Chapter 39

Wasn’t it said that when a shock is too great, one actually becomes calm?

By then, Yi-seon had regained his composure and was ready to take whatever nonsense Mugyeol spewed in stride. In any case, Mugyeol would just babble like this for a bit and come to his senses once some time passed.

Rising from his chair, Mugyeol washed his face at the infirmary sink. After wiping away the blood and tidying his hair, Mugyeol returned and sat back down in the chair across from Yi-seon. Feeling suffocated, he had unbuttoned his collar, which had been neatly fastened to the neck, and pulled his tie all the way down, leaving it loosely draped.

Both sat in silence as though perched in time-out chairs. Unable to endure Mugyeol’s gaze, which scrutinized him intently as if examining a newly discovered organism, Yi-seon spoke first, “By the way, what about that girl your family introduced you to? Soram.”

“I already told them last year that I’d stop seeing her.”

“What? Why?”

“Didn’t see any need to keep meeting her.”

Mugyeol massaged the back of his neck with an indifferent face.

“Do you have any intention of meeting another male Omega? What if your type actually isn’t female omegas, but—”

“Yi-seon-ah, you’re crossing a serious line…”

Yi-seon had spoken on a sudden impulse of curiosity, but Mugyeol’s glare shut him up. Mugyeol scowled as if even considering it disgusted him, the look in his eyes warning Yi-seon not to say another word of bullshit.

Yi-seon burst into laughter instead.

“You’re the one who completely crossed the line.”

Have I lost my mind too? Why am I laughing in this situation? Am I genuinely crazy?

Embarrassed by his own idiotic laughter, he gradually stifled it. Given that Mugyeol reacted like that at the mere thought of dating a male Omega, it baffled him how on earth the guy planned to marry him.

In truth, his own feelings were clear as day.

He liked Mugyeol. If marriage were possible, he wanted it. How many times had he imagined himself beside Mugyeol instead of Jeong Soram? When he was already satisfied just remaining friends, being married would undoubtedly bring happiness.

Yet not like this. If he got swept up in Mugyeol’s impulse and made a flippant decision as if it were a joke, only for things to go wrong later, Ryu Yi-seon would be the sole person left bleeding. That was how love and feelings worked. The one whose feelings ran deeper, the one who gave more love, was always the one who bled.

“Let’s think about this rationally. What are you going to do during your rut? I’m just a regular Omega, so I can endure it with suppressant injections, but you’re an Extreme Dominant Alpha. You’ll build up sacred relics. Are you going to achieve nirvana later?”

“Cut the crap about nirvana.”

“Then what are you going to do? Sleep with me? That’s completely absurd.”

“…”

Mugyeol’s gaze, locked onto Yi-seon, deepened into quiet stillness. Tracing slowly downward from his eyes, Mugyeol’s gaze halted around Yi-seon’s lips.

Yi-seon leaned back a little, goosebumps rising along his nape. Before he could retreat any farther, Mugyeol reached out and lightly cupped the lower half of his face.

His face was drawn naturally toward Mugyeol. Just as a shadow seemed to fall over his head, something soft brushed gently against his lips before parting.

…Huh?

A sensation he had felt once before.

In the very same place, with the very same person—a second kiss, light as downy feathers.

Startled by the cool yet soft texture of those lips, Yi-seon froze in place, only for a third kiss to descend softly upon his lips. Touch… Pressed together, they lingered against each other for a quiet spell. Mugyeol’s breath and Yi-seon’s breath mingled softly between their lips. With lowered lids, Mugyeol’s gaze traced the rim of Yi-seon’s eyelashes.

From beyond the window, ripples of graduating students’ laughter drifted in. When Yi-seon belatedly came to his senses and twitched in flustered panic, Mugyeol only then parted his lips slightly.

Mugyeol stayed close enough that their eyelashes nearly brushed. “I can do it,” he whispered.

Yi-seon blinked with a dazed expression. Had the gap between him and Mugyeol ever been this narrow?

“Yeah… I can definitely do it.”

The softly murmured voice tickled his ear, and warm breath drifted gently across his skin. Touch… As Mugyeol’s lips met his once more, melted by each other’s warmth, they felt lukewarm compared to before.

Gazing at Mugyeol’s long eyelashes filling his vision, Yi-seon squeezed his eyes shut. Not a single thought crossed his mind. He could no longer endure the tingling shiver crawling up his spine.

The sensation of Mugyeol’s lips interlocking with his, nipping gently at his lips, was difficult to bear. He wanted to bite, hold, or grip onto anything, yet unable to do a thing, he merely fidgeted with empty hands.

The hand that had held Yi-seon’s chin crept up toward his ear, fingertips caressing the earlobe before cupping his cheek. Mugyeol’s other hand likewise cradled Yi-seon’s cheek, drawing him gently closer.

Yi-seon’s body gradually tilted toward Mugyeol. With his face held in Mugyeol’s hands, he was led wherever Mugyeol pulled.

Tilting Yi-seon’s chin slightly upward, Mugyeol slipped through the seam of his lips and pushed his tongue inside. A hot mass of flesh began slowly exploring the inside of Yi-seon’s mouth. Following the wet sounds of their kissing, the angle of Yi-seon’s head naturally tilted.

An unfamiliar arousal that seemed to blow away all conscious thought ignited with a shivering spark. The thought of pushing Mugyeol away didn’t even cross his mind. The noisy chatter of students drifting in from outside the window vanished into the back of his awareness.

All he could register was the scorching heat of the palm caressing his cheek, the soft texture of interlocking lips, and the breath flickering against the tip of his nose. Whenever Mugyeol’s hair brushed over his forehead, his skin tickled.

Tongues entwined and breaths tangled. Mugyeol’s once-cool lips caressed him with burning heat. Yi-seon felt a searing warmth, as if thrown into a raging inferno. Every time he was touched and pressed against, his entire body flushed scorching hot.

Mugyeol’s touch was tender. His palm traced over skin, fingertips exploring the curve of the ear before fondling the earlobe. As if handling fragile glass, he slowly stroked down the nape of the neck while pulling Yi-seon close. Parting Yi-seon’s trembling lips, he plunged deep inside, stirring thick and slow.

“Mmh…”

Yi-seon sank helplessly into Mugyeol’s kiss. In contrast to his stiff, frozen body, his heart thudded furiously. As his strength drained and his body gave way, Mugyeol’s arm wrapped firmly around him to support his weight.

Passing the ear and brushing down the neck, Mugyeol’s hand slowly pulled down Yi-seon’s necktie. Pop. The action of undoing a button was so excessively natural that Yi-seon didn’t even realize his collarbone was exposed.

After sucking and tormenting his lips for a long while, Mugyeol parted their mouths and peppered kisses all over his face. Leaving searing imprints across his cheek, the bridge of his nose, the corner of his mouth, and his chin, he moved slowly downward.

Mugyeol buried his face into the nape of Yi-seon’s neck. Damp strands of hair tangled against Yi-seon’s neck while scorching breath slid over his skin. Each time Mugyeol planted light kisses along the line of his throat, Yi-seon hitched his shoulders and parted his lips.

“Hnngh…”

Mugyeol’s lips touched beneath his slightly tilted chin. Pecking lightly, Mugyeol soon traced down the Adam’s apple, rubbing his lips against the collarbone. Everywhere those lips touched, an electric heat spread thrillingly.

The breath falling upon his skin was scalding hot. Mugyeol’s rough panting, as if holding back intense arousal, echoed in a low rasp.

Yi-seon felt dizzy. Sensations like these were completely new to him. An excitement so tumultuous yet quiet, a sensation so potent it blurred his senses while crushing his heart with a piercing ache—it was all for the first time. It swept over Yi-seon like an unheralded surge of tide.

Unable to withstand the dizzying sensations, just as Yi-seon was about to lean back over the chair, Mugyeol pulled his face away from the crook of his neck. Supporting Yi-seon’s falling back, he looked down quietly into Yi-seon’s face.

Haa, ha…

Panting for breath, Yi-seon opened his eyes. Goosebumps rose along his neck where the chilly air coiled.

His vision remained dark, shadowed heavily by Mugyeol. With nowhere to rest his hazy gaze, he averted his eyes from Mugyeol’s and merely drew ragged breaths. Reality did not feel like reality. It felt like groping through a dream.

Mugyeol’s gaze, loosened lazily with arousal, slowly raked over Yi-seon. Having grown excessively sensitive, Yi-seon felt an electrifying tremor from the mere brush of Mugyeol’s gaze.

Mugyeol slowly brushed back Yi-seon’s disheveled hair. Tracing the contour of Yi-seon’s face with his fingertips, he quietly gazed into his trembling pupils. Soon, the corners of Mugyeol’s eyes curved prettily into a languid smile.

“See, you can do it too.”

“…”

Only upon hearing that quiet voice did Yi-seon snap to his senses.

Reality struck him as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his flushed face. As if something had abruptly shattered, the clamor outside the window began ringing loudly in his ears again.

“Don’t go anywhere today. Stay with me.”

Stroking Yi-seon’s damp lips with his thumb, Mugyeol made the leisurely proposal. Cupping Yi-seon’s face once more as the boy stared with startled eyes, unable to even shake his head, Mugyeol pulled him in.

“We haven’t even released both of our pheromones, yet if it’s like this, I think we’re really talented at it.”

“Wait…”

Lips curling into a smile covered Yi-seon’s mouth. At the same time, a large hand slid down to his waist, tugging the tucked-in shirt out of his trousers.

A hot palm slipped straight beneath the waistband. Warm skin stroked softly against Yi-seon’s waist before venturing even deeper. Following the rounded curve, it reached naturally downward.

“Are you wet in the back too?”

“Ngh…!”

The moment he heard the bullshit Mugyeol whispered while nibbling on his lip, Yi-seon snapped his eyes wide open as if jolted from a dream. Then, he swung his fist with all his might.

“You crazy bastard…!”

Crack!

Receiving a fist instead of a kiss, Mugyeol was knocked back with a resounding impact.

Heaving for breath, Yi-seon rubbed his wet lips vigorously with the back of his hand. He should have shoved him away at the very first peck, but when the guy he had feelings for suddenly kissed him, he had lost his head and ended up letting it go this far.

“Are you actually out of your mind?!”

Wiping his bloody lip, Mugyeol grinned. “Nope. Perfectly sane.”

“I doubt it! You’re out of your damn mind!”

Their graduation ceremony remained an unforgettable, vivid memory for both of them for the rest of their lives.

To Yi-seon, it was the day the crazy bastard he had a one-sided crush on spouted nonsense and kissed him.

To Mugyeol, it was the miraculous day he got beaten up twice by Yi-seon—once while proposing to him, and once more while kissing him.

In many ways, it was an immensely impressive graduation finale.