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Was he trying to make up for his previous mistake? Or was it a mistake caused by excessive enthusiasm?
Lee Youngsun, a beta alpha, had always tried to impress Ji Seunghyeok. Ambition isn’t a bad thing when supported by efforts in the right direction. Ji Seunghyeok knew well that humans are driven by desire. Therefore, while he appreciated Lee Youngsun’s enthusiasm to move forward rather than settling for the present, this kind of presumptuous meddling was problematic.
Ji Seunghyeok decided to address this issue clearly.
“Did Manager Seo assign you this task? Or have you somehow become my secretary without my knowledge, Mr. Lee Youngsun?”
Though the content of his words was clearly sarcastic, his tone remained utterly calm. However, Lee Youngsun’s expression changed as he realized Ji Seunghyeok’s intention. His face turned pale and stiffened.
“I don’t keep you around to mind my personal life. Make that clear.”
“…Yes, I apologize for overstepping.”
“You may leave.”
“Yes.”
Click.
Ji Seunghyeok stared at the quietly closing door, then closed his eyes and sighed.
He wanted to see Jo Junghyun as soon as possible.
Documents awaiting approval were waiting for Ji Seunghyeok, but the letters wouldn’t properly register in his mind. Thinking that there was little efficiency in just keeping his seat in this physical condition, Ji Seunghyeok got up. It would be better to rest properly and get back into good condition.
Employees looked puzzled at Ji Seunghyeok’s behavior as he prepared to leave shortly after arriving. Ji Seunghyeok told them to leave once they finished their work and left the office.
* * *
As the sun was setting, turning the sky orange, he looked up at it. There had been no contact from Ji Seunghyeok. Though Jo Junghyun thought he must be busy, he couldn’t help checking his phone repeatedly.
The rice cooker, which had been hissing and emitting steam, made a sound indicating the rice was ready. As he was mixing the rice with a paddle, he heard the sound of the door opening. Jo Junghyun perked up his ears, and realizing Ji Seunghyeok had returned home, he immediately ran out.
Without the slightest hesitation, he ran to Ji Seunghyeok who was entering through the door and embraced him. He nuzzled his face against Ji Seunghyeok’s suit, inhaling the scent of wind coming from him.
Ji Seunghyeok buried his nose in Jo Junghyun’s nape and took a deep breath. After repeating this several times, Ji Seunghyeok spoke.
“Release some pheromones.”
“Pheromones…?”
“I want to smell you.”
Jo Junghyun, who had been quietly hugging Ji Seunghyeok, wiggled his fingers and released his pheromones. Since pheromones were essentially a direct expression of one’s emotions, it felt somewhat embarrassing. The scent of pheromones alone could reveal whether someone was feeling good or not.
Ji Seunghyeok’s weight leaned heavily against him.
He behaved as if he had no intention of separating from Jo Junghyun. Jo Junghyun carefully patted Ji Seunghyeok’s back.
“Hyung, did something happen?”
“I’m just happy.”
Jo Junghyun noted that Ji Seunghyeok answered his question with a voice tinged with laughter. His warm palm caressed Jo Junghyun’s cheek.
“What’s that smell… Did you cook rice?”
“Ah, yes. Since I didn’t know when you’d be back.”
“You’ve worked hard. It feels like a real home.”
“…?”
Ji Seunghyeok said something incomprehensible. He lightly kissed Jo Junghyun’s cheek as he looked up at him.
“How are you feeling physically?”
“I’m fine.”
Jo Junghyun quietly watched Ji Seunghyeok take off his jacket as he entered the house. He now knew how firm and beautiful the body was under that shirt. He blankly stared at him loosening his tie and unfastening his cuff links.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What? Oh.”
At Ji Seunghyeok’s remark, Jo Junghyun suddenly realized that he had been staring mindlessly. Ji Seunghyeok didn’t seem displeased at all. Rather, he was looking down at Jo Junghyun as if finding him cute.
Jo Junghyeok slightly held the end of Ji Seunghyeok’s tie with his fingers, fidgeting with it as he spoke.
“By the way, Hyung. When will we do it again?”
“…”
Ji Seunghyeok momentarily looked as if caught off guard.
“It felt really good doing it with you… How many times a week can we do it? Ah. No. Or how many times a month…?”
Not knowing the standard, Jo Junghyun contradicted himself and then closed his mouth at the gaze directed at him. He had no idea why Ji Seunghyeok was looking at him like that.
“…Ah, perhaps you only do it during heat cycles or ruts…?”
Well, if that was the case, it would make sense why they had repeated it so many times in one go.
If that’s how Ji Seunghyeok preferred it, he couldn’t insist otherwise, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
“Junghyun-ah.”
“Yes, yes?”
Thinking he might have been too forward, he bit his lip, rolling it inward. Ji Seunghyeok gently rubbed his forehead against Jo Junghyun’s while keeping them pressed together.
“Why do you keep acting so adorably?”
Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t turned off.
But cute? While it was better than being called annoying, Jo Junghyun was still a grown man. He couldn’t be purely happy about being called cute. However, since it was meant as a compliment, it would also be silly to protest that he wasn’t cute.
As Jo Junghyun struggled to find words, Ji Seunghyeok lightly bumped his nose tip against Jo Junghyun’s. Jo Junghyun gathered his thoughts and carefully opened his mouth.
“…Aren’t I being too forward?”
“What’s wrong with being forward? I like that.”
At this straightforward response, Jo Junghyun awkwardly averted his gaze.
Ji Seunghyeok kneaded Jo Junghyun’s cheeks. Jo Junghyun obediently accepted Ji Seunghyeok’s touch, which sometimes rubbed up and down and sometimes traced circles. Although he felt somewhat like a rice cake, he didn’t entirely dislike the feeling.
Then, worried that his face might look unsightly, Jo Junghyun pulled his head back slightly. Ji Seunghyeok reluctantly let go of his face.
“Since you’ve agreed to only do it with me, tell me when you want to. Don’t hold back unnecessarily.”
“…Yes.”
Jo Junghyun wondered if this was the kind of conversation couples usually had. Feeling his face heating up, he let out a thin sigh. After staring elsewhere, Jo Junghyun carefully looked back at Ji Seunghyeok.
“But Hyung, are you not feeling well somewhere?”
“Me? Do I look like it?”
“No, well, umm… You just seem a bit different.”
Jo Junghyun gently placed his hand on Ji Seunghyeok’s forehead. Even just moments ago when their foreheads had touched, he hadn’t felt any particular warmth. But something seemed off.
Though he couldn’t explain it precisely, he sensed a kind of distance.
Wondering if he felt this way because he had been missing Ji Seunghyeok so much and was now seeing him directly, Jo Junghyun lightly kissed his lips.
“I must have seen wrong.”
Jo Junghyun smiled slightly and urged Ji Seunghyeok to go wash up quickly, pushing his back. He was planning to set out the dinner he had prepared while waiting for him to return from work. He was waiting for the soup to boil while listening to the sound of water from the bathroom.
“…Hyung?”
Warm body heat was felt from behind, with wet hair touching his cheek, though he didn’t know when Ji Seunghyeok had come out.
Ji Seunghyeok’s arms embraced Jo Junghyun’s waist. His large hand cradled Jo Junghyun’s lower abdomen.
“Hyung? …Hyung? Ah.”
“Yes, Junghyun-ah.”
Jo Junghyun, whose movements were restricted because he was holding a ladle, called out to him in confusion.
“Ah, wait, no, wai-, ah…!”
Ji Seunghyeok’s hand moved suspiciously.
Without hesitation, Ji Seunghyeok slipped his hand inside the t-shirt and wandered near Jo Junghyun’s navel, as if tickling him. When Jo Junghyun tried to grab that hand in surprise, the other hand twisted his nipple.
“…Mmm!”
His nipple hardened, as if a core was forming inside.
Having just showered, Ji Seunghyeok’s palm was unusually moist.
Jo Junghyun suppressed the moans that threatened to escape as fingers rubbed the areola, pinched the nipple, and then traced circles around it.
Still holding the ladle tightly, unable to think of putting it down, Jo Junghyun turned to Ji Seunghyeok in confusion. The kiss that followed was more intense than usual, almost wet.
Ji Seunghyeok invaded Jo Junghyun’s mouth, sucking in his tongue and rubbing it. Ji Seunghyeok’s tongue swept across Jo Junghyun’s even teeth and rubbed against the hard palate. After rubbing their tongues together, he delved under the tongue, roughly sweeping across the frenulum and the tender flesh around it.
Saliva that couldn’t be swallowed in time trickled down the corner of Jo Junghyun’s mouth as Ji Seunghyeok’s tongue licked and rubbed every corner of his mouth as if it were alive.
Jo Junghyun, who had been letting out moans like someone in pain, found his hands clinging to Ji Seunghyeok’s forearm at some point. With his head held high due to Ji Seunghyeok kissing him from behind, Jo Junghyun felt his neck becoming slightly stiff.
“…Haa, ha. Hyung, Hyung. I’m strug-, struggling.”
As soon as he managed to separate his lips and speak, Ji Seunghyeok stopped the kiss.
Normally, he would have noticed such signs before Jo Junghyun spoke, but something seemed off. As Ji Seunghyeok rubbed Jo Junghyun’s cheek with his finger while he was gasping for breath, his gaze felt somewhat different from usual. Confused by the sense that he seemed somehow less composed, Jo Junghyun called his name.
“Hyung, are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
“Do I look like something’s wrong?”
“…That’s not an answer.”
When Jo Junghyun pressed his lips together and spoke, Ji Seunghyeok’s eyes curved downward.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
