PAO 19

When Seowon returned home, he walked into the living room, relying on the light from the TV in the unlit darkness. Junghoo, who was half-lying on the sofa watching a movie, waved at Seowon.

“You’re not asleep yet?”

“Yeah. Want to watch with me?”

“Sure.”

Seowon washed up quickly, then came out with a can of beer and sat down next to Junghoo. He looked to see what Junghoo was watching and saw it was a romance movie that had been in theaters not long ago.

“You like romance movies?”

“I like waiting for the part where they get all tangled up with each other.”

“Right.”

My fault for asking.

“And it’s quiet.”

Loud things make my head ring, Junghoo answered, then looked at the beer in Seowon’s hand.

“I want some too.”

“Weren’t you at the hospital yesterday?”

A patient drinking alcohol. Seowon felt an impulse to call Yoo Taeha and put his hand in his pocket. He was about to pull out the hard phone he could feel through the fabric when Junghoo’s laughter stopped him.

“Just one sip.”

As if he thought Seowon would give in if he begged. Seowon shook his head, but he took his hand off the phone.

“Han Seowon really is soft-hearted.”

“Just watch the movie.”

Seowon propped his chin on his hand and watched the movie. All he had done was eat and drink with Minsung, but he felt a little sleepy. As he was watching the movie in a daze, Junghoo pressed his body against him.

Seowon considered pushing him away but decided it was too much trouble and just let him be. Leaning on him, Junghoo asked casually.

“Where were you?”

“I met Minsung.”

“You meet up with him a lot.”

Seowon kept his chin propped up and only moved his eyes. There was no way he was drunk from just one sip, and it seemed like something he really wanted to say, but Seowon couldn’t take it at face value.

“Is he your only friend?”

“He’s the most comfortable to be around.”

And you’re uncomfortable. He wondered if Junghoo would understand the unspoken words, but Junghoo’s brow furrowed. It seemed he had noticed.

“What’s so comfortable about him?”

“For one, he’s a good listener and gives really thoughtful answers. If I have a problem, he listens and worries about it with me.”

As he listed off the reasons why Minsung was comfortable to be with, Junghoo’s gaze grew sharper and sharper.

“What about me?”

“Is there a reason to ask?”

He should know what kind of answer he would get. At Seowon’s indifferent reply, Junghoo quietly muttered the name of the absent Park Minsung.

For someone who had conversed so well with him last time, his face was full of complaint. That too was brief, and Junghoo relaxed the body that was leaning on Seowon.

“If I fall asleep, just leave me and go.”

“Can’t you just go sleep in your room?”

He has a perfectly good room, so why. Arguing about this was getting boring, but Junghoo paid him no mind and closed his eyes. Seowon looked at that silent face, eyes closed and mouth shut as if he couldn’t hear anything, and opened his mouth.

“Why did you really show up again?”

After disappearing so suddenly like that.

As if he couldn’t hear his voice, his limp body didn’t move. After confirming he was asleep, Seowon reached out and pulled over a folded blanket. What was he supposed to do about the blanket that was now left out for him to blatantly sleep on the sofa?

He covered his shoulders with the blanket and looked at his face. As the movie scene changed, colorful lights were cast over Junghoo’s face.

“Ever since you appeared, my mind has been in turmoil every day.”

I was living just fine before you showed up.

After his mother, who had suffered from a long illness, passed away, only his father was left by Seowon’s side. It was only then that he was able to let go of the question of why Junghoo had left without a word. It was more accurate to say that after losing his mother, he had let go of Junghoo as well.

Then, he manifested as an Omega. For him, the manifestation was like a lifeline. He needed something to cling to without thinking, so Seowon trained his pheromones diligently.

Just as the empty spaces left by his mother and Junghoo were becoming familiar, Junghoo came back. With a mischievous smile, like the child from long ago who expressed his feelings by tormenting him.

“Hnngh.”

As if in pain, Junghoo’s brow furrowed. His pheromones were starting to leak out again, just like at the hospital, and they were turning sharp and pointy, as if to attack him, so Seowon let out a sigh.

He had no desire to just be exposed to the pheromones, but at the same time, the thought of having to use his own pheromones to calm this guy down wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“You think I trained so I could treat you?”

Seowon chided Junghoo, but released his pheromones anyway. It seemed his pheromones were effective on Junghoo. Or maybe it was because they were an Omega’s pheromones.

“I’m not doing this because I feel sorry for you, and definitely not because I don’t know how to have sex.”

I’m just doing it because this much, I can do.

*

About ten days had passed since the day they watched the movie.

When Seowon, not yet fully awake, came out of his room scratching his head, Junghoo was all ready to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“My father called for me….”

“So you’re going to the company?”

“Yeah.”

Junghoo’s parents were people who loved their children. They probably called him because they hadn’t seen him in a long time.

“When will you be back?”

“I think I’ll probably be held up all day.”

“Have a good time.”

“Should I bring you anything back?”

Seowon, who was opening the refrigerator and scanning its contents, shook his head and took out a bottle of water. As Seowon drank, he waved his hand dismissively. At the reaction that seemed to be shaking off something bothersome, Junghoo chuckled softly and walked to the entrance.

“I’m leaving.”

“Okay.”

Seowon replied without looking at Junghoo as he closed the cap on the water bottle. Seowon was about to go back to his room when he stopped at the sound of the front door closing.

“He looks good.”

Seowon recalled the complexion of Junghoo he had just seen in passing. After seeing his unusually pale face lately, it was good to see some color in it. It was rewarding to have released his pheromones every night and held Junghoo. After it was all over, he had to air out the room completely, so he only had about two hours to sleep in his own room.

“Yawn.”

His fatigue had piled up as much as it could.

“Seowon.”

At the hand on his shoulder, Seowon’s half-closed eyes fluttered open slightly. As the situation came into focus in his blurry vision, Seowon sat up and tilted his head straight back. At the sight of him stretching, the underclassmen passing by couldn’t hide their giggles.

“Sunbae, wake up.”

“Why do you look so handsome even when you’re dozing off?”

“Did you start a new game by any chance? Let me join too.”

Being popular, even his small actions won people’s favor. Even now, there were quite a few kids who had secretly taken pictures of Seowon dozing.

“There’s no new game, and you’re telling me I’m handsome because my eyes are closed. See you later.”

Seowon rubbed his eyes and gave a casual wave.

“Your hair is sticking up all over the place.”

Minsung smoothed down Seowon’s spiky hair. Seowon, still not fully awake, obediently closed his eyes and entrusted his head to him.

“Feels nice.”

“Wake up.”

At Minsung’s gentle voice, the underclassmen couldn’t bring themselves to speak further and hesitantly left the classroom. Minsung anticipated what kind of rumors would spread from the glances they stole until the classroom door closed. Turning back to Seowon, Minsung whispered.

“Class is over.”

He picked up Seowon’s bag and placed it on the desk.

“Didn’t you get any sleep? You look particularly tired these days.”

This lecture was only once a week, but when he came last week, Seowon had been dozing off then too. By a rough count, it had been over a week.

“I need to get a grip now.”

Seowon let out a small yawn and slumped over his bag.

“And you don’t have to do that next time.”

Seowon knew that Minsung had fixed his hair on purpose. He knew it was an act meant for the underclassmen who weren’t leaving.

Stories about him and Minsung would probably pop up in the group chat. Things like, ‘they’re so close, maybe they’re dating…’ Since they didn’t know he was an Omega, they would probably pair them up as something like an Omega and a Beta.

However, Minsung shook his head, even knowing Seowon’s concern.

“It’s fine. You helped me out too.”

“That was so long ago.”

“Still.”

Minsung was timid and couldn’t say what he wanted, but he wasn’t unobservant. There were many classmates and upperclassmen who tried to use him or treat him carelessly because he was weak, but thanks to Seowon openly confronting them, the two had become best friends.

When Seowon picked up his bag and stood up, Minsung also picked up his bag and stood beside him. Since class was over, they continued their conversation as they headed out of the building to get something to eat.

“By the way, does Yoo Junghoo know your trait?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“First, I missed the timing to tell him. And as I kept not telling him, I lost the desire to. Also, he’s been coming on so strong lately that I feel like he wouldn’t leave me alone if I told him I’m an Omega. And if I tell him, I’ll have to reveal other truths, and I don’t want to do that either.”

As he rattled off the reasons for not telling him, Minsung just blinked.

“There are more reasons than I thought?”

“That’s how much I’ve thought about it.”

When Junghoo appeared before him, there was no reason to suddenly blurt out, ‘I’m an Omega,’ so he just said a casual hello and moved on. When he came looking for him later, the thought of ‘why does this guy keep appearing in front of me?’ was stronger.