NOVEL NEXT Volume 1 Chapter 18
And soon, he falls silent. Feeling like he might slide off the leaning wall, Siwoo pulled Sanho into his arms. Only after managing to lean Sanho back against the wall could he carry him on his back. Sanho’s cheek rested against the nape of Siwoo’s neck. Sanho’s arms draped limply over Siwoo’s shoulders. Siwoo let out a sigh and took a step forward.
“Blue… gate.”
The blue gate was so old and shabby that it was almost embarrassing to call it a gate. No, could this even be called a gate in the first place? As he stepped through the gap in the door, which had no proper lock and opened easily, he found a small yard with cement and a translucent glass door.
“…Ha, this is.”
There was a keyhole in the doorknob, but that was the only locking mechanism. It was something that could be easily twisted open with just a little force from an adult man. As Siwoo narrowed his eyebrows and twisted the doorknob with the hand that wasn’t supporting Sanho, the door quickly swung open.
“……”
He stepped into the house, where a somehow chilly atmosphere lingered. A few pairs of sneakers that seemed to belong to Sanho were placed in the narrow entrance, and the small room, no bigger than a palm, was clean but dreary. Seeing the neatly folded bedding, Siwoo gently laid Sanho down there. After spreading out the bedding and covering Sanho with a blanket, Siwoo straightened his back.
It was clearly a house for someone living alone. There were no signs of anyone else besides Sanho. As Siwoo awkwardly looked around the room, Sanho groaned and tossed in discomfort.
“What’s wrong? Stomach not feeling good?”
Should he have bought a hangover remedy? The convenience store he had last seen before coming up the alley was quite a distance away. Siwoo looked around once more. If he could just get him some water… A mini refrigerator that barely reached his waist caught his eye, and as he headed toward it, a heavy fog-like sensation enveloped Siwoo.
“…Ah.”
It was Sanho’s pheromones. Since he had fallen asleep drunk, there was no way he could control them. They must be flowing out uncontrollably, just as Sanho was feeling now. It was a dense pheromone, as if his body was burning up. Siwoo bit his lip. He really needed to make sure he couldn’t drink outside anymore.
His heart reacted to the pheromones, thumping loudly. He quickly opened the refrigerator door. Fortunately, he found a 500mL bottle of water. Siwoo gently placed it by Sanho’s head.
“……”
Sanho’s slightly parted lips stood out. Breath poured out in colorful bursts between them. Siwoo, without realizing it, reached out as if wanting to touch his lips, then quickly pulled back. It would be better to avoid the situation before he reacted more strongly to the Omega’s pheromones.
Stepping outside, the fresh air rushed into his lungs. Although Sanho’s pheromones still seeped out through the door, it was bearable. Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling made his head feel clearer. Siwoo slowly glanced at his wristwatch. It was just past 1 AM.
“…And he was even a U-seong?”
He had a promise in the morning. He had brought Sanho home and confirmed that he was asleep, so it would be enough to go back now. But for some reason, his feet wouldn’t move.
“……”
If he were a traitor, he would be able to sense those pheromones while passing by this area. The defenselessly scattered Omega’s pheromones were good prey for Alphas. The Omega sleeping inside, just a little push on the door would reveal him, was like a wounded deer in the path of hungry beasts. Siwoo glanced at his watch again.
“…Father will be angry.”
Realizing how ridiculous his choice was, Siwoo let out a small laugh.
***
A woman sat at the table, nervously examining a yellow bill. She gulped down some barley tea. Gradually, her eyes became clouded, and her cheekbones flushed red. A child had been reading a fairy tale in the living room, glancing at the woman. Finally, when the woman suddenly slumped over the table, the child slowly approached her side. There was an oddly sharp scent in the air.
‘…….’
In fact, he was thirsty. The barley tea the woman had been drinking was half full in the cup. Standing on tiptoe, he grabbed the cup placed on the table. For some reason, he felt like he would get scolded if the woman woke up, so he cautiously drank the barley tea. The moment he took a sip, he realized something was off. It was definitely the color of barley tea, but it was extremely bitter and very hot.
Clang.
The startled child dropped the cup. The sound startled not only the child but also the woman, who had been slumped over. She suddenly lifted her head and looked back and forth between the child and the broken cup. As if she understood the situation, her face twisted into a fierce expression.
‘You foolish child! Do you even know what you’re drinking?’
With a slap, the woman’s bony hand struck the small back of the thin child. The child was shocked and in great pain but couldn’t even cry out. It felt as if he had swallowed fire. But more than the burning sensation inside, the woman glaring at him was far more frightening. The child’s cheeks flushed red.
‘You can’t even catch one Alpha, and you’re still….’
The woman, who had been muttering incoherently, suddenly looked at the child as if realizing something. A sly smile appeared on her face.
‘You’re so pretty, why don’t the adults from the noble family choose you?’
The woman’s voice seemed to soften a bit, and the child looked up at her cautiously.
‘Our pretty Sanho.’
‘…….’
‘Sanho wants to be loved too, right?’
The child nodded carefully. The woman smiled sweetly.
‘Come here.’
Sometimes, when she was in a good mood, the woman would hug the child. Not knowing when the woman would be in a good mood, the child always watched her closely. Seeing her wanting to hug him now, it seemed the woman was in a good mood. As the child approached the woman, avoiding the broken cup, she warmly embraced him.
‘When you want to be loved, Sanho.’
‘Yes.’
‘You should take off your clothes and spread your legs. Do you understand?’
The child couldn’t understand what the woman’s words meant at all. He only remembered the feeling of wanting to be loved.
***
Sanho woke up with a headache that felt like it would break. His whole body ached. His head was pounding. He felt very uncomfortable because he had dreamt of a childhood dream that he had tried hard to push away from his memory.
Alcohol, alcohol was the problem. Sanho had a constitution that couldn’t handle alcohol. He had realized this at a very young age. Even just one drink would make his body heat up and dizziness would overwhelm him. The reason he hadn’t touched alcohol at the student gathering he had reluctantly attended was this. If only his low-quality classmates hadn’t forced him to drink… The last memory of the drinking party was very hazy, unlike the dream he had just had. As Sanho grimaced and got up from his seat, Siwoo, who was standing in the kitchen, sensed the movement and turned his head.
“Oh, you’re up already?”
Sanho stared blankly at Siwoo’s broad shoulders with a dazed expression. Seeing Sanho rubbing his eyes as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, Siwoo burst into laughter. Well, it was surprising. He probably didn’t remember everything that had happened yesterday.
“I thought you’d sleep longer.”
“……”
“Can you wait a bit? It’s not done yet.”
What? Sanho’s dry lips moved, but Siwoo turned his gaze back. It was toward the pot that was currently struggling.
“Why is the senior… here?”
Sanho seemed to have no understanding of the situation at all. Siwoo shrugged nonchalantly.
“Oh, that’s because…”
In fact, right now, this was more urgent. The bizarre food boiling in the pot. Sanho rustled as he got up. Feeling Siwoo approaching from behind, Siwoo smiled awkwardly.
“This is… Ah, it’s my first time doing this.”
Sanho frowned as he looked at the mysterious food boiling in the pot over Siwoo’s shoulder.
“What are you doing here…?”
Siwoo still had a troubled expression as he wrinkled his nose.
“I thought you might need a hangover remedy.”
“…A hangover remedy?”
Sanho repeated Siwoo’s words in confusion. Siwoo was still stirring the pot with a wooden spoon, tilting his head.
“It looked easy, but it’s actually hard.”
Next to the old gas stove was Siwoo’s phone, which had a cooking post open.
“There wasn’t much food in the fridge, so I hurriedly made something with what I bought from the convenience store.”
His voice was full of excuses.
“But… I think I put in too much water.”
Watching Siwoo mutter to himself, Sanho kept his mouth shut. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Siwoo smiled as he turned to Sanho. In truth, he wanted to set the table nicely and surprise him when he woke up. Knowing that someone was there to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead when he was sick, that there was someone he could whine to, was such a comforting thing. He wanted to do that for Sanho. But… however, the smile that had bloomed on Siwoo’s face gradually faded as he faced Sanho.
That boy, Sanho, was biting his lips tightly, his eyes red.
“…Sanho.”
“Senior Jin Siwoo.”
“……”
“What are you doing right now?”
Siwoo slowly set down the wooden spoon he had been stirring with.
“……Sanho.”
“What are you doing?”
“……”
“Damn it, what are you doing here!”
Sanho’s eyes were wet with tears. Siwoo’s lips pressed together silently. Just like Sanho had shouted, Siwoo felt a lump in his throat. But right now, he couldn’t show any emotions.
“I’m worried about you.”
Sanho glared at Siwoo fiercely. It was clear that the person offering him inexplicable kindness was very uncomfortable, frightening, and puzzling. Meeting the gaze filled with resentment and self-loathing, Siwoo could only quietly look at Sanho.
“…Why do you keep doing this to me?”
“……”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“……”
“Yes, I’m an Omega. Did you hear the rumors and get curious? So you wandered around nearby and realized I was really an Omega and got a little interested?”
That was more of an expression of anger directed at himself than a question for Siwoo. Siwoo didn’t let his expression crumble,
“Oh, do you want to sleep with me?”
Sanho’s words made Siwoo furrow his eyebrows.
“Isn’t that all Alphas want? Is that what you want too? Are you like that too?”
A deep sigh escaped. It wasn’t so much anger as it was exasperation.
“Yeah, let’s sleep. What’s so difficult about that?”
Once he slept with him, he would lose interest. It was obvious. Sanho angrily unbuttoned a wrinkled shirt. Siwoo roughly grabbed Sanho’s hand, which was unbuttoning his shirt.
“Baek Sanho.”
“What do you want from me!”
It was the cry of a child who had grown up without love. Siwoo slowly released the hand he had held tightly. A sigh escaped, but more than that, he was concerned about the hand he had gripped too tightly. Did it hurt? I’m sorry. He slightly bent down and wrapped his arm around Sanho’s shoulder, gazing at his face. A moment passed.
“I will never sleep with you. I will never do that.”
“……”
“I won’t touch you. I promise.”
“……Why do you keep….”
“I would do this even if it weren’t you. I would do this for anyone.”
Sanho slowly met Siwoo’s gaze. Their eyes locked, and another moment passed. Finally, Siwoo smiled gently, his eyes crinkling.
“So… don’t be on guard.”
“……”
“Can’t a senior do this much for a junior?”
At that moment, the pot made a loud bubbling sound, and its contents spilled over. Siwoo quickly turned his body and hurriedly turned the gas stove knob. An awkward silence settled. When Siwoo looked back at Sanho, he found Sanho trembling slightly, staring at him. Siwoo smiled awkwardly.
“Shall we just… order delivery?”