Taeha, who came out after silently closing Dawoon’s door, tilted his head to the side.
“……”
He touched his chin with bloodstains while quietly looking down at his reddened clothes.
He coughed up blood and at the same time, his left eardrum ruptured. Because it was him, it stopped at this degree, but it was a shock that would have made an ordinary Esper faint. If he’d been a normal person, he would have crossed over to the afterlife on the spot.
It was an extremely rare case for Dawoon to inflict such severe pain. He wasn’t a novice with a rare ability that had just manifested, and unless it was intentional, this had never happened before.
However, judging from his reaction, it didn’t seem intentional. Because he had a personality that was terribly bad at lying.
Dawoon’s ability would only burst out unexpectedly when his psychology was unstable or his body wasn’t well. Or when his mood was extremely fucked up.
Even though Taeha and Dawoon’s bare skin had touched countless times until now, his ability had never accidentally transferred over. Even when biting his bare hands, sucking them, and biting them until teeth marks remained, only pleasant pheromones came over.
It was proof that Dawoon found stability in his embrace. And not just stability. His sensitive body that let out pretty moans at just a touch always welcomed Taeha.
During the past two years they’d spent as sex partners, Dawoon had never rejected Taeha even once. Though he sometimes sulked or got sulky, he’d melt smoothly with just a little coaxing. Of course, he wasn’t unaware that this was only when the other party was Ryu Taeha specifically.
Jeong Dawoon’s heart was as delicate and sensitive as his weak body. Even though he was born into a wealthy family and raised like a hothouse flower, he was always on edge.
His naturally sensitive temperament had been honed even more sharply after manifesting as an Esper. It was understandable that he’d be on edge when he had to endure the side effects of a rare ability with an already weak body.
The day Ryu Taeha, who had been looking for a Healer to recruit to the guild, first saw Jeong Dawoon, he was arguing with another Esper.
Every day after that when he deliberately visited again disguised as coincidence, Dawoon was either fighting or being cursed at. Generally, the cause of the dispute was with Jeong Dawoon. And Jeong Dawoon would never admit this even if he died.
To evaluate coldly, it was a personality unsuited for guild life. Selfish and indifferent to others, only showing interest in what was comfortable and fun.
And honest. For someone like that, he was excessively careful with his body.
Ryu Taeha liked Jeong Dawoon’s personality like that. No one else would understand, but he was exactly the ideal guild member he’d been looking for.
He immediately recruited him to the guild, and not long after, they ended up sleeping together by mistake.
It was a common reason. Their heat periods overlapped. Without medicine or anyone to substitute for each other, it was sex they ended up having half out of necessity.
However, Jeong Dawoon, who had fallen for Ryu Taeha at first sight, wanted to become deeply involved with him using that day as an opportunity. Ryu Taeha declined while offering a simple apology, but he didn’t give up and clung on for several months.
After repeated rejections, Jeong Dawoon, who finally reduced his greed, made a different request.
If he didn’t want to date, let’s at least be sex partners.
‘I only want to sleep with the leader. Other bastards’ pheromones are just disgusting.’
‘You’ll change when you meet someone you really like.’
‘That’s the leader. I like the leader’s body the best. The leader likes sleeping with me too.’
For a year of deflecting with laughter since it was an undeniable fact. Finally, Ryu Taeha accepted Jeong Dawoon’s request to crawl into his bedroom every heat period.
The two decided to form the most common sex partner relationship between an Omega and an Alpha, and Ryu Taeha set one condition.
Hearing that condition, Jeong Dawoon burst into tears. Embracing such a Jeong Dawoon, Ryu Taeha said cruel words with a tender smile as if he were about to confess his love.
‘If you don’t like it, refuse. I’m fine not doing it with you.’
Jeong Dawoon, who cried until his whole face was wet, suffered for two whole days, and Ryu Taeha, the very person who made him cry, nursed him all night.
Even after that, Jeong Dawoon cried periodically. However, he absolutely never left Ryu Taeha’s side. Even while knowing he wasn’t Ryu Taeha’s priority, he looked only at him while pathologically begging for love.
That’s how two years piled up. During those two years, Jeong Dawoon’s feelings for Ryu Taeha deepened. Ryu Taeha, who accepted all his whining and love, also seemed to gradually open his heart.
Maybe they could become more than sex partners—Jeong Dawoon harbored a faint hope.
And every time, Ryu Taeha consistently drew the line saying that would never happen.
“Hyung?”
At that moment, a soft voice breaking the silence brought Ryu Taeha back to reality.
“What are you doing there?”
Turning his gaze, Ryu Jin was looking up at him from the first floor. Ryu Jin, a Guide, used the lower floor alone. Seeing the water cup in his hand, it seemed he’d come out briefly to drink water.
“Why are you out instead of sleeping?”
Ryu Taeha smiled warmly as soon as he saw his younger brother. Ryu Jin naturally smiled back following him.
“I got thirsty while sleeping. Why are you standing there, hyung?”
“I came to change clothes for a moment. I have to go back out.”
Ryu Taeha, who came down the stairs, stood before Ryu Jin. He’d just had business with him anyway.
“Jin-ah, how long did you guide Dawoon today?”
At the sudden question, Ryu Jin blinked and said he’d done it for an hour and a half, stating the exact time, then carefully asked.
“Why? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Ryu Taeha stroked Ryu Jin’s hair for a moment. After soothing his younger brother who became anxious at even small words, he slowly began.
“I’m just checking. Was there anything strange when you were guiding Dawoon or Yeoul?”
Ryu Jin’s round eyes blinked silently. Ryu Taeha was briefly silent without pressing further, wanting to give his younger brother enough time to think.
“…I’m not sure.”
Ryu Jin, who gave an answer after a while, grabbed his hyung’s arm while reading his expression.
“Why? Is my guiding insufficient? Is it not good?”
“I told you it’s not that. They both really adore you for working hard.”
“Really?”
Ryu Taeha, who nodded, rubbed Ryu Jin’s drooping cheeks with his thumb.
“If there’s anything even slightly strange, tell hyung right away. It’s okay even if it’s just your imagination, so tell me everything. Got it?”
Yes, Ryu Jin answered with a sound in his throat and moved his gaze to the water glass. As he sipped the water, Ryu Taeha subtly told him to go back in and sleep.
“Going to work again?”
“I’ll be busy for a while. Yeoul is still working too.”
“When will hyung sleep?”
Ryu Jin worriedly stuck out his moistened lips. Ryu Taeha, who poked it with his fingertip, answered that Espers are fine even staying awake for long periods.
“Still, rest in between.”
“Got it. You sleep soon too.”
Ryu Taeha lastly kissed Ryu Jin’s forehead, then disappeared through teleportation.
“……”
Ryu Jin, left alone, rubbed his forehead where his hyung’s lips had touched, then sneakily raised his head toward the upper floor.
Bitterness gathered in his round eyes as he confirmed the front of the room door where his hyung had been standing.
* * *
Dawoon woke up after truly sleeping like a log. He’d slept so deeply that he had the illusion that his body’s fatigue had completely disappeared. Very briefly, at least.
“Uwaah…”
Dawoon, who had been stretching his limbs in a spread-eagle position, quickly curled up his body. As soon as he stretched, the muscle pain that had been hiding reared up saying here I am.
Are all Esper bodies like this originally? Or is it because Jeong Dawoon’s body is unwell? Despite sleeping soundly, fatigue clung thickly.
He got up from the bed while blaming his arms and legs that ached even though he hadn’t exerted strength. He headed to the bathroom to wash up first, but suddenly remembered the doll he’d thrown at Ryu Taeha right before falling asleep and looked around the floor.
It seemed like Ryu Taeha had definitely left the doll behind…
“Did he take it back?”
The doll wasn’t visible. He’d said to throw it away if he didn’t like it, but it seemed he’d thrown it away himself. Something like a doll would be useless anyway even if he received it. It’s fortunate he took it.
Dawoon, who had been heading indifferently to the bathroom, turned direction again. It was because the jacket he’d been sleeping under had fallen to the floor.
Ryu Taeha’s jacket was crumpled in the place where the doll had been. He must have thrown it in his sleep.
“Really, he does all kinds of things.”
Not taking off his gloves while sleeping, throwing his jacket too. He was damn busy while sleeping. Is that why the fatigue hasn’t gone away? He picked up the jacket that had fallen to the floor while having idle thoughts.
“What the, this…”
Dawoon, who held the heavy jacket, widened his eyes in bewilderment. White fur was all over the dark-colored jacket.
Long, pure white fur.
Dawoon, who picked up the fine fur, suddenly recalled the existence he’d forgotten.
“Ah, the cat.”
He’d completely forgotten about that pure white thing.
Had it been hiding in his room? Dawoon hurriedly clutched the jacket in one hand and tried to look for the cat again.
“…?”
Then he tilted his head while looking at the jacket he was gripping.
“Why… is it damp…”
Dawoon unfolded the jacket covered with fur with an expression of disbelief. So surprised by the fur covering the clothes, he hadn’t noticed the stain that had soaked the jacket wetly.
“This is maddening…”
It was a urine stain. Not even a little, but a whole lot.
Meow.
Just as Dawoon’s face was colored with shock, the very culprit who made a mess of the jacket appeared in person. While wrapping its white tail around Dawoon’s ankle.
Dawoon, who immediately lowered his head, relaxed his grimace.
“Hah…”
The moment he saw the kitten staring up at him, his expression reflexively softened. A sigh mixed with laughter also burst out.
Mrrrow.
The cat with the doll in its mouth cried with a muffled sound. The doll he’d thought Ryu Taeha had taken, the thing was holding it.
“Hey, you punk. Where were you?”
Dawoon chuckled and bent down toward the cat that raised its head. At the same time, the cat that had been wrapping its tail around Dawoon’s leg lifted both front paws high and planted them on his knees.
Dawoon looked down at the cat’s front paws that seemed strangely smaller than he remembered. The paws he’d definitely thought were excessively large looked ordinary when he looked again.
Ptui, the cat that spat out the doll thrust its small face toward Dawoon and cried.
Meow.
With a rather articulate pronunciation.
“……”
Me-ow. At the cat’s meow that pronounced each syllable clearly and forcefully, Dawoon’s eyebrows slowly rose.
