Chapter 60
It looks delicious; I can’t leave it alone. My lips tingle and curl up on their own. The hunger that could only be satisfied by soaking Kwon Si-yul’s flesh with semen is no longer felt.
Not knowing how to relieve this sensation rising from my toes, Woo Hyun-se tightly embraced Si-yul. He kissed his temples and cheeks, pecked his lips, and wrapped his legs around Si-yul’s limp body.
Kwon Si-yul’s eyelids twitched as Hyun-se hugged him tightly and kissed him, making their bodies sway. He struggled to open his eyes, grunting with effort, and finally managed to open them slightly. After Hyun-se rubbed away the white eye discharge with his finger, Si-yul finally revealed his clear eyes.
Hyun-se saw himself reflected in those transparent, deep brown eyes. He was smiling foolishly. Though he knew he looked stupid, it was hard to change his expression. Managing one’s expression used to be the easiest thing in the world.
“Did you sleep well?”
Kwon Si-yul blinked slowly, as if unsure whether this was a dream or reality. He rolled his eyes around, looking elsewhere before finally focusing on Woo Hyun-se. As if confirming it was really him, he raised his hand to touch Hyun-se’s stubbled chin, cheeks, and eyebrows, then smiled brightly.
At that moment, all surrounding noise vanished in an instant. Woo Hyun-se faced that smile, holding his breath. Sunlight that had secretly crept into the bed was falling only on Kwon Si-yul. That’s why only that spot was in color. Everything else was black and white, faded. Only Kwon Si-yul illuminated by the sunlight was the sole vibrant color.
Ah.
Woo Hyun-se narrowed his eyes. The sunlight was too brilliant. His eyes were dazzled, like someone who had lived in darkness their whole life and opened their eyes for the first time.
* * *
Si-yul was sick for as long as his rut period, plus some extra days. He even experienced getting an IV at the hospital. He was in terrible shape. He looked like he had been stranded in the mountains and fought a life-or-death battle with a wild boar rather than just going through a rut.
In just four and a half days, he had lost a lot of weight. His pleasantly plump cheeks had sunken, and his already loose shirt looked like it might slide off his shoulders.
Woo Hyun-se nursed Si-yul with utmost care. It was only natural, given his guilt. He provided water and food without Si-yul needing to leave the bed, and in addition to three meals a day, he frequently brought high-calorie snacks as if raising a wrestler. He even tried to carry Si-yul to the bathroom, though Si-yul strongly objected.
“Please. I can do it myself. Put me down.”
“I’ve already seen everything there is to see, why hide now?”
“Please…!”
In front of the toilet, as Hyun-se tried to lower Si-yul’s waistband, Si-yul pleaded, clutching his falling pants, begging for at least this much human dignity. Even if his bladder was about to burst, he couldn’t relieve himself in front of Woo Hyun-se.
Hyun-se protested, asking why Si-yul couldn’t do it in front of him when they’ve used public restrooms together before. Si-yul countered that at least there were stall dividers there, and he held himself. Above all, he argued that this was absolutely not something to do to an adult whose age starts with 2.
Si-yul’s face turned the color of a late autumn persimmon from embarrassment, and tears welled up in his eyes as he shouted.
After an intense debate – Si-yul couldn’t understand why this was even a topic for debate – they compromised on Hyun-se only helping with showers or baths. Even that didn’t seem to satisfy Hyun-se, who kept grumbling with a smile throughout. Even when Si-yul called him a pervert, he just shrugged, insisting it was part of nursing care.
“…Do I have to drink this again?”
Si-yul looked down at the tray Hyun-se pushed towards him with despondent eyes. As if taking revenge for the bathroom debate, the mug was filled with an espresso-colored liquid. The rising aroma was reminiscent of an herbal medicine clinic. A lemon-flavored candy was placed next to it to help with the bitter taste.
“Two packets a day.”
Woo Hyun-se’s voice was deliberately firm. He held out the cup, and Si-yul reluctantly took it with both hands. He couldn’t bring himself to drink it. The taste and smell were incomprehensible and inexplicable, whatever ingredients were used. When asked, Hyun-se just smiled mysteriously and said it was better not to know.
That made it even more frightening.
Si-yul swallowed hard, thinking of animals like turtle, eel, black goat, and carp – names often seen in big letters on health food store windows. He hoped it wasn’t dog, at the very least. If by any chance it was dog, he might throw up all the tonics he had drunk so far. While he would eat samgyetang on hot summer days, he never even set foot in restaurants that had bosintang on the menu, let alone eat it.
“What if this ruins my liver? I heard you have to be careful with herbal medicines.”
“That won’t happen. It won’t be ruined. This is proven stuff.”
“Still…”
Woo Hyun-se sat down next to the hesitating Si-yul. He gently wrapped an arm around Si-yul’s shoulders and rested his head against Si-yul’s, as if encouraging him. When he called out “Si-yul,” dropping the surname, Si-yul’s heart fluttered briefly. However, his face quickly turned pale at Hyun-se’s next words.
“You shouldn’t collapse during the next rut.”
Si-yul squeezed his eyes shut and gulped down the herbal medicine. If it could help him endure the next rut, what did the bitter taste matter? But the medicine, more bitter than bile, made his eyes and nose scrunch up. Still, he emptied the cup completely. Si-yul gagged and covered his mouth as the strong herbal scent rose even when he held his breath.
“Well done.”
Woo Hyun-se peppered Si-yul’s cheek with kisses and unwrapped the candy, placing it directly in Si-yul’s mouth. The sweet and sour lemon flavor chased away the taste of the medicine. Only then did Si-yul take a breath.
Thanks to days of tonics, nourishing foods, and milky vitamin injections, Si-yul regained the weight he had lost. He even seemed healthier than before. Color returned to his cheeks, which still retained some baby fat, and his previously loose clothes fit well again.
“But is it really okay for me not to go to work?”
Si-yul had been virtually confined to Woo Hyun-se’s house for days. Worried about the store, he had called, but Manager Kang said she had heard from Woo Hyun-se and told him to rest until he was better. Si-yul had a chill down his spine, wondering if Manager Kang knew he had been Woo Hyun-se’s rut partner, but fortunately, she believed he had caught a severe strain of the flu that was going around.
“Yeah. I told you I took care of it.”
“It pricks my conscience to receive a salary while playing around like this. Please deduct the days I didn’t work from my pay.”
“Why are you so honest when you’re being given something? Just take it all. I’ll give you everything.”
“What? No, no. I’d feel bad towards the manager too…”
As Si-yul crunched on the now-smaller candy, Woo Hyun-se stopped him, saying it would ruin his teeth. Si-yul ceased his attempt to grind it and instead sucked on the sweet liquid, puffing out his cheeks.
“Being honest is supposed to be rewarded. It’s not enough to just get the iron axe, you should get the gold and silver ones too.”
He stroked Si-yul’s hair and kissed him again. Though Si-yul was used to this after days of being nursed, it felt distinctly different from before. Everything had become heated. The kisses were more frequent, and the time Woo Hyun-se spent holding Si-yul had greatly increased.
He would bury his nose in Si-yul’s nape to inhale his scent, and even while sleeping, he would fumble around the bed searching for Si-yul. When his fingers found Si-yul, he would either cling to his back or pull him into his arms while tossing and turning.
Looking up, Woo Hyun-se smiled brightly as if to ask, “What’s wrong?” His smiles had increased too. Though he always smiled, since the rut, his smiles had deepened. His usual smile used to seem like another name for a blank expression, but not anymore. There were subtle differences in the corners of his eyes and mouth.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
His voice was as sweet as candy. Si-yul fiddled with the candy wrapper, twisting his fingers.
“No. It’s just… you seem to be smiling a lot more these days.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, CEO.”
Woo Hyun-se touched his mouth as if he hadn’t realized it himself. He touched the upturned corners of his lips and let out a soft chuckle. That too was a smile.
Not only his smile but his scent had changed as well. It was mixed with a sweet spring-like scent, as if new buds had sprouted in a snow-covered forest. Breathing it in felt like stepping into a forest where leaves were just beginning to unfurl. While his original cool scent was nice, this new fragrance had the power to melt one’s heart.
“Why do you keep smiling? I mean, I’m not trying to pick a fight, I’m just curious.”
“This is my normal expression.”
“It’s a bit different. Usually, you just smile briefly, but lately it’s more…”
“More what?”
Si-yul wanted to explain but couldn’t find the right words. He struggled, wracking his brain, but nothing came out. He regretted all those times he had slept through Korean language classes. If he had at least read the textbooks carefully, his vocabulary wouldn’t be this poor.
“I don’t know. It’s just different.”
Woo Hyun-se looked at himself in the mirror by the bed, touching his face. However, unable to find any difference from before, he pursed his lips slightly.
“Because the rut is over?”
“Ah,” Si-yul nodded. That was a plausible reason. Kwon Yuwon would also celebrate the end of his heat by downing a lot of beer, saying he had finally escaped that fucking period.
“Thanks to Kwon Si-yul sacrificing himself.”
Woo Hyun-se whispered, pressing his lips to Si-yul’s neck and wrapping his arms around his waist. This time, Si-yul shrugged his shoulders and giggled.
Perhaps the best thing about manifesting, maybe the only good thing, was this. If he had been a beta, he wouldn’t have known Woo Hyun-se’s scent, nor would he have been able to tell what he was feeling without words. He would have also helplessly watched the rut from afar.
What some called a fucking manifestation wasn’t so terrible for Si-yul. It was all thanks to Woo Hyun-se. Si-yul smiled brightly and gently rested his head on Woo Hyun-se’s shoulder. The scent, now more like spring than winter, softly settled over his head.
