Chan whistled briefly as he looked down at the expansive garden.
It was the wedding of the century. The situation was as they had hoped—the media hadn’t caught wind of it, but starting from nearly 5km away from the castle, security personnel were lined up everywhere.
It was only possible because the entire area around there was owned by the Lewis family. He briefly looked up at the security drones passing overhead, but soon his gaze turned to the garden filled with people.
Along with the clear and sunny weather, the autumn outdoor wedding dyed in colorful hues was incredibly beautiful. The sunlight was warm, and leaves dressed in beautiful colors fluttered and fell, carried by the occasional cool breeze. Siwoo’s face beaming with a bright smile and Evan’s face next to him, sticking close and taking care of Siwoo, were filled with happiness.
After the marriage vows and a light kiss that concluded the official ceremony, and the free-flowing party began, Chan had taken refuge on the quiet second floor.
The wedding decorations with a white base and deep navy accents were elegant, and both the food and atmosphere were perfect without fault. The wedding attended by barely over a hundred people was comfortable and relaxed.
A deep sigh flowed from Chan’s lips as he watched Evan and Siwoo, dressed in matching navy suits, moving among the people exchanging greetings and light embraces. It was because there was someone who caught his attention more than those two smiling brightly amid everyone’s congratulations.
Thanks to his height and build that were far superior to others, finding Yechan was easier than eating porridge. His gaze landed on a face laughing heartily at who knows what was so amusing.
When Rush, dressed in what looked like a tuxedo prepared for today, came bounding and leaping at Yechan, Yechan was also playing with the excited Rush.
“I’ve suddenly become invisible.”
While mingling with people, having conversations, taking photos, and eating together, Yechan hadn’t said a word to him. Their eyes had met in passing, but as expected, it was he who looked away first. Even while chatting happily with a playful expression, when their eyes met, the laughter would completely vanish from that face.
If things continued like this, it was obvious as day that he would just keep following Yechan with his eyes, so Chan took out his mobile phone. The Sunday return flight was the same as Yechan’s. If there was a ticket available at a different time, he should change it. Though avoiding things like this didn’t seem like the right approach, taking time like this might be one way to handle it.
“Should I look at economy class?”
After confirming there were no empty seats in first class, Chan was moving his fingertips to search again when he watched helplessly as his mobile phone was smoothly pulled from his hands.
“I was going to wait and see what you’d do, but now you’re running away avoidantly?”
Yechan, who had been in the garden just moments ago, was in front of him. There was no emotion on Yechan’s face as he checked his mobile phone. At times like this, Chan felt skeptical about both Yechan’s and his own profession. Since managing one’s expression was essential in any situation, hiding emotions had become all too familiar.
When even a leisurely voice was added, Chan gave up on guessing his thoughts or feelings.
“Now you’re not even going to talk to me?”
“You’re my hyung, so I should speak directly, right?”
Unable to even think of an excuse, Chan hid his complicated emotions as he took his mobile phone back from Yechan’s hands.
“You have to act like a hyung to be a hyung.”
“Let’s talk later. This is Evan and Siwoo’s wedding venue. I have no intention of having an emotional fight with you.”
As Yechan continued to act contrarily, Chan tried to leave, but he gritted his molars at Yechan’s action of snatching his wrist. Then he turned around, running his other hand through his hair.
“Let go of this. You said you wouldn’t grab me, that you wouldn’t do things like this anymore. You said to do as I please. So I’m doing as I please.”
Since he couldn’t beat Yechan with strength anyway, he tried to resolve things reasonably with words. Because Yechan put force into the hand gripping his wrist, Chan ended up in his embrace and twisted his wrist.
As if twisting his wrist was nothing at all, the moment Yechan released his wrist and pulled him into an embrace, Chan stayed still rather than trying to escape. It seemed better to appropriately get through this situation rather than rashly provoking Yechan and making things worse. As he stood still, Yechan’s pheromones subtly permeating his clothes reached Chan first.
He wasn’t deliberately releasing them for him to sense. Chan was shaken even by those naturally embedded pheromones.
This wasn’t because he disliked Yechan, but a choice to live the most ideal life for each other. If Yechan couldn’t make the right decision, then he had to do it. Even knowing that, he had kept postponing it day after day and ended up here.
“You always said you’re older than me, but I don’t know where you ate your age. Don’t you feel anything even watching those people getting married today?”
Chan placed both arms against Yechan’s chest as he spoke in an admonishing tone with a lower voice than usual. Since his mood seemed to have improved somewhat, now was the best opportunity to escape his embrace.
“Feel what? My head hurts thinking about script readings for the new project starting next week.”
When he put strength into both arms, Yechan obediently stepped back.
“Alright. Do what you want, hyung. I’ll do what I want too. And humanly speaking, let’s not change flight tickets. Are you planning to never see me for the rest of your life? Even if you want to, we’re Ocean. And as for our living situation, like hyung said, our schedules don’t overlap and it’s not financially difficult, so there’s really no reason we must live together. Since it’s hyung’s place anyway, I should be the one to move out. Stop hiding and come out to enjoy the party. There are lots of macarons you like, and the white wine was good too.”
Just when it seemed he would make some immediate decision, Yechan had simply embraced him once, let go, and agreed to everything he had suggested—Chan’s face twisted strangely as he watched him. The space Yechan left soundlessly, just as he had entered soundlessly, was left with only Chan remaining alone and forlorn.
* * *
Standing by the window looking at the garden with its subtle lighting, Siwoo watched Evan approaching through the window. As Evan gently embraced him from behind with a soft smile, he relaxed his body and leaned comfortably against his chest.
“How do you feel?”
Complex emotions that he hadn’t felt until just moments ago rushed in like a rising tide.
They had already registered their marriage, and he had been with Evan all along.
He couldn’t think of anything while conducting the wedding ceremony. The wedding that started in the afternoon continued until late at night, and now that everyone had left, only Evan and himself were in the large castle.
Even the trauma about regression that had always made him anxious was getting much better now.
All the points in time when regression had occurred had passed. When he occasionally felt anxious, Evan always whispered the same words. That no matter what situation arose and what happened again, he would find him.
“It’s strange.”
After comfortably embracing him from behind, Evan kissed his head and cheek, then buried his face in his shoulder and breathed in deeply—Siwoo placed his hand on Evan’s head. His face flushed for no reason at their reflections in the window.
“Aren’t you happy?”
“I was glad people congratulated us.”
“And?”
“What do you mean ‘and’? What about you, how do you feel?”
Siwoo turned his body and embraced Evan. He closed his eyes while listening to the sound of his steadily beating heart along with his subtle pheromones. At first, he had thought this was someone with not even a slight connection to him. Someone who had coincidentally overlapped with him once on a broadcast, someone he would see only briefly on the broadcast and then become strangers with again. He was in the embrace of someone he had regarded as a star in the sky.
There had been many times when he had tried to shake off and push away Evan, who ignored his goodwill and settled in his heart without permission. In the complexly entangled and intertwined times, it was Evan who had recognized him first.
So this is how it ended up.
“I like it. I like it so much I could go crazy. More than when we secretly did the imprinting and registered our marriage. I like that we can embrace on the street, kiss without anyone saying anything, and when introducing to someone, I can say you’re my lifelong partner. Above all, having tied you and me completely together by every method that exists in the world, should I say I’m somewhat relieved now?”
When Evan spoke in a small voice while stuck close together like this, he really liked hearing the words that came through his body with a rumbling sound. How could he be so sweet and say such pleasant-sounding things? On the other hand, he felt pathetic that he couldn’t properly confess to him each time.
“Me too.”
But Evan had said everything he wanted to say. Next week, news of their marriage would be released to the media, and going out wouldn’t be easy for a while. For the past few weeks, even while filming, a security team had followed in addition to the filming team. Paparazzi had been photographing even those filming sessions.
To put something in a full basket, you have to put something down. Just like that, the moment he decided to be with Evan forever and become a person of the Lewis family, he lost eternal freedom. Now he would have to be accompanied by bodyguards when going out. It was certain that paparazzi would photograph his every move.
What could he do when he liked him even if he gave up all the little freedom that remained?
If the reason for wandering through that long hellish time, that dark tunnel without a speck of light, was to meet Evan.
If the endless frustration and bleak future were meant to give him this sweetness.
He could endure it.
There had never been a moment when he felt prouder of himself for not giving up and enduring well through those difficult times.
“Evana. Evan. Evan Lewis.”
Siwoo called his name softly.
Instead of an answer, he could feel Evan’s heart gradually beating faster. The actions of stroking his head, stroking his back, and kissing his head were speaking of his mood and emotions.
“I love you.”
He didn’t look at Evan’s face as he held him tightly. The moment he whispered against his chest beating vigorously toward him, Evan’s pheromones burst out explosively.
“Coco. I also……”
“Urgh……”
Evan, who didn’t hide his emotions and mood and didn’t block his overflowing pheromones, tried to tell Siwoo that he loved him too. But when he blinked, he was alone. He could see Siwoo’s back as he pushed the caught-off-guard Evan hard with who-knows-what strength and ran into the bathroom.
“Coco?”
“That… put away your pheromones right now.”
Their wedding first night.
Evan sat leaning against the door, blankly staring at the ceiling.
It was because he had been driven out by Siwoo, who would retch the moment he got close or even slightly sensed his pheromones.
Extra Story 2-9
Tossing and turning and moving in search of warm body heat, Siwoo slowly opened his eyes at a strange feeling. It should be bigger, warmer, and firmer—he questioned it briefly, but soon a faint smile appeared on Siwoo’s face as he realized who was holding him and stroking his head.
“Mom. When did you get here?”
Still with his eyes closed, Siwoo burrowed into his mom’s warm embrace. Though she was now smaller than him, that didn’t matter.
“Evan called, so I came. Is your stomach okay?”
Feeling his mom’s touch, Siwoo finally recalled last night’s events. It was a situation where he could do nothing either way. What could he do? When Evan just got close, his stomach would flip.
It was unbearably uncomfortable, but it wasn’t like he could refreshingly throw up what was in his stomach either. His stomach was churning and uncomfortable, but when he tried to vomit, only dry heaves came up without anything particularly coming out. Just when he thought he was okay and was rinsing his mouth with cold water, the rising nausea would make him bend over, and he repeated this several times. The moment Evan, who had been restlessly rubbing his back, went out to get water, he became fine as if nothing had happened.
Siwoo stood there dumbly alone, touching his chest and stomach that were no longer in pain, when Evan appeared with water and he had to bend over again at the rising nausea.
When Evan, who had been patting his back and worrying, went to find his mobile phone saying he would contact the personal physician, his churning stomach became fine again as if nothing had happened.
What’s going on?
His bewilderment was brief as Siwoo, brushing his teeth from the unpleasantness, cursed with Evan’s appearance.
After the same thing repeated several times, he realized he was fine when Evan wasn’t nearby. And when he sat alone in the bedroom with Evan truly outside the room, he actually felt comfortable. Like that, unintentionally, on their wedding first night, Siwoo had no choice but to drive Evan out of the room.
Siwoo, who had been in a tense state all day conducting the wedding ceremony and struggling with his churning stomach, thought he would be okay if he just rested, so he lay down on the bed for a bit. He must have fallen asleep when he had only meant to rest briefly.
“Did Evan tell you about that too?”
“He said you kept trying to throw up.”
“He really told you everything. I was probably tired and stressed. Why would he call you about something like that? He said he’d call a doctor but no doctor came. And what about mom, coming right away because Evan called? You have to go to Italy this afternoon.”
“Is that what’s important now? When my son is sick?”
Siwoo was comfortably held in his mom’s embrace. He couldn’t even remember when he had last been held by his mom like this. Even when he went home recently, when he first met his mom at home and briefly hugged before parting, it was only a fleeting moment.
His chest felt heavy at his mom’s touch as she stroked his head and rubbed his back. Siwoo had been alone for quite a long time. Though he had family, after having his secret alone, he had unknowingly distanced himself from them. He had been afraid that the misfortune that happened to him might spread to them.
He didn’t need to have done that. If he had said he was sick or struggling, his mom would have held him like this anytime.
“I like mom the best too. Mom’s the best.”
As depressing thoughts rushed in from the morning, Siwoo quickly spoke up.
“Why are you acting like this today when you’re all grown up? Don’t do this to me, do it to your mate. Evan was very worried.”
“He always thinks about everything too excessively. Since mom’s here, I want to tell you to stay and have more fun. Do you want to go tomorrow or the day after, mom? Stay here and have some fun. I’ll contact them and change the schedule.”
“You shouldn’t say that about someone who’s worried about you. And I left your dad alone at the hotel, so I should go. I’ve seen that you’re okay. I was worried about something else.”
“Worried about what?”
“Thought I was becoming a grandmother?”
Siwoo, who had been chatting with his mom after a long time, sat up abruptly, escaping from her embrace at the absurd words.
“Mom!”
“It’s a beta family so I didn’t think about this either, but you’re an omega and Evan’s an alpha, so can’t I even say this? Sia doesn’t even have anyone she’s seeing, but you’re faster than Sia who would get married and have a baby.”
“Wow.”
No matter what, Siwoo stared blankly at his mom, never having dreamed he would have a conversation with his mom related to pregnancy.
“Besides, you said you felt uncomfortable in your stomach when Evan was nearby. Didn’t I tell you? How fussy you two were—with Sia, I didn’t know what it was and wandered around until I found out at 6 weeks, but with you, I found out before even 4 weeks because I’d done it once. The symptoms are the same, so how could I not know? When your dad just came near, my stomach would flip, but whoever I told this to wouldn’t listen.”
“……”
Listening to a story he had never heard before, Siwoo’s hand gradually moved and stopped at his lower abdomen.
“But looking at you again, it doesn’t seem like it. I had trouble in the mornings too. Morning sickness gets worse on an empty stomach, so I always kept biscuits and such within reach. Oh my, you have to experience it to know—who would understand if I just talk about it?”
“Mom, was your morning sickness bad?”
They had always been careful, and it hadn’t been long since they stopped using contraception. Since heat or rut hadn’t come in between, it was something he hadn’t thought about at all. Still, the fact was they hadn’t been careful, and unlike the past when knotting didn’t go well, recently all relations had been naturally leading to knotting.
“Didn’t I tell you? Did I tell Sia? Anyway, when I had you, I had morning sickness until the day before giving birth. The doctor scolded me so much for not gaining weight. Sia was 3.1kg and you were 2.8kg, I think? Anyway, you were both on the small side.”
“No way. It’s not. It can’t be.”
Listening to his mom’s words, Siwoo roughly denied it and waved his hand when there was a knock and he looked at the door. Watching the door slowly open, Siwoo urgently covered his mouth with his hand, then rolled off the bed and ran into the bathroom attached to the bedroom.
The mom watching Siwoo disappear urgently turned her gaze to Evan, who had opened the door cautiously at first but then burst in at the clattering noise. Then she quickly grabbed Evan’s arm to stop him as he tried to hurriedly follow Siwoo.
“I’ll go check, so don’t worry too much.”
“Pardon?”
“I really didn’t expect to hear news of the wedding and news of a second generation together, but anyway, from now on for the next few months, think of yourself as dead and live. That’s the only way.”
Evan watched mother-in-law enter the bathroom with a smile and stroked his chin with an odd expression.
“Ah! Mom. I said it’s not.”
After a few dry heaves, Siwoo, who had been washing his face with cold water, saw the meaningful expression on his mom’s face as she opened the bathroom door and entered, and shouted in protest.
“Alright. If you say it’s not, then it’s not. Mom’s just worried.”
“Ah, mom. Hurry and go. Dad must be waiting.”
Siwoo didn’t meet his mom’s eyes as he wiped his face with a towel.
“Earlier you said to stay and have fun.”
“No. My thinking was short.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“I said it’s not!”
There was no mercy in Siwoo’s hands as he pushed the back of his mom, who kept looking him over with a smile.
After pushing out his mom who had come late at night because she was worried about him, the next person Siwoo had to deal with was Evan.
But at the sight of him not coming any closer, maintaining a distance of about 3 meters, Siwoo roughly ran his hand through his hair.
“What did my mom say?”
Siwoo glared at Evan, who backed away as much as he approached while speaking, and stopped in place.
“No. She didn’t say much. By the way, you definitely turned off your mobile phone, right?”
Then Evan also stopped, keeping his distance.
“You saw me turn it off last night. That aside, why do you keep running away?”
The official announcement about their wedding was prepared for next Monday. Monday 10 AM British time. 6 PM Korean time. It was set up so that in Britain it would be an article, and in Korea an article and a video of them would be simultaneously updated on the agency’s homepage.
Even if an article came out before that, they wouldn’t react in any way from this side until the scheduled time. Since they expected it would cause considerable repercussions, unlike Evan who had to work, Siwoo turned off his mobile phone as soon as the wedding ended and decided to spend at least a week quietly at the castle.
“I’m not running away, I’m worried you’ll be uncomfortable again.”
Watching Evan step back again as he approached, Siwoo stood crookedly with his arms crossed and glared at him.
“Why did you call mom instead of the doctor?”
The mood rampaging chaotically on its own couldn’t be controlled. Though he had strongly denied his mom’s words, he was still anxious. He felt dazed wondering if this was really possible, and anxiety rushed in while feeling happy. Evan’s behavior of seeming to avoid him in this situation was severely irritating.
You should unconditionally like it. You should say you want it too. He was angry at this lukewarm reaction that seemed to be avoiding.
“I thought mother-in-law would know better.”
Siwoo’s pheromones had been unstable for several days. It was time for his heat cycle to come based on the timing, and since he had been sensitive from wedding preparations, Evan hadn’t paid much attention to it. He had first smelled that heterogeneous scent during the wedding ceremony.
Feeling Siwoo’s complex pheromones mixed with trembling and tension, anxiety and nervousness along with happiness, Evan tried his best to maintain comfortable emotions. He had always been trying to do so since learning that each other’s pheromones and emotions greatly affected each other.
The scent quickly disappeared, so he had wondered if he had mistakenly sensed the pheromones of an alpha attending the wedding and ignored it.
But last night, the moment he embraced Siwoo, Evan sensed a heterogeneous scent among Siwoo’s pheromones.
Along with the thought that something was strange, the moment he comfortably released the pheromones he had been keeping in check, that scent also grew stronger proportionally.
When he approached, that scent released a stronger scent as if defending itself, and simultaneously Siwoo would retch and feel uncomfortable. Since only one thought crossed his mind, he had called mother-in-law instead of the doctor.
“Do you think the same as mom?”
“Probably.”
Hearing Evan’s hesitant words, Siwoo covered his nose with his fingertips. Then he headed toward him without hesitation. Siwoo’s expression was more determined than ever as he pushed Yechan, who kept stepping back, until he was blocked by the window.
