Shit… I seriously thought I was gonna die.
When blood was gushing from his head, the entire world had started spinning. If Kim Dae-hong hadn’t shown up just then… he didn’t even want to imagine what might’ve happened.
Why did I do that? It would’ve been better to just dislocate his arm or something. The moment their lips met, all rational thought flew out the window. Everything he’d learned about self-defense completely evaporated.
“Get the hell out of here before the CEO sees you.”
The cold dismissal dropped like a hammer from above. Ha-jin couldn’t say a single word in response and turned to leave. As he awkwardly rubbed his stinging cheek and reached for the door handle—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Cheon Tae-seong’s voice, now awake, yanked Ha-jin back like a hook at the nape of his neck.
Ha-jin turned to look at him, face going slack in relief—but quickly composed his expression. He couldn’t let that show too much.
Song Jae-hyun, visibly pleased, pulled open Tae-seong’s eyelids and shone a penlight into them. Even though Tae-seong irritably swatted his hand away, the doctor just laughed, saying that was a good sign.
With a deep sigh, Tae-seong pushed himself up. Kim Dae-hong rushed over to adjust the bed so he could sit upright.
As Tae-seong straightened his back, he cracked his neck left and right, the sound audible and violent. Still, judging by the quiet curses and how his hand drifted to the back of his head, he was feeling the pain.
“Hey, hey—don’t touch that. You got ten stitches. Don’t mess with it, and make sure it stays dry.”
Song Jae-hyun intervened urgently, and only then did Tae-seong finally look away from Ha-jin.
His gaze swept over the hospital bed, the IV in his arm, and the patient gown he was wearing. His face twisted into a grimace, then he pointed straight at Ha-jin.
“Dae-hong.”
“Y-Yes, sir?”
“What the hell is that supposed to be?”
Kim Dae-hong hesitated, unsure how to answer. Ha-jin, still holding his cheek, was equally at a loss.
“Go get clothes.”
“You’re not fully recovered yet. You need to stay here. And the Chairman’s on his way, too. There’s no way you can be discharged now.”
“Did I ask you to bring my clothes?”
Tae-seong’s voice carried a thin layer of irritation, prompting Kim Dae-hong to glare back, undeterred.
“Do you really not remember who did this to your head? Is your memory fuzzy?”
“You want me to punish you that bad?”
“You should be dragging him to the police, not asking for a wardrobe change.”
“I-I’m fine!”
Ha-jin jumped in, his face completely drained of color. He was already mentally rehearsing what to say if things escalated into breach-of-contract or penalty discussions. At this point, even a sympathetic look earned by his ragged outfit would be better than that.
But it was as if Tae-seong had read his mind—his expression turned glacial.
“Lee Ha-jin, shut your mouth.”
Ha-jin flinched as Tae-seong clutched his forehead. He instinctively bit his lip.
The first blow had torn his scalp when he struck him with the metal stand. The second came when Tae-seong collapsed and Ha-jin’s head smacked against the bathroom wall trying to catch him.
He’d only realized how serious it was when he saw the bloodstains on the wall while Kim Dae-hong was tending to the fallen man.
“Everyone out.”
“……”
“Lee Ha-jin, you stay.”
Tae-seong dismissed the rest, leaving only Ha-jin behind. Once the VIP room fell silent, even the hum of the humidifier sounded loud.
Ha-jin glanced wistfully at the closed door, then turned back to face Tae-seong.
“So, you were planning to clock out as soon as I collapsed?”
Tae-seong looked like he was testing him—waiting to hear what kind of answer he’d give.
“…No, sir.”
“Then what? Run off home, terminate your contract with Kwak Mari—or was it ‘Kkam Mari’?—then do the math on how much penalty you’d owe? Maybe see if there’s a way to reduce it?”
“Never. I swear—on my brother. I can understand why you’d think that, but I swear you’ve got the wrong idea.”
“Oh? So it makes sense to you, huh?”
Ha-jin felt a twinge of injustice. It wasn’t just because the kiss had started it all—this time, he really hadn’t been trying to bolt. He’d just planned to buy a change of clothes and quietly get dressed.
Talk of terminating the contract? Penalties? Hell no.
“From now on, you’re an exception.”
“Sir?”
“When I tell people to leave, you’re always the exception. Got it?”
His tone was still sharp, but Ha-jin nodded without resistance.
He was just so relieved Tae-seong was okay. Ha-jin let out a discreet sigh of relief, feeling the tension in his shoulders finally ease.
Tae-seong’s already pale face had looked ghostly white earlier, and his tightly shut eyes made it feel like his own blood had drained out, too.
“I’m not okay at all.”
Tae-seong spoke like he’d read his mind. Ha-jin quietly stepped closer to the bed, as instructed.
“…Does it hurt a lot?”
Tae-seong didn’t respond or even glance at him. His eyes stared off into the distance, brows furrowed, still clutching his forehead.
Ha-jin’s own forehead was starting to heat up just from trying to guess what he was thinking.
If Tae-seong immediately brought up dissolving the contract, Ha-jin planned to counter with the kiss and negotiate the penalty down as much as possible.
But truthfully, he just hoped Tae-seong wouldn’t do anything drastic.
He really did want to keep this job—with its generous pay—just as Kwak Mari had said. If only to get through the rough patches ahead before a new drug could help his younger brother.
And honestly, it felt gross to confront someone still in a hospital gown about kisses and blame. He wanted to wait until Tae-seong was fully recovered, in a good mood, with the stitches removed and his shaved hair grown back, before calmly discussing the contract like adults.
Right now, he just wanted to talk about who was responsible for the injuries.
Though, if he were being honest, he did hope they could split the cost of this absurdly expensive hospital room—probably ten million won per night.
And first of all, he needed to figure out what the hell was going on with his own body.
Tae-seong really was acting strange during his rut…
He’d never lost control like that before. Even if it was the fever messing with his head, that kiss… it felt like he saw Ha-jin as a real Omega.
Like an Alpha who’d gone feral in response to a perfect pheromone match…
At that moment, Ha-jin had felt an odd, hot itch that wouldn’t go away. Was this what it felt like when your body responded instinctively to the perfect pheromone pair, surrendering to the heat of a rut?
No. No way. That’s too much. I’m overthinking this.
Ha-jin calmed himself and carefully began to speak.
“What happened was extreme, I admit it. I was shocked too. Swinging the stand at you… that was definitely too far. I’ll take full responsibility for your injuries. Though I didn’t anticipate this hospital room being part of that cost, I’ll still—do my best to cover—”
“Hey.”
“…Yes?”
“…Haaah.”
Tae-seong cut him off with a long exhale. Despite being on suppressants during his hospitalization, his pheromones still hung thick in the air.
Which made sense—he was a dominant Alpha, and the meds rarely worked well on them.
He rubbed his temples, and Ha-jin flinched, afraid he might touch the injured spot.
“Say it. Whatever you need to say, sir.”
He felt like a lamb awaiting judgment, anxiously watching for a verdict.
Tae-seong finally looked up and met his eyes. His brows furrowed, his eyes narrowing with a complex expression.
Ha-jin’s mouth went dry—he had no idea what Tae-seong was about to say.
Then, suddenly, Tae-seong reached out and grabbed the front of Ha-jin’s shirt. His grip was tight enough that blood began to backflow into the IV line in his hand.
“Ugh—!”
Caught off guard, Ha-jin stumbled forward, instinctively bracing himself on Tae-seong’s body. The man no longer burned with fever, but Ha-jin could still feel his pheromones seeping into his palms.
Their faces were close enough that Ha-jin could feel his breath. Tae-seong’s eyes bored into him.
“Ha-jin. Don’t you have something to say to me?”
A pointed question—he clearly wanted to hear something. Looking back, Ha-jin had apologized to everyone except the person it actually concerned. Feeling awkward, he lowered his gaze.
“…I’m sorry.”
At the apology, Tae-seong let out a deep, amused chuckle. Then he reached up and rubbed Ha-jin’s lips. His rough thumb pulled down on Ha-jin’s lower lip and slipped between his teeth. When it pressed against his bottom teeth, Ha-jin reflexively jerked away in shock—it felt like his jaw might dislocate.
“Damn right you’re sorry. You kissed a sleeping man and tried to play dumb?”
Ha-jin’s eyes went wide.
“Sir—!”
He quickly grabbed Tae-seong’s wrist with both hands.
“That was you! When did I ever—?!”
“Exactly. You know it.”
Tae-seong grinned, teeth showing.
“Then why didn’t you say anything? Wanted to pretend it never happened? Even offered to pay for the whole room?”
“That’s not it… I just needed time to process.”
“What, to plan your con? Work out the best way to stab me in the back?”
“A con?! What the hell—”
It was insane. He’d been panicking, worried the whole thing might be seen as attempted murder. Now this guy was turning it around like he was the victim?
Who the hell pinned me down and kissed me first, huh?
Ha-jin’s face burned. He clenched Tae-seong’s wrist harder, and the man’s gaze followed the movement.
“Well, well.”
“I panicked. That kind of thing isn’t easy for me to talk about. Maybe it is for you, but…”
For him, it wasn’t something he could just brush off. Maybe Tae-seong saw it as nothing—a minor accident. But it had been Ha-jin’s first time. Having someone rub their lips on yours… having a tongue shoved into your mouth… If that doesn’t shock you, what the hell would?
