Ch 4

Episode 4

Seven Months Before(1)

A soft tongue traced languidly along the curve of pink lips. Slipping past the closed mouth, it brushed against the inner cheek and teeth before coiling around the other tongue, drawing it in as if to swallow it whole. The wet, sticky sound rang sharply in their ears, prompting a breathless chuckle.

“Yoo Eunho, time to get up.”

The night before, Eunho had rushed out with clothes for the next day’s work after receiving Hyunjun’s sudden call. It had been nearly two months since Hyunjun had last asked him to come over. Once overcome with desire, Hyunjun would call for Eunho and keep him until his every craving was spent, as if trying to purge himself of a buildup of pheromones all at once.

As Eunho stirred, the thick blanket slipped down, revealing the delicate lines of his back along his spine.

“Should I switch these to blackout curtains?”

“No. Then I’ll just end up sleeping more.”

“Timing’s tricky, can’t really grab food.”

Checking his phone, Eunho puckered his lips in disappointment. If he had woken just thirty minutes earlier, he could’ve washed up and gone out for a bite, but now even just showering and leaving the house would be pushing it. His mind urged him to get up, yet his body wouldn’t respond. Maybe because the air outside the blanket was chilly, he just wanted to stay curled up. Hyunjun, who ran warm and hated the heat, never turned on the boiler until mid-December.

“Still, it’s nice being together again after so long.”

Eunho tucked his toes back under the blanket and wrapped himself up tight. Unlike Hyunjun, he was sensitive to the cold. With chronic cold hands and feet, he needed heating as early as autumn, and in the dead of winter, he carried hot packs in his coat pockets. After a night in Hyunjun’s icebox of a room, one side of his nose was already stuffed, and his throat felt scratchy.

Downing a bottle of water right after getting out of bed, Hyunjun walked over to the bed and handed Eunho a fresh one.

“Eunho.”

“Mm.”

“…About the rent. My landlord came by yesterday—said if I keep falling behind, I’ll have to move out.”

Even as he spoke, Hyunjun looked uncomfortable. Eunho, on the other hand, transferred the rent money with a little extra the moment he heard it. He had been planning to ask about the payment anyway.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about money. Just make sure you succeed this year.”

“Yeah.”

Whether it was shame at living off his boyfriend or humiliation at leeching money, Hyunjun’s expression stayed rigid. Eunho, aching for him, got up and pulled him into a tight embrace. He knew how the uncertainty of the future gnawed at Hyunjun until it hollowed him out.

The morning breeze was sharp against his skin. Sniffling, Eunho stopped by a convenience store on the way to Choi Yoonjae’s house, bought some cold medicine, and swallowed it down.

“There’s a strategy investment meeting scheduled for ten o’clock. With Director Park on sick leave, Director Lee will be filling in. At two, you have a meeting with Gee-form at T Tower in Yeouido, and from five to eight, the DS Forum in Seolleung.”

Perhaps it was the cold, but today Yoonjae’s pheromones felt especially overpowering. The moment he sat in the backseat, a chill radiated from him. It wasn’t intentional intimidation, but the displeasure rolling off him was unmistakable. Eunho furrowed his brows, trying to trace the root of that irritation.

“Ah…”

When Yoonjae suddenly rolled the car window halfway down and turned his face aside, Eunho bit down on his lower lip, realizing too late.

He’s sensitive to pheromone scents.

The instant he caught sight of Yoonjae’s hardened expression, a chill crept through his bones. He kept forgetting how different this was from dealing with the older executive at his former company.

The moment he arrived at work, Eunho tore through his briefcase for deodorizer and sprayed it frantically. Just the thought that Yoonjae might have caught the pheromone traces left on him from tumbling around with Hyunjun had his face burning red to the tips of his ears.

His former executive had been so oblivious to pheromones he never cared, but this one was not only younger, they also had to share the confined space of a car. What kind of executive secretary couldn’t even manage something as basic as this? Eunho berated himself for not catching on sooner and rubbed both hands over his face again and again.

Even after emptying the entire can, worried that the scent might linger, he went up to the rooftop and stood in the autumn wind, trying to purge every trace. He wanted to erase it all.

Five minutes before the ten o’clock meeting, Eunho tucked his laptop under one arm and knocked on the office door. He had hoped Yoonjae’s mood might have improved since the morning, but that hope was misplaced. The man was still ice-cold.

At the strategy investment meeting, Yoonjae’s edge never dulled. With his mic left on, he tore through reports with sharp criticisms and questions, freezing the directors and staff in place. The problem was the lower projections compared to the previous quarter and the loosened discipline across departments. Typing up the minutes like a machine, Eunho faltered for a moment when Yoonjae’s low, commanding voice demanded a full review.

“Why’s the executive director in such a foul mood today? Feels like we’re on thin ice.”

“Last quarter was an earnings surprise. You’d think we could pop some champagne and take a breather, but he’s already tightening the screws.”

As Yoonjae left, the staff let out groans behind his back. Checking for typos in his hurried minutes and hitting send, Eunho looked up at the shadow that had approached—it was Director Lee.

“Something wrong with the executive director today?”

“…I’m not sure. I’m sorry.”

Rubbing his stiff neck from all the tension, Lee patted Eunho’s shoulder in sympathy before walking off. Eunho had thought he was getting closer to Yoonjae, but failing to manage his pheromones had thrown everything off. The distance between them, skewed from the start of the day, only seemed to widen. This time, the fault was his.

For all his sharpness today, Choi Yoonjae was, in Eunho’s eyes, a fairly good boss. From what he had observed, Yoonjae wasn’t exactly warm as the secretarial staff sometimes claimed, but he looked after his people well, and his innate ability and charismatic leadership far outstripped his age. It was unfair to dismiss him as just another parachuted royal family member—his competence was simply too exceptional. Even with a CEO in place, the board treated Yoonjae and the CEO as equals, and for good reason.

Before the Gee-form meeting, Eunho rushed to a convenience store, bought three hot packs, and stuck them in both pockets and on his back before getting into the driver’s seat. He had kept the car windows open all morning, and despite the cold medicine, he was struggling to keep his condition steady.

“I’ve sent over the information on their staff and the company’s financial report by email.”

The back door opened, and Yoonjae stepped inside. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror—his gaze piercing, almost drilling through him—before Yoonjae finally parted his lips.

“You don’t look well.”

“…Sorry?”

“Once we get to Yeouido, you can leave for the day.”

Yoonjae’s long, thick lashes lowered slowly, almost languidly. Normally, Eunho wouldn’t have refused, but today was different. The thought of leaving early under the excuse of being sick, right after his night with his boyfriend, was humiliating.

“I’m fine. Really.”

It was only a touch of a cold; he wasn’t so weak he couldn’t work. As for his sensitivity to the cold, that was something he could deal with himself. When Eunho politely declined, Yoonjae said nothing more, simply leaning back against his seat and closing his eyes.

“I’ll go in alone. You stay and rest.”

When they arrived at the meeting venue in Yeouido, Eunho reached for the laptop bag on the passenger seat, but Yoonjae’s curt order left no room for argument—he wasn’t to follow.

Watching Yoonjae’s back recede, Eunho let his head drop against the seat in resignation. It felt like he’d revealed a shameful part of himself he hadn’t wanted noticed, and the weight of it sank him deeper.

He closed his eyes, and just as his head tipped forward against the belt, the sensation of falling jolted him awake.

At some point he had dozed off, so deeply he hadn’t even sensed people walking by. Being drained from the night before with Hyunjun, on top of a budding cold, had left fatigue piling layer upon layer.

Rubbing the stiff nape of his neck, he glanced outside. Just then, the lobby doors opened, and Yoonjae stepped out. He was carrying a paper bag. Eunho hurriedly got out of the car.

“Here.”

Caught off guard, Eunho took what was handed to him. Inside the bag was a steaming cup of citron tea and freshly baked cookies.

“Get in the passenger seat.”

“…Pardon?”

“Drink it. I’ll drive.”

“I’m okay—”

Expression unreadable, Yoonjae slid into the driver’s seat. Left awkwardly holding the bag, Eunho had no choice but to get in the passenger side.

“…Thank you.”

Eunho murmured the words softly as he pulled the citron tea from the bag. Just the warmth against his palms was enough to ease him. He blew on the tea before sipping, while Yoonjae steered smoothly toward Seolleung.

“Would you like some too, Executive Director?”

“I’m fine. Drink it before it gets cold.”

The suit draped over his shoulders fell in clean, sharp lines. His slicked-back hair, without a strand out of place, made his striking features stand out all the more. Watching Yoonjae focus entirely on driving without sparing him a glance, Eunho pouted faintly.

Even when he showed consideration, it never shone through, buried under that blunt, unreadable exterior. Did he not realize that a single indifferent look could erase every kindness in an instant? No—he had to know. A man who could sway others with just a word wouldn’t be oblivious to that. He only pretended to be.

At LV Tower, Eunho grabbed his laptop bag and walked beside him. Inside the hotel’s banquet hall, Yoonjae mingled with figures from the financial world, chatting lightly over cocktails. Contrary to Eunho’s assumption that he wasn’t much of a talker, his voice here was smooth, his tone warm.

The DS Forum was an annual event where startup CEOs pitched themselves before investment firms to secure funding. Yoonjae attended as a representative investor. From the VIP seating, Eunho typed notes on his laptop while observing a startup CEO’s presentation with growing interest.

“What are you writing down?”

“…Might come in handy later.”

Yoonjae exhaled through his nose, smiling faintly in satisfaction, and Eunho couldn’t help but smile back. How long had it been since he’d seen that? He hardly ever smiled, and yet here, tonight, he’d done it more than once. If only he’d started the day that way. Looking at him now, lips curved in that quiet smile, the frigid air from earlier seemed almost laughable.

When the first part of the event ended, light refreshments and drinks were served, the atmosphere shifting into that of a small party. Since Eunho had to drive, he picked up juice and canapés instead of alcohol and sat back down. Yuseong Capital was one of the top three investment firms in Korea, and to the startups here, it was the most coveted. Naturally, Yoonjae’s surroundings were crowded with eager CEOs and fellow investors.

After eating lightly, Eunho glanced down and noticed an oily stain on his shirt cuff. He must have brushed it while reaching for food. Dabbing at it with a wet tissue only smudged it further, so he slipped out of the hall to find the restroom.

“…!”

The moment he opened the door, he staggered back two steps. A thick surge of alpha pheromones slammed into his lungs. From behind the closed door came the faint panting of an alpha in rut. Instinctively, Eunho turned away, ready to leave the area altogether.

And then—

“Wait.”

An iron grip seized his arm, twisting it as he was yanked back. Staring in shock, Eunho froze. It was the man whose pheromones he had just sensed inside. His eyes were bloodshot, his face feverish. Without a word, he dragged Eunho into the restroom.

“Let go of me!”

“It’ll only take a moment.”

Despite the crowded venue, this place felt cut off, silent—an island isolated by the man’s pheromones. Eunho struggled with everything he had, but the other was a dominant alpha, pressing down with a force that rattled his mind as well as his body.

The searing breath spilling over his face raised goosebumps across his skin. Buttons snapped free as his shirt tore apart. Eunho fought to escape, but strength meant nothing here. In an instant, he was pinned to the floor, crying out desperately for help.

“Aaahhh!!”

The sound of the bathroom door bursting open was followed by the heavy weight crushing his upper body being yanked away. Eunho trembled, gasping for breath as he looked up at the familiar figure looming over him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!!”

The sharp voice belonged to Yoonjae, who strode forward like a shadow. His own oppressive pheromones filled the air as he dragged the rutted alpha off and pulled Eunho up from where he’d been pinned. The man shoved against the wall bared his teeth as if to snarl, but the moment he registered who stood before him, the last threads of his sanity snapped taut, and he bowed his head.

“…I… I’m sorry.”

With a wave of overwhelming pheromones, Yoonjae crushed the other’s resistance and then stripped off his blazer, wrapping it around Eunho. The shock had rattled him so badly his legs kept giving out, so Yoonjae caught him, one arm braced around his waist, and hurried him out with long strides.

They slipped past the lobby and outside, where the biting December wind grazed Eunho’s face and scattered his breath. Finally, his mind cleared enough to steady himself; he dragged a hand down his face as if to wash away the tremors and forced his breathing to even out.

“Are you okay?”

In the parking lot, Yoonjae had already pulled back his pheromones and helped Eunho into the car. Switching on the interior light, he checked him over. It was better for Eunho that they’d slipped away quietly from the crowded venue, and the overwhelming pheromones he’d released earlier had ensured no one dared follow. Only a handful would even know what had happened.

The torn shirt was one thing, but the stark handprints ringing Eunho’s wrist made Yoonjae’s chest tighten. They would no doubt bloom into bruises by tomorrow. He let out a long, ragged sigh.

“If you’d gone home when I told you to… ha… this wouldn’t have happened.”

Eunho bit his lower lip hard, head hanging, unable to look at him. His shoulders hunched, trembling faintly.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s not what I meant… haa.”

Yoonjae ran a hand over his forehead, realizing too late that his frustrated words had been taken as blame. Dragged into a rutted alpha’s grasp was enough to shatter someone; instead of comfort, he’d scolded him. Regret weighed heavy. Looking at the way Eunho shrank in on himself, he reached out and clasped both his hands.

“Look at me.”

“…”

“I’m sorry I snapped.”

The low, gentle timbre of Yoonjae’s voice pulled Eunho’s gaze upward. He’d heard Yoonjae’s monotone countless times, but never laced with such raw emotion. His eyes flickered in disbelief, as though wondering if he’d misheard. He had never imagined those words would come from him.

“I’ll take you home. Let’s go.”

“Director…”

“The driver will be here soon. I already asked him to bring your laptop, so get in the back seat.”