#92
Han Jinheon said that if I could just learn to control my pheromones, his reactions would lessen, and that for now, it would be best to take the medicine whenever my pheromones were released too strongly, as he would make sure I had it.
While I answered that I understood, my mind was elsewhere, and I grabbed the fingers of his hand as he was about to say he would leave.
It wasn't just my pheromones I was curious about. Something else had piqued my curiosity.
"I was just wondering what it means to react to my pheromones… Why you have to suppress it…"
"Isn't it a bit sly to ask that, pretending you don't know?"
Han Jinheon's brow furrowed slightly. His voice sounded as if he found me displeasing. But his expression was gentle enough to overcome all of that.
He might be right that I was pretending not to know. But it would be more accurate to say that I asked in my haste without thinking too deeply. The mere fact that this man was reacting to my pheromones was making my heart pound uncontrollably.
"You haven't begged me for my d*ck yet. Now that you're an Omega, there's a possibility you will in the future, though."
"……."
"Or maybe I'll just shove it in you whenever I please. It means I could strip your pants off in this mansion, or anywhere. That’s how much your pheromones....”
Han Jinheon brought his face close to mine as I just stared at him blankly. Without realizing it, I clutched the blanket that had come up right under my chin and squeezed my eyes shut.
I didn't feel embarrassed for closing my eyes. Just as I expected, his lips found mine, and we kissed for a moment, both gently and roughly.
Perhaps my lips knew it had been a while since they touched Han Jinheon's; I almost sat up out of sheer overwhelming emotion, but I held back.
I had no choice but to remain still when I saw the alpha's forearm, which was placed next to the pillow, tense up, veins popping on his flexed muscle.
I couldn't dare… not when I could feel how much Han Jinheon was holding back.
"Rest well. I'll come in after I finish cleaning and Doctor Kim arrives."
"Okay."
I replied obediently and pulled the blanket up to my lips. Staring at Han Jinheon's back, I licked my hidden lips again and again. It felt like they tasted sweet.
Did he say it was close to lemon? Since Han Jinheon was sweet, I had hoped I would be sweet too. It would be nice if the brothers were both sweet. Still, since Han Jinheon had hoped for this scent and said he liked it, that was enough.
I tossed and turned, then slowly closed my eyes. Perhaps because of the lemon lingering in my mind, it felt like I smelled of candied lemons.
Kim Yujin visited the mansion as soon as it was noon.
"I'll have to remember today. It's a historic day of manifestation, after all."
I grinned broadly, delighted by Kim Yujin's jest. I hadn't seen her even when I was unconscious, so I felt quite happy to see her.
"If I'd known, I could have just come today instead of yesterday."
"You have to come yesterday and today. Our Director Han did me a favor, so I have to show my loyalty."
Listening to her light conversation with Han Jinheon, it seemed she had come to the mansion yesterday as well.
She said this was no time for chatter and approached me to check on the condition of the main character who had finally manifested, then opened the medical bag she was carrying on her shoulder.
After a general check-up using the medical equipment inside, Kim Yujin gave a refreshing smile.
"Do you know the one thing that tells you both when the manifestation has started and when it has ended? It's body temperature. Just yesterday, your fever was hovering above 38 degrees, but it's dropped to 36.8. How do you feel? You feel refreshed too, don't you?"
"Yeah. My head is clear, my body feels light… I feel really comfortable. Like I've shed my skin and been born anew."
"Hearing you say something so positive makes me think you were pretty out of it, huh? It seems you didn't properly feel the pain of manifestation. Not that it's a bad thing, but if you had been fully conscious while in pain, you probably would have said you wanted to die before giving that kind of review."
"Are there people who are fully conscious when they manifest? I feel like the pain would be too much to stay sane…"
"Just as symptoms vary from person to person, so do mental strength and endurance. Some people have such good endurance that they unwillingly have to bear it with a clear mind. Those are usually the cases where they remain conscious."
I subtly glanced at Han Jinheon, imagining what his manifestation must have been like. I had been too busy being deliriously sick because my stamina and endurance were weak, but I felt like that alpha would have kept his wits about him even in pain.
To make a slightly embarrassing comparison, it was like that even when we had sex. I would easily succumb to pleasure, while Han Jinheon would endure it without a problem.
"Temperature is good, blood pressure is good. Your pulse is a little fast, but it will gradually find its pace over time. You're not short of breath or anything, are you? Any other discomforts?"
"Uh, I don't think so. I'm still too dazed to know for sure…"
"If you feel any discomfort at any time, contact me. Ah, now that I think about it, your pheromones are quieter than I expected. It's your first day, so there's no way you can control them… Did you take any medicine?"
"Medicine? Hyung gave me some earlier, so I took it…"
"What medicine did you give him?"
Kim Yujin narrowed her eyes and looked at Han Jinheon, who was standing by the door, keeping his distance from us. Han Jinheon answered nonchalantly.
"Pheromone suppressants."
Right, that's what it was. I nodded slightly, confirming it.
"Good job. You did what I was supposed to do."
Kim Yujin gave Han Jinheon a thumbs-up.
"It's convenient having a life senior who has already manifested, right? I guess I forgot to explain it to you since Jinheon is here. Normally, I recommend buying pheromone suppressants or hormone stabilizers before manifesting. After manifestation, pheromones can become uncontrollable, leading to many embarrassing situations in daily life."
"I'm glad Hyung is here. Though I feel sorry… I was so foolish I didn't even know my pheromones were coming out."
I glanced at Han Jinheon again.
"It's understandable. Who would immediately know and adapt when they suddenly become an Omega and a scent starts coming from their body? Besides, all traits are dull to their own pheromones. They're only sensitive to others."
I secretly took a deep breath to smell Kim Yujin's scent as she explained in a soft voice and packed her bag. I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't smell Han Jinheon's either. At this rate, maybe my nose was still stuffed up, rather than me being dull.
Sniffing so openly, no one could have failed to understand my intention. Kim Yujin zipped up her bag and nagged.
"I told you, you can't smell pheromones just by trying to sniff them like that, right? You have to be in a calm state of mind and body. For your information, I'm on a medical-grade blocker, so you won't smell anything from me at all."
"Blocker? There's something like that?"
"It temporarily eliminates pheromones altogether. It's fine as long as you don't overdose. Most medical professionals who deal with traits take them. You should practice a lot by trying to smell your brother's pheromones instead. Though your brother rarely lets his show, either."
Han Jinheon's scent was like that. A mysterious scent that was cool yet somewhat damp, sweet yet smoky.
All I had smelled during the manifestation induction process was sweetness. I had smelled the damp scent once, but it couldn't hold a candle to the sweet scent that had provoked my thirst. Could I now smell the rest of it? I was curious and my heart fluttered.
My gaze couldn't linger on Kim Yujin for long. It was because it had turned to Han Jinheon again. I had intended to just take a quick look and shift away, but my eyes were captivated by him as he approached us. His somewhat displeased face was bothering me.
Han Jinheon spoke to Kim Yujin, who had picked up her bag and stood up. His tone was close to a command.
"I'll bring him to the hospital tomorrow morning, so clear your schedule. Make an appointment for a check-up too. We need to check if there were any problems during the manifestation process and also check his trait ratio and hormone levels."
"Are you giving me a task you should be giving to Secretary Song?"
"You're his primary doctor. I see it as us asking each other for favors for convenience."
"Yes, yes, sir." The moment Kim Yujin replied playfully and stood up, reaching a hand toward my head, Han Jinheon carelessly grabbed that hand, turned her toward the door, and led her out.
"Let the kid rest and get out. Let's talk outside."
"Since when did you decide to become such a doting brother? Fine, let's go out and let the kid rest. I have something to tell you anyway."
"I-I'm fine. If you have something to talk about, we can do it together…"
I tried to hold onto the alphas who were moving away regardless of my wishes.
"I want to talk more with Hyung and Noona…! I became an Omega, too. You said it was a historic day…! You said I-I was the main character…!"
No matter how I tried to hold them back from behind, they left without stopping. At the sound of the door opening and closing, I pouted and glared at the door before pulling the blanket over my head and lying down.
'Main character, my foot. I became an Omega and they don't even treat me like the main character. Unless they're still treating me like a sick person…'
Even though no one was watching, I stubbornly lay under the blanket. Maybe it was because the fabric of the blanket was so soft, but the feeling against my skin was so cozy that I didn't even want to get out.
It might be because I had been sick for days. I had been sleeping like a log before Kim Yujin came, and now I was getting sleepy again. As the atmosphere relaxed, I wanted to sleep again. I should be more active at times like this. But since I'm going to the hospital tomorrow, I'll start moving from tomorrow.
Just after I thought that and curled up like a shrimp, the door opened and Han Jinheon came in. Had their conversation ended already, or had a lot of time passed without me realizing it?
"Han Sol."
He sat down next to me, then lifted the blanket I had pulled over my head and lowered it to my shoulders. Once, because my face was unintentionally revealed. Once more, because of the handsome face that entered my unguarded eyes. In just those two moments, my resentful feelings crumbled away in vain.
I turned my gaze to the pillowcase and asked.
"…Did Noona leave?"
"She left. She's a busy person, especially from the new year."
Han Jinheon roughly swept my bangs upwards. The unrefined, pure strength was sometimes painful, but I liked it because it was so typical of Han Jinheon.
"I'll be late for work tomorrow, so go to the hospital with me. After the hospital visit, we're going to the district office. Now that you've manifested, we need to correct your trait registration.”
"……."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"The mention of the district office makes it feel a bit more official…"
I was thinking of just lying down, but the desire to talk with Han Jinheon a little closer prompted me to sit up. Han Jinheon helped me by pulling my arm and supporting my back.
I expressed my gratitude for his help with a short "thank you" and continued.
"It just doesn't feel real to me that I've become an Omega. It just feels like the pain is gone… I can't smell my pheromones, or your pheromones… I still feel like my nose is stuffed up."
As I had told Kim Yujin earlier, it did feel like I had shed my skin and been born anew, but that was limited to a psychological feeling.
I didn't physically feel like I had become an Omega. I guess I was being too hasty, trying to feel what it's like to be an Omega in just one day.
***
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