* * *
After stopping by the office and realizing Wookyung wasn’t there, Saheon headed down to the parking garage.
He immediately noticed someone sitting in the passenger seat.
Gil Wookyung.
Just the thought of his name brought a soft smile to Saheon’s lips.
His sour mood from dealing with Director Min lifted almost instantly.
Striding over, he pulled on the car door handle.
“……”
At the same time, the scent of pheromones trapped inside spilled out.
Saheon caught the faint sweet-and-sour note mixed within—too subtle for anyone else to detect, but not him.
He closed his eyes briefly to take it in more fully.
Saliva pooled in his mouth.
It wasn’t hunger—something baser stirred within him.
But he couldn’t act on it now.
“Wookyung.”
He called out softly, watching the other sleep.
He was out cold, his lips slightly parted.
Even that was enough to tempt him.
That was dangerous.
He hurriedly redirected his thoughts elsewhere.
In this state, Wookyung likely didn’t even realize what had happened.
Saheon had casually mentioned that he knew about his traits—something Wookyung hadn’t expected.
They hadn’t had a chance to talk more because Wookyung hadn’t been feeling well.
Looking at him now, Saheon wondered if he should’ve explained more clearly.
‘Was it because of that night?’
Had their night together triggered it?
That thought made guilt surge up in him—along with a quiet, shameful satisfaction.
“Haa…”
No matter what, thinking about things like that at a time like this wasn’t right.
Saheon shook his head to rid himself of the intrusive thoughts.
He returned to the driver’s seat, started the car, and immediately pulled out.
As autumn deepened, the days had grown shorter, and the sky was now blanketed in a rich, glowing sunset.
While waiting at a red light at an intersection, Saheon glanced at the passenger seat.
The smooth curve of his cheek, the clean lines of his forehead, and his prominent nose were all gently bathed in a warm, rosy hue.
“Wookyung.”
On impulse, stirred by a sudden aching in his chest, Saheon called his name again.
As if he’d been waiting for that moment, Wookyung’s tightly shut eyelids slowly lifted.
Their eyes met instantly.
His gaze was clear and focused, not the least bit groggy, as though he hadn’t been asleep at all.
It was almost as if he’d been watching Saheon the whole time.
Saheon quietly held his gaze. It was Wookyung who broke the silence first.
“We didn’t get to finish our conversation earlier.”
“……Yeah.”
So he’d been thinking about the same thing too.
“Should we talk at that park we used to go for walks in?”
“Let’s do that.”
With the destination set, Saheon gave a nod.
Wookyung, as if that had been his only business, gently closed his eyes again.
He seemed more drained than usual, and Saheon felt worried, but he knew well enough that this wasn’t going to be a long conversation.
He pressed the accelerator a little more.
After parking, they walked to a nearby park.
They followed the trail for a bit before stopping in front of a vending machine.
“Should we grab a warm drink?”
Saheon turned to Wookyung and asked for his opinion.
“Sure. What do you want to drink, Saheon? My treat this time.”
“This time?”
At Saheon’s puzzled expression, Wookyung responded as if he couldn’t believe he didn’t remember.
“That time at the park in Chinatown. You set up some weird game about climbing stairs, and you ended up buying the drinks.”
“Ah. Well, maybe there was a misunderstanding. That game was completely fair, without any tricks.”
Saheon put on a serious tone, but Wookyung wasn’t fooled.
It was obvious from the mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
Not that Saheon’s words were entirely untrue.
Still, back then, it had really felt like he’d been played.
“Anyway, I’m buying this time, so hurry up and choose.”
Instead of arguing further, Wookyung urged him.
As he did, he scanned the display with his eyes.
In truth, he was searching to see if that pine-scented drink—the first one he had ever given to Saheon—was there.
But unfortunately, it wasn’t.
Something else came to mind instead.
“By the way, why do you have so many drinks stuffed in your glove compartment?”
“Mm… just because. I stop by convenience stores sometimes, and when you come to mind, I pick one up.”
“Since when?”
Saheon thought back, trying to recall.
“Probably since you gave me that pine-scented drink.”
“‘Probably’?”
“It just happened naturally, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when it started.”
His genuinely troubled expression made Wookyung chuckle quietly.
They each picked a mild-tasting tropical fruit-flavored ion drink.
They walked a bit more before sitting side by side on a bench in a quieter area.
The evening air was noticeably cool—definitely autumn.
Wookyung sipped the drink Saheon had picked out for him.
It had a subtle sweetness and tang that wasn’t bad at all.
He scrunched his nose.
The scent wafting from the can matched the flavor.
Beyond that, there wasn’t much else to sense.
“What did it mean when you said you ‘knew my nature’?”
Holding the can, Wookyung was the one to bring it up first.
He took another sip, feeling like his mouth kept drying out.
“I meet up with Woohyun now and then to grab a drink. That day, he seemed especially down, like he had something on his mind.”
It might have sounded like he was changing the subject, but Wookyung simply nodded in silence to show he was listening.
“He drank a lot more than usual that day.”
He probably would’ve insisted on it, even if Saheon tried to stop him.
And once he was completely drunk, words he’d kept buried finally spilled out.
Wookyung could tell how the topic of his “nature” must have come up.
“He said you suddenly got very sick. You had colds now and then as a kid, but nothing like that. He was completely freaked out.”
Eventually, his fever passed 40 degrees Celsius.
His parents decided they couldn’t wait any longer and rushed him to the hospital.
Wookyung had been unconscious then, so the memory was hazy.
No, of course he wouldn’t remember—he wasn’t really “that” Wookyung at the time.
“They found out it wasn’t just a regular illness—it was the pain of manifestation. Woohyun still feels really guilty about it.”
Saheon paused to take a sip.
Wookyung was puzzled—why would Woohyun feel that way?
“Why?”
“Because it was such a big change for you. Maybe he thought you’d be upset if you found out later that your family knew before you did.”
“That guy…”
Whether it was kindness or just a soft heart, he never could get properly mad at his annoying little brother.
Always walking on eggshells instead.
‘Huh?’
Something odd flashed through Wookyung’s mind.
He tried to chase the feeling down, but couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
He gave up quickly.
If it were something truly important, it wouldn’t slip away like this—better to focus on his conversation with Saheon.
“So… did you hear everything?”
“……Yes.”
“How much exactly?”
Now it was Saheon who gave him a puzzled look.
Wookyung carefully chose his words.
“That I’m an omega, but a recessive one. That the gland responsible for pheromones doesn’t function, so I can’t smell them, can’t release them. That I’m incomplete… no, less than that—not even half of a person.”
For some reason, his grip on the can tightened.
As he spoke, he felt a sharp ache in his chest.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he’d ever said something like this out loud.
It had to be because he was saying it to someone he had feelings for.
Yes… that must be it.
He tried to suppress the creeping discomfort and opened his mouth to continue—but Saheon was quicker.
“Wookyung, why do you keep saying things that hurt you?”
“……What do you mean?”
“You’re only going to wound yourself with words like that. And seeing you hurt makes me sad too.”
Then, out of nowhere, Saheon reached out and took the crushed can from his hand.
Wookyung’s gaze followed his hand in disbelief.
And then he felt it—the warmth of Saheon’s hand gently wrapping around his own.
When he looked up, Saheon was clearly upset.
“But it’s true.”
“Not that. I just wish you wouldn’t say things that hurt yourself like that.”
“But eventually, this is going to affect you too, isn’t it?”
As he said it out loud, Wookyung realized what had gone through his mind when Saheon found out about his condition.
He had been afraid it might ruin their relationship.
“That’ll never happen. So you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Even if I’m not the real Gil Wookyung?”
The words came out in a burst before he could stop them.
Only then did he realize what he had said—and his face went pale.
“Wookyung? What do you mean by that…?”
Without answering, he stood up abruptly.
The hand Saheon had been holding dropped away.
Unable to look back, Wookyung quickly walked away.
The warning sirens in his head were blaring loud.
* * *
