Until an answer came, the only sound between them was the rain. To Yu-jin, those few seconds of silence felt like torture. The anguish and guilt from that time resurfaced, making him want to cry. Just when he felt like he couldn’t hold it in any longer, Winston finally spoke.
“It was nothing more than the price of foolishness.”
That was all.
No, that wasn’t true—Yu-jin wanted to say it, but his lips wouldn’t move.
“Winston, I…”
He barely managed to let out a sound, but he couldn’t continue. Winston’s gaze bore into him like a weight pressing down on his tongue, rendering him speechless.
“…No matter what I say, you won’t believe me, will you?”
Yu-jin, his shoulders slumped, asked in a powerless voice. Winston let out a dry chuckle. His brows furrowed as he openly ridiculed Yu-jin, the smirk on his lips twisting with derision.
“Baby, I saw it with my own eyes.”
Seeing it with your own eyes doesn’t make it the truth.
Yu-jin wanted to argue, but he gave up. Between him and Winston, there was an enormous, impenetrable wall. Winston would never believe him. Because, as he said, he had seen it with his own eyes.
“…Alright.”
That was all Yu-jin could say.
“You’ve taken your medicine now, so you’re fine, right? Then I’ll be going. Get some rest.”
Speaking in a mechanical, detached tone, Winston turned to leave. But then, as if remembering something, he halted.
“Angie’s fine. She had some soup and went back to sleep. She was grateful you came to check on her.”
He only stated the facts, but Winston didn’t accept them so easily.
“Even though she burst into tears the moment she saw my face from a distance?”
Yu-jin responded as neutrally as possible, suppressing his emotions.
“That was because of your scent. Angie is terrified of your pheromones. She says it feels like they’re crushing her entire body.”
The smirk vanished from Winston’s face, replaced by confusion, as if he didn’t understand what Yu-jin was saying. Of course, he wouldn’t—this was probably the first time he had ever experienced something like this. Yu-jin, anticipating the reaction, added further explanation.
“If you don’t want the child to be scared and cry every time she sees you, then just suppress your scent. Extreme Alphas can do that, right? You only release pheromones at will, after all.”
He had said everything he needed to. This time, Yu-jin finally managed to say, “Good night,” before stepping out of the room.
There was nothing more he could do. He had done everything he could. If Winston needed anything, he could call for a servant.
That’s what he told himself, yet he still found himself lingering outside the closed door for a long time, anxiously waiting—wondering if he’d hear another ominous sound from Winston’s room. But all he heard was the fading rain.
What am I even doing?
Feeling pathetic, Yu-jin returned to his own bed. But even after lying down, sleep wouldn’t come. Once awakened, his memories refused to be buried again. He could still recall it vividly—how he had clung to Winston as he lay dying…
Madam Campbell’s screams, cursing Yu-jin, rang louder in his ears than the sound of the rain.
***
Their lips, which had barely touched, parted. The two stood frozen, staring blankly at each other, unable to process what had just happened. It took them several seconds to realize—they had kissed.
“H-Hiiik!”
With a startled gasp, Winston jerked backward, while Yu-jin clapped both hands over his mouth. Their wide eyes met, both faces bathed in the light spilling from the guesthouse—both flushed a deep shade of red.
“Uh, um, so… so this is…”
Winston was the first to speak, but he couldn’t form a coherent sentence. He stammered, fumbling for words, while Yu-jin could only stare at him, his pupils darting nervously.
“…I gotta go!”
In the end, Winston chose to flee. He spun around and scrambled onto his horse, but before he could gallop off, Yu-jin finally snapped out of his daze and shouted after him.
“Winston!”
At the sound of his name, Winston instinctively pulled his horse to a stop and turned back. A few steps away, Yu-jin had started toward him but hesitated. Then, in a trembling voice, he asked,
“You… you’ll come again, right? You will, won’t you?”
His voice was laced with anxiety, even fear, as if he were terrified he might never see Winston again. That expression—so vulnerable, so desperate—was too much for Winston to bear. Without a second thought, he jumped off his horse and ran straight back to Yu-jin.
With a soft smack, he pressed their lips together again, this time more firmly, and pulled Yu-jin into a tight embrace.
“Of course, Yu-jin! I’ll come back. I swear I will!”
His voice was filled with conviction, and Yu-jin, hesitating for only a moment, slowly raised his arms and embraced Winston in return. Their hearts pounded so hard against each other that it felt like they might burst.
Cautiously, Winston tilted his head and kissed Yu-jin again. Soft, quick pecks—pressing in, pulling away, pressing in again, little wet sounds escaping between them.
A sudden urge welled up inside him—a reckless impulse to take Yu-jin and run away. He never wanted to be apart from him. He wanted them to be alone, just the two of them, somewhere far away where no one else could reach.
“Come tomorrow,” Yu-jin whispered as he reluctantly loosened his arms.
“I will,” Winston murmured, cupping Yu-jin’s cheek before leaning in for one last kiss.
Finally, he forced himself to step away and mounted his horse. Yu-jin didn’t stop him this time. Instead, he raised a hand and waved. Winston, smiling as if to reassure him, spurred his horse forward and rode off toward the main estate.
I forgot to ask him about Father…
It wasn’t until the mansion came into view that Winston realized his oversight. But at that moment, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that he had kissed Yu-jin.
And that Yu-jin was absolutely adorable.
I have to marry him.
No one could know, but after secretly stabling his horse and slipping back into his room, Winston sprawled onto his bed, lost in his own fantasies. He imagined exchanging vows with Yu-jin, slipping a ring onto his finger, sealing their promise with another kiss. The thought alone sent his heart racing.
With a blissful smile on his face, Winston drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Yu-jin appeared in Winston’s dream. His pale skin was flushed pink, and he sat on the bed, modestly covering himself with the sheets as he waited.
“Welcome, my husband.”
Yu-jin whispered shyly. As he slowly pulled down the sheet, his rosy nipples came into view. Winston felt dizzy, his vision spinning—
And then he woke up.
The next thing he realized was that his underwear was wet.
His first wet dream.
***
“A charity party?”
Startled by the news he received first thing in the morning, Yu-jin blinked in shock. The butler nodded and elaborated.
“Yes, the invitation is for both of you, so you must attend. A tailor will arrive this afternoon with outfits and accessories for you to choose from. If nothing suits your taste, another fitting can be arranged tomorrow.”
The efficient, matter-of-fact explanation left Yu-jin flustered. A party? That was the last thing he had expected. The mere thought of it made his complexion turn pale, as memories of the nightmare that was his wedding reception resurfaced.
The butler, noticing his reaction, asked with mild concern, “Is something wrong? Is there a problem?”
Yu-jin barely managed to suppress his nausea before he forced himself to speak.
“Um… is this event… absolutely necessary? What if I’m feeling unwell…?”
“You must attend.”
The butler crushed his last hope without hesitation.
Watching the despair spread across Yu-jin’s face, he added, “You can’t keep refusing such gatherings forever. It will be easier if you get used to them. Besides, if you attend this time, you might have an excuse to skip the next one.”
His last words carried a small glimmer of hope. Yu-jin hesitated before cautiously confirming, “So… since I can’t avoid them all, you’re saying that if I show my face once or twice, I might be able to use an excuse to get out of them later?”
The butler remained silent, but Yu-jin understood. Given his position, he couldn’t outright tell Yu-jin not to attend, but even this much advice was invaluable.
“Thank you, Kane.”
Yu-jin sincerely expressed his gratitude, but Kane brushed it off and smoothly changed the subject.
“Angie woke up a little while ago and has been asking for you. Would you like to have your meal in her room?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll do that.”
Hurriedly responding, Yu-jin got out of bed. But then, a thought struck him, and he hesitated before asking,
“Um… what about Winston? Is he… doing better?”
The memory of Winston’s suffering last night weighed heavily on his mind.
Kane, in the same calm and neutral tone as before, replied,
“He left for work.”
“What? What did you just say?”
Yu-jin was so shocked that he raised his voice without realizing it. His widened eyes took in the butler’s expressionless face.
“It’s a weekday, and it’s a workday for him. He left this morning.”
“…But…”
Yu-jin mumbled blankly, unable to comprehend. Kane continued speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Mr. Campbell never misses work unless he falls into a deep sleep after his rut or in other truly exceptional circumstances. He has always gone to the office, even when his condition was much worse than it is now.”
If Yu-jin hadn’t seen Winston’s state the night before, he might not have been so concerned. But the memory of Winston writhing in pain refused to leave his mind. He couldn’t accept this so easily.
“I saw him collapse in his room last night,” Yu-jin admitted reluctantly.
The butler remained silent, waiting for him to continue. After a brief hesitation, Yu-jin spoke again, carefully choosing his words.
“He could barely sit up to get into bed. I brought him his medicine and made sure he took it. That was the type of medication made for Extreme Alphas, right? Then the effects must be incredibly strong, but… he took five pills.”
“That’s a significant reduction.”
Yu-jin, who had been speaking anxiously, found himself momentarily speechless. Kane remained composed as he elaborated in his usual calm, businesslike manner.
“In the past, whenever he had an episode like yesterday’s, he would finish an entire bottle in a single day. Now, he only takes five pills. That’s a vast improvement. And he’ll continue to get better. You don’t need to worry so much.”
Then, in a flat tone, he added,
“As you know, the recovery ability of Extreme Alphas is incomparable to other classifications.”
Even so… for him to still be in this state… just how severe had it been?
It felt as though Kane was trying to reassure him, but Yu-jin’s unease only deepened.
The last time he had seen Winston five years ago, he had been using a cane. But back then, Yu-jin had assumed it was simply because he hadn’t yet fully recovered from the accident.
Yet, even now, he was still like this.
“It was nothing more than the price of foolishness.”
Winston’s words echoed in his mind.
Loving Yu-jin had cost Winston too much.
That must have been why he hated him so much. The betrayal must have felt unbearable.
“Baby, no one in this world knows better than I do just how filthy of a whore you are.”
Yu-jin stood frozen, replaying Winston’s scornful words in his head.
Those golden eyes, burning with rage, resurfaced in his mind once more.
