IBPC | Chapter 12.2

But Heegon noticed Seoyul’s hands tightly clenched under the table. Without sitting down, Heegon looked down at Seoyul and spoke first.

“You were with Heerang, right?”

“……”

“I don’t know how much you heard, but…”

Heegon’s words ended with an unintended sigh. Hearing it, Seoyul bit his lip and hurriedly cut him off.

“I’m sorry.”

“……?”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop… it just happened…”

Unable to continue, Seoyul turned his head away to avoid Heegon’s gaze. Seeing this, Heegon felt an inexplicable urgency.

“I’m not blaming you for that. I just wanted to make sure you don’t misunderstand—”

“—I don’t misunderstand anything.”

Seoyul’s voice was a bit firm, but not agitated or trembling. He continued calmly.

“There wasn’t anything to misunderstand.”

“……”

“Isn’t that right?”

Seoyul looked up at Heegon again. His expression was unexpectedly calm, leaving Heegon at a loss for words. Instead, Seoyul even managed a smile.

“Still, it seems the Fifth Prince won’t reveal anything about me… that’s a relief.”

“……”

If only he had gotten angry. Or demanded an explanation in confusion, it might have been better. Anything was better than seeing this calm, unaffected face.

No, perhaps that would have been strange too. Thinking about it, the boy’s words weren’t wrong.

Yes, what was there to misunderstand? From the beginning, he had brought this boy to manage his erotomania and to have an heir. He had explained that from the start, so he wouldn’t be unaware.

Then why did he think the boy might be hurt by his words? What did he and this boy have, after all?

Seoyul’s unaffected reaction was defining the relationship between them. It was as if Heegon was the one feeling embarrassed, unable to accept the current situation.

Heegon felt an oddly uncomfortable emotion rising. But he couldn’t show it.

…Because there was no justification for him, or in his relationship with Seoyul.

⊹₊⟡⋆

Seoyul was staring blankly out the window. Since yesterday, he hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly. His thoughts kept spiraling into deep places, making it hard to pull himself out.

“Are you keeping him just to have an heir?”

It wasn’t anything new or something he didn’t already know. So why did his heart feel so heavy? They were just two people drawn together by pheromones, not even knowing each other’s names. What was he expecting? Or was he expecting something at all?

“I already have another Eumin who has survived the second bout of erotomania. …When the time comes, I’ll handle both the boy and the Eumin outside the palace. Until then, keep your mouth shut.”

And there’s another omega… that was a bit of a shock. It really seemed like he was looking for another omega. But wasn’t that what he wanted? If there was someone to replace him, there would be more chances for him to return to his place. That was what he wanted most, so why…

Why does it feel like this…

Seoyul bit his lip as he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. Why did it feel like he was about to cry?

He quickly held his breath and covered his nose, trying to calm himself by looking further away.

As he swallowed his emotions, trying to suppress them, he heard a sound outside, and the door opened.

“……?”

At the sound, Seoyul quickly shook off his remaining emotions and turned his head. To his surprise, someone unexpected entered.

It was Tae Kangmu.

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t come in here.”

And following him was Dubo, unsure of what to do.

Seoyul slowly stood up, surprised by Kangmu’s unexpected appearance. Meanwhile, Dubo, unable to block Kangmu’s path, was anxiously pacing.

“Your Highness, please…”

“It’s fine. After all… it’s not like it’s a secret anymore.”

Kangmu gave Dubo a gentle smile.

“It’ll only take a moment, so please step aside. If you’re really worried, you can watch.”

At Kangmu’s words, Dubo nervously clasped his hands together. After some thought, he stood by the door, keeping watch. But he didn’t leave, and Kangmu, satisfied with that, stepped inside and approached Seoyul.

Seoyul just stood there, watching Kangmu approach.

Why is Tae Kangmu here…

As Seoyul looked up at him with concern, Kangmu quickly smiled.

“There’s nothing to worry about. I just came to apologize.”

“……?”

“I feel like I startled you last time because I wasn’t considerate enough. You might not know, but I’m a Yangin too, so when I caught your scent, I was a bit taken aback…”

Kangmu trailed off, as if that wasn’t the main reason he was there.

He observed Seoyul’s expression for a moment, then awkwardly cleared his throat. This time, he spoke with a bit more difficulty.

“And… I think you overheard what my brother and I were talking about yesterday.”

Kangmu’s hesitation showed his consideration for Seoyul.

“I hope you didn’t misunderstand. My brother probably said those things because… he was on edge about me finding out, and he misunderstood my intentions…”

“……”

“There are… complicated circumstances. My brother is under a lot of pressure regarding the Crown Prince’s appointment… He probably didn’t want to show that he was swayed by personal feelings during such a time, so he said things he didn’t mean…”

But Seoyul wasn’t particularly pleased with even that explanation. He turned his gaze away from Kangmu.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“……?”

“I have nothing to say to the Fifth Prince, so I’d appreciate it if you left.”

Seoyul turned his back on Kangmu. His firm stance, indicating he didn’t want any further conversation, left Kangmu with a bitter expression, silencing him.

A feeling like he had ruined something. No, it was definitely that.

Kangmu couldn’t leave the spot for a while.

⊹₊⟡⋆

Heegon stormed into Kangmu’s quarters with a rather rough stride. Kangmu, who had been reviewing his diplomatic duties, looked up in surprise at Heegon’s sudden entrance.

“Hyung-nim?”

Usually, if there was something to discuss, Heegon would summon him, so it was rare for Heegon to come to his room directly. This made Kangmu feel uneasy, and he quickly stood up.

“What brings you here…?”

Before he could properly ask, Heegon lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar.

“What are you thinking?”

Kangmu flinched at the brute force pulling him. The eunuchs standing behind him were startled and rushed towards Heegon, but Kangmu quickly regained his composure and stopped them.

“It’s fine, leave us.”

Kangmu calmly gestured with his eyes, and the eunuchs, after exchanging glances, left the room. Once they were alone, Kangmu looked at Heegon with a rather stern expression.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Why did you go to see that boy? I told you not to.”

“What are you talking about? You mean keeping quiet about the boy?”

“Yes, I clearly—”

“—I promised that, didn’t I? I have no intention of speaking about the boy. I just had something to say…”

“What could you possibly have to say to him?”

“……”

Seeing Heegon so heated, Kangmu moved his lips but swallowed hard. He grabbed Heegon’s wrist, which was holding his collar, and firmly pushed it down.

“Hyung-nim, why are you so angry?”

Kangmu asked in a calm yet heavy voice. Heegon, breathing heavily, replied.

“I told you not to get close to him.”

“Wasn’t that because you were worried about his identity as an Eumin being discovered? Now that I know, what are you so anxious about…”

“Aren’t you a Yangin too?”

“Do you really think I would lay a hand on your person just because I’m a Yangin?”

“……”

Ha, Kangmu sighed deeply, pushing away Heegon’s hand. He looked at him with an expression of disbelief.

“Is your anxiety solely because he’s an Eumin?”

Kangmu’s sharp words pierced Heegon. He seemed momentarily shaken but quickly masked it.

“Then what else could it be?”

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you imprint on him?”

“……?”

“Instead of coming to me with threats.”

Kangmu straightened his disheveled clothes, inadvertently dropping a bombshell that left Heegon visibly shaken.

“What did you just say?”

“…What?”

“What do you mean by imprinting?”

Heegon asked, and Kangmu, without much thought, explained.

“Imprinting. Don’t you know?”

“……”

When Heegon didn’t respond, Kangmu let out a short sigh.

“Well, I suppose you might not know. There aren’t many records about Eumins. I learned about it from an ancestor’s journal passed down on my mother’s side… It’s something that exists.”

“What is imprinting?”

“It’s something that can be done between a Yangin and an Eumin, called imprinting. Once done, only the imprinted partner can sense each other’s scent. It also helps manage erotomania more easily, and you can only have children with that partner… That’s all the records say. It’s like a bond between a Yangin and an Eumin…”

Kangmu’s voice seemed to fade as Heegon heard the pounding of his own heart.

Imprinting… It sounded familiar. The day he first met that boy.

“Don’t bite the neck… If you do, it’ll be an imprint…”

Seoyul had definitely said that. But to him, it had seemed like…

“A weakness… of an Eumin?”

“Yes, something like that. Be careful with the neck. It could go wrong…”

Seoyul had warned him not to bite the neck. This meant Seoyul was aware of what imprinting was.

“But once imprinted, a Yangin and an Eumin can’t be separated, so it’s not something to take lightly. It requires mutual trust and affection. So, hyung-nim, you should—”

“—How is it done, this imprinting?”

Heegon interrupted Kangmu, finally speaking after keeping his mouth shut. Kangmu, feeling a chill, didn’t answer immediately. Heegon asked again.

“Is it biting the nape?”

Kangmu hesitated at Heegon’s guess, then inadvertently reacted.

“Ah, you knew.”

“……”

“That’s what imprinting is. If you bite the nape of the one you want to imprint with…”