Chapter 53: When the Walls Begin to Crack

“Really?”

“Y-yeah.”

“…….”

Hyunwoo nodded awkwardly.

From that reaction alone, Hyunjin could tell he was hiding something.

Hyunjin’s eyes narrowed.

But if he pried now, the atmosphere would only get worse.

He could find out what happened with Seunghyuk later.

Hyunjin lowered his head again, hiding his expression.

“I was home alone… feeling lonely.”

“…I brought delicious food.
Do you want to eat?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Mm….”

Hyunjin shook his head and hugged Hyunwoo even tighter.

Hyunwoo looked troubled, but eventually wrapped his arms around Hyunjin and patted his shoulder.

They couldn’t just stand in the doorway forever, so they went into Hyunjin’s room.

Hyunwoo tried to sit him down on the bed, but Hyunjin wouldn’t let go.

Hyunwoo looked even more lost.

“Hyunjin, um….”

“Hyung… did you start hating me again?”

“……!”

Hyunwoo immediately understood what he meant.

It was about when the real Joo Hyunwoo had pushed Hyunjin away after learning they weren’t real siblings.

Hyunjin remembered that.

That meant today’s events had shaken him that badly.

Hyunwoo quickly grabbed Hyunjin’s shoulders.

“No.
Of course not.”

“But…”

“I’m sorry I got mad at the hospital.
I was just upset.
That’s all.”

“…….”

Hyunwoo spoke as gently as possible.

He wasn’t the real Joo Hyunwoo.

He would never hate Hyunjin over something like this.

Thankfully, Hyunjin’s stiff expression slowly loosened.

“I’m the one who’s sorry, hyung.”

They were able to make up surprisingly easily.

Hyunwoo smiled faintly and wiped Hyunjin’s wet face with his fingers.

“You’re still such a crybaby.”

“Mm….”

“…….”

Hyunwoo remembered the real Joo Hyunwoo’s memory from childhood.

Hyunjin fell while running in the yard and cried just like this—face a mess, voice trembling.

Only his body had grown.

The crying face was the same.

Hyunwoo let out a small laugh.

“Here, blow.”

“Snff! Mm!”

He pulled out a tissue he had grabbed at the café earlier and held it to Hyunjin’s nose.

Hyunjin blew into it without any hesitation.

The runny nose had been ruining his pretty face anyway.

“You done crying now?”

“Yeah….”

“You.”

Hyunjin’s cheeks turned red, embarrassed.

Hyunwoo looked at him fondly.

Hyunjin had reason to want to leave the family registry.

The fault lay with Chairman Joo Moonhyuk, who used Hyunjin for political gain and filled his life with wounds.

And Hyunwoo had only made Hyunjin more anxious by proposing to Seunghyuk.

Hyunwoo sighed bitterly and stroked Hyunjin’s head.

“Mm….”

“Hyung?”

Suddenly, his head spun.

Hyunwoo instinctively pressed his fingers to his forehead.

Hyunjin’s eyes filled with worry.

“Oh… my head feels weird…”

“Are you still hungover?”

“No way.”

There was no way Kangwon-ho’s disgusting pheromone incident could cause a hangover for this long.

He wasn’t even a dominant Alpha.

His pheromones shouldn’t have had that much impact.

But the stress and shock from that day definitely hadn’t helped.

Maybe that was why his condition suddenly worsened.

“I think I’m just tired from being around so many people today.”

“Then you should rest.”

“Yeah… ugh…”

Hyunwoo hesitated.

They had apologized, but the real problem between them still wasn’t resolved.

After thinking for a moment, Hyunwoo spoke slowly.

“When your vacation starts… let’s look for a place for you to live.”

“Huh?”

“If you can live well on your own, I’ll help you get removed from father’s family registry later.”

“……!”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened.

“Really, hyung?”

“Yeah.
But you can’t rely on anyone.
Not even me.
You have to stand on your own.”

“Okay!
Thank you, hyung!”

“…….”

Hyunwoo felt a pang of guilt.

He was using Hyunjin’s desire to escape to indirectly protect him.

It was a lie—but a necessary one.

If it was for Hyunjin, then so be it.

Hyunwoo repeated that to himself and smiled faintly at Hyunjin’s bright expression.

Time passed quickly.

Hyunwoo’s arm had fully healed, and he was driving again.

His relationship with Hyunjin was stable.

Fake or not, supporting Hyunjin gave him motivation and direction.

Hyunwoo felt both proud and uneasy watching him.

Work was going well too.

The project he had designed before returning to the past was performing even better this time.

With knowledge of the future, things moved faster.

He might earn his executive title much sooner than the five years it originally took.

But there was one growing problem.

Seunghyuk and Hyunjin.

At the amusement park, they had seemed fine.

But since the blind date incident, the air between them grew cold.

Now they didn’t speak at all, sometimes glaring like enemies passing in a hallway.

Hyunwoo grew nervous.

By now, they should have been dating and happy.

But instead, their relationship seemed to be decaying.

‘Is it because I’m living with them?’

It was possible.

Hyunjin was shy.

Seunghyuk was reserved.

Both had a hard time speaking honestly.

If Hyunjin moved out after vacation, maybe the two would finally grow closer.

Hyunwoo felt guilty, like he was standing in the way.

And then—

Something big happened.

On a day just before vacation, when work hadn’t gone smoothly, Hyunwoo decided to go home early to clear his mind.

Beep, beep, beep—click.

He entered the house.

“Huh?”

A large pair of sneakers sat in the entryway.

He recognized them immediately.

They were Seunghyuk’s.

“Did his classes end early?”

Hyunwoo removed his shoes, thinking he might suggest they order sushi together.

But the moment he stepped farther into the house—

He froze.

There was a heavy scent in the air.

Thick.

Overpowering.

Pheromones.

Alpha pheromones.

Strong ones.

Hyunwoo’s expression hardened.

‘This… is Seunghyuk?’

The scent was similar, but not the usual calm, fresh forest-like smell.

This was thicker—heated—feral.

“Don’t tell me…”

Was he in rut?

A dominant Alpha rut.

Hyunwoo felt his blood go cold.

“…ngh.”

Forcing his body to move through the suffocating pressure, he hurried toward Seunghyuk’s room.

The closer he got, the stronger the pheromones became—almost crushing.

He opened the door—

And the scent hit him like a wave.

“Lee Seunghyuk!”

“Haa… ngh….”

Seunghyuk was on the floor, unable to even reach the bed.

Pheromones spilled from him uncontrollably, heavy enough to choke the air.

“Did you take your medication?”

“…I did.”

He answered through clenched teeth, face pale and sweating—yet expression still eerily calm.

“Stand up.”

“What are you…”

“You can’t stay here while you’re in rut.”

“…….”

If it were only him, maybe he could manage.

But Hyunjin also lived here.

A rutting Alpha losing control near an Omega—

That was disaster.

Hyunwoo grabbed Seunghyuk’s arm.

Surprisingly, Seunghyuk let him pull him up.

“…Not the hospital.”

“…….”

Dominant Alphas were rare in Korea.

Seunghyuk had spent his childhood being treated like a research subject.

Hyunwoo understood why he’d rather endure pain than go back.

Hyunwoo exhaled slowly.