Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 69

Why? Because it feels like you might like me… He couldn’t say that. The moment those words left his mouth, Sejin would have to respond in one of two ways. He’d either deny it or admit it. If it was the former, it’d be a bit embarrassing but fine. The problem was if it was the latter. Taehyun couldn’t maintain a relationship where they only shared their bodies if the other person had feelings for him. But he also couldn’t accept Sejin. Confirming it in a situation where the risk was so high for one side was like pulling the trigger on a gun pointed at his own head.

“…….”

As Taehyun glared at Sejin, unable to say anything, Sejin spoke again, his expression visibly shaken.

“Hyung, you can’t leave now. You’re entering the athletes’ village tomorrow.”

That was true. He’d already planned everything, and leaving like this would throw all his schedules into chaos. Faced with an undeniable statement, Taehyun was at a loss for words. Should he keep doing this in this situation? He hesitated. What should he do? He hadn’t anticipated or experienced anything like this, so no answers came. As Taehyun wavered, his eyes met Sejin’s. Unlike earlier in the living room, when Sejin had been indifferent no matter what, his desperate eyes now stood out.

Whatever Sejin’s feelings were, leaving things like this would surely leave an uncomfortable scar on Taehyun too. But what was he supposed to do now? The mood was already ruined, and trying to exchange pheromones while awkwardly fumbling would be ridiculous. He wasn’t in the mood for it either. In the end, Taehyun chose to turn away from Sejin.

“…I need to clear my head. I’ll contact you later.”

This was the first time Taehyun left without sleeping under the same blanket as Sejin in the same bed.

Back at his place, Taehyun threw himself onto the bed without even thinking about tidying up. He was so emotionally drained that he didn’t want to move a finger. Mentally, he was exhausted to the point of feeling like he’d die, but his body, still brimming with stored energy, wouldn’t let him sleep easily. Finally, Taehyun got up with a willpower that felt like it could shut off any moment and started pacing around the house, cleaning. He scrubbed the bathroom, organized the closet, and took out all the trash, thinking it might improve his mood, but it was still awful.

He should’ve just asked. Do you like me? Not in a friendly or admiring way, but that way. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask, not knowing how the answer would turn out. Taehyun calculated the time left until the Olympics. With less than two months until the July competitions, his body had fully adapted to the pheromones Sejin provided during their month-long relationship. If he hadn’t experienced the difference, it might’ve been fine, but knowing how much better his condition was, it was hard to give up the benefits of their mating partnership. No, is that the issue? Does it not matter if his relationships fall apart as long as it helps with the Olympics? Taehyun was disgusted with himself, irritated.

If he started taking suppressants again, it’d take another month to adjust to the lowered condition. His coaches and trainers could already tell the difference, so what about Sejin? If Sejin’s teammates noticed improvements from stopping pheromone suppressants, a sudden dip in performance would be jarring. (Though it wouldn’t really be a dip, just a return to normal.) This made things even more complicated. It wasn’t just his problem, so answers didn’t come easily.

“I…”

What did he even want to do? Sejin’s shocked, trembling eyes as he looked up at him kept lingering in his mind. He wasn’t sure about hurt, but Sejin had definitely been shaken. The urgent voice asking what was wrong with what he’d said wouldn’t leave Taehyun’s head.

“…….”

And what drove Taehyun the most insane was…

“Ugh, have some tact, damn it!”

As soon as he lay back on the bed, the slick started flowing out from inside. He’d wiped between his legs and thighs earlier, but since he’d left in a rush without properly cleaning up, it was a mess. The traces of having taken Sejin in were still blatantly there. Taehyun hurriedly went to the bathroom, spread his legs, and stood. He slowly scraped the inside with his fingers. As the swollen inner walls were stimulated again, his core reflexively stiffened. Is this really the time to get hard? Feeling self-loathing, Taehyun banged his head against the wall. But his body wouldn’t calm down.

“Hah…”

It made sense. Normally, a session with Sejin didn’t end this quickly. They’d go at it for hours, biting, sucking, and stirring each other until he collapsed from exhaustion. He’d pass out and wake up in the morning, clean and dry, sleeping next to Sejin under the covers. But now, with his mind alert and his body unsatisfied, the unfulfilled desire kept twitching inside.

Just get it over with and sleep. Taehyun used the slick from his rear to stroke his cock. Normally, he’d be close to climax by now, but his palm just grew red, and it still felt lacking. What the hell? Finally, Taehyun stood awkwardly, leaning against the wall, and started fingering his hole again. But fingers weren’t enough. He needed something thicker, something that stretched him to his limit and pressed heavily inside. No matter how many fingers he used, there was a limit.

“This is driving me crazy…”

For a moment, Taehyun wondered if there was something else he could use besides his fingers, then banged his head against the wall again. Up until now, when he got himself off, he’d only ever used the front. Unlike other omegas, he didn’t own any insertable toys. He’d never had a sex drive intense enough to need them.

“Argh.”

No matter what he did, the teasingly close climax wouldn’t come, and Taehyun raked his hair in frustration. His body was burning with need, but there was no solution. He’d rather die than contact Sejin again now. Taehyun turned on the shower hose and doused himself in cold water. Normally, he’d never do this for fear of catching a cold, but if it could chase away the heat, it seemed worth it.

“Ack.”

Taehyun flinched at the piercing cold and turned off the water. He sighed, wondering what kind of chaos this was.

If Sejin’s answer had been “I don’t like you,” would it really have been fine aside from some embarrassment? As he considered it one more time, a pang shot through his chest. That was the real problem. He couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way. And it scared him. Was he, without realizing it, relying on Sejin far more than he’d thought? His vision darkened.

I’m screwed. This feels like a total disaster. His mind was a mess, and he had no solutions. There was no way to describe this situation except “screwed.”

🤺

After barely sleeping, Taehyun headed to the meeting point the next morning with his pre-packed bags. The head coach was coming separately by car, and since some teammates didn’t have cars, Taehyun volunteered to pick them up, leaving early. After a sleepless night with less than three hours of rest, he checked his pheromone levels, and an ambiguous number appeared on the screen.

[15]

It wasn’t a disqualifying level, but it wasn’t great. Normally, levels up to 30 were hard to detect without close contact, so he could probably last three or four days. That was fine for now, but the future was the problem… Taehyun recalled the process for requesting an overnight pass, swallowing a sigh. Would it be better to just start taking suppressants again? But if the side effects hit harder as a rebound, that’d be a real disaster.

“Ha…”

Should he have avoided starting this in the first place? Taehyun parked the car and tugged at his innocent hair in frustration. Soon, the assistant coach climbed into the passenger seat, greeting him playfully.

“What’s up? Why are you tormenting your perfectly good hair? When you get older, you’ll miss every strand.”

“Ah.”

Taehyun, startled, shrank his shoulders and desperately acted like nothing was wrong as he greeted back.

“You’re here? When’s Hyungwoo coming?”

Trying to calm his racing heart, which felt like he’d been caught doing something wrong, he asked. The coach answered casually.

“Said about ten more minutes. Turn on the AC. Whew, I walked a bit from over there, and I’m sweating buckets.”

At the coach’s request, Taehyun obediently turned on the air conditioning. He’d been struggling with the morning heat himself. As the cool air poured out, the heat subsided a bit. The uneasy feeling didn’t go away, but it was something.

“But why’s your face so pale? Something up?”

Just as he was starting to relax, a piercing question hit him. Taehyun, startled, pressed his foot hard on the brake pedal. Since the gear was in park, the car didn’t move, and thank goodness it wasn’t the accelerator.

“Huh, what…?”

The nightmare he’d briefly forgotten came rushing back, and Taehyun panicked, denying it.

“No! Nothing happened!”

The real problem hit two days later.