Ch 20

“How do you do that?”  

Ji-an looked at the doctor, not Ideun. The doctor had mentioned two methods, but now this third one was being suggested. And in Ji-an’s current situation, what Ideun had proposed seemed the most ideal.  

“…If an Alpha with stronger pheromones than the one Ji-an imprinted on mates with Ji-an, the partial imprint can be broken.”  

Ji-an blinked his large eyes, staring blankly at the doctor. Honestly, he hadn’t fully understood what the doctor meant by “imprinting” since earlier. So, he wished the doctor would explain exactly what imprinting and partial-imprinting were.  

“I’ll do it.”  

“What?”  

Ideun suddenly interrupted their conversation. The doctor, who had been calmly explaining up until now, yelled sharply.  

Partial imprinting.  

The thought of him imprinting that person made Ji-an laugh. He recalled how Baek Sanghoon had carefully placed a mark-prevention necklace on him, worrying that that person might mark him. He couldn’t help but laugh at how selfish they were. He didn’t know how remarkable or great that person was, but in contrast, he realized just how defenseless he was.  

After the health problems caused by his messed-up pheromones, now imprinting was becoming an issue.  

It must have been that day, right?  

The day when the heat cycle triggered not through drugs but naturally.  

Whether by coincidence, fate, or misfortune, Ji-an had spent the night with that person. Could it be that he could never escape from that person?  

Laughing so much that tears came to his eyes, Ji-an wiped his face with his hand. He tried to suppress his smile, noticing the two men looking at him in confusion. But once laughter started, it was hard to stop.  

“Heh, um… Doctor, if I don’t break the mark, will I die?”  

After catching his breath, Ji-an moistened his lips and patted his chest a few times before asking, barely able to suppress his laughter.  

“You won’t die.”  

With a bewildered expression, the doctor gave him the answer he wanted, and Ji-an nodded.  

“Then it’s fine. I really liked that person, so maybe this is how it is. Maybe I want to remember them until the end. I guess I can’t help it, even if I die.”  

“Seo Ji-an!”  

Ha.  

Taking a deep breath, Ji-an exhaled, trying to rid himself of the remaining laughter as he looked at Ideun, who had called his name in warning.  

“Doctor, will there be any problems for the Alpha I marked?”  

“No.”  

“What about me? You know I don’t get heats, and I can’t have children, right? Also, my immunity is generally low, and I get sick sometimes. Oh, and I was told to watch out for my low blood pressure. A couple of months ago, I was told all that. What will get worse from here on?”  

“…If you stay away from the pheromones of the Alpha you imprinted on, there’s a high chance of developing anxiety or depression.”  

“I already have those.”  

As Ji-an spoke with the doctor, he noticed Ideun’s expression stiffening. He couldn’t help but smile.  

“Doctor, I’m getting discharged! The IV is almost done, and I’ll drink less and eat better from now on. That’s good, right? Oh, and if I meet that Alpha, will the partial imprinting be resolved?”  

After summarizing the situation, Ji-an carefully removed the band from his wrist with his fingertips. He turned to the doctor, cupping his hands together, and said, “I know my health better than anyone. Please let me go home.” He gave his most charming expression.  

After the doctor mentioned that someone would come to complete the discharge paperwork, Ji-an started scratching at the band that wouldn’t come off.  

But the action stopped as a large hand grasped his wrist.  

“A nurse will take it off.”  

“Why should I wait for the nurse? Look, my left forearm is more swollen than my right. And the IV solution is probably glucose and vitamins or something.”  

“Who is it?”  

As a large hand cupped Ji-an’s wrist and thumbed over the tape holding the IV, Ji-an fell silent at the heavy words that followed.  

“The person you like.”  

The silence lingered, and Ji-an pouted, muttering, “And the person I hate the most.”  

“Break the mark. I’ll help.”  

“Wow! You really are a bad person. How can you say that when you’re supposed to be getting married to someone? No, that’s not okay. That’s a really bad thing.”  

“Who’s getting married? You were just talking about boyfriends and stuff.”  

Ideun furrowed his brows, and Ji-an shook his head.  

“You and Haneul are going to have a meeting after the Lunar New Year, and then you’ll get married when your schedules line up. It could be in spring or fall. How could you tell me you’ll help me break the mark?”  

A reckless Omega who marks without consent and enjoys one-night stands.  

An Omega who couldn’t even fulfill the duties of an Omega and even registered as a Beta with the doctor’s help. Ji-an wondered how foolish he must seem in Ideun’s eyes.  

At first, he was too nervous to speak properly, but now he was just saying whatever came to mind, tired of holding back. He yelled in frustration as pain shot through his hand.  

“If you grip my wrist like that, you’ll make the vein burst. Is that what you want?”  

“No.”  

“Ugh, it really hurts. What do you mean ‘no’?”  

Ji-an winced in pain and pulled his wrist away from Ideun, glaring at him before continuing to peel off the tape.  

I’m not going to meet the parents or get married. Not with Haneul, but with someone else.”

“What are you talking about? Then the original would be completely wrong… … .”

“What?”  

“You won’t do it now, but you will later.”  

As Ji-an grabbed the edge of the tape, ready to remove it, Ideun’s large hand covered his own, and Ji-an looked up.  

“I don’t have any plans for marriage. So…”  

“Ugh, no! Why would I sleep with you? I don’t want to break the mark. If I want to keep the mark, what does it have to do with you? Like I said before, thanks for your help, but right now…”  

Before he could continue, there was a knock.  

The tension in the room broke with a crack as Ideun sighed heavily. Ji-an pouted again.  

While Ideun, registered as the guardian, handled the discharge procedure, Ji-an quietly offered his arm to the nurse. The needle was removed, and as the nurse pressed on the spot, Ji-an’s gaze became sharp.  

It burst.  

The nurse paused, noticing the purple bruise on his wrist.  

As Ji-an sat in the passenger seat, unable to turn down the offer of a ride, he stared out the window, sulking. When he was asked about his shoes and coat, he explained that they were at his place.  

“Haneul isn’t like that.”

“I told you there’s nothing between meand Noh Haneul.”

“I’m just saying. Since we’re friends, I don’t want people to think of us the same way. Besides, you would know better than anyone that Haneul and I are different. Anyway, I’ll stop troubling you now.”

“I don’t mind.”

At his calm words, Ji-an turned his head and gazed quietly at his chiseled profile.

“But ajusshi, did you know that you’re the CEO of the company where I just got hired?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Recruiting new employees is the HR team’s job. I don’t have enough time to look over everything….”

Ji-an hesitated and then shut his mouth. He wanted to ask directly, “Should I work there? Or not?” Even though he had a lot of money in his bank account, he found himself strangely reluctant to use it. If he had followed his original plan and traveled until he spent all of it, maybe it’d be different. But after returning home, he hadn’t touched the account at all.

So he needed to work to support himself and Bobo. But as the doctor warned him at the hospital earlier, working like he did before would take a toll on his health. Both the working hours and the salary made this job particularly appealing to him.

Ideun had firmly stated that he and Haneul were nothing, but that was just the current situation. Who knew what might happen in the future?

Ah! Could it be some sort of arranged marriage? The kind of story where misunderstandings arise and then get resolved because of a marriage arranged by their families, with one party indifferent to it. Ah, that’s it! That would explain both what Haneul said yesterday and Ideun’s reaction now.

Then, maybe he shouldn’t take this job.

He didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of it. As he recalled Haneul smiling brightly and his eyes shining when talking about Ideun yesterday, Ji-an felt his chest tighten.

Lost in thought, he only realized they had arrived at the house when the car stopped in front. He slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and, as he shrugged off Ideun’s coat, he saw him open the driver’s door. By the time he had completely removed the coat, the passenger door opened.

“Why are you taking off the coat?”

“I should return it to you.”

As he handed back the coat and got out of the car, Ji-an quickly followed Ideun, who was already entering the building.

“Where are you going?”

“To pick up your stuff.”

“Huh?”

Ji-an’s head filled with question marks at Ideun’s words, which he spoke while pressing the elevator button before him.

Even after getting into the elevator and standing at the door of his home, Ji-an glanced at Ideun, who was standing tall beside him, before entering his passcode.

“Bobo!”

The moment he opened the door, Bobo darted out, making Ji-an shriek. Seeing that Ideun had caught Bobo before he’d even taken a few steps, he let out a sigh of relief.

One reason Ji-an had rushed to get discharged was Bobo.

Even with an automatic feeder, he couldn’t stop worrying about leaving the little one alone at home.

But he never expected Bobo to bolt out as soon as the door opened. He thought he only needed to buy plenty of food, treats, and toys, take him for shots as the vet instructed, and bring him to the vet if he seemed sick.

Having never raised a pet before, Ji-an only recently learned that cats preferred staying indoors and didn’t need walks.

As he took Bobo, who was shivering in Ideun’s arms, he felt a wave of relief. He hugged him tightly as they stepped inside. As he slipped out of his slippers, the cold from the floor surprised him, prompting him to look back at Ideun.

When he was alone, he didn’t care about things like the boiler. If his feet were cold, he’d wear socks, and if he was cold, he’d turn on an electric blanket and sit under it. But since getting Bobo, he had been more attentive to heating.

Even when he went out briefly, he always left the heating on instead of switching to eco mode. But now the air was chilly when it should have been warm, and the floor remained cold even after a few more steps inside.

“Bobo, I’m sorry. Were you very cold? I wonder when it broke.”

Ji-an quickly found a thick padded vest for Bobo, put it on him, and then looked at Ideun, who was checking the thermostat.

“Now there’s a clear reason I have to take you with me.”

The thermostat display showed strange broken characters on the screen.

Ji-an’s argument with Ideun didn’t last long. Although he suggested they stay temporarily at a nearby motel until the boiler was fixed, he looked down at the crying Bobo in his arms.

Would they even allow pets at motels?

He had no place to leave Bobo, either. Maybe if he left him at the vet for a while… But as he gazed at Bobo, clutching his arm with his tiny paws and looking on the verge of tears, he pressed a kiss to his small head.

“Just pack the essentials for now. We can have someone get the rest.”

“I can handle that….”

Ji-an, clutching a tearful Bobo, widened his eyes as Ideun, moving through his home like it was his own, took out his suitcase from the corner and opened it.

“Ajusshi!”

“Just until the boiler’s fixed.”

Hesitant and unable to decide, Ji-an watched Ideun, who ignored his indecision and opened a cabinet to gather Bobo’s things and pack them in his suitcase.

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it myself.”

Ji-an handed Bobo over to Ideun, opened his closet, and packed a pair of sweatpants, a cotton T-shirt, and one set of underwear for sleeping. He then gathered other essentials around the house and put them into his suitcase.

“All set.”

Together with Ideun, who waited patiently without rushing him, Ji-an headed back to the car and let out a small sigh.

“I’ll only rely on you until the boiler’s fixed. Just until then.”

“I thought you’d resist with a bunch of excuses, but is it because of Bobo?”

“If I insisted and Bobo caught a cold, what would I do? I was already uneasy about this old place, and in the middle of winter, I can manage anywhere, but he can’t.”

Ji-an gently stroked Bobo’s small, still-damp face. Both Bobo and he were worn out. Sitting in the warm passenger seat, he began to feel drowsy. He didn’t bother asking where they were going or what would happen.

Sometimes there were days like that, when you wanted to let go and leave everything to someone else. Today seemed to be one of those days. And right next to him was a person who didn’t need him to try to look good or explain himself because he understood who he was.

It didn’t take long for Ji-an’s gradually drooping eyelids to close gently.