Chapter 60: I Didn’t Sleep
by GideonThe sounds of things breaking, tearing, and being devoured all around me faded into a distant hum.
When Zion stared at our joined hands without a word, I panicked, thinking I’d messed up. I quickly apologized.
“Sorry.”
My hand was already clammy, and I yanked it away, worried he’d be disgusted.
The sensation of his touch lingered, vivid and sharp against my fingertips. I prayed he’d just ignore this awkward moment.
But then, the warmth I’d just lost slipped back between my fingers.
His hand entwined with mine at a steady, deliberate pace, as if nothing had happened.
His hand was large, warm, and firm, yet his skin felt impossibly soft.
“Don’t hold back. I’ll get up whenever you need me to,” he said, settling back into his seat.
A strange wave of embarrassment washed over me, making my face feel hot. I was sure I was flushing bright red.
Thank God the theater is dark.
I squeezed his hand even tighter, ignoring how clammy it was. The pressure made my fingers ache, but it also grounded me, slowly bringing me back to reality.
From the halfway point of the movie, I was too terrified to even open my eyes, so I clung to Zion’s hand. This simple gesture eased my loneliness.
Of course, my heart rate and tension were so high that I ended up shredding the head of my fennec fox plushie, tearing it in half and sending stuffing flying everywhere.
And so, the fennec fox met its demise.
As the credits rolled and the lights came up, I vowed once again: Never watch a horror movie on opening day without reading the reviews first.
Never again, I vowed, will I go to an opening-day screening of a horror movie without checking the reviews and spoilers first.
“We’ll clean up the popcorn,” the employee said.
Jubin bowed repeatedly to the staff member, apologizing over and over. Zion joined in, offering his own apologies.
As they walked down the theater hallway, feeling completely wrecked, the craving for a cigarette was overwhelming. My hands were still coated in Zion’s scent.
The amount of pheromones clinging to me was staggering. If I hadn’t taken an extra chip, I would have pounced on him right then and there.
On top of that, the lingering dread from the horror movie left me needing some time alone to calm down.
“I need a smoke…”
“Meet me in the underground parking lot.”
“Yeah, okay.”
The smoking area was outside the building, so I headed back down to the first floor.
Jubin took out his e-cigarette, pressed the button, and slowly inhaled. But as he did, he felt Zion’s pheromones mixed into the soft vapor. He hastily switched the device off.
“Ah… This is a problem.”
He had almost inhaled Zion’s pheromones, which had unexpectedly gotten on his hands.
He had deliberately chosen a sweet, rich scent that most closely resembled Zion’s, but it seemed the real thing was simply unbeatable.
Instead of the cigarette, Jubin slowly inhaled the scent of Zion’s pheromones lingering on the back of his hand. The faint aroma of winter daphne, his favorite scent, gently stimulated his senses.
After they had held hands, he felt a faint stream of pheromones drifting from Zion. Though Zion’s gaze was fixed on the screen, his eyes were strangely vacant, as if his mind were elsewhere.
It all made sense now—he must have been using his pheromones to mask his own emotions.
“…Is that only possible because he’s a Dominant?”
The only time I’d truly felt my Omega nature lately was when Zion’s cock had slid inside me. Every other memory was a hazy dream, but the pressure and pain of that moment remained vivid.
Aside from such extreme circumstances, I’d never really lived with a conscious awareness of being an Omega. Yet, my wretched body, reacting so strongly to his pheromones, kept reminding me that I was a born-and-bred Omega.
Do Zion’s pheromones were definitely different.
The urge to be held by him surged through me with overwhelming force.
“Fuck… this is crazy…”
I hastily switched on the electronic cigarette with my free hand and took a deep drag.
I hoped these useless fantasies would vanish like the vapor. I exhaled several times, trying to calm myself.
It was true that Do Zion’s warmth had comforted me and brought me a sense of stability while we were holding hands.
If this had been a pheromone cigarette, these complicated emotions would have been instantly soothed. But this ordinary one wasn’t enough.
I’d paid a lot for it, so I was disappointed that it wasn’t as effective as I’d hoped.
Watching the white smoke scatter, I suddenly felt sorry for Zion, who was waiting for me.
Each cigarette took at least five minutes. I smoked about four times a day, which meant I spent an average of 30 minutes each day focused on this habit.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I really don’t like stealing Zion’s time like this.
Suddenly, the cigarette in his hand felt like a nuisance.
“Maybe… I should just quit.”
The idea seemed appealing. He’d improve his health, save money, stop wasting time, and most importantly, stop stealing other people’s time.
Jubin hurriedly powered off his phone and headed down to the underground parking lot. Zion was already in the car, on a call.
Knock, knock.
Jubin tapped on the window, and Zion unlocked the door. After a brief glance at Jubin settling into the passenger seat, Zion replied to the person on the phone with a sullen, annoyed tone.
“Everyone’s busy on Fridays. I don’t have any time to give to you, CEO Park.”
Zion was always this cold and dismissive when speaking with CEO Park Ji-bun. His responses were so curt and disinterested, it was as if he were preparing for a truly beautiful breakup before the contract renewal.
“I’ll think about it. If I don’t reply, just assume I’m not going. And stop interrupting my date.”
She snapped one last time before hanging up.
“Does CEO Moon act this annoying too?”
“Well, sometimes?”
“I guess all CEOs are the same.”
As Zion started the car, Jubin reached for his seatbelt. His gaze lingered on Jubin’s waist for a moment.
What? Is there a problem?
“What is it?”
Jubin tried to buckle the belt casually, but Zion suddenly leaned in, twisting his upper body. A wave of Alpha pheromones flooded the space.
“Your seatbelt has been acting up since yesterday.”
His gaze dropped to waist level. Zion easily took the belt from Jubin’s hand and pulled it tight.
The belt wrapped smoothly around Jubin’s waist, and the buckle clicked into place with a heavy thud.
“Forget it.”
Adding the chip was the right call, Jubin thought. Without it, I’d be gasping for air under his pheromones again.
“I’m heading out.”
The car glided forward smoothly.
“Drop me off at my new place?”
“No, I have plans. Just let me out when you see the subway station.”
Zion’s fingers on the steering wheel twitched. His lips parted as if he were weighing his words, his voice cautious.
“With that Omega from the bar?”
He tossed the question out casually, but the fleeting glance he shot Jubin was laced with tension.
“No. We’re completely over,” Jubin denied firmly. “I’m meeting a friend.”
“…Ah, a friend? Which one?”
“Just a childhood friend… who’s a bit mentally unstable.”
Zion paused, his voice trailing off. “…Mentally unstable?”
“Ah, he gets like that when he’s stressed. He’s my only friend, so I can’t just ignore him.”
The man paused, taking a short breath before carefully continuing.
“Your only friend?”
“Yeah, my only friend. He’s going through a rough patch right now, so I need to feed him some Jjimdak.”
Licking his lips, the man glanced sideways at Jubin and asked, “Is he an Alpha?”
“Yeah, an Alpha…”
The moment he answered, Jubin realized what the other man was worried about.
“We haven’t slept together. He’s really just a friend,” Jubin added hastily, his voice trailing off.
He felt a sudden wave of awkwardness, wondering why he was even explaining himself to Do Zion. He quickly turned his gaze to the window.
“Right now, I don’t have anyone but you.”
Jubin’s words hung in the air, turning the atmosphere inside the car strangely tense. Feeling responsible for the awkwardness, Jubin fidgeted with his fingers, trying to endure the silence.
Zion took one hand off the steering wheel and covered Jubin’s hand without a word.
The warmth that entwined with his, without a moment’s hesitation, felt familiar—perhaps because they had held hands for so long in the movie theater.
“Do you like that friend?”
“…Huh?”
Maybe it was because he had just made such a ridiculous excuse, but Jubin couldn’t grasp the intent behind Zion’s question right away.
Is he asking if I like Yeo Si-ha? Absurd thoughts raced through his mind.
“What?”
“I asked if that friend likes jjimdak too.”
Jubin felt a wave of embarrassment, wondering if he had overthought it.
“Yeah, he’s eaten it a lot since he was a kid. Do you like it too?”
“I do. Let’s eat it together next time.”
His hand tightened around hers.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
She felt as if her heart had been captured along with her hand.
“I’ll give you a ride to your friend’s place.”
“No, it’s fine. I can just take the subway.”
“Where is it? Don’t suffer in this heat.”
It seemed impossible to bend Zion’s will.
“Hold on. I sent you the address yesterday.”
Jubin pulled out her phone and checked the message Yeo Si-ha had unilaterally sent the previous evening.
“Do you recognize this place?”
After a moment of studying the address, Zion blinked in surprise.
“This is my house.”
The realization dawned on her slowly, and the words escaped her parted lips.
“…Ah, you live here too?”
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