Chapter 18: An Allergy to Luxury

“Getting injured was bad enough, but… that hospital bill was seriously a rip-off. If I’d been treated in Korea with national health insurance, it would’ve cost less than a hundred thousand won… And the painting… sure, it was pretty, but seventy-one billion won? What even is that price… America really is the land of scammers.”

Watching Si-hyeon grumble while half-leaning against his seat, Cha Hae-jun accepted the tablet Secretary Kang handed him and replied casually.

“You’re right about that part. I agree. The amount is excessive. Even if I bought all of Bae Si-hyeon’s time, it still wouldn’t be nearly enough to erase that debt.”

“Boss, do you happen to have a massage machine at home?”

“Let’s hear the reason for asking first.”

After swiping through the screen once, Hae-jun flinched slightly at the touch that landed on his shoulder and twisted his body away. Si-hyeon, smiling brightly, pressed his fingertips down harder.

“I’m actually really good at massages. Um… couldn’t that count as extra labor or something?”

“It’s quite a talent to put that much effort into something useless.”

At the blunt remark, Si-hyeon let go and dropped back into his seat with a thump, his lips sticking out in a pout.

After that, there was little conversation between the two of them.

Most of the talking happened between Hae-jun and Secretary Kang, with the occasional joke from Doctor Go. Si-hyeon kept his head lowered the entire time, staying completely silent and never once trying to join in.

“The board has been unusually persistent lately,” Secretary Kang muttered.

“They’ve always been like that. Nothing new. Just annoying.”

Hae-jun replied indifferently, then glanced sideways.

Ever since the conversation had ended, Bae Si-hyeon had kept his head lowered, fiddling with the bandage on his fingernail.

At first glance it looked like he was just worried about the injury, but Hae-jun knew better. The slightly visible side of Si-hyeon’s face gave it away.

His cheeks were puffed out slightly in a sulk.

He looked like a squirrel with its cheek pouches stuffed full of sunflower seeds and nuts.

Hae-jun tapped the edge of his tablet with his finger as if tempted to poke those cheeks. Then he paused.

‘Why would I do that?’

The thought made him frown. Annoyed, he ran a hand through his hair.

‘Is this one of those omega instincts to trigger protective impulses?’

Almost unconsciously, Hae-jun released a faint trace of pheromones.

Each time he did, Si-hyeon flinched and wrinkled his nose, but Hae-jun pretended not to notice.

“…Mm.”

A small, dissatisfied sound slipped from Si-hyeon.

Hae-jun ignored it and continued reviewing documents he could process quickly. He worked slightly faster than usual, though he didn’t quite know why.

****

‘I’m going to die.’

Si-hyeon could sum up his current condition in exactly three words.

He pressed his face against the cold table and breathed out hot air repeatedly. The heat rising through his body made his vision blur.

“Huu…”

The seat was spacious and luxurious.

When he followed the handsome flight attendant who guided him there earlier, Si-hyeon had been thrilled. The interior looked so luxurious it felt like the walls were practically coated in money.

There were only two seats.

There was even a private shower room and a bedroom. A full meal menu was available too.

It looked less like an airplane and more like a high-end hotel.

The phrase better than home naturally came to mind.

In fact, it really was better than home.

No, comparing it to the old container housing provided by the factory was impossible.

The problem was that the good feeling only lasted about thirty minutes after boarding.

Even before the flight, his body had felt slightly warm. Not long after takeoff, the fever rose completely.

He wanted to run to Cha Hae-jun immediately and ask for cold medicine, but remembering how Hae-jun had been working right up until boarding made it hard for him to move.

Not wanting to cause trouble, Si-hyeon stayed glued to his seat, shifting his body around in search of anything cool.

On top of that, faint traces of Hae-jun’s sweet scent occasionally drifted through the air, driving him nearly insane.

It felt as if invisible feathers beneath his skin were scratching randomly inside him.

The screen in front of his seat played a stream of English he couldn’t understand.

He tried to focus on the sound.

But suddenly a stronger scent swept past him.

“Ah…!”

His body heated up even more.

Inside the soft slippers, his toes kept curling and uncurling.

Frozen stiff, as if every muscle had locked up, Si-hyeon slowly lifted his head when he heard a knock.

“Hello, Bae Si-hyeon. I’ll prepare your meal now.”

At first he didn’t understand.

Then he remembered he had enthusiastically ordered dinner to be served after takeoff.

“…Ah, damn.”

He almost said he didn’t want it anymore.

But he stopped.

People said if you wasted food, you’d go to hell and have to eat it all mixed together.

He didn’t believe every superstition like that, but ignoring them entirely still felt uncomfortable.

After all, he had never wasted a single meal in his life.

So Si-hyeon pressed his thighs together tightly and took a deep breath.

It didn’t help at all.

The sweet scent clinging to the inside of his nose made his mind hazy.

His breath felt hot, like he had a burning coal in his mouth.

“O-okay….”

“I’ll come in.”

The flight attendant, dressed neatly in a suit, placed the dishes on the table while explaining each one.

After setting down the last glass of water, the attendant looked at Si-hyeon’s flushed face with concern.

“Are you feeling unwell? We have basic medicine available. If you need anything, please let us know.”

“I’m fine… really fine.”

‘Please leave already.’

Si-hyeon kept insisting he was fine while gesturing weakly for them to go.

The attendant still looked worried.

Fidgeting his legs under the table, Si-hyeon forced an awkward smile and picked up his spoon.

Only then did the attendant finally leave.

“Huu…”

Every breath made his whole body itch and burn.

He wanted to rip off his thin shirt and press himself against something cold.

“Dong… hae… mul-gwa…”

He tried quietly singing the Korean national anthem to distract himself, but soon his face twisted as if he might cry.

The sensation only grew worse.

Just as he started stamping his feet in frustration, someone knocked on the door again.

“Si-hyeon, are you there?”

Cha Hae-jun.

The exact person Si-hyeon most did not want to see right now.

“Uh… y-yes…”

“A flight attendant said you looked unwell. May I come in?”

It sounded polite, but somehow it didn’t feel like he was really asking for permission.

In his hazy state, Si-hyeon answered automatically.

“Yes.”

The moment he realized what he had said, the door opened.

Hae-jun stepped inside.

The instant Hae-jun’s gaze landed on him, Si-hyeon’s whole body began trembling.

Even the fine hairs on his skin seemed to shiver.

“I-I’m fine. Really. Totally fine. I’m not sick. I just… um… maybe I got an allergy because this place is so nice.”

“I noticed before, but it seems you have allergies I’ve never heard of in my life.”

Hae-jun chuckled softly and sat down not far from him.

Skillfully adjusting the seat controls, he unfolded a small table and placed his tablet on it.

Then he smiled with his eyes slightly curved.

“In that case, I should keep a close eye on Si-hyeon who developed an allergy from sitting somewhere too nice. You shouldn’t get sick.”

“No! No! It’s gone! The allergy’s gone!”

Si-hyeon shook his head frantically.

Hae-jun’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if evaluating him.

Panicking, Si-hyeon grabbed his spoon again.

“I need to eat! When someone watches me eat, I get indigestion. So… boss….”

It was clearly meant as a hint for Hae-jun to leave.

But Hae-jun ignored it and crossed his legs.

After tapping on his tablet a few times, he gestured toward the food.

“Don’t leave the bell peppers. You need to eat everything to stay healthy. And since we haven’t been able to spend time together for a while, let’s talk a bit. Wouldn’t that be good for you, Si-hyeon?”

Si-hyeon had failed to gain anything from that exchange.

After a whole week of disappearing, the man finally showed up, at the worst possible moment.

“…Yes.”

Once he said it out loud, he couldn’t take it back.

That man never lost an argument.

‘Why is he so good at arguing…’

Si-hyeon grumbled inwardly while the itching sensation spreading through his body refused to fade.

Holding his spoon, he flinched slightly.

Every brush of fabric against his skin felt amplified—his chest, his stomach.

Sweat had soaked part of his shirt, making the thin fabric cling to one side of his chest and constantly stimulate him.

‘I must be losing my mind.’

Swearing silently, he exhaled hot breath and forced himself to move carefully.

He shoveled food slowly into his mouth, trying not to move too much.

It felt less like eating and more like pushing food straight down his throat.

After chewing mechanically for a while like a cow chewing cud, Si-hyeon finally set the spoon down.

He couldn’t taste anything anyway.

The only sounds between them were the hum of the airplane and the unfamiliar foreign language drifting from the screen.

Completely focused, Hae-jun wasn’t even looking in Si-hyeon’s direction anymore.

Perhaps because he had relaxed, Hae-jun’s tie had loosened slightly and one shirt button was undone.

His clean neckline was clearly visible.

Broad shoulders. A firm chest.

Every time he moved his pen across the tablet to write something, the white sleeve around his forearm stretched tight, then relaxed again.

Si-hyeon swallowed involuntarily.