FF Chapter 17

“Yes, it’s time for bed. I have to go to work early tomorrow.”

“But your outfit…”

Choi Muhyeok’s gaze once again swept over from head to toe with an intense look. A subtle smile played on his face.

“That doesn’t seem like something someone who’s about to sleep would wear.”

Ji Yeonwoo instantly understood the meaning behind that gaze. His face flushed with heat, even his ears tingled.

“As far as I remember, Ji Yeonwoo dresses very comfortably when going to bed.”

“I couldn’t come out dressed like that to meet the Managing Director, so I just grabbed whatever I could find….”

Unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, Ji Yeonwoo confessed. From in front, a soft chuckle reached his ears.

“Why do you keep laughing? Is it that strange?”

Although he wasn’t looking, Ji Yeonwoo could imagine the amused expression on Choi Muhyeok’s face. He truly wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

“…Alright. I won’t do it again, so stop teasing me.”

Pouting his lips, Ji Yeonwoo pushed Choi Muhyeok away by the shoulder. But as he stepped back, Choi Muhyeok’s loosely placed hand around his waist tightened. Pulled by the hand, Ji Yeonwoo found himself pressed close between Choi Muhyeok’s legs again.

“Did it sound like I was teasing?”

Startled, Ji Yeonwoo looked up to find Choi Muhyeok’s face right in front of him.

“I’m doing it because I like it.”

Ji Yeonwoo’s gaze wavered significantly as they locked eyes.

“I am a bit worried you might catch a cold though.”

Choi Muhyeok’s lazy gaze drifted slowly over Ji Yeonwoo. There were times when he gave such a look, silently staring, often when deep in thought.

Even though Ji Yeonwoo had decided to be in a relationship with Choi Muhyeok, the truth was, they still had much more they didn’t know about each other than they knew. The hurt left from being deceived by calculated kindness still lingered within him. He had once thought he might never be able to love someone again, yet, before he knew it, he had become trapped inside the fence that Choi Muhyeok had built around him.

As he stood there, dumbfounded by that gaze, Ji Yeonwoo raised his hands and gently cupped Choi Muhyeok’s face, leaning in to kiss him first. Choi Muhyeok’s eyes widened in surprise as their lips met. Afraid their eyes would meet, Ji Yeonwoo shut his own eyes tightly.

Their closed lips remained pressed together as Ji Yeonwoo held his breath. Initiating contact required great courage for him, but the pounding in his chest had grown too overwhelming to simply stand still.

Within that kiss was gratitude, apology, and an even greater excitement.

He suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of emotion. In those small, shared moments with Choi Muhyeok, he hadn’t realized how much he had come to care for him.

Ji Yeonwoo pulled back after the brief kiss, the faint sound of their parting lips echoing softly. Just as he withdrew, Choi Muhyeok, who had passively received everything until then, suddenly tilted his head forward and closed the gap.

“Mmm!”

This wasn’t the playful kiss that Ji Yeonwoo had initiated. Choi Muhyeok’s hand delved deeply into Ji Yeonwoo’s hair as he pressed their lips together. When he sucked on Ji Yeonwoo’s lower lip with force, Ji Yeonwoo froze, his body trembling. He hadn’t expected Choi Muhyeok to respond so intensely.

With a gentle pull, Choi Muhyeok parted Ji Yeonwoo’s lips and moved rhythmically, his tongue tracing the inside of Ji Yeonwoo’s mouth as if to claim it.

Choi Muhyeok held Ji Yeonwoo tightly, kissing him almost fervently. Ji Yeonwoo clung to him, struggling to keep up with the pace. Breathless, Ji Yeonwoo pushed against Choi Muhyeok’s shoulders, finally managing to break the kiss and gulp in air. Choi Muhyeok waited a moment for Ji Yeonwoo to catch his breath before leaning in to kiss him again.

Though it was dark, they had completely forgotten that they were still in the parking lot of Ji Yeonwoo’s apartment as they shared a deep kiss.

After a long while, Choi Muhyeok finally pulled away, leaving a quick peck on Ji Yeonwoo’s lips that now glistened with their mingled saliva.

Ha, haa.

Ji Yeonwoo breathed heavily, his chest heaving as he stared at Choi Muhyeok. Unlike Ji Yeonwoo, who was struggling to catch his breath, Choi Muhyeok seemed completely unfazed as their eyes met in silence.

Since earlier, Ji Yeonwoo had noticed something different. Tonight, Choi Muhyeok’s gaze felt more intense than usual. His eyes were unwavering, as if he had something to say.

The growing awkward silence pressed heavily on Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulders. The longer he faced Choi Muhyeok’s serious expression, the more his emotions felt like a rollercoaster. All the excitement he’d felt before the kiss had completely vanished. Though this might have been a product of the secret that Ji Yeonwoo was still keeping, he couldn’t shake off the creeping anxiety that washed over him.

“So, why did you suddenly come here?”

Unable to bear the silence, Ji Yeonwoo finally spoke.

“Did you come here to see me?”

He knew it was a late question. It was something he should’ve asked the moment they met, but somehow, the timing had gotten pushed back. As soon as he said it, he regretted it, feeling foolish for asking something so obvious. Normally, he was the type to own up to his words and actions, but in front of Choi Muhyeok, he always felt so small.

“I wanted to see your face and… I had something to say.”

Choi Muhyeok, who had been quietly listening, finally responded after a long pause.

“But I don’t think I’ll say it now.”

His answer was filled with meaning. Curiosity welled up inside Ji Yeonwoo, wondering what it was that Choi Muhyeok wanted to say. The Choi Muhyeok he knew was direct and bold, never one to put off saying what was on his mind.

“What were you going to say…?”

“The timing doesn’t feel right.”

“Ah…”

“You too, Ji Yeonwoo, and me as well.”

“……”

“Seeing your face is enough.”

While Ji Yeonwoo was lost in thought, the arms Choi Muhyeok had wrapped around his waist loosened. Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes, wide with surprise, quickly followed.

“Go inside and rest. I’ll contact you again tomorrow.”

Ji Yeonwoo instinctively grabbed hold of Choi Muhyeok’s hand, not wanting him to leave.

“Y-You’re leaving already?”

Choi Muhyeok stared at the hand holding his, then gently pressed his cold fingertips into Ji Yeonwoo’s.

“You look disappointed. Were you expecting something?”

“I’m not saying I’m not disappointed, but still…”

“Why? Would you prefer I stayed a little longer?”

At Choi Muhyeok’s soft, probing voice, Ji Yeonwoo found himself nodding without thinking. Choi Muhyeok, stroking Ji Yeonwoo’s cheek, leaned in to gently rub his flushed earlobe.

“You wouldn’t want to keep me standing out here, would you?”

“……”

“Would you let me back inside?”

His deep voice tickled Ji Yeonwoo’s ear. The hand that had been rubbing his earlobe slid downward, slipping under Ji Yeonwoo’s sweater. The fingers, now resting on the boundary between his neck and shoulder, gently kneaded. Ji Yeonwoo’s body tensed, instinctively recognizing the danger.

“You can’t possibly not know why I asked you to come down to the parking lot.”

Ji Yeonwoo shut his eyes tightly.

Even though Ji Yeonwoo was an Omega, he was still a man, and he knew very well how a man’s body could easily succumb to pleasure. Being alone with Choi Muhyeok late at night, in any secluded place, always carried an element of risk. But despite knowing this, Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t let him go, not after what had happened earlier that day.

His cracked phone, the call from an unknown number, and the threatening message from Lee Hyunjun.

Though it wasn’t raining tonight, Ji Yeonwoo was sure he’d be plagued by nightmares if he tried to sleep alone.

“I know why you called me out to the parking lot. I understand, but…”

Choi Muhyeok, who had opened his mouth to speak, paused and lowered his gaze.

Ji Yeonwoo’s trembling fingers were gripping Choi Muhyeok’s jacket tightly.

Seeing this, Choi Muhyeok frowned.

“Even so… do you really have to go?”

Ji Yeonwoo, biting his lip, finally forced the words out.

“I want to be with you, Managing Director.”

“You said you understood. Was that just empty talk?”

One of Choi Muhyeok’s eyebrows raised in question.

“It wasn’t empty talk.”

“Then are you prepared to handle it?”

“Since I said it, it’s my responsibility to handle it too, right?”

“I made it clear that I wouldn’t go easy on you next time.”

“I remember.”

“Knowing that…”

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been hesitating, suddenly lifted his head with determination.

“But even if you say that, you won’t really hurt me, will you?”

Choi Muhyeok’s eyebrows twitched slightly, his expression briefly twisting.

“Am I wrong?”

Choi Muhyeok, who seemed ready to say something, quickly closed his mouth. After a brief silence, he averted his gaze, a soft sigh escaping as he rubbed his lips.

Choi Muhyeok fell into thought. Ji Yeonwoo could guess what was bothering him. It was likely because of the memory of the day they almost had sex for the first time.

He still couldn’t forget the expression on Choi Muhyeok’s face that day. Though clearly flustered, he had held Ji Yeonwoo close till the very end.

If emotional fluctuations could easily be overcome, they wouldn’t be called trauma. Despite the urgency of the situation, Ji Yeonwoo knew he was taking a risk by holding onto Choi Muhyeok. He still wasn’t sure how he’d react if faced with the same situation again.

Yet, knowing all this, he couldn’t let go of Choi Muhyeok. That’s how desperate he was.

“Am I putting you in a difficult position, Managing Director?”

Ji Yeonwoo tugged harder on Choi Muhyeok’s jacket, his voice pleading.

“It’s not difficult. It’s just…”

Choi Muhyeok’s gaze shifted from Ji Yeonwoo’s face to the hand gripping his jacket. His previously calm eyes darkened momentarily.

“Never mind. Let’s talk about the rest upstairs.”

“Wha—!”

As if he had made a decision, Choi Muhyeok grabbed Ji Yeonwoo’s wrist and began walking toward the entrance of the building with wide, fast strides. It was so fast that Ji Yeonwoo had to almost run to keep up. But even as he struggled to follow, Ji Yeonwoo didn’t complain.

Nothing else mattered.

Only the dull ache in the wrist that Choi Muhyeok was gripping.

The two of them sat across from each other at the dining table, the kitchen lit only by a dim light.

Even though the heat was on, the room felt cold. That was because Choi Muhyeok, who had been speaking less and staring more since earlier, was still silently watching him.

His gaze was intense and sharp. Ji Yeonwoo always felt his heart sink whenever Choi Muhyeok looked at him with those eyes.

Choi Muhyeok was an incredibly kind person to Ji Yeonwoo, beyond words, but sometimes his words and actions felt strangely out of place.

He would use expressions that ordinary people rarely used, like saying he could gouge out someone’s eyes and disable them, or display obsessive behavior beyond what was necessary. If Ji Yeonwoo’s memory was correct, it all began with that very look in his eyes.

Ji Yeonwoo waited for Choi Muhyeok to speak first. The silence stretched on, making the moment feel like awaiting a verdict.

“Are you aware that you’ve been acting strange today, Ji Yeonwoo?”

“…I guess so? Earlier, I wasn’t really in my right mind.”

Choi Muhyeok, still staring at Ji Yeonwoo, slowly leaned back in his chair.

“Yes, I noticed. You didn’t seem well, so I was planning not to ask anything today.”

“……”

“But seeing your words and actions now, I just can’t let it go.”

“……”

“What exactly happened?”

His gaze shifted toward the phone lying on one side of the table.

“And what happened to your phone?”

The phone’s screen was cracked, lying there in a miserable state.

“Did someone break into your house?”

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Then what? If it simply fell and broke, why can’t you explain it?”

As Choi Muhyeok’s questions continued, Ji Yeonwoo felt increasingly cornered. He couldn’t blame him, though. After all, it was Ji Yeonwoo who had held him back from leaving, and anyone would find his behavior strange given how different he was acting from his usual self.

Where should he even begin? He had resolved to tell the truth, but he still couldn’t figure out where to start. His mind was in turmoil, torn between the desire to be honest and the fear of what might happen afterward.

Perhaps this hesitation was due to…

The fear that, after revealing everything, he might be abandoned.

“Is there some other secret you’re keeping from me?”

“…!”

That sharp voice pierced through his thoughts, causing his heart to plummet and his breath to catch.

He couldn’t hide the trembling in his gaze. Choi Muhyeok continued, his eyes sharper than ever, staring directly at him.

“You’re an Omega, but due to some incident, you can’t detect pheromones and have lost your unique scent. On top of that, you have trauma from some Alpha that makes you fearful of sex.”

Ji Yeonwoo felt the tension in the air, Choi Muhyeok’s demeanor clearly changing.

A quiet sigh escaped his trembling lips.

“If there’s still a secret you haven’t told me, just say it now. I’ll listen.”

In that brief moment, countless thoughts raced through Ji Yeonwoo’s mind. He had already vowed to reveal everything eventually, but now he sensed that today might be the day.

Lowering his gaze, he took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling noticeably.

If this was his chance, Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t back down anymore. He couldn’t deceive someone who had come into his life so genuinely. With that resolve, he tightly clasped his hands beneath the table, feeling them tremble as he prepared to speak.

“Managing Director, you’re right. There is something I haven’t told you yet.”

Choi Muhyeok’s sharp eyes narrowed as he stared intently. Just as their gazes were about to meet, Ji Yeonwoo quickly looked away.

“Looking back now, I regret every decision I made at that time, but in the end, they were my decisions, and so I consider it my fault.”

“Continue.”

Even though he knew his voice was trembling, Choi Muhyeok urged him on. Ji Yeonwoo forced himself to speak.

“The reason I didn’t tell you initially was that I didn’t want to reveal all my secrets to someone I didn’t know how things would progress with. Since I lack pheromones, most people assume I’m a Beta, and it was only Managing Director who realized I was actually an Omega.”

“That makes sense, I suppose. You never told me outright. I figured it out myself.”

“After realizing my feelings for you, I regretted not telling you earlier.”

Ji Yeonwoo stole a glance at Choi Muhyeok. He was sitting there, one long leg crossed over the other, slightly leaning back with one hand resting on the table. The slight pull of his shirt revealed the muscles in his forearms. Staring for a moment, Ji Yeonwoo closed his eyes tightly and lowered his head.

“You might think this is just an excuse, but I really had no idea. I didn’t expect to fall for you this much, and so quickly…”

As he finished speaking, he had no idea what expression Choi Muhyeok might be making or what he would say in response.

Though Choi Muhyeok had always been kind, his eyes were now sharp enough to cut. No matter how much Ji Yeonwoo tried to calm himself, the intensity of that gaze didn’t waver.

His body tensed with nerves, his breath unsteady. As he struggled to steady himself, he finally spoke again.

“Managing Director, the truth is, what we’re doing now isn’t my first time.”

It was a sentence that had been circling in his mind, but saying it out loud was a different matter entirely. As he tried to muster up the courage, his lips trembled but no sound came out. Just as he was about to gather the strength to speak, Choi Muhyeok interrupted.

“That’s enough.”

His heart dropped again.

“What?”

“I said that’s enough. You can stop now.”

Ji Yeonwoo, who was abruptly stopped, froze with his mouth slightly open. He had forgotten to breathe, his eyes wide as he stared at Choi Muhyeok.

“What do you mean, stop? What are you saying?”

Ji Yeonwoo’s dark eyes wavered in confusion as they locked onto Choi Muhyeok.

Choi Muhyeok, who had casually lowered his gaze, adjusted the gold Rolex on his wrist that had become slightly askew. His expression remained emotionless as he smoothly rotated the watch to sit correctly.

“I have a rough idea of what’s going on.”

Ji Yeonwoo, still staring at him in puzzlement, finally spoke up.

“It would be good to hear the truth from your own lips, Yeonwoo, but I think it would be better if I got answers to my own questions first.”

Choi Muhyeok tilted his head slightly as he spoke.

Still unable to fully grasp the situation, Ji Yeonwoo could only blink at him in silence.

“But first, I need to confirm just how much of my suspicions are true.”