#95
“What the hell is this!”
Hayun shouted, his eyes blazing as he looked at the message. Simultaneously, the gazes of people around him fixed on Hayun.
“Ah…”
Momentarily forgetting that he had come to the cafe on his day off for a change of mood, Hayun closed his mouth. Instead, he gulped down the grapefruit ade he had just received. Though the abundance of ice made it refreshing, his rising anger was far from subsiding.
Yesterday, he had sent birthday wishes to Idam via message. He received a reply right away. But the problem was that there had been no contact since then. Curious about how Idam spent his birthday and when he planned to return from the island where he seemed to have been for too long, Hayun sent another message. The reply he got was infuriating.
“Don’t contact unless it’s an emergency?”
Judging by the arrogant tone, it was undoubtedly sent by that Ji Taemin. Not content with kidnapping Idam to the island for a whole month, now he seemed to be controlling his phone too.
“This thug bastard is really something else.”
With anger rising to his head, Hayun finally slammed his fist on the table. The impact caused the ade glass to tilt and spill. The drink inside, along with ice cubes, scattered across the table and splashed onto the pants and loafers of a passing man.
“Oh!”
Startled, Hayun stood up. He hurriedly pulled out tissues and wiped the wet parts of the man’s clothes. At the same time, he looked at the man’s face. He was a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes, and quite handsome. Hayun, who had a phobia of speaking English, trembled his lips.
“I’m sorry.”
After awkwardly apologizing, he felt embarrassed. Even when he had dealt with foreign guests at Pungjeobcho, he had managed everything with body language. So now too, he thought he should just focus on wiping the loafers diligently instead of saying more nonsense.
“It’s okay. I think that’s enough, isn’t it?”
Hearing the foreigner’s fluent Korean, Hayun felt his English phobia instantly dissipate. He stopped wiping and stood up. Looking closely, this person seemed somewhat familiar. He looked a bit like the protagonist of the spy movie he watched last night. But there was no way such a famous person would be in this small cafe.
Where had he seen him? As Hayun wondered, he realized this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. He quickly took out his wallet from his pants pocket and pulled out a business card.
“Please contact me if there are any dry cleaning costs.”
From the looks of it, the man’s clothes and shoes were luxury brands. Thinking it might be too expensive to resolve on the spot here, he made this decision. The man took the card without hesitation. Then, looking intently at Hayun, he asked a question.
“Are you perhaps acquainted with Yeo Idam?”
“Huh?”
When Idam’s name came out of the stranger’s mouth, Hayun’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
“Who are you?”
“I’m a friend of Taemin’s.”
“Ji Taemin? You’re that person’s friend?”
“Yes. I’m Rickdi Wilbert Braxton.”
Hayun’s face contorted. He was already on edge because of that alpha, and the appearance of his friend was most unwelcome. But he was also curious.
“How did you recognize me?”
“I think I saw you at Baekwol Hotel before. You were there, right?”
“Yes…”
It seemed he had seen him with Idam at the party where Taemin and his friends were behaving raucously. Even though there must have been many people that day, the fact that he recognized him at once gave Hayun the chills.
“Instead of the dry cleaning cost, I’d like to ask you for a favor.”
A favor? Although he didn’t want to get involved with anyone associated with Taemin if possible, he couldn’t turn away from someone who seemed to have business with Idam.
“What kind of favor are you trying to ask?”
“I’d like your help because Yeo Idam might be murdered.”
“What?”
Hayun’s pupils shook at this sudden declaration. He was bewildered as to why he was saying such a thing out of the blue. Moreover, this person didn’t seem to have been close to Idam. Rickdi, looking at the frozen Hayun, continued speaking.
“Let’s move to another place for a more detailed conversation.”
* * *
“What were you looking at?”
Idam, rubbing his eyes, asked Taemin once more. Flustered, Taemin subtly pushed Idam’s phone to the corner of the bed and put on a nonchalant expression.
“Nothing.”
“I see…”
Idam thought he had seen him doing something at the bedside, but it seemed he was mistaken. He raised his upper body to dispel the drowsiness.
Earlier, when Idam came out of the dressing room, he learned through an employee that a guest had come to see Taemin. He felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to face Taemin for a while. And as he sat on the sheets tidied by the employees, fatigue overcame him. He had meant to lie down for a moment but ended up falling asleep.
Although he had decided to push Taemin away, it seemed his heart still had lingering feelings for him. To think he was kissing him in his dream. Idam touched his lips, feeling the aftereffect. The moistness felt vivid. It wasn’t as if he had applied lip gloss.
Could it be…
Startled, Idam quickly checked Taemin’s lips too. His lips were also glistening. And his collar was crumpled. Thinking about it now, even for a dream, the sensation of his lips and uvula being moistened felt too vivid.
“Did we kiss just now?”
Taemin hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Yes. You were too beautiful.”
Gradually, Idam’s cheeks heated up. A hot euphoria rose as well. But it was only for a moment. Idam cooled himself down and composed himself. Taemin only needed his pheromones. Even knowing that he was seeing him strictly as a contractual partner, Idam was about to misunderstand again because of his unrestrained skinship and affectionate words.
“Don’t say things like that.”
“…”
“It’s confusing.”
Although Idam spoke coldly, his eyes were filled with affection for Taemin. Taemin’s heart also pounded. The kiss had been merely to try to recover his memories, but seeing that face, he felt a dark desire stirring.
“Haa…”
Gradually, a heat rose from the crown of his head. The rut cycle that had been in temporary ceasefire seemed about to rampage again.
Unlike trying to recover memories by contacting Idam in his right mind, he felt anxious that his self dominated by the rut cycle might do terrible things to Idam again.
Hurriedly getting up from the bed, he approached the table. He opened the suppressant box he had received from Im Hoyoung earlier. He quickly put a pill in his mouth, swallowed it, and then sat down on the floor.
“What did you just take?”
Sensing something unusual, Idam approached Taemin. He then checked the white pill that Taemin had just taken.
“What kind of medicine is this?”
“It’s a rut suppressant.”
“Wasn’t it over?”
“Haa… No.”
Taemin brushed up his bangs with tired eyes before continuing.
“It lasts a week.”
“A whole week…”
“I took the medicine, so it should be fine now.”
But Taemin’s pale complexion lacked any persuasiveness. He looked like he might pass out at any moment. Idam, his heart softening, sat in front of him and held his hand.
“Are you really okay? You look like you’re struggling.”
“I just took the medicine, so it will take a little time for it to take effect. Don’t worry.”
He didn’t know how long “a little time” meant in Taemin’s words. He looked too overwhelmed right now. So Idam let go of his hand and hugged him tightly. Taemin then buried his nose in Idam’s nape as if grasping a desperate lifeline.
“Can I kiss you again?”
“…”
At his request, Idam’s heart became complicated. He felt hurt that Taemin wouldn’t accept him, but seeing him suffering right in front of him made Idam feel as if he was taking on that pain too. Above all, Idam existed to cure Taemin’s genetic disease. Thinking of his duty, it was time to open his body.
In the end, Idam’s heart softened, and even while thinking he was a fool, he nodded.
“Thank you.”
Immediately, Taemin’s lips covered Idam’s. In an instant, their lips stuck together without a gap, and their tongues intertwined. It didn’t take long for the act that started with a kiss to lead to sex.
“Haa… Haa…”
Before they knew it, the two had reached the bed, and Idam was in Taemin’s arms, receiving his organ. That beastly night was reenacted. But this time, no whispers of love for Idam came from Taemin’s mouth. It was a moment that proved those sweet whispers were just an illusion. Idam’s chest hurt as if cut by a knife, but he disliked seeing Taemin wandering in pain even more.
What is love? It makes you do foolish things even while knowing you’re being a fool, even while knowing it’s stupid.
Idam once again melted his body, trapped in Taemin’s web.
* * *
“Hmm…”
Im Hoyoung, holding a thermometer, checked the condition of Idam lying on the bed.
“The temperature isn’t dropping below 38.5°C.”
“Haa… Haa…”
Idam was breathing heavily. He kept his eyes closed, seemingly lacking the strength to open them. Taemin also held Idam’s hand tightly and faced Im Hoyoung.
“How’s the pheromone level?”
“That’s normal. Still, considering how intense it was for a week, this level is somewhat fortunate.”
A week ago. Taemin, who had taken Im Hoyoung’s suppressant but found it completely ineffective, ended up continuously ravishing Idam to safely get through his rut cycle. As a result, Idam’s body was worn out, and he had been bedridden for two days now.
“I… I’m fine.”
Idam mumbled with dry lips. And he was preoccupied with checking Taemin’s complexion rather than his own body. Having completely finished his rut cycle now, Taemin looked normal. No, he looked even more beautiful, with more vitality than before.
“The suppressant didn’t work at all?”
“No.”
Taemin nodded at Im Hoyoung’s question. He had continued taking suppressants just in case, but they had no effect at all. In the end, Idam was the answer.
“I heard the components of that suppressant were different from the previously released drugs, but I guess not.”
Im Hoyoung said dejectedly as he placed his hand on Idam’s nape.
“Huh? Something… feels strange.”
Soon, his gaze fell on Idam’s abdomen. His eyes, full of suspicion, deepened further.
“Taemin, did you perhaps—”
Just as Im Hoyoung was about to say something,
Knock knock.
An urgent knocking sound, like an unwelcome visitor, was heard.
“CEO, we have a big problem!”
Secretary Kang shouted from beyond the door. Taemin, thinking there couldn’t be a bigger problem than Idam’s current physical condition, responded rather calmly.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well, you see.”
The door opened immediately, and Secretary Kang entered. His complexion was paler than the moon in the night sky.
“Chairman has arrived at the villa.”
“Chairman?”
“Yes, Chairman Ji Hyeongman.”
In other words, Taemin’s father had come to Jihwado.
