“Wow….”
Lee Tae-rim let out a breathless murmur as he opened the case. The design itself was minimalistic—simple enough not to interfere with daily life—but the color was utterly mesmerizing. At a glance, it was silver, yet layered with an indescribably delicate play of light. Subtle hues shimmered across the ring’s surface, constantly shifting in the light.
“Wow….”
He picked up the ring and held it to the light, tilting it this way and that. It was so beautiful, so fascinating, that he couldn’t help but marvel aloud.
“Hyung.”
While Tae-rim was still completely absorbed in admiring the ring, Seon Juho finally lost patience and smoothly took it from him. He removed the titanium ring from Tae-rim’s left middle finger and slipped on the new one.
“Put mine on too.”
Tae-rim chuckled and slid the ring onto Seon Juho’s extended hand. Seon Juho beamed with satisfaction, gazing warmly at the rings now gracing both their fingers.
“Hyung! I love it!”
Juho pulled Tae-rim into a tight hug. They were already wearing the rings, but somehow he was still brimming with joy. Understandable—until now, they’d only had a temporary one that could be removed at any time. This new ring, meant to stay on, surely carried more weight. Especially for Juho, who’d frequently had to take his ring off due to how fragile it was.
“What do I do? I love you so much I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Juho nuzzled against Tae-rim’s neck, rubbing his face like an overexcited puppy. Tae-rim patted his back gently, trying to calm the other down as Juho bounced with excitement, practically lifting his butt off the couch.
“Hyuung.”
And then Juho suddenly claimed his lips. Tae-rim, caught off guard by the burst of energy, was pushed down onto the couch again. Juho kissed him fervently, his entire body buzzing with heat.
As Juho’s warmth seeped deeper into him, Tae-rim felt the weight of Juho’s body growing heavier. The heady atmosphere was already starting to sweep him away.
Nothing smelled sweeter than Seon Juho’s pheromones. No alcohol in the world could compare to this intoxicating scent. And layered with that was Juho’s naturally alluring fragrance—utterly perfect. Tae-rim wrapped his arms around Juho’s neck, tilting his head to invite him in deeper.
“Mm…”
A breathy moan slipped between his lips as Tae-rim drew in sweet, gasping breaths.
“Hnng.”
They kissed wildly until, suddenly, Tae-rim tensed. A hand had slipped under his clothes. It wasn’t the first time Juho’s hands had wandered, but this was different. Instead of going straight for his chest like usual, Juho was gently stroking the area around his waist. That unfamiliar touch made Tae-rim tense up.
Juho’s hand leisurely traced his waist—only that.
And yet Tae-rim’s heart pounded in his chest. That hand on his waist felt like it could go anywhere, do anything. If Juho had just gone for his chest like he usually did, Tae-rim might’ve relaxed. But this unhurried caress around his waist kept him on edge.
“J-Juho…”
“Mm?”
Juho answered with a husky murmur, his lips still brushing against Tae-rim’s as if he refused to pull away. Every movement of Juho’s hand made Tae-rim’s body tense involuntarily.
“It’s okay, hyung. If you say no, I won’t do anything.”
Tae-rim couldn’t reply. Even though his muscles were taut with nervous tension, he didn’t actually want to stop.
“Then… could you use your pheromones first…?”
The Alpha’s pheromones oozed out, instinctively trying to melt the Omega. Tae-rim was already bound up in their invisible hold, powerless to resist Juho.
“Mm?”
But the little brat was playing innocent. Tae-rim lightly bit Juho’s bottom lip.
“Your pheromones…”
“I’m not doing anything though?”
“……”
So it’s just flowing out naturally. Tae-rim let out a breathy laugh. Juho’s hand continued stroking his waist as he leaned in for another kiss. Tae-rim shivered as the pheromones mingled with the kiss, sinking deeper into him.
It was just his waist. Just his waist—yet all his senses were fixated on the spot Juho was touching. Normally Juho would grope his chest without a second thought. But now, that simple contact along his waist had Tae-rim on the verge of short-circuiting.
Tae-rim reached down and grabbed Juho’s wrist.
Juho chuckled softly against his lips. Tae-rim had grabbed him like he was about to push him away, but his grip had no strength at all.
“See? You don’t hate it.”
“……”
Damn these Alpha pheromones. Tae-rim was at a loss.
Still, he decided to trust Juho. That he wouldn’t do anything Tae-rim didn’t like. And to this day, Juho had never once crossed that line.
“If you force me, I’ll be mad.”
“As if I ever would.”
Tae-rim pulled Juho back into a kiss as their lips met again. He inhaled Juho’s pheromones deeply.
Thank God my little pup’s such a good boy.
***
“…….”
Morning.
Lee Tae-rim winced, trying to shy away from the bright sunlight—and then his eyes flew open in alarm. He couldn’t say a word.
As always, Seon Juho was sleeping soundly behind him, arms wrapped around Tae-rim’s body. The only difference this time… was that neither of them was wearing any clothes.
Lee Tae-rim was experiencing, firsthand, what it truly meant for the brain to freeze.
Seon Juho really hadn’t done anything Tae-rim would dislike. The problem was that Tae-rim hadn’t disliked anything Seon Juho had done.
“Hyung? You awake?”
A low, sleep-roughened voice whispered into his ear. Tae-rim had to clasp both hands over his face to stifle the goosebumps crawling up his skin.
“Hyung?”
I’ve lost my damn mind. I really lost it…
They’d spent ages kissing—only breaking apart to drink more. Juho had kept feeding him little bites of food, looking like the happiest man alive. He’d been unbearably cute.
Tae-rim had used Seon Juho’s handsome face as his side dish, drinking much more than intended. He’d polished off a whole bottle of champagne by himself—definitely more than his usual.
Still, his body handled alcohol well enough that he only felt pleasantly buzzed. Riding the high, Tae-rim had dragged Seon Juho into the bedroom and buried his face into the younger man’s neck, inhaling his pheromones deep into his lungs.
“You feeling sick? Should I bring you some honey water?”
When Tae-rim didn’t respond, Juho got flustered and scrambled off the bed, pulling on the sweatpants that had been tossed onto the floor.
Peeking through his fingers, Tae-rim stole a glance at Juho’s back—his eyes landing squarely on those firm, muscular buttocks.
Goddamn it. I’m the real pervert here.
He hadn’t known that inhaling pheromones while drunk could be that dangerous. Or maybe it was just that Seon Juho’s pheromones had too perfect a compatibility with his own.
Either way, Tae-rim had gotten absolutely smashed on Juho’s scent. So smashed, in fact, that he’d stripped Juho’s clothes off first.
At first, Juho had seemed startled. But he caught on quickly. He didn’t resist—just let Tae-rim do whatever he wanted.
Tae-rim had undressed him all the way down to his underwear, then tore off his own clothes as well.
And after that…
“…….”
Well, they hadn’t gone all the way. They just did everything else. Everything that could be done without actually going all the way.
Face still buried in his hands, Tae-rim began to tremble.
The only reason he hadn’t taken it all the way—even while drunk—was because he’d been overwhelmed by the sheer size and presence of that thing.
Seon Juho was definitely an Alpha. And that thing of his was terrifyingly Alpha-sized.
If they ever got to knotting—that would be way too much. Tae-rim chewed nervously on his lip.
“Hyung, come on. I brought you honey water, okay?”
Juho’s concerned voice finally coaxed Tae-rim’s hands away from his face. He was only 23—no hangover whatsoever—but Juho had gone out of his way to bring him honey water, so he figured he should drink it. He forced himself to sit up.
“Ugh.”
His whole body ached. There wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t hurt. Muscles screamed in protest just from sitting up.
Tae-rim trembled as he accepted the cup.
“Hyung…”
He downed the lightly sweetened honey water in one go—then sat there, holding the empty cup, lips sealed. Juho looked like he was about to have a meltdown.
“Hyung… you hated it, didn’t you? Hyung… please, say something…”
Tears welled in Juho’s eyes. Big, fat drops started spilling over, rolling down his cheeks. Tae-rim let out a long, heavy sigh.
“No. It’s not that.”
“Really?”
Sniffling, Juho wiped his tears and wrapped both arms around Tae-rim. He tried to stop crying as he inhaled Tae-rim’s scent.
“I just… had a moment of existential crisis.”
“…Was I bad?”
Tae-rim’s face flushed bright red. He couldn’t help but picture Juho from last night—like a wild beast, all heat and hunger. But… he hadn’t hated it. That was the real issue.
The fact that he’d liked that side of Juho—liked it a lot—was what threw him into another wave of post-high shame.
It was driving him insane.
“Hmm?”
Tae-rim opened his mouth, trying to answer. But apparently Juho hadn’t caught it with those sharp Alpha ears of his, because he asked again, watching closely.
Judging by his face, he really hadn’t heard.
Tae-rim felt like he was going to die from sheer embarrassment.
