He could feel the regular beating pulse from their touching foreheads.
Between the sounds of the pounding heart…….
「Going to be deceived again?」
That voice was heard once more.
「When there’s an easy way?」
Baek Seolheon raised his head again and looked at Baek Gunho.
The voice said.
「Look.」
He could see the pheromones surrounding him.
Every time they touched his skin, he could feel the emotions contained within.
Pain, fury, and a bit of anger…….
Words spoken aloud could be fabricated into anything. Disguised.
But pheromones couldn’t be.
Only this moment of feeling them touching skin—it was the most innocent, pure, and pristine.
The door that had been firmly locked with a bolt was already wide open, exposing raw emotions without filter.
「That door you’ve been neglecting and ignoring all along—you just need to twist it open a little.」
It’s simple.
To that person intoxicated by pheromones of unknown origin,
Just overlay them again.
To a body already filled with uncontrollable heat,
Pour something heavier and hotter to make a complete mess,
Turn the inside of his head into mush,
Make it so he can’t even hold onto reason.
A question thrown at an opponent who’s become mentally defenseless will inevitably return an answer.
‘……You too.’
From the deepest place, the ominously hidden desire even he doesn’t know about—forcibly twist it out,
‘You think I’m a moron too, don’t you?’
Hack it off and tear it away,
Check it with your own eyes,
And if it’s nothing special, just shove it in the trash.
‘Lee Haram.’
Baek Seolheon recalled.
Lee Haram, or the face of some man who resembled Lee Haram.
「You’ve done that kind of thing a lot, haven’t ‘I’.」
His own face that had ruthlessly destroyed that face and body.
「If you’re scared, pass it on.」
The voice gradually became clearer.
The more it did, the darker Baek Seolheon’s vision became.
「I’ll do it for you.」
Soon it went completely black.
「……Like that time.」
* * *
‘Don’t cause trouble for others.’
He said.
‘Just live carelessly like that and die.’
‘……’
‘That would be a good death for both of us.’
I put down my chopsticks and said.
‘What wonderful conversation at the dinner table.’
‘It’s getting cold. Eat.’
I muttered to myself while watching the man casually scooping up stew as if nothing was wrong.
‘……To say that with your own mouth.’
It was said loud enough to be heard. What followed was silence, as always.
The conversations we had two or three times a month were like that.
Whether by frequency or content, it was hard to see it as a normal father-son relationship.
Before putting on my parka and going outside, a book randomly stuck in the bookshelf fell to the floor.
It was Father’s college graduation album. My face naturally scrunched up.
Just as I was about to put it back on the shelf, a piece of paper was sticking out from between the album pages.
Without much thought, I opened the page to find a faded photograph tucked inside.
In the photo, a woman was smiling.
This single piece of paper was probably the only trace I knew of my mother.
That face suddenly changed to someone else’s.
‘Gunho-ya.’
Dark brown hair close to black, and grayish-white eyes.
A person completely different from the woman in the photo appeared before my eyes.
‘Don’t live like a fool getting taken advantage of.’
The voice she uttered was chillingly cold, as if hiding a blade.
It was completely different from the voice I’d imagined while looking at Mother’s photo.
‘If someone curses you, beat them. If they hit you, trample them.’
She, who had been tall enough that I had to look up at her, lowered her posture.
‘Trample, hurt, lie, use, deceive.’
Then she grabbed my shoulders.
Sharp nails dug into my forearm.
‘Anyone who gets in your way—kill them.’
Her ashen eyes looked at me without the slightest movement.
‘Do that and climb all the way to the top alone. Survive. Otherwise……’
Looking at that, I.
‘There’d be no point in me having given birth to you.’
Thought it was scary.
“Huk.”
I came to my senses.
As the floating sensation disappeared, headache and chills were soon felt.
From my churning stomach and the dull pain like my entire body was being beaten with a baseball bat, I realized.
What just happened was a dream.
‘That was incredibly vivid…… what a damn dream.’
That old man made sense since we’d lived together for a long time, but that woman I’d never seen before was too distinct to be a figment of delusion.
She was incredibly beautiful, but her expression was so brutal it was scary.
‘Point in giving birth……?’
What she’d said bothered me.
I’d been living in Baek Gunho’s body for almost 20 years now. My memories of my previous life were fading just as much, but that definitely wasn’t something from my past life.
My memory wasn’t bad enough to forget the face of such a tremendous beauty.
‘No. Never mind the dream for now.’
It seemed like a minute had already passed since I’d regained consciousness.
I was gradually noticing something strange.
‘I can’t see……?!’
I’d clearly opened my eyes, but they weren’t opening.
Even when I lifted my eyelids, darkness was all around.
I collapsed…… what happened? I remember meeting Baek Jeongwoo and someone picking a fight.
My physical condition wasn’t normal at the time, so there were gaps in my memory.
Something that made my blood boil…… I can’t remember what came after.
“……Huh?”
Just as I tried to sit up, I fell back to the floor with a *thud*.
My arms and legs didn’t move as intended. My body hadn’t been listening well all day, but it hadn’t been this serious.
Only after struggling and groaning several times did I realize.
“What the hell.”
My limbs were bound.
Both ankles and both arms were firmly tied with rope or cloth-like material.
Something seemed to be covering my eyes too.
Then, I felt someone’s presence very close by.
“……You’re awake.”
A low, emotionless voice.
It sounded familiar. It was the voice of that kid I’d lived with for a long time. No doubt about it.
I felt ridiculous for being tense and scared for a moment. I immediately relaxed at the familiar voice.
“Seolheon-ah. What is this……”
“Wrong.”
That was the exact moment.
“……!”
My breath caught.
Just like that, as if oxygen had suddenly disappeared, I couldn’t breathe.
“Seolheon…… is Seolheon.”
The voice was heard again.
Every time he pronounced each syllable, my stomach churned as if turning over.
My ears rang, and my temples throbbed.
I tried to steady my breathing even forcibly, but my body wouldn’t listen.
A bass note that had sunk far lower than what I knew.
A dull voice with an edge.
A tone oozing with displeasure.
And…… the hostile pheromones contained within.
“Who the hell is that?”
This person only resembled him slightly in voice.
It wasn’t Baek Seolheon.
He couldn’t be here in the first place.
Suddenly, a strong force grabbed my collar and forcibly pulled my body upright.
Immediately after, I was slammed into the wall.
“Ugh!”
A dull collision sound rang out as the impact hit my back.
From the grip clutching my shirt, something formless burst out and assaulted my face.
Like a swamp swallowing my entire body, clinging deep in my lungs, invading my insides.
“How is it.”
Burning hot yet chillingly cold.
Surging like a tsunami swallowing everything, yet as still as a lakeside at dawn.
An indescribable sensation climbed up through my nasal passage and roughly stirred my brain.
I couldn’t sense the scent.
My five senses were paralyzed by the merciless and violent sensation, leaving no capacity to feel anything.
I could only barely guess it was Alpha pheromones.
“How is it? Your mood.”
……Who?
Whose pheromones?
What’s the intention?
Are they doing this knowing I’m weak to pheromones?
The only people who knew about my constitution were family, my primary doctor, Lee Haram, Kim Jaewook, kids who were in my class in elementary school—like Lee Yeongwoo.
But none of them had such overwhelming pheromones. Not even the dominant Alpha Lee Haram, not Chairman Baek Ildo, not the Alphas who’d picked fights with me.
This—these insane pheromones like they would devour a person—this was the first time.
“Who…… are you……”
I spoke as if spitting out the air remaining in my lungs.
“Tying someone up……”
“……”
“What are you…… trying to do……!”
To my question, he answered dryly.
“What should I do for you?”
Suddenly the grip on my collar loosened.
My body toppled forward and one shoulder collided with the floor.
“Spilling vulgar pheromones like this.”
A cold voice pierced down from above my head as I crawled on the floor.
“Whether you want to fuck or want to be fucked.”
“……”
“I should at least be able to tell.”
