“I wonder if doing it here will work.”
Siwoo, who looked around with both arms on his waist, tapped his left chest with his right hand.
He was nervous and trembling as if broadcasting for the first time. It was time to meet the Nemos after a week. Since he had unintentionally gone radio silent, he couldn’t gauge what variables might occur.
So he stood in front of the mirror and carefully examined his appearance.
He thought he’d have a proper conversation, but somehow he got fooled by Evan’s coaxing. And he realized that the marks he’d seen while showering last evening had actually faded quite a lot.
New marks had been created all over the fading ones.
Since he didn’t particularly like tight necklines and enjoyed wearing boat neck tops, he had nothing proper to cover his body with, so he had no choice but to wear Evan’s black turtleneck knit.
The turtleneck knit that fit Evan seamlessly and showed his lines became loose-fit in an instant and the shoulder line came down to his upper arms, but there was no other way.
To cover his slightly swollen eyes that still hadn’t lost their redness, he also borrowed Evan’s square horn-rimmed glasses.
“Why are you so nervous?”
“It’s because of you.”
He pushed away with his fingertips the forehead of Evan, who now so naturally hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek.
What kind of person doesn’t understand the word “stop”? When he said it was hard, he said then just stay still. He’d do everything.
“Don’t think about doing it long, just say you’re doing well, you’re okay, like that.”
“Ha… It’s all ruined.”
Last evening, though it was grating, a somewhat listenable voice came out, but it became completely useless again. So he really prepared a notebook and pen too. He had to communicate properly with the Nemos.
“Since everyone will find out anyway, can’t you just do the live together?”
It was a repetition of the same story. Since the Ocean members and manager, who could be called their closest associates, already knew about the two of them, now that it had come to this, he was saying to reveal their relationship. Even now, he was saying to honestly say they were enjoying a vacation together like Chan hyung and Yechan.
“You said no one but you knows about my pheromones.”
The only people who knew he was an Omega were Evan and the hospital staff. Moreover, it didn’t seem like others would find out he was an Omega.
And this morning, he discovered something new. Siwoo also couldn’t smell other Alphas’ pheromones. At the hospital, they only confirmed he was an Omega who experienced a heat cycle simultaneously with late manifestation, but didn’t get to do an Alpha pheromone exposure test.
They thought Siwoo was a late manifestation case, so they didn’t want problems to occur by involving Alpha pheromones with Omega traits that hadn’t stabilized yet.
Most of all, since Evan’s opposition was the strongest, it was also a test they couldn’t do even if they wanted to.
But this morning. When he sought the butler’s understanding and asked him to release his pheromones, Siwoo couldn’t smell his pheromones at all. Not only could he not smell the pheromones, but like at the music awards, he couldn’t detect what effect those pheromones had on him.
Evan wanted to prevent even that. When Alphas smeared their dirty pheromones on him in that way and Siwoo didn’t know, he was anxious that he couldn’t even defend himself.
“I also can’t smell other people’s pheromones, so there’s no reason to be found out.”
At Siwoo’s words, Evan closed his mouth.
Both Evan and Siwoo completely agreed to not reveal that Siwoo was an Omega for now. Because they knew the repercussions from that wouldn’t be trivial. Even if they revealed it, they’d have to say it was late manifestation rather than hidden, and they both wanted to avoid getting entangled in complicated situations.
But it’s okay to reveal we’re dating.
If they revealed they were lovers, it wouldn’t matter if he thickly smeared his pheromones. It wouldn’t be a problem to openly leave plenty of marks that Siwoo was his. But Siwoo was preventing even that right now.
“Evana.”
Siwoo turned his body and looked up at Evan’s face full of dissatisfaction. Then he wrapped his cheeks with both hands and pulled him close.
“What did I say last night?”
Seeing Evan frown and not easily answer, he seemed to be retracing his memory.
“It’s not important whether other people know or not. I said that, right? I don’t like our feelings becoming fodder for other people’s amusement. So shh, it’s a secret. I love you.”
Having finished what he wanted to say, Siwoo briefly kissed his lips. And before Evan could embrace him, he quickly escaped that spot. The ears of Siwoo, who quickly ran away, were bright red.
* * *
The live location was decided to be the living room, and the equipment needed for the live was all set up on the table. Warm sunlight poured in abundantly, so separate lighting wasn’t needed.
Siwoo, who sat on the sofa and carefully checked his appearance on the screen, casually touched up his naturally dried hair with his hand to add volume.
“Have a good live.”
Evan, who put down a mug with warm barley tea on the table, picked up Roxy who kept hovering around Siwoo.
“You go somewhere else.”
“Why?”
“Anyway, you’re not here. Got it?”
As Siwoo had a history of messing up several lives and vlogs thanks to Evan, he had no choice but to be sensitive. Finally, after Evan left with Roxy and Rush to another place, he turned on the live.
“…”
Seeing the number of viewers increase as if rushing at the same time as turning on the live, he raised one hand and fiddled with his lower lip. He was looking at the chat window rising quickly, but couldn’t read it properly. Roughly, questions like what did you do, where are you, are you okay were mainly filling it.
“Hello…”
Siwoo greeted them while covering his mouth area with the hand that had been touching his lips and lightly waving the other hand. The chat window that had been going up crazily at first calmed down a bit so it was readable, but when it suddenly started rising quickly again, he blinked his large eyes slowly.
Then he frowned and leaned forward to see the chat window better.
“This…”
Everyone has good eyes. How did they all see this? Siwoo, who looked at his hand, smiled awkwardly. They seemed to have seen the IV mark on the back of his hand and the bruises around it. And the bandage on the opposite wrist too.
Since Evan’s clothes were loose on him, when he raised both hands, the sleeves flowed down and the wrist wrapped in bandages was clearly visible.
“I… ahem… I’m sorry about my voice.”
Siwoo, who quickly closed his mouth at his grating voice while trying to explain in words, rapidly wrote on the paper he’d prepared.
[Cold. Hospital yesterday. IV. Sorry about my voice.]
The chat window stirred once more. It’s fine, but there was nothing to say except the excuse of a cold.
Siwoo, who drank water from the mug to settle his throat, tried clearing his throat again.
“Ah… Ah, um. Should I just talk?”
Siwoo, who had been writing on paper, felt his chest tighten when he saw the fans’ chats frantically going up with words asking to hear his voice if his throat was okay, followed by words worrying about his health. Words congratulating him on the Rookie Award. Even birthday congratulations.
“I’m okay.”
I’m really okay. It’s just that I can’t honestly say it became like this because of that jerk Evan.
To the words asking why he wore a turtleneck when he doesn’t like feeling stuffy, he gave the ridiculous excuse that he was cold.
Cold, my foot. This house’s heating is so strong I’m dying of heat. And what about the natural sunlight coming in from outside the window?
Siwoo, who sat cross-legged with both legs up on the sofa, leaned slightly against the cushion beside him. It was good just to watch like this. When he did lives modestly with about 50 people, it seemed he said this and that, but seeing numbers exceeding hundreds of thousands, his mouth didn’t readily open.
Then Siwoo’s phone rang. Siwoo, who immediately checked his phone, had a bright smile bloom on his face.
“Yechan called. He must have seen the live. I’ll answer on speakerphone.”
“Hyung!!! Hyung!!!!!!! Siwoo hyung!!!!!!!!! Siwoo noona, I miss you.”
Ah. This… At the booming voice heard as soon as he pressed the call button, the chat window instantly began to be plastered with ‘ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ’. How could his first words be “Siwoo noona”? Memories he’d forgotten came flooding back.
“Nice to meet you. Nemo~~ We saw each other yesterday too, right?”
Before he could even tell him to greet the Nemos, Yechan successively offered greetings.
“Can’t see Siwoo noona. Don’t think about seeing her. Are you enjoying your Japan trip?”
Thinking he’d keep bringing up that topic if left alone, Siwoo subtly changed the conversation topic. Then stories poured out about what he did with Chan hyung, what he ate, what he’s doing now.
“Hearing your voice… Hyung, you really need to rest well. So where are you and what are you doing now?”
Everything’s good, but why is that question at the end of the conversation? It was an answer he’d been trying to avoid even to the Nemos’ questions until now.
“I’m resting right now.”
Appropriately evading, he stroked the soft back of Roxy gently climbing onto his lap. While talking with Yechan, Roxy joined the conversation meowing as if she had something to say.
When Roxy, as if wanting him to pet her more actively than stroking her back, put her front paws on Siwoo’s shoulders and snuggled in, Siwoo hugged her tightly and kissed those small lips.
“Oh, Roxy, hello!”
“Roxy, say hello.”
At Yechan’s words immediately recognizing Roxy, Siwoo lightly held Roxy’s front paw and shook it. While doing so, he even showed Roxy’s soft pink jelly beans.
“Then hyung, rest well and get over your cold quickly. We’ll see each other later.”
With words that he had to ride something and go somewhere again, Yechan hung up. Siwoo, who ended the call with Yechan, played around kissing the front paws of Roxy begging him to play.
“Roxy must have missed the Nemos too. I’ll really rest comfortably and get healthy, so don’t worry too much.”
The look of worrying about what to say at first disappeared and Siwoo was really comfortably looking at the live screen. Then he suddenly looked at Roxy, who escaped from his embrace rolling her big eyes and showed off in front of the camera.
It was so natural he forgot for a moment. Since he’d done lives with Ongi many times before, he didn’t feel any sense of incongruity at all. When did Roxy come in? Ah, do the Nemos know Roxy? Do they know Roxy is Evan’s cat?
He couldn’t see the chat window well because of Roxy showing off in front of the screen.
“It’s midday here, but now it’s time for you Nemos to sleep, right? Have a good night…”
He was thinking of ending the live quickly before problems arose. Siwoo offered his final greeting.
“Rush!!!!!!!!!!! You can’t go there.”
“We’ll see each other next time.”
Evan’s shout heard along with a crashing sound. And Rush burst into the living room. At the same time, Siwoo’s hand did click the end button.
“…”
“…”
Silence flowed between Evan and Siwoo. Did this scene get in? Did it not get in? Was Rush faster? Was Siwoo’s hand faster?
“Again… ruined.”
Siwoo buried his face in both hands. Maybe he just shouldn’t do lives from now on. Clearly, lives and he didn’t match.
