“It’s… it’s just a cold.”
Yu-jin hurriedly lied.
“The fever is making my pheromone scent stronger, that’s all… Please don’t worry.”
All the employees, including the butler, were either Betas or Gammas, and the only extraordinary trait they would’ve ever witnessed was that of an Extreme Alpha—so it was likely they didn’t know much about Omegas. Anxious, Yu-jin nervously gauged the butler’s reaction. The man responded with a simple, “Is that so,” and then added,
“I’ll call the physician. You shouldn’t be taking any medication on your own…”
“I’m fine.”
Yu-jin forced a smile, despite the heat radiating throughout his body.
“I’ll get better soon. There’s no need to call a doctor.”
“But still—”
“I just want to rest.”
Yu-jin deliberately cut him off.
“I’ll be fine after some sleep. I don’t want to be disturbed.”
Even to his own ears, his voice sounded completely worn out. His cheeks were probably flushed red with a heat rash by now. His shallow, rapid breathing alone was enough to betray the fact that something wasn’t right. Though the symptoms closely resembled a cold, the butler hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod.
“Understood. Then I’ll keep an eye on your condition. Call if you need anything.”
With that final instruction, he exited the room. Only once Yu-jin was finally alone did he let out a sigh of relief.
Two days left now, was it?
Before he knew it, Christmas was right around the corner. Once Christmas passed, it would finally be D-Day. And of all times, today had to be Christmas Eve. For some reason, Winston had said he’d return early today—and tomorrow was a holiday. Seriously? Spending the entire day with him right before D-Day? Just my luck. But that had been part of the deal, so he had no choice but to accept it.
I need to take suppressants.
With his heat cycle approaching, he wasn’t sure they would even work—but it was the only option he had. He dragged his heavy body to the bathroom, pulled out the suppressants, and tossed them into his mouth.
It had to be because the heat cycle was closing in. Otherwise, there was no reason he should suddenly be catching hints of that pheromone scent.
Yeah, that’s the only explanation.
Nodding to himself as if reaffirming his resolve, Yu-jin crawled back into bed. He didn’t even realize when he drifted off—it was as if he’d lost consciousness entirely. He didn’t wake up once until Winston came home.
***
“A cold?”
Winston paused at the butler’s words just as the short winter sun began to dip below the horizon. The butler replied with a curt “Yes” and continued his report without delay.
“I was going to summon the physician, but he said he’d rather rest, so I refrained.”
As always, the butler’s expression remained unreadable as he added his explanation.
“Since he’s pregnant, I couldn’t give him any medication, so I’ve just been monitoring his condition. Should I call the physician now?”
Winston didn’t respond right away. He seemed deep in thought before eventually replying, “No.”
“Got it, so let’s hold off on that for now. What’s Yu-jin doing? Is he awake?”
The butler answered mechanically, as if on cue.
“Yes, he’s with Angie in her room. He seems to be feeling a bit better than earlier, but…”
He trailed off, as if still debating whether to call the doctor or worrying if Angela might catch the cold herself. But Winston didn’t respond. Instead, he silently headed up the stairs.
“Wait a moment.”
Stopping the butler who had been about to follow him, Winston continued.
“I’ll bring Angie down myself in a bit. You go ahead and finish up. Quickly.”
“Yes, understood.”
Left with no choice, the butler stayed behind. He watched his master charge up the stairs with long, hurried strides like a man on edge, a confused expression briefly flashing across his face before his features returned to a blank mask. He scanned the busy staff hustling around and then turned to resume his duties.
Winston quickly reached Angela’s room. He raised his hand to knock, but then paused, a mischievous curiosity sparking in his mind. What are Yu-jin and Angela doing right now?
Quietly, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it. Thankfully, the door creaked open soundlessly, revealing the scene inside.
As expected, it was a familiar sight. Yu-jin was sitting on the floor, playing house with the little girl—nothing unlike what Winston had seen before. The only difference this time was that Angela was cradling a baby doll in her arms.
“Duke, the baby won’t eat properly. I’m worried. Why is she being like this?”
As she spoke, Angela brought a small toy teacup to the doll’s mouth, mimicking the act of feeding. Setting the cup down, she continued,
“She always just wants soup. Should I spank her bottom?”
Suddenly flipping the doll over, Angela lifted its skirt and pretended to spank the doll’s bottom through its little underwear. Yu-jin gently stepped in to soothe her.
“Angie, no. You shouldn’t hit her. You have to talk to her kindly.”
“If a kid doesn’t listen, you’re supposed to slap their face.”
“I said no.”
Yu-jin looked visibly flustered as he gently scolded the girl.
“Hitting someone or breaking things is a very bad thing to do. Remember? We talked about that.”
“Yeah.”
Angela nodded seriously.
“You’re not supposed to break stuff.”
“That’s right.”
Yu-jin smiled in relief, but then Angela added with a determined tone,
“Because it costs money to buy new ones.”
“That’s not the reason.”
Winston nearly burst into laughter at that and barely managed to stifle it with a hand over his mouth. Completely unaware of his reaction, Yu-jin continued, his voice stern as he addressed the child.
“That’s the same as hitting someone else. Acting out violently like that is wrong. What if you got mad and started throwing things? How do you think your friends would feel? Wouldn’t they be scared?”
Angela tilted her head, as if trying to imagine it. Yu-jin continued patiently.
“You shouldn’t scare other people, Angie. Instead of getting angry, you need to talk things through calmly. Okay?”
His gentle persuasion eventually got through, and Angela gave a slow nod. Her pouting lips showed she hadn’t fully accepted it, but at least she was trying—and that effort alone was something to praise.
“Good, Angie. Just be careful from now on.”
As he spoke, Yu-jin softly stroked her cheek. That was enough. Angela was much sharper than other children her age—she probably wouldn’t repeat that kind of behavior again. A satisfied smile crept onto his face, when suddenly—ahem—a throat cleared behind them.
Startled, both Yu-jin and Angela turned around to see Winston leaning against the doorway. Completely caught off guard, Yu-jin blinked in surprise and asked,
“Wh–When did you get here?”
“Not long ago. Just a moment.”
Winston let his answer trail off on purpose. Instantly, a flush rose to Yu-jin’s cheeks. It felt like the faint scent of his pheromones had abruptly thickened. Winston quickly shifted his gaze to Angela’s face. Thankfully, it worked. He could feel his arousal cooling down and exhaled quietly in relief.
“Angie, did you have fun?”
He kept his attention on Angela, intentionally grounding himself in the child’s presence to avoid making any mistakes in front of her. Only then did Angela sit up properly and look up at him.
“You’re home early.”
“Yeah, it’s Christmas Eve, after all.”
Winston smiled as he replied, but the response was lukewarm at best. The indifferent expressions on both Yu-jin and the child left a bitter taste in his mouth. What kind of Christmases had they been having all this time? Angela had already mentioned it once before, but seeing it firsthand made it sting even more.
“Angie, want to go see the Christmas tree?”
Trying to change the subject with a bright smile, he quickly caught Angela’s interest.
“The tree?”
“That’s right.”
Her eyes sparkled instantly with excitement, and Winston glanced at the clock on the wall. Everything should be just about ready by now.
“Shall we head down together?”
With that, Winston naturally scooped Angela into one arm. Up until that moment, Yu-jin had simply been watching with a disinterested look, as if it had nothing to do with him. But suddenly, Winston looked down at him and said,
“You’re coming too. Get up.”
“Me?”
Surprised by the unexpected words, Yu-jin asked back, and Winston replied without hesitation,
“Yeah.”
