Chapter 33: A Secret Between Us

“When you finish at this hour and go home, what time is it?”

“Usually… I arrive around ten.”

“Ten? It takes that long?”

“Because the interval for the village bus to my house is wide… and it doesn’t run well at night, either…. When I get off at the station, I always have to wait and take the last bus, so it takes a little long.”

Yooha answered calmly in his own way, but out of an inexplicable anxiety, he began to pick at his hangnails.

Since conversation was an interaction with another person, he knew it was better to bring up other topics rather than passively answering only what was asked.

Why was that task, which was so easy for others, so difficult for him?

He couldn’t think of any topic to bring up at all.

Thinking that Shin Joowon might find him frustrating one day made him even more anxious.

The hangnail on his left thumb was pulled deep, causing a stinging pain.

Yooha unknowingly took a short breath and flinched.

Looking closely, beads of blood were forming.

“Wait a minute.”

“…Pardon?”

“Can you give me your hand?”

Shin Joowon extended his right hand toward Yooha.

Placing his left hand on his palm in a daze, Shin Joowon lightly clasped it.

His hand was very warm today, just as it had been before.

“It must hurt.”

While the car was stopped at a red light, Shin Joowon scanned here and there on Yooha’s hand.

At the intense gaze, Yooha couldn’t say a word and only bit his lips.

Because he picked at his hangnails like a habit whenever he felt anxious, there were many small scratches on his hand.

Thinking that Shin Joowon had seen them made him feel embarrassed.

“Is picking at them like this a habit?”

“Yes…….”

Yooha responded in a timid voice.

Shin Joowon placed Yooha’s hand on the gear shift and then gently placed his own hand directly over it.

Even though the pressing force wasn’t strong, he couldn’t move at all.

“We should stay like this until we arrive home.”

Yooha, who had been dazed for a moment by the dreamily sweet voice, stole a glance at the large hand completely covering his own.

Although he couldn’t examine it closely because the car interior was dark, he could tell that the skin on the back of his hand was smooth and his fingers were straight and long.

In contrast, his own hand, which had many wounds and was rough, felt embarrassing, making Yooha’s hand twitch.

Shin Joowon gently patted the back of his hand as if to say it was fine, and then glanced at Yooha.

“Yooha, by any chance…”

Shin Joowon carefully started, grabbing Yooha’s arm and pulling it toward himself.

Letting out a soft groan, he buried his nose in Yooha’s wrist and took a deep breath.

When Yooha, flustered, wriggled to pull his hand away, the grip holding Yooha’s arm tightened slightly.

“Did you not take your suppressants today?”

“Pardon…?”

“I can feel your pheromones.”

“Ah…….”

Yooha’s eyes shook with anxiety, losing their place.

Although he had sensed Shin Joowon’s pheromones earlier, he had taken his suppressants this morning, and since the effect lasted for about a full day, there was no way his pheromones could leak out.

Even if they had, the concentration would be so faint that no one should have been able to notice.

In fact, until now, there had been no Alpha who sensed his pheromones, nor any Alpha who realized he was an Omega.

Yet, Shin Joowon seemed to have felt something.

If he had asked if Yooha was an Omega, he might have denied it, but he had asked if he hadn’t taken his suppressants, saying he could feel the pheromones.

It seemed he had already noticed Yooha was an Omega.

‘What on earth should I do in a situation like this?’

He tried to suppress his pheromones, but because he was a recessive type, even his control ability was lacking, so it didn’t go as he wished.

“Were you surprised?”

Shin Joowon firmly held Yooha’s hand as if to reassure him, gently rubbing the back of his hand with his thumb.

That slow movement made Yooha’s throat go dry and tightly squeezed the inside of his lower abdomen.

Worried that his pheromones might leak out further due to the strange sensation, he had to tense his entire body.

“I found out when I drove you home on the night of the welcome party…”

“…….”

“Sorry. I surprised you.”

If it was the night of the welcome party, it was the day Shin Joowon drove him home when he was drunk.

Could he have leaked his pheromones without realizing it because he fell asleep then?

Or had Shin Joowon noticed because he was exceptionally sensitive?

Although he didn’t know how it had happened, Yooha tried his best to appear calm.

“A… a little…”

“Did it make you feel bad?”

“No, it didn’t make me feel bad… I was just a little surprised…”

Except for his aunt, uncle, and Woo Tae, there was no one who knew Yooha was an Omega.

Even during the heat cycles that returned once every two months, he was able to get through them without much trouble as long as he took cycle suppressants.

Although a special trait wasn’t viewed as a flaw, there were still people who held prejudices against Omegas, so there was absolutely no reason to reveal his trait to others.

Had he been too complacent because no one had noticed until now?

If Shin Joowon was indeed a Dominant Alpha, he would be sensitive enough to detect even the pheromones of a recessive Omega like himself.

It was his own fault for not being careful even after guessing he was an Alpha when he saw him at the center.

When his chest was beating wildly due to growing anxiety, a sensual touch was felt on the back of his hand.

Shin Joowon gently rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb again, breaking Yooha’s thoughts.

When he stroked the prominent wrist bone, Yooha unknowingly had to swallow hard.

“Sorry for surprising you.”

“…….”

“I won’t tell anyone, so don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret.”

It was a firm voice that anyone would have no choice but to trust and rely on.

Shin Joowon’s voice carried a magical power that made it seem as if things would truly happen exactly as he said.

Even though it was just a single sentence, Yooha felt the worries he had held until moments ago melt away without a trace.

Shin Joowon, who smiled brightly when their eyes met briefly, did not ask Yooha any more questions.

Instead, he focused only on driving and increased his speed.

It was while keeping Yooha’s hand trapped between his own hand and the gear shift so Yooha couldn’t pick at his hangnails.

Only when they arrived in front of the house did Shin Joowon let go of Yooha’s hand.

His hand, which must have been as cold as ice the entire time, was now warm thanks to Shin Joowon’s body temperature.

Yooha clenched and unclenched his left hand, which had been in contact with Joowon’s hand the whole time.

“Go in safely. I’ll contact you.”

Shin Joowon offered his parting words to Yooha, who was preparing to get out while unfastening his seatbelt.

Yooha, who was packing his bag and holding it in his arms, bowed his head deeply toward him.

“Thank you for driving me home…….”

Yooha was only able to get out of the car after bowing several times.

Joowon, who opened the passenger window and lightly waved his hand at Yooha, immediately drove straight ahead and slowly disappeared from Yooha’s sight.

Yooha couldn’t bring himself to go straight into the house, blankly staring only at the rear of the car.

That he had come home in Shin Joowon’s car, that Joowon had noticed his pheromones, and that he had also felt Joowon’s true pheromones—all of it was so unrealistic that he felt utterly dazed.

The shapeless energy that made his mood soft and fluffy, and the hot heat that climbed up his body.

Yooha unknowingly recalled Shin Joowon’s pheromones and swallowed hard.

The muscles of his lower abdomen contracted as if squeezed, making his fingertips and toes feel tingly.

It was Woo Tae’s highly excited voice that woke Yooha, who was standing frozen in that spot in a daze.

“Whoa, damn… Hyung, did that hyung drive you home again?”

“…Uh?”

“The car that just left belongs to the rich hyung, right? Yeah?”

Having apparently been to the supermarket, Woo Tae was holding a black plastic bag in one hand and a popsicle in the other.

When the fussing Woo Tae even slapped his forearm, Yooha shrank back and nodded slightly.

At that, the excited Woo Tae grabbed Yooha’s shoulders and began to shake him wildly.

He was so strong that Yooha felt dizzy.

“See! I told you! That hyung is definitely interested in you, Hyung!”

Woo Tae’s eyes were shining so brightly that they were clearly visible even under the dim light of the old streetlamp.

He was even sending a sly look while winking one eye.

As always, Yooha tried to pass it off, thinking it was nonsense, but for some reason, the warmth Shin Joowon’s hand had conveyed and his pheromones kept coming to mind, making it difficult to shake off easily.

“Hyung, did you use the gifticon?”

“No, not yet….”

Fortunately, this time Woo Tae’s question helped shake off his thoughts.

Woo Tae, who took a bite of his popsicle and wore a satisfied smile, poked Yooha’s side with his elbow.

“That’s great. Tell him you’ll buy him coffee to thank him for the ride.”

Woo Tae, speaking triumphantly, winked his eye once more.

Before Yooha could say anything, Woo Tae linked arms with him and strode forward, saying they should quickly draw up a proper plan.

Yooha, held by Woo Tae, climbed the stairs leading to the house as if being dragged along without being able to resist even once.

Even in the midst of that, the ticklish sensation of Shin Joowon’s hand gently rubbing the back of his hand wouldn’t be shaken off, forcing him to grit his teeth.

Although it was a morning where he could have taken his time since there were no morning lectures, Shin Joowon woke up early, fully prepared himself, and went down to the first floor.

Chairman Shin valued family meals, and on weekday mornings, he liked to eat with whoever was available, so Shin Joowon naturally had to conform to that atmosphere.

Not only the family of the main house where Chairman Shin, his own parents, Shin Joohee, and himself stayed, but even the families of his eldest and second older brothers, who lived in the annex immediately next to them, were frequently called over.

Breakfast was generally boring and uninteresting.

It was because Chairman Shin brought up only business talk at every meal, discussing how this quarter’s performance was or how a competitor’s idea was.

Although there were times when it was hard to suppress a laugh when his two older brothers were thoroughly scolded by their grandfather, other than such minor sources of amusement, it was a seat where nothing remained.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Enemies on a Single-Log Bridge

AcademyBattleBL

Read Now →
Not interested