Damn — I’m not about to run into that other guy here too.
Dealing with Chae Yuno alone was already more than enough — he had no desire to come face to face with the other one on top of that. Unlike Chae Yuno, who didn’t know that the person in front of him was the omega Hong Siyeon from the original story, Beom Yisu might actually have information on the protagonist’s personal details — which made things all the more worrying.
It was a concern rooted in the fact that in the original story, Beom Yisu had drawn up the surrogacy contract through the broker Manager Kang.
How did things end up like this…….
Siyeon, his head aching with worry, found himself thinking back to his last moments — being engulfed in flames. Being swallowed by that blazing inferno. That day — was it really not just a dream. Was it real…… did he really…… over there……
Die?
The moment he let himself revisit the past, a throbbing headache struck. It felt as if something invisible was crushing his skull — and Siyeon had no choice but to grip his head and sink into the chair.
Knock knock —
It was right then that sounds of movement came from beyond the door. The one who opened the lounge door and walked in was the VIP dedicated medical staff. He’d been anxious at the thought of running into a dangerous person — so Siyeon quietly let out a breath of relief.
But that relief was short-lived. The moment the medical worker stepped briskly toward him and spoke, he tensed right back up.
“Are you here under the representative’s reservation?”
“The representative……?”
“Representative Beom Yisu.”
The medical worker asked an unexpected question. It was true that Siyeon had ended up here through Chae Yuno — but since it was Chae Yuno who had made the hospital reservation through his husband Beom Yisu, Siyeon wasn’t quite sure how to answer.
“I suppose so…….”
The moment Siyeon had passed through the VIP entrance with Chae Yuno, the hospital’s system appeared to have classified him as a scheduled patient.
What on earth are you supposed to call a male-male couple in this world? Chae Yuno wasn’t exactly Beom Yisu’s wife…… was ‘husband’ the right term?
Hesitating as he tried to figure out what to call the two of them as a couple, Siyeon opened his mouth.
“I came through the representative’s partner.”
“Ah, a referral from that person then. And you’re a dominant, correct?”
“Pardon? Ah…… yes.”
“Yes. The 8 PM private reservation — dominant omega.”
He couldn’t see what a leg injury had to do with his trait — but the dedicated medical worker was flipping through the chart they’d brought and briskly writing something down.
“Please follow me. I’ll show you to the examination room.”
He hadn’t even given his personal information, yet things were being handled efficiently — it felt strange, but before he could wonder about it he’d been ushered off to the examination room, and he had no choice but to follow along in a daze.
“Please change into this first.”
Once inside the examination room, Siyeon was guided by the medical worker to change into an examination gown bearing the Beomyeong Group logo.
It struck him as a rather elaborate process just to treat an injured leg — but overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the high-end examination room with its classical background music, he quietly complied.
He simply assumed this was the standard procedure in a VIP ward.
But far from simple, things took a strange turn when he was given an odd injection and then had blood drawn on top of that — leaving him no choice but to call a halt mid-way.
“Just a moment — why is this being done?”
“Why, you ask? We’re checking pheromone compatibility. The initial classification is usually conducted through blood drawn from an aroused state.”
“What do you mean…….”
Pheromone compatibility. What on earth was that about? Sensing something had gone seriously wrong, Siyeon yanked his hand away from the blood draw.
“If you pull like that, the sample——”
“Oh, shi——”
“……Pardon?”
“Ah…… no. That wasn’t directed at you…… it’s just that this…….”
His head was such a mess that he’d inadvertently sworn straight to the person’s face. Watching the medical worker’s expression stiffen rapidly, Siyeon rushed to speak.
“I’m sorry — I don’t know anything about pheromones…… I just came here because my leg hurts and I need treatment.”
“Aren’t you here for the compatibility rate assessment through the representative’s partner company?”
“No. I came through Representative Beom Yisu’s partner…… no — his spouse. That would be…… the actor, Chae Yuno!”
As Siyeon explained his situation with a string of additional clarifications, the medical worker seemed greatly flustered and radioed someone.
Shortly after — presumably having confirmed the mix-up in the examination — the worker turned pale and bowed their head toward Siyeon.
“Oh goodness, I’m so sorry! You really weren’t the scheduled patient…….”
Partner company patients were only processed through advance electronic consent, and on-site viewing of real names was prohibited. Since entry itself was impossible without an ID card, other verification steps were often skipped.
The medical worker, having inadvertently caused a medical incident, was now holding the blood sample they’d already finished drawing from Siyeon and was visibly at a loss. They proceeded to apologize again and again, then began making something that resembled an excuse.
“The clients who can access the VIP ward are extremely limited. It seems there was a mix-up with the patient scheduled at 8 PM. We aren’t able to view the personal information of partner company clients on the hospital’s end either…….”
It was a terrible situation — but watching the medical worker bow their head repeatedly with apologies, it was hard to keep reproaching them. It seemed partly Siyeon’s own fault too, for not confirming things in time even after noticing something seemed off.
Siyeon told the medical worker, who still couldn’t lift their head, that it was alright — and decided to put out the most pressing fire first.
“Is there any way to reverse that inducer that was just administered? Something like a suppressant…….”
“That isn’t possible. Double-dosing medication is legally prohibited, and it could actually cause pheromone imbalance, leading to unexpected complications.”
The medical worker shook their head, pointing to a bottle on the desk labeled heat suppressant. It seemed that under normal circumstances, one would take that to suppress a heat.
“If things stay as they are — what’s going to happen to me?”
“It’s a drug that induces acute heat, so you’ll need to be admitted and receive aftercare.”
The amount administered had been stopped at a third of the standard dose. But even that level of administration wasn’t enough to prevent the induction of acute heat.
“Aftercare?”
“Think of it as the infusion of an alpha’s pheromones. It’s the most effective and safest method for settling a heat.”
“Don’t tell me — ‘pheromone infusion’ isn’t referring to…… sleeping together, is it?”
“Depending on the circumstances, that process can be part of it — as a form of treatment. However, for patients whose pheromone partner has not been established, direct sexual intercourse is avoided. Since the likelihood of conception is high during the heat period, aftercare is conducted through pheromone transmission via oral means, or assisted release.”
He’d asked just in case — and sure enough, it was as he feared. The heat he’d read about in the book — that thing called a rut or whatever — was apparently set to happen to him.
From what he’d read in the book, an omega in heat would drip fluid from their…… back — leaking from behind — while emitting pheromones that lured alphas.
Even the protagonist, who had refused the couple’s advances every single time, hadn’t been able to overcome their instincts when heat struck — and had ended up clinging to them themselves.
The doctor had said direct intercourse would be avoided and aftercare would be provided instead — but there were no guarantees. Given the location, one wrong move and he might end up entangled with the alpha couple, finding himself begging them to fill him up first.
Shit……. That absolutely cannot happen. No matter what.
Siyeon shook his head at the terrifying thought. Was he just going to sit here in a daze and go through an unstable heat, or……
“The apology is fine — could you please just treat my leg first?”
“Yes, I’m truly sorry. We’ll begin treatment for your injury right now.”
His body was still holding up. A heat breaking out was a problem — but above all, to escape freely, he needed to be able to move his legs.
“Your left ankle is severely swollen. We’ll need to take an X-ray first.”
“Will it take long?”
“The results should be ready in about 20 minutes.”
The medical worker, who had been examining his ankle, suggested a detailed examination. With no other real option, Siyeon gave a short nod.
“Please make it as quick as possible.”
The process after that moved faster than expected. Perhaps because the medical worker personally stayed close to see things through — the examination was over in no time.
“Fortunately, there’s no fracture. The ligament is slightly sprained. We’ll apply heat therapy and then a half-cast, so you mustn’t overexert yourself for the time being.”
At least the bone hadn’t cracked — that was a small mercy in all of this. As long as he didn’t push it, he’d be able to move around without too much trouble. Even so, a full recovery would take time. Being a fugitive, he couldn’t help feeling needlessly impatient about it.
As long as the leg doesn’t get worse, it’ll be fine. The problem is……
The moment he glanced down at the half-cast ankle, a slow heat began to rise from within his body. A dizzy, nauseous sensation. This must be the early signs of a heat — something he was experiencing for the very first time.
“Um…… excuse me?”
“Yes — is something uncomfortable?”
“It’s less about discomfort…… more that I was wondering — what trait are you?”
With the desperation of someone grabbing onto a lifeline, Siyeon asked about the medical worker’s trait. Since they had made a mistake with him, he thought that if they happened to be an alpha, he might be able to receive help through means other than intercourse.
If he had no choice but to go through a heat, dealing with only what was necessary with an unknown doctor would leave far fewer complications than getting entangled with the alpha couple.
“Beta. All of our hospital’s medical staff are betas, so you can rest assured.”
“Ah…… I see…….”
“Yes, please wait just a moment.”
Unfortunately, the answer that came back wasn’t what he’d hoped for.
The medical worker added an explanation that the hospital had an agreement with an external alpha care team. Twenty minutes to summon them, forty minutes to arrive. It seemed the format was to hold on with a suppression protocol until then, then proceed with care.
With no other options left, Siyeon decided to play his last card — one he’d been reluctantly turning over in his mind. And that was……
BANG —! While the medical worker had stepped away, Siyeon urgently pushed open the VIP ward door and stepped out.
Whatever problems might come later — wasn’t it more important to get out of the tiger’s den right now? If he just sat here doing nothing, not only would he have to go through the aftercare or whatever it was — he might end up in the worst possible situation: running into Chae Yuno and Beom Yisu at the same time.
Siyeon stuffed the heat suppressant he’d quietly slipped out with into his pocket and pulled his oversized hood down low.
“I’ll hold on with this for now.”
