XX | Chapter 1.8

Of course. If he couldn’t answer right away, it was just a shot in the dark.

“Go ahead and spread whatever rumor you want. Let’s see if anyone believes it.”

Negotiations had broken down. Ignoring a lunatic like him was the best course of action.

Just as Sooha decided there was nothing more to say and turned to leave, a smooth yet firm voice reached his ears.

“Cheon Sooha, you’re an omega.”

His footsteps halted abruptly.

“What did you just say…?”

He turned his head with a creak, and there was Gongjun, standing with a smile. Then, with a gentle face that left no room for hope, he drove the nail in.

“An ultra-dominant omega, at that.”

“……”

His heart nearly leaped out of his chest. The man who had taken his back was, as it turned out, the youngest grandson of Baekse Group and knew that he was an ultra-dominant omega.

Who could maintain a poker face in such a situation?

Gongjun stepped away from the railing and walked toward Sooha. With each step, an inexplicable pressure enveloped him. His pupils shook violently.

Several figures flashed through his mind. His parents, Cheon Yua, and Nam Jaewon.

The only ones who knew about Sooha’s trait were his family, and even then, it was just those four. Not even his agency, with whom he had a contract, nor Pilgyu, who had been with him since his debut, knew about it.

No matter how he thought about it, none of those four would betray him by revealing his trait. Even if they did, there was nothing to gain from it.

Was he just fishing? Another hypothesis arose, but it was too accurate to dismiss as such.

Even if Gongjun’s trait was a dominant alpha, as rumored, no one had ever detected Sooha’s pheromone scent. Not even Cheon Yua, who had been around him since childhood and was sensitive to pheromones, had ever smelled his pheromones.

So how could Baek Gongjun?

A sense of unease crept over him, fearing that his weakness might be exposed. He felt the need to make an excuse and opened his mouth.

“W-What are you talking about? Don’t you know me? Cheon Sooha? XL size, alpha of alphas.”

“……”

“Ha! You must have heard some ridiculous tabloid…”

He spoke confidently, but he couldn’t hide his trembling voice and shaking pupils.

Instinctively retreating, Sooha soon stopped. His back was against the wall.

“Hmm, strange.”

Gongjun, who had slowly cornered him into a blind spot, placed his hand on the wall. It was the same action Sooha had taken earlier, but the atmosphere was entirely different.

There was no escape. The eyes that met his were piercing even in the darkness. Though smiling, they were threatening. It felt like facing the eyes of a predator about to devour its prey.

His heart pounded like it was racing.

“Why do I smell omega from you, Sooha?”

“Ugh…!” He flinched as Gongjun suddenly buried his nose in his neck.

The tickling breath around his neck felt strange, but he tried not to react. He gritted his teeth hard enough to make a sound.

Then, the amber eyes that looked up at him sparkled.

“Such a sweet scent is wafting…”

“What nonsense are you… Ngh!”

Before he could stop him, Gongjun nibbled on his ear, causing an embarrassing moan to escape. The eyes that had been watching him intently curved gently at the immediate reaction.

“You reacted so well here yesterday, so I sucked on it a lot… Your body remembers.”

His tongue teased his earlobe sensually. The soft, warm sensation that sucked and licked made his whole body shiver.

I should push him away…

But the hand that was about to push his chest fell limply. A strange sensation he had never felt before spread throughout his body.

The pounding pulse was more vivid than ever, and his lower abdomen ached as if all the blood had rushed there.

What is this? Why is this happening?

Sooha was flustered by his body, which had suddenly heated up.

“Haa…” Gongjun exhaled and pressed his body closer. Then he gently rubbed Sooha’s thigh with his own.

As the sensation pressed against the inside of his thigh, Sooha’s eyes, which had been slowly closing, snapped open.

“What, what is this!”

Startled, he used all his strength to push Gongjun’s chest.

Crazy. Was that hard, hot thing that rubbed against the inside of his thigh what he thought it was?

He hadn’t noticed when he was drunk and out of it, but this was no ordinary size.

For a moment, he wondered if there was a snake hidden in his thigh.

Sooha, who had lost his balance from pushing Gongjun, leaned against the wall, panting. Lowering his gaze, he saw his own thing, half-hard, between his legs.

“Damn…”

Sooha muttered a curse. He had a bad feeling. It wasn’t just simple sexual arousal; his body felt unusual. His body, filled with heat, felt limp as if it would collapse, and the thing that had grown in size was itching to rub against something.

Even his nipples, which had been momentarily insensitive, stood erect and sensitive. If he didn’t get out of here immediately, something terrible would happen.

“What did you do to me…” Sooha, gripping the railing, struggled to pull himself away.

Meanwhile, Gongjun only looked down at him with a leisurely expression. He didn’t seem to have any intention of exerting effort to catch the small animal desperately trying to escape. After all, it was already in the palm of his hand. Instead, he even turned his body to make way for him.

But Sooha didn’t have the luxury to care about that now. Getting out of this event was the top priority.

After leaving the balcony and entering the event hall, Sooha quickened his pace. The more he did, the more his legs felt weak, but he forced himself to stay upright. With each step, it felt like his legs were sinking into a swamp.

Not far away, he saw Jaewon talking to Yua. Thank goodness. Feeling a faint sense of relief, he quickly approached them.

Sensing his presence, Jaewon looked up. Seeing Sooha’s pale complexion, Jaewon’s expression subtly changed.

“Nam Jaewon, I need to get to the hospital quickly…” As he gasped and opened his mouth, a strange phenomenon occurred where the floor seemed to rush up to meet him.

Oh, it’s not the floor rising; I’m the one face-planting into the floor.

By the time he reached that thought, his vision tilted diagonally. One shoulder hit the floor with a thud. His body bounced once from the impact, his vision shook, and his head dropped to the floor with a thud.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

“Someone collapsed… Oh? Isn’t that Cheon Sooha?”

“Cheon Sooha? Where? Where?”

“Excuse me! Please call 119 quickly! Hurry!”

The sound of people murmuring around him and the sight of Jaewon and Yua running toward him with serious faces appeared in slow motion.

Seeing the shadows of the two people cast over his slowly blinking face, he felt relieved. Thank goodness. At least he collapsed in front of them.

Listening to Jaewon’s voice calling his name, urging him to stay conscious, Sooha closed his eyes. Finally, he let go of the faint consciousness he had been holding onto.

“Huff…!” Sooha’s eyes snapped open, and he gasped for breath.

Reflexively, he sat up and frantically looked around. Familiar surroundings, familiar atmosphere. It was the VIP room of Cheonha Hospital.

He raised his gaze to check the time; it was just past 11 PM. Seeing the IV drip in his hand, it seemed Jaewon had safely brought him here.

“Ha, I thought I was going to die.”

His body, tense with anxiety, gradually relaxed.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Whoa!” Sooha jumped at the sudden voice. He thought he was alone in the hospital room, but he wasn’t.

There was Gongjun, sitting elegantly on the sofa a little distance from the bed. Gongjun, who had been watching Sooha’s intense reaction, soon smiled.

“Oh, dear. I didn’t mean to startle you. Sorry.”

“Why are you here again!” Baek Gongjun again? Here, there, everywhere Baek Gongjun! It was getting tiresome.

“Haha, why else? I’m responsible for you collapsing, so I followed you here.”

“Responsible? What responsibility? I won’t hold you accountable, and I don’t need that, so get out, now.”

“Oh. I’m not just talking about this responsibility. There might be other responsibilities I have to take, so it’s difficult to leave right now.”

“What nonsense are you spouting again? I said I’m fine. Get out.”

“Hmm… Shall I call the attending physician?”

“Ah, get out!”

Just as he lost his patience and shouted, the firmly closed hospital room door opened, and Jaewon, in a white coat, appeared.

“Nam Jaewon!”

As soon as he saw Jaewon’s face, Sooha greeted him like a savior. But Jaewon passed by Sooha and bowed to Gongjun, who returned the gesture.

…Huh?

Sooha looked back and forth between the two with a confused expression. Meanwhile, Jaewon turned to Sooha and shone a penlight in his eyes.

“Ah. What are you doing, all of a sudden?” Sooha grumbled, trying to avoid the unexpected light in his eyes.

“Stay still for a moment.”

But Jaewon seemed determined not to let go, stubbornly holding Sooha’s head to adjust his posture. After observing Sooha’s pupil movements, Jaewon turned off the penlight.

While Sooha blinked at the afterimage of the light, Jaewon casually tucked the penlight into his front pocket and checked his blood pressure and IV pack.

What is this… Sooha was bewildered by the series of incomprehensible actions, and Jaewon suddenly asked.

“How’s your body?”

“Hey, first, tell that person to get out. Why is he intruding into someone else’s hospital room…”

“Just answer the question. How’s your body?”

Jaewon’s firm question left Sooha speechless.

My body? After a moment of thought, Sooha replied in a bewildered tone.

“Well… I’m fine.”

“You’re not feeling weak or short of breath like before? No dizziness?”

“No. Come to think of it, why did that happen to me earlier? Why did I suddenly collapse?”

Jaewon fell silent at the question filled with genuine curiosity. At the same time, his expression changed to something indescribable.

How am I supposed to explain this…

If it were anyone else, he would have handed it over to the attending nurse by now. After hesitating, Jaewon avoided Sooha’s eyes and recited the manual.

“Well… There’s nothing seriously wrong with your body, and if you rest for about a day, you can resume your daily activities.”

“Suddenly?”