“That stuff is just teasing and less effective. Just kiss me like last time.”
“I can’t do that. You know, I…!”
Kwon Yujin, who had been listening carelessly, suddenly reached his hand toward my ear. Realizing he was trying to remove my mask, I immediately slapped his hand away.
“I told you not to.”
I warned him with a stern expression, but Kwon Yujin twisted his lips and scoffed instead. Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. The distance I’d barely managed to create narrowed in an instant.
“Hyun Taeyoung. Do you know why I started swimming?”
He murmured with his lips pressed against my ear, and this time his breath rushed in hotly. Even though I wanted to shake him off, he easily overpowered me.
“After I escaped from that house, I was so anxious I couldn’t sleep for a long time. Do you know what it feels like to be unable to fall asleep even though your body and mind are completely wrecked from not sleeping for too long?”
“I…”
“Every time I closed my eyes, those shitty things kept replaying.”
As the old story came from his mouth, the strength drained from my body as if I’d been discharged.
“When do you think was the only time I could fall asleep?”
“……”
“When I exhausted my body. I could only sleep when I moved my body until I had no strength left in my hands and feet.”
I lost my composure and gasped for breath.
“I didn’t want to run around outside bumping into other bastards, but I had to keep moving my body to survive. That’s why I started swimming.”
“Kwon Yujin.”
“I struggled desperately to survive somehow.”
“……”
“That’s how I got here. But after I happened to imprint on you, my records became disastrous. How do you think I feel right now?”
“I… I back then….”
“If you have any conscience, you can’t say you have no responsibility.”
“……”
“Out of all those omegas, fuck, the fact that I imprinted on something like you pisses me off too. But what can I do? This is reality.”
His voice was permeated with anger he couldn’t fully suppress. The malice of wanting to crush and crumble me right now couldn’t have been clearer than this.
“So until I return to my previous condition, you endure this much too.”
If Kwon Yujin said this much, I couldn’t refuse any longer. As he said, I had an obligation to take responsibility for this situation.
Didn’t they say it would take at least six months for the imprinting to break with the treatment provided by the hospital?
“Is there really that big a difference between when you… did that with me and when you didn’t?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe even holding hands would be surprisingly effective.”
“I explained it’s different from simple stuff like that.”
“That…”
As I started to speak, I felt my mouth go dry and fell silent for a moment. Then a few seconds later, I barely managed to continue the sentence.
“…If I kiss you like that time, will that work?”
Kwon Yujin, who had been staring at me intently, nodded.
“But you have to take this off.”
Kwon Yujin suddenly stuck his index finger under the mask covering my face, stretched it out, and let it snap back. The stretched string snapped back with a sharp sound.
Thinking he was about to remove my mask for a moment, I quickly covered my mouth with both hands. Then I immediately expressed my refusal.
“Absolutely not.”
“What. You want to keep doing it like this?”
“Won’t that work?”
“Your pheromones are already weak, and that damn piece of cloth just makes it more annoying.”
It was like a bolt from the blue.
“But you said your condition was fine.”
“If you’re going to do it, do it properly. Fuck, what the hell kind of situation is kissing with a mask on?”
“T-then….”
My mind went blank at the thought that I had no choice but to remove the mask. I even stuttered from being flustered.
“Next week. Today really won’t work.”
I pushed Kwon Yujin away strongly again. Perhaps sensing my firm refusal, Kwon Yujin didn’t force himself against me again. Instead, he irritably swept back his wet hair.
“Are you trying to play push and pull with me?”
At his voice that sounded like he found it ridiculous, I shook my head. I tried to subtly step back to get away from him for now, but Kwon Yujin, who had been watching me with displeasure, applied force again.
“Ah.”
“Don’t even think about scheming.”
He pulled me sharply while gripping my arm, causing me to lose my balance. My vision flipped, and I ended up sprawled ungracefully on the sofa.
“Why are you doing this? I said today really won’t work.”
As someone who does physical labor, I didn’t want to utter lines that a weak omega would say, but I had no choice. Kwon Yujin handled me too easily and dominated me as if it were natural.
I’d never been told I was weak anywhere, but apparently I was no match at all in front of an athlete.
“If you’re going to be that stressed about it, why don’t you go to a dermatologist? Should I introduce you to one?”
Kwon Yujin didn’t care at all about my resistance and kept smelling the bare skin inside my clothes. I hadn’t sweated today since I didn’t work, but I kept getting nervous in case there was a bad smell.
“No… Ngh.”
Kwon Yujin, who had been brushing his lips over my shoulder and collarbone, soon pressed his nose right below my ear and took a deep breath. I felt that he was smelling my pheromones without hesitation, and that his pheromones were flowing out thickly toward me.
Other people’s pheromones were fine no matter how strong they were, but Kwon Yujin’s were a bit strange. When he was near, my heart rate went up and I kept feeling thirsty.
It must be because the feelings I have toward Kwon Yujin are a bit different from others due to the crime I committed in the past. The fact that I want to keep smelling his fresh scent must definitely be because of that reason.
“This area of skin seems fine.”
At my consistent rejection, Kwon Yujin tapped my neck and shoulders with his fingertips and said.
“Is your face still the same as before?”
“……”
“Don’t be like that and get treatment.”
When the topic of my skin came up, I had nothing to say. I swallowed dry saliva and tried hard to think of another topic. At least it seemed like he wasn’t going to force or make me do anything today, so if things went well, I might be able to get past this.
“Y-you, what age did you start swimming?”
“Oh my. You even know how to change the subject.”
“If your condition has improved a bit, you’re participating in that world swimming competition, right?”
“It would be the World Swimming Championships.”
“That’s what I was trying to say.”
“I don’t think so.”
“It’s being held this year. In Berlin.”
“Well, if you cooperate well like this, it might be possible.”
“……”
“Isn’t it funny that I imprinted on you of all people?”
Kwon Yujin spoke as if talking to himself, but I felt like I had to answer that statement. However, I couldn’t find anything to say in the end.
Rather than funny, I just thought, why an omega like me of all people? If it weren’t for the imprinting, he wouldn’t have had to plead with the criminal who confined him and exposed him to violence. If only I hadn’t been greedy to go watch the competition in the first place.
I was just upset about this situation.
Then Kwon Yujin’s phone vibrated. He completely separated his body from me and stood up.
“Yes, Coach-nim.”
It seemed like a call from his coach. Seeing him talk about practice, it looked like afternoon training would start soon.
Looking at the clock, it had been well over an hour since I’d arrived here. I straightened my clothes to leave.
A moment later, Kwon Yujin finished his call and warned me as I headed toward the entrance.
“When you come next week, take off the mask. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
***
“Hyun Taeyoung. Do you have something to say to me? Why are you looking at me so gloomily today?”
Just as I was wondering how to start, Park Seongwoo noticed first and spoke to me.
“Yeah.”
“Yeaaah?”
“I have something to say to you.”
“Oh, really? What is it?”
“Why didn’t you come to the last job site?”
“Ah. I had another job scheduled first that day. It was a complete waste though.”
Park Seongwoo let out an empty laugh as if it was absurd just thinking about that day, and spat on the construction site floor.
“They said it was a hotel part-time job so I went, tempted, but they just kept making me run around the kitchen. I thought there’d be some rich ladies.”
“……”
“Was that what you were curious about?”
I was lost in other thoughts and only half-listening to Park Seongwoo’s words. So instead of answering the question, I grabbed one of his arms.
“Follow me.”
After confirming there was no one around, I dragged him to the very end corner of the site.
“You said you had a strong stomach, right?”
At my solemn interrogation, Park Seongwoo hesitated.
“Huh? …Why suddenly that.”
“How strong is it?”
