Divorce Contract C19

Chapter 19

When asked that, he had no answer. It wasn’t that he wanted to have an affair, but he did want to eat and drink with Seo Dohyeon again, just like before. He had liked him for quite a long time, and since they had originally been close, wasn’t it only natural? That shameless thought filled his head completely.

“That’s not it. I just… like before… we used to be closer.”

“There is no such thing as ‘like before’ with a married man. What kind of foolish thing is that to say.”

“Then what about you? Why do you keep asking to meet Go Igyeol-ssi, asking him out to eat? Isn’t that exactly double standards? Why is it okay for you but not for me!”

Na Seunghui glared at Na Seonwoo, eyes wide, jabbing a finger at him. Tilting his chin up, he pressed him for an answer, as if demanding he speak right away. It annoyed him—being lectured at every turn by someone younger. He was sure he was the smarter one. And earlier, he’d even been humiliated in front of Seo Dohyeon. The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became.

“Yeah, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.”

“See! You don’t even know, and yet you embarrass people like that…! What’s so wrong about just eating together—”

“I’m leaving first.”

“What? Hey! No way!”

Seunghui grabbed at Seonwoo, who had already started moving.

“Why.”

“I came with Seo Dohyeon. If you leave like this, what am I supposed to do?”

Looking at his troubled cousin, Seonwoo let out a heavy sigh. He hated it, but he had no choice, so he went down with him. The rain that had started in the late afternoon still hadn’t stopped.

Waiting for Seunghui, who said he was going to the restroom, Seonwoo stood under the long eaves outside the restaurant, gazing emptily at the deserted parking lot.

Even though Seo Dohyeon had held the umbrella over him, Go Igyeol’s hair was wet. Every time his small hand touched his bangs, droplets scattered.

“Are you cold?”

“…No. I’m not cold. I think you should be the one using this instead of me.”

The hand that held out the handkerchief Seo Dohyeon had given him was pale, almost waxen white, enough to make one think he might be anemic. Without realizing it, Dohyeon caught his hand from the steering wheel. It had seemed like it would be cold, but it was warmer than expected. And because of that, he revealed emotions he shouldn’t have.

“Are you going to keep meeting that friend?”

“…Ah, Seonwoo…?”

“That friend’s an alpha. You may not know it, but I can smell the pheromones Na Seunghui’s cousin left on your body.”

At the sharp remark, Igyeol raised the wrist Seonwoo had grabbed before they entered the restaurant and sniffed. He couldn’t smell a thing. Had pheromones really stuck? His face filled with confusion, and Dohyeon answered coldly.

“You wouldn’t know, since you’re recessive.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“He probably didn’t know either. Because he could sense my pheromones on you, he instinctively released his. Out of rejection.”

Watching Igyeol nod, Dohyeon continued.

“But I feel the same rejection. If this keeps happening, like today, it’ll be hard for me to accept you continuing to meet him. Whether alpha or omega, even if you don’t mean to, pheromones sway you too easily.”

“…I’m sorry. I’ll tell Seonwoo to be careful.”

“That sounds to me like you’re saying you’ll meet him again.”

It was confusing even to Igyeol, who had never once been told not to see someone before. He didn’t say he wouldn’t, only blinked. Looking at him, Dohyeon felt like fire was raging inside. Yet to show it would make him seem petty, so he swallowed the emotion down. His voice, however, came out sharp with irritation.

“You’re about to cry.”

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t bother you.”

“That’s not something you can fix by just deciding it.”

“…Even so… I’ll be careful.”

At the small, trembling voice, Dohyeon only nodded, but he could feel his nerves tightening from the unpleasant thoughts crowding his head. The way Seonwoo looked at Igyeol was not friendship but affection. The more he turned it over, the deeper his suspicions grew.

The car engine that hadn’t shut off right away, the umbrella tilted toward him without hesitation, the cardigan thrown over him, the arm around his shoulders—all those things, Igyeol hadn’t found them awkward. The closeness between them, the smiles they exchanged, the softened air, the slightly parted lips—Dohyeon remembered it all as vividly as if it had happened right before his eyes.

“…Are you alright?”

Perhaps it wasn’t something to freeze up over, but Igyeol flinched at the sudden heavy mood. His shoulders hunched under the oppressive pheromones. Clasping his hands together over his thighs, he panted.

“The pheromones are too strong.”

“…What?”

“Maybe it’s because of those clothes. He covered you up to keep you dry. Why didn’t you get out of the car right away when you arrived?”

The smoothly running car slowed to a halt at the shoulder. Dohyeon let out a low groan, deciding it was difficult to keep driving like this. He shifted the gear into park and turned fully toward Igyeol. His voice, resonating in the silence, dropped another octave.

“You said you weren’t close.”

“…With Seonwoo? We weren’t that close.”

“Is it so easy to grow close by chance? You’re someone who gets shy with strangers.”

“Why… why are you asking me this?”

Meeting his piercing gaze, Igyeol faltered, then turned his head away. Covering his mouth and nose with the back of his hand, he shook.

“The p-pheromones…”

“You like them. Lately, you’ve been desperate to have them.”

“Right now… hhh—”

“Na Seunghui’s cousin seems interested in you. You really didn’t notice?”

The heavy tone made Igyeol shake his head frantically. Interested? He had once confessed he liked him in the past, but had also said not anymore. Dohyeon’s overreaction left Igyeol flustered. Scared, yet heated, he held his breath—then quickly inhaled, afraid holding it in would hurt the baby.

“So it is because of him.”

“…W-what? I don’t know what you mean.”

As Dohyeon’s hand brushed at the damp corners of his eyes, Igyeol trembled. The deliberate flood of pheromones made his whole body itch. Each blink shed lukewarm tears onto Dohyeon’s fingers.

Studying his face as if hiding something, Dohyeon laid the dates out in his head. The time when Igyeol had suddenly brought up divorce coincided with when he’d started meeting Seonwoo. The thought made his mood all the fouler.

“Seo Dohyeon-ssi, please stop…”

Perhaps they had already been meeting. Perhaps the feelings had grown until he couldn’t hide them, until he even wanted to get caught, and that was why Seonwoo had marked him with pheromones.

“Stop… hhh…”

His scrunched face contrasted with the voice that begged for more. Dohyeon wondered if perhaps that young alpha also knew this side of Igyeol that only he was supposed to know. Pouring more pheromones over him, Dohyeon stared. Wide eyes, unable even to blink properly, fingers clawing at his jeans—he saw it all.

Under the overwhelming flood of his pheromones, Igyeol no longer carried the faint scent of that inexperienced alpha.

“P-please… stop, ah…!”

Igyeol didn’t want to fall apart helplessly in the car, didn’t want to lose himself and cling to Seo Dohyeon. But when he sobbed, Dohyeon gradually reined back his pheromones. As the scent faded, Igyeol shivered with his eyes closed. His underwear was soaked. The shame was unspeakable.

“Go Igyeol.”

“Hhh… yes, yes…”

“Don’t see him again.”

“…I-I won’t. I won’t see him.”

His breathless reply was met with a gaze full of possessiveness. It was far too much for a bond bound by just a sheet of paper. Searching for a word to attach to his emotions, Dohyeon reached for the small face drenched in sweat.

Obedient, with no will of his own—Igyeol. That beautiful face, eyes softly opening and closing, he wished only to see himself reflected in them. Was it greed? To want him to move like a puppet, only as he willed—could that be called love?

His cheek leaned into the large palm, warm. His lips, plump from constant biting, glistened with spit. Tilting his head, Dohyeon kissed him.

The kiss, probing the heated depths of his mouth, terrified him. He feared more pheromones would come. Breathing awkwardly through his mouth, nose clogged from crying, Igyeol was careful not to displease him. If he pushed even slightly, who knew what would happen here.

“Hold me properly.”

The hands that had rested on his thighs lifted and wrapped around Dohyeon’s neck. They shook pitifully, yet clung tight. Moisture clung to his lashes, shimmering.

“Keep your promise.”

At the words spilled between their lips, Igyeol only nodded in reply.