Come Looking for Flowers Chapter 4.2 - Hopeless Desire

“Did I tell you not to go to the sea, or did I not!”

“I just, I just went for a walk. It wasn’t what you’re thinking—”

“Don’t you talk back to me!”

The old man’s face was so pale it looked as though he might fall over backward at any moment. The hand he used to shout was trembling violently.

“If I say don’t go, then don’t go. Don’t even go near the sea!”

“Sir……”

“You insolent brat……”

The old man promptly left the spot. Yoonjo flinched as the door slammed shut with a bang. Silence filled the courtyard where he was left all alone.

“Gasp……!”

In the late dawn. Yoonjo’s face was pale as he woke up, tormented by a nightmare as usual. Even though he knew that everything he had just seen was a dream, he instinctively scanned his surroundings.

The nightmares he had every day were similar. In his dreams, he was always crying, and Won Kangho would be on top of a crying Yoonjo, satisfying his primal desires.

He had sweated so much that his whole body was damp. Haa, letting out a long breath, Yoonjo slowly got up. He was thinking of going to wash his face.

In the deep of the night, everything around was filled with darkness. They say the mornings in the countryside start early, but it was not yet time for that beginning to unfold.

He squatted by the water tap and turned the handle. Screeech, with the sound, cold groundwater came pouring out. Gush, gush.

The cold water seemed to clear his head a little. Still, his heart was thumping anxiously. Yoonjo roughly wiped his dripping face with his hands.

The moon in the night sky was shaped like a fingernail. It was so early that even the moon had not yet set.

I should go back in and sleep. The thought crossed his mind, but his body, stuck to the flat wooden bench, would not budge an inch. He just stared blankly up at the sky.

A fortnight had already passed since he left the hospital. So far, there had been no news from Won Kangho.

Was it that he could not find him, or had he already found him but was pretending not to know? There was nothing Yoonjo could know. He just lived every day in anxiety.

How much longer can I stay here? As Yoonjo was trying to picture his bleak future, he finally got up when the jet-black sky began to take on a bluish hue.

It was then that he sensed a presence. The footsteps were coming from beyond the main gate.

For a moment, Yoonjo felt a terror as if his heart had stopped. All his movements ceased, and he even forgot to breathe. His gaze did not leave the main gate.

The sound of footsteps gradually grew closer. The presence that was approaching from a distance came to an abrupt halt in front of the gate. Soon after, creak, the gate made a rusty sound as it slowly opened.

Someone stepped through the open gate. Due to the pitch-black darkness, he could not make out the face.

It’s a man. At the sight of the large silhouette, Yoonjo’s body began to tremble like an aspen leaf. Gripped by a tremendous sense of fear, Yoonjo’s breath caught in his throat.

His pale face was buried in the darkness. As Yoonjo stumbled backward, his foot caught on something, making a loud noise. Even his retreat was blocked.

At that sound, the movement of the person entering froze. Though he could not see, he could clearly feel the person’s gaze fixed on this spot.

“……”

“……”

They were aware of each other, but neither spoke first. Yoonjo remained frozen in place, and the strange intruder stood still for a moment before quietly closing the gate.

A rat in a trap. The man had finally come to get him. Now, he would be dragged back to that horrifying hell.

All sorts of cruel imaginations filled Yoonjo’s mind. As Yoonjo struggled to breathe with stifled sobs, the intruder began to stride toward him.

“How dare a punk like you come here!”

It was then that the old man’s scolding was heard. The frozen atmosphere shattered with a crash. At the same time, Yoonjo’s breath was released, and his body collapsed downward.

Clutching his chest, Yoonjo tried to catch his ragged breath. When he whipped his head around, he saw the old man and a child hiding behind his legs.

“Daddy……?”

The child, rubbing his sleepy eyes, spoke in a voice thick with sleep. Soon, his eyes widened, and they filled with light.

“Daddyyy!”

The child called out ‘Daddy’ and dashed past Yoonjo. Yoonjo, still sitting on the ground, followed the child’s trajectory with his eyes.

In the pitch-black darkness, someone embraced the child running toward him. Haa, the voice that came with a sigh was unfamiliar.

“Chaei-ya.”

“Daddyyy……”

“Yes. Daddy’s here.”

The voice, which had been full of delight just a moment ago, now held only the wetness of tears. As if to welcome the poignant pair, the sun slowly began to rise, and the surroundings were tinged with light.

A sigh was heard from behind him. The old man could not raise his voice any further and glared at the two with a displeased look. Following his lead, Yoonjo also remained silent.

Only after the child had tired himself out from crying and gone limp did the four of them move inside the house. The child clung tightly to the man’s embrace, showing no intention of letting go. With tear stains on his face, he was nestled in his father’s arms like a koala.

The old man did not hide his displeasure with the man. Caught in the middle, Yoonjo quietly observed the situation.

“By the way, who is this person……”

“Daddy, that oppa is pretty, right? He’s Chaei’s friend.”

The child cut in to answer the question directed at Yoonjo. The man tilted his head.

“Chaei’s friend?”

“Yup! Right, oppa? Oppa, you’re Chaei’s friend, right?”

The child, speaking with a nasal tone, was bright and cheerful. He even smiled brightly and asked Yoonjo for confirmation.

In the sudden situation, Yoonjo only moved his lips up and down. He knew he could just smile and nod, but he could not bring himself to do it.

“I have nothing to say to you, so leave the child and get out. There’s no room to offer a punk like you.”

Before Yoonjo could respond, the old man cut the conversation off sharply.

“Father.”

“Who is your father!”

The old man, who had shouted, began to cough violently. A panicked Yoonjo shot up to support the old man. The old man shook him off and held out his arms toward the child.

“Han Chaei. Come here.”

“No!”

“Aren’t you coming here right now? What did I say would happen if you don’t listen to grandpa!”

“Wuuu……”

The child, whimpering, was at a loss for what to do before finally getting up from his spot. His big eyes were full of tears.

The child was dragged away by the old man, crying his eyes out. Bang! Through the gap of the forcefully closed door, the sound of the child’s crying grew more and more distant.

Left alone with the man, Yoonjo stood awkwardly and chewed on his lip. Should he leave, or should he stay put? It was a difficult situation.

“Haaa……”

The man let out a sigh. At the sound, Yoonjo’s body tensed up. The man’s gaze landed on Yoonjo, who took a hesitant step back.

“I’m sorry, but who are you, and why are you here?”

The voice asking the question was calm. Glancing slightly to the side, Yoonjo met the man’s persistent gaze directly. Another long nail mark was carved into his red wrist.

“I’m, just for a moment, being taken care of.”

“Who are you?”

“……”

“Why is someone like you in this rural village?”

His gaze was sharp. Under the stare that seemed to see through everything, Yoonjo could not say a word.

In fact, it was more accurate to say he was unable to speak. Because he had no words to explain himself.

What should I say? Should I say that I was submerged in the sea, and when I came to my senses, I was here, and somehow I ended up being cared for? If I said that, would he believe me? No, there was no way he would believe it. It was an empty statement, too ridiculous to even pass as an excuse.

The man had called the old man ‘Father’. That meant the man was the old man’s son…… It was reasonable for the man to be suspicious of his presence.

“……I’m sorry.”

Unable to find a plausible excuse, Yoonjo hung his head low. His apologizing voice was weak.

As expected, I was too greedy. No matter how much the old man said it was okay, I should have been perceptive enough to leave this place. That was the right thing to do.

The old man had told the man to leave, but the person who really needed to leave was not that man, but Yoonjo himself. With his head hung low, Yoonjo added.

“I will speak to the elder and leave right a—”

“What’s there to listen to that you’re just sitting there!”

It was just as he was resolving to leave at sunrise and trying to offer another apology. The door was flung open, and the old man abruptly pulled Yoonjo toward him. Before he could react in any way, Yoonjo was dragged along by the old man’s strength.

“Come out! You don’t need to be near a punk like that!”

“S-sir……!”

“Ah, hurry up and come out!”

His strength was so great that there was no way to resist it. While being dragged by the old man, Yoonjo still glanced back to check on the situation behind him.

The man also looked clearly flustered. The man, who had risen from his spot, approached them and tried to separate Yoonjo and the old man.

“Father, if you pull a person like this—”

“Who is your father! How dare you call anyone father!”

The world had, by now, brightened completely. White sunlight was illuminating the courtyard. The old man’s face, standing under it, was flushed red and purple with anger.

It was the first time Yoonjo had seen the old man this angry, so he was flustered as well. The child, who had run out of the room barefoot, grabbed onto the old man’s leg.

“I never had a son like you! I can’t even stand the sight of you, so get lost!”

“I hate you, grandpa! Why do you keep telling Chaei’s daddy to leave!”

“Who is your daddy! You want to call a punk like that your father?”

“Waaaah……!”

As if to mock the effort of having been soothed, the child burst into sorrowful sobs. The man, his eyes dropping for a moment, stood barefoot on the ground with a sigh. He then bent his legs to lower his body and opened his arms.

“Chaechae. Come here.”

The man called the child in a low voice. The child, his chin puckered, let out a loud cry and ran to the man, burying himself in his embrace.

The old man standing beside them started to say something but then let out a deep sigh. So many emotions were contained in that sigh that Yoonjo could not add a single word.

“I’m sorry. Daddy is sorry for everything.”

At the poignant reunion of father and child, Yoonjo quietly bowed his head. For some reason, he felt suffocated.

The child, who had been crying for a long time, tired himself out and fell asleep. Even in his sleep, he refused to be separated from the man, so the old man could not kick the man out.

Normally, it was time they would have gone to work in the fields together. But today, the old man left the house alone without a word. Yoonjo, who hesitated whether to follow him or not, ultimately could not. He did not want to bother him needlessly.

Yoonjo settled down on the wooden porch and quietly looked up at the sky. Today’s sky was clear. The sky, clear and blue without a single cloud, perfectly reflected the late summer.

From beyond the door, the man’s voice, patting the child’s back and soothing him, could be heard faintly. The gentle and affectionate voice reminded him of his own father.

He swallowed a sigh. Like an uninvited guest, both his body and mind felt uncomfortable.

He had to leave. This was not a place for him to be. He had no right to break their peace. Now that the master of the house had returned, he had neither the qualification nor the right to stay here any longer.

“Excuse me.”

He was lost in a train of thought, wondering where he should go. Knock, knock. The light tapping sound on the wooden porch brought him back to his senses. His clear eyes turned toward the source of the sound.

As soon as his eyes met the man’s, Yoonjo shot up from his spot. In response, the man, with a slightly softer expression, placed his index finger to his lips.

“He just fell asleep.”

“Ah……”

The face, with its wrinkled nose, had a completely different atmosphere from before. In the more relaxed air, Yoonjo stood awkwardly and waited for the man to speak.

“Shall we go out and talk for a moment?”

The man pointed toward the main gate with a hand that had only the thumb extended. Yoonjo quietly nodded his head.

“……Yes.”

The man, as if familiar with the geography of this place, led the way, and Yoonjo quietly followed him. The place the two of them headed to was the seashore, the very place the old man had warned him never to go to.

The man leaned his body against a nearby rock as if perching on it and let out a long breath. Yoonjo stood a little distance away from him with his hands clasped in front, his head bowed low. He looked as if he were being punished.

For a while, only silence hovered between the two of them. Swaaa, the sound of the waves barely managed to fill the gaps in the silence.

“You’re an omega, right?”

“……Pardon?”

The question the man threw after a long while was bewildering. Yoonjo’s face visibly hardened upon hearing the unexpected question. The man, glancing at him, propped his hands behind him and let out a small laugh.

“I just took a guess. Looks like I was right.”

“……”

“It’s all over your face, you know.”

Yoonjo bit his lip. The fact that his thoughts were plainly visible on his face was a trait he had known about since he was young.

Strangely, the man showed no agitation. Usually, when people found out he was an omega, they would either openly show their discomfort or rush to leave, but the man did neither.

He could not even read his expression to know what he was thinking. The man just stared at Yoonjo for a moment before turning his gaze back toward the sea.

“Whatever your sub-gender is, it doesn’t matter to me.”

“……”

“What I’m curious about is how much longer you’re going to be here.”

His expression was placid. But there was a sting in his words.

Not knowing what to say, Yoonjo simply remained silent. There was nothing he could do but keep his mouth shut and lower his gaze.

The world was still a harsh place for an omega to live in. Moreover, Yoonjo was a male omega. People with the same sub-gender and sex as Yoonjo usually belonged to the lowest rungs of the social ladder.

“My father isn’t the type to take people in. I guess there must be some circumstances.”

“……”

“Seeing how Chaei is so fond of you, you don’t seem like a bad person either.”

The man was still looking at the sea. His pronunciation was slightly slurred as he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

The cigarette the man was smoking was the same brand as Won Kangho’s. Yoonjo squeezed his eyes shut as if to erase the image of Won Kangho that naturally came to mind.

Click, click, the wheel of a cheap lighter spun a few times before finally producing a small flame. The man lit the end of his cigarette and whoo, blew out the smoke.

He barely suppressed the urge to gag that rose up at the acrid cigarette smoke. Every time the man exhaled, the smoke brushed past Yoonjo’s cheek.

“Want one?”

The man asked as if offering a favor. Where he lifted his head, the man was holding out the cigarette pack toward him.

“……No. I’m fine.”

“Alright, then.”

The man shrugged his shoulders once and put the cigarette pack back in his pocket. He then sucked on the filter until his cheeks hollowed and blew out the smoke with a whoosh.

The acrid cigarette smoke made him want to gag, but he barely managed to swallow it down. Every time the man exhaled, the cigarette smoke brushed past Yoonjo’s cheek.

“Since we’re at it, shall we introduce ourselves?”

The man tapped the cigarette held between his fingers. The burnt ash fell off, scattered by the wind.

“My name is Yoon Chaemin. And you are?”

“……Lee Yoonjo.”

“That’s a pretty name. It suits you.”

Yoonjo instantly regretted saying his name.

Among the people here, no one knew Yoonjo’s name. Not even the old man knew it.

His heart began to beat anxiously. His imagination began to run wilder and wilder. It was unlikely, but what if, just what if, this man was one of Won Kangho’s lackeys……

“I just entrusted him to my father for a while because of some circumstances, our Chaei.”

The man himself, with an unfazed expression, naturally changed the topic of conversation. Yoon Chaemin slowly scanned Yoonjo’s face with his eyes.

“You must have been here for quite some time. Seeing how close you’ve gotten with Chaei.”

Yoon Chaemin’s way of speaking was peculiar. He would create a comfortable atmosphere while planting barbs in his words to pry answers out of the other person.

What was the man’s intention? Was it because he did not want his child to get involved with a strange person, or was there another reason?

Unable to grasp his intention, Yoonjo could not offer a reply. Yoon Chaemin looked at Yoonjo and took another long drag on the filter. Ash scattered from the end of the half-burnt cigarette.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I would appreciate it if you could leave as soon as possible.”

“……”

“He’s a very affectionate child, so I’m worried he’ll get hurt if he gets too attached.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t say that to get an apology.”

After a moment of thought, Yoonjo cautiously parted his lips.

“Until this summer is over, could you please wait.”

“Why summer, of all times?”

The lips that had just managed to open closed again. What he had just said was close to an impulse.

It was already the end of late summer. It had been a long time since Ipchu, the day that marks the beginning of autumn, but the weather was still hot. For the real autumn to arrive, about a fortnight had to pass.

When he leaves this house, a path of thorns will unfold. Before stepping onto that painful road, he wanted to be greedy just a little bit. Because if it was not here, he could never be happy or at ease.

It was, literally, greed. It was not a long time, but he wanted to be greedy for at least that much time. It was the last and greatest luxury he could afford.

“That’s about before autumn comes, I guess. Then… around next month, maybe.”

As Yoonjo remained silent, Yoon Chaemin muttered as if to himself. Yoonjo quietly nodded his head in affirmation.

Yoon Chaemin pressed the butt of the fully smoked cigarette with his fingertips and folded it. Holding the fingernail-sized butt in his hand, the man got up from his spot.

As Yoon Chaemin approached, Yoonjo faltered and stepped backward. The man extended his right hand toward the thoroughly frightened Yoonjo.

“Let’s get along until then.”

As if urging him to take it, Yoon Chaemin pushed his hand closer. Watching him, Yoonjo could neither do this nor that, his lips just parting slightly.

Is it okay to take his hand? The embers of anxiety had not yet died down in his heart. Yoonjo had been hurt too much to trust someone.

“Have you never shaken hands before?”

“Ah……!”

Yoon Chaemin took the lead and pulled Yoonjo’s hand, grasping it firmly. Meeting his surprised eyes, the man smiled and shook their hands up and down.

“Let’s get along, the two of us.”

Yoonjo could not reply. The eyes of the person biting the inside of his mouth trembled with anxiety.

The old man treated Yoon Chaemin as if he were not there. To the old man, Yoon Chaemin was, in every sense of the word, an invisible man. The child had talked back to his grandfather several times and had been given a severe scolding for it.

Caught in the middle, Yoonjo was busy trying to read the situation. He did not know what to do with himself in the strange current and murderous atmosphere flowing between Yoon Chaemin and the old man.

“You don’t need to worry about a punk like that. How dare he come here. The shameless bastard.”

“Sir……”

The most agonizing time was mealtime. Even though Yoon Chaemin was there, the old man, as if intentionally, prepared meals for only three people, and Yoonjo would secretly sneak Yoon Chaemin’s portion onto the dinner table.

The old man seemed to dislike Yoon Chaemin a great deal. Judging by how he called him ‘Father’, he seemed to be his son. He wanted to ask why he hated him so much, but Yoonjo did not have the right to do so.

“That little thing Han Chaei doesn’t even know the grace of being raised, and as soon as his daddy comes, he just ditches his grandpa……”

The child, who always used to stick to Yoonjo, had moved on to Yoon Chaemin. Saying he could not disappear again, the child refused to even take a nap, and Yoon Chaemin had already forced him to sleep several times.

The night came quickly. The old man snatched the child up and went into the room, and the only ones left on the wooden porch were Yoon Chaemin and Yoonjo.

“Aren’t you going in?”

“Ah, well……”

“Don’t mind me and go in and sleep comfortably. It’s summer, so it’s fine for now.”

Yoon Chaemin, lying down on the wooden porch for all to see, pulled over a stray roll of toilet paper, used it as a pillow, and even closed his eyes. Since coming here, Yoon Chaemin always slept outside like that.

After hesitating for a moment, Yoonjo quietly headed to his room. He felt uneasy, as if he had stolen someone else’s spot when he should have been the one sleeping outside.

Even after entering the room, Yoonjo could not rest comfortably and barely managed to lie down on the bedding. As soon as he laid his head on the old, flattened pillow, sleepiness washed over him in an instant.

“……Rain?”

It was just when he was teetering on the edge of sleep. Swaaaa, the sound of pouring rain was heard.

Even though it’s summer, it’ll be chilly if it rains. He was worried about Yoon Chaemin, who would be sleeping curled up on the porch without a pillow or a blanket.

In the end, he got up. Just as when he came in, he opened the door without a sound and checked the spot where Yoon Chaemin had been lying. Yoon Chaemin was lying down with his back to the courtyard.

He approached him with muffled footsteps. He tapped his shoulder lightly, and the closed eyes opened.

“Uhm… Come inside and sleep.”

The gaze staring at Yoonjo was plain. In the darkness where even the moonlight had disappeared, only Yoon Chaemin’s eyes shone.

“It’s raining, so it’s chilly. You might catch a cold, so……”

Yoonjo could not finish his sentence. His eyes, unable to withstand the man’s gaze, gradually lowered. His hands could not stay still and picked at a hangnail.

Yoon Chaemin was still lying down. Tap, tap, the man tapped the wooden floor with his fingertips. Hmm, making a sound, Yoon Chaemin muttered in a low voice.

“You let people inside so fearlessly.”

The gaze that had been lowered came back up. His jet-black eyes were deep.

“Are you doing this on purpose right now?”

Looking at the frozen Yoonjo, Yoon Chaemin continued.

“What do you think I’ll do if I go inside.”

“……”

“Are you naive, or are you pretending to be naive?”

His flustered lips clamped shut. He had only told him to come inside because he was worried, but the man seemed to have taken his intentions differently.

“You’re not answering me.”

“……I’m sorry.”

He did not make any excuses or explanations. Yoonjo was used to that.

Yoon Chaemin, who had been watching Yoonjo quietly, shot up. He pushed the flattened roll of toilet paper aside and stood up.

Yoon Chaemin’s footsteps faded as he walked past Yoonjo and slipped into the room. Yoonjo did not budge from his spot and just hung his head low.

“What are you doing? Not coming in.”

The head that had been slumped down shot up. The light leaking from the room washed over Yoonjo’s face.

“Come in, quickly.”

“Ah……”

“Mr. Lee Yoonjo, you close the door on your way in.”

After saying only what he had to say and going back in, Yoonjo stood blankly for a moment. Then, he slowly got up and approached the room.

Yoon Chaemin was lying on the bare floor, not on the bedding. The only difference from being on the porch was that he was using his arm as a pillow instead of a roll of toilet paper.

After hearing what he said just a moment ago, is it really okay to go in? The hand holding the doorknob could not bring itself to let go and hesitated.

“Cold air is coming in.”

Yoonjo, who had been hesitating, quietly closed the door and loitered near Yoon Chaemin. When their eyes met, he quickly gestured toward the side where the bedding was laid out.

“Uhm, not there, please sleep over here.”

“It’s fine, just turn off the light for me.”

It was a clear refusal, but Yoonjo only turned off the light after covering Yoon Chaemin with the blanket. Lying on the thin mattress and looking up, an afterimage of the light remained on the ceiling. The room without the light was dark, and the sound of rain filled the summer country night.

“Aren’t you curious?”

His body, which had been tense the whole time, jumped with a start. When he whipped his body around, his eyes met Yoon Chaemin’s, who was already looking this way. His eyes, which were exactly like the child’s, twinkled and shone even in the darkness.

“About, about what……?”

His eyes, unable to grasp the intention of the words, rolled around, unable to find a place to rest.

“Aren’t you curious about me?”

“……Should I be curious?”

Yoon Chaemin said nothing. He just stared at Yoonjo quietly for a long time. Yoonjo could not avoid that plain gaze and quietly clenched his hands.

“I think I know why my father let you in.”

The words he muttered as if to himself were clear.

“Do you know that I’m an alpha?”

“What?”

A surprised Yoonjo shot up. In contrast, Yoon Chaemin showed no agitation at all. He also got up from his spot and pulled the string connected to the light fixture. Click, with the sound, the surroundings brightened.

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t know. It was true.”

“……”

“It wasn’t a pretense, then. I thought you knew everything and still let me in.”

An alpha? Then why didn’t I know? If he was a sub-gender individual, especially an alpha, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known.

Thinking about it, it was strange. From the moment he escaped the hospital, no, perhaps even long before that, he had never felt any pheromones other than Won Kangho’s.

He had no capacity to care about such things. He was suffocating, and the only thought that filled his mind was that he had to live first, so what someone’s pheromones were like was outside Yoonjo’s interest.

His confused eyes darted back and forth. Even after hearing that Yoon Chaemin was an alpha, Yoonjo could not feel his pheromones.

No matter how well one could conceal their pheromones, it was impossible to hide even the small traces left on the body. Distinguishing whether the other person was a sub-gender individual or not was an instinctive and animalistic sense. But why didn’t I know?

“My father is a beta, and Chaei hasn’t presented yet.”

The man continued to speak in a calm, low voice. His aimlessly wandering gaze fell upon the man. As their eyes met, Yoon Chaemin began to speak.

“This question is a little rude.”

The man, sitting cross-legged with his elbows on his knees and his chin cupped in his hand, continued to speak. His gaze was so sharp that Yoonjo unknowingly tensed up.

“Have you, by any chance, imprinted?”

“……”

“Or is there something wrong with your body?”

Imprinting. The moment he heard that word, all of Yoonjo’s movements stopped. He froze stiffly like a person who had forgotten even to breathe, his hands trembling.

Yes, imprinting. If it’s that, then this whole situation makes sense. Recalling the events that had passed until now, Yoonjo suddenly clutched his own neck. He felt suffocated, just like when that man had grabbed his neck.

“Ha, heuu, ugh……”

“Uh, are, are you okay?”

A flustered Yoon Chaemin rushed over and supported Yoonjo. Even with the force shaking his body, Yoonjo could not utter a single response.

His body, having finally realized the horrifically cruel truth, could not accept the shock. Yoonjo, who had been letting out ragged breaths, closed his eyes. He felt suffocated, just like when he was trapped in the sea.

Won Kangho had ruined a person’s life. No, perhaps it was not just one person. Yoonjo could not even begin to fathom how many people’s tomorrows had been crumpled in his hands.

When the sharp teeth sank into the nape of his neck, it was so painful and agonizing. Even when he cried and begged, Won Kangho only held him tighter and would not let go.

The front that was unseen, bound by a necktie, the hands held above his head, the skin touching. The merciless movements ravaging his insides. All those sensations were horrifically vivid.

He begged him to please stop. He thinks he also asked him to save him. He could not remember what he had said. He was in that much agony.

There was nothing he could do. He just hoped the man would finish this act quickly, prayed that tomorrow would be a little less painful, and dreamed that the day after, the man would abandon him.

None of Yoonjo’s wishes came true. The lips that had been on the nape of his neck moved to his swollen lips.

His lower lip was bitten hard. The man laughed with a guttural growl. His rough hand swept up his skin, raising goosebumps.

‘Baby, Yoonjo-ya.’

“Heok!”

Yoonjo, startled, shot up from his spot. The whole body of the person who had just woken up was drenched in a cold sweat.

“Oppa? Did you have a bad dream?”

“Are you okay?”

The child and Yoon Chaemin, who were sitting next to Yoonjo, had worried faces. The child looked as if he was about to burst into tears at any moment.

Yoonjo, who had been sitting blankly, slowly came back to reality. This was not the prison-like penthouse, nor the hellish Hwayudam. It was an unnamed rural village, the house of the old man and the child.

“I’m fine, I’m fine……”

“……”

“Oppa-ah……”

The hands of the person saying he was fine with a face that was not fine at all were trembling. Yoonjo buried his face in his palms and let out a deep breath.

The dream had been too vivid. No, it might not have been a dream, but something that actually happened.

His heart beat erratically. Pheromones flowed out uncontrollably, enveloping the surroundings. Yoon Chaemin, who was staring at Yoonjo, helped the child up from his spot.

“Chaechae. Want to go play with grandpa for a bit?”

“Why? Chaei wants to be with oppa too!”

“It’s because Daddy and oppa have something to talk about. It’ll only take a moment.”

“……Then I’ll really only be gone for this little bit and Chaei will come back.”

Persuaded by Yoon Chaemin, the child obediently left the room. Until then, Yoonjo could not lift the face he had buried in his palms.

As if waiting for Yoonjo to calm down, Yoon Chaemin repeatedly wrung out the wet towel in the basin and soaked it again. After a long time, Yoonjo finally lifted his head, his face clouded. Haa, with a sigh, he habitually apologized.

“I’m sorry……”

“It’s okay, so lie down. Your fever hasn’t gone down yet.”

“No, it’s fine—”

He could not finish his sentence due to a dizzy spell. Yoon Chaemin clicked his tongue and supported Yoonjo, laying him down.

He was already so indebted, and now he was being a burden like this again. He resented his own wretched body. Placing a tightly wrung-out wet towel on Yoonjo’s forehead, Yoon Chaemin opened his mouth.

“It’s been four days.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s been four days since you woke up, Mr. Lee Yoonjo.”

“Ah……”

Four days. He felt like he had just fallen asleep for a moment and woken up, so he could not believe that so much time had already passed.

Memories and dreams were mixed up, leaving him confused. The man watched Yoonjo quietly as he bit his lip, not knowing what to do.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Leaving that one remark, Yoon Chaemin left the room, and Yoonjo, left alone, squeezed his eyes shut. He covered his eyes with his arm and held back the tears that threatened to burst forth.

He had dreams like this often. It started from the day he ran away from Won Kangho. His body may have escaped from him, but his mind had not.

Won Kangho appeared in his dreams every day, and in those dreams, he cried without fail. Even after waking up, the crying did not stop.

He bit his dry, chapped lips, trying not to cry. It felt like if he cried here, he would really crumble. His life was already ruined, but he did not want it to become even more wretched.

Around the time his lips turned white, the door opened and Yoon Chaemin entered. In his hand, he was holding a cup.

“Drink some. It’s honey water.”

From inside the simple cup, the sweet scent of honey gently rose. The cup, carefully handed over, held a moderately warm temperature.

Holding the cup with both hands, Yoonjo just stared at him blankly. Without bringing it to his lips or smelling its fragrance, he did not take his eyes off the gently shimmering liquid.

“I know this is nosy.”

His dazed gaze followed the voice. Yoon Chaemin, his face slightly stiffened, parted his lips. He seemed to be debating whether to speak or not. Soon, as if having made a decision, Yoon Chaemin looked straight at Yoonjo.

“Listen to this casually. It’s just my speculation.”

Yoonjo’s gaze fell on Yoon Chaemin’s lips. Fear swelled up, not knowing what words he would utter. His heart pounded like a crazed shuttlecock.

“You didn’t know you were imprinted, did you.”

The end of the sentence did not rise. Yoon Chaemin spoke in a firm voice as if he were certain.

“It looks like a one-sided imprint, from what I can see.”

“……”

“I’ve been releasing my pheromones this whole time, but you can’t feel any of it, Mr. Lee Yoonjo.”

His flustered eyelids trembled. His gaze seemed to wander in the air before dropping down.

Now, he had no choice but to admit it. That Won Kangho had imprinted on him. Otherwise, none of this could be explained.

When a sub-gender individual imprints, they become unable to feel anyone else’s pheromones except for each other’s. Regardless of whether it is mutual or one-sided. And right now, Yoonjo could not feel Yoon Chaemin’s pheromones.

It was not the first time he had heard it, but the shock was still immense. However, he did not have a fit like before. His face, accepting it as if in a state of resignation, was dark.

“So it’s true.”

“……”

“Do you know who the other person is?”

His hesitant head moved slightly. Watching Yoonjo nod, Yoon Chaemin let out a deep sigh.

Both of them were lost in their own thoughts and could not open their mouths. The honey water, which had not even been touched, grew lukewarm.

He never thought Won Kangho would have imprinted on him. Imprinting was like a ritual that only happened between people who loved each other.

Won Kangho did such an act to him? It was absurd. To Won Kangho, he was nothing more than a plaything or a toy.

To deny it, all the circumstances fit perfectly. He knew that denying it would not change the fact, but he did not want to admit it either.

“Since I’ve already been nosy, I’ll see it through to the end.”

His gaze, which had been rolling on the yellow linoleum floor, rose up. Yoon Chaemin, with a determined expression, looked straight at Yoonjo and opened his mouth.

“I’ll help you.”

“……Pardon?”

“I can help you.”

His delicate eyelids trembled. The man continued to speak.

“I know someone at the Omega Sub-gender Center. Medical science has improved a lot these days, so a one-sided imprint can be broken at the center. If you’re okay with it, Mr. Lee Yoonjo, I can connect you.”

The Omega Sub-gender Center. Yoonjo knew of it as well. He had received a lot of help there when he first presented.

The Omega Sub-gender Center, one of the state institutions, not only dealt with the physical problems of omegas but also worked for their human rights.

If he would help, he would be grateful. As long as the imprint remained, Won Kangho would find him one way or another. To escape from him, the imprint absolutely had to be broken.

But.

“……Why?”

A fundamental question raised its head. Yoon Chaemin had no reason at all to help him.

To Yoon Chaemin, Yoonjo was a being closer to an unwelcome guest. It was only right for Yoon Chaemin to be displeased with Yoonjo. And at first, he certainly had been.