Chapter 13
Strangely, Eunsol wanted to let him into his space. Perhaps it was because of his clear pheromones, just like his appearance.
When he first saw him in the hotel, he thought the real person was better than the photo. He had already looked into information about him before going to meet Eunsol.
The moment those pitch-black, clear eyes met his, Hyun-oh quickly decided on the thoughts he had been pondering.
Actually, after seeing Eunsol, if he didn’t genuinely like him, he thought about sending him back to his hometown.
The reason he didn’t was that the pheromones emanating from Eunsol had alleviated the severe headache he had that day.
Though he didn’t feel like touching someone who looked as young as his age, he wanted to take in the pheromones to his heart’s content.
“What on earth was he trying to make?”
Hyun-oh’s gaze fell on the pot left alone with its lid closed. Everything else had been cleaned up, but it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to throw that away.
Impulsively, he opened the lid of the pot. At the sight revealed, Hyun-oh swallowed hard.
The surface color was pitch black. He was genuinely curious about what ingredients would make this color.
Remembering the struggling back view was coincidental. Hyun-oh sighed and took out a spoon.
He carefully scooped up the mysterious broth with the spoon, making sure no solids were included. The cold broth had a strong, fishy smell.
After a moment of hesitation, his lips parted. The spoon disappeared between his well-shaped lips.
“…Hmm.”
I should never let him cook again.
That was the thought after tasting the first dish Eunsol had made. It was the strangest-tasting food Hyun-oh had ever eaten in his life.
Salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and bitter tastes were all strongly asserting themselves. Someone with a weak stomach would retch after just one taste.
Hyun-oh put the spoon in the sink and took out bottled water from the fridge. Only after finishing the entire bottle did the lingering taste in his mouth disappear.
There was no particular reason for touching the stew that clearly looked tasteless. He just thought he should at least taste it, considering the effort put into making it.
Hyun-oh went to Eunsol’s door and lightly knocked. The sound of knocking echoed softly down the long corridor.
“Lee Eunsol.”
He called Eunsol’s name, but the door didn’t budge. Hyun-oh listened carefully. Perhaps because of the good soundproofing, he couldn’t sense any movement.
Finally, Hyun-oh opened the closed door and went in. Following the gently opening door, the scene inside, shrouded in darkness, slowly came into view.
A hollow laugh escaped. Hyun-oh also knew that Eunsol was uncomfortable around him. So, he agreed with Kim Myungjun’s suggestion that since the house was big and had many rooms, he should give Eunsol a space where he could rest comfortably, separate from his own.
The space he had just opened the door to was Eunsol.
But why was he crouched uncomfortably against the wall instead of lying on the bed in the center of the room?
“Why are you sitting like this here?”
Hyun-oh slowly walked over to him and sat down on one knee in front of Eunsol. Eunsol had his knees together and his head buried in them, so his face wasn’t visible.
The curtain of light coming through the open door cast a faint shadow over his pitch-black hair and slender neck.
Perhaps he was protesting by not eating the meal he had prepared.
Hyun-oh barely managed to suppress the sigh that wanted to come out. The image of the delicate person trembling at even his sigh came to mind.
“First, get up…”
It was the moment Hyun-oh lightly grabbed Eunsol’s shoulder. Eunsol’s body slowly leaned to the side.
Reflexively, he reached out and held the collapsing body.
“…This is ridiculous.”
A sniffling breath escaped from beneath the small nose. The tear-stained eyelids were reddened in contrast to the white skin.
His face, asleep, looked the most peaceful in the world.
“It’s fortunate that he’s not crying anymore.”
He never thought he would regret his choice of marrying someone so young. He didn’t plan on having children anyway.
But taking suppressants every time his rut cycle came was painful for Hyun-oh too. So, he had secretly thought that if he married Eunsol, he could at least spend his rut cycles together.
Looking at the fluffy cheeks, even having such thoughts felt like committing a sin.
Hyun-oh picked up Eunsol and easily stood up.
“…Too thin.”
He had never received a report that he was skipping meals. If Eunsol wasn’t eating properly to the point of harming his health, Kim Myungjun would have reported it long ago.
The pajamas Eunsol was wearing were made of thin, soft material. Even considering he was an omega, the silhouette subtly revealed through the fabric was particularly thin and frail.
“Umm…”
As if sensing Hyun-oh’s gaze, Eunsol let out a groan and tossed in his sleep. It seemed the position Hyun-oh was holding him in was uncomfortable.
A fine wrinkle formed between his beautiful eyebrows. Hyun-oh lifted Eunsol’s body and tightly held him in his arms.
Only then did the wrinkle smooth out, and Eunsol breathed evenly again. It felt like taking care of a younger sibling with a large age gap, not a spouse.
Even though he had a half-brother, their relationship was so bad that he had never felt brotherly affection. Would he feel this way if he had a younger sibling he never expected?
Hyun-oh returned to the bedroom and laid Eunsol down on the bed. It was then that Eunsol, as if reluctant to let go, wrapped his arms around Hyun-oh’s neck.
“Hyun-oh…”
“…,”
Even though he had done nothing wrong, Hyun-oh held his breath. The face looking up at him close-up was flawlessly clear.
His fluttering eyelashes made his throat inexplicably dry. Not knowing when Eunsol would wake up, he froze with his arm awkwardly stretched out beside Eunsol’s head.
“But we should eat together…”
But from the following words, Hyun-oh realized that Eunsol wasn’t awake but just talking in his sleep.
He gently pulled down the arm around his neck. Thanks to Eunsol not holding on tightly, the thin arm quietly settled onto the bed.
He even pulled the blanket over Eunsol’s body. Slowly, he got up from his position above him and sat on the edge of the bed.
What’s with this meal? Even in his sleep, he’s talking about it.
The food Eunsol had made earlier came to mind. Hyun-oh’s complexion turned a faint, pale shade.
Even after marrying Eunsol, Hyun-oh intended to fulfill his basic duties as a spouse. But even so… he didn’t feel like eating that strangely flavored broth again.
“…He did say he wanted to learn how to cook.”
The contents of the report Kim Myungjun had given him briefly flashed through his mind. At that time, he wondered why he wanted to learn such things.
Now that he thought about it, Eunsol had been muttering something while cooking earlier.
“I can’t even ask him to make something edible.”
Hyun-oh lay down next to Eunsol as he looked at him. Eunsol was quietly asleep, just as Hyun-oh had laid him down.
Just looking at him, Eunsol’s gentle nature was evident. A faint pheromone emanated from the sleeping Eunsol.
When awake, he seemed desperate not to emit pheromones. But in his sleep, he emitted pheromones like a defenseless child.
“…I missed the pheromones.”
Throughout the business trip, he couldn’t fall into a deep sleep. Even when he lay in bed to sleep, sleep wouldn’t come, so he repeatedly opened his laptop, thinking it was better to work.
His nerves, which had become sensitive due to accumulated fatigue, loosened as they properly felt the delicate pheromones.
Hyun-oh closed his eyes without realizing it. Using his outstretched arm as a pillow, he was instantly sucked into a deep sleep.
***
The slender fingertips twitched quite some time after that.
After waking up from sleep, Eunsol blinked for a while at the sight before him. Before falling asleep, what he had seen was clearly his gathered knees.
His pathetic self made his pajama pants wet with tears. Then, at some point, his memory was cut off.
His large eyes rolled to the side. Then, discovering Hyun-oh’s peacefully relaxed face, he trembled uncontrollably. The breath he strongly inhaled got stuck and swirled in his stomach.
His heart beat so strongly it felt like it would burst out of his chest. He raised his trembling hand and pressed hard to prevent the sound of his heartbeat from leaking out.
The vibration felt against his palm was so clear that Eunsol bit his lower lip.
But no matter how much he held his breath and waited, there was no sign of waking. Eunsol carefully turned his body towards Hyun-oh.
He placed his two hands overlapping and rested his face on them. Hyun-oh was asleep with his face buried in his own arm.
His posture seemed to be looking at the sleeping Eunsol.
Not long after waking up, a light blush rose on Eunsol’s pale cheek. Eunsol smiled softly, covering his mouth even though no one was looking.
The events before falling asleep had already faded into the recesses of his memory.
Unless he had been sleepwalking, it was highly likely that Hyun-oh had brought Eunsol to the bedroom. Just realizing that fact made the resentful feelings melt away like snow.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
