Chapter 84
Everything concluded according to the scenario Tae-geon had whispered in the omega’s ear. Taking advantage of the lull in public interest, Tae-geon acquired as many drugs as possible with effects similar to the illegal suppressants Se-jin had been taking.
He wanted to understand how they could be dozens of times more effective than commercial suppressants. He was determined to use anything that could help in developing a new drug.
“…It’s just for a while. Really, just for a short time.”
Ju-on’s reluctant voice snapped Tae-geon out of his thoughts. Ju-on’s crumpled face clearly revealed his complex feelings.
Having just witnessed with his own eyes how close the house had come to burning down, he wasn’t too keen on leaving Hyeon-woo alone either.
“Haah.”
Ju-on let out a deep sigh. Should he start by making sure Hyeon-woo eats? He did look unwell. The image of Hyeon-woo’s skeletal frame flashed before his eyes. He suddenly wondered if Hyeon-woo was actually sick.
“By the way, hyung, is he sick?”
“……”
“Earlier, on the inside of Hyeon-woo’s arm-”
“Ju-on.”
Tae-geon suddenly cut him off, calling his name.
“You should call him Hyeon-woo hyung.”
His voice was as cold as ice when he pointed this out. Swallowing hard due to an inexplicable tension, Ju-on shelved his question and obediently kept his mouth shut.
*
Hyeon-woo’s life wasn’t much different from when he was confined by Tae-geon. It was Ju-on who was more frustrated by Hyeon-woo, who did nothing all day and stayed cooped up in the house.
At first, he only dropped by at mealtimes to prepare food, but he became curious about what Hyeon-woo did all day, locked up in the house. So one day, he visited early in the morning and observed Hyeon-woo’s activities until late at night, only to find that he really did nothing but sit and stare blankly.
The next day too, and the day after that.
Ju-on’s face grew paler with each passing day.
“Hey! Wake up!”
Ju-on, who had come early in the morning, shook the sleeping Hyeon-woo awake. When Hyeon-woo, drunk with sleep, wouldn’t get up, Ju-on grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled him up. Hyeon-woo’s body, lifted without resistance, leaned towards Ju-on.
The touch of their skin felt too soft. Ju-on’s hair stood on end as Hyeon-woo’s hot breath fell on his neck. His heart pounded. Frowning deeply with an unpleasant feeling, Ju-on roughly pushed Hyeon-woo away from his chest and shook his head vigorously to clear his mind.
Is it sexual frustration? Come to think of it, it had been over a year since his last relationship ended. He hadn’t been with anyone else since then, so it was understandable to feel frustrated.
He felt somewhat offended. Even so, sexual frustration over Han Hyeon-woo, that Jaesu-taeng? The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.
“Hurry up and wash. It’s already 10 o’clock.”
He pulled Hyeon-woo’s arm to drag him out of bed. Finally awake, Hyeon-woo glared at Ju-on with an irritated face and narrowed eyes.
His glare, with eyes drooping innocently like a puppy’s, looked pathetic and funny. Ju-on smirked.
“Oh my, how scary. What are you going to do, looking at me like that?”
“……”
“We have somewhere to go together, so wash up and come out.”
“……”
“What? Can’t you even wash yourself? Should I wash you?”
Ju-on approached closer, pretending to grab Hyeon-woo by the nape. Avoiding Ju-on, Hyeon-woo entered the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Soon after, the sound of running water was heard.
Ju-on’s expression was quite serious as he straightened out the crumpled bedding.
Unlike betas, alphas and omegas had innate physical mechanisms, including pheromones and heat cycles, that made them inherently vulnerable to primal desires.
Although he was a recessive alpha, he could empathize to some extent, but mixing bodies with someone he didn’t have feelings for was a different matter entirely. He was disgusted by the physiology of this world where people so easily mixed bodies following their impulses.
Ju-on felt deeply relieved that his traits were recessive. The immature days of competing with alphas through pheromones and brute force were long gone, and he wasn’t greatly affected by omega pheromones, allowing him to lead his life by will rather than instinct.
Given his values, he found himself associating more with betas than alphas or omegas, and his first and last romantic partner was also a Korean-American beta girl he met during his studies abroad.
Even then, they had their first physical relationship only after three months of dating, and he thought he was quite composed when it came to physical impulses. But now, it seemed that wasn’t entirely the case.
The current situation, where he became aware of his sexual frustration towards an alpha of the same trait, and Jaesu-taeng at that, was beyond unpleasant and bordering on bewildering.
After tidying up Hyeon-woo’s clothes discarded like a shell in front of the door and placing neatly folded outdoor clothes in their place, Ju-on sat on the living room sofa and picked up his phone.
[Set me up on a blind date.]
[What’s this? You turned down all the offers at the welcome party saying you weren’t interested.]
Ju-on scratched his head, embarrassed by the reply.
[Things have changed.]
[Unbelievable lol. I guess spring is coming, even the great Kwon Ju-on is feeling lonely. I’ll do my best to find someone considering your preferences.]
[What preferences do I have?]
[You do have preferences. You’re totally into the pine tree type.]
What is he talking about? Ju-on frowned. He was curious how others could be so certain about preferences he didn’t even know about himself. Just as he was about to type, the bathroom door opened behind him with a click.
Splash. The sound of wet bare feet hitting the floor was vivid. The hot steam pouring out through the open door made him feel like the back of his head was melting.
Swallowing dryly with unnecessary tension, Ju-on spoke with his eyes firmly fixed on his phone screen.
“…You see the clothes I left next to the door? Change into those.”
*
The two walked along a sunlit path. The park was quiet and empty on a weekday morning.
“They say you need sunlight to produce vitamin C in your body.”
“…You mean vitamin D.”
“C or D, it’s all the same below A. Stop acting smart, Jaesu-taeng.”
“It’s not ‘all the same,’ it’s ‘six of one, half a dozen of the other.'”
“Wow~ How can there be such a Jaesu-taeng? How have you not changed at all from the old days?”
Ju-on’s face was full of mischief as he leaned closer to Hyeon-woo, mocking him.
“…No.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve changed a lot.”
Ju-on had expected Hyeon-woo to snap back, telling him to get lost, but instead, Hyeon-woo’s gaze was lonely and listless as he murmured in a gloomy voice. Ju-on didn’t like this Hyeon-woo at all.
This gloomy look in his eyes wasn’t the Han Hyeon-woo he remembered. He knew eyes that were as brilliant as sunlight and as clear as green leaves. Eyes like the universe, sparkling with admiration, longing, affection, and loyalty for one person.
Ju-on’s dislike for Hyeon-woo wasn’t just because they were rivals for the position beside Tae-geon. Ju-on felt intense jealousy towards Hyeon-woo with those eyes. He was consumed by a sense of defeat, knowing he could never surpass Hyeon-woo even if he were to die and be reborn.
If his feelings towards the unbeatable Tae-geon were admiration, his feelings towards the unbeatable Hyeon-woo were a sense of inferiority. And he was envious. Envious of Tae-geon, who fully possessed those sparkling eyes that contained the entire universe.
As his jealousy and envy towards Tae-geon grew day by day, it all bounced back to Hyeon-woo. He couldn’t stand and hated Hyeon-woo for awakening these ugly emotions in him. Whenever he thought of Hyeon-woo, his chest churned like he was motion sick. His stomach ached as if he wanted to vomit.
Even during his time studying abroad, when Hyeon-woo appeared in his dreams, Ju-on dismissed it as a sign of a crappy day ahead, not thinking much of it.
Even in those damned dreams, Hyeon-woo’s eyes were clear and luminous. Although it irritated Ju-on upon waking to realize those eyes were sparkling at him instead of Tae-geon in the dream, he now thought that even the dream version of Hyeon-woo would be a hundred, no, a thousand times better than having to look at these lifeless, fish-like eyes.
From that day on, Ju-on took Hyeon-woo out once a day.
“What sound does a logical person make when they shoot a gun?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Bang-bang! Isn’t that funny?”
Hyeon-woo looked at Ju-on, who was giggling to himself, with an expression of disbelief.
“Is this supposed to be funny?”
“Yeah, it’s hilarious.”
It was the same lame jokes every single day, without fail, as if he never got tired of them.
They walked along a sidewalk lined with dense trees. Hyeon-woo hunched his shoulders as a sudden strong wind blew. Ju-on carefully adjusted the collar of Hyeon-woo’s coat.
The wind was still cold, but the sunlight was getting warmer day by day. It seemed spring with blooming flowers would arrive soon.
“See those short trees lining the street? The ones stretching far into the distance.”
“……”
“They’re all cherry trees. Riding a bike along this road when it’s in full bloom with cherry blossoms is absolutely amazing.”
“……”
“Do you know how to ride a bicycle?”
