"Hey, babe, wake up." Do-Jin was the first to get up; he kissed Hyun's head softly before saying, "Good morning."
They were still naked; Do-Jin held Hyun close from behind. The sheets tangled around them.
Hyun-So moved, his eyes still closed. He murmured, "What's with the pet names?"
"I always wanted to use them for my partner." Do-Jin pulled his arms from under him and walked to the bathroom.
"Mmm-Humm." Hyun shifted a little more before actually getting up.
The room was a mess. And they barely did anything.
They took showers and fixed the mess before heading out to the dining room.
The staff was about to show up soon.
Do-Jin had prepared two cups of instant noodles for them.
Hyun-So walked in, rubbing his hair with a towel that he threw on the chair before sitting on another. "Really missed that stuff." He pointed out the noodles.
"Are you mocking me now? You know I am not the best cook." Do-Jin laughed.
"Hmm, better than burnt toast, I guess." Hyun-So replied with a quick smile. "Somehow I feel so high."
Do-Jin got tense. He thought he had controlled it last night.
Hyun-So didn't notice the sudden change.
They went silent as they ate for a while, and then Hyun-So broke the silence. "You… we have been living together for quite long. But I haven't noticed you go through heat—"
"Rut"
"Yeah, that."
Do-Jin breathed out before answering. "Because I was taking a suppressant."
"Then how about you don't take one this time?" Hyun-So said lightly.
"You know that can be dangerous." Do-Jin stared right at him. But Hyun-So wasn't looking him in the eyes.
"I don't think so. Despite that, don't they have side effects?"
"No, I worked with scientists and doctors worldwide to make them better. The risks have dropped to 3% now; before, they were at 40%." Do-Jin stated it like a matter of fact.
"Wow, that's impressive." Hyun-So responded, clearly impressed but maybe a little disappointed that his tactic won't work then.
Do-Jin continued, "Yeah, we looked through different animals and mammals with similar DNA and cycles to look for a better substance to make it out of, but I couldn't reduce it to zero until I found your—" He stopped when he realized what he was about to say.
But it was too late. Hyun-So had caught up to it already.
"Mine? Mine what?"
No answer.
Do-Jin stared at the floor for far too long.
"Hey." Hyun-So tried to shake him off.
"I took your blood." He paused for a moment. "First it was the doctor who took your blood to test if you were alright back at the time you fell. Then I did to study you more when I took you to the lab. I needed it to understand what made you different from the rest of us."
Hyun-So I was quiet for a moment, processing the information.
Do-Jin got worried. "I am sorry."
"That's why you were so worried. You found something in my blood, right? To help you make the medicine better." He sounded alright with it.
"Not just one medicine."
"Oh."
Do-Jin stared with excitement. "You had no pheromones, so your blood and body can help create a variety of new medicines to deal with it. And as your body doesn't really cancel out pheromones from outside, it will make the medicines less dangerous for the bodies of my people." but ended it with a slight tinge of concern.
"That means if the government finds out—" Hyun-So contemplated, but Do-Jin cut in.
"If anyone found out. They will treat you like a lab rat. They will experiment on you without consent, cut you open, put chemical substances in your body, and watch you suffer… just to see how you react." Do-Jin paused, letting his words hang heavy in the air.
"I see. What can we do possibly, right?"
The question wasn't sharp, but the hopelessness in it hit Do-Jin harder than anger ever could.
Hyun-So leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting to the window like he could find an answer in the clouds. His shoulders sagged, the fight slipping out of him all at once.
He felt empty. Small. Like every path ahead was already blocked.
"I promise I won't let them find you," Do-Jin said quickly, then realized with a sting that he'd already failed once. "Not that—what you could do."
The change in words didn't help.
"Hyun-So, please—" Do-Jin reached forward, but Hyun-So stopped him with a quiet voice.
"It's okay, I know. It's not your fault entirely."
The silence after that wasn't awkward; it was heavier.Thicker. The kind that wrapped around them until—
Ring. Do-Jin's phone lit up.
It was Byung.
He was kind of relieved to end this conversation.
"We've got a problem." His tone was clipped and urgent.
Not so relieved anymore.
"You need to get back." Byung sounded urgent.
"What's wrong?"
"Well—" Byung told him about everything that just happened at the company.
"As you know, we can't let the chairman find out about this." He ended his part there.
"because he will make a fuss about it too." Do-Jin nodded.
"Yeah, we have three days after today." Shuffling noises of paper made it clear Byung was still going through the files he had received.
Just three days.
Do-Jin ended the call and set the phone down slowly, like putting it down too fast might shatter the thin layer of control he was holding onto.
He looked at Hyun-So and gave a half-smile—not from amusement, but from the disbelief that they couldn't even have one quiet morning. "What a morning."
What a night.
The warmth of the past hours felt like it had been swept out from under them.
By the afternoon, they were packing. By the evening, the mountains were behind them, their quiet retreat traded for the weight of the city waiting ahead.
"We need to get Coco back too." Hyun said, putting the bags down by the couch.
"Let's get him in the morning. He's probably enjoying the extra playtime outside." Do-Jin moved to the kitchen to get some milk.
They need to call the helping lady before the morning too.
"Are you still worried about him damaging your plants?" Hyun-So laughed.
"Obviously, I am. That little devil is going to destroy this entire place before he even reaches full maturity." He took a frustrating sip, walked closer to a plant that was leaning precariously to one side, and continued, "We need to teach that little shit some manners."
"Alright. I am going to sleep. I am not hungry." Hyun-So walked toward his room, but—
"Wait, wanna sleep in my room?" Do-Jin was quick with his words.
Hyun-So smiled as he walked back, closer to Do-Jin. "Not today; you have work tomorrow." and he pressed a kiss on his cheeks.
Do-Jin was blushing after Hyun-So left.
That was not what he meant when he invited him to his room.
A simple misunderstanding.
Maybe he will sleep alone today.
No cuddles, but that kiss will do. He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of Hyun-So's lips on his skin.
He should sleep now.