Ch 19

<Chapter 19>

 

4 Months Prior (6)

 

“Do you, by any chance, have precognitive abilities?””

 

Eunho shrugged, seemingly embarrassed by his own question. Yoonjae, with a vague expression, placed the wet towel in the basket.

 

“Of course not.”

 

“Well, still.”

 

“……”

 

“Then how did you know? I clearly heard it. You said, ‘the security guard.’”

 

Eunho, who had followed him into the powder room to plug in the hairdryer, sparkled his eyes, eager for an answer. Yoonjae, drying his hair with cool air, was lost in thought.

 

“I just… saw it in a dream.”

 

“……You mean a precognitive dream?”

 

“I just said it because I felt déjà vu, but you understood me well.”

 

Even if he told the truth, they wouldn’t believe him, and even if they did, he would be at a loss for words when they asked for more details. Yoonjae, trying to gloss over the situation, burst into a short laugh at Eunho’s next words.

 

“Did you see anything else? Like lottery numbers… Ah, it wouldn’t work since it’s not the weekend.”

 

“Heh.”

 

Yoonjae, turning off the hairdryer, leaned against the vanity and twitched one eyebrow. When he shook his head to indicate he didn’t know, Eunho, who had been rubbing the back of his neck, exclaimed silently as if he had remembered something.

 

“……Could it be? Is that how you knew about the rut too?”

 

Yoonjae hesitated for a moment at the sharp question. How did he guess that? Yoonjae pondered in his mind but outwardly remained composed and changed the subject.

 

“I’m not a fortune teller.”

 

“Yeah… right.”

 

Eunho, narrowing his brows and holding back his words, sat on the vanity chair. He put his hands between his thighs and tapped the chair cushion with his fingertips.

 

“It’s just… strange.”

 

“What’s strange?”

 

“Even if I accept that I suddenly came down here to rest, Executive Director’s behavior today was a bit……”

 

Eunho looked up at Yoonjae as if he found it difficult to understand the series of events that had occurred today.

 

“Honestly, even if I were to leave my post for a while, Executive Director wouldn’t be at a loss. Rather, it would be right for you to be angry. Like, ‘Fine, go ahead. But hand in your resignation.’”

 

At the time, Yoonjae’s pheromones were fluctuating rapidly. He couldn’t even count how many times he had felt dizzy being so close. The large pheromone fluctuations meant that he was constantly suppressing his anger, but he had no reason to do so. He could have vented his anger or used his pheromones to immobilize him, but Yoonjae didn’t use any of it.

 

“But you kept trying to persuade me not to go, as if something terrible would happen if I went back.”

 

Why leave the easy way and do that? Yoonjae’s forehead was beaded with fine sweat at the sharp question that pierced him again. He was at a loss for words.

 

“Why don’t you try writing a mystery novel? I think you’d be good at it.”

 

“Don’t joke around.”

 

When Yoonjae tried to brush it off, Eunho blocked all the paths as if to prevent it completely.

 

“Why did you stop me, even while holding back your anger?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“What did you see in your dream?”

 

“……Are you interrogating me?”

 

Cornered, Yoonjae rubbed his forehead and slightly pressed down the end of his words. Eunho, thinking he had pushed too hard, took a step back.

 

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

 

His sparkling eyes demanded a definite answer. Yoonjae slowly lifted his eyelids and answered seriously.

 

“I didn’t want to let you go. It might sound silly, but it felt like I was being robbed.”

 

It was the truth. He didn’t want to lose him. He couldn’t be sure if it was 100% pure love, but it was true that he felt like he was losing Eunho. Eunho let out a faint breath at Yoonjae’s unwavering tone.

 

“You leave me speechless.”

 

Eunho always wondered what someone who had everything could possibly lack. What made Choi Yoonjae burdensome was the background and social status that followed his name. If the difference was moderate, he would feel more at ease, but it far exceeded the standard that Eunho had in mind. That’s why even when he occasionally uttered words that sounded like courtship, they weren’t fully accepted. He acknowledged that he had a crush on him, but the problem was its sustainability.

 

Yoonjae unfolded his arms, approached Eunho, and knelt down.

 

“I’m holding back a lot because I’m worried about making you uncomfortable, but I get a little sad when you don’t recognize it at all. Do you know that?”

 

“Ha, Executive Directoooor.”

 

“Hurry up and sort out your feelings and come back. I’m going to die waiting.”

 

When he straightened his knees and stood up, their eye levels were roughly matched. Yoonjae grabbed Eunho’s fair cheeks and lightly touched his lips. From the body heat transmitted through the fingertips and the fluttering pheromones, he could tell that he was considerate of the omega.

 

“I will.”

 

His sincere words eventually moved Eunho’s heart. For the past three months, he hadn’t even had casual skinship with Hyunjun. Studying for the exam was the reason, but Eunho also knew that it was just an excuse.

 

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly when, but Eunho realized that the love had already left Hyunjun’s eyes as he looked at him. He knew it but tried to deny it, and that made him even more lonely. Enduring a predicted breakup alone was too painful.

 

While aimlessly letting time pass with a 1% hope that he might be wrong, Yoonjae had been watching him since some point. Now, the feeling that he shouldn’t leave him alone like this stood firm.

 

If Hyunjun was really in rut as Yoonjae said, it was a foregone conclusion that they would have a big fight as soon as he returned. Well, that’s a good thing. Since they’re going to break up anyway, ending it because he’s tired of it might be a quicker way to forget. Eunho nodded at Yoonjae.

 

Yoonjae carefully picked up Eunho, who was dozing off on the sofa, and took him into the room. Eunho, lifting his heavy eyelids at the warm body temperature, recognized him and closed his eyes again. Yoonjae’s lips softened at Eunho’s attitude, which was much more relaxed than in the morning.

 

Yoonjae laid Eunho down and pulled the rustling blanket up to his chest. Yoonjae sat diagonally on the corner of the bed and quietly looked down at his sleeping face.

 

Before time turned back, Eunho worked as an office secretary, unlike now. Secretary Han was in charge of the escort, and there were frequent holes in the reports, so they hired additional staff. Since Chief Yoon had chosen the talent with his insight at the time, Yoonjae trusted him and immediately entrusted him with the main tasks. Fortunately, Eunho quickly absorbed what he had learned as expected, and within a month of joining the company, he had a thorough understanding of the entire flow of Yuseong Venture Capital’s business.

 

In fact, his first impression wasn’t very good. The pheromone scent that occasionally passed by during meetings reminded him of Junseo in the past, so he kept a moderate distance from him. Whether he caught on to something at that time, Eunho’s scent disappeared to the point where he was mistaken for a beta from one day, and Yoonjae’s tense nerves were able to calm down slowly. At the time, Eunho worked hard to hide his pheromones by spraying deodorant.

 

One day, Yoonjae attended the secretary’s office dinner without notice. Eunho, nervous at Yoonjae’s sudden appearance, unknowingly ate the crab he had ordered. Immediately after that, he broke out in hives, causing a small commotion as the team members rushed to buy medicine. The employees, who didn’t know that Eunho was allergic to shellfish, apologized, saying that they wouldn’t have had a dinner at a seafood restaurant if they had known, but Eunho brushed it off, saying it was okay. Yoonjae learned that Eunho was allergic to shellfish that day.

 

A month later, Yoonjae, who went to the DS Forum with Secretary Han, witnessed a terrifying accident in which an alpha in rut tried to take an omega. Moreover, the same thing happened again in the company building the next day. Alphas and omegas try to control their rut and heat cycles as much as possible, so it is rare for unpleasant things to happen at companies or official events, but when a series of alpha rut-related assault accidents occurred, Yoonjae did not forget this day and remembered it.

 

There was a terrifying accident when he went on a business trip to Singapore with Secretary Han and almost went to the negotiating table with a pre-updated version of the report. Even though Eunho had taken care of it, he didn’t open it and mistakenly thought that the existing one was the final report, causing the accident, and Secretary Han was slowly pushed out of Yoonjae’s sight. Due to his personality, which did not tolerate mistakes in important positions, Secretary Han was only responsible for schedule management, and from then on, Eunho and he worked together more often.

 

On the way back, Secretary Han quietly picked out a wallet at a luxury store. When asked if it was a gift, he replied that it was Secretary Yoo’s request, and Yoonjae shook his head and laughed it off, saying it was a gift for his lover.

 

Within the company, the Strategic Planning Division was busy with the investment in Studio G and B-gate. At the time, they invested in B-gate, and Yoonjae also wanted to support B-gate, considering the possibility, although CEO Han actively recommended it. There was nothing to criticize in the financial statements, and the social boom was about to rise greatly, so it was a very attractive investment destination.

 

However, the prediction was proven wrong. Less than two months after the investment, the government passed all kinds of bills that had been dragging on in order to suppress the flow of market funds into coins. As the bills, which had been rumored for years and had been sluggish, were passed in an instant, Yoonjae, whose ties with the political world were weak, belatedly learned about the situation and sought countermeasures. However, to make matters worse, the CEO of B-gate embezzled customer deposits and investment funds overseas and went into hiding, and Yoonjae devised other ways to compensate for the huge damage.

 

Unlike Secretary Han, who manages schedules optimally but whose knowledge of investment is below standard, Eunho had the talent to meticulously organize the investment destinations that came up to the General Investment Headquarters to suit Yoonjae’s taste and upload them. He knew the priority of work accurately and extracted perfect data on time, and Yoonjae gradually opened his heart, looking for Eunho first rather than Secretary Han.

 

But that was only for a while. On the day of the Incheon container factory fire, Yoonjae’s gaze sharpened at Eunho’s sudden departure from the meeting. Knowing that he was already very sensitive due to investment problems, Yoonjae didn’t want to pay any more attention to him when Eunho left the seat without saying anything, and he focused only on work. Later, he heard from Secretary Han that he had taken a vacation due to an urgent call from his lover, and Yoonjae just smiled bitterly without saying anything when he heard that the reason was rut.

 

As the amount of cash transactions on the exchange decreased rapidly due to the CEO of B-gate’s escape overseas, the contract on investment risk became useless. The aftermath was passed on to CEO Han, and Yoonjae was also affected. In the meantime, Yoonjae witnessed Eunho being congratulated for his lover entering the passing line for the written exam.

 

The situation gradually became defensive. Choi Seryeong came and threatened to hold a shareholders’ meeting and step down from his position, and CEO Han and Yoonjae were desperate to find other investment destinations and minimize the risk of customer funds.

 

Yoonjae had no time to pay attention to Eunho in the rapidly changing situation. And from some day, Eunho became very strange. He didn’t know it at the time, but judging from what Secretary Han told him after he left, when he met his new lover at Hyunjun’s house after work, Hyunjun came out in a brazen manner and seemed to be shocked.

 

He felt it was strange, but he passed it on without paying attention to it for a week. He released the funds tied up as reserves, and while he was away for a meeting to find other investment destinations, an accident occurred and he sent Eunho away.

 

This was the event and record that Yoonjae remembered at the time.

 

It wasn’t a short period of 8 months, not several years, so all he could reverse was the wrong investment and Eunho’s death. Of course, he gave some comments on minor issues or the stock market situation that he remembered at the time to the relevant departments and achieved good results, but they were all changes within the scope of Yoonjae’s movements.

 

“I’m not asking you to recognize my efforts, just listen to me.”

 

He whispered softly like a thief’s confession only after confirming that he was fast asleep. Yoonjae, who had been sweating because of Eunho’s bouncy behavior all day, comforted himself by pouring out his pent-up feelings and safely passing the day.

 

When he turned off the indoor lights, leaving only one stand light on, Eunho, lying under the soft light, looked particularly like a doll. Yoonjae stood there blankly for a long time, watching him, then turned around and quietly came out to the living room and picked up his cell phone.

 

“……”

 

When he checked the message from the place he had requested, Hyunjun had left the house and had not moved all day. Is he too busy having a good time with his new lover? Yoonjae’s eyes softened as he repeatedly read the last message.

 

“Hoo.”

 

Because he had separated the two at an important point, Hyunjun would not take care of Eunho anymore and would play with his new lover. However, Yoonjae was displeased even with the fact that he would maintain the relationship in order to use Eunho as a sponsor. He intended to turn his heart around as much as possible during the three days in Jeju Island and cut off the relationship between the two.

 

So that Eunho would no longer be dragged along.

 

Whether it was because he was stressed without knowing it, Eunho’s body ached as if it would crumble from dawn. He had a fever, and his vision was spinning, so he took his feet off the bed and fell to the floor.

 

Cold sweat flowed so much that his hair was soaked, wetting the neckline of his clothes. Eunho wanted to crawl out to the living room, take out the first aid kit from his suitcase, and take medicine, but his body wouldn’t listen to him. His hands and feet were numb and trembling. Eunho rubbed his face against the blanket he had brought and took rough breaths.

 

“…Executive… Director.”

 

Even speaking was difficult, so his voice was cut off. The door was tightly closed, and it was a late night, so he wouldn’t be able to hear him even more, but he was in so much pain and it was so hard that he desperately looked for Yoonjae. He squeezed his swollen throat and barely pushed out the words, but they didn’t burst out clearly.

 

“Execu… tive……”

 

At that moment, the door burst open and bright light poured in. Yoonjae, who opened the door and scanned the bed, strode over and found Eunho tangled in the blanket and lying on the floor.

 

A large hand came into his back and lifted his body up. The feeling of floating was so severe that he wanted to grab his shoulder with his hand, but he didn’t have the strength, so his arm fluttered in the air.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Yoonjae laid Eunho straight on the bed and checked the heat on his forehead by lifting his soaked hair. When the heat was so high that it instantly heated up his palm, Yoonjae was flustered and got up to find his cell phone.

 

“…Suit… case… medicine.”

 

“Medicine won’t work. Wait a moment.”

 

As the boiling heat continued to escape from his body, Eunho grabbed the blanket and covered himself from head to toe. His teeth chattered as if he had chills, and his head was extremely dizzy. It was difficult to judge things as if part of his brain had melted, and even his vision was blurred.

 

“Yoo Eunho.”

 

Yoonjae, who opened the blanket, checked Eunho’s condition again and then raised his upper body and hugged him. The pheromones flowing out near Yoonjae’s shoulder slowly permeated Eunho as if comforting him that he would be okay. Eunho lost consciousness with the belief that he would help him. Even lifting his eyelids was tiring and difficult.