Just as omegas are influenced by alphas, the reverse is equally true — so it was only natural that Kwon Gyo-eon’s pheromones would grow unstable as well. Yet Kwon Gyo-eon had always overlooked that fact, speaking as though the problem lay solely with Hae-yul’s pheromones.
“I think the problem is with your pheromones, not mine. I’m perfectly fine. My cycle seems okay too.”
Hae-yul said as much and opened the app on his phone that tracked his heat cycle. When he pulled up the records saved to the cloud, his projected heat cycle schedule appeared. His cycle was generally consistent, and that one previous irregularity had been the only anomaly. Even then, the cause had been unclear, so he’d chalked it up to a fluctuation brought on by being in poor condition.
If a variable were to disrupt this cycle, the only reason would be his temporary cohabitation with Kwon Gyo-eon.
Hae-yul turned his head sharply away, ignoring Kwon Gyo-eon’s gaze that clung to him.
After dinner, Hae-yul swapped bedrooms with Kwon Gyo-eon. He gathered what little belongings he had and moved into the sub-bedroom, which turned out to be nothing at all like he’d imagined. Unlike the main bedroom with its simplicity and beauty in negative space, this one was quite…
“It’s really colorful, isn’t it?”
The sub-bedroom was tastefully decorated in pastel tones. The furniture, wallpaper, and curtains were all vibrantly colored in a way that clashed with the rest of the apartment. It was as if every color in existence had been crammed into this one room.
Hae-yul looked around the interior with curious eyes. So Kwon Gyo-eon had been sleeping in this room for the past two days. With that stoic face of his, tucked under a light blue checkered blanket? Just imagining it for a moment was enough to amuse him.
Leaving Kwon Gyo-eon to brood alone beside him, Hae-yul strolled leisurely around the bedroom. Despite being a sub-bedroom, it was a similar size to the room Kwon Gyo-eon had been using and came with an attached bathroom. There was also one additional door, but it wouldn’t open — likely a private-use space of some kind.
Hae-yul was about to ask about the mysterious room, but caught sight of Kwon Gyo-eon still lost in thought and swallowed his words. It wasn’t an important enough matter to press — he could ask later.
In any case, Hae-yul found this room’s interior far more appealing than the stark main bedroom. The vibrant colors were a feast for the eyes.
“I think I like this room better than the one you were originally using.”
“…Is that so? I’m glad then. Get some rest.”
Kwon Gyo-eon, who had apparently sorted through his thoughts at some point, replied a beat too slowly.
“Hm? Oh, no — I still have one more thing to bring up.”
Hae-yul grabbed Kwon Gyo-eon’s wrist as he began making his way out of the bedroom with a brief farewell, then immediately let go.
“…Oh, sorry.”
“It’s fine. You seem to have a lot you want to say to me today. Did meeting up with your classmates put you in a good mood?”
“What? No, that has nothing to do with it. I’m just bringing up something I forgot to mention yesterday.”
Hae-yul watched Kwon Gyo-eon, who answered with nothing more than a raise of his eyebrows, and asked,
“When can we start looking at places? When are you least busy?”
That was the only way to end this cohabitation with Kwon Gyo-eon as quickly as possible. Finding a new place. There was no real need to drag Kwon Gyo-eon along to look at apartments, but he figured it was better to have his help than to rush into any listing and end up regretting it.
Just as Kwon Gyo-eon had said before — there might be another Kim Myeong-gyu type out there.
“Ah, right. I’ll make time the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. We can go then.”
Fortunately, it was sooner than expected. With all his questions answered, Hae-yul sent Kwon Gyo-eon out of the bedroom without any lingering hesitation. There was a flicker of puzzlement in Hae-yul’s eyes as he watched Kwon Gyo-eon leave without his usual fuss — but only for a brief moment.
Left alone in an unfamiliar bedroom, Hae-yul carefully perched on the edge of the bed.
“No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t suit that man at all.”
Since when did Kwon Gyo-eon have taste like this? Hae-yul scratched his head, then collapsed onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Perhaps because he’d spent time with Lee San-ha and Yun U-jae after so long, he felt mentally drained.
His head felt a little heavy too. He let out a small yawn and wriggled his way under the covers.
Burying his nose in the soft, fluffy blanket, sleep began to drift over him. The dry yet cool scent that clung to the blanket was quite pleasant. With his face buried in the covers, Hae-yul soon fell asleep.
A couple of hours later, the closed bedroom door quietly opened. Kwon Gyo-eon walked carefully toward the bed where Hae-yul lay sleeping. His gaze as he looked down at Hae-yul — face hidden in the blanket — was subdued. He stared at Hae-yul for a long moment before turning and leaving the bedroom.
He then took his phone out of his pants pocket and made a call.
“Yes, Dr. Hwang. Hope you’ve been well. Actually, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Kwon Gyo-eon’s expression as he spoke to the person on the other end of the line was grave.
* * *
The following day, while Kwon Gyo-eon was at work, Hae-yul came to a café near the apartment to study for a certification exam. It was a drastic measure he’d taken after realizing that studying alone in such a large apartment kept leading him to get distracted.
“Hyung, but why are you already studying for a certification?”
The only problem was that today, just like yesterday, he wasn’t alone — Lee San-ha was with him.
Lee San-ha had called Hae-yul first thing in the morning to ask about his plans, then leapt at the chance to join him for studying, practically bouncing with excitement. Hae-yul had initially tried to refuse, but caved when Lee San-ha started wheedling in that coaxing, childlike voice of his.
“If I get it done early, it’ll be easier later. I can focus solely on my practicum and job hunting.”
“So you’ve been studying while working part-time this whole time? Hyung, how many bodies do you have?”
“It wasn’t that hard. But San-ha, don’t you have plans with U-jae?”
“Why is that guy’s name suddenly coming up? Hyung, don’t tell me you miss Yun U-jae? Is it because he’s better at studying than me? Fine. I’ll just work harder then!”
“What? Where did that come from? I only asked because you two are always together.”
“Aah, I thought—”
Lee San-ha’s pouty expression softened immediately.
“He’ll manage fine on his own. But hyung, how are things with the person you’re staying with? Is everything okay?”
The hand Hae-yul had been using to highlight important passages slipped. He glanced at Lee San-ha, who was sipping an iced mint chocolate drink with an utterly unbothered expression, and answered in a flat tone.
“Yeah. Things are fine.”
“Really?”
“…Why? Can you smell it on me again?”
Hae-yul furrowed his brow and buried his nose in his own forearm. He drew a deep breath, but Kwon Gyo-eon’s pheromones didn’t seem particularly strong.
“Ah, not that bad. But hyung, are you feeling sick?”
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“You’ve looked exhausted since yesterday.”
“…Have I? The alpha I’m staying with said something similar.”
“If two people have already asked you the same thing, shouldn’t you at least go to the doctor? You never know.”
“But I don’t feel sick or tired at all — do I really have to go?”
His physical condition didn’t feel drastically different from usual. Nothing hurt, and he didn’t feel tired the way Lee San-ha or Kwon Gyo-eon seemed to think. He wondered if it was some kind of reverse effect from suddenly having so much free time after being busy with his part-time job — like fatigue that had been building up finally catching up with him all at once.
“Still, go to the doctor at some point. One of my club seniors had a problem with their pheromone gland a while back — they needed surgery, it was a whole ordeal. You’re on the less sensitive side when it comes to pheromones, so you need to be more careful.”
“I’m not that insensitive to them.”
Lee San-ha clicked his tongue.
“For a dominant, you’re on the less sensitive side. That’s why when I first met you, hyung, I thought you were an omega who had already found their mate.”
“…I’m really like that?”
“Yeah. Anyway, you have to take care of your pheromone gland early. …Ugh, I don’t want to study. Hyung, can’t we just hang out instead? I’ll buy you tiramisu.”
Hae-yul shook his head at Lee San-ha, who was complaining about how exhausted he was despite not having solved a single problem.
“Oh then, strawberry cake! The one loaded with fresh cream. Please?”
“If you’re that miserable, just go home. You’re the one who looks exhausted, honestly.”
“Ha, that’s just because I went too hard at the gym yesterday. …No wait, that’s not the point!”
Hae-yul looked away from Lee San-ha, who was grumbling endlessly to himself. Truth be told, his stomach had been oddly unsettled since this morning. His head had felt heavy last night, and now his stomach was acting up too.
Did I get indigestion?
Indigestion could cause headaches sometimes. Maybe it was because he’d eaten too quickly last night.
It seemed like a good idea to stop by the pharmacy on the way home and pick up some digestive medicine. Hae-yul took a sip of his warm chamomile tea and pressed gently against his eyelids.
“Hyung! Are you even listening to me?”
“…Yeah, yeah, I’m listening. But hold on a sec.”
After giving Lee San-ha, who was pouting in a way that didn’t match his build, a vague nod, Hae-yul took out his phone from his bag for a breather — and paused.
Kwon Gyo-eon
Make sure you eat lunch.
12:27
…If he has time to send messages like this, he should just focus on his work.
Hae-yul clicked his tongue inwardly and moved his fingers.
13:01
Go do your job.
The moment he sent the reply, the number next to the message disappeared — but Hae-yul pretended not to notice and slipped his phone back into his bag.
