With a thud! sound, he felt a dull pain in his left shoulder. The steel pipe aimed at his head from behind fortunately struck down on his shoulder, missing due to Wookyung’s vigorous movement. Glancing back, Wookyung glared at the man who struck him with bloodshot eyes and approached closely. After dodging the pipe being swung again, he kicked the hand hard with his foot, and the man staggered and dropped the pipe. He grabbed the collar of the man clutching his hand and flipped him straight down into the floor.
‘Heok… heok…’
‘Huu…’
From the mouths of the men rolling on the floor, continuous gasping breaths and pain-filled moans flowed out. The inside of the arcade, which had become a scene of carnage in an instant, was full of glass shards that had flown from machines broken by the swinging pipes.
Blood dripped from Wookyung’s clenched fist as he stood tall. President Park grinned and got up from the chair, patting Wookyung’s shoulder.
‘Let’s go. I think we’ve seen enough.’
‘Yes, President.’
Leaving behind the men sprawled covered in blood, Wookyung and Daneum’s organization members followed behind President Park. Wookyung, sitting side by side with President Park in the sedan’s back seat, didn’t let his upright posture slacken despite the pain rising from his shoulder.
President Park, who arrived at the Daneum building, headed straight to his room.
‘Hey, good work, Wookyung. You don’t need to send an omega tonight. I’m tired so I’m just going to sleep.’
‘Yes, President. Sleep well.’
It was the most welcome words he’d heard all day. Wookyung bowed his waist toward the back of President Park yawning as he entered his room. Even after the door closed, Wookyung stood like a statue in front of President Park’s room.
His shoulder throbbed and ached. It even felt hot. But despite the shoulder injury, guarding in front of his room was Wookyung’s job.
-Wookyung.
Wookyung, who had been standing guard in front of the door in an upright posture, turned around. At his call from inside the room, Wookyung carefully opened the door and entered. President Park, lying on the bed, wiggled his finger as if telling him to come closer.
‘Yes, President.’
‘You go sleep today. Since you’re tired. I called other guys from the security team.’
‘…Thank you, President.’
‘Alright. See you tomorrow.’
Coming out after closing the door, Wookyung rubbed his fatigue-filled face with his hand and got on the elevator. He released the strength from his shoulders that had been maintaining an upright posture and tilted his head back. He slowly shrugged the shoulder that had been hit by the pipe earlier. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like his collarbone was cracked.
Ding, Wookyung, who had stopped on the floor where his room was, hesitated as he was about to get off the elevator. Come to think of it, around this time every day he’d go to Ido’s room and take him to President Park’s room. He’s probably waiting now too. Thinking he should tell him to rest comfortably today, he pressed the number for the basement floor where the omegas’ quarters were lined up.
Wookyung got off the elevator and walked with heavy steps to stop in front of Ido’s room. Knock knock, when he knocked, Ido’s voice immediately answered.
-Yes.
‘It’s me.’
As soon as he heard the deep bass voice, the sound of light footsteps was heard. Soon after, the door opened a crack.
‘Ah, Team Leader-nim. Hello.’
Seeing the white face smiling brightly, he lost all strength.
Foolish Yoon Ido. Even though he knows where and why I take him every day… why does he smile so brightly every time he opens the door like this?
His heart rate, which had been calm even at the bloody scene, gradually rose and blood began to circulate throughout his body. His heart, which had been frozen like a dead person during the day, melted. He thought he looked like an idiot smiling helplessly at him, but he couldn’t hide how his tension completely released at just a whiff of the pheromone scent from the child standing before him.
Then Ido’s eyes stopped at Wookyung’s shoulder and he gulped.
‘…Team Leader-nim? This… what’s wrong? You’re hurt!?’
Ido’s eyes widened endlessly upon discovering Wookyung’s blood-stained clothing.
Come to think of it, I came without even washing… scaring the kid. Seeing Ido’s surprised expression, Wookyung cursed himself inwardly.
‘…I’m fine. More than that, I came to tell you to just rest today….’
‘That’s not the problem right now! No. Quickly, come in.’
Unusually flustered, he pulled him in. His left shoulder throbbed with the pulling force. When Wookyung’s expression frowned slightly, Ido’s eyes widened more. The tall body that entered after closing the door staggered a bit without realizing it.
‘Team Leader-nim… why… how did this happen?’
‘What else would a thug bastard get hurt doing? I got hurt fighting.’
Trying to speak jokingly, he sat on Ido’s bed. The cheap bed made a loud creaking spring sound.
‘…Am I going to break the bed by sitting on it?’
It was his first time entering Ido’s room. It was a room with only a single bed, and the wallpaper was peeling here and there. There was mold growing in spots, so it was by no means a comfortable room.
Calling for the kid every other day but not giving him a better room, does he only cherish him on the bed…
Cursing President Park inwardly, he subtly inhaled the pheromone scent wafting at the tip of his nose. The smell of rose petals wet with dew spread strongly. It was a seductive scent that didn’t match the cheap room. For a man to give off such a good scent, no wonder the old man is crazy about him… just thinking about it made his head ache for no reason. As he pressed his temples with his fingertips, Ido, who had wet a towel with warm water, approached and began wiping the bloodstains on his face.
‘Team Leader-nim… on your face… there’s a wound.’
Ido’s eyes trembled miserably. His trembling hand approached and touched the blood-stained chin again.
‘I’m fine. It’s what I always do… ugh.’
‘What should we do….’
It tickled. The touching hand, the trembling voice, the worried gaze—all of it. The sensation of him touching him felt like a sprout trying to break through hardened ground, so Wookyung couldn’t stand it anymore and grabbed Ido’s hand to stop him.
‘…Team Leader-nim.’
‘I’m fine. Thank you… for worrying. I’ll take care of it myself.’
…I think I came in for no reason. Wookyung barely suppressed the throbbing pain and slowly raised his heavy body.
‘I’ll go now. Thanks.’
‘Wait… Team Leader-nim. Just a moment.’
The back of Wookyung’s suit jacket, who was about to turn around as is, was pulled taut. When he turned around, Ido’s white fingers were gripping his collar.
‘You don’t have to leave in a hurry… right?’
‘……’
‘Are you going to the emergency room?’
‘No. I’m not going to the hospital.’
‘Then just… just a moment.’
At the hand pulling his collar, Wookyung obediently let himself be pulled. Somehow, this hand touching him, the weakest among all beings that touch him, seemed to work most powerfully on him, making it hard to refuse. Wookyung sat back on the bed as Ido directed.
‘Please take off your jacket.’
Wookyung quietly looked at Ido. Unlike earlier when he was trembling miserably, Ido’s eyes now were quite serious. His worried gaze was too deep to just ignore and leave. As if possessed by something, Wookyung slowly took off his jacket.
‘…The shirt too.’
When he took off the jacket, the white shirt stained with blood in spots was immediately revealed. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt as Ido directed.
As he undid the shirt with emotionless hands, his heavily muscled body was revealed inside. The body like a blackened stone was torn, burst, and bruised here and there.
Among them, the place that first caught Ido’s gaze was the shoulder with a blue bruise.
‘…Team Leader-nim….’
Fortunately, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the bone, but a severe bruise was spreading where he’d been hit by the pipe earlier. The blue-black bruise covering the deltoid was spreading and looked like it would reach his chest and back by tomorrow morning. Ido’s trembling fingers couldn’t bring themselves to touch and stopped right in front of the bruised area. His gaze looking at the wound with an expression about to cry also trembled.
‘The bruise is too… severe… is the bone… okay?’
‘Probably…?’
‘Wh-what should we do? Look at this bruise…’
‘It’s fine. Getting hurt is part of the job, you know.’
Somehow, even though he was the one who got hit, Ido looked more unstable. Wookyung finally let out a chuckle. Ido, who had been flustered, brought the bruise ointment he’d received from Wookyung last time and opened the cap.
‘Since you say you won’t go to the hospital… it would be better to at least… apply this.’
‘…Right.’
He wondered if that would even work. The bruised area was extensive and the ointment was endlessly small. It looked like even using the whole tube wouldn’t be enough… However, in front of Ido who looked about to cry any moment, Wookyung didn’t add more words. He just quietly entrusted his body to Ido’s fingers carefully spreading the medicine on his shoulder.
‘Ow. It hurts.’
‘Ah… I’m sorry.’
He deliberately exaggerated to lighten the stiff atmosphere, but seeing Ido’s expression distort more, Wookyung stopped joking. With an awkward expression, Wookyung closed his mouth and just sat quietly until Ido’s treatment was finished.
