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“How long will it take?”
“It varies from person to person, but if you wait for it to stabilize naturally, it’s roughly about ten days to two weeks. If you use medication, you can expect it to take as little as 3 days to a week. The side effect is that long-term pheromone stabilization might be difficult in some cases. Especially for a patient like you who had unstable pheromones, there’s a higher risk. Still, if there’s an alpha nearby who can continuously exchange pheromones with you, that period could be shortened. There are good supplements available too, so you shouldn’t experience much discomfort.”
When asked how long the unstable period would last, the doctor answered about half a year.
“If you’re interested, I’ll ask the nurse to bring you information about pheromone stabilizers and a consent form. Please read it over.”
“I understand.”
The doctor left the room after finishing his explanation to Ji Seunghyeok.
He quietly stared at the pale hands resting neatly on the bed. Afraid of burdening Jo Junghyun, he couldn’t even hold his hand and could only gaze at him from a distance. The back of his neck felt stiff, causing his breath to tremble.
* * *
When Jo Junghyun regained consciousness again, Ji Seunghyeok was still by his side.
As Junghyun’s heavy eyelids lifted and their gazes met, Seunghyeok rose from the chair where he had been sitting.
“Are you awake?”
“Ah… yes.”
He was clearly talking with Seunghyeok earlier, but now he found himself lying down with his eyes closed. The memory of that terrible pain also came rushing back. He must have been frowning without realizing it because Seunghyeok asked if something was uncomfortable. Junghyun shook his head and said no.
Something felt different from when he’d woken up earlier, and while trying to figure out what it was, Junghyun realized that unlike before, the fluorescent lights were now on. He couldn’t immediately grasp what had happened. After trying to recall his memories, he looked up at Seunghyeok and asked.
“Hyung, how long have I been asleep?”
“About 5 hours. No, don’t try to get up, just stay lying down a bit longer. Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m fine, but what about you…? And, um, what about work? Have you been by my side this whole time?”
Junghyun asked while lying in bed, then quickly pressed his lips together again.
“I, Hyung. I’m, I’m sorr…”
“Junghyun-ah.”
Seunghyeok’s voice gently called his name. Junghyun stopped what he was saying and closed his mouth.
“Junghyun hasn’t done anything wrong enough to apologize. Just rest comfortably. It’s okay. I’ll stay by your side the whole time. There’s nothing to worry about. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
After hesitating for a long while at those quietly whispered words, Junghyun nodded.
Ji Seunghyeok didn’t say a single word blaming Junghyun.
He didn’t ask any questions that might make Junghyun uncomfortable, like why he disappeared without saying anything, what the reason was, or why he did it. He was only checking Junghyun’s physical condition and making sure he was okay.
Even though Junghyun had left his side, doubting and not trusting him, Seunghyeok didn’t say a single word of resentment. Junghyun felt grateful and sorry toward Seunghyeok, who simply stayed silently by his side. While he wanted to know what emotions Seunghyeok had toward him, he was also scared and afraid.
With these mixed feelings, what he was currently feeling was unclear. But one thing was certain—he felt relieved that Seunghyeok was by his side and that he wouldn’t have to part with him.
“Um, Hyung. Could you, could you hold my hand?”
“With your pheromone confusion state, direct contact with an alpha isn’t good for your body.”
Seunghyeok gently declined Junghyun’s request. Junghyun squeezed his own fingers once before speaking again.
“It’s okay. I really don’t feel anything wrong right now. I can’t even sense your pheromones…”
But Seunghyeok just looked at Junghyun silently with his lips slightly upturned.
The atmosphere made it difficult to press further.
Junghyun wondered if Seunghyeok didn’t want to touch him after seeing him entangled with others, when only his omega instincts remained. He fidgeted with the blanket and his lips trembled, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. He was afraid. It seemed better not to bring it up at all than to mention it and remind him.
“Junghyun needs to think about something.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Seunghyeok handed Junghyun two documents from somewhere. Junghyun carefully examined the papers while listening to Seunghyeok’s explanation.
They described the effects that could be achieved by taking pheromone stabilizers and the various side effects that could occur. Among the various side effects, it was written that in the worst case, death could occur. After reading the document to the end, Junghyun turned his gaze toward Seunghyeok.
“I don’t think this is something I should choose on my own.”
“But… um, how much does this cost? Isn’t it very expensive?”
“You don’t need to worry about that, Junghyun. Just choose which option you want.”
“…”
His voice was quiet and gentle. Although Seunghyeok said not to worry about it, that was impossible. But it seemed pointless to argue about this, so Junghyun nodded once and looked at the document again.
“Then, I want to take the stabilizer.”
Seunghyeok looked intently at Junghyun, who answered almost immediately.
“Did you read it properly before choosing?”
“Yes. I think it’ll be fine. Rather than being sick for a long time, I’d rather be sick briefly.”
That wasn’t the only reason, but Junghyun didn’t bother to say so.
“Okay.”
Seunghyeok nodded.
The next morning, Junghyun, having chosen to receive the pheromone stabilizer, was separated from Seunghyeok and moved to the intensive care unit.
Three days.
That’s how long it took for Junghyun to come out of the intensive care unit.
While in intensive care, he writhed in such terrible pain that he thought it might be better to die. Even with painkillers, the effects were only temporary. It was so agonizing. The sensation of the blanket brushing against his skin felt like being scraped with needles. Every breath made his respiratory tract burn as if on fire, and the extreme pain made it impossible to sleep properly.
Then, miraculously, the pain that seemed endless began to subside. The rapid improvement in symptoms was thanks to Junghyun’s age. His fast cell regeneration and circulation were effective.
While being moved on a patient transport bed, Junghyun couldn’t bear how much he wanted to see Seunghyeok. Perhaps because he had been lying down for so long? Feeling dizzy just from watching the ceiling pass by, Junghyun closed his eyes. Various noises appeared and disappeared.
He just wanted to see Seunghyeok quickly.
The rolling patient transport bed stopped moving.
“Patient Jo Junghyun. We’ve completed the transfer.”
It seemed they had arrived at the hospital room. Junghyun opened his closed eyes and looked around.
The staff who had moved him here seemed to have left already. Only Seunghyeok was in the room.
“Junghyun-ah.”
“…”
Junghyun looked with disbelieving eyes at Seunghyeok approaching him. Whether it was just his imagination, Seunghyeok seemed to have lost weight. He somehow appeared cautious.
Junghyun reached out his hand to him. Seunghyeok took that hand.
Unlike usual, Seunghyeok’s hand was cold and slightly damp with sweat. But that fact didn’t matter at all.
He didn’t avoid him. Finally, he could touch Seunghyeok.
What he had said about the pheromones seemed to be true. Junghyun was really glad he hadn’t asked whether Seunghyeok found him disgusting after seeing him entangled with others that day.
Junghyun smiled and said:
“Now I feel like I might live.”
“What are you saying?”
A voice mixed with a sigh was heard.
“Actually, the pain was fine, but not being able to touch you was hard to endure.”
Though he had no energy, he couldn’t stop smiling.
“So hug me now, Hyung.”
As soon as Junghyun finished speaking, Seunghyeok frowned as if something hurt. Then he carefully embraced the lying Junghyun. Seunghyeok continuously kissed Junghyun’s cheeks, forehead, and head. Junghyun shrugged his shoulders at the ticklish sensation but didn’t let go of his arms around Seunghyeok.
He couldn’t describe how much he had missed this solid feeling that filled his arms.
Junghyun buried his face in Seunghyeok’s neck and took a deep breath. This scent. This body heat. He had missed it all so much.
“Ah, wait.”
Junghyun avoided Seunghyeok’s attempt to kiss his lips. Seunghyeok frowned his dark eyebrows.
“I, I haven’t brushed my teeth.”
Come to think of it, he couldn’t even remember how many days had passed since he last showered. He belatedly worried that he might smell bad, having not even changed out of his patient gown.
“It’s fine.”
Seunghyeok said in a low voice and leaned in for a kiss, but Junghyun shook his head.
“I’m not fine with it.”
When Junghyuk finally covered his mouth with his hand to prevent the kiss, Seunghyeok backed away with a dissatisfied expression.
“Excuse me. Are you Patient Jo Junghyun?”
A nurse entered the hospital room. While checking his condition, the nurse removed all the tubes connected to Junghyun. When the urinary catheter connected to his body was being removed, Junghyun felt embarrassed and looked at the wall before closing his eyes completely.
“All your vital signs have returned to normal, but we’ll monitor your condition until tomorrow morning’s rounds. We’ve performed a patch procedure for the eardrum perforation, which will also be examined together tomorrow. Please let us know immediately if you experience any discomfort.”
“Yes. I understand.”
The nurse left the room after explaining a few more precautions.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
