Chapter 25: A Drunken Confession and a Fevered Night

Yoonwoo awkwardly glanced at Yeon-chae, who was seated far away. He planned to quietly have a drink with the seniors, juniors, and classmates he hadn’t seen in a while, then quickly slip away before Yeon-chae noticed him or they had to speak. However, the freshman welcoming party unfolded differently than Yoonwoo had anticipated.

Securing a seat at a table far from Yeon-chae had gone according to plan. But then, a senior alumnus unexpectedly joined the remaining spot at their table. This was the same senior who, ever since Yoonwoo’s undergraduate days, would cling to him and cause a scene whenever he drank. This particular drinking session was no different.

“Hey, Yoonwoo. It’s really been a long time, huh? Take a drink from your hyung.”

“Yes… but you just gave me one a moment ago.”

“Oh? Did I? Hahaha, our Yoonwoo’s tolerance must have really dropped since I last saw you. You won’t die from one more drink, you won’t die.”

“It’s not just one drink, I think we’ve already finished a whole bottle…”

“So you’re trying to get out of it? Yoonwoo, you’re already a fourth-year; how will you keep the juniors in line like this? Hahaha.”

Yoonwoo wondered why he needed to ‘keep the juniors in line,’ or what that had to do with the senior’s insistent drinks, but the man simply didn’t know when to stop. Every time Yoonwoo tried to ignore him, the senior would subtly provoke him, continuously pushing more alcohol, which began to irritate Yoonwoo.

Thus began a meaningless drinking contest. The senior was the first to collapse, but by the time he’d caused a scene and finally passed out, Yoonwoo was no longer in his right mind either. Yoonwoo simply slammed his head onto the table and crumpled. His vision blurred, and his heavy eyelids closed without a chance to resist.

When he finally came to, this was the situation: Yoonwoo was half-carried, leaning heavily on Yeon-chae’s shoulder.

“Ugh, damn it. Seriously… that senior, if he’s graduated and got a job, he should be going to company dinners, not butting into a freshman welcoming party for undergrads… Does he really want to be treated like that? Huh?”

His tongue kept twisting as he stumbled, rambling complaints. Yeon-chae seemed to have been asking Yoonwoo for his home address for a while now. Venting his frustrations about the troublesome senior, Yoonwoo suddenly snapped.

“You’ve been there! Why do you keep asking!”

“…That’s in Tongyeong.”

Having apparently endured a great deal during Yoonwoo’s memory lapse, Yeon-chae now looked utterly resigned.

“He learns weird stuff at work and makes us do it… A toast speech? What even is that. It’s really strange… He probably thinks we’re laughing because he’s witty. But it’s not funny at all, you know…?”

“Indeed. Senior, watch your step.”

“And he just shoves drinks at us… Such a waste of money… when he’s not even paying for it himself…!”

“Senior, that’s mud over there. Come this way. Hold onto me.”

“Ah, seriously, I’m already in a bad mood, and everything is just getting on my nerves…”

“Senior, just hold still for a moment. Just let me carry you on my back. Is that okay?”

It was a night when spring rain poured relentlessly. As Yeon-chae walked, holding a yellow umbrella in one hand and firmly supporting Yoonwoo’s waist with the other, beads of moisture—rain or sweat, it was hard to tell—formed on his smooth forehead.

“Huh? I’m not drunk at all… I can walk…?”

Although his words were consistently slurred, Yoonwoo genuinely believed he was perfectly fine. Yet, his legs kept giving out, sending him staggering in every direction until he finally collapsed onto the muddy ground. Mud splattered onto the hems of his jeans and his white sneakers.

“Yes, you’re not drunk. It’s just hard for me to hold the umbrella. I’ll carry you, so please hold the umbrella for me instead.”

Before Yoonwoo realized it, Yeon-chae had squatted in front of him, holding the umbrella over his head. Yeon-chae’s bangs and the shirt beneath his jacket were soaked through with rain, faintly revealing his bare skin.

Yoonwoo clicked his tongue, gazing at Yeon-chae with a pitying look.

“Right. I should hold it… You’ll get wet.”

“…”

A brief silence fell. As Yeon-chae kept his mouth shut, only the sound of spring rain piercing the night sky could be heard.

“…Yes, thank you.”

Finally, Yeon-chae replied softly, a hint of weary amusement in his voice. After handing the umbrella to Yoonwoo, Yeon-chae turned around and sat down in front of him. Yoonwoo then clambered onto his back, wrapping his arms around Yeon-chae’s neck. A fresh, youthful scent emanated from Yeon-chae’s neck, damp with spring rain.

‘Would Yeon-chae’s pheromones feel this clean and refreshing?’ ‘Or would they be like the bright, cherry blossom scent of the perfume he sometimes wore?’ As his drunken mind slowly clouded, Yoonwoo wondered about this for the very first time.

“My hyung says that Alphas have a nice scent.”

To be precise, it wasn’t a general statement about all Alphas, but rather a boast about Seowoo’s husband, Sihyung. Seowoo, who was thoroughly enjoying his newlywed life, would often drop by unannounced and recount trivial stories without being asked.

Yeon-chae paused for a moment, then re-adjusted the hand supporting Yoonwoo’s thigh and resumed walking slowly.

“Your hyung is an Omega, you said. Jinwoo and Kangwoo seem like Alphas too. All your siblings are secondary genders, it seems.”

‘Except for you, Senior.’ Yoonwoo thought he heard a faint mumble to that effect. Drowsiness had already overtaken Yoonwoo, who, clinging to Yeon-chae’s back, nodded off before shaking his head.

“Mm-hmm. An Omega. You know he had a really dramatic romance before getting married, right…? Last time, he came over again, uninvited, and was going on and on about how well his scent matched Sihyung-hyung’s, it was such a ridiculous… no, a boast… he kept saying it was fate… It’s absurd… I remember him crying all the way to Tongyeong, saying he was going to break up…”

Drop by drop, the rain tapped against the umbrella. Yeon-chae’s back felt warm, making Yoonwoo increasingly sleepy. His entire body grew languid, and his strength began to wane.

“Senior, do you believe such things?”

“What… hmm… things?”

“Fate, I mean. The idea that people whose pheromone scents match well are destined to be together.”

“Oh, is there really such a saying?”

‘I thought Seowoo just made that up to show off, but it turns out it’s a real thing.’ ‘Everything is fate, apparently.’ Yoonwoo mused inwardly, tightening his arms around Yeon-chae’s neck. Perhaps feeling the warmth, a faint smile touched Yeon-chae’s sharply defined jawline.

“How would I know… I don’t even know what pheromones feel like.”

“It’s nothing special. It’s just like a natural scent, like perfume that’s seeped in.”

“I see… Like that perfume you wore last time…? I liked that. Are your pheromones that kind of scent…?”

“Me? I don’t wear perfume.”

“Huh, but I only smell like shampoo and body wash… What should I do…?”

The raindrops grew heavier, striking Yeon-chae’s cheek and streaming down. Yoonwoo reached out a hand to shield Yeon-chae’s cheek. Beyond the bobbing head, swaying with Yeon-chae’s plodding steps, a laugh erupted.

“It’s fine, just hold on tight. You’ll fall otherwise.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Drowsiness washed over him. His eyelids, heavy for a while now, finally threatened to close. Yoonwoo buried his face in Yeon-chae’s straight neck.

His cheek felt warm, while the neck against it was cold from the rain. Perhaps Yoonwoo had unconsciously fidgeted in his sleep, as Yeon-chae chuckled, shrugging his shoulder and saying it tickled. His broad back swayed with his laughter. Yoonwoo’s legs, extending from Yeon-chae’s waist, dangled in the air.

“Senior, are you sleeping?”

“No…”

Drowsiness clung to the end of his drawn-out words.

“I never believed in such things.”

“Huh…?”

“The saying that if your body scents match well, it’s fate.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“Because there are people without pheromones. Even without a pheromone scent, it could still be fate, couldn’t it?”

“Oh…”

“But now, I’m not so sure.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“It seems that saying was right after all. If your pheromones don’t match, maybe it’s not fate.”

“Mmm… I see…”

“What couldn’t be, simply couldn’t be. And yet…”

‘I couldn’t give up…’ With that faintly heard last whisper, Yeon-chae’s voice faded completely, and Yoonwoo drifted into a deep sleep.

The path to Yeon-chae’s officetel was long, accompanied by a light drizzle. By the time the officetel building, surrounded by spring trees, appeared before them, Yoonwoo was slowly waking up, rubbing his eyes. Yeon-chae, still carrying Yoonwoo on his back, stood before the building, gazing up at the rain-swept night sky.

Spring blossoms profusely adorned the tips of the tree branches that stretched into the air. Once the rain ceased, the flowers too would fade. A sweet, lingering scent filled the air, but the imminent fall of the petals saddened Yoonwoo even in his sleep.

After that, a brief period of time remained a blank in his memory. Yoonwoo had fallen asleep again, and when he awoke, he found himself changed into clean pajamas and buried beneath the duvet on a bed.

“Hnnngh… Ugh…”

A faint, yet seemingly painful, groan echoed in the darkness. The spacious bedroom was thick with heat. Yoonwoo’s chest tightened with a sense of unease.

“Yeon-chae?”

“Ugh…”

He fumbled around, turning on the lamp on the bedside table. Its dim light faintly illuminated the area around the bed. Only then did Yoonwoo discover Yeon-chae, pale and collapsed in one corner of the bed. Startled, Yoonwoo urgently grabbed Yeon-chae’s shoulder and helped him lie straight. Yeon-chae’s body temperature, when Yoonwoo’s fingertips touched him, was scorching hot, like a burn.

“Senior… right now, it’s dangerous… Ugh… Hnngh…”

“Yeon-chae, are you in pain? Why, why are you like this, suddenly, huh?”

His hand, attempting to check Yeon-chae’s forehead in his panic, kept slipping. While Yoonwoo fumbled, not knowing what to do, Yeon-chae struggled to breathe properly, writhing in pain. Thinking he seemed stifled, Yoonwoo pulled back the duvet covering Yeon-chae, revealing his bare upper body. ‘Why is he…’ As Yoonwoo thought this in bewilderment, Yeon-chae’s clearly defined bare chest rose and fell with his ragged breaths.

“Senior, you… you need to go, now, I think…”

Unable to even open his eyes properly, Yeon-chae relentlessly tried to push Yoonwoo away. Each time Yoonwoo was pushed, Yeon-chae’s body, where they touched, was burning with fever.

“Where are you telling me to go? You’re this sick!”

“It’s not pain, ugh, no… It’s, a rut. So, Senior, quickly…”

“Huh…?”

For a moment, what he’d heard didn’t register. A rut? The rut that only Alphas experienced?