Chapter 18: No Other Choice

The tragedy of an Omega, which his parents had warned him about like a horror story, was becoming a reality and happening to him.

Why on earth was his body acting like this?

He felt suffocated, not knowing whom to ask for help in such a situation.

The only adults Chaewoo knew well enough to request help from were his part-time job manager and his professor.

However, those two were not adults he trusted enough to reveal his status as an Omega.

It was also uncertain whether they would go out of their way to help him.

He certainly couldn’t tell his father in the hospital, and even if he did, it would take too long for him to arrive.

So, what should he do?

With every possible option blocked, the last person he had pushed to the very back of his mind surfaced.

He didn’t want to ask anyone for help, but especially not Euigeon.

Beom Euigeon, who considered him a nuisance, assumed he had feelings for him, and was arrogant at every turn.

No matter how much he denied it, he was the only option left.

Even knowing this, his desire not to contact him was stronger.

But the situation was changing too rapidly.

“Phew, haah.”

It was a sensation he had never experienced before.

His sharp reason was regressing, and a strange, massive new sensation was on the verge of prowling like a monster.

Did recessive and ordinary Omegas get swept up in such an unpleasant sensation every heat cycle?

Clutching his phone, Chaewoo took a deep breath and contacted Euigeon.

Since he didn’t have his number, he went through the complicated process of going into the class group chat, adding Euigeon’s profile as a friend, and then calling him via VoiceTalk.

–Senior Seol?

Fortunately, the other party answered immediately.

In a tone that was incredibly annoyed and bothered.

“Beom Euigeon. 너… 어디야?”

–I’m on my way home.

“Can I ask you something? It’s an emergency.”

–If it’s related to the hospital checkup tomorrow, call the number I gave you last time…

“Haah… It’s not that. I’m really, really sorry, but…”

Chaewoo gripped the phone tight.

He had to focus all his energy just on steadying his voice to sound calm.

“Can you come back to the rehearsal room?”

–What does that mean?

Out of breath, Chaewoo couldn’t answer immediately.

Euigeon sighed, seemingly drawing his own conclusions.

–Senior Seol, didn’t you say you had no feelings for me?

“I can’t move right now because of my heat cycle.”

A brief silence followed.

–And?

It shouldn’t be a problem.

If you’re a dominant type, that much should be…

“But I can’t control it!”

Right now, my pheromones are too… I’m out of breath, it’s just… it’s strange.

Ever since the day… we kissed, it’s been like this.

–I understand the situation.

However.

Unlike the frantic Chaewoo, the voice through the receiver was lukewarm.

–Am I really the only person you have to call?

“…….”

No words came to mind immediately.

The thoughts that had been tangling together and fueling his anxiety vanished in an instant.

Instead, a sense of humiliation so sharp it made his chest ache filled the void.

Even so, Chaewoo had no other choice.

“…Yeah.”

Whether he sensed the severity or not, Euigeon answered after a pause.

–I’ll go now.

Stay inside the rehearsal room.

“Yeah, oh, okay. Hurry.”

Once the call ended, he exhaled the breath he’d been holding.

Clutching his phone in case Euigeon called, Chaewoo wondered why his condition had changed so drastically.

But no matter how much he thought about it, the only thing he could point to was the kiss with Euigeon.

In fact, since they hadn’t just kissed but had also ground their lower bodies together and engaged in heavy petting, it was highly likely he had been influenced by the Alpha’s pheromones.

While Chaewoo was lost in thought, the sound of unfamiliar footsteps came from outside.

Thinking it was Euigeon, Chaewoo almost went to the door, but recoiled upon hearing voices he didn’t recognize.

“I told you! That soup place is seriously delicious.”

“Let’s ask later if they deliver to the rehearsal room.”

“Finish memorizing your lyrics before you talk.”

It was members of the opera team.

Not the whole group, just two or three.

As they came down the stairs chatting, Chaewoo quickly hid behind the stage.

His heart pounded wildly with alertness.

Click.

As soon as he squeezed his body into the equipment storage area, the rehearsal room door opened by a hair’s breadth.

“We still have plenty of time anyway, so during the next practice… huh?”

“Why did you stop talking, Yeryeong?”

“Is someone here?”

“Everyone would have left by this time.”

It was Lee Yeryeong, whom he had spoken with earlier, and a stage lighting staff member.

Had Yeryeong noticed because of the pheromones?

Was she an Omega or a Beta?

He couldn’t remember for sure.

“Wait a minute. Something’s…”

Chaewoo held his breath as much as possible.

A strange silence filled the air.

What would happen if he were caught here?

The news would spread through the school, including to the other singers who believed he was a Beta.

He would be rumored as the crazy Omega who was hiding in a rehearsal room while in heat.

Just imagining it was the worst.

A moment later, the sound of Lee Yeryeong’s footsteps echoed loudly through the rehearsal room.

While he was debating whether to just go out and ask for help rather than being dragged out from hiding, the staff member hurried her along.

“Oh, I have a call.

Let’s go now.

Grab your coat quickly.

Don’t leave it behind again like a klutz.”

“Right. Look at me, I’m so scatterbrained.”

Yeryeong, who had been heading toward the stage, turned back.

Distracted by other things, they left the rehearsal room in an instant.

“Haah…”

Terrified that they were actually coming his way, Chaewoo stood up and confirmed the rehearsal room was empty.

Just then, a message arrived from Euigeon.

–Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Come out through the back door of the rehearsal room.]

Chaewoo went out through the back door where he had spoken with Euigeon on Tuesday.

Passing through the narrow alley on the opposite side of the building’s entrance, he spotted the familiar car.

His legs almost gave out at the sight.

He never thought he’d be so glad to see Beom Euigeon.

However, his relief evaporated the moment he opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.

This time, the man’s presence pricked his sensitized skin like thorns.

Euigeon was indeed his savior in this situation, but he was also an Alpha he needed to be wary of.

Damn this heat cycle.

“Enter your home address properly this time.

Unless you want to go eat a sandwich.”

“…Yeah.”

Chaewoo slowly entered the correct address into the navigation.

His hands were shaking from the fever, causing him to fumble several times.

Even then, he made sure to delete the previous record of the sandwich shop.

His evening shift was out of the question.

He worried about how he would endure until tomorrow in this state.

Euigeon, who had been staring at Chaewoo’s flushed face, stepped on the accelerator as soon as the address was entered.

“It’s quite far from here.”

“Yeah, a bit…”

After that, no conversation passed between them.

Both were lost in their own thoughts.

“……”

“……”

The interior was perfectly shielded from outside noise, making it so cold and quiet that they could hear each other breathe.

Euigeon’s state was unknown, but Chaewoo was driven to the brink by the acute awareness of the man beside him.

Against his will, his attention kept drifting sideways.

It was a phenomenon he himself couldn’t understand.

His senses ran wild, desperate to experience even the slightest trace of Euigeon’s restrained Alpha pheromones.

Like a collage in a movie, scenes from his memories of Euigeon surfaced, disassembled, and were reedited in his mind, floating like flashes of light.

Moments like the kiss, his lips, his sticky breath, and the long, straight dark eyelashes seen from up close.

The pheromones combed through even the blacked-out memories to incite his instincts.

He had never believed stories of Omegas pouncing on Alphas before, but he felt that if he let his guard down for even a second, he might actually do it.

But no matter how much desire controlled him, it couldn’t be Euigeon.

He was the one person he must never get involved with, the one person he didn’t want to be with.

Damn it.

Chaewoo turned his head toward the window and tried to focus on other thoughts.

The scenery outside, passing by quickly, made him dizzy.

At this rate, he would reach his studio earlier than expected.

If only he could hold out until then…

“Beom Euigeon.”

Chaewoo was the first to break the long silence.

“Don’t misunderstand me.

I’m asking because I don’t really know…”

“What now?”

“Usually… when an Omega has severe heat cycle symptoms…”

Euigeon glanced at Chaewoo, his dark eyes lingering on the flushed face and light brown eyes.

“Does it get this wet down there?”

Screech!

Before he could even finish the sentence, Euigeon slammed on the brakes and stopped the car.

He checked the estimated arrival time on the navigation.

Fifteen minutes to go.

“How much.”

“What?”

“How wet are you?”

“A-a lot.

…And it’s sticky.”

Though he had heard of it, being a dominant type meant this was the first time he had ever experienced such a thing, so Chaewoo answered in a daze.

He tried to describe it as politely as possible, but it felt like something unpleasant and viscous was continuously soaking his underwear.

Euigeon’s long fingers tapped on the steering wheel as if he were contemplating changing their destination.

Having driven with an expressionless face the whole time, he also seemed quite flustered.

Euigeon’s Adam’s apple bobbed visibly.

“Is the car seat wet?”

“No.”

“Then for now…”

“But it feels like it will be soon.”

“…….”

The car went silent.

Chaewoo’s ragged breathing echoed exceptionally loud.

Euigeon remained motionless, hands on the wheel, as if still deep in thought.

Chaewoo struggled to suppress the impulses constantly surging within him.

His body was hot, as if he had a fever, and his instincts were screaming for Euigeon in any way possible.

Yet his reason refused to want him.

Desiring instead to be as far away as possible.

Should he just open the door and run out?

Before something irreversible happened.

Suddenly, the image of him clinging to Euigeon and kissing him flashed as vividly as a freshly recorded video.

If he stayed like this, he might end up begging him again.

He had to get away from Beom Euigeon.

Otherwise…

Honk!

It was the moment Chaewoo decided to leave.

A horn blared from behind, urging the stopped car to move.

Simultaneously, Euigeon slammed on the accelerator.

He made a U-turn as if he had made a decision.

“Where are we going?”

Having missed his chance to escape, Chaewoo asked anxiously.

But there was no need for an answer.

They reached their destination in less than a minute.

The car pulled into the parking lot of a nearby motel.