Ch 57

Wearing gloves, he quietly lay still in response to the unfamiliar sensation of hands exploring his body.

“Is the sleeping pill too strong? And the pheromones too… Are you sick?”

Ji-an, too, wouldn’t be able to see, yet his hands roamed over Ideun’s body without hesitation. After feeling around here and there, the small hand soon reached his face and rested on his forehead.

“Ah… the gloves.”

Was he checking for a fever? Expecting Ji-an to remove his gloves and touch his forehead again, Ideun instead felt what seemed to be Ji-an’s forehead pressing against his own.

“I never really understood this. How do people figure out if someone has a fever just by touching or pressing foreheads together?”

Ji-an grumbled briefly before his bare body slid up against Ideun’s. Stretching out one arm, he rested his head on it and casually draped his arm and leg over Ideun.

“I’ll stay like this until you wake up.”

Overcome by a sudden wave of emotions, Ideun remained motionless, like a piece of wood. He couldn’t bring himself to wrap his arm around Ji-an’s shoulder and hold him closer, nor could he say anything. At this moment, all he could think about was not startling Ji-an.

When had the pheromone abnormality begun? Four or five years ago?

Around the time a large sum of money was first deposited into Ji-an’s account… The more the thoughts connected, the more Ideun clenched his jaw. He couldn’t recall everything perfectly, but it seemed like his rut period and the large transactions happened around the same time.

He could feel Ji-an’s breath, their bodies touching, yet he couldn’t see a thing. Struggling to steady his breathing, Ideun noticed Ji-an’s body growing slack with drowsiness. A faint, uncomfortable wheeze echoed in his ears.

Ji-an had been battling a lingering cold, sniffling and coughing throughout the day. No wonder his breathing sounded uneasy, even in sleep. Ideun, using the hand he hadn’t given to Ji-an, checked his forehead and adjusted his pheromones to help him rest more comfortably.

Only after confirming that Ji-an was deep asleep did Ideun carefully move away. From the moment he separated from Ji-an, his hands trembled with rage as he clenched his fists and moved toward the door, relying on the glow of his phone.

Click.

He carefully turned the doorknob, but only a dull sound followed— the door wouldn’t budge.

Darkness terrified him. A locked door suffocated him…

Turning back, he glanced at Ji-an, who was fast asleep, buried in the bed. Closing his eyes tightly, Ideun inhaled deeply.

This was the final puzzle piece he hadn’t been able to grasp—the shape, the color, the placement.

So he was right when he said he could never break the imprint. When he shouted, “Do you even know who I imprinted on?” And the person he said he liked, the one he imprinted on… was his partner.

The one who created his hell—was himself.

His teeth clenched so tightly it hurt, veins bulging violently along his clenched arms.

He had no intention of acting recklessly and ruining everything. But he never expected it would be this easy to catch him…

Still relying on the phone’s light, Ideun entered the dressing room and put on his clothes. His fingers moved swiftly over the screen as he sent a message. Then, stepping toward the window, he pulled the curtain back slightly and began counting in his head. Soon, the cars stationed near the villa moved, blocking the estate’s only entrance.

Without hesitation, the men he had stationed used the keys he’d given them to pass through the front gate and quickly spread across the garden. Only after confirming their positions did Ideun pull the curtain back further, allowing more light to filter into the dark room.

The moment he saw Ji-an sleeping soundly, the meaning of having one’s heart drop became painfully clear. His hands trembled again as he reached out to remove Ji-an’s blindfold and the cloth covering his mouth.

Peeling off the latex gloves revealed hands damp with sweat. There were no words for the engraved-suppressing collar fastened tightly around Ji-an’s neck. Cutting off the room’s electricity to keep himself from being recognized wasn’t enough—he had still covered Ji-an’s eyes, just in case. And to prevent an Alpha in heat from marking an Omega, a collar. To avoid leaving any traces, gloves.

Was this where the emptiness and despair he’d always felt after his rut came from? Had this been the reason he’d been drawn to Ji-an from the very first moment he saw him in France?

Even when they reunited in Korea, Ji-an hadn’t recognized him. Then when did he find out? That day? The day he cursed about living in hell after realizing Ideun’s pheromones weren’t wood-scented but musk?

With a deep sigh, Ideun sat on the edge of the bed, his emotions in turmoil as he touched the collar around Ji-an’s neck.

An Alpha couldn’t imprint on an Omega, but an Omega could imprint on an Alpha anytime. And yet, Ideun had been the only one completely protected from the consequences of an imprint.

If Ji-an had ever been swept away by instinct, whether by accIdeunt or intent, he could have imprinted on Ideun at any moment.

Was that why he laughed bitterly instead of being shocked upon hearing about the incomplete imprint? The reason he spoke of love yet seemed so downcast?

There could be nothing crueler. Especially when Ji-an was an Omega without a pheromone scent. When he woke up in this room, only Ideun’s pheromones remained.

His body bore no scratches or marks. Not that he had ever paid attention to that.

Every time he woke up, it was as if he had merely been asleep. He had no memory of the chaotic ruts Ideun went through, yet he was the one who cleaned him up, organized the room, and laid him back down.

Fuck. This is so fucked up…

With a heavy sigh, Ideun removed Ji-an’s collar. Then, returning to the dressing room, he retrieved a set of loungewear. Dressing Ji-an required folding the sleeves and pant legs multiple times.

What had he done to this child? Did forgetting mean he could be forgiven?

He was the one who created Ji-an’s trauma. He was the one who bit down on Ji-an’s nape and forced a mutual imprint.

To Ji-an, he must be no different from an enemy, yet he had demanded love. And now, Ji-an carried his child.

Even knowing everything, Ji-an had remained by his side.

For what reason? With what thoughts in mind?

“How… am I supposed to fix this?”

Ideun, startled even by Ji-an’s small movements in his sleep, instinctively put some distance between them and took a deep breath. In the dim space, Ideun’s phone lit up brightly.

“The last room on the second floor. The door won’t open from the inside, so be careful and make sure no noise is made when opening it.”

Carrying the sleeping Ji-an carefully, Ideun waited by the door. The moment it opened, he stepped out of the stifling space.

“Everyone who was here has been moved to the basement.”

“You didn’t put them all in one place, did you?”

“No, they’ve been separated into four different rooms, each alone.”

“…Leave them as they are until I return. Don’t give them food or water. Turn off the heating in the entire house, and cut the electricity in the basement.”

“Pardon?”

“Just do that for now.”

As Ideun descended the stairs, Ji-an stirred and let out a small murmur, seemingly displeased by the unsteady movement. Pausing momentarily, Ideun glanced at those bowing their heads in greeting throughout the house before heading out of the villa without a hint of relief in his steps.

***

After a deep sleep, Ji-an woke up and looked around the unfamiliar space. Every time he fell asleep, the setting changed in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t just the sudden change of scenes—falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, like some sickly chicken, seemed like a problem in itself.

He said I wasn’t terminally ill, but isn’t there really something wrong with me?

Coughing a little, Ji-an sat up and turned to look at the nightstand beside the bed. Slowly lowering his feet to the floor, he spotted a telephone next to the bed. It was only when he approached it that he realized he was in a hotel.

A hotel, all of a sudden?

Whenever Ideun’s rut ended, he always woke up in a hospital. Ah—rut. Quickly running his hands over himself, Ji-an tilted his head in confusion. Nothing felt off. There was no pain, no discomfort. He wasn’t even wearing a hospital gown. Instead, he was dressed in oversized clothes, the sleeves and pant legs neatly folded. As he toyed with the fabric, a presence behind him made him whirl around.

“You’re awake?”

“Oh, hello.”

Recognizing the person standing at the door, Ji-an hurriedly bowed in greeting. Though he wasn’t wearing a doctor’s coat, Ji-an knew him as Ideun’s friend, having seen him a few times before.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Cough… Ah, aside from a bit of coughing and a stuffy nose, I’m fine.”

“If you’re feeling up to it, can we talk for a moment?”

At Rowoon’s request, Ji-an nodded and slowly followed him out. Not only was there a bedroom, but also a living room and even a minibar. As Rowoon gestured for him to sit on the sofa, Ji-an carefully perched on the edge.

“Have you taken any medication or received any injections recently?”

Ji-an watched as Rowoon prepared something at the bar. When he returned with two steaming mugs, the fragrant scent wafting from them, Ji-an quickly accepted one and shook his head.

“Nothing?”

“No. When I woke up at Choi Ideun’s house, I was on an IV, but aside from that, I haven’t taken any medication or received any shots.”

“Not even cold medicine?”

“No.”

“I need precise information to treat you properly. I won’t tell Ideun.”

Ji-an shook his head again. Normally, he would have taken heat inducers and received contraceptive injections. But this time, he had entered Ideun’s room during his rut without them.

Baek had insisted that he must take the medication and get the injection, but Dr. Kang had said there was no need. Ji-an was already classified as a beta, so taking a heat inducer wouldn’t help. And since he was definitively infertile, a contraceptive injection was pointless—nothing more than a meaningless procedure. The doctor had even warned that, given the damage already done to his body, such things could put even more strain on him.

Was he trying to help, or just driving the nail in deeper?

In any case, this was the first time he had entered Ideun’s bedroom without any drugs in his system. Was that why Ideun’s pheromones felt fainter?

That thought quickly took a backseat to a more pressing question.

“But why am I here…?”

“Ideun had to step out for a while. He asked me to check on you since you were staying here. But now that I see you, you seem fine. You know the best way to recover from a cold is to avoid cold air, eat well, and rest properly, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

Nodding, Ji-an sipped the citron tea Rowoon had given him. Lately, everyone who saw him kept handing him these herbal drinks—citron tea, balloon flower tea. Would it kill someone to give me black tea or an Americano for once? How do I order coffee through room service?

“You seem fine, so I’ll get going. If you feel unwell, contact me immediately. My number should be saved in your phone.”

Feeling awkward around Rowoon, Ji-an hesitated before standing to see him off. Once alone, he let out a sigh and looked around the hotel room again.

I was supposed to be locked up in that fancy house, but now they’ve just moved me somewhere else?

Where am I? Who am I? What’s going on?

Ji-an picked up the phone from the coffee table in front of the sofa. Tapping the screen, he confirmed it was indeed the phone he had recently purchased.

Should he call Ideun? Or Baek? He hesitated, unable to bring himself to move.

Baek’s call in the middle of the night had made his heart sink, but hearing that Ideun was in rut left him with no choice. When he asked those at the house about Ideun’s whereabouts, they said he had gone out for work. And his phone had a message from Ideun, saying he was away on business.

He must have lied to cover up the fact that he was in rut.

Even though the contract was over, it was a message he couldn’t ignore. If he didn’t go, someone else would end up in that bedroom instead.

Getting to the location Secretary Baek mentioned wasn’t difficult at all.

Call it imprisonment all you want, but when I said I wanted to leave, they had a driver and car ready in an instant.

He had changed cars at the meeting spot with Secretary Baek, following the same routine as always. But this time…

“…At least he doesn’t know.”

If Ideun had known, Secretary Baek wouldn’t have contacted him at all. Still, he couldn’t keep doing this every time Ideun went into rut. Once Ideun returned, they needed to have a serious conversation about it.

“Ah, whatever.”

The word “marriage” suddenly crossed Ji-an’s mind, making him chuckle. He decided to think positively—might as well make the best of the situation.

With that in mind, he quickly tapped at his phone screen before picking up the room service menu.

They say even ghosts look better when well-fed. Might as well eat first. I can figure out what’s wrong later. Everything’s such a mess, I don’t even know where to start.