RCKS 32

“Let’s go sleep somewhere else.”

“Hey, what the heck, why…!”

It was at that moment. The sound of a light knock came from inside the front door. It was followed by a small voice calling a name, ‘Haekyung?’ It was Lee Yoonsan’s voice, which he hadn’t heard in a long time. Hwang Haekyung clenched his jaw once at the cautious voice that seemed to tickle his ear.

“What the, someone’s in there.”

At that, Ham Sejin was the first to react quickly. He pushed Hwang Haekyung’s arm with a nudge, pulling the front door open. Lee Yoonsan, who was standing inside holding the handle, was pulled forward slightly and made eye contact with Ham Sejin. Hwang Haekyung had barely budged at Ham Sejin’s touch, so the gap in the open door was only wide enough to see a face. But even that didn’t last long.

Because Hwang Haekyung immediately slammed the door shut with a bang and warned Ham Sejin.

“Don’t even think about sleeping here.”

“What about you?”

And Ham Sejin asked Hwang Haekyung that. With a look of utter disbelief.

“You’re going to sleep here?”

“…I’m not sleeping here either.”

“He’s an omega, isn’t he?”

“What, an omega?!”

At the ensuing reply, Ham Sejin became certain, and Lee Seokjae’s eyes widened. At the same time, a sound like Hwang Haekyung grinding his molars was heard, followed by a heavy pressure. This wasn’t a phenomenon caused by a simple change in atmosphere; it occurred because Hwang Haekyung’s pheromones were flowing out threateningly.

It was an obvious threat, making the atmosphere seem hazy with fine pheromone particles, making the surrounding air feel unpleasantly heavy. In other words, it felt difficult to breathe, as if someone were grabbing your ankles and pulling you down into the ground.

“You crazy bastard, get your pheromones under control!”

“If you promise to go sleep somewhere else.”

“Hey, what the fuck… Ah, alright, alrigh—!”

“Hey, Hwang Haekyung’s little brother inside!”

Since it was a sudden attack, and Hwang Haekyung had never done this before, Lee Seokjae was about to declare his surrender, thinking he should save himself first. Because Hwang Haekyung’s pheromones had particularly fine particles and a high concentration, affecting the other person quickly. Besides, the word ‘omega’ itself seemed to have gotten on Hwang Haekyung’s nerves.

Just then, Ham Sejin shouted loudly, not at Hwang Haekyung, but at Lee Yoonsan, who must be beyond the door. Because while Hwang Haekyung was being stubborn, he had remembered who the omega inside the door was.

It was definitely that omega. The one who had made Hwang Haekyung live with his phone glued to his hand for a while, the one he had already encountered at the amusement park before that.

It was a face he had only seen in passing, so it would have been natural to forget, but he remembered thinking it was unique because the omega, who would have suited pearly white skin, had chocolate-like skin instead with a gentle and cute appearance.

“…Yes?”

Sure enough, a hesitant reply came from inside. Hwang Haekyung reflexively tried to stop any further response by punching the front door, but barely stopped himself. Because he thought it would scare Lee Yoonsan inside.

“We came here to hang out. We thought no one was here originally.”

“Cut it out, Ham Sejin.”

“We won’t do anything to you. Just let us come in and at least use the bathroom.”

“Hey.”

“Hwang Haekyung will be here with us too.”

Hwang Haekyung growled at the rapidly speaking Ham Sejin, but Ham Sejin tried his best to ignore him. And when he threw out the words he expected to be the final blow, Lee Yoonsan jangled the handle from inside as if to open the door. But thanks to Hwang Haekyung blocking the door with his whole body, even using his back, the door didn’t open. However, an urgent voice was heard from inside.

“In the first place, this is Haekyung’s house, so why… P-please come in! I’ll leave instead!”

It goes without saying that Hwang Haekyung’s brow furrowed fiercely at Lee Yoonsan’s following words.

“What’s with your foot?”

The door opened and the alphas came in. Lee Yoonsan, momentarily overwhelmed by the alphas’ presence, stumbled backward, and Hwang Haekyung, who saw Lee Yoonsan’s foot first, pointed it out in a stiff tone. Then, he immediately knelt on one knee in front of Lee Yoonsan, grabbed his calf to lift it, and began to examine the bandaged foot. But that very action caused Lee Yoonsan to lose his balance and sway, and it was Lee Seokjae who caught him.

“Hi? I’m Hwang Haekyung’s friend, and—”

“Let go, Lee Seokjae.”

He was trying to exchange some greetings while he had him, but Hwang Haekyung intervened. Hwang Haekyung took Lee Yoonsan’s arm that Lee Seokjae was holding and made him place his hand on his own shoulder. Lee Yoonsan, who was suddenly forced to bend over and lean on Hwang Haekyung’s shoulder, couldn’t hide his bewildered expression, and Ham Sejin’s expression as he watched was peculiar.

“What happened to your foot?”

“I stepped on some glass at the beach.”

“The sole? Here?”

“No, uh-huh, there. There. Don’t press it.”

The conversation with Hwang Haekyung, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, started with unbelievable ease. For Lee Yoonsan, it was an opening that he felt no particular tension in. The resentment, frustration, and sadness toward Hwang Haekyung, who had unilaterally cut off contact and disappeared, still lingered, but Hwang Haekyung, who was concerned about his injury, seemed completely unfazed. And that, in turn, was irritating.

Because while Hwang Haekyung had cut off contact, he had spent that time worrying about him, resenting him, and feeling frustrated, but to Hwang Haekyung himself, it was as if it had been nothing at all. Otherwise, how could he be so composed in this situation, meeting again after so long?

“You two go up to the second floor. Go to the room at the very end, that’s my room, so hole up in there and don’t come out.”

“Hey, damn. Hwang is so brutal, can a guy even breathe?”

“Ham Sejin, you book a hotel right now. Don’t even dream of sleeping here.”

Lee Seokjae pretended to shiver at Hwang Haekyung’s tone, which was not just cold but downright brutal, and Ham Sejin’s eyebrow twitched. Lee Yoonsan was caught between them, trying to figure out what he should do, when Hwang Haekyung, having apparently finished checking the location and severity of Lee Yoonsan’s wound, stood up. And he gave his friends a murderous glare, as if telling them to get lost to the second floor immediately.

“Hwang.”

At that, Ham Sejin, who had picked up the suitcase she had briefly set on the floor to go upstairs, called out to Hwang Haekyung. Then she looked at Hwang Haekyung, who was looking back at her, with a dry gaze and continued.

“You know you’re being extra right now, don’t you?”

At those words, Hwang Haekyung just wrinkled one eyebrow but didn’t give any reply.

Only after he had sent Ham Sejin and Lee Seokjae completely upstairs did Hwang Haekyung turn his gaze back to Lee Yoonsan. This time, Lee Yoonsan also felt the awkwardness. It seemed that what he had considered an easy reunion just moments ago was only possible because others had been present. He keenly felt that the atmosphere had been possible especially because of Lee Seokjae, who had a constant smiling face that kept the mood from sinking.

“They’ll be gone soon. Until then, go into your room, lock the door, and don’t come out.”

“Are you leaving because of me? Then I’ll leave. This is your house, Haekyung. My friends are coming anyway, and they’re getting a hotel, so….”

“Where are you going with that foot?”

“……”

“You stay here.”

At Hwang Haekyung’s impassive tone, Lee Yoonsan quickly expressed his opinion, as if he didn’t want to be a bother, but it was useless. Hwang Haekyung glanced at Lee Yoonsan’s injured foot and tied him to this house with a single, sharp remark.

His argument was, on the one hand, reasonable, but it was still unexpected. So Lee Yoonsan, not knowing what to say to such a Hwang Haekyung, decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being. He knew himself well; whenever he was nervous or flustered with awkwardness, the probability of him saying something useless or making a slip of the tongue increased. Hwang Haekyung stared silently at Lee Yoonsan for a moment before tossing his sports bag onto the floor with a thud. Its position near the entrance made it seem as if Hwang Haekyung would really leave the house soon. Lee Yoonsan hoped that such a situation wouldn’t happen.

A pitch-black ball of fur attached to one side of Hwang Haekyung’s bag, which had been thrown to the floor, was crushed against the ground. He still carries that around. Lee Yoonsan thought that inadvertently as he looked at the familiar ball of fur.

“It’s because I don’t want to be a bother. It’s fine if I just leave.”

“The security here is much better than a hotel. You hurt the sole of your foot, are you going to walk through the hotel elevator, hallways, and lobby with that foot?”

“……”

“I’ll be out within an hour, so you rest.”

Hwang Haekyung said that and strode toward the kitchen. He must have been quite thirsty from coming all this way in the heat. As Lee Yoonsan watched Hwang Haekyung open the refrigerator’s home bar, take out a bottle of water, and twist off the cap, he opened his mouth inadvertently. Come to think of it, wasn’t there another reason he had come out of his room this early in the morning?

“Me too, water.”

I woke up to get some water. After blurting it out without thinking, Lee Yoonsan looked at Hwang Haekyung and added in a timid voice, feeling as if he had demanded water too boldly. At that, Hwang Haekyung, who had opened the water bottle, picked up a glass cup that was overturned on the kitchen table, filled it to the brim with water, and brought it over to Lee Yoonsan.

It was another in a series of unexpected actions. But Hwang Haekyung’s actions didn’t stop there. He stood still, just staring at Lee Yoonsan who was holding the water cup. Lee Yoonsan, feeling needlessly self-conscious under Hwang Haekyung’s gaze, gulped down the water. Wondering if he was being told to drink it quickly. Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t entirely wrong, because as soon as Lee Yoonsan emptied the cup, Hwang Haekyung took the empty cup from him and drank the water he poured for himself. Then he strode back to the kitchen, put the water bottle and the cup in the refrigerator and the sink respectively, then returned to Lee Yoonsan and held out his arm.

“Why…?”

“You have to hold on to something to walk, don’t you?”

This time too, he spoke while glancing at Lee Yoonsan’s injured foot. This was also an unexpected action. Wasn’t he trying to avoid me? Lee Yoonsan thought this, feeling needlessly self-conscious of Hwang Haekyung. In fact, although it hadn’t been long since they’d met again, the current Hwang Haekyung was just like the 10-year-old Hwang Haekyung.

The mean 10-year-old Hwang Haekyung who used a blunt expression and tone, had his own friends, and tried to exclude Lee Yoonsan. That’s why Lee Yoonsan couldn’t feel any sense of reality about the current situation. It was as if the Hwang Haekyung who had exchanged DMs with him during his recent manifestation period didn’t exist. And that made him feel a surge of emotion. If he had never known the Hwang Haekyung from the manifestation period at all, he wouldn’t have felt this way.

“It’s fine. I can walk by myself.”

“If you refuse one more time, I’ll take it as you asking me to carry you.”

“……”

“Grab on.”

Hwang Haekyung didn’t retract the arm he had offered in front of Lee Yoonsan and gestured with a nod of his head, urging him again. The atmosphere was such that if he refused this time, he really would be carried, so in the end, Lee Yoonsan grabbed the arm Hwang Haekyung offered and limped along using his heel and his uninjured foot. Hwang Haekyung continuously watched Lee Yoonsan’s foot, and when they reached the door of the room Lee Yoonsan was staying in, Lee Seokjae’s voice came from the direction of the second-floor stairs.

“All the hotels in Jeju City are fully booked today! There’s a private pension room in Oedo-dong, but it’s only available from tomorrow! We have to sleep here today!”

“Then book something in Seogwipo. Not every single hotel can be fully booked.”

“Hey, use your brain! It’s summer right now, vacation and holiday season, Jeju is the biggest domestic tourist island, and all the guys who think they can surf are scattered between either Yangyang or Jeju! How are we supposed to book a room for the same day during peak season?!”

As Lee Seokjae finally lost his temper, shaking his phone with the booking app open, Hwang Haekyung opened his mouth with an annoyed expression, but then remembered Lee Yoonsan’s presence and held back. Hwang Haekyung expressed his displeasure by sighing and taking Lee Yoonsan into the room, slamming the door shut with a bang. The one who was startled by this was Lee Yoonsan.

Actually, Lee Yoonsan had hoped that Hwang Haekyung wouldn’t leave this house. Now that his growth period was completely over and the hurdles between him and Hwang Haekyung were gone, he didn’t want to lose him again. He wanted to hear why he had suddenly cut off contact all that time ago, and he felt the need to define this ambiguous relationship to some extent.

No, actually, Lee Yoonsan was simply anxious that Hwang Haekyung would hang out with his own friends and grow distant, leaving him behind, just like when he was 10. After the contact during his recent growth period, just when he thought they had finally gotten close, they had drifted apart again. He was frustrated and, on the other hand, felt a sense of regret.

“Just sleep here.”

That was why. He said it without letting go of Hwang Haekyung’s arm even after they entered the room.

“Are you saying you want to share a house with three alphas right now?”