Bastard, you’re fucking heavy.
Right when he was hesitating about where to drag him, a taxi stopped in front of the club. People who had already gotten heavily drunk somewhere else got out, chattering noisily. Before the car door could even close, Taesung grabbed the taxi and threw Jaeha into the back seat first.
“Where are you going? I have to go to the garage soon.”
The taxi driver shouted irritably. Taesung barged into the passenger seat without answering. The method to silence the taxi driver’s complaints was simple. Just put some force in your eyes and glare at him—they’d become docile. This time too, as soon as the taxi driver confirmed Taesung’s face, he muttered “Ah fuck” as an interjection and turned on the meter.
“You need to tell me the destination.”
Should I go to Baekjin Shopping Complex?
But even if he went to Baekjin Shopping Complex, if that bastard didn’t wake up, he wouldn’t know where his home was. It’s not like that fruit store runs 24 hours. Besides, if he really took ‘strange drugs,’ he might go around doing bad things. The neighborhood looked quiet, but there were many suspicious businesses inside that shopping complex, so it would be hard to guarantee Jaeha’s safety.
‘Wait, but fuck, why am I worrying about that bastard’s safety!’
“Seonneung Station.”
What came out of his mouth in the end was the area where Taesung’s officetel was.
“Ha, customer. Then you should’ve gotten on from the other side. Going just that far and what the…”
“Hey, driver. Are all the U-turn markings on the road smashed up? Then should I run my ass off to Seonneung Station carrying that bulk on my back? Huh?”
“No, I’m just saying because we have to go in the opposite direction…”
He was someone who wouldn’t care even if all the road U-turn markings were smashed up. The taxi driver, with a thoroughly irritated face, made an illegal U-turn right there on the spot.
Inside the taxi that was cutting in and cursing up a storm, Taesung grabbed the handle and looked back. Despite this state, Jaeha was sleeping soundly, breathing heavily.
Did they feed him sleeping pills?
Well, if it’s just sleeping pills, that would be fortunate…
“Fuck, fortunate my ass.”
The taxi driver’s driving suddenly became docile. Though the curse wasn’t directed at him, Taesung decided not to bother explaining.
As soon as they arrived in front of the officetel, Taesung first hoisted Jaeha onto his back. He kicked the car door shut with his shoe, and the taxi driver, as if he’d been waiting, shouted “Fucking hell, what bad luck,” spat out a hearty glob of spit, and fled like a shot.
Normally I’d chase him down and crack his head open right now.
Taesung ground his teeth and headed home. Why were all the elevators up on the top floor today of all days? It was a mystery why the corridor he always walked through was so long.
“Ah fuck, I can’t do this dog-like thing twice.”
Only after throwing the bulk that had grown like bamboo shoots in May—whatever he’d been eating—onto the bed did he finally straighten his back. As the sweat cooled, his reason returned. No wait, what’s so pretty about this bastard that I brought him all the way home and laid him down flat on the bed?
This is why habituation is scary. You know, that general or whatever who always played with courtesans, and when his horse carried him home on its own when he was dead drunk, he got embarrassed for no reason and cut off the horse’s head. Taesung felt exactly like that horse.
Because of Chairman Hyun Hongwon’s orders, he always drove that guy around, and when the guy slept comfortably in the passenger seat, carrying the sleeping bastard and throwing him into a room before leaving was routine—so taking care of the precious young master so he wouldn’t be assaulted while sleeping on the street must be ingrained in his bones.
At this rate, like that poor horse, he’ll only come to his senses after his head gets cut off.
Taesung clicked his tongue in self-deprecation. Though he was sick of looking at Jaeha lying like a corpse on the bed, he turned his head with an uneasy feeling. As expected, sneakers were firmly on the two feet sticking out of the bed.
If you’re going inside the house, at least take off your shoes even in your sleep. This isn’t America.
Grumbling that he was a hopeless bastard, Taesung pulled at the shoes. He’d thought the guy had dressed up flashily like a male peacock to catch someone at the club, but there was a luxury brand logo stuck right on the shoes too.
Serves you right. You should’ve followed just anyone with that stupid grin and gotten your ass fucked.
Taesung roughly threw the shoes toward the entrance and kicked Jaeha’s ass. Jaeha whimpered like a sick puppy and turned toward the window. Then he bent his legs sticking out of the bed and curled up his body pitifully like a shrimp.
He didn’t feel sorry for Jaeha or sympathetic. Rather, it would be correct to say he lost his fighting spirit at the unbearably defenseless appearance. Taesung shook his head and opened the refrigerator. Beer, beer, beer, soju, beer.
How is there not a single bottle of water?
He opened a beer can as a last resort and took a sip, but nausea surged up and he spat it right into the sink. Because of Jang Hyeokjin, he’d drunk too much expensive alcohol that didn’t suit his body, so it seemed like he shouldn’t let any more alcohol in.
In the officetel with completely rotten plumbing, rust water came out every few days. After rinsing his mouth with tap water reeking of fishy smell, Taesung went outside. He should buy some water from the convenience store on the first floor. And hangover remedy.
…Just in case, one retort porridge too.
Water was 2+1. Hangover remedy and vegetable porridge were 1+1.
Excluding the fact that these were things going into Jaeha’s mouth, it wasn’t a bad expenditure.
While he was out, he also lit a cigarette to soothe his bubbling insides. He should’ve checked today’s fortune before going out. It probably would’ve said his luck was shitty so don’t even go near outside the house.
Though when has there ever been a lucky day anyway.
The moment he entered the password—utterly simple without any concern for security—and opened the front door, Taesung came face to face with Jaeha, who had already woken up and was sitting blankly on the bed.
The lights in the house were off. But because of the city lights pouring in through the window, his silhouette seemed to glow white. Was it because of that alien appearance? Taesung momentarily forgot to even get angry asking if he’d been pretending to sleep while Taesung was working his ass off, and just stared at him blankly. He felt strangely drained of energy.
Before he could even realize that his hands and feet had no strength, the plastic bag he was holding dropped to the floor with a thud. Only then did Taesung try clenching and unclenching his fist. To say his body wasn’t moving according to his will because he was drunk—all his functions had been perfectly fine until just a moment ago. Then this was probably…
“Hyun Jaeha, stop it. While I’m asking nicely.”
Alpha pheromones.
This fucking bastard was releasing pheromones in the middle of Taesung’s house.
Omega pheromones only affect alphas. So Taesung couldn’t perceive what kind of pheromones he had. He just heard that only alphas feel a specific ‘scent.’ Taesung thought it would be great if alphas didn’t even come near because his useless pheromones reeked terribly of cigarettes, but then he wouldn’t have been ‘sold.’
On the other hand, alpha pheromones were odorless. Also, though there were differences in degree, even those who weren’t alphas or omegas could detect alpha pheromones. Alphas regarded this as another alpha’s territory marking and found it unpleasant, while betas accepted it as a specific ‘atmosphere,’ whether in an intimidating or captivating form.
But omegas had no choice but to be directly affected by these fucking pheromones. Suffocating, heart pounding, cold sweat seeping out, hands and feet losing strength. Mind getting hazy, and because of instinct—that damn instinct or whatever—their stomach goes into fits trying to release their own pheromones. If he hadn’t been taking suppressants properly, he didn’t know what kind of humiliating things he might have done.
Taesung knew what he did when he succumbed to alpha pheromones. Though he didn’t remember, he’d witnessed it through photos and videos forcibly shoved at him to shame him. Just seeing it in passing made him want to vomit. Rather than show such a dog-like state to that kid whose head still wasn’t even dry with blood, it would be better to bite his tongue and die.
“Get rid of it, you fucking bastard!”
When he came to his senses, he was grabbing Jaeha by the collar. Jaeha opened his eyes wide and looked up at Taesung quietly. Because of the darkness, he couldn’t see the color of his eyes properly. They were just pitch black. Were his eyes originally this black? No, is the bastard in front of him really Hyun Jaeha?
It felt like being possessed by a water ghost. The hand gripping the collar trembled. Only then did Jaeha lower his gaze and carefully observed Taesung’s unsightly trembling hand.
“What’s wrong, hyung?”
A gentle voice flowed out as if he knew nothing. It was detestable.
“Ah, is it because of the pheromones?”
A hint of laughter seeped into the softly continuing words.
“Sorry. But I woke up because of the constant noisy sounds from the next room. Hearing those sounds in my sleep, I couldn’t help it either.”
Jaeha raised his index finger and covered Taesung’s lips. Shh, while gesturing for silence.
He wanted to curse and tell him to remove his finger, but because Jaeha’s gaze pointed to the right with a head gesture, Taesung unconsciously turned his ear in that direction.
Ah, ahh, agh, I’m dying, ah!
The always noisy next room.
Tighten that hole, you dog bastard, fuck, ah, yeah, fuck, shit…
The guys who usually stayed there only did it a few times before finishing, but he didn’t know why bastards making such a fuss came today of all days.
