* * *
His vision was blurry, and no matter how hard he tried, his limbs wouldn’t move.
Struggling for breath, Jeongseo’s gaze drifted toward the window.
Light seeped through the gap in the curtains.
The sun was already up.
Though exhausted, he felt strangely relieved that the relentless heat that had been tormenting his body had finally subsided.
His memory was hazy in places, but he was certain he hadn’t taken a suppressant.
Even so, his heat seemed to have ended faster than usual.
He barely managed to pull his legs together, and when the damp sheets brushed against his knees, a shiver ran down his spine.
As expected, the bed was a mess.
When he first moved in, his mother had insisted he use a waterproof mattress cover—but he never imagined it would come in handy like this.
If it weren’t for that cover, the mattress would’ve been completely ruined by now.
“…Ha.”
His eyes felt swollen, stinging every time he blinked.
Pyo Yoontae, who had been relentless all night, had finally left, saying he needed to buy something.
Now, it was really over, right?
His heat had been his, yet somehow, Yoontae had seemed more excited than him.
Jeongseo let out a deflated chuckle before his eyes slowly began to close.
Come to think of it, he should’ve told his mother he wouldn’t be able to visit home today.
His eyes flew open again, darting around the room in search of his phone.
But it was nowhere in sight.
Did he leave it in the living room?
Just as he was wrestling with the overwhelming reluctance to move, the door suddenly swung open.
Pyo Yoontae stepped inside, carrying a convenience store bag.
He pulled off his cap and unzipped his hoodie, revealing—
Jeongseo’s lips, which had been slightly parted, froze mid-movement.
Bite marks covered the side of Yoontae’s neck, just above his collarbone.
He went outside looking like that…?
Jeongseo felt his face grow hot, a strange sense of unease churning inside him.
Yoontae probably hadn’t taken his hoodie off outside, but still…
He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone might have seen them.
Unaware of Jeongseo’s thoughts, Yoontae casually pulled out an electrolyte drink from the bag and perched on the edge of the bed.
“You’re still awake, Jeongseo. Thirsty?”
Jeongseo tried to respond, but only a faint, breathy sound escaped his lips.
Yoontae let out a quiet laugh before gently lifting him up and unscrewing the cap.
Tilting the bottle near his lips, he let the drink trickle in.
The sweet and salty liquid soothed his parched throat, cooling the dryness that had been clinging to his mouth.
Without thinking, Jeongseo gulped it down greedily, drinking nearly half the bottle before lifting a hand to signal he’d had enough.
As moisture returned to his dry vocal cords, he tested his voice a few times—“Ah, ah”—before finally speaking.
“Hey, Yoontae… Do you know where my phone is? I need to tell my mom I won’t be able to visit this weekend.”
“Oh, I already contacted her.”
Jeongseo, who had been leaning weakly against Yoontae’s chest, suddenly stiffened.
He already told her?
His eyes flickered uneasily as he looked up at Yoontae, unsure of what he had said.
Seeing this, Yoontae chuckled and gently tapped the tip of his nose.
“Relax. I just told her you weren’t feeling well and needed to rest at home.”
Ah… Thank god.
Even if he had nothing to hide from his parents, there were some things he absolutely didn’t want them knowing.
Jeongseo let out a relieved breath, slowly blinking as he leaned against Yoontae’s firm, broad chest.
But then, that familiar scent grew stronger.
A chill ran through his body as a large hand began creeping up his chest.
“…Ah.”
The fingers brushed past his sternum, lightly flicking over a swollen nub.
Jeongseo gasped. Yoontae had bitten and sucked at him so much that his nipples were still raw and reddened, as if the skin had peeled.
A fingertip pressed down, rolling over the sensitive bud.
Jeongseo’s back arched, a soft whimper slipping from his lips.
“Haa… Yoontae, we should rest now—ugh…!”
As if to cut off his words, Yoontae’s pheromones thickened.
Jeongseo instinctively tried to block his nose and mouth with his hands, but it was useless.
He needed to get away.
He jerked up, trying to put some distance between them, but Yoontae pressed him down onto his stomach instead.
“Haa… Jeongseo. You said my rut and your heat cycles were similar, didn’t you?”
Jeongseo’s eyes widened.
Before he could even turn his head, something hot rubbed between the cleft of his ass.
“Y-Yoontae…!”
“…Looks like it’s my turn now.”
The most overpowering pheromones he had ever felt crashed over him, swallowing him whole.
His vision went dark.
As time passed, Seo Jeongseo excitedly packed and left for the MT.
Just days ago, he had been tangled up with Pyo Yoontae, but now he was leaving with such enthusiasm that it was a little frustrating.
However, Pyo Yoontae could do nothing but let him go without a word.
Due to a sudden class cancellation, Pyo Yoontae found himself with free time.
He sat on a bench near the convenience store on campus, staring at his phone.
Jeongseo had texted an hour ago to say he’d arrived, but there had been no response since.
He had warned in advance that he’d be busy and wouldn’t check his phone often, so Yoontae couldn’t bring himself to send another message.
Instead, he just bounced his leg impatiently.
He had no doubts about Jeongseo’s loyalty.
But the memory of that guy grabbing Jeongseo’s wrist and looking at him with that strange gaze still lingered.
Even if Jeongseo had no such intentions, the people around him were dangerous.
Not everyone in the world is universally loved, but there are those who attract affection from many.
Pyo Yoontae believed Jeongseo was one of those people.
He wasn’t bound by blood, not even of the same species, yet he had grown up receiving abundant love from his family.
He was used to affection, but he never took it for granted, which only made him more attractive to others.
And now, in an MT full of Alphas and bulky guys, it was impossible not to worry about someone trying to hit on him.
To make matters worse, Jeongseo had a soft demeanor—if someone wasn’t outright awful to him, he responded gently.
Back in high school, it had been fine because no matter what, Yoontae had always been close enough to step in.
But now, with the distance, he had naively assumed everything would still be okay.
The thought of Jeongseo joking around with some other guy in a place Yoontae couldn’t see was more infuriating than expected.
He even found himself annoyed at how childish he was being.
Turning his phone off and on a few times out of frustration, Yoontae suddenly felt someone watching him.
His gaze sharpened as he lifted his head—only to see a familiar face.
Hayan.
They were in the same engineering department, so they occasionally ran into each other, but they never really acknowledged one another.
If not for Jeongseo, they would never have gotten close in the first place.
Yet today, for some reason, Hayan was staring at him.
Yoontae gave him a small chin jerk—basically telling him to stop staring and move along.
But Hayan, for whatever reason, took it differently and started walking toward him instead.
His curly white hair swayed slightly, and Yoontae unconsciously thought of Jeongseo again.
When would winter come?
His brown hair was already cute enough, but when it turned white, he was on a whole other level.
His pale skin would become even more striking, and when he blushed, it would stand out even more—
“Hey.”
Yoontae, lost in thought, was snapped back to reality by Hayan’s voice.
He frowned slightly.
“Fuck off. Why are you talking to me?”
“You looked so damn pathetic sitting here alone without Jeongseo, so I thought I’d say something.
You didn’t even notice everyone staring at you with that nasty expression on your face, did you?”
“You’re alone too. Didn’t ask, now go away.”
Neither of them had any interest in making friends outside of Jeongseo.
Yoontae waved him off, but Hayan ignored it and asked,
“Hey, do cats like the smell of pain relief patches?”
For a split second, Yoontae felt a wave of irritation rise to his throat.
It was already annoying enough being treated like a cat by Jeongseo, but now even Hayan?
His gaze turned ice cold, and Hayan flinched slightly.
“I mean… they’re in the feline family, so I figured it might be similar. Never mind if you don’t know.”
“Why the fuck would I know? If some dumbass cat likes it, that’s their problem. I don’t. And I’m already in a shitty mood, so quit annoying me and get lost.”
“Alright, thanks. I’m going.”
Hayan seemed ready to leave without a second thought, but then he suddenly glanced back at Yoontae.
“…Why are you in a shitty mood?”
He looked like he didn’t even want to ask, as if someone had forced him.
Yoontae stared at him in disbelief before letting out a dry laugh.
From high school until now, they’d been forced to deal with each other enough times that, despite neither of them wanting to admit it, there was a certain familiarity between them.
“Wow, look at you, Hayan, actually giving a damn about someone’s mood.”
“Shut up. If you don’t wanna talk, then don’t.”
Hayan scowled and turned to leave, but Yoontae stood up.
“Food?”
Hayan glanced up at him before muttering, “Whatever.”
The two of them headed toward a restaurant known for its quick service.
“So,” Hayan asked as they walked. “What’s got you all moody?”
“Jeongseo went to MT.”
“…And?”
“There are definitely gonna be weird fuckers hitting on him. He went to Gapyeong. If I secretly show up there, that’d be crazy, right?”
Letting out a deep sigh, Yoontae rubbed his face.
Hayan, watching, gave him a look of absolute disgust.
* * *
