. He quickly pulled out the twig. It hurt too much. He decided it was too much to keep walking. So he looked around for a place to hide.
Idam suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu from the surrounding trees and bushes. It was partly because he had often come for walks during his month on this island, but there was also another familiarity. In the distance, he could see the flower bed where he had been intimate with Taemin.
“That’s right! The pit.”
There was a pit nearby that he had discovered while playing hide-and-seek with Taemin last time. Idam quickly approached it.
As expected, it was covered with grass and stones, indicating that no one had been there. Idam hurriedly cleared away the obstacles and pushed his body into the hole to sit. Then he grabbed branches from inside to cover it. He felt a little relief, but couldn’t hide his anxiety. Taemin could discover this place at any time. So he decided to rest for a short while before leaving.
‘It was Taemin who kidnapped me and handed me over to Jitae back then.’
Hayun’s voice echoed in his ear once more.
‘You caused that result by refusing my request at that time.’
‘So if you had followed my orders from the start, none of this would have happened.’
‘I even took in that bastard Jang Hayun, whom I hate to see, because of you, and you want to go this far?’
Taemin’s voice also came back chillingly. He knew Taemin wasn’t a normal person, but this was beyond imagination. Getting away from him was the answer.
The problem was that this was an island surrounded by sea on all sides. The only way to escape was to swim. Swimming sounded nice, but jumping into the open sea with bare hands was suicide.
How could he escape from here? It seemed hopeless.
That’s when it happened.
A disorderly presence was felt nearby.
“Search this entire area!”
Secretary Kang’s voice was heard. Startled, Idam curled up his body. Soon after, busy footsteps and breathing overlapped. In response, his heart pounded, and cold sweat formed on his forehead.
“Ah, CEO, you’re here.”
It seemed Taemin had appeared as well.
Thump, thump, thump.
Idam’s tension deepened, and his heart felt like it would burst.
It’s okay. The pheromones have disappeared. They won’t find me. They won’t find me. They won’t find me.
Idam reassured himself with conviction in the midst of despair. His whole body trembled and he was afraid.
Gradually, Taemin’s pheromones could be felt. It was as if the whole area had bloomed with roses. It was a scent that was both frightening and seductive. The sensation of their tongues meeting earlier came alive again. His body temperature also rose involuntarily, and it was maddening.
* * *
“My goodness… Tsk.”
Im Hoyoung clicked his tongue as he watched Hyeongman being carried away on a stretcher into an ambulance. Having taken Taemin’s solid fist head-on, his nose bone was broken. As a result, preparations were being made to move him to a hospital on another island.
“This is ridiculous. Really.”
He couldn’t believe this dysfunctional family drama. Until now, although Taemin hadn’t been on good terms with his father, he had never shown such hostility.
“Is all this because of Yeo Idam?”
Since meeting that extremely potent omega, Taemin’s actions had been a series of unfamiliar behaviors. It was understandable that he might get excited after encountering an omega’s scent for the first time in his life, but this was excessive.
The problem was that considering Idam’s condition during today’s examination, it seemed Taemin’s unusual behavior might worsen. He had a high fever, labored breathing, and his abdomen was slightly swollen.
This was clearly…
Rationally thinking, he knew it was an impossible situation. But Yeo Idam’s condition was indicating that this ‘impossible situation’ was reality. He needed to inform that madman of this tremendous fact, but where had he gone? Moreover, why had the villa been so chaotic since earlier?
Feeling irritated, Im Hoyoung returned to the bedroom where Taemin had been earlier. But neither Idam nor Taemin were there. Instead, employees were busily occupying the space. Feeling urgent, he took out his phone and called Taemin. For some reason, it just kept ringing.
“Why isn’t this big shot answering his phone again?”
Im Hoyoung was anxious to convey this information as soon as possible, even a minute earlier. He hurriedly stopped a passing female employee.
“Where is Taemin?”
“Ah… The CEO is not in the villa right now.”
“What? Why?”
“The mistress escaped, so he went out to look for her.”
“What? Yeo Idam ran away?”
“Yes…”
Im Hoyoung’s expression became dumbfounded. What had happened in the brief moment he was watching Hyeongman? Had the two of them fought?
* * *
Anything in excess becomes painful.
Idam felt like he would melt from the pheromones Taemin was emitting. His nipples had hardened, and between his buttocks was sticky. It was fortunate that something was wrong with his pheromone glands now, otherwise controlling them would have been impossible.
“I wonder where my darling has gone.”
Gradually, the footsteps came terrifyingly close. The potent scent bound Idam even more strongly.
At that moment, something glittered through the branches covering the pit’s entrance. It hit Idam’s head once before falling to the ground with a thud.
“Gasp!”
Startled, Idam’s foot twitched for a moment. It was too dark in the pit to immediately identify the fallen object. So he reached out and touched it. He felt a round ring and a hard pebble. At that instant, light entered the pit like a monster. Idam’s brow furrowed at the sudden brightness. After a moment, the identity of the round ring in his hand came into view.
It was Taemin’s wedding ring, which he had seen as often as Taemin’s face. Idam’s heart sank.
Gradually, an eerie shadow was cast over his head. The intense scent was the same.
Idam thought he shouldn’t raise his head. But his damn curiosity couldn’t break this will. His small head lifted, breaking the taboo. At the same time, through the spiderweb-like branches, his eyes met Taemin’s, who was holding a flashlight.
“So you were here.”
“Huk!”
Idam dropped the ring he was holding. His whole body trembled. How did he find him when his pheromones had disappeared in the current situation?
“Will you come out and put on the ring I dropped?”
“…”
“Why is there no answer?”
Taemin’s hand suddenly entered through the branches. His long, graceful fingers stroked Idam’s hair and caressed his forehead. Eventually, they reached his ear and fondled his soft earlobe.
“Idam. Come out.”
“…”
“I’ll cherish you, so come out.”
“If you don’t, that woman named Eun Sujeong might be in danger.”
What?
“Is it okay if I kill that omega?”
Idam felt his nerves fraying at Taemin’s threat. He wondered if this was something a person should say. Although he didn’t want to move according to Taemin’s will, Idam had no choice but to submit to him. In the end, he had to come out of the pit holding the ring.
As Idam started to climb up, Taemin stepped back from the entrance and removed the branches that had been covering it. He also held Idam’s hand to help him. His manners were so gentle it seemed devilish.
“Ha…”
Taemin embraced the dirt-covered Idam without hesitation. Then, without giving him a chance to breathe, he pressed his lips against Idam’s.
“Mmph…”
Idam shuddered and bit Taemin’s tongue just like before. The force was so strong that it was about to draw blood. But Taemin seemed to enjoy even this pain, sucking harder. Feeling like he might be absorbed from head to toe, Idam let out an overwhelming moan. The kiss, which seemed like it would last forever, ended sooner than expected.
“Haa… Haa…”
Idam breathed heavily. Soon after, Taemin immediately sank his teeth into Idam’s nape and sucked stickily.
“Why do you keep hiding your pheromones?”
“…”
“This makes me feel like I’m going to go even crazier.”
“Ha… Don’t…”
“We were good together. Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
What he referred to as good was on a parallel line that could never meet with what Idam thought. That’s why his heart ached and it was painful.
“CEO… please live your own life now. Meet, meet a good person and be happy.”
Although it felt like his heart would be torn apart to say such words himself, having come this far, Idam could no longer be with him. Beyond the disappointment towards Taemin, he also thought that from the beginning, he was someone Idam couldn’t have aspired to.
Idam returned the ring in his hand to Taemin’s palm. He even took off the ring on his own finger and gave it to Taemin.
“I’ll return these to you.”
“Yeo Idam… You…”
Taemin’s expression became completely distorted. It was even more fierce than when he had punched Hyeongman earlier.
The white fairy was fluttering its wings, trying to leave him.
Taemin felt increasingly frustrated. Thinking that this small being was pushing him away, thinking that he was drifting apart, made him feel like his chest would collapse. Unable to bear it any longer, he desperately embraced Idam, and at that moment, felt an intense headache.
“Ugh…”
Simultaneously, a wind blew. A sweet scent was felt from the planted flowers. Although incomparable to Idam’s pheromones, it was enough to evoke a piece of hidden memory. The flower bed unfolding before his eyes came into view. And there, the image of Idam looking at him in his naked, white state flickered.
At that time, Taemin whispered something to Idam.
It was…
