#44
“Haah…”
Idam sighed as he looked at the feast spread out before him. It was filled with luxurious dishes like haesintang with chicken and various seafood, tteokgalbi with ginseng, shrimp dumplings, and royal japchae. After chewing until his cheeks hurt, Idam put down his chopsticks. Taemin, sitting across from him, tilted his head curiously.
“What’s wrong? Not eating more?”
“I’ve already had two servings.”
Idam touched his protruding stomach. There wasn’t a single grain of rice left in the bowl he had just finished. But Taemin frowned, looking uneasy.
“Have more. You need to gain a lot more weight.”
“No matter what, eating like this for every meal for three days straight is too much.”
From the evening Taemin notified him of the contract extension until today, every meal had been extravagant. Of course, he had eaten well since coming to this mansion, but now it was like having a feast every day. And it wasn’t just Korean food served constantly. He had tasted Chinese, Western, Japanese, Thai, and various other cuisines. Sometimes the food was so delicious that he forgot he was eating with Taemin. But Idam wasn’t a big eater, and having such meals every time was overwhelming.
“Your bottom is nicely plump and fun to touch, but other parts are too skinny.”
“Gasp!”
Idam hurriedly glanced at the housekeeper waiting in front of the dining room. He wondered if they had heard Taemin’s crazy words.
“What are you looking at? Honey?”
“No, nothing. Just…”
Unable to think of a proper response, Idam trailed off. Moreover, the term “honey” made his skin crawl. Taemin had been constantly using “honey” for the past three days, saying they needed to get used to the term for couple gatherings. Of course, Idam tried to use it too, but it felt so cringy and awkward that he wanted to omit it whenever possible.
“Hmm…”
Gradually, Taemin stared intently at Idam. His gaze was too persistent. Idam rubbed his face, wondering if something was stuck on it. He felt a sticky rice grain. Flustered, Idam quickly put it in his mouth.
First the sauce, then the cake cream, and now this – he didn’t know why he kept getting food on his face in front of Taemin.
Embarrassed, he touched his stomach again to change the subject.
“If I eat more, I think I’ll get indigestion. I don’t want dessert today either.”
“Yesterday you finished four plates of steak…”
Taemin clicked his tongue, looking very disappointed.
How much more did he want him to eat? At this rate, he might turn into a fat pig rather than just gaining weight. Come to think of it, it reminded him of the Hansel and Gretel story he read at the orphanage as a child. He wondered if Taemin was like the witch who locked up Hansel and fattened him up.
Taemin would surely kill him when he got bored, and it was frightening not knowing when that moment would come. Already, during sex, Taemin would spank his bottom, bite various parts of his body, or suck so hard that he had many bruises.
Terrified, Idam felt like the rice he had swallowed might come back up.
“…”
Your complexion doesn’t look good. Taemin looked at Idam with a worried expression. Should I buy him something more delicious?
The omega he tasted for the first time in his life was beyond anything he could have imagined. No, it was more than just good – a pleasure beyond description dominated him. Moreover, the fact that he had exclusive possession of this omega’s first time was an immense thrill. But there was too little flesh on his body. Especially his elbows, which felt as sharp as knives.
Wanting him to eat well, he paid attention to the meals, but every time Idam would put down his chopsticks after eating so little. He was too weak.
Suddenly, he remembered Idam eating strawberry cake well last time. His cheeks puffed up like a baby’s were really cute. The cake from that shop must have been delicious. He wanted to see that sight again. Last time he had Secretary Kang buy it, but today he planned to go himself. He wanted to see Idam eating cake that he had chosen with his own hands.
“Alright. Forcing you to eat will only make you sick.”
As Idam getting sick would be more troublesome, he concluded the meal.
* * *
While Taemin was preparing to go to work, Idam came out to the living room and went to the balcony, rubbing his full stomach. The warm spring sunshine felt good, and wanting to enjoy the fresh air, he opened the door. He felt the slightly chilly spring breeze.
“Is that for real?”
Hearing a somewhat loud voice, Idam’s gaze turned in that direction. Men in black suits were gathered in the garden. They seemed to be waiting to assist Taemin, who was about to leave for work.
“You’re saying someone keeps contacting that omega’s phone?”
“Yeah, Secretary Kang mentioned it during yesterday’s company dinner. He said over 100 calls come in every day.”
“Does Secretary Kang have that phone?”
“No, the CEO has it, but since they’re always together, I guess that’s how he found out.”
“Is it a lover?”
“I’m not sure. The name was Jang Hayun? Seems like a friend.”
Jang Hayun? Only then did Idam realize that the omega they were talking about was him. 100 calls? Had something happened to Hayun? He must be worried since Idam said he couldn’t contact him for a week, but now it’s been almost two weeks. When he first signed the contract, Taemin told him not to contact the outside world, but seeing how worried Hayun was, he couldn’t just sit still.
* * *
After Taemin left for work, Idam went out to the garden. It was to contact Hayun. He could have done it inside the mansion, but he was worried that other employees might overhear. So he went to a secluded spot and took out his phone. Even without saving Hayun’s contact, it was always in his head, so he called using the phone Taemin had given him.
[Hello?]
Hayun’s tight voice was heard. It had only been two weeks, but it felt like hearing his voice for the first time in years, making Idam emotional. Blinking his moist eyes, Idam cleared his throat.
“Hayun, it’s me!”
[Is it really you, Yeo Idam? The number is different?]
“Ah, this is a work phone. That’s why.”
[What’s going on? You said you’d be back after working for a week, why haven’t you been in touch? Do you know how worried I’ve been?]
“Well… The phone I usually use isn’t with me right now.”
[You’re not really on a shrimp boat or something, are you?]
Idam thought it might be better if he were on a shrimp boat. At least there wouldn’t be the threat of being killed…
“It’s not like that. I’m just doing a normal job.”
[What kind of job are you doing?]
“I’ll tell you later.”
Unable to think of anything reassuring to say, Idam put it off.
“But Hayun, are you alright?”
[Yeah… I’m fine…]
However, Hayun’s voice sounded somehow gloomy. As if he was hiding something. He was always like this. Even when he was exposed to Idam’s pheromones before, he tried to hide his difficulty breathing and ended up in the emergency room.
“Be honest. Did something happen to you?”
But Hayun kept deflecting, saying it was nothing. However, Idam didn’t give up and kept pressing.
“I’ll really get angry if you don’t tell me, okay?”
Finally, Hayun hesitated and then spoke.
[Ah… Actually, I’ve been feeling anxious lately because I have a stalker.]
“A stalker?”
Hayun was exceptionally beautiful even among male omegas. He was popular even during their orphanage days and often received casting offers from entertainment agencies. As a result, he had many people around him and sometimes alphas who followed him obsessively. Given the precedent, Idam felt even more anxious.
“Where are you now?”
[At home. But… huh?]
“Hm?”
[Aaaagh!]
With Hayun’s scream, the call cut off. At the same time, Idam’s heart sank. Having just heard about the stalker, he felt even more anxious. Idam tried calling again, but there was no answer. He quickly stuffed the phone into his pocket and ran towards the main gate. Last time, it was night and raining, and he wasn’t feeling well, so it felt incredibly vast, but the gate appeared sooner than he expected.
The large gate under the tiled roof was imposing. But in front of it stood two men with broad shoulders. Though not as much as Secretary Kang, they had very intimidating faces. Anyone would think they were gangsters. Idam shrank back, his shoulders twitching.
“Madam, do you have some business outside?”
The man looked down at Idam. He looked like he could twist a person’s neck without a second thought. Despite momentarily flinching at the man’s massive build, Hayun’s whereabouts were more pressing, so Idam didn’t back down.
“Something urgent came up, could I go out for a bit?”
“Not without the CEO’s permission.”
The man was very firm. Idam felt his insides burning up. He understood that they were just doing their job for a salary. So he tried calling Taemin for permission.
“Hah… Why isn’t he answering?”
All he heard was the repeated ringing tone, but Taemin didn’t answer. Every second counted now, and he was getting anxious. He thought about dialing 112, but remembered that last time he dialed 112, it connected to Taemin’s number, so he gave up.
“Madam, please go back inside now.”
The man firmly urged Idam to return to the mansion. But Idam couldn’t follow their words. Finally, Idam’s gaze went to the traditional style wall. There was a stone bench below, and it wasn’t very high compared to the main gate. First, Idam pretended to turn back. The men seemed to think Idam was obediently returning, as they relaxed the tension in their squared shoulders slightly.
That’s when Idam started running towards the wall. Although he had come out for a walk, he was wearing sneakers, so he was fast. The men also seemed surprised by Idam’s sudden action.
Idam ran boldly, then stepped on the stone bench and leapt over the wall. It was a light movement, like a butterfly. The mansion that had seemed like an iron fortress the night before now felt like a surprisingly low hurdle.
“He… He’s escaping! Inform the CEO!”
He heard the men shouting. Idam ran with his back to them.
