“So the two of you are close, then.”
“If this kind of relationship counts as being close, then I suppose we are.”
“What kind of relationship is it…?”
“Who knows. Maybe the kind where there’s a lot of give and take between us. We’re here.”
Before he realized it, they had arrived at Seo Dohyeon’s family home. Go Igyeol unfastened his seat belt while turning those words over in his head. A relationship with a lot of give and take. What exactly could pass back and forth between a lawyer and an executive director at a major corporation? Lost in thought, he moved sluggishly. Even after Seo Dohyeon came around the hood and opened the passenger door for him, Go Igyeol was still thinking about him and Na Seunghee.
“Go Igyeol.”
“Yes? Ah, thank you.”
He took the hand being offered and stepped out of the car, only for it to hit him that he still had not received any pheromones from Seo Dohyeon. He should not have been wasting time thinking about Na Seunghee, someone he barely even knew. Go Igyeol impulsively grabbed Seo Dohyeon’s wrist just as he was about to press the doorbell, then bit his lip as his face reddened.
“What is it.”
“…I….”
He stood there unable to get the words out. Seo Dohyeon tilted his head slightly as he glanced down at the hand clutching his wrist. Even without hearing it said aloud, Go Igyeol knew they were already cutting it close.
“Could you release a little pheromone for me?”
“Suddenly? Pheromones?”
“…I’m nervous.”
“You’re saying my pheromones actually calm you down?”
Of course they did. Nothing soothed an omega more than the pheromones of their alpha spouse. Go Igyeol’s face burned at the question, especially because Seo Dohyeon obviously already knew the answer.
“If I do it now, everyone inside will know.”
“…….”
“You have no idea what filthy thoughts go through my head every time you look this innocent while begging me for something.”
Seo Dohyeon led Go Igyeol inside the gate and backed him against the wall. He could not give him a full pheromone shower right before a family dinner. Walking in smelling like they had just been engaged in something sexual in front of the elders would be disrespectful. Pulling that thin body against him—he could not tell whether he was trembling from nerves or the lingering cold—Seo Dohyeon lowered his head.
“Open your mouth. I’ll give you some.”
A hand brushed gently beneath the eyes of the man timidly lifting his face, his cheeks trembling faintly. Then Seo Dohyeon kissed him. He forced his way through the narrow gap of parted lips and fed pheromones into him along with his saliva.
It was the family dinner held once a month with everyone gathered together. The date changed every time, but they never skipped a month. Seo Jeongjae sat at the head of the table. Seo Taehyeok and Im Yeonhee sat on one side, while Seo Dohyeon and Go Igyeol sat opposite them.
“I haven’t seen Igyeol in a while, but he looks like he’s lost a lot of weight. Has Dohyeon been giving you a hard time?”
At Seo Jeongjae’s comment, Go Igyeol quickly lifted the head he had been keeping lowered. His eyes widened in surprise as he met Seo Jeongjae’s gaze, then he hurriedly answered.
“No, sir. He always treats me well.”
“If Dohyeon treats you well, why do you look so pale?”
He could hardly confess that he had lost weight because morning sickness left him unable to eat. Go Igyeol smiled awkwardly and glanced toward Seo Dohyeon.
“I’ve been taking good care of him.”
“You should take even better care of him. Make sure he stays warm all the time. And what is he wearing something so thin for… things like that may look pretty, but honestly.”
“The weather’s gotten much warmer, Father. Besides, clothes these days aren’t cold just because they’re pretty.”
Im Yeonhee smiled softly as she cut in, smoothly steering the conversation away from the outfit Seo Jeongjae had disapproved of. While discussing something only Seo Dohyeon and Seo Taehyeok would likely understand, she subtly kept checking Go Igyeol’s rice bowl.
“Still, why is Igyeol barely eating? Could it be….”
“Yes?”
Once again, every pair of eyes at the table focused on Go Igyeol.
Panicking, he scooped up a huge spoonful of rice. Please. Please just let this pass quietly this once. Praying desperately inside his head, he forced the spoon into his mouth. He could not even remember the last time he had chewed rice. He swallowed the grains rolling around in his mouth.
Determined to look like he was eating properly, he picked up a large piece of meat and shoved it into his mouth too, enough to puff out both cheeks. Watching him force himself to eat, Seo Dohyeon slid a glass of water toward him.
“Good. That’s better. Still no news yet, then?”
“We’re trying. Why would you make Igyeol uncomfortable by bringing that up again?”
Seo Dohyeon intervened, cutting the unpleasant question short. At the hard look on his face, Seo Jeongjae merely cleared his throat and returned to his meal without pressing further.
Only after the entire family had sat together long enough to finish fruit after dinner were the two of them finally able to leave the family home. Seo Jeongjae led the family in seeing them off at the entrance.
As they crossed the yard and descended the steps, Go Igyeol pressed a hand hard against his ruined stomach and trailed a step behind Seo Dohyeon. He felt like he could vomit everything back up at any moment. The thought of how he would have been retching in the bathroom instead of managing even a single bite if Seo Dohyeon had not given him pheromones before they went inside sent a chill down his spine.
“Looks like you’ve got indigestion.”
“…What?”
“You were forcing yourself to pretend to eat.”
“I think the atmosphere made my stomach act up.”
Seo Dohyeon merely replied, “I see,” as he opened the gate and held it for him. He settled Go Igyeol into the car first, then stood outside smoking while checking the messages piling up on his phone.
It was strange. Whenever Seo Dohyeon smoked, his ordinarily immaculate air turned rough around the edges. Go Igyeol watched him exhale a long stream of smoke before quietly turning away. After a while, Seo Dohyeon climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You don’t need digestive medicine?”
“…I’m okay.”
“I told you the stupidest thing a person can do is endure pain in silence.”
“I’m really okay. I mean it.”
Seo Dohyeon let out a deep sigh as he looked at Go Igyeol lying through a deathly pale face. Did he know he was terrible at lying, or not?
“Should I release pheromones for you again like before?”
“…If you would….”
“You’ve become especially fond of my pheromones lately.”
“I liked them before too.”
“Sure you did.”
Go Igyeol gave an awkward smile at the cool rebuke while greedily accepting the spreading pheromones. He pressed hard against the area beneath his sternum. It was obviously better than having no pheromones at all, but even so, he still felt like he would have to throw everything up the moment they got home.
Could he do it quietly enough that Seo Dohyeon would not notice?
Anxious and restless, he waited for them to arrive home. He could not even relax against the headrest and drift off. He only blinked silently and endured the drive for dozens of minutes.
“Go Igyeol, are you sure you don’t need medicine?”
“I’m okay.”
“You don’t look okay.”
Seo Dohyeon told the muttering Go Igyeol that he would not be saying that if he could see himself in a mirror. Even after parking in the garage, he offered medicine one more time, only to be refused again. His expression soured slightly before he answered with a curt, “Fine,” and stopped asking.
Go Igyeol immediately disappeared into the bedroom, while Seo Dohyeon headed for the study. He reviewed the materials from the meeting he had missed because of the family gathering. Leaning heavily back in his chair with a tablet in hand, he furrowed his brow out of habit.
None of the words registered.
His thoughts kept drifting toward Go Igyeol. The memory of that face, pale enough to look whiter than flour, irritated him.
He unbuttoned his shirt and forced himself to stare at the tablet longer, but eventually gave up. Tossing it carelessly onto the desk, he pressed at the corners of his eyes before checking the time.
Maybe having a drink would help.
With that thought, he left the study and headed for the dining room. Just as he reached out, debating between wine and whiskey, Go Igyeol entered.
His hair was still damp, hanging loose as he rubbed it dry with a towel while walking in. The moment he spotted Seo Dohyeon, he froze.
“Um… I came to get some water.”
“Go ahead.”
Seo Dohyeon stared at him.
He must have showered in hot water for a long time. Every patch of exposed skin was flushed red. The skin beneath his eyes was reddened too, as though he had been crying, though there were no visible traces of tears. Had soap gotten into his eyes?
In that brief instant, Seo Dohyeon thoroughly examined his condition. Still, he looked better than earlier, and that alone eased his mind.
“Good night.”
“Dry your hair properly before you sleep.”
Seo Dohyeon poured him a glass of water and handed it over while speaking. Go Igyeol lowered his head in gratitude instead of replying aloud, then quickly turned away.
Following Seo Dohyeon’s advice, he dried his hair completely before lying down in bed and touching his raw throat.
Before showering, he had turned on every faucet in the bathroom and vomited violently into the sink. The inside of his throat still stung continuously because of it.
***
Go Igyeol forced himself upright at the sudden message from Na Seonwoo asking to meet. His body felt unbearably heavy after sleeping through most of the day.
Na Seonwoo had insisted on picking him up. Go Igyeol tried refusing, saying he could come on his own and that he was fine, but he could not talk him out of it. By the time he finished showering after sending the address, another message had arrived saying he was already outside.
Go Igyeol pulled a baseball cap low over his face to hide the puffiness and his miserable condition. The moment he opened the gate, Na Seonwoo—leaning against his car—waved energetically at him.
“Did you eat lunch?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Did you just wake up? You’re really swollen.”
Na Seonwoo laughed softly as he looked him over. When Go Igyeol hesitated by the gate, Na Seonwoo placed a hand lightly against his back as though escorting him and opened the passenger door first.
By the time Na Seonwoo walked around the hood, Go Igyeol had already fastened his seat belt and was covering a yawn. Embarrassed, he scratched at his cheek.
“What’s going on?”
“I got off early today.”
“Isn’t that way too early? It’s not even two yet.”
“They told me to head home if there wasn’t anything urgent for me to do, so I left as fast as I could.”