DOTH Volume 2 Chapter 6.7

His body felt as if it was floating. Jung Heeyeon slowly lifted his eyelids, as if being just awakened from a deep sleep. A familiar voice fell from above.

“Why are you sleeping over there instead of your bed? Are you being a fussy sleeper because you’re a baby?”

Jung Heeyeon blankly stared at the man’s face before resting his head against the broad chest. He had just woken up, so his body should have risen up as well, yet his limbs felt strangely heavy. He was not a child—he knew he should walk on his own. But Director Yeon’s embrace was comfortable, and he didn’t want to pry away from it.

“Director.”

Jung Heeyeon instinctively tightened his grip on the man’s clothes and spoke.

“Yeah, Heeyeon?”

He wanted to stay like this, held close, but his personal sense of logic won over his selfish desire. It was probably best to ask to be put down and walk on his own.

“I didn’t drink alcohol, though…?”

“Alcohol?”

At the unexpected word, Director Yeon stopped walking and looked down at the omega in his arms. Jung Heeyeon frowned slightly, as if something was bothering him, then raised his head to meet his gaze. He hadn’t noticed when he picked up Jung Heeyeon who was still deep in slumber, but now he saw the faint redness beneath those eyes. His pheromones were subtly unstable as well.

Director Yeon, masking his concern with a gentle expression, carefully observed his condition.

“But only people who drink alcohol get carried, right?”

At the innocent question, he chuckled softly. He wondered, how should he respond to this?

“You can carry a person who’s asleep, too.”

The man, who rarely extended his generosity to others, regardless whether they were drunk or asleep, shamelessly declared it as if it were obvious. It was simply something he didn’t usually do, but since it wasn’t entirely untrue, there was nothing to feel guilty about.

“Oh, I see.”

Jung Heeyeon sighed in relief and lightly bumped his forehead against Director Yeon’s shoulder. He liked being held by the man, but as a fully grown adult who hadn’t been drinking, was it really okay for him to be carried like this? He had briefly worried about it, but in the end, whether someone was asleep or drunk, their state of mind was similarly fuzzy. It seemed it was acceptable to carry someone in either case.

“I didn’t think I would fall asleep, but I dozed off without realizing it. I usually sleep in bed… I wasn’t being a fussy sleeper.”

Jung Heeyeon belatedly responded to Director Yeon’s passing remark.

“Hmmm, is that so?”

“Yes. I was just planning to close my eyes for a bit…”

Director Yeon gently set Jung Heeyeon down. Now fully awake, the brown eyes looked up at him with clear focus. Maintaining his silence, Director Yeon carefully studied the unguarded expression before him.

The pheromones seeping beyond the bedroom door had already given it away—Jung Heeyeon was on the verge of his heat. His flushed face was one thing, but the atmosphere around him was distinctly different from usual. This would be troublesome. Director Yeon quietly swallowed his thoughts as he gently brushed beneath Jung Heeyeon’s eyes.

“Heeyeon.”

The soft brown eyes lifted to meet his. The faintly trembling eyelashes, the half-parted lips exhaling shallow breaths—they were enough to provoke an alpha’s instincts.

“Did you cry?”

Fortunately, such impulses did not apply to Director Yeon. He easily suppressed the urge to respond to the pheromones.

Since taking control of his position, countless omega had thrown themselves at him. Some had even been in heat, their pheromones potent and deliberate. Among them were dominant Omegas, well-versed in using their scents to entice. But none had ever swayed him. There was no way he would sway to the light scent of Jung Heeyeon’s pheromones. 

There was a pervasive stereotype that Alphas were promiscuous. In most cases, it was true. However, Director Yeon avoided meaningless sex whenever possible. When his rut arrived, he sometimes sought out an Omega, but even then, he often simply took inhibitors instead. To him, sex was merely a means of releasing pheromones—nothing more, nothing less. That was precisely why he never succumbed to the advances of Omegas who came to him for money, status, or thrill.

“No, I didn’t cry.”

Jung Heeyeon shook his head as he looked at Director Yeon’s languid expression.

“You didn’t?”

The repeated question made him nibble on the inside of his lip. Lowering his gaze slightly, Jung Heeyeon began to ponder how best to respond. He had woken up with tears gathered in his eyes, but he hadn’t actually cried. And even then, it had only been a single drop. That hardly counted as crying, did it? Maybe he had cried, but he couldn’t remember it happening. But since the director asked about it, maybe there were traces of crying on his face.

With his eyes closed, his thoughts trailed for a long time, making him unaware of the subtle furrow forming between Director Yeon’s brows.

“I did wake up with tears, but… I don’t think I was crying.”

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Was it a nightmare? To Jung Heeyeon, it had simply been another routine experience. He shook his head again.

“No, it was just an ordinary dream.”

“What kind of dream?”

“A dream about getting an injection.”

Director Yeon curved his lips into a faint smirk, concealing his growing irritation. Though Jung Heeyeon might not realize it, that was undoubtedly a nightmare. Instead of pressing the painful memory further, Director Yeon let his thoughts drift to Lee Yootae. Perhaps dealing with him would serve as a decent outlet for his irritation.

“Director.”

“Yeah, Heeyeon?”

“Can I stay home today?”

Jung Heeyeon asked cautiously. He wanted to stay by Director Yeon’s side, but with his pheromones acting up, following to his office was out of the question. If nothing else, he preferred being alone at home over the alternative. It wasn’t that he minded visiting Lee Haejin, but his body felt strangely lethargic. He didn’t want to risk feeling unwell in someone else’s home.

“If you want to stay home, then you can stay home.”

Director Yeon didn’t ask for an explanation. He simply agreed, his expression subtly satisfied that Jung Heeyeon wouldn’t be meeting Lee Haejin today. After a moment of quietly observing the omega’s face, he turned away and left the room. When he returned, he was holding something unfamiliar.

“Oh.”

Without hesitation, Director Yeon sat on the edge of the bed and gently grasped Jung Heeyeon’s chin. He let out a short sound—wordless but clear in meaning. Open your mouth. Only then did Jung Heeyeon recognize the object in Director Yeon’s hand. It was the thermometer Kim Jiwon had brought along with his medications weeks ago.

“Heeyeon. Open up.”

His sluggish body seemed to be affecting his mind as well. Jung Heeyeon slowly parted his lips. The thermometer slid smoothly under his tongue. The cold sensation made his tongue flinch involuntarily. The alpha’s eyes narrowed slightly in response.

Jung Heeyeon instinctively clenched the bed sheets. Director Yeon’s rare expressionless face reminded him of the moment they had kissed. It didn’t feel like a thermometer under his tongue—it felt as if it was the fingers that were still holding his chin. This made him feel strange. Saliva gathered under his tongue, and his lower stomach tensed involuntarily.

What should I do? Jung Heeyeon found himself unable to break eye contact or close his mouth under the weight of Director Yeon’s gaze. As if reacting to the memory of their kiss, a rich floral scent began to unfurl in the air. It was unfamiliar yet unmistakably the omega’s pheromones. Startled by his own scent, Jung Heeyeon’s tongue flinched once more. At the same time, Director Yeon’s grip on his chin tightened slightly.

“Heeyeon.”

Director Yeon murmured his name slowly as he removed the thermometer. A thin string of saliva briefly connected Jung Heeyeon’s lips to the device before breaking apart. Still calm, Director Yeon wiped the moisture from Jung Heeyeon’s lips and quietly remarked.

“You have a fever.”

Dropping his gaze from Jung Heeyeon’s lips, he checked the numbers on the thermometer again. A heat cycle could make an omega feel feverish, but it didn’t actually raise body temperature. If Jung Heeyeon’s fever was real, then it meant he wasn’t feeling well.

Calling Kim Jiwon would be the logical choice, but… Director Yeon recalled the wave of pheromones that had flooded the room just moments ago. No. There was no way he was letting another alpha near Jung Heeyeon while he was so close to his heat.

“I have a prior engagement. I’ll finish up quickly and come right back, so just rest.”

“Okay.”

Jung Heeyeon nodded and wriggled under the blankets.

“Will you stay here until I fall asleep?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll quickly fall asleep.”

Amused by the response, Director Yeon let out a soft chuckle.

“You can take your time.”

“Okay. …Director, please come back soon.”

“Our Heeyeon is still a baby, huh? You don’t like being alone.”

Jung Heeyeon opened and closed his mouth, unsure how to respond. He wanted to deny it, but his pheromones gave him away. Instead, he shut his eyes. Fortunately, sleep found him quickly.

“……”

Director Yeon remained still, even as the time for his appointment drew closer. His languid gaze remained fixed on the omega, who lay defenselessly asleep before an alpha. His expression was unreadable, detached yet somehow lingering.

Only after the soft sounds of Jung Heeyeon’s breathing filled the room did Director Yeon finally rise to his feet.

The man got into the car and checked the time. Regardless of whether it was actually a heat cycle or not, he couldn’t leave the house for long when the baby had asked him to come quickly.

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