DOTH Volume 2 Chapter 4.2

“Heeyeon, want me to hold your hand?”

“…Yes.”

The man let out a small laugh and intertwined his fingers with Jung Heeyeon’s, bringing the warmth he had longed for while in the suspended hutch. Staring at their joined hands, Jung Heeyeon eventually closed his eyes. Relaxation washed over him, and drowsiness crept in.

—

“Uhhh.”

When he opened his eyes, his body was lightly swaying.

“…?”

Jung Heeyeon blinked slowly, his vision blurred as though water droplets clung to his eyes. Thinking it might be his lingering sleepiness, he wanted to rub at them, but with his hand still captured, he couldn’t move. Blinking again, he felt a tear slip down from the corner of his eye, tracing a warm, startlingly cold path down his cheek.

“Heeyeon.”

Director Yeon’s voice, unusually sharp and fierce, came from above his head. As Jung Heeyeon opened his lips to respond, he realized they were already parted, but the words caught in his chest and wouldn’t come out.

“Are you awake?”

The hand that had held his released him, brushing back his sweat-soaked hair. Even in his dazed state, he could still feel the swaying motion.

“Ah, uh…”

A soft groan escaped his lips, sounding unfamiliar even to himself.

“Haaa… You can’t fall asleep already.”

Director Yeon’s voice wasn’t his usual laid-back, lazy tone. It was rough and edged, like he was craving something. Almost instinctively, Jung Heeyeon reached out and scratched at the man’s back. He expected to feel the fabric of the Director’s suit but was met with bare skin instead.

“…?”

His head spun, and heat was pooling in his stomach. Something was slamming with a loud bang somewhere. 

“You’re still such a baby.”

“Ah, Director…”

What was happening?

Jung Heeyeon shook his head violently, his lips parting instinctively as he struggled for breath.

“Want me to kiss you?”

A large hand cupped his flushed cheek, and the man leaned in. Their fevered lips met in an instant.

“Urgh!”

Jung Heeyeon sat up abruptly. By habit, he turned his head, and the nighttime cityscape framed in the large window came into view. Snow was falling outside. Just awoken from his dream, his heart pounded in his chest, the echoes so loud they seemed to ring in his ears.

Placing a hand on his chest, he gasped for air. Even without a mirror, he could tell his face was flushed red. It felt even hotter than the times when the suppressants hadn’t worked. To calm his uneven breathing and hammering heart, he thought he might need to drink some cold water.

“Ah.”

The moment he stepped off the bed, his fair face turned crimson. Between his legs, there was dampness.

“What should I do?”

Jung Heeyeon murmured to himself in a small voice, worried that he might have had an accident in his sleep.

Switching on the light, he checked the bed first. Thankfully, the sheets were as clean and dry as they’d been before he went to bed. A small relief amidst his embarrassment.

After confirming the bed was in its usual state, Jung Heeyeon hurried to the bathroom. He removed his bright yellow sleep socks and his pajama bottoms. Fortunately—or unfortunately—it was only his underwear that was slightly damp.

“What should I do…”

Discovering the wet spot on his underwear, his already flushed cheeks deepened in color. Though no one was chasing him, he hastily turned on the water and began washing his underwear. His hands were slow, making the task frustrating, but at least it didn’t require any particularly delicate skill.

“What should I do…?”

He repeated the words reflexively as he wrung out the underwear. Even though it wasn’t an actual bedwetting accident, the situation still left him feeling mortified. After thoroughly rinsing and wringing out the underwear, he straightened up, catching his reflection in the mirror. His face, ears, and even his neck were all flushed red, like someone caught doing something they shouldn’t.

“Haaa…”

He let out a deep sigh, hung the damp underwear to dry, and removed the rest of his pajamas. The sticky feeling on his skin convinced him he needed a shower.

He showered for a long while, and afterward, dressed himself in fresh clothes—new pajamas, socks, and underwear. Returning to the bedroom, Jung Heeyeon glanced around, feeling like someone trying to hide evidence. He tossed his worn pajamas and socks into the laundry basket.

“What should I do?”

Even after a lukewarm shower, his face was still hot. He murmured to himself again as he looked at the bed. The rumpled blankets made his cheeks flush all over again. In the end, instead of climbing back into bed, he escaped to the window.

“…”

Hoping to cool down the heat on his face, he pressed his forehead against the cold glass. The chill of winter seeped into his skin, but the scenes from the dream kept replaying in his mind, making him flustered. How could he think such inappropriate things about the director? It wasn’t just the embarrassment of having had a sultry dream; the guilt he felt toward Director Yeon made it even worse. Jung Heeyeon lightly bumped his forehead against the glass.

He might have grown up sheltered, but he wasn’t ignorant enough to be unaware of what had happened. He understood what this was. At least, theoretically.

Still, he’d never had such a dream before, and the experience left him bewildered. He knew it was a natural physiological phenomenon, but he’d never had a sultry dream or woken up because of one. This body of his had never even tried masturbating. He had never felt anything like that before, and above all, he had always assumed that the desire for sexual arousal was something exclusive to alphas and betas.

“Is it because I’m a mutt?”

A face calling him a ’mutt’ came to mind. That face had said that, as a mutt, he needed stricter education. Chairman Jung had insisted this education was necessary to instill proper values in him as an omega.

“What if there’s something wrong with me…”

The idea of an omega having such dreams made him seriously concerned. Was it because he was a mutt? Was it also normal for omegas to experience this? Or this rare sultry dream occurrence happened because he was a mutt?  

Trying to suppress his embarrassment, confusion, and anxiety, Jung Heeyeon thought back through the things he’d learned from Lee Yootae. He remembered being taught that alphas and beta males could sometimes have dreams that excited them. But no mention of omegas had ever come up.

Since the butler hadn’t mentioned it, maybe this was something unique to him as a mutt.

“Oh, but Director Yeon told me to forget everything the butler taught me.”

Should he not trust even this basic knowledge? He felt conflicted.

Jung Heeyeon let out another heavy sigh. But there was no way he could ask Director Yeon about it. To do so, he’d have to mention the dream, which was mortifying even to think about.

Again, he lightly bumped his forehead against the window. He felt unbearably sorry toward Director Yeon.

–

“Heeyeon.”

A hand gently touched his cheek, making him stir.

“Why are you sleeping here?”

A voice, tinged with amusement, reached his ears. Only then did Jung Heeyeon slowly open his eyelids. The sunlight streaming through the window was so bright he squinted in discomfort.

“Director… is it morning already?”

“Yeah, it’s morning.”

Jung Heeyeon slowly pushed himself upright. Only after seeing the bed behind Director Yeon did he realize where he’d been lying. He must have fallen asleep beneath the window after pacing all night. The memory of bumping his forehead against the glass brought back vivid recollections of the previous night’s events. His cheeks began to burn red.

“Sleeping in late as soon as you turn twenty?”

“Ah…”

Even amid his guilt toward Director Yeon, the word  ‘twenty’ caught his attention. The new year had begun, meaning he turned twenty today.

“You’re still such a baby. Sleeping in late.”

Director Yeon stretched out his hand toward the dazed omega, seemingly urging him to get up. Out of habit, Jung Heeyeon reached out but froze midway. The words from his dream overlapped with the director’s casual remark, and guilt surged within him. He couldn’t bring himself to look Director Yeon in the eye.

Jung Heeyeon gently avoided the man’s hand as he slowly raised himself up.

“I’m not a baby anymore mow…”

He didn’t forget to respond back. Jung Heeyeon, trying to evade the alpha’s persistent gaze, failed to notice the subtle hardening of Director Yeon’s expression.

“Really? You’re not a baby?”

“Yes.”

Even his tone was slightly slower than usual.

It seemed that the director had come to personally fetch him since he hadn’t shown up for the meal despite the passing time. When they entered the kitchen, breakfast was already laid out on the table.

Seeing the unfamiliar dish, Jung Heeyeon gazed silently at the bowl in front of him. The milky-white broth was filled with slices of rice cake, generously topped with garnishes. Yellow and white egg strips, orange carrots, brown meat, and green scallions were neatly arranged, their colors bright and clear.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Beautiful?”

Watching the Omega call the rice cake soup beautiful, Director Yeon rested his chin on his hand.

“Maybe it’s beautiful because you made it, Director.”

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