PAO 63

In the end, Seowon, unable to find the right words, simply pressed his face against his back without saying anything.

In contrast to the peacefulness of the mountain, Seowon’s mind was incredibly noisy. The words Junghoo had said kept coming to mind, leaving no room to think about anything else.

Am I Junghoo’s friend?

Is it normal to have sex with a friend to cure his illness and readily decide to stay at the vacation home?

Now that Junghoo has passed the most dangerous moment, it doesn’t have to be me from now on. I knew that, but I stubbornly insisted on staying, and even while feeling anxious about the possibility of my cycle coming, we had sex.

All of that was a little inadequate to be defined as just friendship. Seowon finally understood it now. If he had seen Junghoo as a friend, he couldn’t have done this.

‘Maybe we weren’t friends.’

He had given Junghoo quite a few fragments of his emotions, enough to feel more hurt than anyone when he disappeared without a word. He didn’t know how much those fragments would amount to when gathered. But one thing was certain…

‘I had feelings for him.’

Rather than calling it something grand like love, it was just a feeling of liking him.

Seowon rubbed his face against Junghoo’s back.

There’s plenty of time to think.

“Junghoo.”

“Yes.”

“What do you want to eat when we get down?”

“Sweet pancakes.”

There were snacks they often ate before going up to the vacation home. When Junghoo mentioned one of them, Seowon’s face lit up.

“Do you think they’ll be selling steamed corn too?”

“They probably will.”

“What about tteokbokki?”

As he recalled everything they had eaten, the weight that had been pressing down on his heart disappeared at some point.

“I want to eat it all.”

First, eat the freshly made red tteokbokki, then have a sweet pancake for dessert, and since my mouth will be bored, eat some corn.

While Seowon was letting his imagination run wild, Junghoo silently descended and approached the place where the car was. Looking at it parked among the few other cars, Junghoo belatedly remembered something.

“The car key.”

“Huh? Didn’t you bring it?”

“…”

At Seowon’s question, Junghoo shut his mouth.

He had forgotten because he hadn’t come down from the vacation home much until now.

That Yoo Taeha had the car key.

“…Let’s try calling him.”

As long as the call went through, Yoo Taeha would bring the car key, so it wasn’t a big problem. He tried to cover up the fact that he had forgotten the key like that, but as Seowon made several calls, the mood darkened again.

“He’s not answering the phone…”

Seowon tried connecting the call again and shook his head at Junghoo.

“He’s not someone who wouldn’t answer, this is strange.”

He was someone who was easy to contact unless something had happened. While Seowon was acting puzzled, Junghoo made a call somewhere else.

“We’ve come down.”

Unlike with himself, whose call hadn’t connected, the other person seemed to have answered the phone, as Junghoo calmly explained the current situation. Thinking it was reassuring that there was someone else to help, he stared intently at Junghoo’s face. A fair amount of reddish color had risen to his once pale face. In particular, the lips, tinged with red, made him look lively.

So this is how Yoo Taeha’s cry to have sex is confirmed.

He really did survive because we had sex.

“Ah… Yes. I understand.”

Junghoo, who had finished the call, informed the expectant Seowon of the situation.

“He said Taeha-hyung and Father had a drink.”

And that’s why Yoo Taeha couldn’t answer the phone.

“The person who didn’t drink has an errand, so he went down the mountain and it would take about two hours for him to come up.”

As Junghoo was looking at his watch and thinking, Seowon turned around without any lingering attachment.

In the end, it means no one can come, so what can you do.

“Let’s walk.”

Surely my back won’t break.

Seowon being carried down on Junghoo’s back was only until they reached the car. Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t comfortable the entire way down on his back. He did feel like he wanted to be carried all the way down the mountain like this, but he also knew he shouldn’t.

He didn’t want to be such a burden as to make him carry a grown man like himself all the way down the mountain.

“Seowon, are you going to walk?”

“Huh? Then should I crawl down?”

Seowon grabbed one of his shoulders and rotated his arm in a large circle. He really did look like he was warming up his arms in advance to crawl down.

“Don’t do that, get on my back.”

“Junghoo, you might regret saying that. This isn’t just a downhill path. We have to go down a mountain.”

“That’s why it’s dangerous. It’s better than you falling.”

“Falling…”

Seowon stopped mid-sentence. To be honest, it was something he had braced himself for, but the aftermath, which he thought would end with a few days of muscle soreness, was lasting longer than expected. As long as he didn’t overdo it, daily life was possible, but he was cautious about going up and down the mountain.

If he made a mistake and fell, and it put a strain on his back…

“Lean on me.”

Junghoo knelt on one knee in front of Seowon and held out his hand. At his words telling him to get on his back again, Seowon bit his lips over and over, then got on without refusing.

“I feel like I’ve become a burden to you by suggesting we go down the mountain for no reason.”

“I don’t feel burdened in the slightest…”

“You’re just saying that. Just saying that.”

Having decided to be carried, Seowon hugged Junghoo’s neck and clung tightly, as if he wouldn’t let go no matter what happened.

“You… you’re going to release your pheromones like before, right?”

Seowon, who had enjoyed being able to breathe in the fresh air and Junghoo’s pheromones together, demanded it confidently.

“We will grant everything our customer desires.”

Although he could only see the back of his head, he could feel Junghoo’s still cheerful reaction, so Seowon also happily breathed in his pheromones to his heart’s content.

Was it good because it was an alpha’s pheromone, or was it good because it was what he had smelled while having sex?

‘It’s probably not because he’s an alpha.’

He had smelled many alphas’ pheromones until now, but he had never thought they were good.

‘His is definitely clean.’

The pheromones were strong, but clean nonetheless. Is that why it’s good?

When he thought he was a recessive, the amount was so small that he couldn’t smell it well, but now he had inhaled a considerable amount, enough to be able to think about this and that.

It was heavier and better than any other alpha’s, but he also didn’t get tired of smelling it continuously.

‘To think he couldn’t even use such good pheromones.’

This Junghoo kid is really unlucky.

If only he could have presented as a normal alpha, he would have been considerably more popular than he is now.

‘Is there any way someone wouldn’t like a kid who was already handsome, walking around wrapped in pheromones like these?’

Even if it hadn’t been me, many omegas would have approached Junghoo, so is this actually better?

Seowon, who had been lost in thought, blinked as if to suddenly come to his senses. He had missed the point that he should first think about the fact that Junghoo could be free from pain, not that other omegas were important.

“Uh… Seowon.”

“Hm?”

While he was smelling Junghoo’s pheromones again, he, who had been quiet, spoke to him for the first time.

“Do you want to keep smelling?”

If you want to smell it, I can give you as much as you want, and at his mumbled words, Seowon lifted his head. He had been burying his nose in the nape of his neck and smelling him, so he didn’t realize they had come all the way down the mountain.

“Why is the mountain trail so short? That’s strange.”

He hadn’t been able to look around because he was smelling Junghoo’s pheromones, but still, he hadn’t known they would come down so quickly, so he let out an awkward, dry cough.

Seowon patted Junghoo’s shoulder, signaling him to put him down.

But Junghoo’s hands, which should have loosened, were stubbornly holding his legs, so Seowon leaned to the side and tried to meet his eyes.

“I can’t get down if you hold me like that.”

“I liked it when you smelled me.”

Junghoo turned his head to meet his eyes and said with a completely straight face. Is that really a face that’s pleased.

“I was just smelling the pheromones.”

“Yes. My scent.”

“I was checking what your pheromones were like…”

“Yes. My scent.”

“…Alright.”

It was easier to just give up, so he didn’t deny it any further. To be honest, it wasn’t that he hadn’t done anything, and he was saying that because he was embarrassed.

“I get it, so put me down.”

As he kneaded his shoulders as if massaging them, Junghoo relaxed the strength in his hands. Now that he was finally putting him down, Seowon lightly planted his feet on the ground and stood.

“Phew.”

He placed his hands on his lower back and leaned his body this way and that to check, and it wasn’t bad. Thinking about what it would have been like if he had come down the mountain like that, borrowing Junghoo’s back was a very good choice.

“A good choice only for me, though.”

Seowon glanced at Junghoo out of the corner of his eye. His breathing was low and his chest wasn’t rising noticeably, so at a glance he looked calm, but he could see sweat trickling down his face. He had wondered why the kid wasn’t smiling, but it seemed it was because he was tired.

“Thanks, and I’m sorry.”

“I’ll only accept the thanks.”

“I’m sorry too. I pretended to be weak with this big body and had you carry me, didn’t I.”

At his words, delivered with a tap on Junghoo’s shoulder, he shook his head.

“You’re light.”

“Then are those tears flowing down your face?”

He wiped his face to prevent any denial and held out that hand. Your tears are on here.

“I can carry you for the rest of my life.”

“Yeah. That won’t be happening.”