Chapter 15: Ten Minutes of Responsibility

“…..”

” You know this isn’t something you can just endure on your own inside there.
Let’s deal with it quickly and get out.”

There was no response.

An image of a face that looked stubborn at a glance came to mind.

He figured they would never open the door, no matter what.

After a brief moment of consideration, Han Ji-seok opened the door to the empty stall beside it and stepped inside.

He closed the toilet lid, planted his foot on the tank, and braced himself against the top of the partition.

Pulling himself up using only his arms, he overcame the height, his legs lifting cleanly.

Han Ji-seok climbed straight over the flimsy divider.

“Move.”

“Are you insane?”

Woo Seon-kyung, who had been pressed tightly against the door with both hands gripping it, looked up with a stunned expression.

Han Ji-seok ignored him completely and jumped down into the cramped space.

Seon-kyung genuinely felt like crying.

After all the effort to avoid him and run away, what kind of lunacy was it for someone to barge in without permission?

He clenched his molars.

Even if he had to bite his tongue, he swore he would not break down in front of this man.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—there was no longer any scent coming from Han Ji-seok.

” You don’t need medication-level intervention, right?”

“…..”

“I didn’t realize you were that sensitive to pheromones, but I heard from the professor.
You haven’t manifested for long.
That means… this probably isn’t something you can handle alone.”

At the roundabout reference to his erection, Seon-kyung felt his mind go blank.

Just because they were the same s*x didn’t mean shame disappeared.

Especially not when the other person was the very cause of his heat.

Han Ji-seok lowered his head slightly.

He was probably trying to check Seon-kyung’s condition, but from Seon-kyung’s perspective, the gesture was unsettling.

Just being trapped together in this narrow space was already suffocating.

Han Ji-seok had withdrawn his pheromones so thoroughly that one might not even realize he was an Alpha.

And yet, the sensation from earlier lingered vividly.

Even looking at him felt like it might set everything off again.

“Get out. Now.”

“I don’t plan on staying long either.”

The moment he finished speaking, Han Ji-seok raised his hand to the buttons of his shirt.

Each time his fingers passed over one, the fabric parted—
from his collar, down past his chest.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Seeing Han Ji-seok suddenly undress, Seon-kyung shouted and scrambled into the corner.

But the stall was blocked on all sides, leaving him nowhere to go.

Why is he taking his clothes off?
Is this bastard completely insane?

Ignoring Seon-kyung’s horrified reaction, Ji-seok undid even the last remaining button.

When he shrugged off the shirt entirely, the white short-sleeved T-shirt underneath was revealed.

The thin fabric outlined his solid physique without mercy.

Even though he was still dressed, it felt indecent.

Startled by the stray thoughts creeping into his head, Seon-kyung turned away and looked aside.

Ji-seok rolled the removed shirt into a ball and brought it up to Seon-kyung’s face.

More precisely, beneath his nose.

As if stopping a nosebleed, he pressed the shirt firmly in place.

Caught off guard with fabric shoved into his face, Seon-kyung struggled and grabbed Ji-seok’s wrist.

His grip was impossibly strong.

Not only could Seon-kyung not shake him off, he ended up clinging to Ji-seok’s solid arm instead.

One hand held the back of his head, the other pressed the shirt forward.

Unable to resist, Seon-kyung could only rub his face against the fabric.

Every time he inhaled, Han Ji-seok’s scent filled his lungs.

“Breathe slowly.
Focus.”

“Mmph! Get it off! Ngh—!”

“What’s so hard about this?
Just breathe it in.
This isn’t your first time dealing with something like this.”

To ease arousal bordering on heat, an Alpha’s pheromones were immediately effective.

Especially if they belonged to the Alpha who had triggered it in the first place.

Knowing he was the cause, Han Ji-seok was taking responsibility in his own way.

He believed that was the decent thing to do.

The clothes Han Ji-seok had worn carried his natural scent and pheromones.

When Seon-kyung buried his nose and inhaled, the deep, distinctive fragrance seeped straight into his lungs.

Ah, this smell.
It’s infuriating.
It’s driving me insane.

Grinding his teeth, Seon-kyung took another deep breath.

The tension in his body gradually softened.

Only when the resistance finally subsided did Han Ji-seok release the hand gripping the back of his head.

He guided Seon-kyung’s hands to hold the shirt himself, then withdrew his own.

He glanced at his wristwatch as if nothing unusual had happened, his expression perfectly calm.

“Ten minutes enough for you to take care of it yourself?”

“…..”

“I’ll be outside.
Finish up and come out.”

That seemed to be the end of his business.

Han Ji-seok immediately unlocked the door.

As soon as he stepped out of the cramped stall, Seon-kyung hastily latched it shut as if sealing himself in.

Unbothered, Han Ji-seok left the restroom without hesitation.

He closed the entrance door, crossed his arms, and stood guard.

Whenever someone approached to use the restroom, he repeatedly chased them away, telling them to use another floor.

Ten minutes passed.

Then fifteen more.

The restroom door opened with a rusty creak.

Woo Seon-kyung stepped out, his eyes reddened.

He didn’t even look at Han Ji-seok standing guard.

As if deliberately avoiding contact, he took a wide detour around him.

His hands were empty.

Thankfully, his excitement seemed to have subsided.

There wasn’t a trace of pheromones coming from Seon-kyung anymore.

He looked perfectly composed, as if nothing had happened.

But his mood was unmistakably ruined.

Leaving the hallway ahead of Han Ji-seok, Seon-kyung didn’t return to the professor’s lab.

Instead, he headed straight for the stairs.

Leaving all his belongings behind, he fled as though escaping.

“….”

Only after Seon-kyung disappeared from view did Han Ji-seok re-enter the restroom.

After confirming that no pheromones lingered inside, he carefully closed the window he had left open.

Lastly, he slightly opened the middle stall where Woo Seon-kyung had been hiding.

The sweet scent that had once filled the space was already gone.

Instead, a familiar shirt lay stuffed into the trash bin.

***

Screech!

The tires scraped against the asphalt as the car braked hard.

It crossed halfway over the stop line, stopping just barely in front of the intersection as the light changed.

A chorus of ear-splitting horns erupted from all directions.

“Ah….”

Seon-kyung leaned the back of his head against the driver’s seat.

His right leg, which had slammed the brake, was still stiff with tension.

Lost in thought, he hadn’t properly checked his surroundings.

Why did I even drive?
At least I didn’t get into an accident.

As he berated himself, the phone resting on the dashboard began vibrating insistently.

“…..”

The caller was obviously his uncle.

Ever since Seon-kyung vanished without a word, his uncle had been calling nonstop.

It would have been enough to explain things in a brief call.

But irrational irritation welled up, and Seon-kyung deliberately ignored every call.

He couldn’t even remember how he managed to get home.

Barely arriving, he shoved the car roughly into the garage and headed toward the main house.

Seeing the car arrive, Head Butler Bae and several servants were already waiting at the entrance.

Something about Seon-kyung’s demeanor as he entered felt noticeably subdued.

The butler noticed the change first and motioned the staff to disperse.

He approached cautiously and asked,

“Did something happen while you were out?”

“Please call Dr. Kim.”

The sudden request made the butler’s heart sink.

Of all doctors—Dr. Kim?

Had something gone wrong with his traits?

“Dr… Dr. Kim?
Is your health unwell, young master?
What’s wrong?”

Despite the repeated questions, Seon-kyung pressed his lips shut and headed for his room.

Afraid of losing sight of him, Butler Bae followed closely, carefully observing his complexion.

His face, already pale by nature, was now completely bloodless.

Anyone could tell something was seriously wrong.

What if something bizarre had happened outside?

As dreadful possibilities crossed his mind, cold sweat broke out.

He could only hope it wasn’t serious enough to report to Chairman Woo.

“I’ll contact him immediately.
Is there anything else you need?”

“No… ah.
Please send someone to the university.
I met my uncle there and left all my things behind.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Let me know when the doctor arrives.”

With that, Seon-kyung took the stairs in long strides and disappeared into his room.

After confirming the door had closed, Butler Bae pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered a groan.

There was no time to waste.

To quietly resolve the situation, he would have to move fast.

Inside his room, Seon-kyung immediately stripped.

Shirt, pants, even his damp underwear—all tossed into a corner before he entered the bathroom.

Turning on the shower, lukewarm water poured over him from head to toe.

Rubbing his wet face with both hands as if washing it away, Seon-kyung frowned irritably.

‘I can still smell that Alpha.’

He pressed his nose to his forearm and inhaled.

Despite being completely naked, the heavy pheromones still lingered.

It was as if the scent had soaked into his skin.

He squeezed body wash into his palm until it overflowed, worked it into a soft sponge, and scrubbed his bare body.

Foam thick with soap fragrance piled up, spilling over his hands and dripping onto the floor.

Seon-kyung obsessively scrubbed at his body, already drained of heat.

The white lather washed away everything—
the dried fluid between his thighs,
and the lingering pheromones clinging to his senses.