* * *
“Why, why all of a sudden…?”
Junhee’s trembling words trailed off as they dissipated in front of the man’s jet-black hair.
Cornering Junhee against the wall, the man leaned in, burying his nose deep into the crook of Junhee’s neck.
A hot breath tickled the fine hairs on Junhee’s skin.
“Why do you smell so damn strange?”
For some reason, his words sent a chilling sensation down Junhee’s spine.
“Did you smoke?”
“…No.”
“Then did you really meet someone else?”
Junhee didn’t respond, and the man’s teeth sank lightly into his neck.
As Junhee swallowed a groan, he felt the man’s tongue gently trace over the spot where his teeth had just been.
“Junhee, did you really do that?”
“No, I didn’t! I told you, it was just a company dinner…”
The man’s lips crept up Junhee’s neck, climbing until they began nibbling softly on his cheek.
It felt like he might bite down hard at any moment, making Junhee both anxious and parched as if his lips were about to be stolen again.
The man was utterly unreadable.
‘…Even though we’re nothing to each other.’
Yet, he acted as if Junhee belonged to him whenever he pleased.
Snapping back to his senses, Junhee tried to push the man’s shoulders away, but it was like shoving against a massive boulder.
“Please… move.”
“And who told you to smell so damn irresistible?”
The man wedged his leg between Junhee’s, pressing him harder against the wall.
Then he turned Junhee’s face from side to side, brushing his lips over his cheeks, forehead, ears—everywhere.
Finally, when his lips started closing in again, Junhee barely managed to stop him.
“W-wait a second! Not out here…”
It wasn’t just a matter of noise complaints anymore; they might actually get caught for public indecency.
As Junhee squirmed, desperate to escape, the man leaned close and whispered into his ear in a low voice.
“Then shall we continue inside?”
“…Inside where?”
“Your place. It’s right around the corner.”
Junhee’s brown eyes widened with disbelief.
His house?
Was this guy seriously planning to use his cherished love nest like some hotel?
Shaking his head furiously, Junhee heard the man click his tongue regretfully before attempting to claim his lips again.
“T-the car! Let’s go to the car!”
Junhee’s desperate plea made the man shrug casually as he replied, “I don’t have a car.”
“…What?”
Junhee’s mind went blank.
How did he even get here?
It wasn’t like the illustrious Ki Taeryu would walk all this way like an ordinary pedestrian, let alone fly.
“My assistant dropped me off here before leaving for another appointment.”
“…Then you should leave, too. I’ll call a taxi for you.”
“A taxi? Should we do it there instead?”
“No! Obviously, I meant for you to take the taxi alone.”
It was as if he couldn’t go a day without spouting something outrageous.
The unfortunate part was that Junhee’s words never seemed to reach him, while the fortunate part was that it was late at night, and this area was usually deserted.
“Hurry up and go. If someone comes by—”
Before Junhee could finish, he felt the presence of people approaching from the end of the alley.
“They’ll pretend they didn’t see anything.”
“Move, please! Just go!”
Junhee pushed him as quietly as possible to avoid drawing attention, but the man didn’t budge. Instead, he pursued Junhee’s lips, relentless.
A large hand gripped Junhee’s chin, leaving him with no room to escape as their lips were just about to meet.
“Fine, fine, let’s go to my place…!”
Finally, worn out and unable to resist any longer, Junhee raised the white flag.
“Mmnh…!”
The door clicked shut, and before Junhee could process it, his lips were captured.
A soft tongue pressed in, carrying with it the slick warmth of saliva that overwhelmed Junhee.
It was as if the man were scouring every corner of his mouth, thirstily exploring as though he’d found an oasis in the desert.
“Hahh…”
The ceiling light flickered erratically, as though it were struggling to keep up with the intensity of the moment.
The man’s large frame closed in on Junhee, pressing him so tightly that it felt as if his body might flatten against him.
Junhee pushed at his shoulders in a feeble attempt to create space, but the man simply lifted him up and carried him across the threshold.
With firm strides, he made sure their lips never parted, his hand firmly cradling the back of Junhee’s head.
Crossing the unlit living room, he set Junhee down on the couch with a soft thud.
His weight settled on top of Junhee, the steady rise and fall of his broad chest thudding against Junhee’s like a drum.
“Wait, just… let me breathe…”
When Junhee gasped for air, the man finally pulled away, only to press his wet lips to Junhee’s cheek, then trail them to his ear, and eventually down to his neck.
He bit down lightly on Junhee’s necktie, tugging it free.
“What are you…?”
Junhee tried to sit up, but the man pushed him back down with his forehead.
With his free hand, he began undoing the buttons of Junhee’s shirt, one by one.
“Why are you—why my clothes…?”
The man buried his face in the newly exposed skin, his lips rubbing against it as if savoring its texture.
“Why? Isn’t it obvious?”
Just as when they’d kissed, he pressed his lips to the bare flesh, sucking hard enough to leave a mark.
It didn’t hurt, but the sensation was strange—neither unpleasant nor entirely comfortable.
Junhee’s eyes, now rimmed with red, glanced downward.
The sight of the man, bent over like a massive beast trying to wedge itself into a narrow rabbit hole, sent a mixture of anxiety and anticipation coursing through him.
As the man continued his descent, lips gliding lower and lower, he suddenly paused, lifting his gaze to meet Junhee’s eyes.
“…”
In the darkness, his obsidian-like eyes seemed to swallow Junhee whole.
Their eyes locked, and the man’s tongue slid out, tasting Junhee with a deliberate, lingering motion.
His sharp brow, the proud bridge of his nose, and the crimson tip of his tongue—all these details became etched into Junhee’s mind.
Overcome, Junhee squeezed his eyes shut, covering his face with his arm.
His head spun as though he were drunk, though he couldn’t tell if it was from the earlier drinks or the man’s intoxicating presence.
‘Is it because I’m drunk?’
Even though he could feel himself being devoured, he couldn’t muster the will to resist.
That insidious pheromone of his was surely to blame.
The heat radiating from beneath his open shirt, mingling with the man’s, made it impossible to distinguish whose it was.
The man’s legs pressed firmly against Junhee’s, like a coiled serpent trapping its prey.
How far was he planning to go?
The man’s tongue left no part of Junhee untouched, his closeness and sweet pheromones acting like an anesthetic.
Junhee’s body felt as though it might melt into nothingness or float away entirely.
Still, he was oddly reassured by the thought that, as always, Ki Taeryu would never go all the way.
Or so he thought.
Clink.
The sharp sound of metal snapped him back to reality.
Lowering his arm and opening his eyes, Junhee saw the man’s large hands on his belt.
“Why are you touching there—?!”
“You have to unwrap it before you decide whether to eat it or not.”
He answered with a crazed glint in his eyes.
His dark pupils gleamed, as if holding shards of glass, rolling restlessly.
Junhee’s face, frozen in shock, must have been misinterpreted, as the man’s hand moved toward his own belt.
“Are you embarrassed? Fine, I’ll go first.”
Clink.
The metallic sound of the buckle came, and before Junhee knew it, the belt had fallen to the floor beneath the sofa.
“N-No, wait, stop—”
“Stop? Now, after all this?”
Junhee’s lips, poised for resistance, were seized roughly.
The weight pressing down on him felt heavier and more real than ever before.
One hand grabbed Junhee’s cheek firmly, immobilizing him, while the other swiftly unbuttoned the man’s shirt.
The fabric that had served as a barrier between them disappeared like a curtain falling, leaving their bare skin exposed.
The pounding of his heart thudded wildly, hammering in the vividness of the moment.
The tighter the grip on his legs, the more suffocated Junhee’s chest felt.
The man’s lips brushed against Junhee’s flushed cheek, the heat and sweetness of his breath dangerously close.
Junhee couldn’t tell whether the turmoil inside him was anticipation or fear.
But…
“…There’s something I want to ask.”
If not now, he felt he might never have another chance.
If he let himself get swept up in this atmosphere, he feared he’d make an irreversible mistake.
There was even a faint certainty that this precarious push-and-pull between them could shift their relationship in an entirely new direction.
What surfaced in Junhee’s mind at that moment was the conversation they’d had when they first met.
“A Recessive Omega.”
“…What?”
“You told me to name my conditions.”
Right now, he felt he might finally get the real answer.
Why he had defied Chairman Ki’s wishes to name a Recessive Omega as his marriage partner.
Whether it was just an excuse made up to throw Junhee off balance, or an elaborate ploy to get close to Taeseong.
Whatever the reason, Junhee wanted him to be honest about it now.
Even if it had nothing to do with that, even if it was about something from when he was just Yoon Geonju.
He wanted to hear about Taeseong, why he had drifted apart from the brother he used to be so close with, why he was so determined to chase after him now.
Any reason would do.
If only he would lay bare his true feelings, Junhee was willing to be equally honest about what he knew of Taeseong.
So, even just a sliver of the truth—Junhee wanted to grasp it.
To see if he could truly trust this man.
“Why… did you choose a Recessive Omega as your condition?”
* * *
