The hand touching his foot was ticklish. Since Ihyeok had confessed his feelings, he reached out without hesitation, unlike before. But it wasn’t overly blatant either. Just patting his head, pinching and caressing his cheek. When being a bit more mischievous, hugging his waist.

 

Right now, Ihyeok was massaging various parts of his foot. Of course, Hyeseong knew it was out of concern. He was probably the only one interpreting and feeling those touches strangely.

 

In the past, when he couldn’t reveal his feelings, he would have certainly endured with tremendous willpower, putting effort into his expression and pushing Ihyeok away.

 

But now he couldn’t do that. The only thing that had changed from before was that they had become a little more honest about their feelings for each other, but could things be this different? Was it really normal that he couldn’t hide his expression and was slowly having unusual reactions in his body?

 

Like this, Hyeseong was almost in awe of how well his past self had been able to endure Ihyeok’s touches.

 

“Ah, Ahjussi.”

 

“What, does it hurt a lot?”

 

It would have been much better if it was painful. Then he wouldn’t be having these unnecessary thoughts.

 

“It’s not that… it’s ticklish.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s ticklish because you keep touching it.”

 

His head naturally faced the floor. Even though it probably wasn’t visible due to the darkness from the power outage, Hyeseong instinctively knew. That his face was strangely flushed right now. So he didn’t want to show it.

 

Ihyeok dropped the hand that had been touching his foot. Is it over now? As he was thinking that, a large, thick hand approached and lifted his face.

 

“Hyeseong.”

 

Hyeseong held his breath for a moment. Ihyeok’s eyes were intensely binding him. In the darkness with the lights out, only his eyes were clearly visible. Like someone walking while relying on a single point of light seeping into a dark cave, Hyeseong couldn’t look away.

 

It wasn’t just his vision that was stimulated. A faint citrus scent was spreading. Ihyeok’s pheromones, which Hyeseong liked the most but were harmful to his heart, were slowly flowing out.

 

“Ahjussi… your pheromones are coming out…”

 

Since the two had made up, Ihyeok had never released his pheromones in front of Hyeseong. In the past, there were times when they would flow out subtly, enough for Hyeseong to occasionally feel, but recently, as if deliberately controlling them, nothing could be felt.

 

Hyeseong vaguely knew that this was to be considerate of him, who had just manifested as an omega and was unstable.

 

Perhaps because of that, it had been a really long time. Smelling this scent.

 

“Yeah. I know. I tried to hold back, but this time I just can’t.”

 

Ihyeok’s hand moved gently, caressing Hyeseong’s cheek.

 

“But Hyeseong.”

 

Ihyeok slightly raised his upper body and pressed closer to Hyeseong. In this awkward posture, like just before embracing while sitting face to face, Hyeseong was extremely tense right now.

 

“I feel like I can’t breathe.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Your pheromones are coming out a lot. Right now.”

 

Ihyeok suddenly brought his face close and whispered softly in his ear. As the hot breath burst on his ear, Hyeseong covered one ear with his hand and moved his body back. The thought of maintaining a nonchalant expression had long since evaporated and flown away. His vision, now accustomed to the darkness, was capturing Ihyeok’s figure even more clearly.

 

“Ah… don’t make that expression…”

 

Ihyeok suddenly contorted his face and then deeply buried his head in Hyeseong’s shoulder.

 

“How am I supposed to endure this?”

 

Hyeseong gulped. Although he was a novice who had never properly dated in his life, he wasn’t completely unaware of the meaning behind Ihyeok’s words just now. What he was trying to endure.

 

Ihyeok tightly hugged Hyeseong’s waist as if grasping a lifeline. He was struggling alone, rubbing his face against Hyeseong’s shoulder as if trying to build patience.

 

The pheromones hit his nose intensely. He was enveloped by a strange feeling as if all the blood in his body was violently flowing backwards. Even while embracing him, Ihyeok didn’t release more pheromones. He was acting on instinct but still maintaining boundaries. So as not to trouble Hyeseong, an omega.

 

“Ahjussi…”

 

“Yeah, sorry. But just stay like this for a moment. I’ll try to calm down on my own.”

 

Does hugging like this help calm down? At least it wasn’t working for him at all.

 

Hyeseong was barely holding back his breath, which was starting to become rapid. Why does this Ahjussi think only he would be troubled?

 

Hyeseong suddenly worried that he might really get an erection at this rate. Hadn’t he gotten aroused before just from Ihyeok’s voice during a phone call, like some sexually frustrated person?

 

“I’m troubled too!”

 

Hyeseong, seemingly unable to take it anymore, grabbed Ihyeok’s shoulders and pushed him back hard.

 

“Huh?”

 

“When you hug me like that… I’m troubled too. Why are you only thinking about yourself…”

 

“Ah, oh. Sorry. I’m sorry, Hyeseong.”

 

Startled by Hyeseong’s irritated voice, Ihyeok started frantically bustling about like a broken robot.

 

“Are you feeling very unwell? Is your body uncomfortable or something? Hm?”

 

Ihyeok was busy checking Hyeseong’s condition, scrunching up his large body.

 

“Those pheromones… I’ll try my best. I’m working hard to control them right now.”

 

Ihyeok seemed to think that Hyeseong’s discomfort was due to the alpha’s pheromones. While that wasn’t without influence, it was merely a secondary issue.

 

“That’s not it.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’m saying it’s troublesome because it’s the pheromones of someone I l-like. I told you I like you, so why are you hugging me like that?”

 

Is this the right thing to say? Even as he spoke, Hyeseong felt the contradictions permeating his sentences. But what could he do? The person he had been watching alone for such a long time was now embracing him with all his might. If you asked people in unrequited love, they would all say Ihyeok was in the wrong.

 

“…”

 

Ihyeok, listening to Hyeseong’s honest words, bent down and kissed him. The sound of their lips meeting echoed cheerfully through the house. Hyeseong stared blankly at Ihyeok with a dumbfounded expression. It was the kind of expression that seemed to ask “What did you just do?” without saying a word.

 

“I’m the same. How can I endure when you say things like that?”

 

“Are you saying it’s my fault?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

It was a confident and ridiculous answer, but he couldn’t refute it. Moreover, that wasn’t the only problem. Ihyeok’s atmosphere had suddenly changed. Earlier he had been passively flustered, but now he was strangely calm. As if he had already finished thinking. He looked refreshed, as if he had thrown away any hesitation.

 

Suddenly, he felt the alpha’s pheromones overwhelmingly enveloping his body. Before Hyeseong could look up in surprise, Ihyeok approached again.

 

“Hyeseong.”

 

By now, their faces were slowly getting closer. Close enough to feel each other’s breath on their skin.

 

The pleasant baritone voice was calling him. Ihyeok’s gaze was blatantly fixed on Hyeseong’s lips.

 

“Are you still confused?”

 

His eyes slowly moved up. Every part that his gaze swept over felt hot. That fire eventually flowed somewhere, igniting and starting to burn deep in Hyeseong’s heart.

 

Confused? Of course. Just until a few days ago, they had been like brothers, and suddenly overnight this person says he loves him, hugs him from behind, and kisses his forehead.

 

But is “confused” really the right word to describe this emotion?

 

Some emotions are different yet very similar to each other. There’s a saying, isn’t there? That love can start from great hatred. Just as opposing emotions can seem similar in some aspects, the feelings he was experiencing now couldn’t be expressed simply.

 

“If you’re still like that, shall we check?”

 

“…How?”

 

Ihyeok didn’t say anything. He just revealed a desire as if he would devour him, substituting for an answer.

 

“You’re not making a mistake again, are you?”

 

“That will absolutely never happen.”

 

Ihyeok shook his head firmly, raising the corners of his mouth painfully.

 

“Then… please confirm it for me.”

 

As soon as Hyeseong finished speaking, Ihyeok roughly grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in.

 

“Mmph…”

 

Ihyeok tilted his head and fully captured Hyeseong’s lips.

 

The catalyst that rapidly changes relationships between people can be special, but conversely, it can also be trivial. It was the same for these two now. It was just that the whole neighborhood happened to have a power outage, and two men who liked each other but couldn’t be honest were sitting there.

 

The beginning of that night was that trivial.