#1
‘The filming set was so cold that I was shivering, and he draped his coat over my shoulders. At that moment, I felt something like a deep sense of security as I was enveloped by a warm and cozy pheromone I had never experienced before. That’s when I realized. This person. This person is my destiny.’
Hyeon-woo, who was cleaning up Jerome’s toys as he napped on the mat, blankly stared at the TV. The screen was filled with the face of an actress smiling with an expression of utmost happiness.
Recently, South Korea was turned upside down by the sudden marriage announcement of two famous actors who had starred together in the same production. The news of their marriage had an even greater impact since there had never been any dating rumors about the two.
‘I wonder if it’s because betas can never understand this world, but I always find these stories so fascinating~.’
The host, looking at the actress with envious eyes, continued the interview with the next question.
A world that betas can never understand until they die.
Hyeon-woo got up and headed to the bedroom. He opened the closet door, took out one of Tae-geon’s clothes, buried his face in it, and inhaled. No matter how many times he tried, he could only smell Tae-geon’s familiar body scent and fabric softener that he had known since childhood, nothing else.
Sometimes, when curiosity overwhelmed him about what Tae-geon’s pheromones might smell like, Hyeon-woo would close his eyes and imagine.
Considering his fiery temper, it might smell like the scorching heat of midsummer, or thinking of his ruthless side that showed no mercy, it might smell like the biting cold of winter that freezes the lungs.
Hyeon-woo buried his nose deep into Tae-geon’s jacket one more time, but still couldn’t feel anything noteworthy.
The ability to form a deeper mental and physical bond with a partner through pheromones was a privilege, though not exclusive, to alpha and omega couples, but it was a story that didn’t apply to him.
Hyeon-woo put Tae-geon’s clothes back in the closet, setting aside his disappointment. He hadn’t noticed before, but now he saw that there were quite a few of Tae-geon’s clothes in the closet. As Tae-geon frequently came over on weekends to stay overnight, his clothes were steadily accumulating in Hyeon-woo’s modest living space.
*
Ding dong- Ding dong-.
“It’s uncle!”
Jerome stood on tiptoe to unlock the door, flung it open, and ran out to the yard.
“Jerome, be careful not to fall!”
Hyeon-woo, who had been preparing dinner, hurriedly chased after Jerome. Tae-geon, standing outside, suddenly lifted Jerome as he ran out of the gate and held him in his arms. Jerome hugged Tae-geon’s neck tightly and smiled brightly.
Hyeon-woo appeared behind them, panting, with a ladle in one hand. Tae-geon’s lips curled up gently as he looked at Hyeon-woo, who had come out to greet him wearing an apron.
Even though Hyeon-woo had given him a key, Tae-geon always rang the doorbell like this and waited for someone to open the door.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah.”
“Come in.”
Behind Hyeon-woo, who stepped aside at the gate, was a lush green lawn. There was a story behind how this once cement floor had become a grass yard.
After witnessing Jerome’s knee getting scraped and bleeding from falling while playing in the yard, Tae-geon had torn up the floor and planted grass. And that wasn’t all. Despite Hyeon-woo’s protests that it wasn’t necessary, Tae-geon had taken advantage of weekdays when the house was empty to renovate various parts of it.
Now, hot water gushed from the faucet without having to turn on the boiler and wait for a long time. While Hyeon-woo was relieved that Jerome would no longer scream from the water suddenly turning cold in the middle of bathing, he inwardly thought it was a waste. After all, it was someone else’s house.
Hyeon-woo’s criticism about unnecessarily putting so much effort into a rented house turned into a gasp when faced with the registry Tae-geon showed him on his phone.
The name “Han Hyeon-woo” was inscribed in the owner’s section, not the tenant’s. Seeing this, a laugh of disbelief escaped Hyeon-woo’s lips.
‘What if I had been saving up for a subscription?’
‘Is there another house you want?’
‘…No, I mean… From now on, consult with me before doing things like this.’
‘……’
Seeing Tae-geon looking dejected, Hyeon-woo quickly added,
‘I mean, let’s decide everything together from now on, even the small things.’
‘…From now on, together….’
Hyeon-woo nodded to Tae-geon, who was repeating the words blankly.
‘Yes. Everything together from now on.’
And so, Tae-geon would visit this place, which had now become Hyeon-woo’s house, every Saturday and return late on Sunday evening.
Following Hyeon-woo’s suggestion to operate the mansion as a resort, they put their heads together whenever they had time to plan the business. Hyeon-woo would propose ideas, and Tae-geon would develop detailed business plans.
Despite being undoubtedly busy reviewing the budget for facilities and the suitability of the site for the new annex to be built soon, the arboretum, and the major construction about to begin at the mansion, Tae-geon never missed a visit. Thus, from weekdays to weekends, the three of them ended up living under the same roof without missing a day.
The main dish Hyeon-woo prepared for dinner tonight was braised short ribs. It was a dish Jerome particularly liked. The taste of the honestly made braised ribs, following the recipe passed down from Mrs. Kyung-ae, was as excellent as expected. He set the table before the food could cool.
Not long after they sat around the table and started eating, the kimchi stew, which had been a bit delayed in preparation, finally began to boil. Hyeon-woo got up from his seat, turned off the gas, and busily transferred the stew into bowls.
Meanwhile, Jerome, who had already finished the finely shredded meat prepared for him, was about to reach for the braised ribs in the hot pot.
“It’s hot.”
Tae-geon quickly grabbed Jerome’s wrist. Then he picked out the tender parts of the braised ribs with his chopsticks, shredded them finely, and placed them on top of Jerome’s rice.
Jerome ate much faster than Tae-geon could shred the meat.
“You shouldn’t just eat meat, you need to eat a balanced meal.”
Tae-geon’s chopsticks were busy breaking up egg rolls and tearing kimchi for Jerome, whose eating habits were exactly like Hyeon-woo’s.
While Tae-geon was focused on feeding Jerome, neglecting his own meal, Hyeon-woo returned. Watching Tae-geon absorbed in feeding Jerome, Hyeon-woo felt a strange tightness in his chest.
Jerome, finishing his meal first thanks to Tae-geon, left the table. While Jerome was playing, spreading out the toys on the mat that Hyeon-woo had tidied up earlier in the day, Tae-geon and Hyeon-woo began their belated dinner.
Hyeon-woo picked up the prettiest-looking egg roll and placed it on top of Tae-geon’s rice bowl. Tae-geon’s chopsticks, which were about to reach for a side dish, froze in mid-air because of this.
“…Enjoy your meal.”
Hyeon-woo’s earlobes were red as he whispered softly, avoiding eye contact.
Hyeon-woo and Tae-geon had kissed and intertwined their bodies countless times. Yet, it was strange to think that such a small gesture could make his face hot and his heart pound. As Hyeon-woo pondered this, he suddenly raised his head, noticing the quietness around him.
His eyes met Tae-geon’s, who was staring at him blankly. Tae-geon’s eyes were wavering as intensely as Hyeon-woo’s pounding heart. Soon, Tae-geon’s cheeks began to redden, matching Hyeon-woo’s ears.
“…Yeah, Hyeon-woo.”
“……”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Hyeon-woo turned his gaze away from Tae-geon’s face, which was responding with a bright smile. Whenever he faced that expression of Tae-geon’s, which had started to appear frequently lately, Hyeon-woo felt like his heart would burst, and he couldn’t bear it.
Having been stuck together like glue since childhood, Hyeon-woo thought he knew everything about Tae-geon, but he was often surprised to discover new aspects of Tae-geon that he had never seen before in his life.
Was it because their relationship had changed? From friends to lovers.
In fact, even during the decades they spent together as friends, except for the physical relationship, things weren’t much different from now. They sat across from each other eating meals, studying, watching movies, and sometimes lying side by side to sleep. Until they became high school students, Tae-geon would often bury his nose in Hyeon-woo’s nape and sniff. Yet, at the time, there was no particular emotion attached to such daily life. Was it because it was as natural as breathing?
But now, living the same daily life together as before, Hyeon-woo sometimes found it amazing that every moment was exciting and heart-pounding.
Hyeon-woo recalled the future he had imagined with Tae-geon when he was nineteen, secretly in love with him. He had no intention of confessing his feelings to Tae-geon, who despised omegas. He only thought of spending his life as a capable partner, assisting Tae-geon from the closest position when he became the head of a company.
If that had happened, he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this happiness of feeling his heart flutter while putting side dishes on top of rice. He didn’t like that thought.
Hyeon-woo’s eyes curved into half-moons, perhaps amused that these small moments of happiness felt more precious than his grand dreams from back then.
Late at night, as Hyeon-woo came out of the room after putting Jerome to bed, he saw Tae-geon’s back as he was doing the dishes. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Tae-geon wearing pink rubber gloves, bent over as if the sink was too low, which looked terribly mismatched with him.
He felt a tickle in his heart. Unable to resist the rising impulse, Hyeon-woo hugged Tae-geon’s waist tightly. Then he rubbed his cheek vigorously against Tae-geon’s broad back. The familiar body scent mixed with the fragrance of fabric softener washed over him pleasantly.
…Yes, it doesn’t matter if I can’t smell his pheromones. I’m already this happy now.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
