After enjoying indoor sports throughout the winter, it seemed like a good time to go back to the mountains. As Ho Munbeom was considering whether to have the villa in the center of the mountain prepared for this weekend, a small, white face appeared in his mind.
He checked the desk calendar. As he looked at the clean calendar with no markings, the yellowish bruise on those narrow cheeks overlaid the numbers in his mind.
Yeonwoo didn’t seem like the type to pick fights, so it was likely he had been assaulted one-sidedly. If Ho Munbeom wanted to find out who did it, he could easily investigate—just as he had figured out Yeonwoo’s part-time work schedule at the mart. But he didn’t.
He only needed to know what was necessary.
If he went far beyond that line, it wouldn’t be right.
“…”
It was amusing.
Even if he hadn’t found out Yeonwoo’s mart work schedule and suggested meeting on Yeonwoo’s day off, there was little chance Yeonwoo would have rejected his proposal.
The outcome was predetermined from the start, and Ho Munbeom was easily getting what he wanted. Yeonwoo, a young omega who had just become an adult, with no proper guardian and essentially alone, was in a situation where proper thought and judgment were difficult. Making such a Yeonwoo sign a plausible contract with a huge sum of money upfront was a very typical alpha behavior.
There were quite a few alphas who acted as they pleased, thinking they were something special just because they were dominant. Among them, many thought that recessive omegas could be enjoyed casually and then discarded with appropriate compensation when they grew tired of them.
Perhaps what he was doing was of the same kind.
“…”
Along with a rapidly approaching unpleasantness, a sense of frustration filled one corner of his heart.
Ho Munbeom recalled what Yeonwoo had said. He had said it was okay. That it was fine to be like this with him, that he wouldn’t tell others.
When he tried to recall what expression Yeonwoo had when saying those words, the villa came to mind again.
Until now, whenever he met Yeonwoo, he mainly used hotels that were nearby or easily accessible. This time, maybe they could do something different. Meeting from the daytime, eating something, spending time together, and when night fell, doing something other than sex wouldn’t be bad. But what should they do? Their ages didn’t match, they probably didn’t have similar hobbies, and it didn’t seem like Yeonwoo would enjoy conversation with him in the first place…
Ho Munbeom laughed incredulously at himself for contemplating such things during work hours.
“…What am I doing?”
After mumbling this to himself, Ho Munbeom exhaled deeply.
He wanted to clear his mind and focus on work again, but a part of his mind was already filled with something else. In the end, he contacted Yeonwoo through Secretary Kang.
***
“Yeonwoo, are you alright?”
“…Yes.”
Yeonwoo’s face was pale as he answered softly. He was naturally fair-skinned, but he looked even more pallid than usual, making it clear that he wasn’t okay.
He had been fine until they departed, but his complexion visibly worsened moment by moment after entering the highway. Yeonwoo tried not to show it, but while sitting almost motionless, he occasionally hit his chest with his fist or covered his mouth with his hand. Eventually, it seemed he even vomited at the rest area they stopped at.
“I think I ate something wrong yesterday. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize for that.”
It wasn’t something Yeonwoo had done deliberately, so there was no need to apologize. Secretary Kang, who had been at a loss, offered motion sickness medicine and a bottle of water that he had hurriedly purchased. Yeonwoo thanked him with his eyes and sighed briefly.
He had received Ho Munbeom’s call on Wednesday evening. Since they had been meeting almost weekly, he wasn’t surprised by the contact as before. Rather, he felt relieved. Because the last time they met, they didn’t do anything due to his face.
He naturally expected to meet in the evening this time as well. But then he heard, “I heard you’re free on weekends. If it’s okay, shall we pick you up on Saturday morning?” Morning meant 7 AM. While Yeonwoo was confused about meeting so early, he was told he might need to stay overnight, and he reflexively answered, “Yes.”
If they were starting early in the morning and staying overnight, they were probably going somewhere far. Though finding it strange, Yeonwoo packed underwear and clothes to change into. Feeling something was missing, he searched on his phone for things needed for an overnight stay and added a toothbrush, small soap, towel, and a few basic medicines. Just in case, he also included omega suppressants and contraceptives.
Though it didn’t seem like he had packed much, his backpack was full. He considered removing a few items but ultimately decided it was better to have them than not. However, he hadn’t anticipated this variable—motion sickness.
Yeonwoo, who had never experienced motion sickness even on express buses he frequently rode, struggled to open the water bottle. Seeing his trembling hands, Secretary Kang said, “Excuse me,” and opened the cap before handing it back.
“…Thank you.”
“…”
Though he tried hard to appear fine, it must have been inadequate. Seeing Secretary Kang’s stern expression, Yeonwoo fidgeted with the water bottle, took a sip, and then took the motion sickness medicine. The taste that spread in his mouth was unfamiliar. With his lips tightly closed, Yeonwoo drank more water, and Secretary Kang, who had been watching his complexion, left his seat when he felt vibrations in his pocket. Hearing Secretary Kang answer the phone with “Yes, Executive Director,” as he walked away, Yeonwoo grew anxious.
He would surely tell Ho Munbeom that Yeonwoo wasn’t feeling well. What if Ho Munbeom told him to send Yeonwoo back?
Yeonwoo touched his cheek with his fingertips. Though the bruise had completely faded, Yeonwoo had been carefully touching his cheeks, lips, and other areas since that day. While doing so, he had been secretly waiting for Ho Munbeom to contact him.
That waiting time was perhaps the happiest part of his daily routine.
Lately, the atmosphere at the mart had become increasingly strange. Where before he could have attributed it to his mood, now more employees were overtly avoiding him. People would disperse when he appeared or cast sidelong glances as they moved away. It seemed clear that unfavorable rumors about him were spreading.
He couldn’t understand why the atmosphere had suddenly changed, but it was a frustrating situation for Yeonwoo, who didn’t have many close colleagues. Yet it was awkward to approach groups of people and ask what they were saying about him.
So Yeonwoo had decided to quit his mart job within the month.
He could endure difficult work, but dealing with people’s attitudes was different. If he wasn’t visible to them, they would stop talking about him. At first, he wondered if he was quitting because he had done something wrong, but once he made the decision, his mind actually felt more at ease.
After quitting, with more free time, he planned to visit his father more often. He felt guilty for only contacting him by phone lately.
“Yeonwoo, how are you feeling now?”
Pulled from his thoughts, Yeonwoo looked up at Secretary Kang, who had approached again.
“I, I’m okay.”
Whether it was because he was sitting on a quiet bench behind the rest area, or because of the motion sickness medicine he had taken earlier, he seemed to be feeling much better. Hoping that Secretary Kang would see him that way, Yeonwoo looked up as the secretary, holding a phone to his ear, answered, “Yes, Executive Director, yes, yes,” and ended the call.
“Then, can you get in the car? We have about 30 minutes more to go. This time, I’ll lower the window a bit. Would that help?”
“Yes, I think that will be fine.”
As he answered, Yeonwoo stood up first.
Bowing his head to Secretary Kang, who opened the back door for him, Yeonwoo carefully got in. Confirming that the door closed silently, he patted his bag placed beside him.
Secretary Kang, now in the driver’s seat, said while fastening his seatbelt:
“If you start feeling worse, please let me know.”
“Yes.”
After answering, Yeonwoo took a deep breath.
He didn’t know why he suddenly got motion sickness, but since he had taken medicine, he should be fine. Before departing, Yeonwoo confirmed that the window was lowered and fastened his seatbelt.
Ultimately, the motion sickness didn’t subside. Though it wasn’t severe, his constantly churning stomach forced Yeonwoo to desperately pretend he was fine. But since this couldn’t be resolved by hiding it, Secretary Kang turned around several times to check on him.
Though he knew the secretary was concerned about him, Yeonwoo pretended not to notice and kept his gaze out the window. It was still early March, so the wind was cold. Despite the heater running, Yeonwoo hunched his shoulders against the chill that penetrated through his coat and closed his eyes completely. He thought that perhaps he would feel better if he fell asleep. Worrying about whether he could fall asleep, Yeonwoo managed to do so more quickly than expected.
During his brief sleep, he experienced sleep paralysis. Something invisible was heavily pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. Feeling that something would go wrong if he stayed like this, Yeonwoo desperately tried to wake up, but it wasn’t easy.
Yeonwoo took deep breaths. As he did so several times, a cool hand swept across his forehead.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
