“Wait, I’ll wash and come back.”
Ganghyuk, who chuckled, walked past Ian. Like a herbivore bitten on the nape, Ian froze, unable to do anything.
At the words telling him to wait, his heart pounded wildly. Confused about whether it was permission to sleep together or a warning that he’d be scolded, he hesitated before deciding that since things had come this far, he might as well commit to this crazy act and entered Ganghyuk’s room.
His feet paused briefly at the room’s atmosphere, which had clearly changed from when his grandfather was alive. The smell that used to emanate from his grandfather’s room was gone too.
The room filled entirely with Ganghyuk’s scent was unfamiliar, and somehow his stomach heated up. He sat obediently on the slightly disheveled bed and clasped his hands together.
An unfamiliar tension filled his body. He worried about what to do if, by some chance, Ganghyuk came back and wanted to have sex with him.
Ian simply wanted to fall asleep in the same room as Ganghyuk, but from Ganghyuk’s perspective, it must have sounded like something else. Just look at how he’d warned him while talking about alphas and omegas.
If you liked someone, naturally you’d want physical contact too. But rather than sex, he wanted to start with something embarrassingly innocent, like gently holding hands or kissing playfully like children do.
“You really have no fear.”
While he was lost in thought, the scent of wet soap wafted over. When he lifted his head, Ganghyuk stood there rubbing his wet hair with a towel.
Gulp. Ian swallowed reflexively without realizing it. Because the tiger was right before his eyes, apparently having a habit of not wearing clothes.
His skin, moistened and glistening with water droplets, looked smooth. As the tiger gradually drew closer, Ian pushed himself backward across the sheets with his buttocks in surprise.
Ganghyuk tossed the wet towel onto Ian’s head with a thud. Ian wiggled his fingers while hiding his flushed face inside the towel.
Large hands dried the still-damp ends of Ian’s hair through the towel. Ganghyuk’s pheromones mixed with the refreshing soap smell, creating a pleasant scent.
His heart beat so fast he thought he might collapse at this rate.
“If you’re a Dominant, you’d be sensitive to pheromones too. Are you confident you can sleep with me without getting a hard-on?”
Ian blinked in surprise at the blunt words. He thought only his grandfather used the word “gochoo” (penis). He’d heard it enough for calluses to form on his ears since childhood, being told never to show his gochoo to anyone anywhere.
He was about to say of course he could, but the heat that had been squirming in his stomach suddenly rushed to his groin all at once.
Ian rolled his eyes wide beneath the towel at the gradually growing sensation. He surreptitiously brought his hands together to cover his pajama pants. The sleepwear was thick, but if he got fully erect, it would obviously show.
Then, curious about Ganghyuk’s condition, he lifted his eyes slightly to glance. The gray training pants weren’t as thick as Ian’s. So he could clearly see there was no reaction at all. Having seen it swollen thickly before, the difference was striking.
Ian pulled down the towel and looked up at Ganghyuk. Inscrutable eyes quietly took him in.
“Why. Are you embarrassed about being hard?”
The corner of his mouth lifted microscopically, which felt a bit cruel, so Ian released his pheromones with a whoosh. The sensation of willingly letting flow the pheromones he’d always been busy hiding felt like a faint liberation, yet his heart pounded as if he were doing something wrong.
He hoped Ganghyuk would react. Like him. Even if not to the point of his member standing erect, he wanted some sign of being sexually moved, even a little.
Despite not even knowing what to do if a sexual atmosphere actually developed, he greedily wanted it like a naive fool.
The room vibrated with scents of leather and musk, and a subtle yet sweet fragrance. It gave off a hazy floral scent as if fresh plum blossoms had bloomed abundantly.
The shy yet intense fragrance made Ganghyuk’s eyes twitch slightly. Watching this, Ian felt a strange sense of elation.
He felt a bit smug at the thought of making the stone-like Ganghyuk react. His gaze naturally directed itself between Ganghyuk’s legs.
Ganghyuk, wearing an expression that said “this is ridiculous,” lightly pushed Ian’s shoulder. Ian, who suddenly found himself lying on the bed, widened both eyes.
Ganghyuk’s face was excessively close. Ian froze with his breath held at a distance where their noses would brush if either moved their head even slightly.
He’d hoped for a kiss, but didn’t know things would progress this quickly. He hadn’t even confessed to Ganghyuk that he liked him.
He thought Ganghyuk might have noticed his feelings, but there was also a possibility he hadn’t. Captured by those pitch-black eyes, his mind raced furiously.
“Are you going to be this defenseless in other places too?”
The low voice scraped across his eardrums. Ian reflexively shook his head side to side. The person he liked was Ganghyuk, so why would he do things that could cause misunderstandings in front of others?
Moreover, having experienced bad things when kidnapped by Hongdo, Ian was afraid of both men and alphas. The reason he couldn’t properly respond to the thugs who made trouble at the store today was also because he was too frightened.
“…I only do this with you, Executive Director-nim.”
Because I like you. He swallowed the rest internally, not yet having the courage to confess.
Even in this pinned-down situation, he wasn’t scared. As his flustered feelings settled down a bit, he actually wanted to lift his head. So their lips could touch.
Saliva was pooling under his tongue. Tension spread from his head to his toes. He felt like his body was floating lightly as if on clouds.
“Is it possible for you to have sex without love?”
Ian’s lips, which had been moving faintly, pressed shut. Ganghyuk’s question pierced precisely through the center of Ian’s wavering heart.
That was the reason he’d worried about what to do if they ended up having sex, even while liking Ganghyuk.
Ian was someone who couldn’t have sex first and love later.
And Ganghyuk immediately recognized Ian’s confused state. Ganghyuk brushed Ian’s cheek with the back of his hand, then got up from his position.
At the feeling of the shadow that had been cast over him disappearing, Ian pushed against the bed with his elbow and raised his upper body.
“This should be obvious, but I don’t have any feelings for you whatsoever. You know that, right?”
Ian bit his lip at the fastball that flew at him without any time to prepare his heart. It was true that his feelings were one-sided, but Ganghyuk’s actions had greatly influenced why Ian came to have feelings for him.
“Then why… are you so good to me?”
His voice came out slightly trembling with a sense of injustice. Today was like that too. When he’d endured and endured, not wanting to bother Ganghyuk, then finally mustered the courage to make a difficult phone call, Ganghyuk had rushed over in one breath upon realizing he was crying.
Even though he was very tired, he’d made sure Ian ate well, and as if noticing his reluctance to sleep alone, he’d told him he’d stay and sleep at the house tonight.
Even though this was his first time feeling such emotions, if Ganghyuk had been cold and scary from start to finish, Ian liking Ganghyuk might never have happened. Even if he did come to like him, it would have taken much longer.
“I’m not being good to you because you’re you. It’s because you’re Yeon Cheolho-ssi’s grandson. I’ll only help you until you can take care of yourself. Because that will ease my conscience.”
The matter-of-fact voice had no intention of hurting anyone, yet Ian’s chest ached inside and he scratched at the bed sheets with his fingertips.
It felt miserable to have confirmed what he’d vaguely known. His eyes reddened at the words that if he weren’t his grandfather’s grandson, Ganghyuk wouldn’t have even glanced at him.
In fact, thinking rationally, it was strange to feel disappointed. Thanks to Ganghyuk’s connection with his grandfather, Ian had been able to escape a terrible situation, and he could continue operating the soup restaurant filled with precious memories of his grandfather.
But emotions weren’t something that could be controlled by reason. Ganghyuk’s excessively honest words left a stinging scratch on Ian’s heart.
“…I understood what you meant, Executive Director-nim. I’m sorry for bothering you. Please rest.”
Not wanting to shed tears in front of Ganghyuk, Ian quickly apologized. He got up from the bed and brushed past Ganghyuk.
As soon as he entered his room as if fleeing, he closed the door. Finally alone, tears burst forth as if they’d been waiting.
“Heu-uk…”
