Chapter 139
The semen, emitting a strong alpha scent, was thicker than porridge and darker in color than butter. It was due to not being released for 6 years.
Tae-geon, exhausted, fell back into a deep sleep.
Hyeon-woo slowly steadied his breathing and headed to the bathroom in the corner of the room. As he washed off the semen from his hands, a sudden intense sensation shot up his spine.
“Huk…!”
Something hot gushed between his buttocks. Hyeon-woo bit his lip in dismay.
This was bad. He needed to hurry.
Leaving the bathroom, he tidied up Tae-geon’s open robe, ignoring the grotesque lower half that had already become erect again. After tightly fastening the waist tie, he closed the curtains. He put the silver tray back on top of the cylinder and quickly left the room.
Carefully crossing the corridor to make as little noise as possible, he left the east wing. After confirming no one was in the garden, he quickly made his way to the west wing.
Finally reaching his room, Hyeon-woo hurriedly took out suppressants from the drawer and threw them into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed them without water. Then he collapsed onto the bed.
His chest pounded from unresolved tension. As the medication started to take effect, the heat that had consumed his body began to subside. Hyeon-woo, who hadn’t slept for two days, fell into a deep sleep without even changing his clothes.
‘…Hyeon-woo…’
‘Hyeon-woo…’
Tae-geon’s voice repeatedly calling his name felt like waves crashing in his ears, reminiscent of a nostalgic night by the sea.
*
When day broke, Hak-gyu, who came to check on Tae-geon, entered the room after several unanswered knocks. It was Hak-gyu’s role to monitor Tae-geon’s condition throughout his rut period, ensuring he didn’t stop breathing and taking necessary measures.
Last night, due to particularly severe seizures, he had lit a strong sedative. Expecting the room to be filled with thick smoke, he was surprised to find the air surprisingly fresh.
Tilting his head in confusion, Kwon Hak-gyu’s heart sank as he looked at the glass cylinder. The contents had solidified without burning much. If the sedative was in this state, Tae-geon should have woken up during a seizure, but he had been unusually quiet last night.
Could it be cardiac arrest…!
Hurriedly pulling back the curtain, he checked Tae-geon’s heartbeat with a stethoscope. It was normal. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hak-gyu examined the sleeping Tae-geon’s complexion. The rosy color in his cheeks was by far the best he had seen in years. Though only a day had passed, it looked as if his rut had completely ended.
As Hak-gyu stared at the peacefully sleeping Tae-geon with a puzzled expression, his gaze suddenly fell on the window where bright sunlight was pouring in. Noticing the clear sunlight shining through the gap in the drawn curtains, Hak-gyu’s eyes widened in surprise.
Sunlight was streaming into this space that was usually kept pitch dark with thick blackout curtains day and night.
Hak-gyu’s eyes narrowed. Just then, Tae-geon, who had woken up, sensing someone’s presence beside him, called out to Hak-gyu in a low voice, “Doctor.”
“Good morning, young master.”
Hak-gyu greeted as usual while unfastening the straps binding Tae-geon’s limbs one by one.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine. This medication worked well. Please use the same one next time.”
At Tae-geon’s request, Hak-gyu’s gaze returned to the cylinder. Looking meaningfully at the barely burned substance, he spoke.
“…If used too often, you might permanently lose your sense of smell. You can’t smell anything now, can you?”
“It doesn’t matter, even if I lose it forever.”
“……”
“So please, use it next time as well.”
Reluctantly, Hak-gyu responded with a “Yes” to Tae-geon’s repeated request.
“I’ll be going now.”
After Hak-gyu’s farewell, his presence gradually faded. With the sound of the door opening and closing, the room was enveloped in deep silence. Tae-geon sat up and leaned back against the bed’s headboard.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up feeling this refreshed. Usually, after three days of hellish rut, he would feel like his whole body was being sliced apart from the terrible aftereffects. He would suffer from muscle pain and headaches for another week.
But today was different. He felt incredibly refreshed and comfortable.
He even dreamed that Hyeon-woo had visited during the night.
The warm gaze looking down at him. The gentle touch wiping the sweat from his forehead. The warmth nestled in their clasped hands.
Tae-geon clenched his empty fist tightly.
It seemed he had finally found a medication that suited him well. Despite the supposed significant side effects, its efficacy was equally impressive.
If he could have such dreams every time, he would gladly welcome even the hellish rut with open arms.
Although he knew it was just a hallucination, Tae-geon felt immensely satisfied with the rare sensation. With a familiar motion, he took out his phone from the bedside drawer. The call connected soon.
Perhaps due to a vague expectation that he might hear hopeful news today, Tae-geon’s voice was slightly excited.
“Have you found him?”
-…Not yet…
“…Any record of leaving the country?”
-None.
“……”
Sensing the ominous silence, the person on the other end hurriedly added, as if making excuses.
-We’re thoroughly searching the North American continent, but finding someone staying illegally is inherently difficult. You asked us to proceed discreetly, and if we deploy more people, we risk drawing attention. Frankly speaking, we don’t even know if he’s alive or-
“He’s alive. I guarantee it.”
-……
“Expand the search area to South America, no, search every illegal route that can be accessed through brokers, without exception. If you don’t produce results by the end of this year, there won’t be a contract extension.”
Tae-geon ended the call, ignoring the other party’s protests.
He had hoped for something due to the unusual nature of last night’s sleep…
With evident disappointment on his face, Tae-geon held his forehead and swallowed a low groan.
“…Where on earth are you and what are you doing, Han Hyeon-woo?”
*
As Hyeon-woo woke up to the loud morning alarm, memories of the previous night began to surface in his mind. He jolted up, shaking his head and trying to push away the memories. He had no choice in that situation. That’s how he tried to calm himself.
In any case, he had succeeded in achieving his goal. He had confirmed that Tae-geon was the owner of the east wing, whether Tae-geon had imprinted, and who the other party was.
Now that he had verified Ju-on’s words, it was time to decide. Whether to move forward towards the remaining truth or stop here.
‘When you’re ready to hear more, contact me then.’
Hyeon-woo’s eyes lingered on Ju-on’s note on the desk for a long time.
After finishing his preparations for work, Hyeon-woo opened the door and was startled to see the butler standing right in front of him with a stern face.
“Follow me.”
The butler’s voice, speaking abruptly, sounded quite angry. As Hyeon-woo followed him outside, he noticed the faces of the employees they passed were full of curiosity. Hyeon-woo tilted his head, puzzled by their looks, which seemed to suggest they knew why the butler was so angry.
Only when they reached a corner of the garden did the butler begin his interrogation.
“Where did you go last night?”
“……”
“Tell me the truth.”
Hyeon-woo kept his mouth shut. He thought he had slipped out unnoticed, but it seemed someone had witnessed his outing. Angered by Hyeon-woo’s feigned ignorance, the butler shouted.
“Last night! The fire alarm in the west wing went off. Everyone evacuated outside, but you were missing! When I went to your room, it was empty! What on earth were you doing last night?!”
…Ah.
Hyeon-woo inwardly sighed. Of all times, such an incident had to happen while he was away.
As Hyeon-woo stood there awkwardly, he spotted Kwon Hak-gyu walking in the garden. Hak-gyu also noticed Hyeon-woo in a tense confrontation with the butler.
“Is something wrong?”
Hak-gyu quickly approached and asked the butler. The butler replied uncomfortably.
“Last night, this person’s room was empty, so I’m asking where he went.”
“Ah.”
The doctor gave Hyeon-woo a strange look.
“I apologize. Actually, last night, that person’s seizures were so severe that we needed more help. I happened to see a lit room in the west wing, so I went to this person’s room to ask for assistance.”
“What?! No, Dr. Kwon! You shouldn’t have done that! Are you saying you let him into the east wing?”
“Yes. He helped with various tasks as I instructed. What could be more important than a life? When that person was on the brink of death, we had to do something.”
“…But still…”
The butler trailed off, embarrassed. It was hard to insist on principles after hearing about such a critical situation.
“Why don’t we assign him to work in the east wing? He seemed quite capable.”
Both Hyeon-woo and the butler were surprised by the doctor’s sudden suggestion.
“Didn’t you always say there was a shortage of staff in the east wing?”
“…That’s true.”
Intrigued by Kwon Hak-gyu’s suggestion, the butler scrutinized Hyeon-woo’s face. Hyeon-woo met the butler’s sharp gaze without avoiding it.
Looking at his own reflection in those innocent and transparent eyes, the butler thought to himself. The more he looked, the more he liked that gaze. The tightly closed lips, the attitude of quietly handling assigned tasks without complaint, those fingers full of calluses.
The butler realized that he quite liked Hyeon-woo.
“…Did you see his face?”
After hesitating, Hyeon-woo answered honestly.
“Yes, I did.”
“Follow me.”
As Hyeon-woo followed the butler, he turned his head and bowed slightly to Hak-gyu. It was a gesture of gratitude for helping him avoid a crisis situation.
Kwon Hak-gyu gave a bitter smile in response.
It seemed this was destined to happen eventually. A fate that would reconnect them somehow.
Waving his hand at Hyeon-woo with a bitter smile, Kwon Hak-gyu quickened his pace and swiftly left the garden.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
