DOTH Volume 4 Chapter 14.5

It was just as they were nearing Seoul. As usual, Director Yeon tapped lightly against the door trim. The steady rhythm went on a few times, until suddenly a faint heat flared at his fingertips. His large hand froze mid-motion. His heart pounded so hard it filled his ears, every nerve sharpened to the breaking point.

“Haa… Fuck.”

The curse slipped out in a low growl.

Unmistakably, this was the onset of a rut.

It shouldn’t be time yet. He frowned in surprise, but only for a moment. A weary breath escaped him. He could guess well enough why the cycle had come early. He had been burning through far too much pheromone lately, throwing his body out of rhythm.

“Director. What’s wrong?”

From the rearview mirror, Kim Chulwoo caught sight of his expression. Director Yeon rubbed his furrowed brow and answered curtly, as if inconvenienced.

“Rut.”

“Rut, sir? …What will you do?”

The word itself made Kim Chulwoo wary. Normally, it wasn’t a matter for him to ask. Having rut was a deeply private matter, something Director Yeon always managed himself. But Jung Heeyeon’s name lingered in his mind.

“What do you think, Secretary Kim Chulwoo.”

His voice dragged, words slow and heavy.

“Should I just grab the baby and have sex with him?”

Rut was an alpha’s mating season. Superficially similar to an omega’s heat, but the drive pointed in the opposite direction. In a heat, an omega opened their body to lure an alpha, however, in a rut, an alpha was consumed by the raw urge to breed. Violent, forceful, relentless sex was inevitable.

Perhaps an experienced omega could endure it. But for Jung Heeyeon, it would be impossible.

“I apologize. I only asked because I thought being imprinted might help.”

“He can’t handle it yet.”

Director Yeon was lenient with Jung Heeyeon in bed. True, he was slowly training the omega to his tastes, like teaching him that nipples were meant to be bitten, among other things. However, compared to the acts he longed to unleash, those were nothing. He was trying, in his own way, to keep within boundaries that wouldn’t terrify his young lover.

If Jung Heeyeon had been so startled just by having his toes sucked, what would happen when the alpha’s tongue touched deeper? He might even burst into tears. What Director Yeon wanted to teach him was the pleasure of mixing bodies, not fear or panic.

An alpha in rut would lose all reason. Even being skilled at controlling pheromones couldn’t override the genetic imperative. And he was a dominant alpha. His instinct to impregnate an omega, to pass on his line, was rooted deep in his biology.

If he took him like this, the outcome was obvious. Jung Heeyeon would either be left in tears, pregnant, or both. Jung Heeyeon often said he wanted a baby. But Director Yeon had no intention whatsoever of letting his young lover conceive.

“Shall I prepare suppressants? We’re heading to the hotel you frequent, so they can get it ready if we call now.”

“No. I’ll just ride it out.”

The man didn’t hesitate to answer. With suppressants, he could endure the rut unpleasantly but safely, without hurting his body. However, the problem was he wouldn’t be able to pour his pheromones into Jung Heeyeon. His lover responded well to stabilizers, and his hormone levels were steadier now than after the accident, but they couldn’t afford to be careless.

Without sex, the rut would burn itself out in two or three days. With suppressants, it would drag on for a week, during which he’d be unable to release pheromones at all. The choice was obvious.

“Will you be alright?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I rode out a rut raw.”

Elbow on the door pocket, he tilted his head slightly. For an alpha on the verge of rut, he outwardly looked almost composed. Only his languid drawl  in voice and the edge in his sharp eyes betrayed the shift.

“Then I’ll contact the hotel at once.”

“Alright.”

“And what shall I tell Heeyeon-ssi?”

Director Yeon’s brows knitted faintly. If Jung Heeyeon knew he was having a rut, the omega would surely come running to the hotel. Right now, with only the early symptoms, he could still think clearly. But if his young lover begged, he would give in instantly. An alpha reduced to instinct wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip.

“Who knows? Just say the deal fell through, so I went on a business trip.”

“Will he believe that? He’s surprisingly perceptive.”

“Lee Haejin will cover for me.”

His breath was already warming with heat. Fingers tingling, Director Yeon shut his eyes with a soft reply. This rut had come off-cycle and progressing faster than usual at that. He might have to relieve himself in the shower while washing the blood from his hair.

“Haah… fucking hell.”

Of all times, his rut had to strike now, what an infuriating trouble.

“Better if Lee Haejin keeps him overnight.”

He tossed the suggestion toward Kim Chulwoo. Lee Haejin wouldn’t be likely to refuse.

“Yes, sir. I’ll let him know.”

When the car arrived at the hotel, the manager was already waiting in the underground lot, ready to open the door. Director Yeon stepped out, unhurried. His polished shoes touched down spotless, despite the coppery tang of blood clinging to him and the crimson still matted in his hair. The perfect fit of his suit made the contrast all the more surreal.

“Take good care of the baby.”

Leaving only those words, Director Yeon turned his back.

The door closed behind them. Only after confirming Director Yeon’s back as he followed the manager into the elevator did Kim Chulwoo finally turn the car around. It was time to persuade his boss’s young lover.

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Jung Heeyeon glanced at the clock. The time he was supposed to meet Director Yeon was running a little late.

“Heeyeon, is hanging out with me that boring?”

Lee Haejin propped his chin on his hand and gave a slight smile, his voice carrying a hint of playful teasing.

“Pardon? No, not at all. I like meeting you, hyung….”

“You were staring at the clock. Ah, I guess it’s about time.”

Following Jung Heeyeon’s gaze, Lee Haejin checked the clock himself and recalled what Director Yeon had said. That man would be arriving around eight and told him to have plenty of dinner in the meantime. They could take care of it on their own, but it seemed like the thief had at least a shred of conscience, because he seemed to treat Jung Heeyeon far more preciously than expected. Then again, looking back, there had never been a time when he didn’t.

Even if things were awkward between him and that man, Jung Heeyeon’s visits were always a delight. Maybe it was because of Jung Heeyeon’s unusually gentle nature, rare to find in anyone else. Spending time with him felt less like work and more like rest.

“Yss. He said he was coming back from Busan, so maybe that’s why it’s taking so long. Oh, but he said he was taking a helicopter…”

Lee Haejin knew the destination wasn’t Busan, but a secluded mountain deep in the wilderness, far from human reach. Whatever Director Yeon had done to Jung Younggil, one thing was certain. That old Alpha must have spat out words like he’d rather die.

Before his thought was even finished, the doorbell rang. Jung Heeyeon stopped eating his strawberry cake and all but dashed to the front door. Feeling it would be rude not to greet the visitor, even if he dreaded who it might be, Lee Haejin reluctantly followed behind.

“Uh….”

But to Jung Heeyeon’s disappointment, the person at the door wasn’t Director Yeon, but Kim Chulwoo. Why didn’t that man come himself? Lee Haejin leaned casually against the wall, tilting his head.

“Secretary Kim Chulwoo. Where’s Director Yeon?”

“Ah, the thing is…”

Kim Chulwoo cast a glance at Lee Haejin, trailing off. At the odd look, Lee Haejin raised an eyebrow.

“Director Yeon was called away on an urgent business trip… He said he won’t be able to make it tonight.”

Must be his rut. Lee Haejin had no trouble guessing the real reason Director Yeon wasn’t here.

“A business trip? But Director Yeon didn’t mention anything to me….”

“Something came up while he was on the way back from Busan, so he probably didn’t have time to call.”

It was such a flimsy excuse that Lee Haejin sighed and shook his head faintly. Busted. He muttered it inwardly and looked at the omega, smaller than him by a little. As expected, Jung Heeyeon’s face showed no sign of accepting the excuse. His lips pressed together, making his fair cheeks puff slightly.

“Pardon? That can’t be right… Even if he was busy, Director Yeon would never not call me….”

To Jung Heeyeon, the whole situation made no sense. The man who had given him a peck so sweetly before parting now supposedly couldn’t even make a call because he was ‘busy’? The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it became. The Director Yeon he knew would have called no matter how busy things got.

“Even when Director Yeon was in the detention center, he called me.”

“No, that’s…”

Could the man be in trouble again? Or maybe an accident? A scene from the drama he had watched a few days ago with Kim Jiwon flashed across his mind. The male lead, on his way to see his lover, got into a car accident and lost his memory. He didn’t remember loving the heroine and heartlessly pushed her away when she came running.

The thought made panic swell inside him. Jung Heeyeon’s eyes went wide as he looked up at Kim Chulwoo.

“Did Director Yeon get into an accident?”

“Pardon?”

“Otherwise, he’d never not even call me for a second. There’s just no way….”

Could he really be in an accident? Kim Jiwon always said reality was harsher than drama… Did the director forget him?

It was only due to not getting any phone call, yet Jung Heeyeon was thrown into a big turmoil. Director Yeon’s careful, affectionate treatment of him had now backfired into this. His round eyes began to well with tears, startling Kim Chulwoo into panic, not knowing what to do.

“Ah, no, Heeyeon-ssi. That’s not it…”

“Please tell me the truth. Did Director Yeon hurt his head? Did he forget me?”

Tears brimmed, threatening to fall at any moment. This was getting bad. Kim Chulwoo rubbed his face in frustration and groaned.

“No, it’s not that… Haaa…”

He realized any excuse would be useless against Jung Heeyeon.

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