HWAMB — Chapter 8

Like he had lost control to rage, Hyun-woo grabbed Jae-ho by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Alarmed, I forced my raw throat to work.

“Hy—Hyun-woo… cough, hack…”

At the sound, Hyun-woo turned his head toward me immediately.

In that instant, Jae-ho cursed, shoved Hyun-woo’s arm away, and bolted out of the office.

Hyun-woo’s murderous glare followed him, and he almost chased after, but the sound of my coughing stopped him. With a sigh, he poured water at the dispenser and handed it to me.

“Ah… thanks.”

I croaked, gulping it down greedily. Each swallow stung, a sure sign the cold had gone to my throat.

When I emptied the cup, dizziness returned, worse than before.

‘Why does my wrist sting so much…’

Forcing my head down, I checked my wrist—and froze.

It was red and swollen as if gripped tightly for a long time. Worse, faint bite marks were visible.

Wide-eyed, I stared at it. Hyun-woo, arms crossed, was looking down at me with a cold expression.

“No wonder you were avoiding me all morning with those bullshit excuses. You must’ve been thrilled, huh, Kang Eun-jae?”

“Um… that’s not…”

I wanted to deny it, but regardless of the reason, I had hidden things from him. So I shut my mouth.

Still, I tried to quietly slip my wrist under the blanket to hide it, but Hyun-woo noticed. He gave a dry laugh and muttered, “Son of a bitch…”

“Your wrist. Show me.”

“I—I don’t even know when this happened…”

“I know. I’m trying to treat it. Hand it over.”

Even with his sharp, angry tone, I reluctantly obeyed—better to let him than deal with his fury later.

When Hyun-woo examined it, his brow furrowed.

“Looks like some fucking mutt chewed on you.”

He disinfected the wound first, then carefully spread ointment and began wrapping it with a bandage.

I groaned, holding my feverish head, and asked,

“Forget Jae-ho… Why are you even here?”

“That’s what I want to ask. Forget me—why the hell was Jang Jae-ho here?”

“Hey… It was math class. You know we’re in the same group for level classes… Ow!”

The bandage tightened, stinging against the swelling. Grimacing, Hyun-woo loosened it slightly and said,

“This won’t do. You’re going to the hospital.”

“No, I can’t… I still have fourth period…”

“Shut up. Keep whining and I’ll smash all your damn idol merch.”

“….”

His words left me speechless.

What a dirty trick. How could he threaten me like that…

Hyun-woo left, saying he’d get permission for me to leave early, and told me to stay put.

I let out a sigh and looked at my bandaged wrist. I was a mess.

It hadn’t been there earlier.

‘Which means… this happened while I was unconscious…?’

Then I remembered the words I’d overheard through the feverish haze:

“Shit, crazy bastard… appearing out of nowhere like a ghost.”

“Don’t tell me Jang Jae-ho…”

I quickly shook my head.

No. He hated omegas. Why would he do something like that? He’d sooner confess to an alpha than…

There was no reason for him to. But if it wasn’t him, that was strange too.

Before Hyun-woo arrived, I must have been alone with Jae-ho.

‘If it really was Jae-ho, maybe there wasn’t even a real reason… Maybe I lost control of my pheromones and unconsciously let some out…’

Even so, that kind of behavior wasn’t normal…

‘Ugh, forget it. My head hurts…’

I didn’t want to think anymore.

Even as a dominant omega, my pheromones were so faint that most people wouldn’t notice unless I said something.

Jae-ho probably hadn’t realized.

That was enough.

It could have turned into a crime, but I stopped the thought there.

Overwhelmed by exhaustion, my eyes slid shut on their own.

* * *

That day was still vivid in my mind.

The deafening crash, the crushed view, the emptiness, and the bright red blood.

My father’s failed business had miraculously recovered, and to celebrate, our family had gone on a trip for the first time in a long while. Except for my older brother, who was deep in his teenage years, the rest of us piled into our car for a domestic vacation.

It had been fun.

I felt so happy, like everything was finally turning around. Even though I was young, I had always sensed the shadow on my parents’ faces, so it felt like my secret wish had finally come true.

But then the accident happened. On our way back, a drunk truck driver slammed into our car.

It wasn’t that my father had been dozing at the wheel. Of course, we hadn’t done anything wrong.

It was simply… bad luck.

The car, crushed and flipped, was so tight that it was hard to breathe. I couldn’t move, and my legs ached as though pinned under something heavy.

The faint stench of burning engine oil mixed with the thick metallic smell of blood smeared across my face, enough to make me dizzy.

My hands trembled uncontrollably.

I cried out for my parents, over and over, my voice fading, but no answer came.

Unable to cling to consciousness any longer, I passed out.

When I opened my eyes again after what felt like an eternity, I was in the hospital.

The white ceiling pressed down on me.

The nurse, noticing me awake, rushed out in a panic to call the doctor.

At my side, my brother sat crying, unable even to look at me.

I learned then that our parents’ funeral had already taken place two weeks earlier.

I had undergone major surgery after the accident and had miraculously woken up two weeks later.

Fortunately, the surgery had been successful. But I was told that whenever my condition weakened, my injured leg might ache, so I had to keep up with rehab.

Life had changed so much, but thanks to Hyun-woo’s parents, both my brother and I managed to endure.

The world was unfair.

The drunk truck driver who caused it lived on, while our innocent parents were gone.

Since then, I had developed a phobia of confined spaces without windows.

It was so severe I couldn’t even use elevators, which was why we always lived in villas. Whenever I was trapped in a narrow space, the images of my parents’ mangled bodies would come rushing back.

Every night, I had nightmares. I’d meet my parents in my dreams, but when I woke, the sense of loss hit twice as hard.

My brother, who had to take responsibility for me, was busy every day. On days when I was sick or had a fever, I endured it alone.

But Hyun-woo would always come by instead.

Whenever I broke down crying from loneliness, he held my hand, hugged me, and comforted me.

His hands had been so warm and gentle. Each time they wrapped around me, I would stop crying and fall asleep.

That warmth gave me peace of mind.

‘Yeah… just like now…’

Even now, a warm hand was pressed against my forehead.

Then, something cool and damp replaced it. A towel, soaked in cold water.

When I blinked my eyes open, the familiar ceiling of my room and Hyun-woo’s face came into view.

Once again, Hyun-woo was there for me.

Seeing my feeble hand twitch from fever, Hyun-woo spoke softly.

“Go back to sleep. You still have a fever.”

“Hyun-woo… I need to go to school…”

“Don’t you remember? You already went home early. You went to the hospital and got medicine. You need to rest for two days.”

“Ugh… but midterms are coming…”

“Just listen for once. I’ll figure out the notes for you.”

“….”

I couldn’t hide my expression as I stared at him. Hyun-woo’s gentle eyes narrowed.

“What.”

“You… taking notes?”

“Fuck, you think I don’t have hands or something?”

He snorted like it was absurd.

Sure, anyone with hands could write notes. But Hyun-woo, who never cared much about studying, taking notes seriously?

I couldn’t picture it.

He grumbled, asking what I’d thought of him all this time.

Though, it was true—Hyun-woo was really good at math. Better than me, even. Whenever I couldn’t grasp something, I’d ask him for help.

‘He’ll make it legible enough to read, I guess.’

More than the notes themselves, it was his willingness to do it that touched me. Quietly, I nodded, pulled the blanket up to my nose, and lay down again.

My head spun from the fever.

“Just rest. I’ll let your brother know—”

“Hy—Hyun-woo, don’t tell my brother, please?”

“What?”

“It’s nothing serious… I don’t want to worry him over this…”

“….”

Hyun-woo frowned at my muttering.

I knew. To him, it must have seemed frustrating, even incomprehensible.

But what could I do? That was just who I was.

“Please, Hyun-woo.”

My brother would find out when he came home anyway. But I didn’t want him to waste his thoughts on me while working.

He had already told me he’d be home late tonight because of something important.

Hyun-woo stared at me with an unreadable expression, then spoke.

“…Fine. I won’t go. I’ll stay here instead. I’ll make you porridge for dinner later.”

“Mm… thanks, Hyun-woo…”

“…Yeah.”

The medicine made me drowsy.

Even as I drifted in and out of sleep, I could hear the sound of Hyun-woo changing the wet towel now and then. But oddly, it didn’t bother me at all.

Instead, I felt safe knowing someone was beside me.

Without realizing it, I kept holding Hyun-woo’s hand as I sank into a deep, heavy sleep.

* * *

I didn’t know how much time had passed.

The ticking of the clock’s second hand felt louder and louder.

Not wanting to open my eyes, I burrowed deeper into whatever I was hugging beside me.

Something firm yet soft pressed against my cheek, and strangely, it calmed me. Warm—just the temperature of a human body—and carrying a pleasant scent.

It wasn’t the smell of fabric softener from my home. It was a fragrance I couldn’t have found there.

Each time I shifted or squirmed, that something pulled me tighter by the waist.

I kept my eyes closed, heavy with sleep. In the darkness, I felt a gentle hand stroking my hair.

The subtle, rhythmic touch lulled me toward sleep again, until I suddenly sensed something strange and snapped my eyes open.

The folds of a white blanket loomed before me, shadowed heavily.

Hyun-woo was lying beside me, holding me tightly as he slept.

Even in his sleep, he absentmindedly kept stroking my hair.

“Gasp.”

I sucked in a breath.

The firm yet soft thing was none other than Shim Hyun-woo’s chest.

He was asleep without his shirt, breathing heavily, his shoulder rising and falling—and with each movement, my eyes grew wider.

At this close distance, I could hear everything: his breath, even his heartbeat.

‘Wait… is this a dream?’

It felt like my head had been struck.

To check if it was real, I poked the chest in front of me a couple of times.

No matter how many times I poked, it was still Hyun-woo’s chest. Stunned, I pinched my own cheek hard.

It hurt. It was real.

“Hyun-woo. Hey, Shim Hyun-woo.”

Since he had me pulled so tightly against him, I couldn’t reach his shoulder. I poked at his side instead, calling his name to wake him, but he didn’t stir—sleeping deeply.

With a sigh, I gave up trying.