Is this what they call putting yourself in someone else’s shoes?
Was he getting revenge like this because he almost got buried in the mountain? Then he shouldn’t have said he wanted to see me explode.
“……”
Good lord. Lee Hyeonseok didn’t even offer an excuse. Unlike me, who had desperately agonized over how to clear up Lee Hyeonseok’s misunderstanding in the mountains, Lee Hyeonseok just said “It’s a misunderstanding” and continued unbuttoning.
They say when you’re too dumbfounded, you become speechless—I’d felt that so often since meeting Lee Hyeonseok that I was sick of it now. While I was debating which of the three options to choose, Lee Hyeonseok finished unbuttoning all the buttons on my pajamas. He was fucking fast. Since my phone was far away, I decided to condemn him as a pervert first.
“Let go of this! You pervert! Trash!”
“Ugh. It’s not like that, so just stay still for a bit.”
Goosebumps rose from my toes all the way to my face. To be this brazen while stripping someone’s clothes without permission—as expected, a criminal bastard’s way of thinking was hard for ordinary people to follow. Then again, he wouldn’t have attempted it otherwise. Before Lee Hyeonseok, who had finished unbuttoning, could take off my top, I struggled, and Lee Hyeonseok climbed on top of me and grabbed both my hands to subdue me. He was so strong I couldn’t move an inch.
“A-Appa! Eomma!”
“No matter how much you scream, it’s useless. Your Appa went to work, and your Eomma went grocery shopping, so there’s no one home right now.”
When I called out loudly for my parents in a trembling voice, Lee Hyeonseok smirked and spoke. Now that I genuinely felt my safety was threatened, I regretted not burying Lee Hyeonseok. No matter how much of a piece of trash Lee Hyeonseok acted like, I thought there would never be anything to regret about not burying him… You’re really something else, Lee Hyeonseok.
I struggled desperately once more. Summoning every ounce of strength I had, more than I’d ever exerted in my entire life. But Lee Hyeonseok—what, did he religiously consume protein three meals a day and exercise regularly?—his body was as heavy and solid as a rock.
After watching me struggle for quite a while with interest, Lee Hyeonseok only lowered his body after seeing me tire out and lose strength. Wow, is he insane?
Lee Hyeonseok’s face slowly moved toward my nape. My eyes squeezed shut before I knew it.
I was bracing for unknown pain when Lee Hyeonseok buried his nose in my nape and sniffed. Lee Hyeonseok was smelling me. Rather than anything sexual, it was simply the act of smelling.
“…?”
I’d been hearing people call me a dog frequently lately, and it seemed he was really living up to expectations. But even if it wasn’t pain or the action I’d expected, goosebumps still rose all the same. If anything, it was worse, certainly not better.
“…It’s not there.”
“Crazy, what’s not—aah?!”
Lee Hyeonseok sniffed intently at my nape as if checking for something, then furrowed his brows. He even tilted his head as if it wasn’t the scent he wanted. He must be fucking insane. My head went cold from Lee Hyeonseok’s crazy behavior, and just as I was about to ask coldly with a contemptuous expression, he buried his nose in my chest this time.
“Cra—crazy, you perverted bastard, let go…!”
“If you stay still, it’ll be over soon.”
Everything he said was straight out of a criminal’s playbook. No matter how much I freaked out, Lee Hyeonseok didn’t stop burying his nose here and there on my body and sniffing. This won’t do. Once this is over, I’ll have to report him to 112. Since he’s a young master from a wealthy family, it would obviously get covered up anyway, but regardless of how things turn out, I should do it first.
“Augh!”
Since his only purpose seemed to be smelling, I finally spat out an irritated word and stopped struggling. When I lay still on the bed, Lee Hyeonseok patted my head as if to say good job. Before Lee Hyeonseok cuts off my wrist, I’ll cut off his wrist first.
After sniffing my chest, stomach, sides, and even my back for quite a while like that, Lee Hyeonseok clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied expression. What, this bastard? I searched my room for something that could be used as a weapon. The only usable thing closest to me was the glass cup on my desk. I debated whether it would be more effective to smash that glass cup directly onto Lee Hyeonseok’s crown, or to break the cup first and stab Lee Hyeonseok’s nape with a glass shard.
“I heard your fever hasn’t gone down for days, so I thought maybe.”
Lee Hyeonseok sighed as if disappointed. I need to hurry and make sure he can’t flap that mouth anymore. If I say I did it while resisting a pervert, it should be fine. I should submit my pajama buttons with Lee Hyeonseok’s fingerprints on them as evidence. No, but what if they say I made him touch them after I killed him? Besides, even if they believe my words as truth, Lee Hyeonseok’s family won’t leave me alone.
While I was pondering for a while about how to create an alibi, Lee Hyeonseok started buttoning up my pajamas. Even if he does this now, my murderous impulse won’t disappear. Even if it’s impossible right now, I’ll definitely do it someday.
“If you had manifested, you wouldn’t have had to live with me for a month or two. You’re quite pitiful too.”
“Manifested?”
Excuse me. Please use your turn signal. I was making plans to kill Lee Hyeonseok, and then he went and said something that blew those plans far away. Lee Hyeonseok is a bomb warehouse. Every word that comes out of that mouth is a bomb. When I asked again in surprise, Lee Hyeonseok, who had finished buttoning me up and moved off my body, just shook his head side to side. His expression was one of genuine regret. I also regret not being able to kill Lee Hyeonseok right now.
But even if I’m going to kill him, I need to learn the knowledge Lee Hyeonseok has before I kill him. Of course, I also need to set up an alibi and prepare and all that.
In any case, worry and anxiety surged within me about the manifestation Lee Hyeonseok mentioned. Omegas could get pregnant even if male, Alphas could impregnate even if male, and Betas were ordinary people, he’d said. I desperately hoped to be a Beta if possible.
“While you were out of it, there’s some fucking amazing and also important newly released news, and some news you can hear or not hear—which do you want to hear first?”
“The fucking important newly released news first.”
“First?”
“Please.”
Damn bastard. Fine. Realistically speaking, I don’t think I can actually kill you. But I will definitely send you to the hospital multiple times. I’ll send you once. I’ll send you twice. I’ll send you whenever you start to forget.
“Here.”
Lee Hyeonseok pulled out his phone from his pants pocket, searched for something, and handed it to me.
「’Alpha’, ‘Omega’, ‘Beta’—New Genders?
The medical and scientific communities have released research results on new genders. They stated that the recent cases that shocked the world—a man’s pregnancy and a woman impregnating another woman—were due to these new genders. These individuals were ordinary people until the age of 19. From age 19 onward, and in very rare cases even before that, they undergo what is called manifestation, which results in becoming ‘Alpha’, ‘Omega’, or ‘Beta’.
Manifestation involves burning with fever for 5 days to as long as a week, and it can last longer the more DNA one possesses, they said. Additionally, they stated that during manifestation, one loses reason and cannot control sexual desire. The medical community discovered different DNA from ordinary people in Mr. Choi (26), who was the first to become pregnant in a male body, and partnered with the scientific community to conduct research. After intensively studying groups who became pregnant after same-sex intercourse and groups who impregnated same-sex partners, they explained that those who became pregnant had the same DNA as Mr. Choi (26), while those who impregnated same-sex partners shared identical DNA among themselves.
The research team decided to call the gender capable of pregnancy ‘Omega’, the gender capable of causing pregnancy ‘Alpha’, and those who did not manifest as ‘Alpha’ or ‘Omega’ as ‘Beta’. Meanwhile, the research team noted that ‘Alphas’ are generally characterized by superior physical and mental abilities compared to average. They also explained that ‘Alphas’ and ‘Omegas’ experience peculiar symptoms monthly, but were reticent about what those symptoms were. The government has allocated budget for intensive research on the new genders, and corporations have begun supporting related research teams. Citizens are showing interest in the new genders with both curiosity and anxiety…(omitted)….」
「”Heat or Instinct?”
Amid the recent rise in sexual crimes, the perpetrator’s claim that the victim attacked first is gaining traction. It was announced that the victim who attacked first was an ‘Omega’ among the newly announced genders. While the research team was careful with their words, according to a source who requested anonymity, they reported that ‘Alphas’ and ‘Omegas’ experience monthly symptoms where sexual desire rises to the point of losing reason. They said they are developing medication with the help of researchers and test subjects to suppress these symptoms. Meanwhile, due to this report, sympathy toward the perpetrator rather than the victim…(omitted)….」
「”Are there superior genes even among the new genders?”
Word is quietly spreading that there are superior genes even among the hot topic ‘Alphas’ and ‘Omegas’. ‘Alphas’ and ‘Omegas’ each have their own scent, and hierarchies are supposedly formed based on the intensity or subtlety of that scent. Already among ‘Alphas’ and ‘Omegas’, rankings are determined by scent…(omitted)….」
“Wow…. How fascinating….”
I couldn’t be more grateful that it explained Lee Hyeonseok’s summary so well. As expected, people need to watch the news. Suddenly, I felt resentful toward Lee Hyeonseok’s younger sister. Why, of all things, did she have to choose to include this kind of setting?
“Ah. So maybe earlier, when you were sniffing my body like a dog….”
“You’ve been getting real fearless since I’ve been going easy on you lately, huh?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not in my right mind. Please let it slide.”
“It’s good that you’re quick to reflect.”
“Of course.”
I also need to quickly think of a way to hospitalize this human trash.
“Anyway, so when you were sniffing earlier.”
“I was wondering if you’d manifested as an Omega.”
“…Couldn’t I have manifested as an Alpha…?”
“Sure. It’s good to dream big.”
Damn bastard. Lee Hyeonseok treated me like someone with unrealistic dreams. As expected, a rude bastard’s words were different from others.
“But how on earth did you get into my house?”
“I ran into your Eomma. I told her I came to visit a sick friend, and she let me in. She asked me to take good care of you?”
“I see!”
Lee Hyeonseok smiled wickedly. Between being a rude bastard, an unlucky bastard, and a criminal bastard, he was quite busy. I decided to just let everything Lee Hyeonseok said go in one ear and out the other from now on. I’d just humor him appropriately and pray for the month or two to pass quickly. Yeah, a month or two…?
“Don’t tell me what you meant by having to stay together for a while….”
Even if he was human trash with a respectable background, would it make sense to keep someone around just because he was curious about what they’d manifest as? Come to think of it, the news said that during manifestation, one loses reason and cannot control sexual desire. Lee Hyeonseok wanted to see my raw emotions. No way. No, really no way. It can’t be.
“It’s good that you’re quick on the uptake.”
Ah. Lee Hyeonseok really is a son of a bitch. Non-burnable trash, non-recyclable trash. I have absolutely no confidence in winning against this crazy bastard who also has tons of money.
“……”
Lee Hyeonseok grinned. As expected, burying him was the answer, so how did I miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? There was nothing I could do about it now. Whether it’s manifestation or whatever, whether he acts like a beast or not, once he sees that sight of me, Lee Hyeonseok would probably stop. Looking at him now, Lee Hyeonseok showed absolutely no signs of letting me go no matter how I looked at it. It was so frustrating I could barely see, but since I only had one choice right now, it was better to give him what he wanted and end it quickly.
“So, what’s the news I can hear or not hear?”
“There really was a corpse in that hill where you tried to bury me.”
“?”
