PM Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The rain poured down so heavily it obscured his vision.

Heeseong trembled as he hurried forward on heavy feet.

The fishy smell of rainwater made his stomach churn.

He’d been wandering aimlessly along a country road when he finally spotted a single building.

[Palace Motel]

Just like the name, the motel was painted a tacky shade of pink that resembled a palace.

Ding.

He stepped through the glass door, and a dim interior came into view.

The musty smell of old wood and carpet mixed with the fishy stench of rain, creating a thick, unpleasant odor.

Heeseong wrinkled his nose and hesitantly glanced around.

There was a counter in the back, darkly tinted.

As he approached at a sluggish pace, he noticed a price list stuck to the front of the counter.

When he leaned down, a raindrop dangling from the tip of his long eyelashes fell onto his glasses.

It rolled off and dropped onto the price list with a soft plop.

Room Rental – 4 hours: 20,000 won

Overnight Stay: 50,000 won

Heeseong stared at the price list quietly, then let out a small sigh.

He fumbled through his pocket and pulled out some soggy, crumpled cash.

Carefully flattening the bills one by one, he placed them in front of the small glass window on the counter and leaned in.

The tint was so dark and the lighting beyond the window so dim that he couldn’t tell if anyone was inside.

“…Two nights, please.”

He spoke in a small voice.

A large, firm hand took the bills away.

In their place, a room key was set down.

Room 307.

Heeseong picked up the key, bowed his head politely, and walked toward the elevator.

His body had been feeling sluggish, and his head foggy for a while now.

Even the smells were hitting him harder than usual.

Something just didn’t feel right.

To make matters worse, he’d gotten completely soaked by the rain and didn’t have any suppressants on him.

While he waited for the elevator with heavy eyes, he heard the door behind the counter open and someone approach.

Heeseong inhaled sharply and tensed up.

The man who came up beside him was both taller and broader than Heeseong by a long shot.

Stricken with sudden fear, Heeseong didn’t even have the courage to look at the man’s face.

Holding his breath, he desperately tried to suppress his pheromones.

Maybe I should just take the stairs.

He hesitated with the thought, but then the elevator arrived.

Ding.

The moment the doors opened, all hesitation vanished in an instant.

He was simply too exhausted.

Seeing that the elevator was empty, Heeseong quickly stepped inside.

As he did, his shoulder brushed lightly against the man’s arm.

Startled, Heeseong flinched and stepped back.

By then, the man had already entered the elevator too.

That was when Heeseong saw the man’s face for the first time—the man he assumed was the owner of the motel.

The man was tall and broad enough to completely fill the narrow elevator.

He had a rough look about him, the kind of face anyone would instantly call a thug’s.

Handsome, yes—but the intimidation he gave off was enough to make you forget it.

His thick eyebrows and long, sharp eyes gave him a fierce look, and there was something strangely flashy about him too.

His high nose, firm jawline, and full lips looked as if they’d been arranged to match each other perfectly.

And that crooked smirk hanging from his lips only intensified his intimidating aura.

Even though his jet-black hair was slicked back neatly to reveal his forehead, he still looked rough.

Maybe it was the way he’d loosened the front of his dress shirt despite wearing a full suit.

Or maybe it was those strangely decadent eyes.

Either way, that was the impression he gave off.

Heeseong glanced at the man’s hand, which was as big as his own face, then quickly looked away.

If he had to describe him in one word, the man looked like a gangster.

Not just a little, but a lot—a very scary gangster.

Still, unlike the gangsters he was used to, this one was ridiculously good-looking.

The man raised one eyebrow as he looked silently at Heeseong.

“Not getting in?”

Even though it was the first time he had seen Heeseong, the man spoke informally to him.

And it suited him so naturally that Heeseong didn’t even realize the rudeness at first.

The man’s gaze slowly swept over Heeseong.

Feeling a sudden chill, Heeseong dropped his eyes and stumbled into the elevator.

With just the two of them, the cramped elevator already felt full.

Only after the doors closed did Heeseong come back to his senses and quietly bit his lip.

What if that man was an alpha?

He scolded himself for letting his guard down.

Still, what gave him a small sense of relief was that, despite the man’s alpha-like appearance, he couldn’t sense any pheromones from him.

Maybe he’s not an alpha.

That would be a relief.

The elevator ride to the third floor felt as slow as a snail’s crawl.

Heeseong, sweating coldly, anxiously stared at the panel.

Ding.

As soon as the elevator arrived, he slipped out like he was fleeing.

The sensation of the man’s gaze clinging to him gave him goosebumps for no reason.

Only after stepping into Room 307 and closing the door behind him did Heeseong finally let his shoulders drop.

He exhaled a long sigh and took a moment to catch his breath before looking around the room.

It was small, with a single bed and a tiny window.

There was an outdated TV and a small fridge that looked like they were just there for show, and a stained, worn-out table.

He staggered over and plopped down on the bed with the threadbare blanket, which sank beneath his weight.

Heeseong sat there blankly for a moment, then came to his senses and stripped off all his wet clothes.

He dug through his damp bag and pulled out slightly less-wet clothes and underwear, then took off his glasses, now speckled with droplets.

With effort, he lifted his heavy body and stepped into the bathroom.

The icy cold water didn’t turn lukewarm until quite some time had passed.

Maybe it was because he’d been out in the rain for so long, but even that felt welcome.

Heeseong, shivering, washed himself thoroughly with trembling hands.

The provided shampoo and body wash smelled like laundry that hadn’t fully dried, but that was still better than nothing—at least they masked his scent a little.

Tensing his weak, drooping body, Heeseong kept washing persistently.

As the strong stream of water from the shower grazed his skin, it must have triggered something—his lower abdomen tingled sharply.

“Ugh…”

As if mocking his effort to get clean, sticky slick spilled heavily between his thighs.

Of course.

It felt like his heat cycle was approaching.

His cycle was irregular, so this was all he could go on.

Biting down hard on his lip, Heeseong wiped between his legs over and over until no more slick came out.

By the time he finally finished, a lot of time had passed.

Heeseong put on his glasses again, covered himself with a blanket over his thin clothes, and lay down.

His body was starting to feel a bit chilled, and he didn’t feel well.

If his condition got worse, it would only make the heat harder to endure.

He hoped it was just a momentary chill.

The heat cycle would start soon, and he didn’t know what to do.

It would’ve been ideal to stay for ten days instead of just two.

But he didn’t have anywhere near enough money for that.

He didn’t even have suppressants, which made his future feel hopeless.

It would be better not to go out at all until the heat passed.

The thought of it made it hard to breathe, like something was pressing on his chest.

With a tired face, Heeseong took off his glasses and closed his blurry eyes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A loud pounding sound echoed through the room.

Whatever sleep he’d had instantly vanished.

“You fucking bastard! Open the damn door!”