Did he sleep well all night? Did his fever not go up more? It must have been hard to sleep because of coughing and runny nose. And, I hope he didn’t give Yoonkyung-ssi too much trouble.
Pressing the doorbell with numerous worries in his heart, Lee Jeong waited anxiously for her to open the door with his head bowed like a sinner.
“Welcome, Lee Jeong-ssi. You worked hard.”
Fortunately, Yoonkyung’s voice welcoming him as she opened the door had improved much more than yesterday. Her voice had been hoarse, close to metallic, but today even though it was morning, her voice was much clearer.
“Dokyung slept well. My oppa slept with him, and he slept well without being shy around strangers, you know?”
At her cheerfully speaking voice, Lee Jeong’s eyes widened. The person who came this past weekend and helped watch the baby together…, that is, that alpha, Yoonkyung’s older brother, came again.
“Ah, just a moment. I have one place I urgently need to call.”
Yoonkyung, who seemed to have finished preparing to go to work, briefly left in a hurry. Staring at her back as she went into the room to get her phone, Lee Jeong slowly lowered his gaze to his feet at the sound of water coming from the bathroom just ahead.
The white dress shirt, black suit pants, and underwear scattered right in front of the door came into view.
He quickly looked away. It was because his heart suddenly thumped.
‘…I’m crazy.’
After being devoured by a man all night and coming back, to be excited again seeing traces of an alpha… He was ashamed of himself. He thought he had nothing to say even if the man who tormented him yesterday blamed him like he always does, calling him an obscene whore and whatnot.
‘…The scent…’
But his gaze kept clinging as if enchanted to the clothes Yoonkyung’s oppa had taken off in front of the door.
How strong was his body odor, it seemed like the pheromones soaked into the clothes fallen on the floor were wafting up gently. The same heavy yet clear sandalwood scent as last time.
Without realizing it, Lee Jeong slowly crouched down. And he picked up the edge of the dress shirt and put it to his nose. At that moment, Lee Jeong, completely possessed by an omega’s instinct, didn’t even know what he was doing. His weary body, tormented all night by someone who wasn’t a manifestor, desperately wanted a strand of comfort given by an alpha’s pheromones.
Without awareness, Lee Jeong buried his nose in the collar part of the shirt and inhaled.
Ah, it felt so good he could go crazy.
It was a scent that reminded him of that person beyond the sorrowful dream, this unfamiliar man’s scent. Even though it was a smell that reminded him of the person he had been hating and resenting just moments ago for appearing in his dream, Lee Jeong couldn’t take the shirt edge away from his nose. He inhaled again. Smelling the scent that slowly stabilized his body that had been devoured all night by someone like a beast, his chest that had been beating unpleasantly, Lee Jeong closed his eyes.
The awareness that he was pathetic for being comforted by an unfamiliar man’s scent came a beat late.
‘I’m crazy. I must be crazy about alphas, really.’
It was the moment he was putting down the shirt edge and trying to stand up.
“Lee Jeong-ssi, have breakfast before you go…”
Their eyes met with Yoonkyung coming out of the room saying something. He was blatantly caught awkwardly crouched with his nose buried in her oppa’s shirt. Lee Jeong jumped up in surprise, throwing away the shirt edge.
Silence flowed between the two for a moment.
“……”
Lee Jeong unknowingly hurriedly shook his head. He even waved his hands. Without even knowing what he was denying, Yoonkyung just stared blankly at Lee Jeong shaking his head while even stepping backward.
He was so ashamed he just wanted to die. Lee Jeong bit his lip with his face flushed bright red. This is why society’s perception of omegas is exactly that level. After being tormented by a man all night and coming back, just can’t resist alpha pheromones…
“It’s okay, Lee Jeong-ssi.”
However, Yoonkyung’s voice that returned was calm. Looking at Lee Jeong with still warm eyes rather than contemptuous ones, she continued.
“Eat breakfast before you go. Okay?”
“……”
However, Lee Jeong shook his head vigorously. His flushed face felt like it would burst, and he just wanted to escape from this place right now.
Just then, the sound of Dokyung, who had been sleeping in the living room, rustling as he woke up could be heard.
“Appa….”
Dokyung got up abruptly and walked toward Lee Jeong without even opening his eyes. Lee Jeong, who lifted up Dokyung with good timing, quickly looked for Dokyung’s outerwear. As Lee Jeong hurriedly dressed Dokyung, Yoonkyung gathered Dokyung’s belongings without saying anything particular. Normally she would have insisted he eat breakfast before leaving, but perhaps because of the embarrassing situation that just happened, Yoonkyung didn’t urge him further either.
Having quickly dressed Dokyung, Lee Jeong went to the kitchen and bowed his waist to Yoonkyung standing in front of the refrigerator. He wanted to hurry and leave this house before Yoonkyung’s oppa came out of the bathroom.
“Ah, Lee Jeong-ssi. Take this.”
Yoonkyung handed over a large plastic food container. Lee Jeong inadvertently accepted it without resistance.
“This is the chicken porridge oppa bought yesterday. Feed it to the baby.”
“……”
Lee Jeong bowed his waist once again. She was grateful for watching the sick baby, and now she was even giving him porridge to feed him… Such a good person, and yet I… The more he faced her, the more embarrassed he felt and wanted to run away quickly.
“Then I’ll see you this evening, Lee Jeong-ssi!”
Pretending not to notice Lee Jeong’s embarrassment, Yoonkyung smiled brightly. In the meantime, Dokyung, who had belatedly woken up, extended his fern-like hand and waved it, and Yoonkyung kissed Dokyung’s forehead with a smooch sound, looking like she found him adorable to death.
“Dokyung-ah, bye-bye! Get well soon, eat lots of food. See you this evening!”
“Immo bba-bba!”
Escaping from Yoonkyung’s house as if fleeing, Lee Jeong let out a sigh. His arms holding the heavy child trembled, but seeing Dokyung’s face, he didn’t even notice how tired he was. With a faint smile, Lee Jeong swept back the child’s hair. Touching the child’s forehead, the fever had definitely gone down.
‘Let’s not go to daycare today and rest at home with daddy.’
Saying words he couldn’t convey only in his heart, Lee Jeong boarded the bus holding the child. There were clearly more people than earlier, but fortunately there was a seat. With a hiss sound, he got off through the opened door, held Dokyung’s hand, and walked home. As soon as they arrived home, he turned on the boiler first to warm up the room.
Moving his body diligently, he scooped out some of the chicken porridge from the plastic container. The porridge with plenty of finely shredded chicken looked really nutritious. He warmed the porridge in the microwave, and in the meantime made one fried egg for his own portion.
Let’s eat. Saying it cheerfully in his heart, Lee Jeong set the table, opening the legs of the small table neatly.
“Mamma! Mamma!”
Dokyung clapped seeing the chicken porridge for his portion and the egg rice for Lee Jeong’s portion. Lee Jeong smiled and scooped up a spoonful of chicken porridge, blowing on it.
“Ah.”
“Mm, mashitta!”
Taking a bite of the chicken porridge, Dokyung’s eyes sparkled as he nodded his head. Seeing him even exclaim repeatedly that it was delicious, it must really be tasty. The smile on Lee Jeong’s face deepened a bit more.
‘Eat a lot.’
Diligently spooning it into Dokyung’s mouth as he received it slackly like a baby bird, Lee Jeong also ate his egg rice. Egg rice mixed with soy sauce was the meal Lee Jeong ate most frequently. It was convenient, and not too poor either. It would be easier to eat the chicken porridge together without preparing anything separately, but somehow it felt a bit wasteful to put this nutritious porridge with finely ground meat and vegetables into his own mouth.
Dokyung, who quickly emptied a bowl of chicken porridge, even coveted Lee Jeong’s egg rice. Gladly spooning his own rice into the child’s mouth, Lee Jeong played the CD player.
[Once upon a time, there lived siblings who got along very well.]
Growing up under a father who couldn’t speak, his biggest worry was that language development would be delayed. That’s why he had to constantly expose him to language. Of course, he knew it was best to converse directly with the child, but since he couldn’t do that, he wanted to do the best he could in the current situation.
Knowing Lee Jeong’s worries, Yoonkyung was also making a lot of effort to teach Dokyung to speak. The few short words Dokyung could say now were all taught by Yoonkyung.
‘…My benefactor.’
His heart felt heavy for not properly greeting Yoonkyung, who was so grateful, before leaving. Again his memory returned to just now when he showed her an unseemly sight. Lee Jeong groaned and pulled at his hair. He had no idea why he did that. It seemed like he’d be kicking the blanket several times tonight.
‘No matter what, I should at least greet her.’
After sighing deeply for a long time, Lee Jeong finally took out his phone. He opened a message window to send to Yoonkyung and wrote and sent a long text.
Thank you for watching the sick child all night, I’m really sorry and grateful for making even oppa come, Dokyung is eating the chicken porridge so well, I’m sorry for showing you such a sight earlier, maybe because my body was so exhausted I did such a thing without knowing, I’m really sorry….
A reply came immediately to the detailed message he sent.
[It’s okay. I don’t know much but… isn’t it natural for alphas to like omega scents, and omegas to naturally like alpha scents?^^ Why are you so embarrassed?]
