Pink Flavor Omega

#15

Jaeha unconsciously closed his eyes. He had to close them as Eunhong’s lips passed over his eyelids. With his eyes closed, the soft sensation became even more vivid.

Finally, lips met lips. When he slightly opened his eyes, disappointed that they separated with a soft sound, something warm and moist licked Jaeha’s lips completely.

His heart dropped and then started racing like a wild colt. Heat surged through him in an instant, startling him. Jaeha took rough breaths, expanding his chest. He felt his senses heighten all over his body as his blood rushed. It was as if Eunhong had pressed some switch on his body.

Jaeha clenched his fists tightly and used both arms to prop himself up on the bed, pulling his face away from Eunhong. Eunhong’s arms, which had been around Jaeha’s neck, fell limply, leaving him lying spread-eagled.

“…Ban Eunhong.”

Eunhong lay defenseless under the shadow cast by Jaeha’s body. The sensation that had passed over his lips remained vividly etched in his mind, refusing to fade. A drop of sweat rolled down Jaeha’s chin and fell, leaving a round dot on the white sheet.

“Bunhong, you… are you really sleeping like this?”

“……”

“Hm? Are you really asleep?”

Eunhong didn’t move at all, as if he had completely passed out. Jaeha stared down at that face for a long time, as if engraving it in his eyes.

After hesitating, Jaeha finally couldn’t resist and slowly lowered his face to press his lips against Eunhong’s. The sensation of the plump lips and the hot body temperature was too vivid. When their lips met, Eunhong made a mumbling sound. He thought he heard his name whispered among the incoherent murmurs.

Jaeha raised his head again and gazed at Eunhong’s face for a long time. His eyes moved under his eyelids as if dreaming, and his flushed lips twitched slightly.

Jaeha felt his pheromones pouring onto Eunhong like a waterfall. A bright red and intense desire that the beta wouldn’t even notice.

Eunhong.

Unable to make a sound, Jaeha called Eunhong’s name once more in his mind and tilted his head slightly, this time matching their lips more deeply.

He gently bit the closed lips to part them and lightly licked the hidden fruit beneath, as if tasting it. Softly and tenderly, he sucked as if not wanting to miss even a small breath from Eunhong. Jaeha held Eunhong’s lips like that for a long time, barely managing to pull away before his reason completely snapped.

“…Sleep well.”

It was excruciatingly difficult to contain the heat that had risen to his throat. He patted Eunhong’s chest a couple of times slowly, then suddenly got up as if he had made a big decision.

After fleeing the room, it became easier. He hid in the study, the deepest part of his house. When the thick door closed completely, the sensor lights all turned off at once, plunging the entire house into darkness.

***

Eunhong woke up groaning from extreme thirst. His eyes were completely stuck together. After rubbing and massaging his painfully swollen eyes to finally open them, he saw a bright room. He immediately knew it wasn’t his house. It was too spacious. The bed size too…

What is this place… His eyes, not yet fully adjusted to the light, stung. He got up squinting and staggered out.

As soon as he opened the door and stepped into the living room, he realized it was Jaeha’s house. Although he had visited often, there were so many rooms that the living room and kitchen were the most familiar places. Only then did the memories from last night start to piece together haphazardly.

As he headed towards the kitchen looking for water, he heard clattering sounds and smelled delicious food. Hearing Eunhong’s footsteps, the person in the kitchen turned around with a welcoming expression and made a fuss.

“Oh my, Hong student, you’re up? Come, sit here quickly.”

“Oh, Mrs. Ham. It’s been a while.”

“Sit here. I’ll bring you something to drink.”

Mrs. Ham pushed Eunhong into the dining room and busily returned to the kitchen. At the opposite end of the long 8-person table, Professor Choi was sitting and eating. Eunhong bowed in greeting and sat in an appropriate spot. Where did Jaeha go… He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“The CEO went to the hospital.”

Professor Choi, who was eating, answered as if he had read Eunhong’s mind. As Eunhong’s eyes widened, Mrs. Ham came in and placed a glass of water in front of him, mixing in some vitamins. Mrs. Ham added with a bright smile:

“The CEO isn’t sick, he just went for a check-up. He called this morning and asked me to come over to make sure Hong student ate, I was so happy to hear that, you know?”

While he didn’t understand why Jaeha was “the CEO” and he was still “Hong student,” Eunhong just nodded without questioning it. Come to think of it, Mrs. Ham seemed to have called Jaeha “the CEO” even when he was in college. As Eunhong frowned, suddenly noticing this oddity, Mrs. Ham was busy filling the table.

Grilled mackerel, japchae, and mushroom pancakes were served, along with neat metal chopsticks on ceramic chopstick rests. She filled the table with crab marinated in soy sauce, various fermented seafoods, and assorted vegetable side dishes. There was no time to stop her from preparing too much. A full 12-dish Korean meal was quickly being completed in front of Eunhong. Gulp, Eunhong swallowed dryly. He felt like he might throw up…

“I’ll warm up the soup right away, just wait a moment.”

“Uh…”

Eunhong downed the water Mrs. Ham had given him and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. As he was looking down at the table with a slightly nauseated expression, Professor Choi called out to him.

“Mr. Eunhong.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Do you know that the CEO is currently in his rut period?”

Eunhong fiddled with his spoon. He had heard that term before.

“R-rut?”

“What happened last night? Did the CEO drink alcohol too?”

“Um… I don’t think so.”

Professor Choi looked at Eunhong intently over his glasses.

“Are you certain?”

“Honestly, I don’t remember, but I don’t think he did.”

Professor Choi stared silently. His gaze seemed close to glaring, making Eunhong smile awkwardly.

“It wasn’t a place for Jaeha to drink, and he probably just took me and left right away.”

“It would be a big problem if the CEO drinks during his rut period due to the suppressants he’s currently taking. Please be careful in the future.”

As Eunhong was about to ask further, Mrs. Ham brought out a sizzling pot of bean sprout soup for hangovers. She also presented a small dish containing egg yolk sprinkled with sesame oil and ground sesame seeds. A delicious aroma spread.

Professor Choi said they would talk about the rest after the meal and stood up. Eunhong followed the professor’s back with his eyes as he walked towards the living room.

Why is he telling me to be careful about that?

Jaeha didn’t seem any different yesterday. Eunhong winced as he felt pain above his forehead while running his hand through his messy hair. As he felt around, he found a lump protruding. What’s this now…

Last night, Jaeha had somehow found him at the pub, and had an argument with Kang Hanjae. Then they left the bar and ran…

‘Bunhong, are you asleep?’

His memory was hazy. Did I lie down on the street? Is that when I hit my head…?

Did I get into the car on my own after that? He didn’t remember the thick gauze bandage on his palm either. But Jaeha is in rut now…

Although he thought his stomach would be queasy, the food went down surprisingly smoothly, and Eunhong quickly finished a bowl of rice with the soup. As he headed towards the living room sofa, Professor Choi brought out tea sets as if he had been waiting.

Eunhong’s bag, coat, and phone were on the sofa table. Eunhong, who didn’t remember how he had come to Jaeha’s house yesterday, didn’t know how these items had gotten here either. As he picked up his phone without much thought, Professor Choi cleared his throat.

“Our employee retrieved them in the early morning. The pub owner had been keeping them. Please check if anything is missing.”

Eunhong stiffened.

“Yesterday, Jaeha suddenly appeared… I didn’t call him out intentionally.”

Somehow, he found himself making excuses. Judging by Professor Choi’s demeanor, was Jaeha hurt somewhere? Or was something wrong? He had been looking at Eunhong with an expression that seemed to say it was all his fault, which made Eunhong nervous.

“Is something wrong with Jaeha? He really didn’t drink. I’m sure of that.”

“Due to doctor-patient confidentiality, I cannot disclose the CEO’s personal condition.”

Professor Choi slowly poured tea while looking intently at Eunhong.

“However, you do know what an alpha’s rut is like, don’t you?”

Eunhong took the teacup handed to him by Professor Choi. The tea, at a comfortable temperature, flowed warmly down his throat, helping him relax. A strong scent with a cool, refreshing aftertaste lingered in his nose. Just like Jaeha… Eunhong suddenly frowned at the strange thought. Jaeha’s scent?

“During rut, an alpha’s pheromones mix with an omega’s pheromones, giving each other a heightened sensation and allowing various bodily mechanisms necessary for reproduction to function well. That’s why regularly mixing pheromones is absolutely necessary for 2-star trait holders.”

“…Yes. I learned that in school.”

“As a beta, you probably can’t relate to this. The sensation of unresolved pheromones building up in the body and acting as a poison…”

“……”

“It’s terrible. That’s why all alphas need to resolve it through omegas during their rut. The same goes for omegas in reverse. It’s like, to use an analogy, oiling your body.”

From what he had heard, Jaeha was an extremely dominant alpha. That’s why everyone desired him. Just look at Woohyun. He reacted to every single thing of Jaeha’s and would cross his legs. Eunhong suddenly felt his chest tighten. Did this mean Jaeha had gone to ‘resolve’ his rut now?