24
“It’s been a while, Mr. Ji Seunghyeok. This person is the one who will be receiving treatment, correct?”
“Yes. He’s an ardent omega and has entered his heat cycle, but it seems to be in an unstable state.”
“I see. Let’s start the examination, Mr. Jo… Junghyun.”
The elderly doctor called the name written on the patient chart and turned his gaze. He placed a stethoscope on Junghyun’s body and shined a light in his pupils. When he placed the machine on the body, a fast beeping sound repeated. The doctor’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the screen.
“You’re right. It’s the heat cycle. But it’s a bit…”
The doctor stopped the machine and turned to Junghyun.
“How have you been resolving your heat cycles until now?”
“Ah, I took suppressants.”
“Did you only take suppressants? Have you ever spent it with an alpha?”
The doctor asked euphemistically but Junghyun understood what he meant. Junghyun shook his head.
“My parents are strict. I just took medicine.”
“Can you perhaps explain what kind of medicine it was?”
“I changed the type about twice.”
“Try selecting from here. Starting with the first one you took.”
The doctor handed Junghyun a paper printed with types of pills and he chose three familiar ones. The doctor clicked his tongue.
“Starting from the beginning with strong suppressants taken by regular omegas and going up to suppressants for dominant omegas… My goodness. And you only took medicine?”
“…Oh, from a year ago I got injections. They told me to rest after taking the medicine since it would be hard on my body. If I slept after getting the injection, I would be okay when I woke up.”
Listening to Junghyun’s explanation, the doctor rubbed his forehead as if troubled.
Looking at the computer screen, the doctor said the results are out and started examining a drawn out chart.
“You know that originally, whether omega or alpha, when you enter rut or heat cycle, you need to stabilize with the pheromones of the other trait, right? Yes, that’s right. However, Mr. Jo Junghyun, you’ve been suppressing it with medicine since presenting, so currently your pheromones are considerably unstable. You mentioned earlier that you got injections, that’s probably because suppressants couldn’t handle it anymore so they used drugs to put you to sleep. Yes, that’s right. It’s an anesthetic drug. Fortunately you’re an ardent omega. If you were a regular or dominant omega, something serious would have likely happened by now.”
Junghyun quietly listened to the doctor’s explanation. He was hearing the words but it didn’t feel real.
The doctor looked up at Seunghyeok and asked.
“What is your relationship? If you’re lovers, I most recommend spending a proper heat cycle together, but if that’s not possible, it’s also good to take mild suppressants this heat cycle while being exposed to Mr. Ji Seunghyeok’s pheromones. Conveniently, Mr. Ji Seunghyeok is an extreme dominant alpha so the pheromone effect will be good. It’s hard to find cases of suppressing heat cycles with medicine for such a long period like this, so it’s difficult for me to guarantee but.”
Extreme dominant alpha. Junghyun unconsciously glanced at Seunghyeok. An extreme dominant alpha. When Taejun joked saying CEO Ji was a beta, Junghyun thought something was off but never dreamed he would be an extreme dominant.
After locking eyes with Junghyun, Seunghyeok naturally looked back at the doctor.
“For now, get an IV before you go. The contents have some vitamins and pheromone stabilizers. It will help you endure the heat cycle.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Junghyun got up from his seat and followed the nurse to the indicated place. Seunghyeok stayed in the examination room, telling Junghyun to go. He seemed to have something to say to the doctor.
Seunghyeok came to the bed Junghyun was lying on when the IV was about half done.
“Were you getting it well?”
“Ah, hyung. Yes. I don’t know if it’s just in my head but I definitely feel a bit better.”
It wasn’t a lie. At least the feeling of his head getting soaked and muddled seemed to have lifted, making him feel much more alive. Seunghyeok looked down at Junghyun and smiled, saying that’s a relief.
The time getting the IV was long if it was long and short if it was short, about 30 minutes.
After removing the catheter needle and attaching a bandage, they left the hospital. Junghyun belatedly saw the medicine bag in Seunghyeok’s hand and held out his hand. However, Seunghyeok didn’t hand over the medicine. Junghyun looked at him puzzled.
“I think medicine should be the very last resort. Let’s go home for now.”
Junghyun thought it would help to take it in advance since he would take it anyway, but he obediently followed Seunghyeok’s words. It was because his condition had improved a little.
When he got in the car, there was a strange scent inside. It was a smell he remembered. Where had he smelled it before? With a hazy mind, he tried to recall the memory but it didn’t come easily.
There was no air freshener attached inside the car so he couldn’t figure out where the scent was coming from. After sniffing a few times trying to find the source of the smell, Junghyun soon gave up thinking he was mistaken. The fragrance disappeared soon after as well.
His condition which had started changing oddly on the way home worsened even more when they arrived at the house. Junghyun breathed heavily in the car seat that had stopped in the parking lot and said,
“Hyung, my body is strange, strange. My body is…”
Seunghyeok got out of the car, went to the passenger side where Junghyun was, and opened the door. Unable to even unfasten his seatbelt properly due to trembling hands, Junghyun looked up at Seunghyeok.
“…I’m sorry. I don’t have strength in my body.”
A gasping sound leaked out from between his teeth. Seunghyeok unfastened Junghyun’s seatbelt and pulled him into an embrace as if supporting him, dragging him out of the car. Junghyun ended up almost hanging onto Seunghyeok with the strength drained from his legs.
In a dazed state, Junghyun rubbed his forehead against Seunghyeok’s shoulder.
“Hyung…”
Seunghyeok clicked his tongue softly and muttered a small curse, saying that quack doctor. Seunghyeok bent his body as if about to lift Junghyun into his arms. Startled, Junghyun’s body trembled and he reflexively pushed Seunghyeok away but it only amounted to flailing. It seemed like not only his legs but his whole body had turned to jelly. Like all the bones in his body had melted, he couldn’t muster any strength.
“Just endure until we get inside.”
Hearing those words, Junghyun obediently entrusted his body to Seunghyeok.
The scent from the car was coming from the nape of his neck. A cool, refreshing, and deep scent. It wasn’t a stereotypical smell. But it was a pleasant fragrance for that reason.
…From the car?
No, the first time he smelled it was even before that. Where was it? Where had he smelled this scent?
Junghyun searched his memory.
“…It tickles.”
“But it smells nice. A nice smell is coming from hyung’s neck.”
Junghyun mumbled and inhaled more deeply.
“…A nice smell? My pheromones?”
There was no inflection in Seunghyeok’s voice but Junghyun wasn’t in a situation to pay attention to every little thing like that.
“…Ah, so it was hyung’s pheromones. Yes, it’s hyung’s pheromones. How can such a nice smell come from you…?”
Right, he remembered.
Where he had smelled this scent.
It was at the department store.
The exact fragrance he had smelled when Seunghyeok removed the price tags from the clothes.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Seunghyeok briefly released the arm that was holding Junghyun to enter the house. Junghyun didn’t want to be apart from Seunghyeok’s body even for a moment. He tightened his grip on Seunghyeok’s body and clung to him.
He knew it was rude to act this way. He knew it in his head. But his body wouldn’t cooperate. It was the first time experiencing this. It was as if his body was rejecting the commands of his brain. No, was it the opposite? Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. Junghyun acted like a person who would die if he couldn’t smell the scent coming from Seunghyeok’s body.
“Mr. Jo Junghyun, we need to go inside.”
“…Mmm.”
Junghyun shook his head and rubbed his cheek against Seunghyeok’s body. The hum he let out as if flirting didn’t seem like a sound he made. However, he had no room to feel embarrassed. Seunghyeok now let out an empty laugh.
“I don’t know why you’re acting so cute like this.”
Seunghyeok’s arm grabbed Junghyun’s waist and swiftly lifted him up, supporting his bottom with the other hand. Junghyun unconsciously wrapped his legs around Seunghyeok’s waist who had lifted him up like holding a child. The door opened and Junghyun entered inside while being held by Seunghyeok.
Thud. Clink.
The sound of the door closing and the lock engaging was heard.
Seunghyeok removed Junghyun’s shoes with his hands and dropped them to the floor. Thud. Thump. The sound of shoes colliding was heard. For some reason, his body rocked. It was a strange sensation. Junghyun tightened his arms embracing Seunghyeok. Still carrying Junghyun, Seunghyeok walked into the bedroom and set him down by the door. With his gaze fixed on Junghyun, he took out his cell phone.
His eyes were piercingly intense.
Who was he calling? When I’m right here. Dissatisfied, Junghyun rubbed his face against Seunghyeok’s neck then kissed near his cheek.
A hot sigh uncontrollably spilled from between his lips.
“Don’t look for me until I contact you and take care of any urgent matters on your own.”
Spitting out those words, Seunghyeok trapped Junghyun between his arms. Caught between the door and Seunghyeok, Junghyun wriggled his body slightly. The sound of something roughly falling to the floor was heard and he belatedly realized it was the cell phone.
“Where did you learn to wheedle like this, hm?”
“No, I didn’t learn, didn’t learn it.”
“Then you didn’t learn but you know how to do it so well?”
“I don’t, don’t know.”
Junghyun shook his head and answered the subtly jeering words.
It felt like the core of his body was heating up from the inside. He couldn’t bear it. It was hard to endure. He couldn’t find a reason why he had to hold back.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
