Do Jihoon returned home late. The foundation had insisted on holding an after-party since it was the final day of the program.
He considered it an extremely inefficient and pathetic way to waste time. But he couldn’t exactly declare that he wouldn’t attend.
The group consisted of people who had passed several rounds of selection criteria. It wasn’t a bad place to build connections. At the after-party, Do Jihoon had no choice but to create acquaintances through hollow smiles and polite pretenses.
By the time he arrived home, it was well past 11 p.m. His phone was flooded with messages. People who had been itching to contact him under the pretext of wishing him a happy birthday. A scornful chuckle, heavy with contempt, slipped from Do Jihoon’s lips.
In his low mood, he became aware of the furrow in his brow and the corners of his lips drooping downward. He relaxed the tension in his facial muscles, then forced a smile by tightening only his eyes and lips.
After preparing himself, Do Jihoon slowly grasped the doorknob, pulled it open, and spoke.
“Yuri. Sorry I’m late.”
A gentle voice flowed from his throat. It wasn’t a deliberately fabricated tone. When he thought of Yeon Yuri—so quirky and lively—his face naturally formed a smile before he even realized it.
Do Jihoon calmly stepped inside the house.
The house was quiet. It seemed Yeon Yuri had fallen asleep.
But the further he walked in, the more a subtle sense of unfamiliarity began to prick at his vision.
The smell of food lingering around his nose. The house unusually dark. And within it, the faint bitter scent of Yeon Yuri’s pheromones. Yuri’s pheromones filled the entire house.
Clearly laced with disappointment.
Do Jihoon’s steps quickened. He could clearly feel his heart beginning to beat faster. He moved swiftly toward the living room.
And then he saw Yeon Yuri, asleep while leaning against the sofa.
Various odds and ends were scattered around him. A camera, a party hat. A cake and even glass bottles. From that alone, Do Jihoon realized what Yuri had been trying to prepare.
Do Jihoon walked to the dining table. On it sat dishes whose purpose was obvious—a birthday meal—now sitting cold.
Do Jihoon clenched his fist tightly. Anger slowly boiled up from deep within his core. He didn’t even know who the anger was directed at. The outdated government official who insisted on ceremonial formalities? Or himself, for failing to refuse a position that had only ever been a means to an end?
His pheromones spread aggressively through the air. Remembering how Yuri had once suffered from his pheromones, Do Jihoon tried to rein in his emotions. He clenched and unclenched his fist, attempting to calm the anger. A heated breath escaped his mouth.
He thought of Yeon Yuri.
Yuri, who must have bustled around outside all day because it was his alpha’s birthday.
Yuri, who must have pursed his lips like a duck while thinking about what to prepare.
Yuri, who must have smiled brightly with excitement while setting up the birthday meal.
And Yuri, who must have fallen asleep leaning on the sofa after being hurt by his late return.
Do Jihoon walked back toward the sofa. He bent his knees so that his face was level with Yuri’s. Resting his arms and face against his knees, he looked at Yuri, who was breathing softly in sleep.
Affection welled up within him. A ticklish, stirring sensation—one that made him question the very nature of its existence—spread throughout his body.
He lightly touched Yuri’s hair with his fingers. The strands slipped softly between his thumb and forefinger.
So fragile.
Strength gathered unconsciously at the tips of his fingers.
I want him.
A sudden surge of desire rose within him. The urge to bite the back of Yuri’s defenseless neck while he slept—to bind him completely—swept through his mind.
His pheromones leaked out threateningly.
Do Jihoon realized a sticky pheromone scent was seeping from him.
Only then did he recognize the desire he felt toward Yuri.
Do Jihoon moistened his lips with his tongue. The road ahead was long. He wasn’t the kind of foolish alpha who would ruin the future because he couldn’t overcome a momentary impulse. He had confidence in his patience.
Today was Do Jihoon’s birthday. As always, he hadn’t expected anything special just because it was his birthday.
“But today, I’m looking forward to it.”
A delicate smile formed on Do Jihoon’s face. It glowed faintly like a star floating alone in the darkness.
He stroked Yuri’s cheek. Warm, soft skin filled his fingertips.
Then he lowered his head. Do Jihoon’s lips brushed across Yuri’s face—his eyes, nose, forehead, cheeks.
And finally, his lips.
Their touching lips were warm. Perhaps because of that, thirst welled up in his throat. Do Jihoon licked Yuri’s lips. It felt as though the dry thirst eased slightly.
Desire surged upward. He wanted to touch that entire pale, slender body, bite it, and leave marks behind. A ragged breath slipped from his mouth.
“……”
Only then did Do Jihoon come to his senses. A hollow laugh escaped him.
He had always prided himself on his patience. Yet Yeon Yuri had always been the one exception. Once again, he had failed to restrain himself and surrendered a white flag to his instinctive desires.
Do Jihoon loved Yeon Yuri.
How could he not love him? To Do Jihoon, Yeon Yuri was like the warm sun encountered in the middle of winter. Just being by Yuri’s side made him happy.
So he endured it. The sadistic urge to press down on an omega. The instinctive desire to leave marks filled with possessiveness. He hid and suppressed every one of those feelings, behaving lightly around Yuri like nothing more than a friend.
Yuri had trauma. Do Jihoon still remembered clearly what had happened at the club. Yuri’s body trembling like an aspen tree, his face soaked with tears.
Do Jihoon had no intention of letting either the bastard who orchestrated the assault or the one who had tried to carry it out go unpunished. He had the power to make them fear the day they would eventually be released from prison.
Do Jihoon looked at Yuri again. His face was peacefully asleep.
My fiancé. My omega.
He repeated that fact to himself.
A deep sense of satisfaction circulated through his entire body.
“Should I let him sleep, or wake him up?”
Do Jihoon considered it. Which one would Yuri be happier about?
The deliberation didn’t last long. There were still ten minutes left before his birthday ended. Do Jihoon decided to wake him.
For the last time, he pressed his lips against Yuri’s.
A faint smile hung at the corner of his mouth.
***
“Yuri. Wake up. If you sleep outside the bed, your mouth will go crooked.”
Through the haze of sleep, I heard Do Jihoon’s voice. My lips barely moved as I muttered,
“What kinda bullshit is that…….”
Damn it. My tongue got twisted. It felt like I could hear Do Jihoon’s mocking laughter by my ear. I forced my eyes open wide.
I didn’t know when he’d gotten home, but Do Jihoon was there. The house was completely dark so I couldn’t see his face, but the scent was unmistakably his.
The moment I realized he was home, I looked for the clock first.
“Ah! Five minutes left!”
“I’ve been trying to wake you up for ten minutes, but you wouldn’t get up, Yuri.”
Ignoring Do Jihoon’s nagging, I grabbed the birthday cake. Then I lit a match and lit the candles.
I shoved the finished cake toward Do Jihoon’s face. One of his eyebrows lifted before he let out a breathy laugh.
“Quick, quick. I’ll sing the song real fast, so you think of a wish and blow out the candles, okay?”
“Alright. Guess I’ll finally get to hear how good your singing is.”
“You little punk. Your hyung can actually sing. Listen up.”
Putting my whole heart into celebrating Do Jihoon’s birthday, I belted out Happy Birthday to You. As I sang, though, Do Jihoon’s face gradually started to wrinkle into a frown, which made me uneasy.
They say tone-deaf people never realize they’re tone-deaf. Could that tone-deaf person possibly be me…? By the time that thought crossed my mind, the song had already ended.
“You’re better than I expected.”
“Really? Then why does your face look like it rott—… never mind. Anyway, hurry up, think of a wish and blow out the candles.”
“A wish, huh.”
“Hey! Two minutes left! Your birthday’s about to end! Hurry up and think of something and blow them out!”
Do Jihoon pondered for quite a while. Seriously, what was there to think about? He could just say something like, Please let me live happily forever!
Fortunately, with one minute left of his birthday, he finally blew toward the candles. The flames flickered out completely. Do Jihoon stood up and began turning on the lights in the house.
“Ah. The birthday person isn’t supposed to do chores like that.”
“It’s not my birthday anymore, so it’s fine. It passed midnight.”
“Already? Wow. If you’d come home a little later, Yuri might’ve gotten upset.”
“I’ve said this several times already—I woke you up, but you didn’t get up, Yuri.”
“That’s beside the point. Why’d you come home so late?”
“There was an after-party on the last day. Annoying.”
Do Jihoon sat down at the table, openly displaying his irritation.
