Yujin lost the words to say and simply stared at him. But Winston, seemingly indifferent, ignored Yujin completely as he rapidly signed docunts, wrote comnts, and stared at the screen. If he was going to behave like that, why was he even here? Yujin wondered, but fearing that speaking up might only worsen the mood, he stopped himself and tried to turn onto his side. Avoiding Winston’s face seed the least painful option, but the brief distraction quickly brought an unexpected sharp pain.
“...Ah.”
He let out a short cry without aning to. It wasn’t a loud sound, but suddenly the flutter of papers was heard, and within a few steps Winston rushed to the bed.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Yujin wanted to tell him not to worry, but fearing another cry might escape, he stayed silent, closing his eyes and holding his breath. Seeing this, Winston imdiately pressed the call button. A nurse ca in quickly, checked his condition, and soon injected a shot through the IV.
“You’ll feel better soon.”
The nurse comforted Yujin kindly, watched him for a while, then left. As she said, the injection quickly stabilized his condition. When Yujin’s ragged breathing cald and he relaxed his shoulders, Winston finally spoke.
“You don’t have to hold it in. I told them no addictive drugs for you.”
His words struck differently after the pain eased and so reason returned. Yujin recalled when the doctor said Winston might be confined to bed for life with machines attached all over his body. And he had actually seen that.
A chill ran through his whole body. Hesitating, Yujin glanced secretly over his shoulder at Winston. Luckily, he was back to the pile of docunts, focused on work.
Could he know...?
Winston’s wounds were incomparable. He had literally almost died. Yujin had clearly seen the scars left on his body. Though he looked away, the marks that mutilated Winston’s once perfect body remained vivid. And Winston still took dicine. For the aftereffects.
“...You’re not addicted to that kind of stuff, right?”
Only after speaking did Yujin realize he’d made a sound. Flustered, Winston looked up and t his gaze.
“Mostly not.”
Winston answered in a dry voice. What did “mostly” an? Guessing, he added an explanation.
“I’m not addicted to most drugs. It’s just my constitution.”
Then Winston muttered self-deprecatingly.
“The most dangerous poison keeps coming from inside anyway.”
Pheromones.
Yujin instinctively thought of it. The most dangerous addiction for those with the sa trait as him was pheromone addiction—so strong it neutralized all other addictions.
That poison had devoured Winston’s love for Yujin as well. Now only a shell remained. Yujin stopped speaking. A faint other scent suddenly ca to mind. The oga scent that had wafted from Winston.
Fortunately, as the dicine took effect, he stopped dwelling on those thoughts. Yujin exhaled steadily and soon fell asleep.
A strange sensation woke him. Frowning, he let out a small sigh and slowly opened his eyes, soon seeing the dark window outside. The sky was completely covered in black clouds, raining heavily. The relentless pounding of rain against the window was almost numbing. As he watched the falling rain for a mont, he suddenly heard another sound. Turning his head belatedly toward Winston, Yujin froze. Winston was leaning against the desk, his shoulders shaking.
Huff, huff.
Faint sounds of labored breathing ca. Yujin could see with his own eyes that Winston was in pain.
“...Winston.”
His hesitant lips uttered the na. Until then, Winston had been panting against the desk, but at the sound, he seed startled and looked up. At that mont, a huge lightning bolt struck outside the window. In the montarily brightened view, Winston’s pale face was fully revealed. His complexion was corpse-like pale, his temples covered in cold sweat. Seeing him like that, Yujin was montarily speechless.
Winston said nothing, just stared at Yujin. Perhaps his mind was too clouded by pain to think. Seeing his unfocused, glazed eyes, Yujin was certain of his guess.
They faced each other for only a few seconds. Then Winston, who had been staring silently like a statue, suddenly stood up. Yujin clearly saw him limp but rush over as fast as possible.
“You okay?”
Between gasping breaths, Winston asked. He was drenched in sweat, his heavy breathing almost muffling his voice. Yujin nodded, dazed.
“I’m... okay.”
“Really?”
Winston asked again, almost accusingly. He looked anxious, even scared.
“Really... really? You’re alive... right...?”
Winston’s trembling hand reached out to Yujin. It seed he wanted to touch his cheek but stopped midair, unable to.
...He’s a rut.
Yujin realized belatedly. This man was not himself. His golden shimring eyes and unstable breathing were proof, but above all, the fact that Winston looked down at him trembling in fear ant he was far from normal.
This man wasn’t himself because of the pheromones.
The oga scent soaked all over him was definitely from the pheromone party. The reason he went to that party was obvious. In other words, he missed the timing to remove it, and now the rut had co. A simple, clear conclusion. And this man would probably forget all of this after tonight.
Yujin hesitated briefly, then took Winston’s hand and brought it to his own cheek. When warmth touched his fingertips, Winston twitched as if shocked by electricity. Staring wide-eyed, holding his breath, Winston looked down at him. Yujin t his gaze without looking away and said,
“It’s okay. You’re alive.”
“...Haa.”
Winston exhaled the breath he had been holding. Then unbelievably, tears welled up in his eyes.
“...Thank God.”
He whispered with a sigh and collapsed onto Yujin for comfort.
“I thought... you were dead.”
Mumbling with his head buried in the mattress, Winston’s voice was muffled but the aning clear.
“I was scared I’d lose you again...”
Yujin understood the unfinished sentence. Because he had felt the sa.
“I know.”
Yujin spoke in a dry voice.
“I thought you were dead too, back then.”
So he had done what he did. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Winston. He just wanted to say he loved him again.
“I never thought you’d forget .”
A self-deprecating laugh followed. Winston looked up with a dazed expression as if asking what that ant. Yujin stared at him silently, then spoke.
“It’s over now. It’s all over.”
“Over? Us?”
“Yes.”
Still in a drunken, dazed voice, Winston asked. Yujin answered firmly.
“You don’t trust , and I don’t have any confidence I can convince you with words anymore. All I can say is I’m innocent. How can I prove anything? So we’re done, aren’t we?”
Though he spoke slowly and at length, Winston just repeated the sa frown.
“You don’t trust ...? Why?”
Ah, Yujin sighed softly. It was already too late. The pheromones had completely consud Winston’s mind. Just like that day.
“Don’t go.”
Winston rubbed his face against Yujin’s chest and whispered.
“Don’t go anywhere. You’re mine.”
He clung desperately to Yujin as if forcing his large body into him, protesting.
“I told you, I’m yours...”
His body trembling slightly where it touched Yujin’s. Whether it was from tension or just the pheromones, Yujin didn’t push him away.
“Yujin, answer .”
Winston raised his head anxiously. Their eyes locked, and Yujin realized what was coming.
He was going ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) to kiss him.
But Yujin closed his eyes, sensing what might happen next.
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