“I think that’s enough for today, so I’ll be heading home now!”
Cheon Tae-seong didn’t respond. He just stared at Ha-jin.
His gaze kept drifting toward the slow movement of Tae-seong’s large hand—and Ha-jin, unable to bear it, squeezed his eyes shut.
He’s the one who got hard, he’s the one touching himself… so why am I the one embarrassed?
Face burning with the urge to explode, Ha-jin clutched his bag in a fluster. He gave a quick bow, blurted a rushed goodbye, and turned to hurry out of the living room—only to hear Tae-seong’s amused voice behind him.
“Go to bed early, Ha-jin. Don’t be late tomorrow morning.”
Without turning back, Ha-jin gave a slight nod. If he dared look behind him, he knew he’d end up seeing that fully exposed cock.
He not only turned his back but even half-closed his eyes as he left the apartment, all while thinking—Cheon Tae-seong had gotten weird.
He gave a full-body shake, trying to dislodge the image of that long, thick outline from his brain.
But the heavy, overwhelming scent Tae-seong had left behind clung to Ha-jin’s body like a vivid afterimage—and refused to fade.
***
“…Why’d you bring so much stuff?”
Yushin, his younger brother, clicked his tongue as he took the bags from Ha-jin, who had just come home. Both bags were stuffed to the brim, leaving red marks on his palms.
“Huh? Just, y’know… wanted to have some meat.”
“Meat? At this hour?”
“Yeah. The butcher said he got a good batch of skirt steak in and lured me in.”
“You could’ve called.”
“It’s close. No reason for both of us to go through the trouble.”
The neighborhood mart, which shared a building with the butcher shop, was a five-minute walk for Yushin—and all uphill on the way home. If they hadn’t bumped into each other while taking out the trash, Ha-jin would’ve ended up hauling everything himself.
“Well, it was a hassle. How much meat did you even buy?”
“Only 1.2 kg.”
“That’s a lot. Who’s gonna eat all that?”
“You, obviously.”
The two brothers, in perfect sync, walked down three steps and opened the door.
Even though it was a semi-basement unit, it got decent sunlight, had two rooms, and most importantly—it was a jeonse rental in the impossibly expensive city of Seoul.
For Lee Ha-jin, this modest little home shared with his brother was the greatest achievement of his life.
“Let’s eat. Your big bro got paid today.”
Unlike Ha-jin, Yushin was born a dominant Omega. But after witnessing their father’s death as a child, his pheromone system became severely disrupted.
If not for that trauma, he could’ve lived a normal life.
The reason they couldn’t stop his expensive treatments wasn’t just because of his rare traits—without the medication, he couldn’t even function in everyday life. That’s how serious it was.
“Hurry up and shower. I’ll get everything ready.”
Feeling constantly indebted to the brother who shouldered all his medical bills and living expenses, Yushin moved quickly around the house.
He nudged Ha-jin toward the bathroom, laid out the table, washed vegetables, and set the plates. By the time he fired up the portable burner and started grilling the meat, Ha-jin stepped out of the shower.
“You said you got paid? But today was your first day with the new client, wasn’t it?”
“Not sure if it was a salary or a bonus, but yeah—some unexpected cash.”
Ha-jin shrugged and reached for a barely cooked piece of pork, but Yushin snatched up a perfectly grilled piece of skirt steak with the tongs and popped it into his brother’s mouth.
“Hot, hot… but damn, that’s good.”
“Eat up. Grandma sent over some kimchi, too.”
“For real? It came by delivery?”
Still chewing, Ha-jin dropped to his knees and dragged over his bag. He pulled out his phone and, in exactly five seconds, transferred money to Grandma’s account.
“What’s with that look? I have money, you know.”
“She’s not gonna touch it. You know she never does.”
“I know. She’s saving it. Grandma Savings.”
It was always like this. Yushin couldn’t argue. Each hospital visit piled on more debt with all the tests and treatments, and yet Ha-jin brushed it off as a long-term investment—insisting he was raising his little brother as a hobby.
“Speaking of money… I got a call from the doctor today. The test results came back.”
“Yeah? What’d they say?”
“Still the same. Still bad. The new meds aren’t working, and there’s no sign of improvement. So, I’ve been thinking… I’m just gonna get the gland removal surgery.”
“What?”
Ha-jin’s eyes flew wide open. His whole face tensed.
“No way. Don’t say that kind of crap. Just eat your food.”
To shut him up, he wrapped a massive lettuce wrap and shoved it into Yushin’s mouth.
If only he could say it—“Just hang in a little longer, and a new drug’s gonna come out that can cure you completely.”
In his past life, right around this time, a new drug had been released that could fully repair Yushin’s broken pheromone glands. It cost a fortune, sure, but it had fit his body like it was custom-made—and the two of them had cried tears of joy.
The surgery and the new meds had cost so much that Ha-jin had resorted to taking that 500 million won job. It led to his death, but it also gave his brother a second chance.
He could understand why Yushin might want to cut out his glands and live like a scentless Beta.
Ha-jin, who had no scent and didn’t even go into heat, was often dismissed as a “half-baked Omega.” But even so, compared to Yushin—who couldn’t even leave the house when his heat couldn’t be controlled—Ha-jin had it better.
But if they could just hold on a little longer, there would be a cure. Giving up now would make everything they’d endured so far meaningless.
Besides, even doctors warned against pheromone gland removal surgery. The lifelong side effects were severe.
How could he, as a brother, watch his one and only sibling go through that kind of life?
In this life, Ha-jin’s goal was simple: to see Yushin healed, healthy, and living freely—doing everything he wanted.
“If you say one more depressing thing, I swear I’ll lose it.”
“Hyung…”
“I mean it, Yushin. I’m warning you—if you go behind my back and get that surgery, I swear… if you die, I’ll die too. Got it?”
“…Got it.”
Ha-jin’s tone had been so serious that Yushin flushed with embarrassment. He sat in silence, poking at grains of rice.
Ha-jin’s heart softened at the sight—but when it came to the surgery, his anger flared too easily.
Yushin was only twenty. Every time he said he wanted to give up, it shattered Ha-jin’s heart.
“I’m really okay, you know. This new client? He seems like a decent person. He even paid a lot.”
“I saw you sighing and tossing in bed last night. Don’t lie to me.”
“That’s… you misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood what?”
With his cheeks stuffed full from another lettuce wrap, Ha-jin glanced at Yushin. That relentless stare—he wasn’t going to let it go without an answer.
Ha-jin chewed and swallowed, cracked open a beer, and took a long swig.
“There’s someone I’ve been avoiding. But he insisted on meeting me.”
“Why were you avoiding him?”
“…I messed up. It was a misunderstanding, but I was the one who started it.”
“So is he trying to meet you so you’ll apologize?”
“Mm… I don’t think that’s it.”
“Then shouldn’t you meet and talk it out? If it’s a misunderstanding.”
Now that he’d seen Cheon Tae-seong again, it just felt like fate had brought them back together.
Maybe it was time to stop worrying about it so much.
Ha-jin let out a long sigh through his nose.
“Anyway! I heard from a solid source that new medications are in the pipeline. So hang in there just a little longer.”
“You mean hang in there while going broke.”
“Ugh, it’s fine, I said!”
“Okay, okay. Sorry. I won’t bring it up again.”
As a peace offering, Yushin stacked five pieces of well-grilled pork on Ha-jin’s bowl like a meat pagoda.
Ha-jin scowled but couldn’t resist the temptation and started shoveling food into his mouth.
Just then, a message notification buzzed from the phone on the floor.
[Unknown Sender]
I forgot to give you the access card. I’ll attach a photo—just show it at the front desk tomorrow morning to come up.
Ha-jin’s eyes widened. He saved the number without hesitation. The attached photo was the same access badge he’d worn like a second skin in his past life.
The sender had to be Cheon Tae-seong. Which meant this was likely his personal number.
But… why the formal tone?
Someone else must’ve sent the message for him. The guy had spoken casually the whole time—suddenly using honorifics didn’t suit him at all.
Then again, maybe it would be scarier if someone like Tae-seong suddenly got all polite.
Ha-jin let out a soft laugh at the silly thought and started typing a reply—only for Yushin to butt in.
“What’s that? Who is it? Is it the guy you’re dating?”
“What? No! What dating?”
“Then why are you smiling like that?”
“When did I smile?”
Ha-jin narrowed his eyes, and Yushin bit his lip.
There had been something in his expression while typing the message… but it vanished quickly.
[I’ll see you Monday morning.]
Ha-jin debated whether to write “tomorrow” or “Monday.”
He ended up choosing “Monday”—and locked his phone.
