#114
Just as the hot heart was about to grow stronger.
Ring ring.
His phone rang like an unwelcome guest. The trembling and excitement that had been building up suddenly plummeted, leaving a feeling of emptiness. Taemin furrowed his brow and checked his phone. It was a call from his grandfather. As he was about to turn off the phone in irritation at this crucial moment, a text message arrived.
Taemin’s brow twitched slightly, but he soon regained his composure.
“I got a call from my grandfather. I’ll go take it and come back.”
“Okay… go ahead.”
Idam, oblivious to everything, replied with anticipation. As soon as Taemin left the sedan, it felt as if a chill had arrived despite the weather not being cold, and the fading pheromones were regrettable. However, Idam’s heart beat even stronger. A warmth rose in his abdomen.
It seemed like the married life he had only dreamed of was about to become a reality. Simple everyday scenes like walking in the park with Taemin, pushing a stroller, vividly appeared in his mind.
At that moment.
Bang bang!
Fireworks appeared beyond the parking garage building. Colorful fireworks were bursting in the darkening night sky. He remembered Sujeong saying earlier that she was going to watch fireworks with a friend. It seemed the Han River was nearby.
As Idam watched more and more fireworks appear, he felt his heart pounding unsteadily. It reminded him of when he had confessed to Taemin on his birthday and was rejected.
‘You’re being too delusional. You’re just a fake wife and someone to cure my genetic disease.’
‘It’s troublesome when you cross the line like this.’
That night, the colorful fireworks were undoubtedly beautiful, but his heart ached as if there was a huge hole in it.
‘He whispers fake love. It’s probably because pheromones are influenced by psychological effects, but it seems too much. So I expected Taemin to also express false emotions and use Yeo Idam.’
‘Don’t be fooled by any sweet words Taemin says from now on. It’s all lies.’
Rickdi’s voice echoed in his head. Idam’s small heart instantly turned cold.
Surely… Taemin wasn’t lying now to manipulate him.
But… his eyes and warmth just now were clearly different from when he rejected him. Idam shook his head, denying that it was a needless delusion. However, the anxiety that had bloomed wouldn’t subside easily. He’s not normal. He even used Hayun. This fact being ingrained made it even more so. Feeling afraid, Idam carefully looked out the window. He could see Taemin in the middle of a phone call. He had said earlier that he got a call from his grandfather.
His grandfather was the creator who produced the dangerous toxin that could cause the genetic disease, and the first to use and then lead an extreme recessive omega to death. What could he be talking about with this person? The distrust growing in his heart was hard to control.
Idam got out of the sedan and quietly closed the door. He bent down and approached Taemin. It was strange. Despite the loud fireworks bursting nearby, his ears seemed to be open only to Taemin’s voice, which grew louder. Idam soon saw Taemin across a car.
“Yes. I’m persuading that extreme recessive omega. Yes, so that they’ll accept me in a defenseless state.”
“……”
“I won’t disappoint you like father did. I’ll handle it for sure. Yes, grandfather.”
At his words, Idam felt like he had fallen from heaven to hell in an instant. Suddenly drained of energy, Idam collapsed on the spot. At the same time, Taemin’s shoulders twitched and he removed the phone from his ear. He quickly scanned the surroundings and was approaching where Idam was.
Momentarily frozen in shock, Idam felt the emergency bell ringing in his chest. As he was about to crawl on all fours to escape this parking lot,
A pair of neat loafers appeared in front of him. Idam looked up, trembling. His eyes met Taemin’s. Idam recoiled in shock. His already crushed heart now felt like it would turn to dust.
“St… stay away.”
“Listen. Idam, this is a misunderstanding.”
“That’s… enough. I don’t want to hear anymore.”
Tears instantly welled up in Idam’s eyes and he burst into tears.
“Stop toying with me now. I’m… I’m not your plaything.”
Idam wished he could say harsher words but couldn’t think of any, which was regrettable. Turning his back on Taemin, Idam started running. He felt foolish for having hope in Taemin’s welcoming attitude.
“Yeo Idam, it’s not like that! Please! Stop! It’s not what you think.”
Taemin’s voice could be heard. But Idam didn’t listen. No, he shouldn’t listen. He didn’t know what kind of lies or sweet words Taemin would use to ensnare him and then do something terrible.
Leaving the parking lot, Idam hurriedly came out to the road. He spotted a taxi stand nearby. But he couldn’t catch a taxi easily. He felt increasingly anxious.
“Idam!”
In the meantime, Taemin had caught up and grabbed Idam’s hand. But Idam immediately rejected his touch.
“Don’t… don’t touch me… please…”
“Idam. What you just heard, I was-”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
He didn’t want to cry anymore, but tears poured down like snow. As he wiped away his tears, he saw a clock tower across the street. It was already approaching 8 PM.
He had forgotten for a moment, melting in Taemin’s warmth. The fact that he was supposed to meet Sujeong later and go down to Cheongdo. He needed to go to Seoul Station right away. But he still couldn’t catch a taxi, and there was no bus stop or subway station in sight. Moreover, considering how he had been surrounded by Taemin on the bus earlier, public transportation didn’t seem like the right choice.
In the end, Idam started running again.
“Haa…”
Taemin did the same. This time, he chased with all his might, feeling that he would die if he lost Idam again.
He needed to catch Idam quickly and explain that it was a misunderstanding. From the moment Idam tried to leave him by breaking the window in Jihwado last time, his resolve had been set. And after hearing the news of the pregnancy, this burning feeling became even more firm.
As expected, Idam ran away well. Even though he was pregnant, he seemed to fly like he had wings.
Just like that fairy that appeared in Taemin’s dream. But in the end, the fairy left him too. Taemin’s heart burned black.
“Yeo Idam!”
Even at Taemin’s lion-like roar, Idam didn’t look back. Soon, a park full of people appeared. It was crowded with people who had come to see the fireworks festival currently adorning the sky. Idam immediately hid himself among the people.
“Ha!”
Feeling frustrated, Taemin also entered and pushed through the crowd, as if unwilling to give up. Taemin, completely focused on catching Idam, didn’t stop his aggressive behavior. After wandering like that for a while, he spotted the back of Idam’s small head. Taemin grabbed Idam’s hand, afraid of losing him.
“Don’t go.”
Idam’s running legs stopped. Slowly, Idam turned his head. His once pale cheeks were now flushed red, and he was crying profusely. Taemin hugged Idam, feeling as if his heart was being crushed. He could feel the small body panting, out of breath. The sweat-soaked skin and heated body temperature were the same. Everything about Idam felt sweet to him.
At that moment, fireworks burst loudly once more.
“Wow!”
The people’s exclamations also rang out like waves. Taemin’s gaze unconsciously turned to the sky. Brilliant flowers were blooming in the night sky.
It was like seeing the flowers in that flower bed where he had embraced Idam in Jihwado.
At the same time, Taemin felt an intense headache. Beyond the flood of light hidden in the distant darkness, he could see himself from that day.
‘I love you…’
‘Yeo Idam. I fell for you at first sight.’
‘You were so small, lovable, and pretty that I couldn’t bear wanting to keep you by my side.’
It felt like a fire had been lit in his heart that was already heating up.
He finally remembered. That night. What he had said and done to Idam.
‘Idam. Will you tell me you love me?’
‘You’re beautiful. Really.’
‘Actually, the gift I prepared is a ‘baby’.’
‘Idam. I love you.’
‘I love you so much.’
The voice in his heart. The bodies that had become one, the burning heart.
It was his ‘true feelings’ that the rut cycle had expressed.
Taemin felt his already determined resolve growing stronger. He had to convey his feelings to Idam. He didn’t want to lose him anymore.
“Idam. Actually… I… Ugh!”
He couldn’t continue speaking. He felt an intense pain in his toes. Looking down, he saw Idam stepping on his loafer. Taemin, not expecting the fairy to react like this, lost strength in his arms. At the same time, Idam quickly escaped Taemin’s embrace and dove into the crowd. The fairy was disappearing from his side. Just when he wanted to show his true feelings… He felt his insides burning with anguish.
No matter how much he looked, this time Idam was nowhere to be seen.
“Idam… I love you… Come here!”
Taemin shouted, hoping Idam would hear. But due to the bursting fireworks, his voice was completely buried in the surrounding noise and couldn’t be heard anywhere. Tears welled up in Taemin’s eyes, filled with emptiness.
He should have accepted when Idam confessed with his soft lips. The image of Idam gathering courage to say he liked him was vivid in his mind.
He didn’t know then. That he was in love with Idam.
He felt like a real fool.
As his insides were churning, he saw Idam again. Taemin approached pitifully and reached out his arm.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
