LM 16

[A little]

Siyul gasped, covering his mouth. A message had just arrived from Woo Hyunse. The answer to whether he was busy had finally come.

Considering the wait time, it couldn’t help but feel like an insincere reply. Still, Siyul bit his lip. The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily. His cheeks rounded, and light danced in his eyes as he looked down at his phone.

He knew calling at this late hour would be impolite, but seeing the message suddenly made him desperately want to hear that voice. And that laughter that spread like a stream. Whether it was the power of the early morning or his exhausted mind letting go after finishing work, it was hard to control his impulses.

Siyul bit his lip and shoved his hands between his thighs, shaking his legs anxiously. He tried to resist. While it might be okay with Kwon Yuwon, calling someone else at this hour would be inconsiderate.

[You don’t call these days]

He barely restrained himself and moved his fingers. This time it was read immediately. Siyul found himself biting even his nails as he waited for a reply.

[Busy]

[Want to talk?]

Woo Hyunse hit the nail on the head. Siyul gripped his phone with both hands and bowed his head low. He had been holding back, but with that one message asking if he wanted to talk, his heart stirred greatly.

In the end, Siyul pulled up Woo Hyunse’s number. Inwardly repeating that it would be better if the other didn’t answer, he made the call.

―Hello.

But when had Siyul’s wishes ever come true? Woo Hyunse answered the phone. The voice coming through the receiver was low, and a bit rough as if drunk with sleep.

“Ah, um, are you very busy?”

Having acted on impulse, he hadn’t prepared what to say. Siyul threw out whatever came to mind. He was curious about why Woo Hyunse wasn’t coming to the bar lately, why he was slow to reply to messages, but it was too embarrassing to ask outright.

―Hmm… Yeah, a bit.

“Did I wake you up?”

A faint “Just a moment” was heard from far away on the line. It sounded like he was whispering to someone else there. Siyul pressed the phone tightly to his ear. He was curious about who was with Woo Hyunse right now. A lover, perhaps, or a friend, or maybe a business associate.

―No. But what’s the occasion? Kwon Siyul calling…

He couldn’t honestly answer that he just wanted to hear the other’s voice. Siyul scratched the back of his neck and kicked at the ground with his toes.

“Food… I wanted to ask when would be good to buy it.”

Once it left his mouth, he realized how pathetic the excuse sounded. Repeating something they’d already discussed via text – Siyul roughly mussed his hair, frustrated with his poor quick-thinking. But unlike Siyul, who was at a loss with embarrassment, Woo Hyunse seemed to find it quite amusing, as his usual laughter came through the receiver.

―We could decide that when we meet, you know.

“I just feel indebted.”

―…Is that so?

His voice became languid, as if sleepy. Though Woo Hyunse had denied it, it seemed he had either been woken up or was very tired. Siyul wanted to continue the call, but felt he should probably let Woo Hyunse go soon. Hiding his disappointment, Siyul spoke:

“You sound very tired, so let’s decide next time we meet. Sleep well. Sorry for the late night call.”

Siyul even bowed his head as if facing someone in person. An “hmm” overlapped with an “uhm” sound. The breathing seemed a bit rough. He sounded almost ill. Siyul moved the phone away from his ear and hovered his finger over the end call button. He just had to swipe it.

At that moment, a faint sound reached his ears. It was a distant sound, as if Woo Hyunse thought Siyul had already hung up. Siyul quickly pressed the phone back to his ear. He covered his mouth and nose, focusing all his attention on what was coming through the receiver.

A thin, high voice like a bird’s asked, “Lover?” In contrast, a low voice close to the phone clearly said “No” – impossible to miss.

“…”

Siyul swiped the end call button a beat late. The suggestive moan that had begun cut off in an instant.

After debating between soju and beer, he chose beer. He’d planned to drink outside, but seeing drunks yelling in the dark alley and urinating on walls killed his appetite. Deciding it would be better to drink quietly, he went inside. Kwon Yuwon was sprawled out, having kicked off his blanket.

Without turning on the TV or lights, Siyul sat in the corner and opened a beer can. It must have been shaken on the way, as white foam bubbled up, making him hurriedly put it to his lips. Perhaps because of the loud gulping sound, Kwon Yuwon stirred under the covers.

Siyul froze, but the other’s sleep seemed to have already flown away. Rubbing his eyes, Kwon Yuwon sat up.

“You’re back? What time is it?”

Kwon Yuwon’s voice was hoarse like someone else’s. Siyul tapped his phone to check the time.

“3:40. Go back to sleep.”

“I’m wide awake now.”

Stretching like a cat, Kwon Yuwon turned on the TV. Considering the poor soundproofing, he kept the volume low. The greenish light from the screen illuminated their faces.

“Why the beer?”

“Want some?”

When he nodded, Siyul took out a can from the bag and handed it over. Despite having just woken up with bedhead, Kwon Yuwon gulped down the beer well. Siyul thought it was good timing, as drinking alone would have been boring. He sat curled up with his legs together.

“Yuwon, am I a nuisance when I’m drunk?”

“No. You just sleep, don’t you?”

“Really, just sleep?”

“Yeah. You don’t even wake up when shaken. Why? Did someone call you a nuisance? Who did you drink with? Was it a woman?”

Kwon Yuwon poked Siyul’s side with his index finger, nagging. His eyes were surprisingly bright for someone just woken up. Siyul brushed it off with a “Just wondering.”

Being late night, the movie on TV was quite explicit. An “19” rating was prominently displayed in the top right corner. With the sound lowered, embarrassing moans couldn’t be heard, but the two main characters on screen were busy rubbing their naked bodies together. Even the title was trashy. “That Alpha’s Love Affair” – looking it up, it was an old movie released over 15 years ago.

Still, it was suggestive. Watching the protagonist throw their head back, Siyul suddenly recalled the cat-like sounds he’d heard earlier. The giggles and increasingly heated breaths that had come through the phone, like lovers sharing intimacy. Those sounds that made him feel guilty, as if peeping through a hole in paper.

“Is that really so good?”

Kwon Yuwon paused drinking his beer and looked at Siyul. “Oh,” Kwon Yuwon said, opening his eyes slyly.

“You’re finally getting interested in that kind of thing? Wow, I thought our Siyul was impotent until now.”

“Impotent? I get morning wood just fine. What nonsense.”

“Ugh, don’t talk about that, it’s gross. But what are you curious about? Your big bro will tell you everything.”

Kwon Yuwon puffed out his chest proudly. As if he could tell anything – as far as Siyul knew, Kwon Yuwon had no experience either. He suffered during heats, but alphas found even touching him horrifying. He’d run away only to return crying every time. Siyul looked Kwon Yuwon up and down skeptically.

“You?”

“I know more than you.”

Interested but inexperienced – that was true for both Kwon Yuwon and Siyul. Still, as an Omega, Kwon Yuwon might have heard and seen a bit more than him. Siyul wet his burning throat with beer. He put the can to his lips, hesitated, then asked as if completely disinterested:

“They say it’s good to sleep with an Alpha?”

Kwon Yuwon’s expression, which had been focused on the movie, instantly soured. It was the face he made when drinking milk that had gone off. Siyul thought “See?” and turned his eyes back to the TV. Kwon Yuwon probably didn’t know either – it was pointless to ask.

“What could be good about doing it with an Alpha? It’s like mating with a beast in heat. You shouldn’t get involved with those kinds. Just do it with a woman, why an Alpha… Wait. Why are you curious about that?”

Kwon Yuwon, who had been rambling, suddenly shut his mouth and glared at Siyul. He opened his eyes wide and leaned in close, examining him from all angles. He flared his nostrils, sniffing, then his eyes flashed fiercely.

“Don’t tell me you manifested.”

“Are you crazy? I didn’t.”

“Then why ask about doing it with an Alpha? You’ve never shown interest in that before.”

“It just came up in the movie, why are you turning this on me? Nothing happened. I won’t get involved with an Alpha, and I am a Beta.”

“Come to think of it, that pig was all over you last time too. I let it slide thinking he just had shit taste, but… Kwon Siyul, you.”

Kwon Yuwon put down his beer and grabbed Siyul’s shoulders. Turning his body completely towards Siyul, he advised seriously:

“You be careful of Alphas.”

“Are you still half asleep?”

“No, listen to your big bro. You think I haven’t seen Alpha bastards before? I overlooked it with that pig, but looking at it now, you’re just the type Alphas would go for. There are some crazy Alpha bastards who like Betas, you know. No, even if that’s not the case… Shit. Just listen to me. If there’s an Alpha around, avoid them at all costs and put up an iron wall. That’s how you survive.”