* * *
Six months had passed since Jungin woke up.
When he first opened his eyes, he learned just how emotional his brothers could be.
As Jungin made a speedy recovery, his brothers and Beomhyeon gradually returned to their normal routines.
Early one morning, after finishing his rehabilitation exercises, Jungin smiled, recalling the compliments from his physical therapist.
He was told that his body had recovered to more than 95% of its original condition.
In fact, Jungin felt stronger than before, so it probably wasn’t an exaggeration.
After changing into casual clothes, Jungin hummed a tune while waiting for Beomhyeon.
Christmas decorations had begun to appear throughout the hospital, signaling the year’s end.
Humming a carol he liked, Jungin was knitting a scarf as a gift for Beomhyeon when he suddenly felt the familiar presence of his mate.
Panicking, he quickly hid what he was holding.
Creak—
“You’re here?”
Mates truly were remarkable.
Jungin could sense Beomhyeon’s pheromones, could know his mood, his physical state—everything.
Breathing in the refreshing scent deeply, Jungin smiled and said, “It’s so cold outside. Your ears are red.”
Having just returned from his exams, Beomhyeon walked in and wrapped his arms around Jungin’s waist, half-hidden behind the door.
“What if you hurt yourself?”
“I just wanted to see you sooner.”
Hearing such an endearing reply, Beomhyeon lifted Jungin into his arms and kissed his smiling cheeks.
“Did you wait long?”
“Just a little. How were your exams?”
“Not bad.”
Whenever Beomhyeon said “not bad,” it usually meant he’d done perfectly.
Feeling proud despite not being a great student himself, Jungin wrapped his arms around Beomhyeon’s neck and smiled.
But when Beomhyeon narrowed his eyes at him, Jungin’s grin faltered slightly.
“Why did you change your clothes?”
“Well… I was thinking, I really want to eat pork cutlets. Can we have that for lunch today?”
Restless from staying in the hospital, Jungin had changed clothes to go out.
Beomhyeon furrowed his brows slightly, feeling conflicted.
Last week’s secret drive had opened Pandora’s box.
Since experiencing the freedom outside, Jungin had kept pestering Beomhyeon to take him out again, making it hard for Beomhyeon to refuse.
“We can’t eat that with my brothers around. This is our chance… please?”
As if to melt Beomhyeon’s resolve, Jungin released a sweet, tantalizing scent.
His skills at controlling his pheromones had grown along with his recovery.
“Sigh… Jungin.”
Beomhyeon bit his dry lips, struggling against Jungin’s irresistible pleas.
Sensing his hesitation, Jungin clung to his neck and whispered mischievously, “Ki Beomhyeon, why don’t you kidnap me?”
Beomhyeon’s heart pounded violently at the playful words.
Watching his Alpha’s reaction, Jungin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the bulging muscles under Beomhyeon’s tightly clenched jaw.
‘I’ll mark him, too.’
Beomhyeon had already marked him—without medication or a rut cycle, something unprecedented.
A faint mark with Jungin’s name lay below Beomhyeon’s neck.
Now dressed by Beomhyeon, Jungin sneaked out of the hospital eagerly.
“Hyung is on a business trip to the U.S., and Jungseo’s off at an audition…”
After Jungin woke up, his brothers had quickly returned to their daily lives.
The eldest brother, Jungjin, resumed managing his company, while Jungseo began chasing his long-held dream of becoming an actor.
“And Jungwoo… I think he’s been seeing someone lately.”
Previously, I caught Jungwoo-hyung sneaking a call with someone.
Though his face flushed red, he adamantly denied it, saying it was nothing.
Meanwhile, Jungin simply narrowed his eyes knowingly and smirked.
“So, today’s the chance,” Jungin declared, sitting in the passenger seat with his fist clenched confidently.
Beomhyun glanced at him, amused, and shook his head with a small chuckle.
“Alright, then. Let’s eat whatever you want.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Hmm? Sorry, didn’t quite catch that.”
His words had overlapped with the GPS navigation, so Beomhyun didn’t catch Jungin’s mumbled response.
When he asked again, Jungin just shook his head and looked out the window.
After a drive through the winding streets, they arrived at a pork cutlet specialty restaurant on Namsan.
As Jungin enthusiastically devoured his massive pork cutlet, having already emptied his soup bowl, Beomhyun rested his chin on his hand and asked, “You really wanted this that much?”
“Yeah! The sauce here is amazing. Hospital food is so bland. I’m not even a patient anymore, but all they give me is hospital meals. It’s awful,” Jungin complained, stuffing his cheeks with food and scrunching his nose.
“And don’t you think I should be discharged soon? I’m all better now. How much longer do I have to stay hospitalized?”
“Actually, Dr. Choi mentioned your discharge recently. He said we’ll decide once hyungnim returns to Korea.”
“Really? I can finally leave the hospital?”
“Yeah. Like you said, you’re fully recovered.”
As Beomhyun wiped the sauce from the corner of Jungin’s mouth, his eyes lingered on the engagement ring on Jungin’s left hand.
Originally, they’d planned to marry after Jungin’s graduation, but the accident and his prolonged hospitalization delayed their plans.
Now, Beomhyun intended to proceed with the ceremony as soon as Jungin was discharged.
“How’s university life? It’s totally different from high school, right? Have you gone to any mixers?”
“Like I’d have the time for that. Besides, why would I go to mixers when I have you?”
“Correct answer!”
Jungin giggled, placing a cube of pickled radish on Beomhyun’s spoon.
Beomhyun had waited alone, devotedly, while Jungin was unconscious.
An extraordinary alpha with striking looks, an enviable physique, and wealth had remained entirely loyal to him.
Jungin felt like he was finally being rewarded for the hardships he’d endured.
Now, he was simply happy.
Beomhyun, too, laughed warmly at his playful antics.
Jungin, observing him quietly, rested his chin on his hand and murmured, “But… I also want to go to school.”
The smile on Beomhyun’s face slowly faded.
Was it still too early for that?
His worried gaze fixed on Jungin, and when he heard what followed, the knife in his hand slipped.
“Not GED classes. I want to go back to high school.”
High school?
If Jungin went back to school, Beomhyun wouldn’t be there with him.
“Jungin, your body isn’t fully recovered yet, and you’d have to attend with kids two years younger than you. Are you okay with that?”
Though Jungin could easily pass as a first-year, not a third-year, Beomhyun didn’t want him to attend school alone.
“…Is it not okay?”
Jungin bit his lip and looked downcast, his expression disheartened.
Beomhyun averted his gaze but froze when he heard a sniffle.
“Alright, alright. If you really want to, you can go. I’ll talk to hyungnim about it.”
“Really? Thank you, Beomhyun!”
Before he knew it, Beomhyun’s mouth had agreed without hesitation.
Sniffling, Jungin rubbed his nose and muttered that the restaurant must be dusty.
Beomhyun sighed, reflecting on how easily he caved when it came to Jungin.
Jungin, pretending not to notice, pressed his hands against his cheeks to suppress his growing smile.
He was getting better at teasing Beomhyun, who could never refuse him.
But truthfully, Jungin had no intention of re-enrolling in high school.
His real goal was to take the college entrance exam this year.
Having secretly worked on rehabilitation and prepared for the GED, Jungin now focused on the fast-approaching registration deadline, determined to succeed.
* * *
