LM 60

It looked delicious. He couldn’t leave it alone. His lips tingled and curled up on their very own. The hunger that could only be satisfied by soaking Kwon Siyul’s flesh with semen was no longer there.

Not knowing how to relieve this overwhelming sensation rising from his toes, Woo Hyunse hugged Kwon Siyul to his chest tightly. He kissed his temples and cheeks, pressing them sideways, smooched his lips repeatedly, and wrapped his legs around Kwon Siyul’s limp body.

Due to the passionate kissing while embracing tightly, Kwon Siyul’s eyelids twitched. He struggled to open them, groaning and barely managed to squint. Only after Woo Hyunse gently rubbed the white eye boogers from his eyelashes did Kwon Siyul open his clear eyes.

Woo Hyunse saw himself reflected in those transparent, deep brown eyes. He was smiling foolishly. Even knowing he must’ve looked silly to the other man, it was hard to change his expression. Usually, controlling his expressions was the easiest thing in the world.

“Did you sleep well?”

Confused whether it was a dream or reality, Kwon Siyul blinked slowly. He looked around, rolling his eyes, before finally focusing on Woo Hyunse. As if confirming if it was really him, Kwon Siyul raised his hand to caress Woo Hyunse’s stubbly chin, cheeks, and eyebrows, then flashed him a bright smile.

At that moment, all surrounding noise vanished just like that. Woo Hyunse faced that smile, holding his breath. The sunlight that had snuck into the bed fell only on Kwon Siyul. That was why only he was in color. Everything else was black and white, faded. Kwon Siyul in the sunlight was the only brilliantly shining color.

Ah.

Woo Hyunse squinted his eyes as he took in the sight before him. The sunlight was too dazzling. It was as blinding as opening his eyes for the first time after living in darkness his whole life.

* * *

Kwon Siyul was sick for as long as his rut period, plus some extra time. He even had the experience of getting an IV at the hospital. He was in terrible shape. He looked like he’d been stranded in the mountains and had a life-or-death battle with a wild boar rather than just going through a rut.

In just four and a half days, he had lost a lot of weight. His pleasantly plump cheeks became gaunt, and his already loose shirt now seemed like it would slip right off his shoulders.

Woo Hyunse nursed Kwon Siyul with utmost care and devotion. It was only natural, given his guilty conscience. He provided water and food without Kwon Siyul needing to leave the bed, served three meals a day as if fattening up a sumo wrestler, and frequently brought high-calorie snacks. He even tried to carry Kwon Siyul to the bathroom, but Kwon Siyul’s strong objections stopped him.

“Please, I can manage on my own. Put me down.”

“I’ve already seen everything there is to see, why hide now?”

“Please…!”

As Woo Hyunse started to lower Kwon Siyul’s waistband in front of the toilet, Kwon Siyul begged him to respect at least this much of his human rights, clutching at his falling pants. Even if his bladder was about to burst, there was no way he could possibly relieve himself in front of Woo Hyunse.

Woo Hyunse protested, asking why Kwon Siyul couldn’t do it in front of him when they had used public restrooms together before in the past. Kwon Siyul countered that those at least had stalls and he had handled things himself. Furthermore, he argued this was absolutely unacceptable behavior toward an adult in their twenties.

Kwon Siyul’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon in late autumn from extreme embarrassment, and tears welled up in his eyes as he shouted these words.

After some intense debate—Kwon Siyul couldn’t understand why they were even discussing this this—in the end, they compromised on Woo Hyunse only helping with showers and baths. Even that didn’t seem to satisfy Woo Hyunse, who kept grumbling with a smile throughout this whole ordeal. When Kwon Siyul called him a pervert, he merely shrugged his shoulders, insisting it was a legitimate part of nursing care.

“…Do I have to drink this again?”

Kwon Siyul looked down dejectedly at the tray Woo Hyunse had brought. As if taking revenge for the bathroom argument, the mug was filled with a dark espresso-colored liquid. The rising aroma was reminiscent of an herbal medicine shop. A lemon-flavored candy was placed beside it to help alleviate the bitterness.

“Two packets a day.”

Woo Hyunse’s voice was deliberately firm. As he held out the cup, Kwon Siyul accepted it with both hands. He couldn’t bring himself to drink it. The taste and smell were incomprehensible and inexplicable, regardless of what ingredients were used. When probed for more information, Woo Hyunse simply smiled mysteriously and said it was better not to know.

That made it even more frightening.

Kwon Siyul gulped dryly, recalling animals like turtles, eels, black goats, and carp that were often advertised in large letters on health food shop windows. He hoped it wasn’t dog meat, at the very least. If by any chance it was, he might throw up all the health tonics he had drunk so far. While he would eat ginseng chicken soup on hot summer days, he wouldn’t even set foot in restaurants that had dog meat soup on the menu.

“What if this ruins my liver? I heard you have to be careful with herbal medicines.”

“That won’t happen. It won’t be ruined. This is proven stuff.”

“Still…”

Woo Hyunse sat down next to the hesitant Kwon Siyul. He gently wrapped an arm around Kwon Siyul’s shoulders and rested his head against Kwon Siyul’s, as if encouraging him to drink it. When he called out “Siyul,” dropping the surname, it stirred Kwon Siyul’s heart briefly. However, his face quickly turned pale at Woo Hyunse’s next words.

“After you drink this, you shouldn’t collapse during your next rut.”

Kwon Siyul squeezed his eyes shut and gulped down the herbal medicine. If it could help him endure the next rut, what did a little bitterness matter? But the medicine, more bitter than gall, made his eyes and nose sting. Still, he emptied the cup to the last drop. Even holding his breath, the strong herbal scent rose up, making Kwon Siyul gag and cover his mouth.

“Well done.”

Woo Hyunse peppered Kwon Siyul’s cheek with kisses as he unwrapped a candy and put it directly into Kwon Siyul mouth. The sweet and sour lemon flavor chased away the taste of the medicine. Only then was Kwon Siyul able to finally take a breath.

Thanks to days of health tonics, nourishing foods, and even milky vitamin injections, Kwon Siyul had regained his lost weight. He even looked healthier than before. Color returned to his still slightly chubby cheeks, and his previously loose clothes now fit well again.

“But is it really okay for me not to go to work?”

He had been practically confined to Woo Hyunse’s house for days. Worried about the bar, he had called in, but Manager Kang said she’d heard from Woo Hyunse and told Kwon Siyul to rest until he was feeling better. Kwon Siyul had felt a chill run up and down his spine, wondering if Manager Kang knew he had been Woo Hyunse’s rut partner, but fortunately, she believed Woo Hyunse when he said Kwon Siyul had caught a severe case of the flu that was currently going around.

“Yes, I’ve already explained it.”

“It pricks my conscience to receive a salary while playing around like this. Please deduct the days I didn’t work from my pay.”

“Why are you so honest? Just take what you’re given. I’m willing to give you everything.”

“What? No, no. I’d feel bad for Manager Kang too…”

As Kwon Siyul crunched on the now-smaller candy, Woo Hyunse stopped him, saying it would damage his teeth. Kwon Siyul ceased trying to crush it and instead sucked on it, hollowing his cheeks in the process.

“Being honest should be rewarded. Why settle for just the iron axe when you can have the gold and silver ones too?”

Woo Hyunse stroked Kwon Siyul’s hair and kissed him again. This had been happening more and more throughout the nursing period, so it felt familiar, yet distinctly different from before. Everything had become more heated. The kisses were more frequent, and Woo Hyunse held Kwon Siyul for much longer periods of time.

He would bury his nose in Kwon Siyul’s nape to inhale his scent, and even while sleeping, his hands would search for Kwon Siyul. When his fingertips found him, Woo Hyunse would either cling to Kwon Siyul’s back or pull him into his arms.

Looking up, Woo Hyunse smiled brightly as if to ask “What’s wrong?” The frequency of his smiles had increased too. Though he always smiled, after the rut, his smiles seemed deeper. His usual smile used to seem like just another form of a blank expression, but that was not the case anymore. There was a subtle difference in the corners of his eyes and mouth.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

His voice was as sweet as candy. Kwon Siyul fiddled with the candy wrapper, twirling it between his fingers.

“No, it’s just…You seem to be smiling a lot more these days.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, Mr. CEO.”

Woo Hyunse touched his mouth as if unaware of his movements. He traced his upturned lips and let out a soft chuckle. That too was a smile.

Not only his smile but his scent had changed as well. It now carried a sweet spring-like fragrance, as if new buds were sprouting in a snow-covered forest. Breathing it in felt like stepping into a forest where leaves were just beginning to unfurl. While his original cool scent was nice, this new fragrance had the power to melt one’s heart.

“Why do you keep smiling? I’m not criticizing, just curious, is all.”

“This is my normal expression.”

“It’s a bit different. Usually, you just smile briefly, but lately it’s more…”

“More what?”

Kwon Siyul wanted to explain but couldn’t find the right words right then. He struggled, racking his brain, but nothing came out. He now regretted all those times he had slept through Korean language classes. If he had at least read the textbooks carefully, his vocabulary might not be so lacking now.

“I don’t know. It’s just different.”

Woo Hyunse looked at himself in the mirror by the bed, touching his face. But unable to spot any differences from before, he pursed his lips slightly.

“Because the rut is over?”

“Ah.” Kwon Siyul nodded his head. That sounded like a plausible reason. Kwon Yuwon would also chug beer to celebrate the end of his heat, saying he had finally escaped that hellish period.

“Thanks to Kwon Siyul sacrificing himself.”

Woo Hyunse whispered, pressing his lips to Kwon Siyul’s neck and wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist. This time, Kwon Siyul giggled, shrinking his shoulders.

Perhaps the best thing about differentiating—maybe the only good thing—was this. If he had been a beta, he wouldn’t have known Woo Hyunse’s scent, nor could he have understood his feelings without words. He would have helplessly watched the rut from afar.

What some called a curse, this differentiation wasn’t so terrible for Kwon Siyul. It was all thanks to Woo Hyunse. Kwon Siyul smiled brightly and gently rested his head on Woo Hyunse’s shoulder. The other man’s body scent, now more like spring than winter, settled softly over his head.