Achoo~
The sound of Yechan sneezing softly from a little distance away could be heard. Yechan, who seemed to have come looking for them, didn’t make it obvious even after seeing them. Rather, he stood watch and sent the staff away with some words whenever they came close.
And feeling the cold from Siwoo’s body as he embraced him again, Evan could no longer stay outside.
‘You know we’ll have free time after the music awards, right? Let’s talk properly then. About what will happen to you, what will happen to me. Even what will happen to us. So don’t worry about anything. We’re together, aren’t we?’
Even so, Evan, who wanted to spend time holding and patting Siwoo until he completely stopped crying, had to give up on his greed.
Achoo!
Late night. In the quiet space, Yechan’s sneeze echoed loudly once again. Startled by that sound, Siwoo jumped up from his seat.
And then, well, they each came back and washed up.
“No. What sounds am I supposed to hear?”
Perhaps giving up on removing his fingers one by one, Siwoo’s fingertips pinched the back of Evan’s hand quite painfully. While doing so, he whispered in a small voice in case Yechan or Sangjun might hear.
What sounds would they hear? Everyone already knows. The words that Yechan had seen them sleeping together and even seen them kissing couldn’t quite come out.
Evan, who was afraid of Siwoo getting angry while hugging him like this for his own satisfaction, subtly released the strength from his body. Not missing that moment, as Siwoo escaped from his embrace, Evan now released his pheromones faintly enough to only affect Siwoo.
“I’m going to go sleep at the lodging. I’m too sleepy.”
After the small commotion between just Siwoo and Evan ended and everyone seemed to be concentrating on the movie, Yechan soon got up from his seat first and left the tent.
“Are you sleeping?”
Concentrating on the movie again for only a moment, Sangjun’s voice seeped in between the movie music.
“Yes.”
Evan answered while laying down Siwoo, who had already fallen into a deep sleep, comfortably and covering him with a blanket.
“You have something to tell me, don’t you?”
Sangjun’s gaze was on the screen, and he spoke casually while chewing on a dried squid leg. However, this moment right now was something Sangjun and Evan had intentionally created.
“There’s something I need you to do for me, hyung.”
“You two don’t have any problems though.”
Evan opened a new beer can. Both Sangjun and Evan’s gazes were directed at the screen. Evan drank his beer, and Sangjun was still chewing on the dried squid leg.
“Siwoo might manifest within a few months.”
After carefully choosing his words for a while, Evan brought up the opening with difficulty. From the conversation with Fayden and the conversation with the Korean medicine doctor, the conclusion was one. Late manifestation alone was a sufficiently confusing situation. If it became a situation where they couldn’t control the media or anything, they had to somehow hide that Siwoo was Hidden.
However, conversely, because Siwoo was Hidden, the media or those around them might not detect the change. In any case, because there was too little information about Hidden Omegas, they had to think in all directions and create alternatives.
Even Yechan and Chan, who were right next to them, couldn’t feel Siwoo’s pheromones. So even if his traits became clearly apparent, no one except Evan might know.
Perhaps that would be the most ideal.
Conversely, if it became a situation where Siwoo couldn’t control his pheromones at all, then they might have to stop all activities and go into seclusion. Because it would become a situation where they couldn’t block the media or anything.
Fayden said a detailed examination was necessary. After official activities ended, he planned to tell Siwoo honestly and go to England with him for the examination. Fortunately, from the conversation just now, he knew that Siwoo was aware of it to some degree, so getting a detailed examination wouldn’t be a problem either.
The problem was that although they said at most a few months, they didn’t know when or how signs of late manifestation would appear in Siwoo. The Korean medicine doctor who had directly taken his pulse said Siwoo’s pulse was extremely unstable.
A state that seemed like it would boil over at any moment yet was seriously calm.
He expressed that ripples had formed as if a drop of water had fallen into a calm pond at the same time as Evan’s appearance. And the Korean medicine Siwoo was taking now was actually suppressing that disposition of his. Rather than reinforcing his weakened body and helping late manifestation, it was closer to suppressing it.
‘Western medicine calls it a suppressant, doesn’t it? Anyway, whether Eastern or Western, since there have been such people from the past, each has dealt with it in their own way.’
‘But you said he might not be exactly an omega.’
‘How can you define all human bodies the same way? Their dispositions are different, what they eat is different, the air they breathe and the time they sleep and how they live are all different. Just because that child is a bit different from others, you shouldn’t think of it as strange. If that child were alone it would be a problem, but since you’re by his side, you can hold onto him, can’t you? So don’t worry. Still, going against nature isn’t good, so don’t use the medicine for too long.’
A long sigh flowed from Evan’s mouth as he recalled the conversation he had with the Korean medicine doctor.
“If late manifestation does happen, you’re the person I’ll ask for help, hyung. I can’t ask Yechan or Chan hyung who are alphas.”
“That’s true. But what can I help with? Should I bring him to you if he goes into heat when you’re not around?”
At the question asked while making such a simple decision, Evan, who had been serious while choosing what to say to him, ended up chuckling.
“Of course you have to do that. First, I’m telling you in advance that Siwoo might be like that.”
“Is that Korean medicine for that reason too?”
Everyone wasn’t unaware of the squabble that happened between Siwoo and Evan every morning. He could forget once or twice, and if he didn’t want to eat it, couldn’t he just not eat it? But Evan followed Siwoo around persistently and made him take the medicine.
Siwoo made a fuss saying this was the first time in his life he’d had something this tasteless and that if he’d known it would have such a bizarre taste, he wouldn’t have said he’d take Korean medicine. But in the end, it ended with him squeezing his eyes shut and taking the Korean medicine.
“Then does Siwoo know? That he’s like that? And… does the fact that Siwoo can only sleep if you’re there also relate to that? That can’t be. I’ve never heard of anything like that either.”
Sangjun’s words, which had been watching the screen well until now, became faster and before long he was looking at Evan. When he noticed they were dating, he thought, well, that can happen. When he just heard about late manifestation, he also thought, as expected, that can happen.
Honestly, Siwoo was too pretty to be called a beta. His features were delicate and, how should he put it, his atmosphere too. So there were many people who mistook him for an omega. So the moment he heard that he might late manifest, the first thought that came to mind was, as expected… I thought so.
“Siwoo is also fully aware of the late manifestation part. The sleeping… I’m thinking it might be related to imprinting.”
“…What kind of novel bullshit is that now? You said he hasn’t manifested yet, but what imprinting talk is this? No matter how much I don’t know about that stuff, imprinting only happens between alphas and omegas, right? What imprinting out of the blue for a beta?”
At Sangjun’s words full of bewilderment, Evan just smiled broadly. Honestly, it was a part he couldn’t fully explain either.
“Because there are no late manifesters around me and there’s nowhere to get information, I don’t know well either. Hyung, are you going straight back to Korea after the music awards? The discussion isn’t completely finished yet, but I’m thinking of taking Siwoo to England. I think he needs to get examined.”
“Are you going to that hospital your family runs in England or something?”
“Why would I get examined in Korea and suffer from the media and everything? Whether it’s true or not, it’s better to be careful.”
“That’s true. I’m still thinking about it, but what about the other members?”
This was why conversations with Sangjun were good. Even serious content seemed to turn into something trivial when talking with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t listen carefully to what the other person said or took it lightly. He just accepted the facts as they were and didn’t attach speculation or his own thoughts unnecessarily.
And even when the conversation naturally flowed to other topics like this, he didn’t try to bring the conversation back to confirm things.
“Yechan and Chan hyung said they wanted to travel to Japan, so preparations for that seem to be almost done.”
“So everyone’s scattering from Hong Kong?”
“Probably? Official activities end there. The next year-end awards ceremony is a week later, so we just need to gather in Korea before the year-end awards ceremony.”
Evan tossed the beer can he’d finished drinking, and it went cleanly into the trash can on one side.
“Ah! I don’t even know what I watched. Really, you have to watch movies alone quietly.”
With members coming and going in the middle and having conversations here and there, the ending credits were already going up on the screen. Sangjun, who got up from his seat, stretched long.
“Aren’t you going to tell Chan hyung or Yechan?”
While gathering up what he’d eaten, Sangjun looked at Evan, who was looking at sleeping Siwoo’s face. It’s when things are good, that’s what happens when you date. It was a path the two of them had chosen anyway.
He could see the thorny path with his own eyes, but all he could do was watch quietly and just be there when times were hard.
“I’m going to tell them after manifestation.”
Unlike Siwoo who was trying hard to hide it, Evan, who had no intention of hiding at all, was caressing Siwoo’s face without caring at all that he was there, and was kissing his soft cheek.
“Damn… You really. I’m here! If you want to do it, do it after I leave.”
“Everyone already knows, so why should I care? If you’re jealous, you should date too, hyung.”
“Ah, Kim Siwoo. Really, he doesn’t know about you, does he? Even if a thousand-year-old serpent took up residence in his belly, it wouldn’t be worse than you.”
“Think you know?”
Seeing Evan wink at him with a mischievous expression, Sangjun shuddered and left the tent. Then his steps quickened at a thought that suddenly crossed his mind. He’d heard plenty about how tremendous an alpha’s possessiveness was, but as a beta he couldn’t possibly know.
Moreover, although there were alphas and omegas around him, there was no one dating, and even if they were dating, there had never been a couple he could see this closely until now.
Intense, so intense. Shaking his head, quite a lot of inspiration came to Sangjun’s mind as he entered the lodging. He’d definitely meant to go in and sleep, but it seemed like he should at least jot down the things that came to mind now.
