#3
While Hyeon-woo was lost in thought, Tae-geon’s face had somehow drawn even closer, almost touching. Realizing this belatedly, Hyeon-woo hastily pulled his head back.
“…Move your face away.”
As Hyeon-woo reached out to push Tae-geon’s face away, Tae-geon quickly caught his wrist and rubbed his cheek against Hyeon-woo’s palm.
“Ugh, let go.”
“No.”
“…I want to solve problems now. Let go, I need to finish this quickly.”
Smooch, smooch.
Ignoring Hyeon-woo, Tae-geon kissed the back of his hand, palm, and fingers indiscriminately.
“You really, hnngh…!”
As Tae-geon’s tongue licked the sensitive inside of Hyeon-woo’s wrist, a voice that shouldn’t have been heard reached Hyeon-woo’s ears as goosebumps rose on his skin.
“…Dad…?”
Startled, Hyeon-woo’s fist unintentionally struck Tae-geon’s jaw.
“Oof.”
Leaving Tae-geon behind, who was holding his jaw and swallowing a groan of pain, Hyeon-woo hurriedly got up.
“Oh! Jerome!”
Hyeon-woo’s face was bright red as he rushed to Jerome, who was coming out to the living room rubbing his eyes.
“Are you awake? Can’t sleep?”
“…Mmm…”
Tae-geon, who had approached belatedly, lifted Jerome, who was complaining in a sleepy voice.
“Let’s sleep with uncle.”
The right side of Tae-geon’s jaw was red where Hyeon-woo’s fist had hit.
“…Can’t Dad sleep with us too?”
“Not today. Dad says he has a test to take.”
“…I don’t like tests…”
“Me neither.”
Watching Tae-geon’s back as he disappeared into the room carrying the whining Jerome, Hyeon-woo scratched his head with an embarrassed face.
*
As Tae-geon entered Jerome’s bedroom, lit by a soft mood light, the scent of a cozy baby mixed with Hyeon-woo’s body scent washed over his senses, instantly relaxing his tension.
After laying Jerome on the bed, Tae-geon adjusted the brightness of the mood light and picked up one of the fairy tale books on the bedside table and began to read. Even after reading the same content for the second time, Jerome’s eyes were still wide awake.
“…Seems like you slept a lot during the day.”
“Yeah.”
Tae-geon, with the book laid on his chest, asked while lazily stroking Jerome’s hair.
“Jerome, can you tell uncle now?”
“……”
“Why did you go to the cabin alone that day? You told the police officer that you wanted the socks hanging on the fireplace, right? Why did you want those socks?”
“……”
On the day of the fire at the cabin, the investigation revealed that Jerome had gone there to get the socks and then the fire broke out, but no one knew why he had gone to get the socks.
Everyone else had dismissed it as just a child’s impulse, but Tae-geon thought differently. Sensing that Jerome was hiding something, Tae-geon took advantage of the mood to gently prod him.
“I’ll keep it a secret from Dad. So just tell uncle.”
“……”
Despite this, Jerome, who had been hesitant to speak, chewed on his small lips and quietly called out to Tae-geon.
“…Uncle.”
“Yes?”
“Am I strange?”
Tae-geon’s shoulders stiffened at the unexpected question from Jerome.
“What do you mean?”
Although he tried to ask casually, Tae-geon’s gaze towards Jerome was more serious and grave than ever.
“It’s just. Uncle, Dad, Grandpa, and Mrs. Kyung-ae all have black eyes, but only I have blue eyes.”
Jerome’s curiosity about the world had now extended to himself. He had already reached that age. The age where one recognizes others beyond oneself, distinguishes between self and others, and forms one’s identity.
“They look like beautiful jewels to uncle. Did someone say something to Jerome?”
“……”
Tae-geon sensed an unspoken affirmation from Jerome’s silent response. Knowing that Jerome wouldn’t answer no matter how much he pressed, Tae-geon’s eyes fell on the fairy tale book on his chest as he racked his brain.
The cover depicted a beautiful white-haired woman wearing a crown, embracing a boy amidst swirling snow.
Recalling the contents of Jerome’s favorite fairy tale book, which he had read more than ten times on sleepless nights, Tae-geon spoke in a gentle tone.
“People who say bad things and do mean things have pieces of the devil’s mirror in their hearts.”
Interested in the story quoting his favorite fairy tale, Jerome looked at Tae-geon with sparkling eyes.
“Are there friends like that at Jerome’s daycare too?”
“…Yeah.”
As Jerome nodded, Tae-geon’s eyes flashed sharply for a moment.
“How many of Jerome’s friends have pieces of the devil’s mirror?”
“Hmm. One!”
“…One….”
After a moment of thoughtful silence, Tae-geon spoke again.
“Is there a connection between the cabin where the fire broke out and that friend?”
“…Mmm. Jerome is sleepy now, want to sleep.”
“……”
The quick-witted Jerome pretended to be sleepy and changed the subject. A look of disappointment flashed across Tae-geon’s face. He had thought today he might finally learn why Jerome had gone to get the socks from the cabin, but he had missed the opportunity again.
From Jerome’s answer about having a friend with a piece of the devil’s mirror in their heart, Tae-geon was certain. That there was someone bullying Jerome at the daycare.
Although he understood Jerome’s deep-hearted desire to protect his friend’s facade, sometimes Jerome’s thoughtfulness and intelligence, which seemed beyond his years, upset Tae-geon. However, knowing that Jerome wouldn’t open up no matter how much he pressed today, Tae-geon backed off obediently.
“Alright, sleep well. Have sweet dreams.”
As Tae-geon was about to get up to leave, Jerome quickly grabbed his clothes.
“Uncle, don’t go!”
“……”
“Stay with me until I fall asleep. Please?”
Jerome looked up at Tae-geon coyly with sparkling eyes. Had he learned this from Hyeon-woo in the meantime? That Tae-geon couldn’t refuse any request when faced with such an expression.
“Okay, I understand.”
Tae-geon lay back down on the bed and arranged Jerome’s blanket.
*
‘I’m anxious.’
‘I’m always anxious, Hyeon-woo.’
The voice that suddenly invaded Hyeon-woo’s mind as he was solving test problems echoed endlessly like a mantra. Hyeon-woo finally put down his pencil. He couldn’t concentrate on the problems at all.
With one arm propping up his chin, Hyeon-woo’s face was more serious than when he was solving the test problems.
Am I not giving him proper reassurance? How can I alleviate Tae-geon’s anxiety?
Although Tae-geon could only satisfy his desires through Hyeon-woo due to the imprinting, satisfaction and reassurance were separate issues.
Unlike other couples who felt a deeper sense of security through their ripening pheromones, in Hyeon-woo’s case, he still often found it overwhelming when Tae-geon’s pheromones became excessively intense. Moreover, Tae-geon had unilaterally imprinted on him.
He had heard that many who imprint experience separation anxiety because the absence of their imprinted partner can cause critical survival issues.
In contrast, Hyeon-woo didn’t even know what Tae-geon’s pheromones smelled like. He didn’t even have the ability to distinguish Tae-geon’s pheromones from countless other alpha pheromones. So he could understand to some extent the vague anxiety underlying Tae-geon’s behavior.
Hyeon-woo was just as curious and eager to know about Tae-geon’s pheromones. But it was futile to keep yearning and craving for a talent that couldn’t be acquired through effort.
How could he make Tae-geon feel secure? Something that could prove he was entirely Tae-geon’s person… As this thought occurred to Hyeon-woo, something suddenly came to mind.
Hurriedly turning on his phone, Hyeon-woo searched for “couple rings” in the search engine, and the screen was flooded with rings of all shapes and colors. Hyeon-woo’s eyes sparkled as he carefully examined each design.
He knew well how insignificant such a material ring was in the face of the eternity and immutability of imprinting. But he wanted to show his sincerity towards Tae-geon to the world in this way. He wanted to gift him a visible token of his feelings in place of pheromones.
Hoping this would improve Tae-geon’s mood even a little, Hyeon-woo imagined Tae-geon’s slender hand in his mind. He tried to gauge which ring would suit best, mentally placing this ring and that ring on those well-formed fingers that once used to stir improper desires just by imagining them.
Although it was just a finger, the thought of marking a part of Tae-geon’s body as his own made Hyeon-woo’s heart pound as if it would burst, even in imagination. And the same mark would be engraved on his own finger too.
Hyeon-woo’s cheeks flushed red with excitement as he spread his left hand wide and gazed at his ring finger. His heart swelled at the mere thought of sharing a token of love.
Hyeon-woo’s gaze returned to his phone. He thought that a flashy design might be too much for Tae-geon’s tall and handsome fingers. Rather, a neat and clean ring might suit him better. Just then, a design that caught Hyeon-woo’s eye perfectly matched his taste.
It was a silver ring with a clean design, featuring a thin, matte-finished line running horizontally across the middle of the body, which had no gloss or decorations. Without needing to look at any other designs, Hyeon-woo felt certain: This is it!
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
