* * *
In middle school, someone spread a rumor that Taeshin was autistic.
They said Taeshin’s brother was educated abroad from a young age, and Taeshin stayed in Korea because he had a disability.
They claimed Taeshin hadn’t attended school until he met me, having undergone countless psychological tests since kindergarten.
I told the guy spreading these rumors to apologize, but he insisted it was true. I couldn’t hold back and punched him.
After a big fight, I came home and asked if it was okay to fight.
My older brother’s response was what he said. If Korea wasn’t great, then America wasn’t bad either.
‘Well, murder is troublesome, but… foreign bread is delicious. You can still eat rice if you want. It’s a place where people live, so it’s livable.’
‘So, it’s okay to fight?’
‘Just don’t get beaten up. Fighting isn’t a problem, but don’t just get hit. We have America and the UK. The youngest likes to eat, so the UK is out. Let’s go with France.’
My older brother, who told me to roll an egg on my swollen forehead, said not to get beaten up.
When Moon Jinwoo saw my bruised face and got really angry, he left and came back to give me a cold compress instead.
‘Didn’t you learn Taekwondo in elementary school, idiot?’
‘I remembered it all and hit him too. But the instructor said not to bully people with strength, so I held back a bit.’
‘Strength, my foot. We sent you to Taekwondo so you wouldn’t get hit. You should’ve hit back and caused trouble instead of getting beaten.’
‘Are you trash?’
Moon Jinwoo, who told me not to get hit, hit my head. When I tried to retaliate, he hit me again, saying how dare I.
I just accepted it while he applied ointment to my face and hands. It was clear that Moon Jinwoo was angry not because I got into trouble but because I got beaten up.
‘If things get big, Dad can just bow his head once.’
From behind, my older brother, like a devoted son, concluded neatly while Moon Jinwoo applied ointment.
Anyway, Moon Jinwoo also tacitly approved, so it was okay to fight.
How could I ignore someone picking on Taeshin?
Even if it came to a physical fight, I had to avoid getting hit as much as possible.
When another entitled senior started approaching me, people around us tried to stop him. Ignoring their pleas to apologize, I stood my ground and stared back at him until I felt a chill.
“You’ve been spoiled, so now the junior thinks he can look down on seniors.”
The entitled senior spewed twisted words, but the important thing was that he was emitting alpha pheromones in his anger.
What would have been insignificant pheromones before now felt threatening.
My body, which had been fine even during previous fights between alphas, suddenly froze.
As I frowned and stepped back, the entitled senior sneered.
“What, are you a recessive?”
“Please stop.”
“Hey, hey. Are you scared? Scared of this? Acting all tough but cowering now.”
“Hey, stop it. What are you doing?”
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, people around us finally intervened, standing between me and the entitled senior.
Knowing that I was reacting to his pheromones, the entitled senior ignored Taeshin’s warning and released more.
The alpha pheromones threatened me, making me dizzy. I felt sharp pains, as if needles were pricking me all over.
“Shit, this is… nothing.”
I felt nauseous and covered my mouth, trying to endure the pain, but soon Taeshin’s pheromones overwhelmed the alpha’s.
“Sunwoo, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah…”
The familiar, gentle scent of Taeshin’s pheromones eased the pain, but I still couldn’t speak well. I remained dizzy, and my stomach ached.
I bit my lip from the throbbing pain, as if cold ice had been placed inside me.
“Have you lost your mind, Jo Yangsaeng? What are you doing right now…!”
A senior member of the student council rushed over belatedly, shouting but then stopping mid-sentence.
It must have been because Taeshin’s pheromones were intensely strong and aggressively indicating his anger.
Knowing how intimidating alpha pheromones could be, I grabbed Taeshin’s elbow, which was supporting my crouched body, and looked at his face.
“Taeshin.”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
For a moment, Taeshin seemed to lose his composure, his eyes unfocused, but he soon regained his senses and helped me up.
With Taeshin supporting my staggering self due to dizziness and one of the student council seniors, we went to the hospital.
“There’s no major issue. Still, take it easy and rest.”
“I think we should get a thorough check-up, just in case.”
“I’m fine. I feel better now.”
“Still.”
“I just want to go home and rest.”
I persuaded Taeshin, who wanted a detailed examination, by holding onto his arm and saying I wanted to go home.
After parting ways with the student council senior, we went home. Upon arriving and lying down on my bed, I saw Taeshin still there, and I patted the spot next to me.
“Lie down too.”
“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, I’m not dizzy anymore. I’m fine.”
Although I was fine now, Taeshin still looked pale as if he had been the one threatened. It seemed like I needed to comfort him instead.
Thanks to this, I had the rare opportunity to lie next to Taeshin and looked at him.
Covering his eyes with my hand, which were looking at me with a confused expression, I spoke firmly.
“Sleep. If you don’t sleep, I’ll kick you out.”
“Not enough.”
Taeshin brushed away the hand covering his eyes and looked at me.
His gaze seemed starved for some reason, but holding hands, I felt his pheromones wavering unsteadily.
It was like the times when he struggled with impulses.
Taeshin must have been affected by that alpha pheromone from that jerk.
Swallowing a sigh at the rough, boiling pheromones, I realized that just holding hands wouldn’t help, so I pulled him closer.
“Come here, you idiot. If it’s hard, you should say something.”
“Yeah…”
As Taeshin approached, he wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me.
The strength of his clingy embrace was a bit suffocating, but he seemed very distressed, so I endured and hugged him back.
Normally, I might have pretended not to notice out of embarrassment, but I hadn’t forgotten my promise to always protect Taeshin.
Just because Taeshin was a bit uncomfortable didn’t mean I would push him away even in such times.
While it was only slightly uncomfortable for me, for Taeshin, it was physically and mentally exhausting.
“I should’ve beaten that bastard up. My big brother told me not to get into fights as long as I don’t get killed.”
Recently, Taeshin hadn’t shown such a weak side, which made my anger flare up again.
Taeshin’s body, burying his face into my neck and taking deep breaths, rose and fell slowly and heavily.
Hoping that the unstable pheromones felt at my fingertips would calm down, I patted his back in a slow rhythm.
Come to think of it, Taeshin hadn’t asked for help controlling his impulses since that incident. Was he managing it on his own?
While helping Taeshin control his impulses after a long time, I thought that perhaps Taeshin had been enduring them on his own all this time.
If so, I couldn’t forgive that jerk for aggravating what Taeshin had been struggling to manage.
With Taeshin’s pheromones gradually stabilizing and calming down, I too began to feel peaceful and sleepy, oddly comforted by his still slightly rough pheromones.
My stomach ached.
For some unknown reason, it ached.
* * *
I woke up from a light sleep, the scent of pheromones lingering around my nose.
Though it seemed like I had fallen asleep early in the evening, it was already morning.
When I opened my eyes, Taeshin’s sleeping face came into view.
Taeshin, always calm even when awake, was equally calm while sleeping.
I quietly observed Taeshin, who was curled up towards me.
Even while sleeping, his handsome face made me think, objectively, that Taeshin should be grateful to his parents and ancestors.
He should have many children when he gets married.
It would be a waste for just one person to have his looks; the world would benefit from more children who resemble Taeshin.
Though I felt a bit sorry for Taeshin’s future omega partner, it was my small wish.
So this is how Taeshin’s pheromones smell when he sleeps.
Supporting my chin with my arm, I sensed the pheromones coming from Taeshin’s peacefully sleeping body.
His pheromones were originally gentle and calm, but now they felt even milder due to sleep.
Taeshin’s gentle personality and equally gentle pheromones made me worry about how he’d cope in the rough world.
My older brothers sometimes wondered aloud when their youngest would grow up and become an adult, and my feelings towards Taeshin were similar. I couldn’t help but feel uncertain about his ability to navigate the world.
Even when he’s with Park Kangseop, he always ends up listening without a word.
I contemplated teaching him some of the assertive techniques I’d learned from Moon Jinwoo since I was five, but I doubted Taeshin’s personality would allow him to use them.
I had taught him some strong language, but I had never seen him use it.
This is a problem.
Shaking my head while leisurely admiring Taeshin’s face, I thought about how someone once said Taeshin had everything.
From my perspective, he only had the looks and the brains, and missed out on the rest.
I decided that while attending university, I needed to deal with anyone who might cause trouble for Taeshin in the future.
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