Do-hwa wondered why Min-jun was discussing some news. Then he remembered the news headline he had seen on the TV at the pub earlier.
<The Mafia Boss ‘Roman’ from the Louis Family escapes from prison and flees to Seoul.
CIA agents are currently infiltrating the country to track down Roman and his associates, known as his right-hand men.>
It was clear that the news Min-jun was talking about was this. Thanks to it, Do-hwa’s suspicion about Min-jun being involved with the Mafia was becoming less of a suspicion and more of a reality.
“It’s best to deal with this quickly. We should only shine in the darkness.”
At that moment, he felt a vibration from the phone he had tucked into his coat pocket. Perhaps it was his mood, but the vibration felt incredibly strong. He feared that someone might notice he was eavesdropping. Do-hwa hastily returned to the bench where he had been sitting. He brushed off the dirt from his legs.
He picked up his phone, thinking he should switch to silent mode quickly. A preview of a text message appeared on the screen. From the annoyed tone of the message, it seemed like something had happened. Do-hwa opened the text. It was a group chat among classmates from the pub they had been to earlier.
<The second round went completely awry.>
<Did the Alphas lose their minds? Instead of hunting, they started brawling, causing a scene?>
<It seems like the opposing Omega released a strong pheromone! That’s why all hell broke loose.>
It seemed that there was a fight at the bar where he went for the second time.
<What about the owner? The Alphas overturned tables and caused trouble for other customers too.>
<After seeing this, it feels like Alphas really can’t keep their cool against Omega pheromones.>
<Hey, Jihoon, are you the same way?>
However, Jihoon didn’t respond to the group chat, so another classmate spoke up.
<During World War II, apparently, Russia surrounded the German army and used Omega pheromones to extract secrets.>
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
<What? Is that even possible?>
<They say Alphas lose their judgment when intoxicated by Omega pheromones. There’s a saying that if you stab them during that moment, they’ll fall over.>
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“Seonbae, let’s go back now.”
“Yeah, got it.”
As Do-hwa tried to get up from the bench, he felt himself floating. It was because Min-jun had lifted him up in his arms. He had been lifted like this a few times before, but he just couldn’t get used to it. Do-hwa wanted to insist on walking by himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to rebel because he was afraid of how Min-jun might react.
“Seonbae.”
Min-jun looked at Do-hwa intently before nuzzling his nose against his neck.
“Today, your pheromones seem particularly strong.”
His warm breath tickled Do-hwa’s ear.
“Seonbae, you seem delicious.”
“What?!”
Do-hwa’s eyes widened at Min-jun’s unexpected remark. Then Min-jun’s eyes softened smoothly.
“Seonbae, you’re always cute, but your surprised expression is the prettiest. That’s why I want to keep looking at you.”
What, is he going to keep teasing him? Do-hwa felt a headache coming on. Even thinking back, he couldn’t understand how he got involved with someone like this.
“Don’t take it too seriously. I have no intention of making things difficult for you, seonbae.”
Min-jun whispered kindly and chuckled as he walked. But Do-hwa continued to feel uneasy about his smiling face.
As they left the playground, the parking lot came into view, and there was Min-jun’s car. Didn’t they park near the pub earlier? When did the car move here? Did Min-jun move it when Do-hwa was feeling sick earlier? While Do-hwa speculated, Min-jun gently guided him to the front passenger seat.
As his feet touched the ground, Do-hwa felt a sense of freedom. However, his momentary joy was soon shattered when the passenger door opened, making him realize it was only temporary relief. He stared blankly at the seat, feeling a sense of bitterness.
“Seonbae? What’s wrong? Do you want to ride in another car?”
“Another car?”
Do-hwa wondered what he meant by that.
“I thought you might hesitate to ride because of the uncomfortable seat. I can bring another car in 5 minutes.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll just sit here.”
Do-hwa sat down, feeling a tremendous burden from his erratic consideration. As he was about to close the car door, Min-jun gently closed it first.
At the same time, a warm heat enveloped his body. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the heater and seat warmer were on. Min-jun had been with Do-hwa all along, so it seemed like the guys he was talking to earlier had set this up. But it was ultimately and undoubtedly Min-jun’s intention. Why he kept the heater on in the parked car, Do-hwa couldn’t understand.
Do-hwa looked out the window. Directly in front, he saw a tree, and across the way, there was a church. The cross placed on the fairly large building felt quite imposing. Moreover, he noticed something resembling dust swirling in the air. As Do-hwa furrowed his brows in curiosity, the driver’s seat door opened, and Min-jun sat down. He, too, looked at the same tree as Do-hwa and gently raised the corners of his mouth.
“Oh, right. Today was Christmas.”
“Yeah…”
They were together until Christmas today, following yesterday’s eve. After thinking back, Do-hwa was confused about how he ended up entangled with Min-jun in the first place.
At that moment, Min-jun’s hand gently emerged and held Do-hwa’s hand. His touch was incredibly delicate and deliberate.
Damn it’s Christmas 😭