Chapter 48: Threads of Warmth in the Winter Market

“It looks like an ordinary pill.”

“It is just a pill. There’s nothing particularly different about it compared to others.”

“Still, it’s amazing that just taking this lets you get through your heat safely.”

Thinking he might as well take one now, Hae-min was about to swallow the pill when Song Seol cut in.

“Wait.”

“Bring some water.”

At his command, a servant quickly brought water.

Hae-min swallowed the pill with it in one gulp.

Watching him, Song Seol muttered,

“You look like someone who’s been waiting for suppressants. If you were this eager, how did you manage without them all this time?”

“Good question.”

“Well, suppressants aren’t strictly necessary.”

“Why not?”

Hae-min felt a flicker of curiosity. Perhaps there was some method he didn’t know. Song Seol, having been an omega from birth, surely knew more.

“You can share your scent with an alpha.”

“…”

Given his current situation as “Moon Hee-yul,” the only person he could possibly share scent with was Song Seol. Wondering if that was truly what he meant, Hae-min shot him a sideways glance.

“If you want, I can help.”

Song Seol spoke as if nothing was amiss. Despite proposing something inherently carnal, his expression remained entirely composed, almost ascetic.

He didn’t seem like it at first glance, yet he was unexpectedly sly. After all, hadn’t he acted indifferent before while repeatedly summoning him to the sarangchae to spend nights together?

“I’ll decline.”

Even after refusing, unease lingered. So Hae-min drove the point home firmly.

“If you so much as lay a hand on me, I will not stay silent.”

“‘Not stay silent,’ you say? That’s quite bold. Makes me wonder what you intend to do.”

His words were no different from saying, What could someone like you possibly do?

Perhaps he was merely stating reality. But Hae-min did not take it that way.

“Even a cornered rat will bite a cat.”

“And what you bite, would it be a cat, or a tiger?”

“And what bites you, would it be a rat, or a venomous snake?”

The retort slipped out before he could stop himself. A flash of displeasure crossed Song Seol’s face. Dropping his ambiguous tone, he said flatly,

“Not a venomous snake, more like a little snake. No, a pretty snake. In any case, drop your needless worries. Do you think I’m actually trying to touch you?”

“If it was just my misunderstanding, then all the better.”

He should have stopped there, but once his mouth opened, the words would not come to a halt. It would be better to leave. If he were in Song Seol’s position, he wouldn’t tolerate someone this insolent either.

Clutching the bamboo container tightly, Hae-min stood.

“My lord, I will take my leave.”

Song Seol only gave a slight nod. His mood seemed thoroughly soured. Only then did a faint sense of guilt creep in, and Hae-min awkwardly added,

“Um… thank you for preparing the suppressants.”

“No need for thanks. Helping one’s omega endure their heat is an alpha’s duty.”

“Yes.”

“In my case, the method simply isn’t bedding you, but suppressants instead.”

“…”

There was a sharp edge in his words, like a dagger hidden within them. Hae-min hesitated, unsure whether to respond or simply leave. Then Song Seol dismissed him coolly.

“You may go.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Hae-min bowed obediently and quickly withdrew. Whether this would improve Song Seol’s mood was uncertain, but if his words had been improper, at least his attitude should be deferential.

****

Thud, the door slid shut softly.

In the now-empty room, Song Seol let out a disbelieving sigh.

“Ha…”

Insolent and audacious to the core. He hadn’t realized how much he resembled his father, but the way he subtly provoked him, it was unmistakable.

Then again, comparing Moon Hee-yul to his father was excessive. Unlike the man who excelled only at feigned dignity and pointless memorials, Hee-yul was unpretentious and sharp.

Yet at times, Hee-yul seemed even more wary of him than his father ever had. From their first meeting until now, he had consistently avoided him. It was almost admirable in its persistence.

And Song Seol couldn’t understand it. He had done nothing to deserve such treatment. If anything, he had been lenient, overlooking insolence, even granting conveniences. Yet Hee-yul never lowered his guard.

A past conversation surfaced in his mind.

“You misunderstand me terribly.”

“A misunderstanding… It will never become reality. I have no interest in plucking flowers that scatter their scent so freely.”

“I hope you keep that resolve. I have no interest in being plucked by someone who calls me a flower.”

Even then, Hee-yul had recoiled, repulsed at the mere idea of sharing a bed with him. At the time, it had seemed merely cheeky. But now, curiosity stirred.

Was Hee-yul disgusted by the act itself, or by the thought of doing it with him?

Either way, it shouldn’t matter.

But if it were the latter, that was unacceptable.

“…”

A faint sense of déjà vu crept over him. Had he thought something similar before?

…Nothing came to mind.

He dismissed it as a mistake and muttered under his breath,

“As if I want to bed him.”

He had no habit of touching omegas carelessly. That included Hee-yul. True, he was more beautiful, more fragrant, more interesting than most, but that didn’t mean he intended to take him. That was Hee-yul’s own presumptuous imagination.

The more he thought about it, the more irritating it became. And yet, whenever he recalled Hee-yul’s eyes, his irritation subsided.

Those resolute, jade-like eyes…

As if they held an unshakable resolve.

That was why he hadn’t punished him. Before anger could fully take hold, curiosity had taken its place. Just what made him so guarded?

Still, Song Seol chose not to ask. He would simply watch, for now.

****

Within half an hour of taking the suppressant, Hae-min felt its effects.

The scent that had been steadily leaking from him faded naturally. Controlling it also became easier.

“To think I’m only taking this now…”

He would have to take it regularly from now on. After securing the pills, Hae-min retrieved the emergency funds hidden deep inside his chest.

Once ready, he stepped outside. As he crossed the courtyard, a servant sweeping the ground asked,

“Young master, where are you going?”

“To Namdaemun Market. If my lord looks for me, tell him I’ve gone out to have padded clothes made.”

“Yes, understood.”

The servant resumed sweeping, and Hae-min hurried off.

It wasn’t excitement that quickened his pace, nor urgency, just the biting cold. He wanted to finish quickly.

“Ugh, it’s freezing.”

He already wanted to turn back, despite having barely left. Still, once he had a proper padded coat, the rest of winter would be manageable.

As he neared the market, the crowd thickened. Pushing through people in search of a fabric shop, he suddenly spotted a group of children.

“…Those kids.”

They were the same children he had once taught.

Though he had run into them before, a sense of warmth rose anew. Forgetting the cold, he stopped and watched.

“Hey! It’s that hyung!”

One of them, Dong-sik, noticed him and ran over, the others following like a flock of sparrows.

“Hello, hyung! You’re that hyung, right?”

“The one who got our kite down!”

“The one who climbs trees!”

They chirped over one another. Slightly flustered, Hae-min replied,

“Yes, that’s me.”

He didn’t particularly enjoy climbing trees… but he kept that to himself.

“But hyung, why are you here today?”

“You were somewhere else before!”

To them, it must have seemed strange. Smiling gently, he answered,

“I came to the market for something.”

“What for?”

“I’m going to a fabric shop. I need to get some padded clothes made.”

As he spoke, he glanced around.

As expected, So-hee wasn’t there.

Since that day, he hadn’t seen her once. Perhaps she had already left Songdo to be with her mother.

He had known, when they parted, that they might never meet again.

Still, thinking it had truly come to pass left a trace of regret.

After all, she had been his benefactor.

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