#115
He thought he could hold Idam in his arms again if he got just a little closer. But it didn’t take long to realize it was just an afterimage. The person he tried to grab was a boy with a completely different appearance from Idam.
Taemin quickened his pace again. He pushed through the crowd and scanned the surroundings. But Idam, who he had already lost, was nowhere to be seen. Still, not losing hope, he circled the park again and again.
The fireworks were becoming increasingly spectacular, reaching their climax, and the crowd was growing accordingly. Taemin was filled with a sense of futility. His heart felt like it would burst. He quickly took out his phone and made a call.
“Secretary Kang! I’m at Hangang Park right now. Yeo Idam is here, find him quickly!”
[Gasp. I understand. I’ll head there right away.]
“We must find him.”
Taemin’s voice was desperate, and his eyes were pitiful, but there was also a chilling madness swirling in them.
“Call me as soon as you catch him.”
“Yes.”
“We need to break his ankles first.”
[What? His ankles?]
Secretary Kang’s question was full of bewilderment. More precisely, it had the nuance of “What nonsense is this madman talking about?”
“Yes. Because there’s no other way now.”
But to Taemin, Idam was more precious than anyone else, and he was unbearably lovable.
* * *
“Haa… Haa… Driver, please take me to Seoul Station.”
Idam climbed into the taxi, panting.
After escaping from Taemin earlier, Idam headed for the road. Just then, a taxi stopped in front of him, and he saw a newlywed couple getting out. Seeing it as an opportunity, he quickly got in. The car started moving. Although he felt he could catch his breath for now, he ducked down, worried that Taemin might see him and follow. He felt anxious even though the windows were surely tinted. Although he had successfully escaped, the pain in his solar plexus was unbearable, and his chest felt like it would burst.
He couldn’t trust Taemin anymore. He was scared that Taemin might deceive him further wearing a mask of kindness. Moreover, he was even more afraid that he might fall for it, knowing it was a lie. Idam felt like he was about to burst into tears, so he bit his tongue hard to hold them back.
“Kid, why are you going to Seoul Station? Are you traveling?”
The driver asked casually, seemingly unaware of Idam’s state.
“Ah… yes…”
Idam answered, pretending to be fine, not wanting to reveal his emotions to a stranger.
“Wow, I’m envious. But I heard there are a lot of pickpockets at the station these days. They say it’s not easy to catch them even with CCTV. Be careful.”
“Yes.”
CCTV…
Suddenly, Idam felt uneasy. He looked at his appearance. He felt anxious about entering Seoul Station looking like this. His movements would all be recorded on CCTV, and he worried about the possibility of Taemin reviewing the footage. Given Taemin’s actions so far, there was a high chance he would persistently track him. He felt he needed to change his appearance somehow. As Idam was making this resolution, the Seoul Station building came into view outside the window.
* * *
“Ha… He’s not here. Not here.”
Taemin skillfully drove the sedan, gripping the steering wheel.
A little while ago, Secretary Kang had come to the park with the employees. They recruited as many people as possible and began searching every corner of the park. Taemin, judging that he couldn’t just stay put, decided to drive the sedan himself and search around the park. But sadly, Idam was nowhere to be seen. Even in such a large crowd, Idam, who was whiter, prettier, more beautiful, and more pure than any beauty in this world, should have been immediately noticeable, but he was nowhere to be found.
Above all, since he had now recovered all his memories, he felt even more devastated.
“Idam… Yeo Idam… Idam…”
He called Idam’s name over and over like a madman. He seemed almost possessed. Judging that there was no use in circling the park anymore, Taemin turned the steering wheel and left the park. His destination was Hayun’s house.
* * *
“Why are you here?”
Hayun faced Taemin with a bewildered expression. He wondered where Idam, who was supposed to come, had gone, and why this madman was in front of him instead. Moreover, feeling scared, he took a defensive posture. But Taemin’s eyes were different from usual. His sharp gaze seemed to have softened, and he looked like he had gone mad with desperation.
“Did Yeo Idam come here?”
“What are you talking about? I’m the one waiting for Idam right now.”
“You’re not lying, are you?”
“Of course n— Ugh!”
Before Hayun could finish his sentence, Taemin barged into the room. Hayun shouted in displeasure.
“Why are you suddenly barging in like this?”
Taemin didn’t answer and scanned every corner of the room. With just one small room, a bathroom, and a cramped kitchen, it took less than a minute to look around. Feeling disappointed, Taemin glared at Hayun again.
“Haven’t you received any contact from Yeo Idam?”
“No. I’m waiting for him too.”
But Taemin didn’t seem to believe Hayun’s answer. He extended his hand with a suspicious look.
“Give me your phone.”
“Why should I? No.”
Hayun shook his head, thinking this was nonsensical. But Taemin, not giving up his stubbornness, pushed Hayun against the wall. He then violently rummaged through Hayun’s pants pockets. Hayun tried to resist, but he couldn’t overcome the wall of their weight difference. Soon, Taemin had the phone in his hand. He twisted Hayun’s hand to use the fingerprint recognition and unlocked the screen.
“There are no messages from Idam!”
Hayun shouted indignantly. Taemin, who had been touching the screen, finally understood Hayun’s indignation. There were no numbers that could be assumed to be Idam’s. But there was something that bothered him.
“You’ve been in contact with Rickdi?”
“Ah…”
Hayun, who had been focused on Idam, had forgotten that Taemin shouldn’t know about his contact with Rickdi.
“G-Give me back my phone!”
Hayun stretched out his arms like octopus tentacles. In response, Taemin grabbed Hayun’s arm as if to twist it and pushed him against the wall.
“What did you do when you met that bastard Rickdi?”
“N-No… I… I didn’t do anything special.”
Hayun decided to deny it for now.
“Tell me everything honestly! If you don’t want to die!”
Taemin shouted with a fierce look in his eyes. It seemed like a dire situation would unfold if he didn’t confess something right away.
“Ah… well…”
Hayun’s lips trembled, and finally, he had to close his eyes tightly and open his mouth.
* * *
“Ah, I thought you weren’t coming.”
Sujeong welcomed Idam happily but then her face stiffened.
“But why are you dressed like that? And what’s with that wig?”
“It’s strange, right? There are circumstances…”
Idam smiled awkwardly. It was natural for her to be dumbfounded.
Idam was wearing a black long-haired wig that came down to his waist, a short sky-blue dress, and women’s shoes. It was a disguise he had put on in case Taemin might follow him.
After getting off near Seoul Station earlier, he hurriedly went to a nearby clothing store. It was a cheap place that teenage students often visited, and he chose women’s clothes from there. Although he was smaller compared to other male omegas his age, he still chose the largest size considering he was a man. Fortunately, they also had wigs, so he was able to buy one.
“But why are you wearing fishnet stockings with that innocent dress?”
“Is it strange?”
He had unconsciously chosen it, reminded of the stockings Taemin had made him wear before.
“Yes. Very. Take them off later.”
“Ah, okay. Are you embarrassed to be seen with me? I’m sorry.”
“Are you being chased by the CEO right now? Is that why you’re disguised like this?”
“Yeah… Is it counterproductive?”
“No, honestly, no one would know you’re a man. How come the skirt suits you better than me?”
Sujeong looked at Idam’s legs with a mixture of jealousy. Idam felt embarrassed, as if he had become a pervert, and touched his nape.
“We’re not late, right?”
“No. We still have 10 minutes left. Let’s go.”
“Okay…”
“By the way, do you have a place to stay when you go to Cheongdo?”
“Huh? Umm, yes. I do.”
In fact, he was planning to stay at a motel for a while and then look for a boarding house. He couldn’t bring himself to ask Sujeong for help with accommodation when she had already helped him find a job.
“I see. Okay. I was worried for nothing. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Idam headed towards the train platform.
* * *
“Thank you, doctor. Thanks to you, I’m fine now.”
“Yes, make sure to eat warm foods from now on and keep your mind at ease.”
Im Hoyoung, in the middle of a consultation, smiled benevolently at the patient. But as soon as the patient left, he immediately adopted a thuggish posture and looked at his phone.
“Why isn’t this bastard Rickdi answering?”
Last time, when he was caught by Taemin at the airport, he was released without incident. It seemed that he had tattled that it was Rickdi who had ordered him to bring Idam to Korea. Also, Taemin didn’t seem particularly inclined to disclose Im Hoyoung’s promiscuous behavior to Heesun. Having overcome a major crisis, he resolved never to let such a weakness be exploited again. Therefore, he would no longer go to orgies or entertainment establishments like Pungjeobcho.
But he couldn’t bear his curiosity about why Rickdi had gotten involved in Yeo Idam’s affairs. So he kept trying to contact him, but was frustrated that he wasn’t answering.
* * *
Taemin came out of the rooftop apartment still holding Hayun’s phone. His eyes were lifeless like those of a dead fish. Just then, Secretary Kang called Taemin’s phone. He answered the call as if having a fit.
“What is it? Secretary Kang, did you catch Yeo Idam?”
[Not yet, but we’ve found a clue. One of our employees saw Yeo Idam getting into a taxi and followed him. He went to Seoul Station, but they lost him on the way. We’re currently obtaining all CCTV footage from Seoul Station.]
“Ha…”
Taemin lamented.
[We’re tracking him from various angles, so please wait a little longer.]
“Alright. We must catch him. He’s not alone…”
“What? What do you mean? What do you mean Idam is not alone?”
Hayun, who had come out of the rooftop apartment at some point, shouted.
“Is Idam pregnant?”
Taemin was silent for a moment but then nodded.
“Yes.”
“Oh… my God… That’s impossible. Is that even possible?”
“Yes.”
Even though Hayun hadn’t shown it in front of Idam, he knew about the infertility of extremely receptive omegas. That’s why he looked even more disbelieving.
“Is it your child?”
Taemin nodded.
“That’s why I’m going to take responsibility now.”
Taemin’s eyes were firm. As if he wouldn’t give up no matter what storm might come.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
