Chapter 7

“Rian. Look at hyung.”

“Uh…” Rian responded weakly.

Cupping Rian’s soft, clear cheek in his hand, Yu-gyeom gently turned the boy’s face until their eyes locked directly. Seeing that Rian’s innocent, untainted gaze remained uncorrupted—at least for now—Yu-gyeom felt a quiet wave of relief wash over him.

“I always tell you,” Yu-gyeom said, his voice firm yet gentle. “The problem is that you’re too kindhearted. If any friend comes to you with that kind of request, it’s fine to cut them off firmly.”

“Ah, hyung, the thing is…” Rian murmured hesitantly.

Honestly, I didn’t dislike it…

Rian found himself at a loss for words before Yu-gyeom’s assertion. Although they had shared a similar conversation in the past, his current friends were neither annoying nor uncomfortable to be around.

In fact, Rian had actually welcomed them showing interest and approaching him lately, which was why he had thoughtlessly joined the club and entered the group chat. But now that Yu-gyeom reacted with such touchy sensitivity, Rian felt somewhat taken aback. Yu-gyeom continued in a tone tinged with unease and concern.

“The group chat is the same,” Yu-gyeom said. “Didn’t you always say you hated noisy, bothersome things?”

“Uh, that’s true, but…” Rian mumbled.

“Should I tell them for you?” Yu-gyeom asked. “If it’s awkward for you to tell your friends, that is.”

“…Tell them what?” Rian asked softly.

Yu-gyeom’s tone fell flat and unyielding. “That you can’t do the theater club.”

Rian blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Whether the boy genuinely failed to understand or was merely pretending, annoyance began to prick at Yu-gyeom. The people surrounding Rian, sweet-talking the innocent youth into joining a club and engaging in such nonsense behind his back, grated terribly on his nerves.

Even when Rian first enrolled at Hanguk University, so many swarms of flies had buzzed around him that keeping them in check had frayed Yu-gyeom’s nerves to the absolute limit.

Fortunately or not, during his freshman year, Rian had only just awakened as an Omega. His pheromones had erupted unpredictably, his newly formed female genitalia had remained swollen and painful day after day, and there had even been a period when he had to wear diapers because of the arousal fluids constantly leaking from his cleft.

In that way, Rian had learned early on that becoming an Omega was far from a blessing. Experiencing such physical distress, Rian had naturally returned straight home the moment his lectures finished.

Back then, Yu-gyeom had looked after him far more than when Rian was a high school senior. Home, school, home, school—that was the entirety of Rian’s freshman year. Because of that routine, keeping him sheltered had been considerably easier, and Rian had closed the door to his heart, wishing only to remain in Yu-gyeom’s embrace.

Moving into his sophomore year, it had seemed Rian would sever outside ties on his own, yet filthy wretches lusted after him at every opportunity, leaving Yu-gyeom unable to let down his guard for a single second. One inconvenient consequence of his Omega awakening was that Rian had become far too beautiful.

Moreover, the fragrant pheromones radiating from his entire body drew people like moths to a flame. The Alphas were the worst of all. Recessive or not, without knowing their place, they chased after Rian’s tail like dogs. Knowing full well what they were after, Yu-gyeom had kept him under strict watch, and yet…

“Rian, give me your phone,” Yu-gyeom demanded.

This time, Yu-gyeom was exceptionally resolute.

Rian blinked in bewilderment. “Why?”

“You need to leave the group chat,” Yu-gyeom replied.

Shrinking back slightly under his gaze, Rian pleaded, “Hyung, you really don’t have to go that far…”

“Places with too much chatter always breed trouble,” Yu-gyeom said.

Rian lowered his head, his voice barely a murmur. “They’re just asking to eat lunch together… It’s only five people.”

Yu-gyeom arched an eyebrow. “There are five?”

“…Is five a lot?” Rian asked hesitantly.

Yu-gyeom’s tone turned severe, cutting through the silence. “Kwon Rian.”

When Yu-gyeom called out the three syllables of his full name with a stern countenance, Rian hesitated before finally handing over his phone.

Taking the phone from his trembling fingers, Yu-gyeom murmured, “Good boy. Give it here.”

“Just look at it and give it back… I’ll tell my friends and leave the room myself,” Rian said.

Yu-gyeom regarded him with a cool, searching gaze. “You will?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” Rian said. “I can handle that much on my own.”

As Yu-gyeom took the phone, Rian reached out his hand again, trying to reclaim it. Had there ever been an occasion like this before? Because Rian had almost always obeyed whatever Yu-gyeom said, Yu-gyeom felt his temper sour.

Yu-gyeom stared intently at Rian’s uncharacteristic expression. His piercing gaze felt as though it was scouring Rian inside out, making Rian stiffen with tension.

“I can do it myself…” Rian murmured under his breath.

Even as Rian repeatedly insisted he could manage it on his own, Yu-gyeom ignored him and began digging through the phone. Entering the passcode he already knew, the device unlocked effortlessly. Though it was unlikely, had Rian dared to change the passcode, Yu-gyeom would never have let the matter slide.

Yu-gyeom’s thumb, swiping across the screen, suddenly froze. He had found the group chat Rian mentioned. Scrolling from the very top, he skimmed through the conversation exchanged with the classmates. As he read through the logs, he was left utterly speechless.

Su-hyeon

—Rian, Ri-aaan! What’s our pretty Rian doing? Haha.

Yoon-seok

—Rian joined the theater club, so dinner’s on me! Woohoo!

Su-hyeon

—Yeah, our club’s vibe got so much better the second Rian joined.

Taeju

—Ha. Hypocritical bastards.

Su-hyeon

Whatever, Kim Taeju. Rude prick.

Taeju

—Shut up.

—Thanks, guys. I’m really looking forward to it. ^^

Yoon-seok

—Aaargh, Rian is so fucking cute, lol. Look at him saying he’s looking forward to it! (๑‘ᵕ‘๑)⸝*

It seemed Rian had done nothing but text incessantly during Yu-gyeom’s absence; the chat logs were endless. Most of it was idle chatter about lunch menus, rallying the sophomore theater members to stick together, discussing when to hold the welcome party, or asking how much alcohol Kwon Rian could handle.

Rian’s name surfaced relentlessly at the very center of the conversation—as if the chat room could not function without Kwon Rian, or as though it had been created solely for his sake.

Look at him, turning into quite the social butterfly.

The classmates doted on Rian and fawned over him to an almost overbearing degree. Naturally, keeping his expression in check proved difficult for Yu-gyeom as he read through it. Throughout all the years he had spent raising Rian, the boy had never once caused him distress over friend problems. Well, of course he hadn’t—he had never had any friends to begin with.

Rian’s interpersonal relationships had always remained firmly within the palm of Yu-gyeom’s hand, and under that strict oversight, Rian had never formed a deep connection with anyone else.

Even for an older brother living under the same roof, he was decidedly overprotective, yet whenever Yu-gyeom tenderly whispered, “It’s all because I worry about you,” or “There’s no one in this world you can trust,” Rian had had no choice but to accept his words.

Because the world Yu-gyeom described was fraught with nothing but danger, Rian had felt that rather than venturing out into such a world, remaining nestled in Yu-gyeom’s embrace was far safer.

Yet the classmates who approached him now that he was a sophomore were somewhat different. Far from possessing the sinister malice Yu-gyeom had warned him about, they were friendly, cheerful people.

His brother’s constant warnings—to beware of people approaching him with dark intentions because Rian was an Omega—seemed entirely inapplicable to them.

Despite his repeated refusals, they had not changed their welcoming demeanor, continuing to approach him with warm familiarity. In the end, Rian had opened his heart to those classmates. The belief that the world held only dangerous, wicked people had begun to shift little by little because of them.

While these were welcome developments for Rian, to Yu-gyeom, they were undeniably bothersome and infuriating. What Yu-gyeom dreaded above all else was Rian opening his eyes to the wider world—turning his gaze beyond the sanctuary Yu-gyeom had so meticulously constructed. If the day ever arrived when he learned different emotions through relationships with others, realizing that Yu-gyeom was not the entirety of his universe…

Ah, the mere thought of it was horrifying—to imagine someone other than himself occupying even a fraction of Rian.

Yu-gyeom wanted to exit the group chat immediately, but he forced himself to hold back. He knew all too well that clumsy restraint might backfire instead.