In response to Yigyeom’s answer, Kwon Taejung’s eyes widened. Kwon Taejung’s mother, surprised, turned halfway towards Yigyeom.
“If it’s not inconvenient for you because of me…”
With a small but courageous statement, packed with emotions, Kwon Taejung’s mother quickly reached out, took Yigyeom’s hand, and comforted him.
“Why would it be inconvenient? Yigyeom is already part of our family.”
“Family…”
“Yes, family. Now, the baby is the youngest in our house.”
Yigyeom continued to repeat the word “family” that Kwon Taejung’s mother had uttered. Family, family… a family created by Kwon Taejung. Yigyeom warmly held his own hand, looked at the comforting hand of Kwon Taejung’s mother, and then raised his head to gaze at the opposite side. There, he saw the love that was always there, ready to see him whenever he wished.
“But still, just to be sure, talk to Taejung more about it. Thinking about it and actually coming to live together are different. Even if you don’t move in permanently, you can come and stay with us whenever you feel like it. If you ever want something to eat when you’re alone or get sick, we’ll worry, so don’t feel burdened at all.”
“Thank you for your consideration…”
“I’m even more thankful. Thank you for becoming our family, sweetheart.”
As one more warm word dropped, overflowing with joy and happiness, the emotions that had been suppressed and held back surged. Yigyeom, who had tried not to cry, teared up when expressing his gratitude for becoming a family. Kwon Taejung’s mother, seeing tears welling up in Yigyeom’s beautiful eyes, quickly comforted him.
“We can’t afford to have our energy drained by crying.”
Upon seeing Yigyeom teary-eyed, Kwon Taejung, who had stood up, quickly sat next to him, hugging Yigyeom to console him. He would have liked to sit Yigyeom on his lap and hold him tightly, but with his mother present, he could only pat him on the back. Well, it was okay for him, but he didn’t want Yigyeom to feel embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I tried not to cry…”
“Piyak seems happy because he gets to see Grandma and Grandpa more often now. That’s it.”
With a slight smile, Kwon Taejung tilted his head, meeting Yigyeom’s eyes, and gently pressed his lips on the reddened corner of Yigyeom’s eyes. Only then did Yigyeom join Kwon Taejung with a small smile.
“How about a drive later if you’re feeling better during dinner?”
“Yes… that sounds good.”
Nodding quickly, Yigyeom, still touched, glanced at Kwon Taejung with a somewhat surprised look as he whispered to his mother.
“Mom, thank you.”
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.
“Don’t mention it. I’m more thankful. We now have a lovely youngest and a grandchild.”
“P’ii vb fnfc yfaafg ogbw cbk bc.”
“Vlcmf sbe’gf qjga bo beg ojwlis, ajxf yfaafg mjgf bo Tlusfbw atjc er. Gbc’a wjxf tlw offi atf rilutafra yla eqrfa. Fcvfgrajcv?”
“Tfr, vbc’a kbggs jybea atja.”
Efjmtlcu ecvfg atf ajyif, ktfc tf fzafcvfv tlr tjcv, Tlusfbw, tbivlcu tlr tjcv, lcafgaklcfv atflg olcufgr, ibbxlcu ja tlw. Bkbc Kjfpecu, ktb ijeutfv ktlif tbivlcu Tlusfbw’r tjcv alutais fcbeut cba ab tega, rkecu la ufcais. Snfc j rlwqif wbnfwfca ilxf atja wjvf atf vffq qjga bo tlr tfjga almxilrt. Ccv tf kjr tjqqs.
Yigyeom’s laughter, his mom’s warm gaze, and the undeniable fact that their love would never dry up.
***
Following Kwon Taejung’s mother, Yigyeom carefully climbed the stairs. It was a good decision to take a proper look at the house while Kwon Taejung was away at work and visit the future home where he would often come. The immensely spacious house tour and sipping juice in the bright garden filled with sparkling sunlight were so enjoyable.
“This is Taejung’s room.”
The second floor was as clean and bright as the first-floor living room, and it smelled good too. It seemed like it would take a long time to explore each floor, considering how big and nice it was.
“Taejung used the inside of the second floor alone. This is the second-floor living room, this is Taejung’s room, here’s the bathroom, and over there is the dressing room.”
“Wow… the house is amazing. I didn’t know the inside would be this spacious.”
“Do you like it? You can comfortably stay here anytime you want.”
“I love it so much.”
“Thank goodness you like it. Oh, but even though it’s fine now, later on, going up and down the stairs might be risky, so I’ve kept a room vacant on the lower floor. Rest there if it becomes difficult later.”
Yigyeom, who bowed his head sincerely in gratitude, followed Kwon Taejung’s mother into the room. Despite the possibility that Kwon Taejung’s room might not have been used for a long time, it was still tidy and filled only with essential items, giving off the unmistakable feel of Kwon Taejung.
A large bed, a desk with a laptop, and a bookshelf filled with books. It had a similar atmosphere to the house Yigyeom was currently living in with Kwon Taejung.
“You know Yoojung and Kijung live here too, right?”
“Ah… yes, Chief told me.”
“Yoojung uses the inside of the opposite side on the second floor, and Kijung is on the third floor. The separation is well done, so unless you intentionally meet, you won’t cross paths much on this floor. So, feel free to stay comfortably here whenever, Yigyeom.”
“Yes, thank you for your consideration…”
“Why are you expressing it so prettily?”
Kwon Taejung’s mother, who patted Yigyeom on the back like she was dealing with a dearly beloved youngest child, laughed and moved towards the door. As she was about to leave, she reached out her hand to Yigyeom.
“You must be tired; rest until Taejung comes. In the early stages of pregnancy, you tend to feel sleepy all the time. Even after sleeping and waking up, you still feel drowsy, even when eating. I brought you here to rest comfortably, so don’t worry about anything. Sleep in Taejung’s bed. If you want to change comfortably, go to the dressing room; Taejung’s clothes are still there. Oh, and if you want to shower, feel free to use the bathroom. This is also your home now, Yigyeom.”
“Thank you.”
“If you need anything, be sure to tell me.”
“Okay…”
Smiling broadly, Kwon Taejung’s mother left the room. Yigyeom looked at the closing door and sat on the neatly spread bed without a single wrinkle. Until just a while ago, he thought it wouldn’t be polite to come all the way here and fall asleep again, but as soon as he looked at the bed, Piyak seemed to want to sleep.
After washing up and putting on Taejung’s T-shirt, Yigyeom looked down at the shirt hem that hung loosely, covering his thighs as he put his legs into the pants. He thought it would be big, but it was even larger than expected. Yigyeom, who felt embarrassed for not being able to wear Taejung’s underwear, looked at himself in the mirror. Instead of saying he wore the clothes, it was more like he was engulfed by them, making him laugh as he dried his wet hair with a lukewarm breeze.
Afraid that the pants might slide down with even the slightest movement, he tied the waistband a bit tightly, but then thought it might be uncomfortable for Piyak and loosened it while sitting on the bed.
Freshly showered, Yigyeom’s warm body, with a slight fever, sank onto the bed as if melting. Despite Taejung not using the room for a long time, there was a faint scent of Taejung in the room. Yigyeom pulled up the soft blanket, burying his face.
“……”
Chief, I miss you…
Yigyeom, who recalled Taejung’s face that filled his mind, opened his sleepy eyes again and impulsively left the room, heading to the dressing room. Then, he opened a drawer and took out another shirt, savoring its fragrance.
“…It’s not there.”
He hadn’t worn it for long, and maybe because it was neatly washed, there was no trace of Taejung’s pheromones. Yigyeom, who quickly became dejected, folded the clothes, placing them back in their original place. As he was about to leave, he remembered something, opened the wardrobe door.
“……”
Opening the wardrobe doors that covered the entire wall one by one, when Yigyeom opened the sixth compartment, he shuddered at the overwhelming pheromones emanating from Taejung.
“Ah…”
Seeing several winter coats hanging inside, Yigyeom grabbed the coat’s hem and brought it close to his face. Touching the coat, which had a faint scent of Taejung’s pheromones, Yigyeom gently patted it, as if comforting his longing heart.
With the imprinting and Piyak, Yigyeom found himself needing Taejung more with each passing day. Even though he was right in front of him, it felt insufficient, and when Taejung hugged or touched him, he sometimes wanted something deeper. Helpless in this separation, he felt anxious and missed Taejung, sometimes even shedding tears.
He thought about making a call, but he didn’t want to disturb Taejung at work, so Yigyeom, who endured the temptation, pulled out a coat from inside and held it dearly, heading back to Taejung’s room.
“Piyak, I also… miss Chief.”
Though still too small to hear his words, Yigyeom, who held the coat close to his chest, lay back on the bed again, hugging the coat tightly.
“Chief’s scent…”
Yigyeom’s toes, which absorbed Taejung’s faint pheromone scent, curled up. Just by smelling the scent, warmth and sensations Taejung had given him so far seemed to spread throughout his entire body, leaving no empty space.
“……”
Feeling a tingling sensation in his thighs, Yigyeom tightly closed his eyes while hunching his body. Even though he was falling asleep so quickly, Yigyeom felt a vague sense of drowsiness, and with that feeling, he fell into a drowsy slumber.
* * *
After returning home from work with his father, Kwon Taejung immediately looked for Yigyeom once he entered the house. He had made a call during his break, but since there was no answer, he had been imagining Yigyeom’s sleeping face, making him anxious to see, touch, and kiss him as soon as possible.
“Mom is so happy when Taejung comes home.”
“I feel the same when I see our mom. How about Yigyeom? He didn’t answer the phone.”
“Oh, Yigyeom is sleeping. I went upstairs to feed him something, but he was sleeping so soundly that I didn’t want to wake him. Go upstairs quickly and check on him.”
“Yes, we’ll have dinner together when Yigyeom wakes up.”
Smiling, Taejung lightly hugged his mom and quickly climbed the stairs. The thought of Yigyeom sleeping in the house where his family lived, especially in the room he had lived in for a long time, made Taejung’s heart beat rapidly as if it were about to burst.
Calling Yigyeom’s name, Taejung entered the room, suppressing the desire to kiss and bite. Taking a deep breath in front of the closed door, Taejung carefully opened it.
“Ah….”
However, as soon as he opened the door, everything he had carefully controlled, including the carefully suppressed excitement, collapsed in the peach-scented air that filled the room. The excitement mixed with lust swirled in his head.
Considering that they had imprinted, and now with the addition of Piyak, it was only natural, but still, being the only person in the world who could smell Yigyeom’s pheromones made Taejung ecstatic. Taejung quietly moved his feet to avoid waking Yigyeom, approaching the bed, and turned on the bedside lamp.
“Oh, it’s driving me crazy.”
As a very dim light illuminated the surroundings, Taejung, aware that Yigyeom was embracing his coat, sighed. Then, moving closer, he gently lifted the disheveled blanket over Yigyeom’s body and, after glancing inside, turned his head sharply.
