Chapter 26
His head was so hot it made him dizzy. Certain embarrassing parts of his body tingled as if only sexual pleasure could cool the heat.
Haa. Haa. Haaaa. Breathing heavily, Cheong-yeon slid his hand into his pants. Then he carefully gripped his instinctively erect penis.
“…”
In that moment, Do-heon’s cold gaze looking down at him as he clung desperately flashed back into his mind.
Back then, Do-heon had left Cheong-yeon alone in the bedroom, fevered with heat. The scenes from that day remained vivid, as if preserved in his mind.
To Do-heon, he must have appeared as an Omega reduced to nothing but sexual desire. As the shame he had felt back then resurfaced, Cheong-yeon jerked his hand away from his penis like a child caught doing something wrong.
I should have taken suppressants instead. The thought of having to endure this state of being unable to control himself for days was insanely distressing.
He was afraid that others would notice what a pathetic Recessive Omega he was and look at him with contempt in their eyes. Even though he knew there was no one to judge him anymore…
A moment later, Cheong-yeon abruptly got up as if he had made a decision. With somewhat hasty steps, he stood in front of the bathroom sink. Then he turned on the faucet and recklessly washed his face with cold water.
The ice-cold temperature of the water seemed to snap him back to his senses. But that lasted only for a brief moment. His physical condition hadn’t improved at all.
Now something slick was flowing out from below. His heart rate increased, and jumbled obscene images that he would never normally imagine rolled around in his head.
His consciousness blurred with a desperate longing for someone to notice his desire.
Suppressants. I should just take suppressants. Belatedly overcome with anxiety, Cheong-yeon muttered to himself as he rummaged through his medicine cabinet.
However, since his compulsion to regulate his pheromones perfectly like a Dominant had diminished recently, he had been buying suppressants in small quantities only when needed, so there were no extra doses left.
After briefly slumping in despair, Cheong-yeon, disliking the deathly silence, returned to his bed and turned on the TV. Various people appeared on the small screen, constantly spewing incomprehensible words.
Bang bang bang.
While killing time by staring endlessly at the TV while biting his nails, someone knocked on the front door.
Startled, Cheong-yeon gulped and got up from his seat. Then he carefully approached the front door.
Bang bang bang bang!
This time the stranger knocked more forcefully.
“Who is it?”
Cheong-yeon barely managed to open his mouth and spoke in a timid voice.
“Yoo Cheong-yeon. It’s me.”
It was Do-heon. Cheong-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise, and he hesitated. Why is he here?
“Why, why did you come?”
Cheong-yeon stammered in confusion.
“It’s Saturday, isn’t it? It’s twelve o’clock now.”
“Ah…!”
Only then did Cheong-yeon remember that he had to go see Grandmother with Do-heon every Saturday. As if under a spell, he had completely forgotten.
“Yoo Cheong-yeon?”
When there was no response from Cheong-yeon, Do-heon pressed for an answer.
“I don’t think I can go today. Let’s go next week.”
“What’s wrong with your voice?”
Although he had squeezed out the most calm voice possible, Do-heon immediately noticed that Cheong-yeon was different from usual.
“…”
“Open the door.”
At the firm command, Cheong-yeon’s breathing became rougher.
Why did Saturday have to be today of all days? He didn’t want to show this side of himself to anyone, especially Do-heon.
Cheong-yeon bit his nails as he stared at the entrance. He wished Do-heon would just leave.
However, seemingly unwilling to grant Cheong-yeon’s wish, Do-heon knocked on the door once more.
Bang bang bang bang!
“Yoo Cheong-yeon.”
“I’m fine, so just go!”
“Just open it for a moment. I’ll check if you’re really okay and then leave.”
Since when have you cared so much about me? He couldn’t understand Do-heon’s stubborn attitude that ignored his wishes.
At the same time, he was afraid. Afraid that, just like during his first heat cycle after marriage, Do-heon would find him in such a mess.
He didn’t want to face that expression of Do-heon’s again.
“I’m scared…”
Of the expression he would make. Of his eyes filled with disappointment.
Cheong-yeon muttered to himself as he stepped back from the front door. Then he waited anxiously for the outside to become quiet.
It seemed quiet for a few seconds, just as Cheong-yeon had hoped.
“If you don’t open it now, I’m coming in.”
Do-heon announced as if giving a final warning.
Cheong-yeon leaned against the wall, staring at the door with wavering eyes. No matter what threats Do-heon made, he had no intention of opening it.
After a while, the sound of the door lock password being entered was heard. Cheong-yeon, who had been huddling, felt his eyes grow wider.
“What?”
Beep beep beep beep. Click.
He couldn’t believe it, but the door lock was released. And the door opened.
How on earth…?
Confused, Cheong-yeon reflexively ran to the bed and covered himself with the blanket. Inwardly, he cursed at the forceful Do-heon, calling him a crazy bastard.
Why are you coming in when I told you not to? And how did you know the password? Did I ever tell him? With his mind clouded by the unrelenting heat, his thought process was delayed.
“Yoo Cheong-yeon. Come out for a moment.”
Do-heon entered the shoe rack area and looked around. Then he belatedly recognized Cheong-yeon’s pheromones that were thickly spread throughout the room.
When he was outside the door, he had been too urgent to notice right away, but now that he was inside, he understood why Cheong-yeon had shouted at him to leave. With this level of pheromones, it was clearly a heat cycle.
Do-heon hesitated, about to take off his shoes but unsure if he should proceed further inside.
But had Cheong-yeon ever suffered from a heat cycle this severe? It was a phenomenon he had seen only once during their time living together, with that one exception.
Used to a society dominated by Dominants, Do-heon was convinced that something was wrong.
Having made his decision, he quickly entered the house. Cheong-yeon was curled up on the bed, covered entirely with a blanket. Even considering the heat cycle, Do-heon thought Cheong-yeon’s condition was not normal.
“Come out from under the blanket.”
“…I told you to leave.”
Cheong-yeon murmured faintly. His voice was so weak and different from usual that Do-heon frowned.
“If you’re not feeling well, go to the hospital. Don’t suffer alone.”
“…”
“Yoo Cheong-yeon.”
“Why did you come in here? Just leave me alone, whether I’m sick or not, whether I live or die.”
Cheong-yeon’s words were hard to hear through his ragged breathing. Although he seemed to dislike it, Do-heon simply couldn’t leave Cheong-yeon alone like this.
“If you don’t come out, I’m pulling the blanket off.”
“No! Don’t touch me… Don’t touch me! Absolutely not.”
For some reason, Cheong-yeon was terrified and curled up even more. He was only reacting in panic, as if confronted by an assailant, and showed no intention of explaining how he had gotten into this state.
“I’m not trying to scare you.”
“No, just go. Leave without looking at me.”
“…”
“You can j-just come next w-week… Ah!”
When Do-heon suddenly snatched away the blanket, Cheong-yeon’s flushed, groaning face was revealed. Do-heon immediately placed his hand on Cheong-yeon’s forehead to check his temperature.
“Why is your fever so high?”
At that absurd question, Cheong-yeon wore an expression close to despair and whimpered.
“I said I don’t want this! Why are you coming in as you please and tormenting me!”
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
“Let go! I’m fine, so just please go!”
Cheong-yeon desperately pushed him away, then went to the edge of the bed and hugged the blanket again. Do-heon was frustrated by Cheong-yeon’s baseless stubbornness.
Perhaps he’s too unwell to realize how serious his condition is. Do-heon let out a short sigh, then bent his knees to meet Cheong-yeon’s eyes and tried to persuade him.
“How can I leave you like this? You’ve never been this serious during a heat cycle. If I make you uncomfortable, I’ll call someone else.”
“Didn’t you hear me say I’m fine? This, this is normal for me!”
Cheong-yeon shouted, glaring at Do-heon resentfully. Even though he was immersed in excitement, panting and emitting Omega pheromones, Do-heon didn’t even blink.
As if he had no interest or response to Cheong-yeon’s Recessive pheromones in the first place. He only looked at him with pitying eyes.
And with time, that gaze would turn into contempt. Just like it had before.
I told you not to come because I didn’t want to see that look. Why did you insist on opening the door without permission and exposing my lowest state? Cheong-yeon was sick and tired of Do-heon’s high-handedness and resented it.
You’ll look down on me just like those people in your family anyway.
“Yoo Cheong-yeon.”
“Recessives… are naturally like this. This is who I really am. It’s not strange—Recessives just can’t control it!”
Cheong-yeon shouted sharply. No matter how hard he tried to pull himself together, his consciousness kept blurring as if a fog was settling in his mind.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
