“What’s there to be sorry about? Don’t do that. It’s not like I lack the ability. I can do this a hundred, a thousand times to you every day. This is really nothing. It’s not a big deal at all.”
As much as one would wish that saying “it’s nothing” and truly meaning that it’s not a big deal would bring comfort, unfortunately, those words only weighed heavier on Yigyeom’s heart. He knew this because he was acutely aware that he couldn’t reciprocate even half of the indifference towards the seemingly insignificant matter to Kwon Taejung.
Emotions like shock, regret, guilt, and gratitude filled the heart so much that it became difficult to find the right words. Yigyeom trembled, his lips quivering as if finding it hard to breathe. The world before his eyes seemed to waver, accompanied by a sensation of breathlessness.
“Ah….”
Kwon Taejung, who was silently observing the now even more subdued Yigyeom, tilted his head slowly in response to Yigyeom’s pheromones that were somewhat different from usual, not the usual ones that affectionately induced excitement.
It wasn’t the usual pheromones that clung warmly, inciting excitement, but rather, it was the pheromones on Yigyeom’s side that conveyed a considerable sense of confusion.
As emotions surged, pheromones flowed chaotically, stopping abruptly, bursting forth, and then being restrained, repeating the cycle. Kwon Taejung, realizing the need to calm Yigyeom down, leaned in.
Pheromones flowing uncontrollably could lead to shock. Moreover, Yigyeom was not yet in a state where he could regulate pheromones freely, so extra caution was necessary.
“Yigyeom, let’s go to the room and take a rest for a bit. We can talk later. Your pheromones are too unstable. You might collapse at this rate.”
Kwon Taejung gently lifted the trembling Yigyeom and expressed concern with an already feverish body. The worry of Yigyeom potentially collapsing overshadowed any questions about his unexpected reaction to the gift.
“Try to breathe slowly. Yeah, just like that. You’ll be okay.”
With Yigyeom lying on the bed, Kwon Taejung placed his hand on Yigyeom’s chest, gently stroking, but there was an impression on his face as the heartbeat didn’t calm down.
“Hmm…”
Thinking about what to do, Kwon Taejung, still noticing Yigyeom’s pheromones flowing unevenly, lowered his head towards Yigyeom. Sealing slightly parted lips, he exhaled slowly, trying to help Yigyeom breathe.
“Breathe with me. Inhale. Yeah, like that.”
While breathing for Yigyeom and gently tapping his stomach, Kwon Taejung released pheromones ever so slightly, just enough to ensure that Yigyeom wouldn’t be overwhelmed by excitement or threats.
“Chief….”
“Is it okay to breathe now?”
“…Yes.”
As Yigyeom’s unstable pheromones mingled with Kwon Taejung’s alpha pheromones, the sound of breathing gradually subsided. Kwon Taejung continued to release pheromones just enough for Yigyeom to peacefully fall asleep.
“Sleep comfortably for now. I’ll release a bit more pheromones so you can have a good rest.”
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.
The room filled with a delicate balance of pheromones, ensuring Yigyeom’s peace in slumber.
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Checking Yigyeom’s forehead, monitoring the heartbeat, Kwon Taejung confirmed the stabilization before finally exhaling deeply while leaning against the bed’s headrest. The worry about Yigyeom’s immediate condition being okay now was replaced with unanswered questions lingering in his mind.
“…”
Why was Yigyeom so moved by something that one could only be happy about? Why was there sadness? There was no reason to be sad since the debt had been cleared. However, no matter how much he thought, Kwon Taejung couldn’t easily find the reason. Not finding it was one thing, but he couldn’t even get close to it.
The heavy burden that pressed down not just on his heart but on life itself had disappeared for Yigyeom, and there was no option for Kwon Taejung to not be pleased. Yigyeom felt a contracted pain, thinking that the confusing emotion he sensed was not joy. This isn’t it. It’s not what I thought. What is it?
Where did things go wrong?
Thoughts continued for a while, but by the time it was midday and the bright light succumbed to fatigue and gradually dimmed, Kwon Taejung couldn’t find any answers.
Yigyeom, exhausted by the release of unstable pheromones, woke up when the room was dyed with the colors of the sunset. Unable to believe he had slept until evening, Yigyeom, staring blankly at the orange-tinted window, turned his head and looked at Kwon Taejung sitting beside him, mirroring the last image he saw before falling asleep.
“…”
Kwon Taejung, deeply engrossed in his thoughts, didn’t notice Yigyeom’s movement and looked very serious. Yigyeom, who had intended to call out to him, ultimately closed his slightly parted lips, unable to make any sound.
“Yigyeom, why are you crying like this?”
The memory of crying like a fool filled his heart with regret. He regretted not expressing gratitude first to Kwon Taejung, who conveyed with an excited look that things didn’t have to be difficult anymore, that the burden of debt was finally lifted.
“Did you wake up?”
A warm hand was placed on his forehead. Yigyeom closed his eyes deeply when the hand touched him and opened them to meet the gaze of Kwon Taejung, who was looking at him with concern.
“Fever’s gone… Um, let’s check the pheromones.”
Leaning down again, Kwon Taejung buried his face in Yigyeom’s neck, taking a deep breath. Feeling the lips pressing down and the sensation of breath, Yigyeom smiled and bit his inner lip. The weight of Kwon Taejung that covered him still lingered, and his heart thumped rapidly.
“Oh, the scent I want to eat.”
Lowering his body again, Kwon Taejung, as if regretting that it was not enough, pursed his lower lip.
“… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep for so long.”
Feeling sorry for Kwon Taejung, who had stayed by his side throughout, Yigyeom quickly felt guilty.
“Why are you so sorry?”
“…What?”
“You rested because it was tough. There’s nothing to apologize for. And solving your debt is nothing to apologize for either.”
“That’s…”
As the unresolved conversation returned to the center, choosing the right words was not easy. Yigyeom, calming his mind to speak, opened his mouth softly, looking at Kwon Taejung, who was patiently waiting for his response.
“Chief, you said it was nothing, just a trivial matter, but for me… it’s something huge. It was such a significant matter, possibly something I might never be able to repay even if I worked my whole life, and you took care of it. It feels like I’m causing trouble over and over again, so… I’m really sorry.”
“It’s not good at all then.”
Yigyeom’s head, which had been lowered in guilt to avoid Kwon Taejung’s eyes, lifted at Kwon Taejung’s low voice. Yigyeom, who stared blankly at Kwon Taejung, felt a shiver as their eyes met.
“I tried to understand it on my own. Why you don’t like something that heavy has disappeared. I was so curious, and I thought about it alone, but I don’t know.”
“…”
“It’s not like I was pretending. Even just one thing, that you won’t suffer anymore because of debt, should be enough. But hearing you apologize continuously makes me feel a bit strange.”
“…”
“It makes me feel sad.”
Despite the indifferent words and expression, an unspoken threat of pheromones, unreleased and ominous, reached Yigyeom. It was a sharp scent, as if thorns on a dry rose were scratching all over his body.
Yigyeom trembled with the strong pheromones, clutching the edge of the blanket tightly. The full impact of how much Kwon Taejung was hurt emotionally and how much he had saddened him made it difficult for Yigyeom to breathe.
“Yigyeom, what’s wrong?”
“…Sigh… Pheromones…”
Only after seeing Yigyeom struggling to breathe again did Kwon Taejung realize that Yigyeom couldn’t regulate pheromones at all now. With pheromones bursting out to the point where Yigyeom’s body was overheating, it was undoubtedly posing a significant threat to Yigyeom. Even attempting to calm him down, emotions seemed to mix, and the pheromones wouldn’t settle easily.
Kwon Taejung, seeming to give up, got off the bed and distanced himself from Yigyeom. He knew that being close to Yigyeom right now would only be detrimental.
“I’m sorry. I startled you. This has never happened before.”
“…”
“I don’t think we should be together right now. I’ll calm down and come back later.”
Yigyeom raised his pale face. Even though it was tough, he didn’t want to be away from Kwon Taejung. He hadn’t properly expressed why he was apologizing, and he hadn’t even said thank you. He didn’t want to be separated from Kwon Taejung; it seemed like it shouldn’t happen.
“I’ll stay on the second floor until I feel better. Don’t come up until I come down. Exposing yourself to these pheromones won’t be good, so don’t come up until I do.”
“Chief…”
“Sigh…”
Kwon Taejung’s sigh, mixed with pheromones that didn’t settle at all, seemed threatening. Yigyeom, who was surprised by the sound of the sigh, looked at Kwon Taejung’s face, which seemed angry and tired, and couldn’t decide whether he was mad or just exhausted.
“…”
Soon, Kwon Taejung turned away and distanced himself from Yigyeom. The door opened and closed, leaving Yigyeom alone, unable to take his eyes off the closed door. Kwon Taejung’s low and tired sigh lingered in his ears, tormenting Yigyeom.
“It’s not good at all then.”
And the visible wounds on Kwon Taejung made Yigyeom uneasy. He despised himself for not only being unable to properly express gratitude to Kwon Taejung, who had done anything for him, but also for not even recognizing it.
“Hearing you apologize continuously makes me feel a bit strange.”
What should I do? It makes me feel sad..
I shouldn’t be like this… I want to do better. Even though I want to become someone who fits well with him… I should have said something properly. But I couldn’t say anything properly; I behaved like a fool.
“…”
He probably got sick of me… I don’t even know how to express gratitude… What should I do? If he doesn’t like me anymore, what should I do…
Now, I have to say something. Yigyeom left the bed and exited the room, heading towards the stairs to the second floor.
“Don’t come up until I come down. Exposing yourself to these pheromones won’t be good.”
As he hurriedly climbed a couple of stairs, he remembered Kwon Taejung’s words. If he went up against Kwon Taejung’s clear instructions, it probably wouldn’t be appreciated. Yigyeom stared at the stairs he couldn’t ascend, and unable to climb any further, he sat on the stairs, leaning his body and head against the railing.
“It makes me feel sad.”
Feeling sorry for Kwon Taejung, who had resolved such a tremendous issue and still felt disappointed, Yigyeom was overwhelmed with guilt. While Kwon Taejung generally disliked when Yigyeom apologized too much, lately, Yigyeom’s heart had become even more fragile in response to Kwon Taejung’s words and actions.
