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Although the crowd was quite large and it felt a bit tiring, Junghyun enjoyed himself. Wondering when he’d be able to come here again with Seunghyeok, he was reluctant to leave, his feet not wanting to move. As if seeing through Junghyun’s heart, Seunghyeok asked if he liked it that much, and Junghyun quickly nodded his head.
“Then let’s come together again next time.”
“Really?”
Junghyun’s mouth fell open at the positive words.
“It doesn’t take long by car from home and it’s not a difficult thing to do. Do you like it that much?”
“Ah, yes. You must be busy, hyung, but you’re deliberately making time for me.”
Junghyun answered without hesitation. He was very grateful that Seunghyeok was showing sincerity by personally allocating his time, not just giving money and telling him to buy what he wants. That’s not something to be taken for granted. Nothing should be taken for granted. And Junghyun knew that fact.
Even just today, he was so thankful, but Seunghyeok mentioned next time. He couldn’t contain his excited feelings.
This time, Junghyun grabbed Seunghyeok’s hand. Long fingers enveloped Junghyun’s hand.
As Junghyun looked around various bakeries and dessert shops with Seunghyeok, what he chose was a donut shop with a smiley face drawn on it. Although it said donuts, what caught Junghyun’s attention were the various cakes.
The cake with colorful crushed almonds and the cake with a smiley face drawn on it were so cute. The donuts also looked so delicious that it was hard to choose just one.
Whether it was okay to buy cake at a donut shop was also one of his concerns.
“I can’t choose well…”
“Yes. The donuts look delicious, but the cakes look delicious too. Which one do you like, hyung?”
He asked, covering his mouth with his hand while keeping his gaze fixed on the display case, but there was no answer from Seunghyeok. When he raised his head, he saw Seunghyeok standing in front of the employee taking the order.
“One of each of the displayed items-“
“Wai-, wait a minute…!”
Junghyun, who heard what he was ordering, startled and grabbed Seunghyeok’s arm. Instead of Seunghyeok, who looked back with a puzzled expression, Junghyun ordered two donuts with whipped cream.
Seunghyeok, who heard the order, asked.
“Didn’t you want to eat the cake too?”
“Ah, no. That’s fine.”
“If you’re being polite, you don’t have to. Add to the order. Those cakes over there-“
Junghyun grabbed Seunghyeok’s collar again. In the end, Junghyun had to compromise by additionally ordering one yellow smiley cake.
Junghyun had to try hard to walk without shaking the shopping bag containing the cake too much. Junghyun, who glanced at Seunghyeok, who said to buy everything he wanted to eat without holding back, slightly slumped his shoulders.
“I can’t eat that much at once… And it’s not good for your body to eat that many sweets.”
The sound of Seunghyeok’s laughter was heard faintly. When he turned his head to look, he spoke with a face that didn’t erase his smile.
“I see. You’re right, that’s true.”
Considering that he was fully satisfied with just one slice of cake, it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to eat a whole cake at once, no matter how small. It would be such a waste to throw away the cute cake he had carefully chosen.
“Let’s eat this together when we get home.”
Seunghyeok didn’t answer right away and stared at Junghyun. He had a gentle smile on his face as if something pleasant had happened. Although he didn’t know the reason, Junghyun smiled back at him, enjoying his smiling face. Seunghyeok, who had stopped for a moment to look at Junghyun, answered, “Shall we?” and soon started walking.
* * *
When Junghyun woke up in the morning, his body felt strangely languid.
Was it the aftermath of being tired from going to a crowded place yesterday? He felt like he had a fever. Sighing lightly, he got out of bed and stepped on the floor. His body, freed from the blanket, was exposed defenseless to the cold air and shivered slightly.
Was it a problem that he was too excited yesterday?
Junghyun went to the living room. He ran into Seunghyeok, who had just finished getting ready, and he hesitated upon seeing Junghyun. Junghyun, who was about to greet him, looked at him with a puzzled face.
“…Are you in heat cycle?”
“What? Oh, heat cycle… Oh. I guess so… I think so.”
At Seunghyeok’s question, Junghyun slowly nodded his head as if he had belatedly realized. Junghyun tried to count the days, but his head wasn’t working well. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, as if a hazy fog had settled in them. Once he recognized it, he realized that the heat emanating from his body wasn’t just an illusion.
Seunghyeok spoke in succession, keeping a distance from Junghyun.
“What did you do before? Do you need a partner?”
“…Partner? What partner…? Ah. No.”
Usually, when an alpha or omega goes into heat, they find a partner to satisfy their desires. So alphas and omegas tend to have their first experience earlier than betas. But Junghyun was still not ready. In that respect, his parents had taken thorough care of him.
“I just take medicine, get an injection, and then rest a bit and it gets better… Ah, the medicine… There’s no medicine.”
Junghyun muttered in a deflated voice. He had been stupidly forgetting the fact that there were no suppressants.
When he was pushed by his parents to meet Seunghyeok and go to the office, he didn’t have the leisure to pack his belongings. Also, he didn’t know this would happen, so he couldn’t have thought of bringing them in the first place.
Junghyun sighed. His body felt heavy, perhaps because of the fever.
It seemed that his heat cycle had been disrupted while adapting to the changed life. It was much earlier than Junghyun’s usual heat cycle. Normally, he took medicine in advance according to his heat cycle, so this kind of thing didn’t happen. It was the first time he had experienced a heat cycle without medicine.
It was difficult to control the pheromones. Pheromones leaked out like a dam with fine cracks.
Come to think of it, Seunghyeok was a beta.
Recalling that fact, Junghyun bit his lip once. On one hand, it was fortunate that he wouldn’t be affected by Junghyun’s pheromones, but on the other hand, he would surely find Junghyun’s condition strange.
Betas usually don’t understand the heat of alphas and omegas. That’s natural. In their eyes, alphas and omegas in heat would seem like beasts.
Junghyun looked at Seunghyeok. The fact that he was keeping his distance seemed to be due to such hesitation, which made Junghyun feel very miserable.
“Let’s go to the hospital for now.”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“I’m saying this because it doesn’t seem fine.”
“But hyung, your work…”
“Junghyun-ssi doesn’t have to worry about that.”
Seunghyeok spoke firmly and took Junghyun to the hospital. Seunghyeok himself drove the car, dismissing the chauffeur. Throughout the ride in the car, Junghyun leaned against the window with a dazed mind. Seunghyeok would dislike touching him during his heat cycle. He moved his body to the corner of the seat. It felt a little sad.
Perhaps because of the fever, his closed eyelids became a little wet.
“Why do you keep avoiding me?”
“…I’m not.”
“You are. Give me your hand.”
Seunghyeok, who was driving, reached out a hand towards Junghyun. Junghyun blankly stared at his palm.
“Didn’t you dislike touching me…?”
“Me?”
Seunghyeok spoke in a voice as if he was lightly dismissing it.
“That’s right. I dislike it. The pheromones Junghyun-ssi is emitting right now are stimulating me.”
It took Junghyun some time to understand those words.
After about ten seconds, Junghyun, who immediately understood, turned his head towards Seunghyeok.
“…What? Pheromones… My pheromones?”
“Yes, Junghyun-ssi’s pheromones.”
Seunghyeok waved his outstretched hand as if telling him to grab it quickly.
How can Seunghyeok sense pheromones? Betas shouldn’t be able to sense pheromones.
Junghyun blankly looked down at that hand, then placed his own hand on top of it. Seunghyeok’s palm, which was always dry, was a little damp as if he was sweating. He squeezed Junghyun’s hand once, then loosened it.
“Hyung, you weren’t a beta?”
“I don’t remember ever saying that myself.”
Junghyun slowly blinked his eyelids. Indeed, Seunghyeok himself had never said he was a beta.
“Then, are you an omega?”
“Haha.”
Seunghyeok laughed out loud.
He tapped the steering wheel he was holding with his fingers.
“Junghyun-ssi really has no prejudice.”
Junghyun’s head tilted to one side as he listened to Seunghyeok’s words with a dazed mind.
“Then…”
“If I’m not a beta or an omega, what am I?”
“…Are you an alpha?”
“That’s right.”
Seunghyeok’s eyes curved as if praising Junghyun for getting the correct answer.
Junghyun blinked his eyes upon hearing Seunghyeok’s answer. Muttering to himself that Seunghyeok was an alpha, Junghyun sighed. Junghyun had learned that when meeting an alpha while in heat cycle, he could engage in unwanted actions. Because he is stimulated by pheromones, he can act on instinct, and that can lead to results that go against his own will.
Junghyun, who had thought that far, tried to wriggle his hand out of Seunghyeok’s grip to escape, but he was grabbed again with a strong force.
“Bear with it for a bit.”
Seunghyeok said that much and drove the car.
There weren’t many hospitals that alphas and omegas could go to, so it was a concern, but fortunately, the hospital wasn’t too far. Seunghyeok, who said something at the reception desk, returned to Junghyun, who was sitting leaning against a chair.
“I’ve registered, so wait a little.”
Almost simultaneously with Seunghyeok’s words, a nurse approached, asked if it was Junghyun, and took a blood sample. As he was about to press the alcohol swab, Junghyun’s name was called from the examination room. It wasn’t that there was no one waiting in the waiting room.
Seunghyeok, with a puzzled face, quickly supported Junghyun and entered the examination room.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
