Chapter 74: The Unforeseen Heat

Yoonwoo’s heart hammered so fiercely, it felt as though Yeon-chae might hear it. He stood frozen, unable to conceal his sudden panic. The sweet scent of cherry blossoms swiftly intensified, wrapping around him. Yeon-chae extended a hand, and a gentle warmth settled upon Yoonwoo’s abdomen.

‘Ah…’

Yoonwoo exhaled a long, shaky breath.

Yeon-chae’s large palm gently caressed Yoonwoo’s stomach, a touch so tender and kind. Yet, despite the softness, Yoonwoo’s emotions plunged into a complex disarray.

Yeon-chae gazed down at Yoonwoo’s abdomen repeatedly, a wondrous smile gracing his lips.

‘It seems the baby has grown a little,’ he mused.

‘Are you implying I’ve gained weight?’

‘Oh, no. That’s not what I meant at all…’

Yoonwoo found himself inexplicably annoyed by Yeon-chae’s trailing words and flustered expression. He frowned, playfully swatting Yeon-chae’s shoulders and arms. Yeon-chae, feigning agony despite the gentle taps, cried out with exaggerated ‘Ows! Ows!’ A quiet moment of laughter and playful teasing unfolded between them. Yoonwoo, however, had to force a smile, his lips straining upward.

Just moments before, when Yeon-chae had leaned in close, bending towards him…

Yoonwoo had mistakenly thought he was about to be kissed. The instant that realization hit him, his heart plummeted, a painful lurch in his chest.

Though the illusion had been fleeting, it left an indelible mark. A bittersweet cocktail of emotions churned softly within his chest. Yoonwoo was utterly bewildered, unable to pinpoint when these turbulent feelings had first begun to stir.

This was all the resort’s fault. It would have been far stranger *not* to feel anything while staying in a pool villa so overtly designed for romance. Yoonwoo nervously gnawed at his fingernails, his face etched with anxiety. In the three and a half days since their time together at the beach, all ten of his nails were now ragged and bitten.

‘Hyung, are you tired?’

‘Your complexion looks terrible. Perhaps we shouldn’t have gone out today.’

Yeon-chae, fresh from his shower, spoke with a worried expression, addressing Yoonwoo.

‘How far did we even go, for that matter?’

Today marked their first time dining at a restaurant outside the resort premises. They hadn’t even walked there; the actual time spent on their feet was less than five minutes. Though this was meant to be a relaxing trip, Yoonwoo fretted that he might return home with all his muscles atrophied, leaving only a flabby physique. Indeed, he had already noticed his cheeks growing noticeably plumper over the past week.

The true predicament was that he alone seemed to be transforming into a lazy pig. Yeon-chae’s swimming skills, honed by instructional videos, improved by leaps and bounds each day. He now spent hours out in the ocean before returning, practically living in the water.

Yoonwoo cast a furtive glance at Yeon-chae, who was vigorously toweling his wet hair. Yeon-chae already possessed a physique sculpted by rigorous exercise. Now, with his upper body bare, his thick, broad chest seemed to grow even more prominent.

‘Put on some clothes, quickly. I’ve got the air conditioner running,’ Yoonwoo urged. ‘You’ll catch a cold at this rate.’ He had hesitated to speak, but finally used the cool air as an excuse. Yeon-chae’s habit of constantly shedding his shirt was becoming increasingly distracting. Though they had never shared a home, they had always been inseparable. Yoonwoo had believed he knew Yeon-chae intimately, yet he never anticipated him to be so nonchalant about being half-naked all day.

‘Huh? I’m not cold in the slightest,’ Yeon-chae replied. ‘It’s incredibly hot right now.’

‘…’

Yoonwoo’s mouth fell open, then snapped shut, utterly speechless. The air conditioner was set to a brisk 20 degrees Celsius. ‘Was Yeon-chae’s entire body a furnace?’ he wondered. Even after a cool shower, the heat seemed to cling to Yeon-chae; his damp cheeks were flushed a vibrant red. His earlobes, the nape of his neck, and even the delicate skin around his eyes were tinged with crimson. It was an unusually intense flush, far beyond what mere warmth could explain.

‘Why am I still so hot, even after a cold shower?’ Yeon-chae muttered, lowering the air conditioner’s temperature even further. An even colder gust of wind swept through the room, chilling the air. The abrupt coolness sent a shiver down Yoonwoo’s spine. He sluggishly retreated into bed, burrowing beneath the blanket. Only then did Yeon-chae turn to him, an apologetic expression on his face.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Should I turn off the air conditioner?’

‘No, the bed is warm enough,’ Yoonwoo replied. ‘But you… are you feeling unwell?’

‘Me?’ Yeon-chae tilted his head, bewildered. His tone implied, ‘What are you saying? Far from being sick, I’m practically leaping into the ocean multiple times a day to contain this overflowing heat.’

‘Why would I be sick?’

Yet, when Yeon-chae smiled and climbed onto the bed, Yoonwoo was startled by the intense heat radiating from his breath. Despite spending hours swimming in the cold ocean, an excessive fever seemed to rage within him.

‘Yeon-chae, you’re incredibly hot right now,’ Yoonwoo began, his voice hesitant. ‘You genuinely seem unwell…’ As the words left his lips, Yoonwoo’s face abruptly hardened.

‘Hot?’ Yeon-chae questioned, tilting his head. He touched his own forehead, then quickly shook his head, muttering, ‘I don’t really feel it…’ His voice, which had been trailing off, suddenly cut short. Yeon-chae’s eyes widened, and he held his breath, as if something profound had just registered within him. The flush on his heated cheeks deepened, more pronounced than before.

Yoonwoo suddenly became aware that the entire room was now saturated with a vibrant, potent scent. Unbeknownst to him, the cherry blossom fragrance had intensified, weaving itself through every thread of the cool air. The very air felt thick with it, the scent emanating from Yeon-chae’s breath so overwhelming it stole Yoonwoo’s own. He felt as though he might be utterly crushed by the soft, sweet fragrance.

The transformation of the room’s atmosphere was instantaneous.

‘Hyung, I… I’ll sleep outside tonight.’

Yeon-chae abruptly rose and stumbled toward the living room, his usually composed gait now ragged and unsteady. Yoonwoo stared at his retreating back, eyes wide with shock, before suddenly snapping out of his daze. He tumbled from the bed, scrambling to grab Yeon-chae.

Yeon-chae’s skin, beneath Yoonwoo’s palm, burned like a raging fire. The instant he registered that searing heat, a sharp, tingling ache erupted deep within Yoonwoo’s lower abdomen. His entire body prickled, overwhelmed by the oppressive cherry blossom scent.

However, his immediate priority was to stop Yeon-chae. Yoonwoo gasped for air, panting heavily, and then he shouted.

‘What are you talking about, Yeon-chae?’ ‘Where do you think you’re going in this condition?’

‘I’m still fine,’ Yeon-chae insisted. ‘I’ll find an empty room, so Hyung, please rest.’

‘What do you mean, ‘still fine’?’ Yoonwoo retorted. ‘You’re clearly not in your right mind right now!’

‘It’s not that severe yet… Ugh…’

The rut had descended upon him in a single, terrifying instant.

‘But it’s not even my cycle…’ Yeon-chae murmured, collapsing onto one knee as if to himself. Perhaps it was due to being in such close proximity to Yoonwoo for an extended period.

‘ ‘Your hormonal changes will be severe due to the fetus,’ ‘ the doctor’s kind voice seemed to echo in his ears. ‘ ‘Your cycle might suddenly shift.’ ‘ Yoonwoo had only ever considered these words in reference to his *own* body’s transformations, never once imagining they could apply to Yeon-chae.

‘It seems my rut cycle has been thrown off because of me…’

For the past week, Yoonwoo had both fallen asleep and woken up in the same room, sharing the same bed with Yeon-chae. Even during their waking hours, they were always within arm’s reach of one another. Three or four days after their arrival at the resort, Yeon-chae had casually remarked on a sweet and refreshing scent emanating from Yoonwoo’s body.

‘You smell so good, Hyung…’ Yeon-chae had said. Yoonwoo’s pheromones were typically so faint they were barely perceptible. He had simply assumed, ‘Well, it’s a luxury resort, they must use high-quality body wash.’ It never occurred to him that Yeon-chae was keenly sensing his natural scent because his own rut was imminent.

It now dawned on Yoonwoo that Yeon-chae’s incessant diving into the water over the past few days might have been an unconscious, desperate attempt to cool his feverish body.

‘Hyung, you should sleep first,’ Yeon-chae urged. ‘I’ll… I’ll go out and…’

‘What do you mean, ‘go out’ now?’ Yoonwoo snapped, his voice sharp. ‘Are you trying to douse the entire resort with your pheromones?’

Yoonwoo’s nerves felt stretched to a breaking point. He had inadvertently yelled at the stubborn Yeon-chae, who instantly looked as though he might burst into tears. A wave of pity washed over Yoonwoo; it was heartbreaking to see Yeon-chae, consumed by fever and the agony of the rut, still trying to read his mood.

‘I shouldn’t be lashing out at someone who’s not in their right mind,’ Yoonwoo thought, chastising himself. He forced himself to calm down, desperately trying to devise a solution.

‘I’m sorry,’ Yoonwoo said, his voice softening. ‘I was startled, too… but you absolutely cannot go out now.’ ‘It’s already late, and what if you encounter another Omega outside…’

‘He would spend his rut with that Omega,’ Yoonwoo’s mind supplied, unbidden. The sudden, chilling image sent a shiver down his spine. He absolutely did not want to witness such a scene. This, after all, was Yeon-chae and Yoonwoo’s honeymoon. Though their marriage was unconventional, not born of love or romance, Yoonwoo found he couldn’t bear the thought of Yeon-chae spending his rut with another Omega, especially now, during their honeymoon. His face tightened, resolute.

‘Outside is not an option.’

‘Hyung, if we wait any longer, it will truly become dangerous.’

Yeon-chae’s face was clouded with distress. Unable to endure it any longer, he dropped his sweat-beaded forehead onto Yoonwoo’s shoulder.

A burning heat, like fire, instantly spread through Yoonwoo’s entire body. His head grew hot. He tightly gripped the waist-tie of Yeon-chae’s shower gown. ‘I have to think of a solution,’ his thoughts fixated on this single point. As if possessed, Yoonwoo murmured, ‘Rather, spend it with me.’

Yeon-chae froze, his breath catching. The flushed skin around his eyes trembled uncontrollably. The cherry blossom scent intensified, becoming violently oppressive. In that moment, Yoonwoo felt a dampness between his thighs. Something hot gushed forth, soaking him from below.

‘…Do you understand what you’re saying?’

Yeon-chae’s voice was devoid of strength. A faint wetness permeated his terribly trembling tone. His anxious, light-brown eyes looked down at Yoonwoo. Within those youthful eyes, a memory suddenly surfaced.

‘If I give you this, will you marry me, Hyung?’

The eyes of the child, seriously asking as he offered a cake box, had trembled with such anxiety, too. They had been sitting on the apartment’s emergency stairs, and seven-year-old Yeon-chae’s small face was on the verge of tears.

‘What did I say back then?’

‘Spending it with Hyung… Do you understand what that means?’ As Yoonwoo was lost in thought, Yeon-chae’s feverish voice grew a little louder.