Ch 26

As Taemin fixed the ice pack with the bandage and stood up, Ji-an quickly brought his legs together, nervously fiddling with the tight waist tie.  

“Beer…”  

It seemed the quiet around them made Ideun’s muttering sound louder. Why did he keep creating an atmosphere like they were caught doing something bad? That guy. It’s not like anything bad really happened!  

“Just go home for the day. Taemin, you came to grab the laptop, right?”  

The tense atmosphere, like thin ice, immediately broke with Ideun’s usual words.  

“You’re leaving tomorrow afternoon, right?”  

“To France?”  

“Yeah. I went earlier this month, but I have to go again. The secretarial team is even scarier when they manage to get flight tickets at this time. They could easily say there are no tickets and push it to the New Year, but what would I be doing all alone in Paris during the end of the year?”  

The words “France” and “Paris” caught Ji-an’s attention as he was about to head back to the bedroom. His gaze moved to the refrigerator, and then to Taemin, who was pulling out a bottle of water. The musky scent he emitted, his large hands full of warmth that had held his ankle earlier, and the careful movements he made, everything made Ji-an feel tingled.  

More than anything, it might have been the fact that someone was taking care of him and worrying about him that made his heart race. When that warmth left and the cold sensation from the ice pack replaced it, Ji-an found himself wishing Taemin would touch his ankle again.  

It’s all because of that partial-imprint.  

“Why don’t you just enjoy the things you like?”  

“Hey, don’t say that in front of our new employee. You’re making me look like an alpha who only likes omegas.”  

“Not wrong though.”  

The words weren’t eavesdropped, but hearing each one while being in the same room made them stick in Ji-an’s mind. Taemin casually took out a bottle of water from the fridge, opened it, and smiled while drinking, but in a flash, his figure was replaced with a man dressed in dark formal wear.  

Ji-an, realizing the body blocking his view was Ideun’s, lowered his thumb and tilted his head back to look at him before quickly lowering his gaze again.  

“Do you have to say it so openly? It’s a good thing our new employee isn’t an omega, otherwise, he would have misunderstood the innocent favor I just did, right? Right, new employee?”  

“Grab the laptop and get lost.”  

“I’m going. Even if you try to keep me here, I’m going. I’ve got preparations for the business trip.”  

The sounds of someone moving and the door opening and closing kept going until Ji-an just followed the strange patterns in the marble floor with his eyes.  

In the silence that fell, the only one running around in excitement was Bobo. Who could stop a mischievous little kitten? The house had various spots just for Bobo—a high cat tower, a cat wheel, different scratchers, and hideouts scattered throughout the large space.  

Though a cat, Bobo seemed to think he was a tiger, fearless, curious, confident, and even picky. He truly seemed like the owner of this house.  

Nyananannanang!  

Bobo, oblivious to the atmosphere, continued running around, making a loud racket. Ji-an slowly stood up from his seat.  

“Seo Ji-an.”  

“Yes?”  

His voice, which had been calm just moments before when speaking to the attendant and Taemin, was now lower, almost like a warning. Ji-an wasn’t sure whether he was just imagining it or if Ideun was really warning him about something.  

“You…”  

“What do you want to say?”  

Feeling suddenly unjust and frustrated, Ji-an raised his head sharply, cutting off Ideun’s words. If he had planned to give up everything, that would have been one thing, but now that he had decided to live properly, he didn’t want anyone dictating how he should live.  

He had been dragged around by Baek Sanghoon enough, and he had done everything he should have for his aunt. He had no regrets, having lived diligently and to the best of his ability, proudly.  

If someone were to criticize him for selling his body for money, he wouldn’t be ashamed of it. If he hadn’t done it, his aunt would have suffered much more, never getting proper surgery and dying much sooner.  

And…  

When Ji-an thought of Baek Sanghoon, he knew that someone else would have done what he did if it wasn’t him. If it weren’t him, another person would have suffered in that hell. In the end, he had walked into that inferno and embraced the flames himself.  

In the midst of being lost, aimless, and wandering, he had received help from Ideun, but relying on him was never something Ji-an intended to do. That’s why he had been out working on various things today.  

“What?”  

“You’re looking at me like that. You’re making me feel like I did something wrong.”  

“What were you going to say?”  

Ideun, who had been facing away from him, turned around and looked down at Ji-an. Ji-an didn’t avoid his gaze, even though he could sense the shift in Ideun’s expression, which had once been warm and kind, now absent of any such feeling.  

“I don’t know if I’m out of line, but all that happened was that you helped me a little after I got hurt. To you, I may seem like I’m just this and that, but I’m not someone who lives lightly.”  

As Ji-an spoke, he could see Ideun’s expression fade, his face slowly stiffening.

“How do you think I see you?”

“You probably see me as someone who has a one-night stand, goes around half-bonded with an Alpha. But I’m not ashamed at all. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

As Ji-an finally voiced his thoughts, which had been swirling inside him, Ideun’s firmly closed lips spoke up.

“Nothing wrong? Yet you don’t want to break the bond. And being an Omega, you’re standing here in just a bathrobe in front of an unfamiliar Alpha, without a trace of shame? I’m not sure which tune I’m supposed to dance to here. But if this kind of seduction was your plan, it’s working quite well.”

A subtle change appeared on Ideun’s cold, hard face. When he took a step closer, Ji-an glanced behind him. Just having risen from the sofa, there wasn’t much room for him to back away.

“Personal space, you say, wanting a warning before being touched—yet you don’t do the same for others. Oh, were those conditions meant to apply only to me?”

As Ideun’s hand approached, Ji-an couldn’t move away. The familiar woody scent associated with Ideun, mingling with the musky fragrance that filled the room, enveloped him all at once. Ji-an, fully aware of how overpowering pheromones could be, knew how their stickiness and sensuality could melt him, so he couldn’t quite muster the strength to turn and meet Ideun’s gaze.

“Shall I tell you what I’m about to do?”

Ideun’s hand, which Ji-an expected to touch him any second, instead grabbed the collar of his bathrobe, causing Ji-an to bite his lower lip. Except for meeting a rut partner, Ji-an had never been this close to an Alpha. His personal space had long since been breached; though their bodies weren’t pressed together, he could feel Ideun’s warmth right in front of him. With every inhale, the woody and musky scents were so interwoven he couldn’t distinguish which one was Ideun’s pheromone.

However, he could clearly discern the intent behind the other’s pheromone. The intangible pheromone slowly wrapped around his body, tightening his breath. His exposed skin prickled, and a heat rose to his lower abdomen.

“Knowing everything, yet pretending it’s the first time, acting like you’re clueless?”

When he felt the warm, moist breath grazing his earlobe, tickling his nape, Ji-an shut his downcast eyes tightly. He clenched his fists, trying to suppress the tingling sensation all over his fingertips. But as Ideun had said, his body, fully aware, was steadily reacting to the heat and pheromone emanating from him.

“…Do you want this?”

A small sound slipped from Ji-an’s lips, red from Ideun’s lingering bite. There was no answer, but as Ji-an licked his lips and finally loosened his clenched fists, he slowly turned his head.

There was only a tiny gap between Ideun’s face by his ear and his own, close enough that they’d touch with the slightest move. His heart raced wildly at the faint distance that hinted at intimacy. Feeling the intense heat in his lower abdomen and the dampness spreading at his back, Ji-an slowly swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth.

Then, he tilted his head slightly to avoid Ideun’s nose and brought his lips a little closer to Ideun’s. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. What was the point of trying to make himself look good to Ideun, who had already seen the depths of his darkness?

Just as Ideun said, his personal space had long since crumbled, and his body was steadily responding to the Alpha. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t understand the feelings Ideun had toward him. Affection? Love? Though it wasn’t such a gentle and tender feeling, he was certainly attracted to him.

And me? What about me?

Ji-an bit his lower lip slightly as he lowered his gaze.

I want this. I’m not drunk, nor is this a primal, heat-driven response—this is my genuine desire in a rational state. I want to be with him.

“If you want it, go ahead. It’s not like it’s my first time, just as you said, so there’s no reason to play hard to get. Think of it as repaying you for the inconvenience I’ve caused. I’m good at things like that. But don’t even think of breaking the bond. It’s my last shred of pride. Besides, you can’t break it anyway, can you? Do you even know who he is?”

Ji-an hid his feelings behind those harsh words. His heart pounded so hard that it echoed in his mind, and he couldn’t even raise his voice due to the tension. With whispered words, Ji-an tilted his head just enough so that he could brush his lips against Ideun’s warm mouth.

When Ideun, who had grabbed his collar and exposed his pheromones without restraint, making him wet without even a touch, didn’t move, Ji-an leaned in a little closer.

A kiss. What’s that?

Although he didn’t know much else, he had never truly shared a kiss. Ji-an lifted his limp arms and wrapped them around Ideun’s neck. Pressing his lips softly against Ideun’s, he released and then gently parted his lips, catching Ideun’s between his own.

As Ideun didn’t respond, Ji-an rose onto his toes, but he staggered from the throbbing pain in his left foot and fell completely against Ideun’s chest.

“Haa…”

Feeling Ideun’s strong arm wrapped tightly around his waist and their bodies fully pressed together, Ji-an let out a small sound as his head was gently cradled by Ideun’s hand. Ideun’s warm, thick tongue slipped through his parted lips, teasing his mouth, leaving him barely able to keep up with the onslaught. Ideun’s tongue, penetrating aggressively, brushed over Ji-an’s teeth and the roof of his mouth, skillfully entwining his own, which had frozen in surprise.

Ji-an, unable to move properly, surrendered completely to Ideun, whose pheromones he felt along every inch of his body. Struggling for breath as he finally broke free from Ideun’s relentless lips, he gasped for air, but Ideun didn’t pause, exploring his mouth once again.

“Haah… Haah… I…”

With every word, Ji-an, swept up by Ideun’s strength, collapsed onto the soft sofa. The belt of his bathrobe, already loose, fell open, and as Ideun’s lips, which had been exclusively focused on his own, traced down along his jaw and neck, Ji-an’s hands, previously clutching to hold on, now freely roamed over Ji-an’s exposed body.

This wasn’t some forced heat cycle meeting with an Alpha who couldn’t control his pheromones in a dark, silent room. Feeling Ideun’s hot breath on his neck, his hair tickling his skin, Ji-an, while flinching at every touch, finally released his arms from Ideun’s neck. When Ideun bit down on his prominent collarbone, Ji-an tensed and clung to his broad shoulders, yet even that wasn’t enough to quell the flood of sensations washing over him.