I approached Seonjae sitting across from me looking sulky and pulled his head into an embrace, stroking it like when we were young. He stretched out his arms and pulled my waist into an embrace. Pleasant pheromones brushed past my nose.
“Seonjae. I’m only pretty in your eyes, I’m not such an amazing omega that you need to worry like that.”
“…”
“Look now. Other than you, is there any alpha who says I’m pretty or likes me?”
Seonjae said nothing and just buried his face in my chest, inhaling my pheromones. Like that, we felt each other’s pheromones silently for a while, sensing each other’s presence. Though my lower part was pulling a bit, in situations like this, a ‘real conversation’ was more necessary than a ‘physical conversation.’
I released my embrace and fiddled with Seonjae’s hair as I spoke.
“Seonjae. If you say such things anywhere, you’ll get called a doting fool.”
At my words spoken with a laugh, Seonjae didn’t answer. Don’t tell me… you’re not really going around saying such things, are you? Cold sweat ran down my spine.
No, really… you’re the one with rose-colored glasses on, so I look pretty to you, but there really isn’t anyone who likes me, you know? Ugh, how embarrassing. What would people think? Wouldn’t they see me as a stupid omega who can’t even manage his own alpha properly and runs around giddily saying he’s happy?
“No. Still, I’m anxious. Let’s just tell your dad and live together, Yeoul. We’re going to get married right after graduating from university anyway.”
That was true.
I don’t know what Seonjae was in such a rush for, but he rushed at me to get married right after graduating high school, but no matter how I thought about it, that didn’t seem right, so I postponed it as much as possible to “after university graduation.”
Actually, if you look at it a certain way, the one in a hurry wasn’t Seonjae but me.
There wasn’t a single alpha rushing at me saying they liked me, but there were omegas aiming for Seonjae everywhere and anywhere. The one who needed to stamp him clearly as mine to feel secure was definitely me, not Seonjae, but still, we were both “young,” and I didn’t want to blow away a moment of youth with marriage.
Though we’d been dating since high school, I wanted to try something like “adult dating” too.
“Then, fine. But just because we’re living together doesn’t mean I want to live like a married ‘couple.'”
“Then?”
“Let’s think of it as roommates living together.”
“Roommates? What’s the difference between that and marriage?”
“Ah. Would housemates be a better word than roommates?”
“What? So you’re saying we should have separate rooms?”
“Yeah.”
We absolutely had to. Otherwise, we’d both be ruined.
There would be countless days we wouldn’t go outside, let alone attend classes. So we needed to create at least a minimum safety device. Live together, but respect each other’s privacy as much as possible. That way, there’s value in postponing marriage.
That’s how our cohabitation started. Of course, that doesn’t mean we slept separately in our own rooms every time though…
“Dinner? Hmm… what do you want to eat?”
“Me? I want Yeoul.”
See. This is what I’m talking about.
“No. Don’t joke around.”
“I’m not joking. I want to eat Yeoul for dinner tonight. Don’t you want to eat me, Yeoul? I think we’ve been fasting for quite a while.”
That… was that so? I’m pretty sure I woke up in Seonjae’s bed the morning before yesterday too.
“That…, Seonjae.”
“Yeah?”
“That, saying you ‘eat’ a person is a bit much, isn’t it?”
I just said it for no reason. I didn’t really feel resistant to it, but if he keeps deflecting or seducing me like this when deciding on meal menus in the future, I’ll get swept up in Seonjae’s pace again, so I needed a ‘distinction’ device.
If we keep going like this, constantly talking about eating each other and saying you taste the best, like Pavlov’s dog, we’ll imagine each other’s naked bodies every time we talk about food. No, I don’t know about Seonjae, but I would definitely be like that.
“Why? Don’t I taste good to you, Yeoul?”
Seonjae asked in a dejected voice. Ah, I didn’t mean it like that—look at him. This is what happens again. What am I supposed to do seeing those round puppy eyes?
“Haah… Seonjae.”
How are you going to live in this harsh world with such an innocent face, really. I’m really worried about you, Seonjae. It’s you I’m worried about, not me, Seonjae.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Mmm… but I want to eat Yeoul.”
Seonjae pulled me into an embrace again and muttered.
…
Fine. Eat me, eat me.
But first, let go of this.
“Then let’s talk about this later when we get home, and Seonjae, you know you’re in front of the student center right now, right?”
“So what.”
“…People are staring.”
“Let them.”
I seemed to be the only flustered one at his words muttered with his face buried in my chest. He didn’t care at all whether people around us were looking at us or not, and just kneaded me this way and that as he pleased.
As if showing me off to people.
“I’m uncomfortable, Seonjae.”
Only after I said that did Seonjae finally release his arms from around me.
“Ah… sorry. I did it because I like you so much, Yeoul.”
“No, I’m not saying anything bad, just…”
Right, just. It’s a bit embarrassing. All the omegas looking at us are glaring at me, and all the alphas are looking away as if flustered. That’s kind of… it feels like they keep telling me to know my place, so it’s embarrassing.
Because Seonjae is such a cool alpha, the omegas glare at me, and because it’s so absurd that an omega with no particular charm like me is being held by Seonjae, the alphas look at me with flustered faces like that.
He doesn’t see such things, our Seonjae.
Is this why they say ‘when you love, you become a doting fool’? No one calls me pretty, but only Seonjae wraps around me like this, so I have no choice but to keep my wits about me.
Firmly. Capably.
It seemed like my destiny to prove on my own that I’m not an omega who bewitched Seonjae because I’m pretty, but truly an omega worthy of Seonjae’s love, just as Seonjae said. Only then would the other omegas clinging to Seonjae fall away on their own.
Honestly, I don’t really want to see it. Other omegas clinging to Seonjae’s side.
Isn’t everyone like that? Feeling bad when another person is clinging to your other half? Especially if it’s a perfect alpha like Seonjae.
I’m just grateful that Seonjae is ‘currently’ crazy about me.
Ah… how did it come to this? When I first saw him, he was just a dirt-covered snotty kid, but now I have to worry about whether another omega will take him away.
My alpha being too outstanding is also a problem.
“Ah… I’m so tired.”
“What? Yeoul, you’re tired? Are you sick somewhere?”
I said out loud what I meant to think internally. Haha, I guess I really am tired…
“Hey, Yoo Seonjae! You, wha-what are you doing! Hey!”
“You said you’re tired! You said you’re sick! Are classes the problem right now?”
Seonjae started running while holding me. I’m not some princess in a prince’s arms, and in front of the whole school, I was just clinging on, not knowing what to do while held in Seonjae’s arms. I had no choice because what, he’s not even a national 100-meter dash athlete but… so fast.
“No, no. Seonjae, I’m fine.”
“Fine my ass! You’re burning up with fever!”
Seonjae said while continuing to run without stopping. Burning with fever? Well, it’s because you just drenched me with pheromones so my body got slightly heated, and then you’re running while holding me in front of people like this, so I’m embarrassed. My face is as red as it can get, so of course I’d have a fever.
“Seonjae, really, I’m really fine.”
“Yeoul. Did you think I wouldn’t know that you always endure without telling me even when you’re sick? Have I known you for just a year or two? So stop talking and just lean on me quietly.”
Even while running so fast, Seonjae spoke to me in a clear voice with not a single breath heard, like an announcer speaking.
So outstanding, so outstanding, but is there a need to be this outstanding? Hearing his voice, my face heated up even more, so I decided to just lean on him as Seonjae said.
The destination was obvious anyway.
*
“Hyung.”
“What now.”
Yoo Yeongjae. Seonjae’s older brother. The second son of Pine Furniture and an Emergency Medicine resident at Korea University Hospital. Why is Yeongjae hyung always in the emergency room every time Seonjae runs to the hospital emergency room?
