#84
Idam, who had collapsed face-down on the ground, couldn’t think straight due to the enveloping heat. It felt as if a demon was gnawing on his body. It was fortunate that these symptoms came after saving the female omega. If not, she could have been in big trouble too. Moreover…
‘Stay here. I’ll quickly call someone…’
Despite his poor condition, he had hurried off to call for help. However, Idam tried his best to move his body somehow.
Since childhood, he had to pretend to be fine even when sick, and there was no one to rely on. His recently reunited mother had a serious illness, and he couldn’t depend on Hayun who was busy with his own life, so he had to endure. Therefore, Idam wasn’t one to crumble under this kind of fever.
He put strength in his legs and barely managed to stand up. It felt as if a heavy weight had been added to his body. But he gritted his teeth and staggered forward. The villa wasn’t far from this valley. He just needed to go a little further. Once there, he could pretend to be fine and act as if he wasn’t sick.
Walking with determination, Idam couldn’t tell if this was a forest or hell. He left the valley and entered a mountain path. But his vision was blurred as if in a fog, and his legs were shaking. As a result, Idam gradually headed in the opposite direction of the villa and entered a thicket.
Since it wasn’t a properly maintained path, his steps were slow.
“Ah!”
At that moment, his foot caught on a rock and he stumbled and fell. A cold sensation enveloped his body. Unfortunately, he had fallen into a puddle of muddy water. Although it wasn’t as deep as the valley, his small body was thoroughly soaked.
“Haa… Ugh!”
Groaning, Idam struggled to get up somehow. It was as if gravity was overly harsh on him alone, making it difficult. His body kept sticking to the ground.
Eventually, Idam gave up trying to stand. Instead, he turned his prone body to lie face-up. Breathing became easier, and he could see the sky directly. Dark clouds were gathering, threatening to pour rain at any moment.
It would be troublesome if it rained in this situation… troublesome…
Although his mind was filled with worry, his exhausted body refused to move. Gradually, his eyelids grew heavy and closed.
The pitch-black view slowly brightened and something appeared.
It was an old examination room, and he was sitting there wearing his middle school uniform. It was bewildering, as if he had returned to the past. And across from him was a middle-aged man.
‘Yeo Idam is an extreme heat omega.’
He was the doctor who had diagnosed Idam’s type five years ago. His eyes held sympathy for Idam, but also disgust. Idam was hurt but didn’t show it.
‘Extreme heat types are imperfect forms, so they don’t have heat cycles and can’t have children.’
Just an omega shell. Idam felt like he had become a corpse. His depression deepened and he attempted suicide.
He went up to the roof of a building and tried to climb over the railing. At that moment, he encountered a white butterfly flying around. The butterfly soon landed on the railing. Looking closely, its hind wing was torn. Yet it was still fluttering hard to live.
Suddenly, he felt resentful about dying like this. Even with damaged wings, a butterfly can still fly. So he thought that even if he couldn’t reproduce, he could just live diligently. It was also the stubbornness of youth. He barely managed to control his fragile heart and turned despair into hope.
The problem was his pheromones. Like a weapon, they tormented and strangled others.
‘Yeo Idam, go away’
‘Pheromones… shit… fucking awful.’
‘Because of your pheromones… Haa…’
Idam, who had just steeled his heart, felt it crumbling again. One day, he unintentionally overheard his classmates talking in an alley.
‘Hey, I heard extreme heat types are infertile. Omegas can’t get pregnant and alphas can’t impregnate.’
‘Honestly, aren’t they trash?’
All of them, dominant alphas, were snickering.
‘Then what about Yeo Idam with his fucking pheromones?’
‘He should die first, right? He can’t even get pregnant.’
‘Hey, should we go kill him tomorrow? Just because.’
Frightened, Idam quickly left the place. Fear blossomed, and soon after, he nearly suffered greatly at the hands of these alphas. Fortunately, he escaped and reported this to a teacher, which stopped them. However, this was only a temporary shield, and the grim reality remained unchanged.
If there was a doll that worked with a spring, Idam was a doll without a spring, and if there was a flower, Idam had no fragrance. He was useless. No matter how much he tried to escape his fate, it was futile.
Marriage, which was like a life goal for omegas, was just a fantasy for him.
Even though he knew this…
Idam gently opened his eyes. As if signaling a return to reality from the past, the cloudy sky was visible. He struggled to raise his left hand. The wedding ring Taemin had put on was visible. Though soaked in muddy water, the brilliant diamond was still radiant.
“I… I want to get married too…”
A desperate voice leaked out. His eyes grew hot.
“I want to live normally.”
Idam’s eyes gradually lost focus and became wet.
“I want to have children… and be loved.”
But as if to signal that the sky couldn’t grant Idam’s wish, it started to rain. Sadly, the raindrops were also cold. Idam quickly lowered the arm he had briefly raised. The raindrops became faster and more numerous. Feeling that this situation was becoming troublesome, Idam raised his upper body. As he did so, the heat enveloping his body surged even higher.
“Haa… Haa…”
Breathing heavily, he struggled to raise his ragged body. Taemin flickered before his eyes. At first, he was scary and uncomfortable, but now he missed him and wanted to see him.
At that moment.
“Huh?”
Through the grass swaying in the wind and rain, Taemin appeared. Idam’s heart started beating passionately. His chest might burst into flames at this rate. Idam left the puddle and approached Taemin. He wanted to act spoiled and honestly say he was sick. Just as he was about to embrace him with a yearning heart.
“Ah!”
For some reason, Taemin, who had been like a flame, disappeared like the wind. As if facing an illusion. When Idam came to his senses, he realized he had reached the edge of a cliff. Moreover, one of his legs was in mid-air, and below was a swirling valley.
“Ah… No.”
Idam felt as if gravity had been stolen from him and he was about to fall. If he died like this, he wouldn’t be able to see Taemin. Even if it was a lie, he couldn’t be by his side. Idam, wanting to live, struggled to grab onto anything. But all he could grasp were powerless grass or thin twigs. Soon, even the one leg that had been barely touching the ground fell away, and Idam’s body headed towards the bottom of the cliff.
He thought this might be how his life, which he would have thrown away long ago if his mother hadn’t forced him to live with her dying words, would disappear.
This can’t be. He can’t die like this…
At this moment, he desperately wanted to see Taemin.
Then.
“Idam!”
A voice like lightning was heard. Soon, that warmth enveloped Idam’s body from behind. A flame-like body temperature and the scent of dawn roses.
It was Taemin. Idam’s eyes shook violently as if having an epiphany. And Idam’s body instantly touched the ground.
“Are you okay?”
Taemin tried to turn Idam’s body to check his condition. But Idam faced him first and hugged him tightly.
“C-CEO… No… Honey.”
Being in his arms felt like finding light in darkness.
He who offered marriage to an omega who was just a shell.
He who gladly accepted the pheromones that everyone else avoided was so wonderful.
Idam now knew for certain. This confused and presumptuous desire, this seething emotion, was love.
I love this alpha. To the point where I want to be with him forever.
“Ah.”
Taemin also seemed surprised by Idam’s aggressive approach. After touching Idam’s cheek, his expression became even more surprised.
“You’re burning up. Let’s go inside quickly. You need to rest.”
“I… I’m fine. I’m not sick at all…”
“Stop lying.”
“I’m… I’m not lying…”
Idam really felt fine. Just because Taemin was by his side.
* * *
Back at the villa, Taemin first tried to bathe Idam in warm water.
‘I… I’ll do it myself, just…’
But this fairy kept insisting on doing it himself. Despite having a raging fever and a pale complexion, without any strength, it was unclear what he thought he could do alone. Above all, Taemin enjoyed observing Idam up close like this, so he bathed him with his own hands.
After finishing the bath, he laid Idam on his bed and brought the personal doctor.
“Fortunately, there’s no significant external injury, but he’s in critical condition due to pheromone gland shock.”
The doctor, after checking the thermometer, gave his opinion with a serious face. Taemin tilted his head.
“Pheromone shock?”
“Yes. It’s a symptom that occurs when there’s sudden physical exhaustion or excessive stress. As a result, the pheromone gland activity becomes unstable. This can cause severe fever, body aches, and vomiting symptoms.”
Taemin gritted his teeth. This all happened because he tried to save that female omega. As if it wasn’t enough that he had to confirm his rejection syndrome had improved because of that woman.
“So what should we do?”
“We’ve administered a sedative for now, but the best thing for recovery is an alpha’s pheromones.”
“Ah… I see…”
Just as an omega’s pheromones are important to an alpha, the same was true for omegas. Taemin brushed up his hair. His handsome features were clearly revealed.
“Then, I should expose a lot of my pheromones, right?”
“Of course. And absolute rest is also necessary. If he’s still in critical condition after about two days, we might need to go to the hospital.”
“I understand. You can go now.”
At Taemin’s command, the doctor left with his medical bag. Left alone, Taemin stared intently at Idam. His eyelashes, like butterfly wings, trembled, and his fair skin, drenched in sweat, seemed to glow like honey.
“Tae… Taemin…”
When his name came from those small lips struggling between life and death, he felt a strong heat. Taemin took off his slippers and straddled Idam, gently bending his waist. His fingers caressed Idam’s lips.
“You’re really beautiful right now. I want to keep looking at you like this.”
A selfish flame ignited in Taemin’s heart.
