JADE 66

‘Ha… but if we’re going to eat together this often from now on, I should buy a dishwasher.’

Anyway, when Jin Sejun was alone, there was almost no dishwashing to be done. Thinking about it, if he bought it, he wouldn’t be able to see Kwon Joowan standing and washing dishes like that.

And… if they broke up their friends-with-benefits arrangement after this, he’d probably get annoyed every time he saw the solitary dishwasher, so it was better not to buy it.

As soon as he had negative thoughts, his stomach felt bloated. Jin Sejun raised his voice as if to overpower the clanking sound of the few dishes.

“It’s good to be together, but you have to go to work, don’t you? The competition is soon. What will you do if you get fired?”

“…It’s okay, the academy is mine….”

“That academy is yours?”

“Yes. You could say I invested in the principal. Actually, that commercial building is just mine.”

Jin Sejun tried to think about the price of a building in that location, then stopped himself. Indeed, it wasn’t surprising for a young master from a house with a butler to own a commercial building.

“Ah… how unappealing.”

“Pardon?”

Jin Sejun blurted it out while looking at the water stains left on the table, and Kwon Joowan stopped mid-step as he was coming with a dishcloth.

“Everyone likes it when I own a building, but it’s hard to appeal to you, Mr. Sejun.”

“Everyone, you say…”

In this situation, the greatest charm could be seen as his modesty—being a young master yet cooking, washing dishes, and even tidying the table on his own. Not an appeal of wealth.

And how much charm had he appealed to other guys? Annoyingly, a guy with low self-esteem, despite being lactose intolerant, wasn’t even truly trying to appeal to anyone.

It was the moment Jin Sejun sighed and took a few steps to brush his teeth.

“Mr. Sejun, your walking is strange. Aren’t you hurt somewhere?”

“Me?”

“Looking at it, your hip joint… hmm, your right side seems especially bad.”

He must have been watching again instead of just wiping the table. That man, like an anatomy expert. One time he was fiddling with his feet, and this time he was pinpointing uncomfortable areas just by looking, causing a fuss. Kwon Joowan even leaned in and pressed down on his sensitive skin, which was covered only by thin pants.

“Does it hurt? Is it stiff? A pinching sensation? Is it impingement syndrome?”

“……”

As he pressed around the hip joint, it eventually ended up with his still sensitive groin and buttocks being kneaded. Jin Sejun felt his cheeks warm up and immediately retorted.

“You know this happened because you shoved your dick in me, and you’re still asking, aren’t you?”

“…Ah.”

If he truly didn’t know, there wouldn’t be a bigger idiot. And sure enough, Kwon Joowan was an idiot. Kwon Joowan’s face turned scarlet, and he stepped back, then began wringing the dishcloth as if it were natural.

Jin Sejun’s lips curved upwards like a predator spotting its prey. Because, unlike a good car or a building, that embarrassed look was truly attractive.

“Ah~. If we do it, this time will you do somersaults instead of a push-up jumping jack, huh? We’re both not even in heat right now, if we do it again, we’re truly animals.”

“…I won’t.”

“You won’t? Oh, our Joowan won’t do it?”

“Such an attitude towards an older man… just you wait.”

“Yes~ watch all you want, hyung.”

“……”

Jin Sejun had rarely thought of losing when it came to teasing people. In the end, Kwon Joowan couldn’t get his money’s worth and quickly went into the bathroom, splashing water around as he washed his face.

A moment later, Kwon Joowan emerged with a face that was annoyingly unaffected. Just as Jin Sejun was about to say something, he gathered his belongings and even picked up a trash bag he had tied up at some unknown point.

It took less than a minute for Kwon Joowan to come out of the bathroom, go to the front door, and wave his hand.

“Then I’ll be going. You kept telling me to go to work, so….”

“You’re good at blaming others and good at running away, too.”

“Yes, it’s not running away, but I’m in a good mood today, all because of you, Mr. Sejun.”

Kwon Joowan’s lips curved upwards refreshingly, revealing his sharp canines. Jin Sejun, as if enchanted, approached the entrance, muttering.

“That’s not blaming, that’s benefiting from you….”

He was aware that his answering voice sounded quite stupid, but he was dazed by the sudden adorable attack and couldn’t help it. As he searched for and put on his slippers, Kwon Joowan gently pushed him away.

“Don’t come out. Rest.”

“…See you next time.”

When would that next time be? Since they decided to only get together during heats, the next time would be during Kwon Joowan’s rut. It was said that if an Alpha and an Omega coupled frequently, their heat cycles would synchronize, but that wouldn’t apply to them, which was actually good.

Because he’d shrivel up and die if he only waited for regular ruts!

As he learned from peeking at Kwon Joowan’s ‘Beta’ account, his cycle fluctuated quite a bit and was frequent. So, there would be no need to wait as long as for a typical Alpha’s.

Come to think of it, did Kwon Joowan also have a rut in Spain…?

This much thought came to him in the brief moment Kwon Joowan turned around and grabbed the doorknob. Jin Sejun endured the urge to grab his wrist and stop him, instead looking at his cheek, earlobe, and the nape of his neck hidden by his hair.

Just when he thought the door would close, Kwon Joowan’s face suddenly appeared in his vision. Kwon Joowan turned back without warning and kissed Jin Sejun’s cheek, who was awkwardly standing beyond the entrance.

“See you again.”

“……”

The door closed, and this time the door lock secured safely. But he couldn’t move his feet, thinking Kwon Joowan might push his way back in, just like he had when he first entered. In fact, it was more accurate to say he was hoping for it.

Thanks to this, Jin Sejun stared blankly at the entrance for what must have been five times the amount of time it would take for Kwon Joowan to leave the apartment.

It seemed that that guy’s informal speech was the problem. Did he have an informal speech fetish or something?

‘Crazy bastard!’

Unable to control his emotions alone, the arrow invariably returned to Kwon Joowan. Jin Sejun closed the inner door, thinking he wanted to hit Kwon Joowan again. When people like something too much, or if it’s just shyness, a violent urge to hit things often rises.

In mid-April, Jin Sejun succeeded in losing his virginity by becoming friends-with-benefits with an Alpha who could be called his first love after ruining his pheromones. If he thought deeply about it, it was a situation that would make him sigh and want to scream, but for now, he decided to only look at the good things.

Jin Sejun, pushing aside the sudden surge of embarrassment, enjoyed the leisure of being unemployed, searching for things like ‘how to induce a rut.’

✶⋆.˚

Hello, Professor. It’s been a long time. I don’t usually come just for counseling.

You know, that person I mentioned over the phone before, he was an Omega, not an Alpha. No, I didn’t imprint. It’s an issue that could complicate his life….

I didn’t think I could control myself either, but I seem to have gotten much better, don’t I?

Ah, you can’t say for sure. Certainly, at first, because of me, even Saeha could notice how hostile I was.

At that time, his condition completely collapsed. I thought it was definitely because of me, since the passion of a dominant Alpha is a weapon to another Alpha, but he said it wasn’t because of me.

Hearing that, it makes me think, maybe it’s not all my fault after all…. When I hear him speak so casually, I too sometimes feel like I might be an acceptable being, even alive.

Just a normal person who can joke around without getting hurt, and who can spend a night together and it’s simply good.

I’m getting ahead of myself. If he heard that, he’d tease me for being so dramatic…. Thinking about him laughing makes me want to tell him exactly that.

No, I really won’t tell him. I’m not at that point yet. What if he feels burdened and runs away?

When he was hurt because of my pheromones, I thought he was an Alpha, so I naturally thought it was because of me. But when I found out he was an Omega, I felt relieved.

Haha, thinking about it, really…. If there are two ranked individuals and it’s possible to launch a pheromone attack, stealthily at that, on only one of them, then I’d be better off going to the National Intelligence Service. Whether as a research subject or an assassin.

Even if it were because of me, Saeha, being an Omega, wouldn’t be fine, would he?

Haha.

Outwardly, no one would doubt he’s an Alpha. But with that body… with that demeanor, to actually be an Omega, he must have suffered so much. I truly want to support and protect him, but I’m like this.

I might have to thank my rank and constitution for being able to seduce him. But he seems to really like Omegas…. Is his attraction to me just due to instinct?

Oh, yes. Ah….

You’re saying it would be different when I interacted with him thinking he was an Alpha versus when I thought he was an Omega? You mean that a dominant Alpha’s pheromones, when encountering Omega pheromones, couldn’t be as hostile as when dealing with an Alpha.

So… it wasn’t that my pheromones didn’t affect him, but rather that it was merely an Alpha’s instinct to make an Omega his own?

Before that, I tried to keep other Alphas in check. Like self-hypnosis.

…No matter how many unknown areas there are, especially regarding dominant Alphas, is it truly possible to pick out and attack only one of them? It’s pheromones. It’s not a tangible… sword or needle.

…….

Professor, I’ve known you for a very long time, I’ve caused you much trouble, and you’ve helped me a lot in living like a human being. But if a person is swayed in such a way, solely by pheromones, can they even be called human?

No, that applies to general ranked individuals too, but if it’s as you say, aren’t I practically some kind of psychic?

Yes, I’m well aware that dominant Alphas are very different even among Alphas. It was me who described myself as a beast worse than an animal, and I know you didn’t have any aggressive intentions just now.

But.

But can’t I think I’ve gotten better, just this once?

…….

Is that too naive a thing to say…?

Is it also because I’m a monster who can’t act like a human that I attach the word ‘love’ to a heart I’ve cowardly held onto?

Indeed, I think I got too carried away and thought some unnecessary thoughts. Even if he looks like an Alpha and has strong pheromone resistance, he’s still an Omega, so he wouldn’t have been able to resist my pheromones.

Honestly, I thought that my feelings of affection might have guided my self-control or even worked a miracle.

Yes, I suppose I was naive.

Still, it’s a relief that I won’t perceive him as an Alpha and attack him anymore.

The medication is fine as it is. Sometimes it feels a little unreal, but… it prevents aggressive behavior, so you can continue to give it to me like this.

I’ll see you again. Thank you.

…….

…Haa.