TIN 93

“…”

It felt like my blood in my veins had just turned into ice. How did he know? The thought ‘I’ve been discovered’ filled my head.

Unlike his earlier question, his ice-cold voice felt like it was choking me. When I could only clutch the blanket without answering, he continued more slowly.

“You said you wouldn’t look at me like I’m a ghost.”

Why did that sound self-deprecating? His languid voice was as leisurely as ever, far from self-deprecating.

“Easy come, easy go… Did you start treating me like a toilet after just one day?”

“…What do you mean, treating you like a toilet?”

At such criticism, I had no other choice but to hesitantly lower the blanket. Though my heart was pounding like it might burst out of my chest, staying hidden could provoke who knows what anger.

“It’s not like that. Just…”

Unable to meet his eyes, I deliberately kept my gaze down while speaking. What should I even say? My throat was bone dry due to the tension in the room.

“I feel awkward.”

“…Awkward?”

Fortunately, my blurted response wasn’t wrong. Joo Do-hwa’s voice softened immediately upon hearing it. He let out what might have been a sigh or a laugh and sat on the bed.

“What’s there to feel awkward about?”

His tone was half-coaxing. Even the way he placed his hand on my blanket and gently stroked it was the same.

“About yesterday, or about that kind of thing with me?”

“…”

Though I definitely hadn’t felt awkward until just now, my face scrunched up at his words. All the vulgar things I’d done yesterday suddenly came flooding back, especially begging him to finish while inside of me.

“Why bring that up now?”

He responded lightly and straightened the top of the blanket. After smoothing out the wrinkled parts, he patted my shoulder over the blanket. His actions were caring, as if trying to put me back to sleep, and his tone was equally kind.

“I almost felt hurt just now. Thought you were trembling again.”

What’s wrong with trembling? As someone who was actually very tense, I couldn’t help but feel like he was calling me out. Especially when Joo Do-hwa reached for my face.

“If you said you wouldn’t do that, you should keep your promise.”

“…Yeah.”

His fingertips touched my forehead. I tried not to shrink away as I gently closed my eyes. Thanks to him brushing aside my bangs, closing my eyes didn’t seem strange.

He played with my hair for quite a while. When my eyes would scrunch from the tickle of a fallen strand, he would carefully brush it away. Though it was fortunate I didn’t have to open my eyes, I couldn’t bear the awkwardness and had to speak up.

“How did you know I wasn’t sleeping?”

“You don’t sleep like that.”

At his matter-of-fact answer, I opened my eyes slightly to look at him. He gestured at me with his chin and pulled his lips taut expressionlessly.

“You sleep very quietly, like you’re dead.”

Since I usually only fell asleep in front of him after sex, saying I slept like the dead wasn’t an exaggeration. I would have fallen asleep half-unconscious after having all my energy drained by him.

“How are you feeling?”

His hand moved from my hair down to my eyes. The sensation of him gently caressing my eyelids was similar to how he used to touch my face when I was young.

“Just fine.”

“Your waist too?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good.”

This is a bit…something feels off. He seemed unusually gentle today. The questions were too casual, and he even sounded worried, which made it feel stranger. Right now, he was acting as if we’ve always been close.

“Are you that tired? Can’t even open your eyes properly.”

“…Still a bit sleepy.”

Far from sleepy, I felt like I’d been doused with cold water. My heart was still racing too fast and my fingertips hidden under the blanket were growing cold. Trying not to let my lips tremble from tension was the best I could manage for now.

“Think I’ll sleep more.”

Nevertheless, I deliberately dragged out my words as if I indeed was feeling sleepy. I forced my eyelids up while making my voice sound drowsy, then let them flutter closed again.

“Right. You overdid it earlier.”

Joo Do-hwa was quite generous in understanding me. He responded kindly as if it made sense, and obediently withdrew his hand.

“Then sleep more. I need to go out again.”

“…Where are you going?”

“Just have some things to take care of.”

Something about the word “take care” sounded strangely peculiar. His vague response carried quite a secretive nuance. But seeing me hesitantly trying to read his mood, he slightly furrowed his brows.

“I’d like to stay beside you, but it’s something I need to do quickly.”

“…”

…What would he do beside me anyway?

He was definitely acting strange today. His earlier manner seemed like his usual self, but now his words were suspiciously sweet. Though he was always kind to ‘hyung,’ now he seemed much more serious.

Like what he was doing now. Saying unnecessarily affectionate words, touching my face without sexual intent, comforting me as I lay there impudently.

Yes, exactly…as if we were lovers.

“…Ah.”

The assumption that briefly crossed my mind was so disconcerting that I reflexively let out a small sigh. When he gave me a questioning look, I slightly shook my head to indicate it was nothing.

“No, just have a safe trip.”

“Yeah, I’ll be back.”

Even his response was spine-chillingly gentle all the same. What’s really wrong with him? My indescribably complex feelings intensified the moment I saw his brightly smiling face. Especially since even his overflowing pheromones seemed to reflect his good mood.

“Rest, and ask for food downstairs when you wake up.”

With those words, Joo Do-hwa naturally got up from the bed. Though he looked back at me once before leaving, it wasn’t out of suspicion about my trait. It was just a kind of regret I couldn’t understand, something that felt like a lingering attachment.

“…”

Click. The door closed and a quiet silence hung in the room. Only then did I slightly raise myself while loosening my stiff shoulders. After confirming the door wouldn’t open again, a sigh of relief burst from my lips.

“Hah…”

Judging by my soaking palms, I must have been unconsciously very tense. A feeling of exhaustion swept through my whole body as if all my blood had drained away. Perhaps because I had to suppress my pheromones too while he was in the room with me, I felt like I could finally breathe now that he was gone.

Though he hadn’t stayed long, Joo Do-hwa’s pheromones filled the area around the bed. While the other man’s pheromones always had a presence, now I felt particularly sensitive to them. I wasn’t sure if it was because he had loosely released them or because I had differentiated as an omega.

So…what should I do now?

Though I managed to get through this somehow, I didn’t think I could endure the remaining days like this. The evidence revealing me as an omega would only grow stronger with time.

“…I have to leave.”

Then there was only one option—leaving Joo Do-hwa’s side before being discovered. I had to escape this mansion when he was away and hide somewhere he couldn’t find me.

It was the same conclusion as before he came in, but this time I couldn’t move right away. Earlier I had tried to lift the mattress in urgency, but now rational reasons held me back.

Escaping the heavily guarded mansion would be harder than catching stars in the sky. Moving carelessly would ruin everything before I could even make my attempt to escape. So I had to be careful moving forward.

Moreover.

‘Yoon Ji-soo is coming too.’

“…”

I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my face with one hand. Ji-soo, Ji-soo, Ji-soo! Why am I hesitating over that person? The self-mockery that surged with irritation was filled with resentment toward my own lingering attachment.

“Stupid fool…”

A curse aimed at who knows who scattered into the air. Though my head felt like it would burst from complexity, now was the time for some serious decision-making. If both my omega status and attempt to escape were discovered, I would have no future left.

So I got up and locked the door first. Just in case Joo Do-hwa returned, to buy at least a moment’s time. Though I couldn’t leave right now, I planned to at least check how much money I had.

But just as I returned to the bed and lifted the mattress, something caught my eye beside the envelope containing the money.

“…”

‘I’ll give it as a gift.’

The transparent glass bottle from Chairman Joo. The tiny pill no bigger than a pinky nail that I was told to give to Joo Do-hwa. The item I had kept just in case caught my attention. At first, I had wondered what kind of medicine it was, but now I knew its identity.

“…Pheromone suppressant.”

A pheromone suppressant concentrated for dominants. Chairman Joo’s trick to torment his son, the dominant.

As if entranced, I reached out and lifted the glass bottle. As I gripped its round body, it felt like a lightbulb had gone off in my head. My mind became clear like a fog lifting, recalling what Joo Do-hwa had said.

‘The researchers said it’s strong enough to even delay differentiation.’

There was no need to hesitate. As soon as I finished thinking, I opened the glass bottle and took out the pill inside. Then without any reservation, I tossed it into my mouth.