Chapter 25
Because of his expression, which exuded all kinds of arrogance, even Cheong-yeon, who had lived with Do-heon for three years, was confused about whether he was joking or speaking seriously.
“This is him. He’s the director of Sohwa Art Museum.”
When Cheong-yeon pointed directly at Jeon Jun-ho while explaining, Jun-ho’s expression rapidly hardened. This gave Cheong-yeon a strange sense of satisfaction.
“Don’t you remember him?”
Cheong-yeon added in a clearly sarcastic voice, as if wanting Jun-ho, who had been throwing pitying glances and sneering at him until just now, to hear.
“You know I don’t remember people’s faces well.”
Surprisingly, Do-heon played along. Though he too lowered his voice like Cheong-yeon, it was loud enough to be easily heard by people nearby.
Simultaneously, an employee standing behind Jun-ho gasped audibly, and Jun-ho froze like a statue. His face showed obvious shock to anyone who looked.
“I apologize.”
Do-heon apologized to Jun-ho in a completely mechanical voice. It was the first time Cheong-yeon had found his emotionless voice so pleasing.
As Cheong-yeon internally celebrated, Do-heon checked his wristwatch and moved closer, pressing against him.
“There’s still ten minutes until closing. Shall we look at the paintings before we go?”
“Sounds good.”
Even while wondering ‘Why is this person acting like this?’, Cheong-yeon readily agreed as if they had rehearsed it. Feeling so uplifted, he even linked arms with Do-heon and led him deeper into the exhibition hall.
Turning his head to check on Jun-ho, his face was so red with humiliation that it looked like it might explode at any moment.
“Puhah!”
As soon as they entered the inner part of the exhibition hall, Cheong-yeon burst into laughter, unable to contain himself.
Jun-ho’s dumbfounded expression kept coming to mind.
“Director Do-heon, do you really not remember? The Antonia Thomas works were also introduced by Director Jeon Jun-ho last time.”
Cheong-yeon unintentionally called him “Do-heon” as he used to, not even realizing it, and still with their arms linked, he nudged Do-heon’s shoulder.
“I know.”
Do-heon answered after a beat.
“You knew?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to know? I meet him at least once every quarter.”
Cheong-yeon’s eyes, which had been softly curved in amusement, opened wide.
“Then why did you pretend not to know him?”
“You said it yourself earlier. That I wouldn’t know the director’s name.”
“Ack. How long were you listening?”
“After hearing that conversation, I couldn’t bring myself to admit I knew him.”
So Do-heon had been listening to Jun-ho and him bickering from the beginning?
It was clearly a childish situation where two Omegas were fighting over a divorced ex-husband, making it embarrassing to look directly into his eyes.
But the embarrassment was fleeting. The satisfaction quickly took precedence. Even trying to calm down, he couldn’t stop his cheeks from rising. By now, his cheeks were faintly flushed and the corners of his mouth kept twitching.
Ah, why does this feel so satisfying? I did well to listen to grandmother after all. The humiliating gaze and expression of Jun-ho, who had closed his mouth in shock at Do-heon’s brazen question about who he was, kept exploding like fireworks in his mind, being replicated into dozens.
After happily laughing in front of a painting whose title he didn’t even know, Cheong-yeon belatedly felt Do-heon’s gaze and paused.
…Was my laughter too malicious?
Touching his lips with his hand, he felt the corners of his mouth stretched out widely.
“Hmm-hmm. But why did you come here?”
“Grandmother said she would check if we went to the exhibition.”
“I came for the cake.”
“I thought you came to view the exhibition.”
“Why would I? I told you I don’t like art.”
“I thought you matched your outfit concept with the exhibition since it’s so close to contemporary art.”
“This is…”
Cheong-yeon rechecked his outfit reflected in the glass wall. It really didn’t match this exhibition hall, looking more like he had been dragged out while partying at a club.
“This is a trendy style these days. Why don’t you appreciate this hip look?”
Cheong-yeon, having unlinked arms with Do-heon, grumbled as he did a light twirl in place. Watching him blankly, Do-heon put one hand in his pants pocket and spoke.
“I have no talent for fashion, so I wouldn’t know.”
Tch. Couldn’t he at least say it looks good, even as a white lie?
Well. I should be grateful he’s not making a fuss about tailoring my pants like last time.
“Don’t you need to go back to work at the company?”
“I’m going straight home today.”
“That’s really early.”
Cheong-yeon said while checking the time as he stood in front of a painting. Do-heon’s gaze lingered long on Cheong-yeon’s back.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes.”
The closing time was truly approaching. The two naturally walked side by side down the corridor to reach the exit. In the quiet exhibition hall, their footsteps echoed alternately like a waltz.
“You said you were hungry earlier.”
Do-heon brought up the words Cheong-yeon had said to Jun-ho.
“I’m full now.”
“Hmm.”
At this sharp rejection, Do-heon touched his chin area.
“Then I’ll see you home.”
“I can go alone. The roads are congested at this time, so taking the subway would be faster anyway.”
“With that? It’ll get all squashed.”
“Ah, the cake… Puhah!”
Cheong-yeon broke into laughter in the middle of his sentence. The cheerful sound of laughter stretched along the corridor.
“What is it?”
“No, I just keep thinking of Director Jeon Jun-ho’s face earlier.”
“Was it that satisfying?”
Do-heon asked with a tilt of his head, as if he couldn’t understand. He didn’t miss tracking with his eyes Cheong-yeon’s round cheeks that had turned red under the baseball cap.
“Yes. His foolish expression, like he’d been caught off guard, was funny… Didn’t he look like his soul had left his body? Just moments before, he was spouting unpleasant words, and then suddenly froze. Ah, and above all, I felt good because it seemed like you were really on my side at that moment…”
Cheong-yeon stopped mid-sentence and took a sharp breath. He belatedly realized that he had just called him “Do-heon” instead of “Director.”
On top of that, he had rambled on unnecessarily without even realizing it.
“Why did you stop talking?”
“It’s nothing. Anyway… I should get going now.”
As Cheong-yeon hastily tried to exit first, Do-heon grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Yoo Cheong-yeon.”
Then he lifted the brim of the pulled-down cap with his fingertips and made eye contact with Cheong-yeon.
“I’d like to see you home.”
“…”
“I would appreciate your permission.”
His voice, which was always businesslike and close to commanding, sounded like a very polite request in this moment. Cheong-yeon forgot his intention to refuse and looked up at him with surprised eyes for a while.
*
Cheong-yeon frowned at the unpleasant chills he felt as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning. A feeling of heaviness throughout his body, yet also a dreamy state.
Having taken suppressants throughout the past three years to avoid experiencing heat cycle symptoms, he initially thought he had caught a cold from exhaustion.
Only after noticing his pheromones, which had been quiet for a while, flowing irregularly did he realize it was a heat cycle.
“What day is it today…”
Cheong-yeon checked his phone while mumbling to himself in a locked voice. Saturday. What was scheduled for Saturday? He seemed to remember having an appointment, but his mind was foggy due to the intensifying symptoms.
It wasn’t a day for academy classes, and he had just gone to his part-time photo shoot yesterday. Nor did he have an audition.
Despite trying to recall his appointments, his thoughts were as if paralyzed by a strange, persistent uneasiness. Instead, his Omega pheromones raged more irregularly.
Cheong-yeon naturally started to look for suppressants but then stopped abruptly. Since he was the only one in this house, he wondered if there was any reason to suppress his pheromones. It wasn’t good for his health either.
After his first heat cycle following his marriage to Do-heon, when he had desperately clung to him without knowing better, only to be treated like a beast in heat along with cold glances, he had thoroughly suppressed his pheromones by taking medication. He didn’t want to show such a disheveled appearance again.
That was when Cheong-yeon first learned that Dominants are hardly affected by rut cycles and heat cycles.
But in this small house, there was no need to deliberately hide his Recessive pheromones. Cheong-yeon sat on the bed and took calm breaths, trying to endure somehow without medication.
But the unfamiliar sensation, far from being controlled, incessantly stimulated him by noisily knocking on his nerves. His body temperature gradually rose, and heat spread from his lower abdomen. Naturally, his breathing became rapid too.
“Haa, haa.”
His dormant penis began to erect on its own without any stimulus.
Is the reaction this fast?
The progression was much quicker than he remembered. Confused, Cheong-yeon bit his lower lip and simply closed his eyes, not knowing what to do.
Cheong-yeon found himself strange and partly repulsive for involuntarily letting moans escape between his teeth. It felt like becoming a beast.
“…I’m scared.”
Cheong-yeon, lying on the bed, muttered softly. Without suppressants, distinct symptoms began to emerge sporadically within less than an hour.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
