The World of Contrasts Vol. 3 Chapter 5

The heat, which seemed like it would never end, finally subsided after four days. Without stepping a foot outside the hotel room, Jaemin safely concluded his heat period. The term “safely” was fitting because of the wild sex with Daeyoung.

The fantasy he had while masturbating was nothing more than a cute imagination compared to reality. The alpha, who had lost his only sex mate (the term “imprint” still felt awkward to Jaemin) for seven years, didn’t take his cock out of Jaemin’s hole for three nights and four days.

“Please, stop, sob! Please, ah!”

“Don’t cry, spread your legs. It’s okay.”

Jaemin, dehydrated from continuous orgasms, drank water, even rummaged through the trash for triangular rice balls to eat while Daeyoung continued to pound into him.

Whether they were dead or alive, on the second day, a man with dumpling-shaped ears broke into the room with a loud shout. Even in front of the shocked man who had ordered room service, and the hotel staff who brought it into the room, Daeyoung unabashedly licked Jaemin’s hole and thrust his swollen cock back in.

Jaemin had never even considered having sex in front of others, but he had no energy to push Daeyoung away. It felt like an unknown hunger within him was exploding.

For the first time, Jaemin realized how satisfying a heat cycle could be when not suppressed by inhibitors, absorbing every stimulus Daeyoung provided like someone addicted to an unbreakable drug.

Even as he thought he might die from this, Jaemin sat astride the prone Daeyoung, moving his hips back and forth quickly while letting out sobbing moans.

“Uh, uh, huh… uh.”

The situation where Daeyoung’s cock inside him expanded, making his stomach swell to the point of bursting, repeated several times. Instinctively knowing this was knotting, Jaemin felt neither pain nor fear, only panting with joy as he felt Daeyoung’s semen completely flooding his insides.

“…I missed you.”

The one more out of touch with reality was Daeyoung. When Jaemin, shaking pitifully on top of him, fell into a light sleep and woke up, Daeyoung was still panting with crazed eyes, thrusting into him.

To force Daeyoung to drink water since he wasn’t eating or drinking, Jaemin had to create a chilling scene of transferring water mouth-to-mouth.

The only time Daeyoung seemed to regain some sense was when he picked up a pill bottle from the desk. Initially, Jaemin thought it was drugs, but later learned they were rut suppressants.

Wondering if it was necessary to take them, Jaemin looked at Daeyoung, who said, “Because you’re too precious,” before kissing him gently. Jaemin felt like he could cry from this tender kiss, but his thoughts evaporated with the sex that soon followed.

Jaemin finally regained his sanity on the last day of the year, December 31st.

He showered with a somewhat sane man who introduced himself as his lover. Despite saying he wouldn’t go anywhere, Daeyoung insisted on being within sight and forcibly entered the bathroom.

Though it was absurd, Jaemin had to pee in front of him.

“Why do you pee like that?”

Daeyoung asked, looking at Jaemin with a strange gaze as he sat on the toilet.

“…What do you mean?”

Maybe because he was being watched, Jaemin felt his stream was blocked, so he pushed harder from his dantian, letting out a coarse fountain.

“You never pee sitting down.”

“Mama doesn’t like dirty things.”

When Jaemin replied indifferently, Daeyoung’s expression became even more peculiar, frowning in a way that somehow looked displeased.

“What, can’t I pee how I want?”

Was I like this before losing my memory? Hoping he hadn’t indulged in such a play where he controlled even his bodily functions under the command of an authoritarian man, Jaemin stood up with an exasperated look.

After flushing the toilet and washing his hands at the sink, he saw Daeyoung approaching. The man slowly closing the distance behind him in the mirror looked like either a murderer in a thriller or the protagonist in a romance movie. His words, while embracing Jaemin’s waist, didn’t fit with either image.

“It’s not about the pee. I wouldn’t care if you peed in your pants while walking around.”

“…”

He’s definitely got a screw loose.

“Then what’s the problem?”

Daeyoung, who had been caressing the long scar on his back, finally murmured in a low voice.

“You’ve never cared about anyone but me.”

There seemed to be a faint spark in his deep-set eyes glaring at the mirror.

“Ha…”

As Jaemin, speechless, tried to leave, Daeyoung grabbed both of his wrists. Still pressing his hips down, Daeyoung thrust his cock back into Jaemin’s hole where his semen was still dripping.

Even though the heat had ended, Jaemin couldn’t push Daeyoung away. Just as he said, his body seemed ready to accept him anytime he wanted.

It was strange.

One second ago, he was irritated by him, but the moment they shared body heat, the situation flipped.

Feeling an anxious sensation, Jaemin closed his eyes tightly. After hugging Daeyoung’s neck and kissing him on his own, Daeyoung let out a satisfied moan while strongly caressing his body.

“Ah… Hh…!”

After fucking once while standing in front of the sink, then twice under the hot water from the standing shower, Jaemin’s body was so exhausted it couldn’t move, his skin red from the heat. His mind felt blank as if he had stayed awake for three nights.

Jaemin lay in the bedroom wearing the same bathrobe as Daeyoung. The bed was so comfortable it felt like his body was being sucked in, and the weight of the blanket felt good.

But there was no way he could sleep. Dawn was already breaking outside. Daeyoung adjusted the curtains to block all the light from outside before returning to the bed.

Jaemin, lying next to this man he’d met just a week ago, who was forcing him to cuddle, held up his pinky finger and asked:

“So, I was a gangster, huh?”

Considering the tattoos and scars on his body, it wasn’t incomprehensible. But Daeyoung’s body, which seemed perfectly molded like clay, had not a single blemish.

“I’m not a gangster though.”

As if reading his thoughts, Daeyoung answered.

“Then what are you?”

“A businessman.”

Daeyoung, with his head propped on his arm, looked down at him and said something laughable.

“Businessmen who are close with the yakuza are all gangsters.”

When Jaemin voiced his opinion, Daeyoung stretched out his eyes and smirked. Perhaps because of his wet bangs covering his forehead or his slightly relaxed expression, he finally looked his age.

“Are you scared because I’m a gangster?”

“Were you worried I might have forced you to be mine through threats?”

This time, Daeyoung laughed, his throat vibrating with a low chuckle. Even the way his perfectly symmetrical lips stretched was annoyingly handsome.

“Why do you always twist my words?”

“Because I love Jang Jaemin.”

Heat rose to Jaemin’s face. Daeyoung had said he liked the name Jang Jaemin. But this “like” was clearly not just about the name.

Is it okay to say “like” so easily? The automatic doubt was followed by the thought, why shouldn’t I? Come to think of it, Jaemin had never once expressed that he liked something.

Why not? The reason was fear. Fear of what, exactly…

“What are you thinking?”

Daeyoung asked as Jaemin frowned. Jaemin pushed his tangled thoughts aside and cleared his throat. The only certain thing was how embarrassing the current situation felt.

“I was thinking you’re good at saying corny things.”

“Want more?”

The scent of the alpha, piercing through the body shampoo, wrapped around him like a gentle breeze.

“Stop it.”

“I like you so much, Jang Jaemin.”

When Jaemin finally couldn’t take it anymore and tried to cover his mouth, Daeyoung kissed his palm, making a smacking sound. As Jaemin tried to pull his hand away from the ticklish sensation of his tongue licking his palm lines, Daeyoung put his finger in his mouth.

“What the hell are you doing… Hey.”

A smile hung in his eyes as he audibly sucked on Jaemin’s finger. Daeyoung laughed whenever Jaemin said anything. The discrepancy between this and the look that seemed like it could destroy everything if provoked was so vast that Jaemin couldn’t figure out which was the real him.

“I’m not eating that.”

Jaemin wanted to pinch his slippery tongue but failed. After having his fill of Jaemin’s hand, Daeyoung let him go. Jaemin, pretending to wipe his hand on Daeyoung’s broad chest, checked his pecs.

“Wow… How much do you weigh?”

“I shot about 3 liters into you, so probably not over 100 kilos.”

The fact that this body, made of nothing but muscle, weighed 100 kilograms was shockingly impressive, and it made sense why he was so exhausted now after being pounded by this body.

“You’re not even human, for sure.”

“Fallen for me again?”

Daeyoung asked without changing his expression. When Jaemin muttered, “I’m annoyed,” and turned his face away, Daeyoung chuckled and pulled him into an embrace.

Thump, thump, the strong, steady heartbeat from his broad chest against Jaemin’s cheek was palpable. Lying in bed and bantering with a man he’d only just met, Jaemin felt surprisingly unawkward, which was confusing. At the same time, his left chest ached.

“…Hey. Jang Daeyoung.”

Being choked by this man hadn’t happened yet, though. After a moment of silence, Daeyoung, resting his chin on Jaemin’s head, responded with a low “Yeah.” His large hand gently brushed through Jaemin’s still-damp hair.

The reason why this tender touch didn’t feel completely gentle was because of his other hand, which was firmly gripping Jaemin’s butt. The grip was strong enough to leave handprints, vividly displaying the raw lust of the 100-kilo muscle-bound gangster.

“Did I… like you that much?”

Jaemin had to clear his throat, feeling it catch.

“You don’t think so?”

Instead of answering, Daeyoung asked slowly in a voice that seemed to melt eardrums.

Jaemin frowned at his sharp nose bridge, noticing his heart starting to beat faster. Clearly, he seemed to like this man in front of him. If he didn’t, even if he were a slave to pheromones, he wouldn’t be lying quietly in the arms of someone he didn’t remember.

✽ ✽ ✽

“Don’t you think you didn’t?”

The man was as persistent in his personality as he was with his hands. The wet noise, “squeak, squeak,” spread from where he was kneading Jaemin’s buttocks like dough, specifically from the hole that was opening and closing repeatedly.

Even after trying to remove as much as possible in the shower, the 3 liters he had ejaculated (which was no joke) was still there, making lewd sounds. Of course, the one deliberately making him hear this noise was the man in front of him, looking at him with eyes deep like a bottomless well.

“It feels like it’s right, but… why does my stomach feel… weird?”

Jaemin swallowed hard and bit his lip. His heart surely reacted when he looked at him, but at the same time, he felt a hot flame rising within. To be more honest, there was a coexistence of good feelings and anxious ones. He wanted to have sex with him while also wanting to kill him.

“…”

Jaemin was startled by the sudden, strange thought.

“How is it weird?”

Daeyoung asked, staring intently at him. Jaemin didn’t feel like the man would understand if he explained the ironic feelings he was experiencing, mainly because he didn’t understand them himself.

In the end, Jaemin spoke his thoughts as they came.

“I don’t know. I just feel… heated, and something keeps rising inside me.”

“That’s not weird. It’s natural.”

“How is that natural? Weren’t we on bad terms?”

Daeyoung answered without a second’s hesitation as he looked at Jaemin with a puzzled expression.

“We were fucking great.”

Jaemin frowned at him, spouting incomprehensible sophistry.

“If we were so great… why this… slightly…”

“You don’t have to choose your words carefully. Just say it.”

With Daeyoung’s encouragement, the dam in Jaemin’s mouth broke.

“This feels like shit?”

“Yeah. You liked it when I pissed you off.”

“…”

Jaemin blinked a couple of times. Daeyoung’s face showed neither displeasure nor amusement, just seriousness. If this was a lie, he was an incredible actor; if it was the truth, then Jang Jaemin himself was quite the masochist.

I never thought I was a masochist.

As Jaemin gave a wry smile, Daeyoung asked again.

“What else are you curious about?”

Daeyoung seemed ready to answer any question Jaemin had. When Jaemin bit his lower lip, Daeyoung took his hand to pull it away from his teeth.

“Don’t hurt what’s mine.”

“Why is my body yours?”

“Because you’re my omega.”

“Is an omega your property?”

“If I treated you like property, when I met you again at the club, instead of kissing you politely, I would’ve broken both your ankles so you couldn’t run away.”

“…”

Ah… Jaemin now felt like he could understand his past, even if just a bit. You can’t control who you fall for with willpower. That’s what Mama always said. Given that he liked someone with such a personality, it made sense why everything was so frustrating.

With this late realization, a sense of resignation came over him like someone who had attained enlightenment. Jaemin relaxed his body and lay facing Daeyoung.

“I treat you with importance.”

“Oh, how honored I am.”

Jaemin muttered sarcastically, but Daeyoung only gave a faint smile. Feeling the urge to leave teeth marks on his fingers, Jaemin took a deep breath. His neck got goosebumps, and Daeyoung pulled the blanket over to cover him.

“…Setting aside the frustration.”

“Setting aside.”

“Why does my chest keep hurting since earlier?”

Jaemin thumped his heart with his fist. It was a sensation different from the anger and anxiety he felt when with him, an indescribable feeling.

If he had to describe it, it was like being choked for breath and having his heart torn to pieces.

Daeyoung swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Jaemin didn’t miss how Daeyoung’s eyes darkened. And then, he asked him.

“You’ve done something wrong to me, haven’t you?”

“…”

Daeyoung didn’t answer, but Jaemin was sure his silence was an affirmation because the hand that had been lewdly playing with his buttocks stopped.

After taking a deep breath, Jaemin voiced the question clawing at his mind.

“Did you cheat?”

Daeyoung’s tightly closed lips slightly parted. Then, a short breath, akin to a weak sigh or a gasp, escaped between them.

“…What?”

Jaemin stared him down, seeing his difficulty in answering as confirmation that he’d hit the nail on the head.

“So, did I leave you because of that? Because I couldn’t forgive you after seeing you with another guy…”

The feeling of his heart aching, not just a little but a lot, wasn’t a mistake. The moment he vividly imagined Daeyoung pinning someone else beneath him and treating them roughly as he did with him, his anger surged to his head.

“…Fuck, this is so annoying.”

Jaemin’s voice cracked with frustration as his face twisted. The urge to smash that handsome face in front of him made him throw off the blanket to get up, but Daeyoung grabbed his cheek hard and pushed his face back into the pillow. It was an incredible force.

Looking at Jaemin with an indescribable expression, Daeyoung asked slowly.

“Jang Jaemin. Are you jealous right now?”

His grip on Jaemin’s face was filled with desire, or maybe satisfaction, as if he was trying to reshape his facial bones.

“Shut up with your bullshit and let go, you bastard.”

Jaemin, eyes wide with anger, spat out the words through clenched teeth. Daeyoung’s lips twisted into a strange smile as he saw Jaemin’s body temperature drop rapidly. Jaemin’s eyes naturally widened.

“Is it funny? You fucking dirty piece of shit…”

Finally laughing aloud, Daeyoung released his grip when Jaemin tried to slap him. He stood up abruptly, grabbed Jaemin’s collar, and brought his face close, whispering.

“I just laughed because you’re jealous in the same scary way as before.”

“…What?”

Jaemin’s face hardened, but Daeyoung tilted his head slightly and continued in a low voice.

“You’ve always been extremely possessive. You hated it when I even looked at anyone else. We fought a lot because of that.”

Jaemin frowned and swallowed hard because he couldn’t believe the past he was hearing from Daeyoung’s mouth, especially since he thought he despised clinginess.

“I… acted like a stalker?”

His pronunciation stumbled in disbelief.

“How is that stalking when we both liked each other?”

Daeyoung asked with a calm tone, watching Jaemin visibly shocked. And then, looking directly into Jaemin’s confused eyes, he spoke the only truth of the moment.

“Be more possessive. It’s hot.”

“…”

“Think only of me. If you’re annoyed at me being with someone else, you can kill them. I’ll handle the aftermath. Happily.”

Daeyoung’s eyes, speaking like a mad man, were so serious that they felt even more insane.

“Damn…”

Jaemin cursed softly, his nose reddening. Daeyoung, holding Jaemin’s face flushed with color, whispered clearly.

“You are my every beginning and end, Jang Jaemin. And…”

Changing his perspective just a little, Daeyoung saw another possibility in Jaemin’s memory loss, which he had thought was terrible.

“You’re now living according to your fate, Jang Jaemin. As my lovely omega.”

“And the new beginning today is with the same person.”

Jaemin, instinctively feeling an eeriness, slapped away Daeyoung’s hand which gleamed with a dark intensity.

“Stop with the creepy drama lines and just tell me straight. Did you sleep with someone else or not?”

“I didn’t.”

Daeyoung finally answered firmly and added in a gentle whisper.

“The only hole my cock has entered is yours. Don’t worry.”

The vulgar explanation and the faint smile still lingering on his lips weren’t exactly pleasing, but Jaemin didn’t feel like he was lying.

“Oh, does that make it two then?”

Jaemin, about to twist Daeyoung’s wrist when he touched his lips again, gave up and relaxed his body. Then he asked the most pressing question.

“But… how did it come to this?”

The question was laden with many implications. Why did we separate for seven years after being bonded, only to meet in another country, especially with no memory of anything?

Receiving the numerous questions mixed in Jaemin’s eyes, Daeyoung spoke in a choked voice.

“I’ll… tell you slowly… slowly.”

Daeyoung laid Jaemin back down and gently spread his thighs with his heavy legs. A murmur, as if speaking to himself, flowed from his lips.

“We have plenty of time ahead.”

As Daeyoung’s firm knee pressed against Jaemin’s erection, his arousal spiked again. Feeling Jaemin’s erection, Daeyoung sucked on his lips deeply. The crumpled bathrobe fell to the floor. The intertwining of tongues and the hole, once again being plugged with semen, felt natural.

The thick curtains didn’t allow even a single ray of morning light to enter. With the gentle lighting that made one want to sink endlessly into the bed and Daeyoung’s body heat warming him, Jaemin closed his eyes. Soon, a thick session of sex began.

Daeyoung licked every inch of his body, possessing him tenderly yet passionately. Unlike the previous encounters where he was overwhelmed to the point of tears, this felt different, and for some reason, Jaemin felt like crying even more now.

Swallowing his tears and whispering for more like a plea, Daeyoung fulfilled his wish by spreading his legs wide.

“Happy New Year.”

Jaemin thought that Daeyoung’s voice, speaking of happiness, sounded somehow moist.

✽ ✽ ✽

They stayed in the hotel for exactly one week. For Jaemin, it meant spending both the end of the year and the New Year with just one person.

He had never enjoyed being in the crowded clubs, but spending this much time with someone he had only just met was also an unfamiliar experience.

Of course, he had now acknowledged that Daeyoung was his lover.

After Jaemin, feeling claustrophobic, went out for a walk in the park and was almost dragged back to the room by someone in a suit, Daeyoung didn’t go to the gym and did his workouts in the room instead.

When Jaemin argued that he had left a note saying he’d ‘be back soon,’ Daeyoung crumpled the note in one hand in front of him.

Seeing the veins bulging on his large hand as he took deep breaths, Jaemin was honestly a bit scared. It didn’t make sense for someone who could read Korean to react like someone triggered by PTSD over a simple note.

“Is the phone just for show?”

When Daeyoung finally spoke, his voice sounding like it had been scraped by sandpaper, Jaemin raised his voice in defiance.

“I don’t know your phone number!”

“…Come here.”

That day, Jaemin, even half-asleep, had to recite Daeyoung’s phone number repeatedly until he could spit it out in his sleep.

Daeyoung’s nonsensical talk about how the last digits of the phone number were set on the day their fate was decided, that he had never changed his number since meeting Jaemin, and that if anything happened when he wasn’t there, this would be the first number to call, was another story altogether.

When Daeyoung wasn’t exercising alone, he was usually having sex with Jaemin, forcing room service on him while he was half-asleep, and then taking him to the bathroom for something that was part tease, part bath.

A week later, on the day Jaemin genuinely thought that if he cut himself open, he’d only smell Daeyoung, only then did Daeyoung begin the checkout process.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Home, obviously.”

Daeyoung looked at him as if he’d asked a stupid question, then stuffed Jaemin into the car parked in front of the hotel.

For a moment, Jaemin was afraid he might be kidnapped and truly imprisoned, sitting beside an alpha with what seemed like a pathological obsession, but his anxiety vanished when the car stopped in front of a familiar apartment building, leaving him puzzled.

“…”

“What are you doing, not getting out?”

Only after Daeyoung spoke did Jaemin begin to grasp the situation. So, the past week was something like a farewell ritual.

He had thought they would keep meeting because they were bonded, but was that just his assumption?

Well, living like they used to with someone who doesn’t even remember the past would be impossible. Jaemin felt embarrassed and confused for subconsciously imagining a daily life with him.

Jaemin licked his dry lips briefly, frowning, then reached for the car door. What was he planning to do with this person he’d known for less than two weeks?

It was time to return to their respective places. He hated the idea of looking clingy. The feeling of a throbbing in his chest must have been an illusion.

“Uh, I’m going. Live well.”

Jaemin’s tone sounded almost cheerful, making Daeyoung’s thick eyebrows furrow. Thinking he had made the farewell as clean as possible, Jaemin got out of the car, and Daeyoung immediately followed.

“…Why are you following me?”

When Jaemin asked, puzzled, Daeyoung’s forehead creased deeply.

“What are you talking about? Since earlier.”

“Why are you coming to my house? Isn’t our business done?”

Daeyoung’s handsome face completely crumpled. Jaemin, not understanding what was going on, was getting annoyed with him.

“There’s nothing good about you coming here. Don’t stir up trouble like you did at the club, just go.”

He didn’t want trouble with the cockroaches in the building escalating into something bigger.

“Jang Jaemin.”

Daeyoung grabbed him, looking like he was about to lose his mind.

“Your home isn’t here; it’s in Korea. And our business is far from over.”

“…So?”

“Say goodbye and come out. That’s the last courtesy I can give here.”

As Jaemin saw Daeyoung’s eyes turn cold, he belatedly realized his mistake. If he honestly said he thought they were parting ways here, he might actually see blood this time.

The premonition grew stronger when Daeyoung gripped his arm tightly. As he strode towards the apartment, Jaemin followed without another word.

Remembering what he had mentioned about breaking ankles before, Jaemin thought it wouldn’t be wise to test Daeyoung’s patience now.

Daeyoung knew even the apartment number of Jaemin’s place that Jaemin hadn’t even mentioned.

“Open it.”

Jaemin sighed deeply and opened the door. Inside, Mama was on the phone with someone.

“Yeah, so he says he’s Yukito’s lover… Oh my, Yukito…!”

Dressed in a loose t-shirt and trunk pants, Mama rushed to the entrance.

“Sorry, I didn’t have time to call…”

“No, if you had such a wonderful lover, you should have remembered sooner…!”

Jaemin frowned at Mama’s over-the-top reaction, cutting him off mid-sentence. Mama seemed to already know Daeyoung, acting polite and friendly towards him.

“I knew Yukito was special, but I had no idea he had such an outstanding lover.”

Jaemin was becoming increasingly overwhelmed by Mama’s exaggeration.

“Why are you like this? When did you even see him?”

“I’ve had a lot of hardships taking care of Yukito, but I never thought I’d be rewarded like this… And it was something I did out of my own heart…”

“What are you talking about?”

When Daeyoung asked in a low voice, Mama was again impressed by his voice and got all excited. Jaemin frowned at him.

“Did you give Mama money?”

“Yeah.”

“How much?”

When Jaemin asked him, instead of answering, Daeyoung looked straight at Mama and spoke.

“I’ve caused a lot of trouble. Thank you.”

“No, no, I should be the one thanking you.”

Understanding the Korean word “thank you,” Mama clasped his hands in front and bowed his head. Then he turned to Jaemin, his eyes glistening with tears.

“Thanks to Yukito’s lover, I don’t have to pay ‘bashodai’ (*money paid monthly to the yakuza for managing the place) anymore. He even paid off my debts!”

Jaemin’s jaw dropped upon hearing from Mama what he hadn’t heard from Daeyoung. Though the exact amount of Mama’s debt was unknown, it was clear from how much he had struggled that it was no small sum. It must have been at least 100 million won in Korean currency.

“Shall we go now that the greetings are done?”

Daeyoung urged him in a dry tone from his side.

“Hold on…”

Before Jaemin could figure out what to do, Mama had already made up his mind. He hurried inside and came back with a suitcase with cartoon characters on it.

“…What is this?”

“I should offer you tea as a courtesy, but I think this is better…”

There was no tea in the house, only alcohol, yet Mama lied smoothly.

“I packed Yukito’s things. There’s a gift inside, so make sure to check it out when you get to Korea. Got it?”

Mama winked at him. Jaemin swallowed hard while looking at him.

“Tomoko-san.”

“Coming in winter and leaving in winter, Yukito. Come visit again next winter.”

Mama looked relieved and happy, like he was finally sending off an annoying relative’s child who had come for a holiday.

“Shun and I were just thinking about living together, so this works out well.”

“…That’s unfair.”

Jaemin murmured in his usual calm tone, looking at Mama who wasn’t meeting his eyes. His heart ached, and his nose tingled.

“Ah, that’s why I don’t like Japanese people.”

Jaemin intentionally scratched his neck and raised his voice, making Mama chuckle.

“I love Korean people. Check if you’ve forgotten anything.”

It was an opportunity to take one last look around the house. Mama’s kindness made Jaemin’s chest ache. Maybe that’s why he liked him.

Mama continued one-sidedly talking to Daeyoung, whom he was meeting for the first time.

“Hello, since you’re not falling for my omega pheromones, you must really be the alpha imprinted with Yukito.”

While listening to Mama’s chatter, Jaemin smiled faintly and took in every nook and cranny of the small apartment. Carrying five years’ worth of memories in his heart, he stepped out into the hallway, where Mama took a deep breath and laughed.

Saying it was cold, Mama handed the suitcase to Jaemin, urging him to leave quickly. There were faint tears in Mama’s eyes.

“Please take good care of Yukito.”

Mama whispered to Daeyoung in a low voice, knowing the state in which Yukito had been found, hinting that something must have happened. Daeyoung didn’t respond, and Jaemin tried to break the awkward atmosphere with a jest.

“I’m not going to die, Mama.”

Knowing this, Jaemin opened the front door, turning his back to Mama who said no need for a send-off.

The three monkeys on the display caught his eye – one covering its ears, another its eyes, and the last its mouth. With that image in mind, Jaemin took a step into the unknown reality.

✽ ✽ ✽

After stepping outside, Jaemin got into the waiting car. Seonho was in the driver’s seat, but since Jaemin didn’t recognize him, he didn’t pay much attention. Instead, something else was bothering him.

“That…”

The heavy eyes watched Jaemin as he struggled to speak. Jaemin swallowed hard and forced out his voice.

“I’ll work my ass off to pay back what you paid for Mama’s debts.”

“Why would you?”

“Well…”

“Because I wanted to do it, why should you?”

Jaemin was speechless at Daeyoung’s response. Feeling the air in the car was a bit stifling, he opened the window, then chewed on his lip before asking again.

“How much was it, by the way?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Yes, I do.”

When Jaemin frowned with a serious look, Daeyoung let out a low sigh. Hesitating as Jaemin didn’t easily answer, he reached out to touch Daeyoung’s wrist, feeling the ticking of the watch’s second hand.

Understanding Jaemin’s reluctance to hold hands, Daeyoung smiled faintly. He turned his hand to gently grasp Jaemin’s, finally speaking.

“300 million.”

Jaemin swallowed hard. It wasn’t 100 million but 300 million, and while his heart felt heavy, it wasn’t an amount he couldn’t handle with a few years of hard work. Daeyoung continued, looking at Jaemin’s complex expression.

“In Korean won, it’s just shy of 3 billion.”

“…What?”

Realizing that the currency Daeyoung mentioned was different from what he expected, Jaemin’s red lips parted wide.

“Wait, just a moment…”

“I told you, you don’t need to know.”

Daeyoung spoke in an even tone, but Jaemin couldn’t calm down. If he had known this, he might have been better off not leaving Mama’s house. Or maybe now he understood Mama’s true feelings when he was so visibly happy to say goodbye.

“Why did you pay it?”

“Because I love Jang Jaemin.”

With his mouth still open, Jaemin scrunched up his nose. A late, heavy sigh escaped from his vocal cords. Jaemin rubbed his face, which was getting hot, with one hand, the other firmly held by Daeyoung.

What is this?

Damn, what is this…?

He couldn’t tell if his heart was beating so hard because of the amount Daeyoung paid for Mama’s debts or because of what he said next. The cold winter wind from the open window wasn’t enough to cool Jaemin’s heat.

Jaemin realized his pheromones were coming out when Daeyoung brought his hand to his own crotch. Surprised, he looked at Daeyoung, who then licked his lips and asked.

“Shall we?”

What nonsense was he talking about with someone clearly driving right in front of them? The guard, who must have heard, had already turned his dumpling-shaped ears bright red. Jaemin, spotting a pharmacy sign in his view, raised his voice sharply.

“Stop the car for a moment.”

The guard glanced at Jaemin through the rearview mirror but hesitated to stop the car.

“Why?”

When Daeyoung asked, Jaemin quickly replied.

“I need to take the morning-after pill.”

The deadline for the omega’s emergency contraceptive was within a week after sex. Not only was the timing tight, but at this moment, Jaemin felt like another heat might be triggered if he stayed with him any longer.

“Stop, Seonho.”

Only after Daeyoung spoke leisurely did the car finally stop. Before Daeyoung could say anything, Jaemin jumped out of the car and hurried into the pharmacy.

“…”

Looking silently out the window, Daeyoung was cautiously asked by Seonho.

“What should we do?”

“Just leave it be, what else can we do?”

Seonho had calculated what would happen when Daeyoung met Jaemin. He had anticipated causing Jaemin to go into heat to possess him. And, of course, what would follow after.

“Why, did you think I’d make Jang Jaemin have an unwanted pregnancy?”

Daeyoung laughed lowly as if he had read his mind. Then, with the expression of someone savoring a fine tea, he added slowly.

“You shouldn’t do that to someone you cherish.”

Seonho bit his lip hard. His heart was beating faster than the blinking emergency lights, at an unpleasant pace, because what Daeyoung said was absurd.

When Jaemin had passed out from their continuous lovemaking, Daeyoung had met with a yakuza in the next room of the hotel. The purpose was to resolve matters concerning the bar owner Jaemin was indebted to.

To sum it up, Daeyoung hadn’t spent a single won to settle the bar owner’s debts.

The debt the bar owner who took care of Jaemin had wasn’t large to begin with, and even that had interest added for not paying the tribute. The yakuza, in business with Daeyoung, gladly agreed to make it as if it never happened.

The blatant lie Daeyoung told Jaemin was a lie, but Jaemin’s reaction, fully believing it, was just as surprising to Seonho. The old Jaemin would have frowned and checked the facts first.

No, he wouldn’t have let someone close to him be troubled by the yakuza in the first place.

Click.

“Sorry, I went out for a smoke.”

Even this kind of apology didn’t suit Jang Jaemin.

“It’s okay.”

Daeyoung calmly welcomed Jaemin back into the car. Jaemin’s pheromones, which had been fluctuating, had now disappeared, likely having taken time to calm them down.

“Thanks.”

“…”

Silence fell inside the car at the words that followed from Jaemin. Daeyoung leaned his elbow against the window, slowly touching his lips. Jaemin, thinking Daeyoung might not have heard him, cleared his throat with a frown.

“Thanks, really.”

No matter how wealthy someone is, 3 billion is not a sum one can easily overlook. Coming out of the pharmacy, Jaemin had tried to calm his excitement while smoking and thought about it.

“For someone who’s worked so hard for me… it’s an overwhelming repayment.”

So, the alpha who declared Jaemin as his omega had essentially expressed his gratitude to Mama in his own way.

“…3 billion spent, and you thank me just once.”

When Daeyoung spoke softly, Jaemin’s eyebrows twitched. Daeyoung, licking his trembling lips, tried to gauge what thoughts might be running through Jaemin’s mind with that anxious look. Then, he whispered with a smile.

“At least suck my cock once.”

“…You bastard.”

Jaemin spat out a curse with a flushed face. Daeyoung burst into laughter and pulled him close, wrapping an arm around his neck.

“No need for thanks. Everything I have is yours.”

To Seonho, who was silently watching ahead while biting his lip painfully, these words carried significant meaning, but for Jaemin, who remembered nothing, it was different.

“Then from now on, we forget about the debt and act like we don’t know?”

Daeyoung nodded at Jaemin, who was double-checking as if to test him.

“Forgetting it would be for my sake.”

“…”

“I want to cut out the time I wasn’t in your memories.”

Jaemin, tilting his sharp nose, firmly held Daeyoung’s shoulder as he approached. The love bombing from this crazy lover was enough to confuse him, but what drove him madder was that controlling his pheromone emission was becoming increasingly difficult.

Is it always this severe when you’re with someone you’re imprinted with? Jaemin swallowed hard, meeting Daeyoung’s eyes, which felt alluring enough to make his core ache.

“But where are we going now?”

Even the time it took to move to the hotel felt long. He wanted to feel Daeyoung’s warmth immediately.

“To the airport.”

“What?”

Could it really mean they’re leaving right away?

“I… I don’t have a passport or anything.”

He had faced significant inconveniences living without an identity, but Daeyoung just smiled faintly.

“I have it, so you don’t need to worry.”

“…”

“Just focus on me.”

With those final words, Daeyoung covered Jaemin’s lips, startling him. Regardless of who was in the car, Daeyoung kissed him deeply, mixing their tongues. Jaemin tried to push him away but couldn’t move because Daeyoung was pinning him down, so he had to give in eventually.

Panting, the kiss escalated into intense petting that reached inside his pants until the car arrived at the airport. Even as they passed through airport security with a worried heart, none of the issues Jaemin feared occurred.

“You look pale.”

“…Ah, I think I’m a bit nervous.”

Daeyoung asked, touching Jaemin’s face as he gripped the seat belt.

“About what?”

“I don’t know. Just…”

It felt like an intangible fear was creeping up on him.

There were no other passengers in the first-class cabin except for their group. However, when the stewardess, who was kindly serving in Korean, brought the newspaper Daeyoung had requested, a strange feeling came over Jaemin as if he was truly returning to his homeland.

“I’m a bit scared.”

Daeyoung swallowed hard while looking at Jaemin, who was whispering.

His omega had only become completely honest with him after losing all memories, including those of him. In this paradoxical situation, Daeyoung’s lips twisted slightly while heat rose within his body. One thing was certain: Daeyoung would do anything to shatter Jaemin’s fears.

To never lose him again.

“Look at me.”

When Jaemin looked at Daeyoung, he gently cupped Jaemin’s chin and kissed him softly.

“You used to have a fear of heights. That’s why.”

“…I never felt that before.”

When Jaemin gave a puzzled look, Daeyoung smiled, his eyes gleaming.

“You were always good at hiding your fears.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah. That’s why I thought you were amazing. Always.”

I wanted to make you mine. I wanted to taste you with your mask off.

“…”

As Jaemin looked at him with his skin turning red, Daeyoung smiled warmly.

“I know you better than you know yourself.”

Jaemin leaned his head on Daeyoung’s shoulder and looked out the window at the runway. Outside, a light rain was falling.

Soon, the seat belt sign lit up, and the plane began to make noise. As Daeyoung had said, when the plane took off, Jaemin’s heart started racing. As Daeyoung had suggested, he indeed seemed to have a fear of heights.

Jaemin unconsciously fumbled for Daeyoung’s hand and gripped it. Daeyoung’s body might have stiffened for a moment, but he soon put down the newspaper he was reading. He then tightly held Jaemin’s hand and brought it to his lips.

“I love you.”

His whisper in the cabin, free from the interference of others, was clear enough to penetrate Jaemin’s mind.

Everything was happening incredibly fast, quietly, and flawlessly. Jaemin tried to forget the heartache. At least, the fact that he could trust the man beside him was clear enough.