“Oh, Hyunjun. It’s me.”
“Ah, scary. Why suddenly call me by name? What’s wrong?”
“Could you come to my place now? That person I mentioned, you know, the one you prescribed the suppressants to, collapsed. Seems like dehydration.”
“Slow down. How did he collapse?”
“He’s been under a lot of stress for days, hardly eating or resting properly. He went in to take a shower after coming home, but an hour passed, and he didn’t come out. I found him collapsed inside.”
“Did he injure himself by falling?”
“It doesn’t seem so. It’s not even a fallen posture.”
There was a rustling sound of Cho Hyunjun moving around within the receiver. Kwon Taejung waited a moment until he heard his voice.
“Have you checked if he’s breathing?”
“Breathing? Wait a sec.”
At Cho Hyunjun’s words, Kwon Taejung quickly placed his trembling fingers under Yigyeom’s nose. Fortunately, he felt a faint breath.
“Oh, he’s breathing.”
“If it’s not blocked, it should take about twenty minutes. Keep a close watch on his condition, and if anything seems off, call immediately.”
“Got it.”
After hanging up, Kwon Taejung didn’t take his eyes off Yigyeom for the longest twenty minutes of his life. He even checked beneath his nose multiple times in fear that his breath might stop.
Finally, when Cho Hyunjun arrived after exactly twenty minutes, he carefully assessed Yigyeom’s condition and set up an IV drip.
“He collapsed due to excessive strain. It’s common to faint when entering the shower while dehydrated. If suddenly exposed to high heat in an enclosed space like the shower booth, it can cause dizziness and a fall. Luckily, that’s it. It doesn’t seem like he actually fell. There are cases of people suddenly collapsing in the bathroom and dying. You need to be careful.”
“Just the IV drip?”
“Yeah. It’ll take a while. He must rest. Once this is finished, give him high-nutrient food and make sure he rests well. I’ll come tomorrow to administer another one.”
Upon hearing Cho Hyunjun’s words, Kwon Taejung finally felt relieved. Watching Cho Hyunjun, who had brought all the necessary items and was now grinning as if teasingly, he said:
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.
“Hey, stop it. I’ve seen enough of Kwon Taejung’s romantic side. Ah, it gives me chills.”
“What?”
“…”
“I said stop. Stop looking.”
As Cho Hyunjun glanced at the sleeping Yigyeom and playfully kicked Kwon Taejung’s leg as if it was mine, Kwon Taejung gestured to drink what he wanted and opened the fridge.
“Ah, if I came back after work, I’d have a drink. You have good alcohol at your place.”
“Take one.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I take the one I really want?”
“Sure.”
Cho Hyunjun, eyeing the expensive and good bottles of alcohol, cautiously pointed out the one I like. Kwon Taejung hugged the bottle that Cho Hyunjun had picked along with another expensive bottle of alcohol.
“Taejung, he’ll be better from now on. Tomorrow, I’ll bring the best nutrition supplements for your partner. Do you want one too? You look tired too. Hey, I’ll give you one now. Go lie down.”
“I’m good. Please check on Yigyeom once more tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay. Trust me. You’ll really get better. There’s a reason your father eats it. Seriously, you have a different temperament.”
“Please focus on helping Yigyeom recover. I’ll give you two more bottles.”
Completely loyal, Cho Hyunjun stepped outside, holding the bottles, and bid farewell. Perplexed, Kwon Taejung smiled faintly like a sigh and saw Cho Hyunjun off. Then he closed the curtains in the quiet bedroom, ensuring Yigyeom could rest comfortably.
“……”
For Yigyeom to rest comfortably, he should leave, but he didn’t want to leave his side. Kwon Taejung, who had recently naturally slept together in the bed, sat leaning against the bed, quietly watching the sleeping Yigyeom receiving the IV drip. Hoping that even during sleep, Yigyeom’s heart would be kind without sadness.
Yigyeom, who seemed to be getting better, started feeling ill again when morning came after passing through the night. His body was burning with fever, and he was having difficulty breathing. Cho Hyunjun, after receiving Kwon Taejung’s call, came and administered both fever reducers and suppressants simultaneously. The reason for this was that due to the rising fever, the uncontrolled pheromones, unable to be suppressed due to his agitated state, could spread excessively.
Although he didn’t show it, due to Yigyeom’s highly diffused pheromones, Kwon Taejung had to endure a painful time throughout the morning. It felt too much like garbage to indulge in self-pleasure because of someone in pain. He tried his best to suppress those feelings, but eventually, he had to handle it twice alone in the bathroom.
“When the fever rises like this, pheromones can be released, creating a, um, cycle… as an omega, symptoms like a heat cycle might occur. It’s about feeling like your body is accumulating heat. There are many cases where people mistakenly think it’s the pheromones building up, but it’s because his bodies are in pain.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s the heat cycle symptoms. I think you know him well enough, so I don’t need to explain more. But just keep in mind that such symptoms might appear.”
“Got it.”
“Stress and exhaustion erupted simultaneously, causing a severe fever. As I mentioned yesterday, let him rest enough, don’t stress him out, and accommodate him as much as possible. If the fever suddenly spikes or any unusual signs appear, call. For now, you don’t need to worry too much; after a big event, he usually suffer a bit.”
As Cho Hyunjun said, Yigyeom spent the whole day suffering. Although he didn’t show any major signs of distress, Kwon Taejung didn’t leave Yigyeom’s side for a moment, watching over him the whole time.
“Yigyeom, can you hear me?”
Suffering all day without being able to fall into a deep sleep or gather enough consciousness to have a conversation, Yigyeom just kept suffering. Concerned, Kwon Taejung, who had been watching his face all day, held his hand silently, lips stained with his fingers, quietly praying. Hoping that the fever would subside and that Yigyeom, burdened with so much pain, could rest peacefully, even for a moment.
However, Yigyeom couldn’t wake up from his sleep even as the afternoon passed.
“Ugh….”
Only as dusk approached did Yigyeom open his eyes, sitting next to the bed with Kwon Taejung sleeping on a chair. His head felt hazy, his body too hot to think straight.
Even breathing felt hot, and the warmth from the blanket felt too intense. He desperately wanted to get rid of the overwhelming heat filling his body. Yigyeom reached out and grabbed Kwon Taejung’s knee.
“Ah….”
Seeing Yigyeom awaken, Kwon Taejung leaned closer. Yigyeom flinched at the pheromone scent emanating from Kwon Taejung. It felt like the heat cycle was back again.
“Yigyeom, how are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you have a headache or anything?”
“…It’s too… hot.”
“Oh, it’s because of the fever. It’s gone down a bit after taking the fever reducer, but there’s still some fever. After dinner and medicine, you’ll feel better again.”
“I… feel like the heat cycle is back… It feels exactly like last time.”
Remembering what Cho Hyunjun had said, Kwon Taejung recalled that heat could make Yigyeom feel similar, even if it wasn’t an actual heat cycle.
“It’s because of the high fever. You might feel something similar but not exactly the heat cycle.”
“Haah… it’s too… hot….”
Watching Yigyeom breathe heavily due to the fever, Kwon Taejung wanted to soothe his heated body. It seemed like he had reached a point of no return. Even for someone who had lived doing whatever he wanted, not having had a proper conversation with Yigyeom and seeing him locked in sorrow, it didn’t seem appropriate to act this way towards someone in pain.
“Too… too…”
As Yigyeom, feverish, didn’t recall what happened between him and Kwon Taejung or even his grandfather’s passing, he kept reaching out to Kwon Taejung, seeking help to alleviate his intense body heat.
“I’ll wipe you with a towel. Wait.”
“Chief…”
Yigyeom firmly held Kwon Taejung’s hand, as if telling him not to leave, and lowered his head. Seeing Yigyeom’s distress, Kwon Taejung tried to console him. But his pheromone scent grew stronger every time he took a deep breath. Kwon Taejung wrinkled his brow at the strange sensation in his lower abdomen.
“I’ll help you sleep, okay?”
As if being pulled by Kwon Taejung’s hand, Yigyeom, overwhelmed by fever, was embraced by him. Despite the fever, it felt good to be held by him again.
Kwon Taejung carefully held Yigyeom as if handling something fragile. Their bodies pressed together, and due to Yigyeom’s breath touching his shoulder and neck, it was natural for him to feel a certain tension in his lower body.
“Wait, Yigyeom. Just a moment. Ugh, just a moment.”
No matter how much he tried to regain composure, he couldn’t resist Yigyeom’s pheromones. Kwon Taejung didn’t want any regrets but found it hard to detach himself. However, Yigyeom’s body didn’t easily let go.
“Chief… Quickly, ugh, please… like last time…”
Due to the fever, it was impossible to touch Yigyeom differently than usual.
“Damn it.”
However, despite efforts, there were always things beyond one’s control. With Yigyeom, whose pheromones I was reacting to, struggling from the heat, Kwon Taejung embraced him tightly and kissed his neck.
The strong scent of ripe peaches emanated from the heated and soft skin. Kwon Taejung gently bit into Yigyeom’s neck, more tenderly than biting into a fruit. When his lips touched the skin, Yigyeom’s body twitched.
“Ah… ugh…”
Kwon Taejung, having modified the goal not to intrude into the distressed body, slipped his hand under the slightly raised t-shirt. Feeling the soft and warm skin on the neck, he slid his hand deeper, and Yigyeom, suffering, snuggled closer.
“Chief…”
Lifting his head, Yigyeom looked at Kwon Taejung while still holding onto him. Kwon Taejung, as if entranced, leaned closer and sealed his lips that were parting
Very respectful.