Heavy Rain Chapter 66

By this point, he could no longer ignore the fact that Lyle’s will to keep the promise made to Haejin was strong enough to suppress his own instincts during the rut. Because he had learned something unnecessary, Haejin felt troubled and brushed at his arm. It was as if he were trying to scatter Lyle’s body scent that clung persistently to that spot.

However, the pheromones merely moved to his hand. Much like the thoughts that continued to circle inside Haejin’s head.

“Sigh…”

A sigh escaped him of its own accord. He should have realized much sooner, when Lyle came all the way to that dark motel room to catch him, that something had gone fundamentally wrong. He had a place he absolutely had to go once the contract ended, so this was beyond troublesome.

But Haejin buried all these emotions deep inside himself with effort. He resolved never to open them again. Inside, the things Haejin had piled up all this time were swollen to the point of bursting. He turned away even from that critical state.

Everything would be fine as long as he did not think deeply. He would just stay here indifferently, recovering his body just enough to be able to walk away. That would be the best Haejin could do right now.

After pulling himself together, Lyle went to the office first to handle the accumulated work. Though he had only been away for a few days, his desk was piled high with various documents.

It was only after that that he visited the hospital. The primary physician looked at Lyle with an expression of slight exhaustion, seeing that he had handled work as soon as he woke up before coming to see him so late.

“How is your body feeling.”

“…Not particularly good.”

It was perhaps natural, as it hadn’t been a proper pheromone resolution. Lyle could no longer remember well when the period without headaches had been.

The primary physician, who knew his condition better than anyone, watched Lyle with deep eyes before eventually asking cautiously.

“Did you imprint.”

“Yes.”

Lyle affirmed it calmly since he had already expected the question. If he had only shown obsession toward Haejin, he might have been able to deny it and move on. An Alpha’s instinct to obsess over his Omega was a common thing. Since it was Lyle, who had a phobia of Omegas, it still would have looked unnatural, but it would have been better than the fact of imprinting being known.

However, the fact that he showed abnormal reactions even while saturated with sleeping pills became the ultimate problem. Only after regaining his senses did he feel self-reproach, thinking that he should not have let Haejin be seen or moved his pheromones as if protecting the fellow when the doctor came to his mansion. Because he hadn’t been in his right mind, he had dropped too many clues.

However, as if the primary physician understood the gravity of this situation, he pointedly did not ask who the imprint partner was.

“You are aware that this is a dangerous situation, I presume.”

“I am.”

Once imprinting occurs, one will eventually die if the pheromones of the imprinted partner are absent. Even if it is not specifically for pheromone resolution, the body breaks down if one cannot have periodic contact with the imprint partner.

Lyle was now as good as dead if Haejin left him.

“It seems the pheromones caused a problem.”

Even while knowing that, Lyle calmly recited the analyzed situation. Even in a situation where he might die if Haejin eventually chose to leave his side, he yearned for the fellow.

Seeing how he even thought this was a fitting punishment for himself, it seemed his brain was quite broken.

However, the primary physician, who was watching Lyle in this state, could not hide his puzzled expression and contradicted his words.

“That cannot be it.”

“What do you mean?”

Lyle furrowed his brow, wondering if there was a fact he had been unaware of.

“Imprinting is not a simple action of pheromones. It is a subtle matter combined with emotions.”

“…”

At the unexpected words, Lyle’s furrowed expression showed no sign of returning to normal.

His mother had never managed to imprint on his father, whom she was so obsessed with. What existed between them must have been a thick and deep emotion. Though he wasn’t sure if that was what people generally called love.

But emotions. At the moment of imprinting that Lyle remembered, he had never had any significant exchange of emotions with Haejin. It was just that the fellow’s thin body bothered him a little.

“Are you not mistaken about something.”

“I am not. As you know, imprinting is by no means common, but there is no disagreement that the phenomenon is a combined action of emotions and pheromones.”

“…”

At the doctor’s rebuttal, Lyle ended up at a loss for words. Why did the maxim that pheromones are half a beat faster come to mind again at this time?

Sensing something of the circumstances from his serious face, the primary physician changed the subject while handing over the test results for now.

“In any case, because the rut overlapped this time, the pheromone congestion is at a very dangerous level.”

“I will take note of that.”

“…From now on, pheromone resolution cannot be done with anyone other than the imprint partner. A rejection reaction will occur. Also, you must have periodic contact with the imprint partner’s pheromones. Even in small amounts.”

At the words added with worry, Lyle calmly prepared to stand up. The doctor sighed and said he would also try to gather accurate research data regarding imprinting.

“Fine.”

Lyle found it quite fascinating that this heart of his remained strangely peaceful despite all those warnings.

While returning to the mansion, Lyle pondered the doctor’s words. Specifically, the statement that imprinting is a product of emotions.

There was certainly no way that was true. Wasn’t imprinting something that only happened between people who were meant to be joined like fate? In fact, he knew the knowledge of imprinting, but he had never thought it would actually exist. There was not a single person around him who had imprinted.

Had it not just been something like a fantasy used mainly in romance movies?

In any case, no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed he had never harbored any particular feelings toward Haejin. All the actions he had taken until now were clearly the imprinting swaying him.

The moment he thought that, he felt Haejin’s pheromones from a distance.

“Ah.”

Haejin, who must have been going somewhere, was walking with his crutches when he spotted him and let out a short exclamation. The moment he heard that voice, Lyle’s mind went blank, and he could think of nothing.

He clearly thought he had been agonizing over something intensely until now, but he forgot it all and just stared endlessly at the Haejin he had encountered. The black hair and black eyes. Things like the white face that had filled out a little.

As he observed breathlessly as if checking for any reaction, Haejin looked at such a Lyle with wonder. He hungered for that gaze so much it was hard to bear.

“Mr. Vermouth.”

“Yes.”

He felt that his own answer had never sounded so stupid. Nevertheless, Lyle could not stop staring blankly at Haejin’s lips.

“Is the rut over.”

“Yes.”

The sound of his heart beating was loud. He was worried that the Haejin in front of him might hear his heartbeat at any moment and furrow his brow.

“I see.”

Only after repeating the stupid answer did Lyle realize the intention behind Haejin’s words. Looking at where Haejin had just come from, he must not have returned to his room in the main building yet.

Only then, becoming urgent, Lyle spoke hastily.

“Ah, I will take measures so you can return to your room immediately…”

“The room is fine.”

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, the fellow spat out a refusal. It was a tone that was very light and contained no particular deliberation. After all, it didn’t matter to Haejin where the room was or if it was small.

However, that small manner of speaking hit Lyle as heavily as a storm.

Could it be that he didn’t like that room? The room Haejin had been using was the only guest room in the main building of this mansion. In the first place, the main building was an intimate place for the immediate family. Having a guest stay there was the highest form of treatment.

“That is the only guest room in the main building, but if you didn’t like it, I will give you another room.”

Upon hearing that, Haejin had a moment of pure curiosity. The only room in the main building—was that not a phrase where one could feel its importance just by hearing it?

“Why did you give such a room to me.”

Why had he bothered to assign such a room to him? It wasn’t as if there were no rooms in the annex. In fact, the room Haejin was using temporarily was not bad at all if it was for treating a guest.

At that question, which lacked any expectation, Lyle ended up speechless. Because he felt that he was still being stupid.