PAO 51

While he was muttering his complaint, Junghoo’s hand grabbed the back of his head and their lips crashed together.

“Uht.”

A groan escaped as their front teeth bumped from the rushed kiss. However, Seowon squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth.

Junghoo wrapped his tongue around Seowon’s and swept over his gums. He covered the neat rows of teeth and then flattened his tongue to tickle the roof of his mouth.

“Hht. Hmmm…”

Seowon let out a long moan at the kiss that felt like it would melt his entire body. It was a stronger stimulation than when he had bitten his lips. That too was brief; feeling the strength drain from the hand holding the back of his head, Seowon half-opened his eyes.

Their lips were still touching, but his movements had become sluggish. Along with that, Junghoo’s pheromones were attacking him as if to pierce his body, a sign that his consciousness was fading.

Naturally, having no desire to let Junghoo pass out, Seowon bit his lips and tongue. That wasn’t all. To keep Junghoo from losing consciousness, he pushed and then shoved his own pheromones into his mouth.

Seowon pulled away from Junghoo and wiped his tingling lips. He was only trying to wipe away the saliva, but the surface of his lips was so raw that it stung.

Seowon saw Junghoo’s hand on his chest and shook his head. He wouldn’t mind if he was touching it to caress his chest, but he stopped him, knowing he was trying to push him away.

“We’ve put out the urgent fire, but it’s literally just the urgent fire. You don’t know when it might flare up again, threatening to burn this body to ashes.”

“I’d rather go to the hospital.”

Just when he thought he had finally reached out, it seemed he was wavering again. While that stubbornness was annoying, it was understandable when he thought about how it had allowed Junghoo to hold on until now. The problem was that he thought he could use it to persuade him.

“Then you should have gone. Why did you leave the hospital and hover in front of my eyes?”

If he hadn’t, Seowon would not have needed to bring Junghoo to the villa.

“There’s only one way for you to get better, you know.”

Having calmly organized his thoughts, Seowon tapped Junghoo’s cheek. It was a gesture meaning ‘don’t get any ideas,’ but although Junghoo hadn’t lost consciousness yet, his eyes were heavy-lidded. It wouldn’t be strange if they closed again at any moment, yet Junghoo’s expression was peaceful. As if it would be fine to fade away just like this.

“But there was something I needed to ask earlier but forgot, you know?”

Junghoo’s words trailed off. Seowon placed a hand on his heart, feeling its beating, and slightly lowered his hips. He could feel something hot and hard through the fabric. Confirming that he was fully aroused, Seowon asked as if there was one last thing to check.

“Is that the only reason?”

“…What?”

“The reason you didn’t sleep with other omegas was because you were afraid something terrible would happen… is that the only reason?”

It was a question of whether he was even slightly connected to Junghoo ending up in this state. He wasn’t asking because he was truly curious. It was a question that had an answer from the beginning, and he just wanted Junghoo to say it now.

“…You.”

As if Seowon’s pheromones were no longer enough, Junghoo’s voice, which had been fading as his consciousness blurred again, trailed off.

“Because I thought of you.”

“That’s a very complicated thing to say.”

Feeling Junghoo’s breathing, who had closed his eyes at some point, grow fainter, Seowon emotionlessly raised his hand.

Slap, he struck his cheek hard.

Startled, Junghoo blinked. Slowly at first, and then a little faster. Seeing his pupils gradually come into focus, Seowon gave a broad smile.

“You have to keep staying conscious like that.”

He now understood what Yoo Taeha meant when he said Junghoo couldn’t be allowed to lose consciousness. No matter how much his pheromones moved against Junghoo’s will, there was a big difference between when he was conscious and when he was not. Moreover, there was an absolute difference in the amount of pheromones, which was too much for him to handle alone.

So, Seowon planned to do his best to keep Junghoo conscious, even if it seemed heartless.

“I can’t do it alone. You…”

Seowon said, his voice soft but firm.

“You have to protect me.”

Junghoo was shaken by the words asking for protection. When he tried to raise his upper body, Seowon grabbed his chin as if to say ‘not a chance’ and their eyes met.

“Let’s protect each other.”

As if making eye contact with Junghoo wasn’t enough, Seowon went so far as to caress his skin. Mocking the look in Junghoo’s eyes, flustered by his movements, Seowon unhesitatingly released his own pheromones that had subsided again. Until now, he had controlled the amount appropriately so he could withdraw them at any time, or in case Junghoo couldn’t handle it, but now there was no need for that.

“Release your pheromones too.”

Seowon grabbed Junghoo’s face with one hand and looked him straight in the eyes. His own reflection in those bloodshot eyes also felt red.

“Hurry.”

As if by magic, Junghoo’s movements stopped at Seowon’s words. He froze like ice, staring at Seowon, before releasing his pheromones.

Pushing away the omega pheromones that filled the room, the alpha’s pheromones revealed a fearsome momentum. They weren’t tempting pheromones of mutual desire, but rather they flared up menacingly as if about to wage a war.

Feeling the battle of wills between the pheromones, Seowon suddenly smiled.

“At least your pheromones are honest. They’re trying to devour me.”

“Because it’s you…”

Junghoo, who hadn’t been able to utter a proper word until now, muttered. The moment he released his pheromones, he was able to find a brief moment of respite, and thanks to that, he could look at Seowon, who was on top of him.

“You’re saying it’s because of me, right?”

Seowon acted as if it was no longer surprising, then his smile vanished as if it had never been there. Watching him, Junghoo closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. And when he opened them again, Junghoo’s eyes held a menacing glint, different from before.

“I kept trying to stop you. You brought this on yourself.”

The time for sizing each other up was now over. Junghoo’s hands snatched Seowon’s waist.

Yoo Taeha paced near the villa. It had already been three hours since he had left, telling Seowon he would handle it. It didn’t seem like anything major had happened in that time, but he just couldn’t bring himself to leave.

“The fact that there’s no contact must mean it’s still okay, right? Surely they haven’t both collapsed?”

If so, he shouldn’t be out here, he should go inside… The moment he had that thought, Yoo Taeha raised his hand toward the doorknob, then paused.

“It could be that nothing is wrong.”

But what if he went in and interrupted them? With Junghoo’s pheromones, there was no telling what might happen if there was even a moment of relaxed tension. That’s why, even after deciding to go in, he couldn’t actually bring himself to do it and hesitated.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Yoo Taeha writhed, grabbing his head as if to tear his hair out. Worried one way or another that Junghoo was in danger, he finally chose one option. It was to choose the lesser of two evils to avoid the worst.

“Let’s not look, just check if they’re breathing.”

He intended to take a look since it could be an emergency if it was dead quiet. Yoo Taeha, gripping his phone tightly so he could call his uncle immediately if they had collapsed, carefully grabbed the handle. Yoo Taeha let out a sigh and pulled the door.

“Please, let nothing be wrong. Nothing…”

Yoo Taeha, focusing all his attention on entering, had just taken a step inside.

Even after quickly covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, the potent pheromones tried to seep in through his skin, and Yoo Taeha took a step back. He knew some was leaking outside the villa, but he had no idea it would be this much. He was horrified by the pheromones that were laid thick inside the villa, and amidst it all, he was startled by the scent of Seowon’s pheromones.

The absolute amount could not compare to Junghoo’s pheromones. He had never even thought there was anyone who could handle Junghoo’s pheromones in the first place. However, Seowon had another strength. His pheromone control was enduring Junghoo’s savage pheromones.

“This isn’t just a dominant.”

Yoo Taeha clicked his tongue at the control ability that surpassed any dominant omega he had ever seen.

In any case, now that he knew how Seowon was holding up, seeing if they were okay was the priority, so Yoo Taeha pushed all the rampant questions that came to mind below the surface.

Taking out a handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth completely, Yoo Taeha carefully took a step. When he stood in front of the room Seowon had taken Junghoo into, Yoo Taeha couldn’t take a deep breath despite his trembling heart.

“I told you to get a grip. Do you want me to collapse because of you?”

It was a cold voice, unsuited to the pheromones spreading to the point of making one’s entire body burn up.

“Keuht.”

“If you can’t take it and pass out, I die with you. So hold on with all your might.”

“Seowon…”

“It’s better to endure this moment somehow than for me to collapse and you regret it for the rest of your life, right?”

At Seowon’s threat, Yoo Taeha silently exited the villa. The situation wasn’t exactly peaceful, but wasn’t it a conversation that showed a glimmer of hope?

Right now, there was no medical equipment to assist Junghoo, and no drug treatment to stop him from going berserk, but he was holding on better than ever before.

There was a reason he could do that. Because something more important than medical equipment was firmly holding onto Junghoo’s mind.

‘If you can’t take it and pass out, I die with you.’

Seowon’s icy voice seemed to freeze Yoo Taeha’s mind. Now that he knew he was continuously holding onto Junghoo’s consciousness, it seemed okay to wait a little longer.

Yoo Taeha let out a sigh of relief and slid down the wall to sit. He didn’t care that his clothes were getting dirty and sat haphazardly, pulling out his phone with a weak hand. The process of finding the contact was frustratingly slow, but he found the number he wanted and made the call.

“Yes, uncle. It’s me, Taeha.”

Yoo Taeha leaned his head back against the wall and fiddled with the hem of his clothes. In the process of brushing off the pheromones, he returned to his usual self.

“I think it’s okay to just watch for now.”

With a much calmer voice, Yoo Taeha lifted his eyes and looked at the villa.

“I’ll call you again. Yes.”

It was a desperate wish that they would just get through this crisis.

Junghoo had always said he was a dominant alpha. And every time he did, Seowon had ignored him as if it were ridiculous. He must have thought he didn’t know that he could smell his pheromones. That’s why he didn’t believe it.

The amount of pheromones was negligible and faint, and no matter how much he hid it, he hadn’t been able to feel his pheromones. But when did that belief start to waver?

‘From the time we started living together.’

After he smelled his pheromones, his pheromones, which had seemed faint, became stronger. That was very strange, but if he changed one assumption, everything made sense. That Junghoo really was a dominant alpha, and for some reason, he was unable to release those pheromones.

“Hk.”

As Junghoo sucked on his neck, Seowon took a short breath and grabbed his shoulders. The thin skin was being sucked and bitten between his lips, and it felt as if his entire body was being devoured by him.

As soon as he pulled away, Seowon covered his neck with his palm as if to hide it. Feeling his rapidly beating pulse, Seowon glared at Junghoo. He fumbled at the spot with his fingers.

“It’s all bumpy.”

It was to the point where he wondered if a chunk of flesh might have come off if he had sucked just a little harder. As he was now caressing the neck marked with the shape of his teeth, Junghoo stuck out his red tongue and licked his own lips. Right now, his eyes were full of thirst, as if everything was not enough.

At that sharp gaze, calculating when to pounce, Seowon thought that gaining the upper hand would not be easy. When Junghoo was hesitating, he could sit on top of him and sway him as he pleased, but the flow kept trying to shift to him.

He thought that at this rate, both Junghoo and himself would be in danger. There was a limit to how much he could handle his pheromones with his own, and if he gave the lead to Junghoo as well…