Chapter 12: Pheromones of the Regressor

The scent of winter rushed to the tip of his nose.
It was a cold, biting smell.

Even though it was impossible for the top-tier hospital room, where only VIPs could stay, to be cold, Yoojun, at that moment, felt as if he were standing in the middle of a snowy field, drifting without a sense of direction.

And in the vast expanse of pure white snow, there was only one thing that caught his eye that is Yoon Sayoung.

As soon as he recognized Sayoung, Yoojun reflexively held his breath.
It was because he thought he had momentarily caught the scent of his pheromones.

It was possible that she, who had seemed so composed, had in fact laid a trap to lure him in this way.

But Yoojun soon realized his guess was completely wrong.
The scent that had wavered for a moment soon vanished without a trace, and no kind of scent remained by Yoojun’s side.

Yoojun was someone who was constantly being tempted by not only Omegas, but also Alphas and Betas.
Because of that, Yoojun was always able to sensitively detect even the scent of an Omega that had been subtly sprayed while pretending not to.

If Sayoung had sprayed pheromones in the hospital room with the goal of arousing him, she couldn’t have hidden it from him so perfectly in an instant.

In the end, it meant that Yoojun had reacted like a moron to a scent that had never existed in the first place.

Only then did he see Sayoung’s expression, frowning as if displeased.
The one who was freely releasing pheromones in this hospital room right now was, in fact, Yoojun.

It was because he had mistaken that Sayoung was seducing him and had momentarily released his scent for defense.

“It seems like you’re not feeling well….”

Sayoung expressed her discomfort indirectly regarding Yoojun’s breach of etiquette.
Yoojun hastily reined in his scent.
It wasn’t a difficult task.
Yoojun bowed his head slightly to Sayoung and offered an apology.

“I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

“Yes. It’s alright. More importantly…”

Sayoung paused for a moment.
It felt less like she was hesitating and more like she was choosing her words.
These two seemed similar, but they clearly had different meanings.

Hesitating meant she was wary or afraid of Yoojun, but choosing her words simply meant she was deliberating.

Slowly, Sayoung spoke again.

“Congratulations on finishing filming.”

“Ah…”

Yoojun let out a small gasp.
It was a completely unexpected remark, so he was honestly a little surprised.
Sayoung immediately added, ‘Though I’m sure you’ve already received many congratulations.’
It was a small, cautious, and yet again, indifferent voice.

The annoyance he had managed to suppress surged up.
If he had his way, he wanted to grab Sayoung’s shoulders and demand an explanation.

He wanted to tell her not to act as if his decision meant nothing, when she was the one who was desperate.

He wasn’t hoping for a dramatic situation where she knelt and begged, but at least acting as if it didn’t matter at all like this was truly grating.

It wasn’t a simple impression of being impertinent.
It was a more fundamental discomfort.
Yoojun was bothered by how hazy Sayoung was, like mist, as if she didn’t belong to this world.

Yoojun, without giving any reply to Sayoung’s congratulations, sat down on the sofa prepared in a corner of the hospital room.
It was some distance from the bed.

Having confirmed that Sayoung’s gaze had followed his movements, Yoojun elegantly crossed his legs and lightly straightened his disheveled clothes.
He looked straight at Sayoung and nodded his head with intention.

A light of question flickered in Sayoung’s eyes.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t guess Yoojun’s intention, but her eyes were questioning whether he had understood her intention correctly.
Yoojun, without making any other movements, leisurely met Sayoung’s eyes.

Sayoung probably understood the meaning correctly.
Yoojun wanted Sayoung, with her inconvenient body, whether on crutches or in a wheelchair, to come before him.
He intended to give his answer only if she showed that much desperation.

It was clearly a rude act towards an injured person.
In the first place, Yoojun wasn’t a person who was indiscriminately kind to others, and even if there were people he should be kind to, Yoon Sayoung was not included among them.

‘Even if her ‘life before death’ had been miserable, as she said, it wasn’t my fault, was it?’

Sayoung blinked once.
The hesitation, no, the blank space that was uncertain if it could even be called hesitation, was only that brief.

With the rustle of the blanket, Sayoung reached out, grabbed her crutches, and slowly got off the bed, placing one foot on the floor.

It felt as if that footstep was pressing down on a part of his chest, and Yoojun frowned.
He was essentially throwing a childish tantrum at a patient to relieve his own mood.

Besides, even seeing her move according to his will, strangely, his mood didn’t improve.

In the meantime, Sayoung, leaning on her crutches, limped slowly toward Yoojun.
On her expressionless face, no hint of annoyance, humiliation, or any other emotion could be seen.

That emotionless face, for someone who claimed to be dedicating his new life to revenge, strangely made his blood boil, as if it was saying that her emotions were permitted only to Han Jaewoo.

Even so, what did that have to do with Kim Yoojun?

“If you have something to say, say it.”

Sayoung, who had approached the front of the sofa in the meantime, sat down with difficulty opposite Yoojun, caught her breath briefly, and then spoke.
Yoojun, who had unconsciously glanced at the prominent collarbones under the large patient gown before looking away, opened his mouth in a low voice.

“If I were to say I’ll help, what and how should I help?”

“……”

“You’re not going to ask me to punch that bastard’s face, are you?”

His tone was somewhat sarcastic.
But Sayoung, upon hearing those words, raised and lowered the corners of his mouth slightly and then answered.

“…That would be nice too.”

Yoojun, without realizing it, let out a scoff.
He hadn’t expected Sayoung to affirm his words.

Until now, her impression had been closer to that of an unpleasantly submissive doll, or a ghost-like being, but for a very brief moment, she had a human scent.

And at that moment, Yoojun became curious about what kind of ‘person’ this person in front of him had been before she had been broken this much.

‘The Yoon Sayoung before she loved Han Jaewoo.’
‘The Yoon Sayoung of the days when she had laughed and cried like a human.’
‘The Yoon Sayoung of the days when she had lived embracing not misery, but a heart-fluttering affection—what kind of person had she been?’

Unaware of Yoojun’s thoughts, Sayoung continued.

“But as you said, if that were all, there would be no need to ask you, Mr. Yoojun. I…”

Sayoung swallowed once.
It was impossible to tell if it was because she was nervous explaining it in front of Yoojun, or if it was still difficult to talk about revenge on Han Jaewoo.

“…I want you, Mr. Yoojun, to make Han Jaewoo love you even more desperately.”

“……”

“And at the crucial moment. The moment Han Jaewoo confesses his love to you, Mr. Yoojun.”

Yoojun realized that Sayoung’s gaze, which he thought had been looking straight at him, was not on him at that moment.

Sayoung was looking at a day in the past.
She was looking at a person named Han Jaewoo whom she had desperately loved.

Sayoung’s eyes, which had been shining, reflecting the fluorescent lights, looked hazy as if covered by mist.

“At that time, I would like you, Mr. Yoojun, to pretend… to choose… me, not Han Jaewoo.”

Yoojun consciously moved the fingertips of his hand, which was resting on the armrest of the sofa, and tapped the floor.
As if he had no interest whatsoever in all those words.

However, he couldn’t be sure if she actually looked that way.
Considering that she was an actor renowned for her acting skills in South Korea, it was a very unfamiliar feeling.

Yoojun, taking care not to breathe too conspicuously, opened his mouth.

“Are you suggesting we have something like a contract relationship?”

“No. You don’t have to go that far. A relationship… might not be possible due to circumstances or timing.”

“……”

“Just… I just want Han Jaewoo to get hurt like I did, even for a moment. That’s all.”

It would have been less unsettling if she had asked him to pretend to be in a relationship for Han Jaewoo to see.
Then at least he could have suspected that Sayoung was trying to use it as an opportunity to seduce him somehow.

“Is there any meaning in that?”

So Yoojun asked.
It was half-impulsive, but also a point he was genuinely curious about.

She wasn’t trying to beat or kill Han Jaewoo, nor was she trying to ruin him so he could never recover, and she wasn’t even dumping Han Jaewoo himself—was such a revenge really necessary?

“Isn’t it a waste of time to spend on such a half-hearted revenge? If you’re going to do it, at least do it properly…!”

“Should I kill Han Jaewoo?”

Sayoung cut off Yoojun’s words, which he had spat out as if angry.
It was a thought Yoojun had also had in his mind, but when it was voiced by Sayoung, the weight of the word ‘death’ became a realistic sensation and overwhelmed Yoojun.

‘Because Sayoung was a person who knew death.’
‘Because she was a person who had already experienced death.’
‘Was that why the death she spoke of was so sharp and chilling?’

Momentarily thinking that, Yoojun realized that he was already thinking with Sayoung’s claim as a premise of truth.

The confusion only grew, but Sayoung gave him no room to settle it and spoke.

“Han Jaewoe didn’t kill me directly. So I, too… have no desire to kill him directly.”

“……”

“It wouldn’t be bad to see the career he built by using me crumble. If I can get such a result as a byproduct, that’s fine too. But… but I…”

At that moment, Yoojun felt a sense of incongruity.
The end of Sayoung’s words was trembling violently, unlike before.
While the flustered Yoojun could only mouth words, Sayoung’s voice rushed in like a harsh midwinter wind.