For the entire five days of his heat cycle, Shin-Yeon never once stepped out of Kyo-Shin’s bedroom.
As a recessive omega, once his heat began, he was nearly unconscious the whole time—he had no idea what he had done.
Up until now, every time he’d gone through a heat cycle alone, he’d lost his senses and done nothing but relieve himself over and over.
For someone who had been a minor without a bonded alpha, it had been unavoidable.
Kyo-Shin—one of the causes of this sudden heat—worked from home and took responsibility for caring for him.
Whenever Shin-Yeon suffered through overwhelming waves of arousal, he eased him through it, staying with him for the duration of the cycle.
That didn’t mean they had sex.
Even though they were clearly relieving his urges together, Kyo-Shin only felt more and more pent up. More than once, the thought crossed his mind to just push into that small opening.
But he didn’t want Shin-Yeon’s first time to happen while he was blacked out and caught in the cycle.
“Give it to me… please… hurry…”
Eyes unfocused, Shin-Yeon didn’t even recognize who he was clinging to—he simply spread his legs, intoxicated by the pheromones of an extremely dominant alpha.
“If I keep this up, you might tear something, baby.”
“It’s hard… ngh… it’s too hard…”
Every time Shin-Yeon whimpered, clinging to him and complaining about how difficult the heat was, Kyo-Shin would hold him close and bring him to the point of passing out.
“You must’ve had a hard time going through this alone every time.”
When Shin-Yeon suffered too much, Kyo-Shin eventually parted that small opening and pushed in just the tip, filling him with his release.
The omega’s body mistook the presence of an extremely dominant alpha’s seed for full mating—release and knotting—and barely managed to bring the heat cycle to an end.
“Feeling better now, baby?”
Sitting on the bed, Kyo-Shin brushed a hand over Shin-Yeon’s pale, sweat-soaked face as he lay unconscious.
Then he lifted him into his arms.
In the bathroom, he carefully washed him, cleaning him thoroughly, then dressed him in one of his own pajama tops before carrying him out to the living room.
He laid Shin-Yeon down on the wide, soft sofa, covering him with a blanket.
Looking down at him—still flushed, sleeping while clutching his hand—Kyo-Shin spoke quietly.
“Why do you keep tempting me like this, making me want to swallow you whole?”
From the moment they had met at the formal meeting with Kim Shin-Hee, the entire purpose of the engagement had been overturned.
Everything he had prepared over the past three years—the traps, the arrangements—felt like they had all led to this moment.
This cunning little baby had clung to him the moment he became an adult, begging him to marry him—and had even spent his heat cycle in his arms.
“Did you think you could just act this cute and get your way with me? Hm?”
Of course, eventually, he intended to let him have his way.
But not yet.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I can’t accept your proposal that easily. Your family is deceiving me.”
Even so, he had no intention of letting go of the kitten that had willingly leapt into his arms.
“If I picked you up, I have to take responsibility. Don’t I?”
Running a large hand through Shin-Yeon’s hair, Kyo-Shin smiled lazily, like a predator that had just fed its fill.
***
After the heat cycle ended, Shin-Yeon slept for an entire day before slowly waking.
The soft bed, the warm blanket, and the sweet, fresh scent of acacia made him feel refreshed to an almost unbelievable degree.
It was like all the stress and fatigue that had built up had vanished in one go.
Stretching, Shin-Yeon suddenly froze at the unfamiliar ceiling.
An… unfamiliar ceiling?
“…Huh? Cough— why does my throat feel like this?”
Confused by the scratchy, hoarse feeling, he looked around the dim bedroom blankly—then realized where he was.
Seo Kyo-Shin’s bedroom…!
“Why… am I here?”
The pleasant feeling vanished instantly, replaced by unease.
As he tried to get up, a sharp pain from his lower body made him clap a hand over his mouth.
“…???”
There was a burning, aching soreness along his inner thighs and the more private areas of his hips.
Even the front felt rubbed raw.
Startled, Shin-Yeon slowly lifted the blanket.
He was wearing only a large pajama shirt—nothing underneath—and there were even bruises along his inner thighs.
“…No way… did we…?”
Then why don’t I remember anything?
“Or… maybe I collapsed and hit something…?”
With the snow and ice lately, maybe whoever helped him had dropped him or something…
“What is this???”
Grabbing his hair in both hands, Shin-Yeon’s face went pale.
When his heat cycle started, he always blacked out.
He remembered how, every time before, he’d been unable to endure the arousal and had relieved himself alone.
Afterward, the bed would always be soaked with fluids.
His fingers would wrinkle from how much he’d used them, and he’d always end up sore afterward.
“…Did I seriously… do that in front of Seo Kyo-Shin?”
Face draining of color, Shin-Yeon hurriedly wrapped himself in the blanket and curled up.
The thought that Kyo-Shin might have touched him didn’t even cross his mind.
After all, wasn’t Seo Kyo-Shin someone who went on blind dates with omegas who looked like his brother?
There’s no way he’d touch me.
“I must’ve looked completely pathetic… so embarrassing…”
Thinking that Kyo-Shin had seen everything, humiliation and shame flooded him, and tears welled up.
I never thought I’d end up showing him my heat cycle too…
What must Executive Director Seo think of me?
Remembering all the reckless flirting and persistence, it only made it worse.
“But why did he even bring me here…? He could’ve taken me to a hospital… or home… or left me with Yi-Jun or Won-Min…”
After crying for a while, Shin-Yeon wiped his eyes and carefully stood up.
His lower body hurt, but he could still move, so he began looking for clothes.
Where are mine?
There were only Kyo-Shin’s clothes in the bedroom.
Hesitating, he crept to the door and cracked it open.
Peeking out, he checked the living room—no one was there.
He slipped out quietly and approached the sofa.
There was a shopping bag placed on it.
“…?”
Inside were an ivory coat, oatmeal-colored wool slacks, and white underwear.
Next to it lay an oversized ivory turtleneck sweater.
On top of the sweater was a neatly written note:
“I have to step out to the office for a bit. Don’t run off—try the clothes on and stay home. You need another shot. If you run because you’re scared of needles, you’ll be in trouble.”
“A shot?”
Oh… because of the heat cycle?
Shin-Yeon lifted his arm, sniffing for any lingering pheromone scent, then tilted his head.
“…I think it’s already over?”
Still holding the note, he hesitated, then began taking out the clothes and removed the pajama top.
Slip—
Behind his neck, across his shoulders, back, waist, and hips—areas he couldn’t see—there were countless bite marks and mottled bruises.
Unaware, Shin-Yeon simply glanced at his body and muttered:
“…Looks like he really just let me use the bedroom… nothing happened. That’s… a little less embarrassing, at least.”
He put on the underwear, then the wool slacks, and picked up the turtleneck.
“This is huge.”
Tilting his head, he slipped into the soft sweater anyway, catching a faint scent of acacia.
“Is this Executive Director Seo’s?”
He sniffed the rich scent, then pulled out the ivory coat.
It had been a while since he’d worn new clothes, and he felt a small spark of excitement as he tried it on.
The refined cashmere coat, with a detachable padded lining, was incredibly warm.
“Wow… it’s so warm.”
Fully dressed, he went into the bedroom dressing room and looked at himself in the mirror.
“…It looks good.”
The outfit was stylish—almost like something a celebrity stylist would put together—and it lifted his mood.
Afterward, he returned to the living room and picked up the pajama top from the floor.
“Where’s the laundry basket…?”
Looking around, he eventually found it in the utility room.
As he went to drop the pajama top in, he noticed something in the washing machine.
“My clothes… they’re here.”
He reached in to take them out—then froze.
Sticky residue.
And a scent he couldn’t possibly mistake.
Male.
He jerked his hand back.
Face flushing red, he stood there in confusion before quickly washing his hands and returning to the living room, curling up on the sofa.
“…Am I actually insane?”
His entire body turned red as he grabbed his ears, then suddenly jumped up and ran back to the utility room.
“Detergent! Detergent!”
He poured it in hurriedly and started the wash, then sank to the floor, looking miserable.
“Executive Director Seo must be completely fed up with me… why did my heat have to hit like that… I showed him such a mess…”
Curling up, burying his face in his knees, a thought crept in.
Maybe… I should stop proposing.
This is too much.
“I didn’t mean to be a burden… I should apologize and tell him I won’t bother him anymore…”
Thinking back on all the shameless flirting and ridiculous behavior, he wanted to crawl into a hole.
“If the company collapses and we lose the house… maybe I should find a job with housing… or enlist… can omegas even enlist…?”
Then Yi-Jun and Won-Min’s words came back to him.
“If it really looks like you’re going to end up on the street, marrying one of us is the best option.”
“…Should I actually marry one of them…? No, they’re my friends… or maybe I should go on blind dates too…?”
“Who said you could?”