Yigyeom knew that if he found out about this situation, he’d naturally worry and feel upset. Yet, hearing that it was uncomfortable and undesirable made him feel repeatedly hurt. It seemed my condition was genuinely not good.
“Should I stop coming here now? I thought I was doing better yesterday, but here I am, back in the same place. Lately, it feels like you keep crying whenever I’m around. This isn’t what I intended.”
“…Today, please go inside quickly and rest. And about saying that I dislike it… it’s because I’m worried too.”
“Yeah, I understand. Because our Yigyeom is kind.”
Patting Yigyeom’s head, Kwon Taejung grinned, hiding the sore heart and weakened thoughts.
“You’re out early today?”
“Yes… I have something I need to attend to.”
“I’ll, I’ll drive you there.”
“No, I’ll take the bus. Please… go inside and rest quickly. Okay? That’s my wish.”
“Ah, your wish is too much. Even if you call it a wish, I can’t refuse.”
Yigyeom bowed slightly, seeing Kwon Taejung nod in acknowledgment. Though he wished to confirm whether Kwon Taejung was really resting at home, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Seeing him look so weak made it even harder.
“Please make sure to rest when you get home. I’ll be on my way.”
“Yeah, be careful.”
“…Yes… Please drive safely, Chief.”
Yigyeom took in Kwon Taejung’s nod and quickly left the corner of the alley. Despite wanting to look back, the thought that Kwon Taejung might not go home quickly made him briskly walk away, eventually even sprinting to the bus stop.
“Haah…”
Exhaustion surged from the breath to the chin, feeling drained since the morning. Sitting on the empty bus stop seat, Yigyeom rested his head against the transparent wall adorned with advertisements.
“Should I stop coming here?”
The pained face of Kwon Taejung saying those words kept troubling Yigyeom’s heart. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to see him, nor because he disliked waiting for him. It would’ve been better if he could’ve explained more accurately that it wasn’t because he disliked seeing him, but he couldn’t. It worried Yigyeom that he might have hurt him unintentionally. He sighed at the new worry piling up on top of the existing concerns.
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.
“…”
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***
Thinking about Yigyeom’s wish to go home and rest, Kwon Taejung, upon reaching home, collapsed onto the bed as if drained, barely managing to shower. Even though the pillow felt damp from the still-wet hair, there was no energy left to even lift a finger.
“Ah…”
The moment he lay down, it felt like his body was being sucked into the bed. Kwon Taejung, unable to move like a soaking cotton ball, realized his breathing was gradually becoming warmer.
“Ah, damn it.”
Then, he recalled what his secretary had told him.
“Oh, Taejung. I booked you an appointment at the center for Thursday.”
“Why the center?”
“It’s time for the Rut.”
Distracted by Yigyeom, he had completely forgotten about going to the center. He had missed several calls from Cho Hyunjoon, probably while being with Yigyeom. Focused on turning Yigyeom’s mood around and ensuring things, he had completely forgotten that it was time for the Rut.
“…Damn it.”
Now he understood why he felt so cold and his emotions were agitated. Gradually feeling his body getting warmer, Kwon Taejung frowned. He briefly thought about going to the center for an injection, but being in this condition, leaving the house was impossible. Besides, once the pheromones of Omega Alpha were unleashed, no injection could contain them.
The power of the accumulated pheromones in the body was such that the only way to control them was preemptively—before they erupted. Once missed, there was no way to completely suppress the Rut with medication.
Even if he took the injection now, it would only shorten the duration of the heat cycle by about a week. Kwon Taejung cursed under his breath, burying his face in the pillow, mixed with heated breath and anger.
Since mastering pheromone control, this was the first time he had ever faced the beginning of the Rut, a confrontation he had never properly experienced.
***
For three days now, Kwon Taejung had not been seen. From the night when it was known that he parked in the alley and slept there, to yesterday and this morning, Yigyeom became increasingly anxious at not seeing him.
He went to the alley entrance at night and checked the container whenever time allowed, but Kwon Taejung was nowhere to be found.
“…”
Even when gathering the courage to make a call, it ended with a continuous ring followed by disconnection.
“Should I stop coming here now?”
The phrase echoing in his mind completely filled his heart. Perhaps due to considering him, he might have expressed dislike, and now, he might have completely lost affection. The thought made my heart pound heavily.
“…I shouldn’t have said that even if I was upset about worrying and disliking suffering for his sake… I should’ve properly explained from what perspective I said those words…”
With a racing heart, Yigyeom bit the tip of his finger and quickly left the spot as if saying it’s not working.
Even though he knew Kwon Taejung wasn’t in the container, he couldn’t stay still. Despite appearing in pain, he worried whether it was because he couldn’t come due to being seriously unwell. Yigyeom approached the bright red container and grabbed the locked handle.
“What should I do…”
Leaning his head against the door and sighing deeply, he heard the sound of a car behind him. He turned to see a car approaching, its wheels rolling on the sand. However, it wasn’t Kwon Taejung who got out but someone else, his secretary.
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello. What brings you here?”
“Ah… I was just wondering if the Chief… had something going on… Because there’s been no contact… and you haven’t come…”
“Ah… Taejung, well, he’s in a lot of pain.”
The secretary hesitated before speaking, and Yigyeom’s eyes widened. Although he had been concerned that he looked unwell unlike usual, hearing it confirmed made tears well up. And now, he seemed even more painful.
“Where, where is he hurting? He looked unwell a few days ago too, with a pale face…”
“It’s been a few days. He can’t even leave the house… I’m worried that it might continue for a few more days. I can’t do anything about it…”
“Is he sick? Or maybe has a fever…”
“Ah, that’s… Do you know about Taejung’s Alpha? The Rut has started. He was supposed to go to the hospital before it started, but he forgot and it’s gotten pretty severe. He managed to hold back the Rut for a long time, pressing it down, but once it bursts, it seems severe…”
The word “Rut” made Yigyeom blink with slightly parted lips. That day, the day he encountered Kwon Taejung in the car, his pheromone scent had felt unusually strong. Now, it all made sense.
…Even if he doesn’t know, Taejung is struggling alone during the Rut, and he thought he shouldn’t ignore it. No, he didn’t want to ignore it. Knowing that having an Omega could provide more stability than enduring it alone, just as he found great comfort when Tae-jung was there during his sudden heat cycle, he didn’t want to leave Kwon Taejung alone. Touching his fingers together, Yigyeom spoke softly.
“Um, could I ask you something, Secretary?”
“A request? Sure, go ahead.”
“Uh… I think I need to go see the Chief…”
“Taejung?”
“Yes… I feel like I really need to go… Please help me.”
The secretary pondered Yigyeom’s words for a moment. It wasn’t that difficult to understand what he was saying.
Between them wasn’t just emotions that an administrator and a resident could have; even if they weren’t sure how deep his relationship was, considering all that Kwon Taejung had shared, they were undoubtedly close to being lovers.
But Kwon Taejung was now in a very sensitive state. He was so sensitive that no words could contain all the emotions. It was a situation that absolutely shouldn’t be touched.
Even after receiving the injection to prevent the Rut, Kwon Taejung remained tense throughout the Rut period. Not being able to prevent it, the secretary couldn’t even guess what state Kwon Taejung might be in while enduring the Rut alone.
“Uh, it might be better to wait a few days before going. Taejung is really struggling and sensitive right now…”
“…At such times, instead of being alone, if there’s an Omega, it can calm down faster… I’ve heard.”
“Ah… Yes, that’s true, but…”
The secretary, unaware that Yigyeom was an Omega, found it a bit difficult to follow the conversation’s flow. Why was there suddenly talk about Omegas?
“…So, if I go… maybe I could help the Chief even a little…”
“Why would Yigyeom… Oh, uh… Wait a moment. So, now you mean… Um…”
The secretary looked at Yigyeom with a hint of embarrassment, as if hesitating to express something, with a look of disbelief.
“…Are you an Omega?”
Yassss yigyeom bb to the rescue 🥰