At the touch that shook his shoulder to wake him, Seo Jeong-won answered while pulling the blanket over his head.
In a drowsy, muffled voice, he even mumbled that he’d get up and definitely go.
“Shall we go together?”
“No, it’s fine. I can go alone. It’s just a cold…”
As someone gently caressed his cheek, Seo Jeong-won nuzzled into the touch.
It helped him become slightly more conscious.
When he slowly opened his eyes, a handsome man who didn’t quite match the surroundings filled his vision.
“Are you leaving now…?”
“If I wait any longer, I’ll get stuck in traffic.”
“Ah… take care.”
“How’s your body?”
Even though he’d already confirmed the lukewarm temperature of Seo Jeong-won’s skin, Kwon Tae-hee’s hand moved across his face and neck with care.
“I think I’m feeling better… I’ll call you after visiting the hospital later.”
“Alright. Call me.”
“Drive safe…”
When Seo Jeong-won tried to get up from the bed, Kwon Tae-hee stopped him and gently laid him back down.
He pulled the blanket up to his neck and lightly tapped his cheek.
“You’re so pitiful, I don’t even get a proper send-off.”
“Sleep more.”
Kwon Tae-hee stood up. Enjoying Seo Jeong-won’s gaze on him, he walked across the small house without hesitation.
He wanted to laze around holding Seo Jeong-won a bit longer, but lately, he was far too busy.
Yeonwol-dong, with its prime location along the Han River, had been selected for redevelopment, and construction companies were fiercely competing for reconstruction contracts.
Taehwa Construction, where Kwon Tae-hee was Executive Director, had already submitted a letter of intent to secure the construction rights.
On top of that, the Daeseok District 3 had already erected temporary structures in preparation for opening a promotional center ahead of the bidding war.
Taehwa had even brought in a famous architectural designer to propose a mixed-use apartment with a design not seen before in Korea.
Strategy meetings for winning the bid were happening nonstop every day.
In the midst of all this, unexpected rut symptoms had cost him several days.
Judging by the messages and calls from Chief Jung piling up since dawn, something must have gone wrong.
With a hint of regret, Kwon Tae-hee left Seo Jeong-won’s house.
As soon as he got into the driver’s seat, he answered an incoming call from Chief Jung.
“Yes, Chief.”
— “Executive Director.”
“Go ahead.”
— “I’ve sent the documents you requested regarding the bidding to your email.”
“Got it. I’m on the way now, so it’ll take about 40 minutes.”
Kwon Tae-hee smoothly turned the steering wheel and exited the narrow alley.
— “And there’s one more thing. Guwon Corporation said they could complete the redevelopment in Yeonwol-dong for 9 million won per pyeong and wrap it up in 50 months—about seven months faster than us.”
Kwon Tae-hee frowned slightly.
He let out a long breath as he checked the relatively empty road.
“Is that even possible?”
— “It’s not impossible. I’ve also sent a draft press release in the email to respond accordingly. If you review it, I’ll pass it on to the PR team.”
“We shouldn’t just review it. Let’s go over the materials together. Call in all related departments. I want to hear why we’re more expensive and slower than Guwon.”
He changed lanes and accelerated.
Just before entering the expressway, he briefly thought of Seo Jeong-won, but the thought didn’t last long.
***
Seo Jeong-won opened his eyes alone in the still, silent house.
He was sure he had been with Kwon Tae-hee until dawn, but he couldn’t remember when he’d ended up alone.
He thought he’d heard someone say his fever had gone down, but his entire body felt like it was on fire.
His forehead, when he touched it with his palm, felt lukewarm.
Was it just a sensation?
Maybe the hot breath he exhaled was just his imagination too.
He barely propped himself up, only to collapse again.
Lying sprawled across the bed, who knows how long he stayed there.
His phone buzzed on the desk, followed by loud knocking at the door.
He gave up on the unreachable phone and slowly headed toward the front door.
Though it was just a few steps away, he had to stop multiple times from exhaustion.
Bang bang bang!
The pounding sounds sent painful tremors through his body—he just wanted to open the door quickly.
“Who… haah… who is it?”
“Are you home?”
Kang Da-hyun?
When he finally managed to open the door, Kang Da-hyun barged in without hesitation, clutching a black plastic bag and wearing a cap pulled low over his face.
“Hey, why is your face so red? Were you doing something weird?”
Grumbling with annoyance, Kang Da-hyun checked Seo Jeong-won’s forehead drenched in cold sweat and immediately reached out.
His cool palm pressed firmly against the heated skin.
He held the back of his head and measured his temperature for a while, his expression turning serious.
“You’re burning up. Are you sick? Damn… Is this much heat from your pheromones?”
“I feel weird…”
“Yeah, you look weird. You seriously look suspicious right now.”
“Pheromones… try using your pheromones. I… I can’t really smell anything from myself.”
Kang Da-hyun offered him freshly squeezed apple juice, but Seo Jeong-won shook his head and didn’t take it.
Da-hyun stared at his flushed cheeks, then caught sight of his neck, which was a mess, and scowled sharply.
Damn it… did someone try to bite him?
“…What’s with the pheromone talk? Why bring that up? You can’t even smell them, can you?”
“That’s why… I want you to try.”
As Seo Jeong-won stared blankly at the constantly questioning Da-hyun, too exhausted to keep talking, Da-hyun finally nodded with a determined look.
Still muttering to himself, he asked for an explanation.
“You want me to? For real? You sure?”
“Yes, just do it. I can barely stand.”
As Seo Jeong-won wobbled, Da-hyun supported him and released his pheromones.
A decent amount flowed out.
When he asked if Seo Jeong-won could feel anything, the answer was a faint shake of the head.
He couldn’t smell anything. He had clearly sensed it from Kwon Tae-hee, but not from Kang Da-hyun.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
“Neither do I. Honestly, if you go outside like this, you’ll be arrested for public indecency. And that guy is insane for releasing this much pheromone on a beta. I’m seriously blushing. This is nuts, right?”
Da-hyun helped Seo Jeong-won back onto the bed and frowned as he noticed the stronger scent lingering in the room.
Muttering swear words, he threw open the windows and yelled in frustration about what kind of insane person would do this to such an innocent kid.
“Hey, with this much effort, you’d have manifested already. Do you want to become an omega?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying, it’s weird that you haven’t manifested yet. You seem dominant. If you don’t want this, that guy should be the one to be careful. Falling head over heels for some weirdo… You seriously…”
Seo Jeong-won, letting the scolding pass through one ear, averted his gaze to hide the confusion in his heart.
He thought he should probably go to the hospital first, but he didn’t have the energy.
Kang Da-hyun moved busily, flinging open all the windows in the house to ventilate the space and poured freshly squeezed juice into a cup.
“What about food?”
“Bring me some fever reducer. It’s on the sink shelf… open it, it’s there.”
“You need to eat something. How can you take medicine on an empty stomach?”
“Medicine these days is fine.”
Grumbling at Seo Jeong-won, Kang Da-hyun reluctantly brought the fever reducer and muttered with dissatisfaction.
He shot him a disapproving look, as if saying, Are you a pharmacist or a doctor?
Seo Jeong-won stared intently at the pills in his palm, wondering whether he’d be able to move around on his own once the fever came down.
If moving just became easier, wouldn’t that be enough?
“The flower shop? Why don’t you just take the day off today?”
“I have to go. If I close just because I’m sick, I’m seriously done for.”
When Seo Jeong-won answered weakly and threw the pills into his mouth, Kang Da-hyun handed him a glass of water.
Looking at the still pale and flushed Jeong-won, he let out a sigh.
“If there was still some insurance money left or something, you wouldn’t be suffering like this.”
“That… that person, was it because of Gyu-won’s hospital bills that you met them? Sponsorship? You said something like that back then.”
Was that so?
Seo Jeong-won honestly couldn’t really remember.
Not even what excuse he had made up back then.
He just nodded at Da-hyun’s words without replying.
“I’m thankful for the help, and… it’s not weird for kindness to turn into feelings, right?”
Kang Da-hyun finally voiced a thought he had agonized over for days, to the point his head felt like it would burst.
From time to time, he checked Seo Jeong-won’s expression.
“Yeah… that’s true. Then, what about the person who was supposedly engaged to Gyu-won? You’re just cutting them off completely? Not even answering their calls?”
“Shouldn’t that person take some responsibility too? Damn it, they ruined someone else’s life—how could they leave things like this and dump everything on the younger sibling? Is that okay?”
“My head hurts. If you have time, could you take me to the hospital…? I think I’ve caught a cold or something, so I want to at least get some medicine. If you’re busy, I’ll go alone.”
Seo Jeong-won trailed off on purpose.
Kang Da-hyun raised his voice again, heatedly asking how he could say something so hurtful.