“It’s not calming down at all. I need to know what drugs they used there to take proper measures.”
“…”
“It may seem calmed now because of the sedative, but he’s just asleep from exhaustion. Even while sleeping, his body is still struggling through the heat. As you know, whether it’s heat or rut, if it doesn’t subside and continues for a long time, it’s physically very draining. If his pheromones don’t calm down at this rate, we’ll need to move him to a hospital.”
That would be the only way for him to receive proper treatment.
Munbeom was staring at the test device with a hardened face, seemingly not listening properly to the explanation. But that wouldn’t provide any solutions. Feeling frustrated, Hwayoung roughly brushed her hair back.
When she was called to come check on someone who suddenly went into a heat cycle, she first had doubts. At that time, she thought Munbeom’s rut was around this time too, so she wondered why he couldn’t handle it himself. After all, sex with an alpha was the most effective calming agent for an omega’s heat.
But when she arrived, the situation was quite serious.
Yeonwoo burning with fever, Munbeom beside him with an extremely grave face, and Secretary Kang fidgeting anxiously throughout the journey to bring her. Though curious about the situation, there was no time to ask questions. Thinking she should help the suffering person first, Hwayoung immediately went into action.
And within about 10 minutes of starting to check Yeonwoo’s condition, she realized the situation was not normal. First, something suspected to be an illegal drug was detected in Yeonwoo’s blood, and perhaps because of that, none of the usual medical treatments were working.
The best they could do for now was administer a sedative and hook him up to an IV to prevent exhaustion.
“I don’t think so, but I’m asking just in case… this isn’t something you did, is it?”
Finally taking his eyes off the test device, Munbeom looked at Hwayoung and spoke in a subdued voice.
“No, it’s not.”
“I thought so. I believe you. But I needed to be sure…”
At that moment, Secretary Kang, who had been in the living room the whole time, approached cautiously.
“Executive Director, they say suspicious medical supplies were found at the scene.”
Those would likely be the illegal drugs administered to Yeonwoo.
Munbeom handed the test device to Hwayoung.
“Take the drugs, check them, and let me know what you find.”
“Understood. How should I receive them?”
“You and Secretary Kang should move together, and once you get any results, take the next steps.”
Secretary Kang nodded at Munbeom’s instructions.
“Yes, understood. Then, first, I’ll escort the doctor to the hospital…”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll go ahead and prepare the lab, so once you collect those damn drugs, just have the secretary bring them to me.”
Refusing to move together, Hwayoung looked at Munbeom.
“For now, it seems better for Secretary Kang to be by your side rather than mine, don’t you think?”
“…”
Hwayoung stared at Munbeom, who didn’t particularly refute her words, then opened her mouth with, “By the way…”
“Is our Executive Director Ho Munbeom okay?”
“I’m fine.”
The answer that came out as if he’d been waiting for it didn’t particularly inspire confidence. Moreover, there was one more concerning point now.
Alphas and omegas often feel a strong attraction to each other’s pheromones, especially during heat or rut. Judging by Yeonwoo’s condition, the room would be filled with his pheromones right now. With these levels, it didn’t seem like Munbeom, exposed to a dominant omega’s heat pheromones, would be okay.
Despite her concerned look, there was no change in Munbeom’s expression. Sighing at his appearance that genuinely seemed “fine,” Hwayoung withdrew first.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
After Hwayoung left, Munbeom leaned against the wall.
Showing slight fatigue, he looked at Secretary Kang. As soon as their eyes met, Kang flinched, straightened his posture, and swallowed dryly. Then, he reported what he couldn’t say earlier when Hwayoung was present.
“Executive Director, there’s additional information from there. Would you like to hear it?”
“…”
“There” would refer to the handling of those who remained where Yeonwoo was found. As much as he wanted to dispose of everything there without exception, he couldn’t. Even if he did, some procedure was necessary first. Of course, Munbeom’s plan was to ensure they would never see the light of day again, regardless of what procedure they went through.
“I’ll keep it brief. Regarding the loan shark, it seems we can resolve it by contacting someone slightly higher up than them. And Lee Jonghoon, Yeonwoo’s father, who was at the scene…”
Secretary Kang hunched his shoulders as if he had done something wrong under the piercing gaze on his face.
“…seems to have seen you with Yeonwoo. He suddenly started looking for Yeonwoo, acting like the most pitiful father in the world, so we administered a sedative and moved him home. We attached a few people to monitor him in case of any situation. And regarding the drugs, we’re questioning the loan shark, so we should get an answer soon. Of course, we’ll need to investigate the exact components, but it would be good to know roughly what effects they have.”
This was all Secretary Kang had to say. He knew that saying more would just be meddling, but something had been bothering him all along, so he cautiously asked.
“…But will Yeonwoo be okay?”
There was no answer to the question.
Seeing Munbeom’s face visibly hardening, he bit his lower lip, thinking he’d said something unnecessary again. Just then, the screen of the phone in his hand lit up, and with a “Excuse me,” he immediately answered. After responding with “Yes, yes” a couple of times, Secretary Kang’s face hardened, and he glanced at Munbeom. In response, Munbeom extended his hand without a second thought.
Secretary Kang promptly handed over the phone he was holding, and Munbeom calmly instructed the caller to explain everything again from the beginning, step by step. And the longer the words from the other end became, the more Munbeom’s expression hardened.
When Yeonwoo opened his eyes, he tried to raise his hand to his blurry vision but stopped.
His body didn’t move an inch, as if it had turned to stone. Moreover, as his consciousness became clearer, his senses became more sensitive, causing him to unconsciously claw at his chest. Even doing that didn’t cool the heat, and Yeonwoo tried to curl up smaller but stopped.
Where was this?
Was he still in that place?
“…”
Yeonwoo extended his trembling hand outside the bed. After fumbling in the air, he put strength into his body and moved forward. Lying on the edge of the bed, Yeonwoo rolled off and fell down.
Without even feeling the dull pain, he tried to get up, but for some reason, his body moved even less than before. Becoming frightened, Yeonwoo gathered his hands to his chest and, with eyes wide open, looked around. Just then, as the door opened, someone quickly approached him. Startled, Yeonwoo trembled as if having a seizure.
No one should touch him.
To prevent anyone from touching his body, Yeonwoo painfully moved his immobile hands. Even though it was just uselessly waving, Yeonwoo was desperate. He tried desperately to protect himself. At that moment, a familiar yet overwhelming pheromone enveloped Yeonwoo’s entire body.
The eyes of Yeonwoo, who had curled up into a ball, wavered greatly.
Before he could even be surprised, the pheromones continued to pour over him, causing labored gasps to escape through his slightly parted lips. What is it? What is it? Unlike his confused mind, Yeonwoo turned his head to identify the owner of this familiar pheromone.
And he looked at Munbeom, who was kneeling on one knee beside him.
“Yeonwoo.”
“…”
As soon as their eyes met, goosebumps rose all over his body at the quiet voice calling him. Taking a deep breath in and out, Yeonwoo met the gaze of the alpha looking down at him, then averted his eyes to the side. But soon, his eyes moved back, seeking Munbeom, filled with desperation and confusion. Reading the hesitation and uncertainty, Munbeom placed his hand on Yeonwoo’s thin back.
It was just a touch, but Munbeom patted the back that flinched as if greatly surprised, and said:
“I know it’s very difficult right now. So…”
Trailing off, Munbeom closed his mouth.
Yeonwoo couldn’t take his eyes off Munbeom, off his lips. When Yeonwoo, who had been staring blankly while holding his breath, blinked, the tears that had formed made stains on the floor. With tears continuing to flow and his gasping breaths, Munbeom pressed his hand on Yeonwoo’s back. With his other hand, he carefully lifted Yeonwoo by the shoulder.
Yeonwoo’s face, sitting on the floor with his back against the bed, was now flushed red.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
