Love Me More

Chapter 17

“Are you suddenly possessed? Kwon Yuwon, get a grip. How many fingers do you see?”

Even as Si-yul waved two fingers in front of him, Yuwon, as if possessed by a ghost, just stared with wide eyes and shook Si-yul’s shoulders. Being excited, his volume gradually increased.

“The worst among alphas are dominant alphas. Those bastards, just being near them affects you. They say even some sensitive betas can present if they’re around them for too long! You know we both aren’t exactly lucky, right? Don’t get involved and end up like me, just stay a beta—”

Yuwon couldn’t finish his sentence. The person next door shouted, “Let’s get some fucking sleep!” and pounded on the wall as if trying to break it. Afraid of waking everyone in the inn, they both shut their mouths.

“Anyway, avoid alphas. Sleeping with alphas… Don’t even be curious about such things. They have no loyalty. Even if they have lovers, when their rut comes, they fool around with others. Got it?”

Yuwon whispered just loud enough for Si-yul to hear. Si-yul nodded. He knew that if he added even one more word, Yuwon’s possessed nagging would start round two.

He wanted to wash up and sleep, but he felt that even the sound of water falling in the bathroom would make the next-door neighbor go crazy. Si-yul just changed his clothes and lay down in bed. When Yuwon turned off the TV, the small room was plunged into darkness.

“I don’t want you to go through what I did.”

The voice that came after a while was subdued. Yuwon was lying with his back turned. Si-yul looked at that back with eyes adjusted to the darkness. The back that always seemed dependable despite being smaller than his own looked unusually frail today.

“You’re like a brother to me…”

Si-yul lay on his back, looking at the ceiling. He reached out and patted that back. He understood the sincerity well. From the past to now, Yuwon was the only one who cared for him in this harsh world.

“What you’re worried about won’t happen. Now go to sleep.”

However, contrary to the feeling that he should accept Yuwon’s advice, his mind was working separately. Woo Hyun-se’s voice was still stuck in his ear. It clung like melted and hardened candle wax, refusing to come off.

The sound fueled his imagination, and the two protagonists from the movie had somehow transformed into Woo Hyun-se and an unknown person. Two people mixing their bodies, tilting their heads back in passion, kissing exposed necks.

“…”

Si-yul pulled the blanket over his head. The taste of alcohol left in his mouth was bitter.

* * *

Light seeped in, causing him to open his eyes. His neck and shoulders were stiff, perhaps from an uncomfortable sleeping position. Or it could be due to the four-day rut. When he stretched languidly, his fingertips caught on the thick curtains. As he pulled them, bright light penetrated the thin inner curtains, illuminating the room.

Woo Hyun-se sat on the bed, clearing his dry throat with a “Hmm.” He gripped the back of his neck firmly with his large hand, squeezing hard. The skin turned white under his grip, returning to its original color as he released it. He slowly and deeply turned his neck to both sides. Sharp scratch marks traced long lines between his flexing shoulder blades and muscles.

Beside him lay a woman with her bare back exposed. Despite the movement, she slept like the dead, not stirring. Well, she must be exhausted from the activities that continued until dawn. Was she the second person who came, or the third? As Woo Hyun-se tried to recall the past nights, he just exhaled through his nose and got up.

There was no need to dwell on it. It was over anyway.

The rut had come earlier than expected. Despite being well past his teenage years when cycles were irregular, this was unusual, and he had hurriedly contacted anyone available and brought them to the hotel.

That’s what omegas and alphas were like. Their bodies were always heated, and they didn’t hesitate to mix with anyone when given the chance. Woo Hyun-se was no different. When aroused, he’d fuck, and during ruts, the boundaries between lovers and partners blurred.

Some might curse them as animals without loyalty, but what could they do about their nature? There were even papers suggesting that alphas and omegas might be the new humans optimized for species reproduction. When that time came, vision blurred and only one thing filled the mind. Like sinking slowly into a swamp from toes to mouth and nose and eyes, they became intoxicated with lust, erasing everything else.

During ruts, Woo Hyun-se holed up in hotels and didn’t go out. He delegated work to Park Hae-jung. Though she whined, she became docile when given a generous incentive, putting on her own leash as if nothing had happened.

As he was about to enter the bathroom, he picked up his phone. There were several missed calls, but he ignored them. There was nothing urgent. He tapped through to look at other messages. His finger naturally pressed on the chat window pinned at the top.

[You must be very busy]

It was a message from Kwon Si-yul. He had replied late. The fact that he replied at all was surprising. He ignored even regular contacts from Park Hae-jung, so why Kwon Si-yul? Woo Hyun-se was doubly surprised that he had managed to type coherently even in his delirious state.

Moreover, there was a call record. He didn’t remember the conversation well. Si-yul’s voice had sounded distant, as if coming from deep in a pond. But it seemed he had managed to end the call safely.

He threw the phone on the table and entered the bathroom. Although the rut had ended and the rampant pheromones had returned to normal, strangely, a sticky heat remained.

He wasn’t satisfied. The refreshing and liberating feeling that usually came after a rut didn’t come this time. He felt unpleasant, as if he had been constantly eating things that didn’t suit his taste at all. A whisper that this wasn’t right, that what he should have taken was something else, kept circling in his mind.

He switched the lukewarm water to cold. The icy temperature would drive away any remaining drowsiness and heat. Woo Hyun-se lifted his head, pushing back his wet hair that had fallen forward.

Suddenly, Si-yul’s voice that he had heard in that dawn, intoxicated by the rut, seeped into his ears like rainwater. At the same time, he lowered his head.

“…”

Seeing his lower body heated up again as if not tired at all, he muttered a low curse, “Shit…” Leaning his forehead against the cool bathtub wall didn’t quell the scorching heat. It seemed that more time would be needed for the rut to be fully resolved.

He looked up at the sign that read “Moody Night.” He hadn’t particularly intended to make a profit; it was a place he had set up to visit when he was bored or wanted a drink. When running it became bothersome, he had put someone he had met before in the manager position, and unexpectedly, her competence had kept things running smoothly.

The atmosphere had improved too. There were jazz performances every Wednesday night, and piano performances three days a week. Perhaps because female customers frequently visited, troublemakers didn’t come to muddy the waters asking for hostesses. This particularly pleased Woo Hyun-se.

He had put Kwon Si-yul in this kind of place. Wondering where to place him, he had stuck him in the most wholesome place he had. Manager Kang had readily accepted. Though she did tease him, asking if he had recently started dabbling in charity work, just like Park Hae-jung.

Although he had doubted whether Si-yul would do well, unexpectedly, he wasn’t bad at work. Manager Kang spoke highly of Si-yul. She said it was admirable how he prepared things without being told and efficiently completed tasks.

She said that unlike the previous employee who constantly complained when work increased even slightly, Si-yul worked diligently without a word of complaint. Later, she even praised him, asking where he had found such a gem.

Kids these days.

He hadn’t revealed Si-yul’s past of delivering drugs to Kang Ji-won. There was no benefit in planting prejudice. For someone who had lived roughly, Si-yul had no visible tattoos and not a single luxury item on him, so if he just kept his mouth shut, Si-yul could remain just a diligent young man.

The bar was on the 6th floor. Woo Hyun-se chose the stairs instead of the elevator. As he calmly walked up and opened the door, a cheerful greeting of “Welcome” was heard first. Si-yul had just tucked a menu under his arm and looked up.

“Welco— me.”

His bright face stiffened the moment he saw Woo Hyun-se. Shouldn’t he greet him warmly after several days? Seeing that subtly rigid expression made Woo Hyun-se’s previously good mood take a downward turn. He didn’t show it. As always, he smiled coolly and raised his hand. The bartender and even the chef stretched their necks to greet Woo Hyun-se.

“Kwon Si-yul, it’s been a while, but you don’t even greet me?”

Si-yul said “Hello” as if reading from a Korean textbook, avoiding eye contact. Woo Hyun-se sat on a bar stool and ordered a non-alcoholic drink. A single drink wouldn’t affect his liver, and even if he were stopped for a check, he wouldn’t be caught, but he didn’t want to hear that designated driver song again.

Acting like a wife when he wasn’t… The expression “wife” made him laugh uncontrollably. He covered his mouth with his hand to hide it.

“The manager isn’t here today.”

Si-yul hesitated before speaking. Woo Hyun-se watched him with his chin resting on his hand. Si-yul’s fingers fidgeted with the menu as his eyes darted around. His determination to avoid eye contact at all costs was admirable.

“Yeah, so?”

“No, I thought you came to meet the manager…”