"Kun, Kun! Let's do spelling practice!"

The child ran to Liu, who was grabbing a slice of cake and some milk from the kitchen. Hugging his leg, the boy held a thin notebook in one hand.

"Spelling practice? Sure. Come sit at the table."

The child scrambled onto the chair on his knees.

The child's name was Leo—Liu and Ihyeon's neighbor. Born to a Korean chef father and an Australian painter mother, Leo had been born in Bali and grown up there ever since. Because of this, he was fluent in Korean, English, and even Balinese.

Since recently starting to learn to read, the child had become completely absorbed in spelling practice. Compared to the old days when Liu had to actively play with him, things had gotten a little easier.

Liu placed the cake and milk beside Leo's notebook and sat down across from him. The child raised his pencil high and shouted.

"Number one!"

"Okay, number one. What should we do for this one... Hmm. Cake."

The child, who had been watching Liu's lips with sparkling eyes, moved his pencil with a confident expression the moment the word was spoken. Resting his chin in his hand, Liu watched the child's small, glistening crown and smiled silently.

After their marriage, Liu and Ihyeon had moved, as planned, to Bali—Ubud, specifically. That had been five months ago already. Leo, who used to hide behind his parents' legs and couldn't even greet them properly when they first met, was now a close buddy to both of them.

"Cake!"

The child presented the crookedly written word to Liu.

"Correct! Leo, that's amazing. 'Cake' was a difficult word."

"It wasn't hard. Cake is easy."

"Here, since you got it right, have a bite of the cake too."

Liu took a piece of cake with a fork and placed it in the child's mouth. He was a little surprised by the boy, who was so focused on spelling practice despite having his favorite cake right in front of him.

"Okay, next is number two... What should I make number two?"

"Give me a hard word! Something hard!"

Wondering what word would be challenging enough yet still possible for Leo to get right, Liu looked around the room.

It was then that he heard a small voice begin to whimper and cry.

"Parang woke up!"

Leo was the first to shout it. Without needing to decide who would go first, both of them got up from their seats.

In the middle of the living room, on the mat and cushions, a small baby lay on his stomach, crying while flailing his arms and legs.

"Parang, did our Parang sleep well?"

Upon hearing Liu's voice, the baby's crying quieted. Liu lowered himself and revealed his face to the baby. Dark, wet eyes blinked as the baby examined him.

"You slept well and even managed to roll over by yourself?"

"Does Parang want to go swimming?"

Leo, who had come to Liu's side, asked while watching the baby with fascinated eyes.

The baby knew how to roll over but couldn't yet crawl. The sight of him lying on his stomach and waving his limbs around looked to Leo like he was trying to swim.

"No—he wants to crawl forward. He'll be scooting around everywhere soon. Right, Parang?"

As the baby's cries grew louder, Liu picked up the small body. Leo spoke in a worried voice.

"Parang must have been scared because no one was around."

"I suppose so. He must have been startled."

Liu soothed the baby with practiced ease. Usually the crying would have stopped right away, but this time the fussing didn't subside even with gentle rocking.

"Parang, what's upsetting you after waking up? Huh?"

While rocking the baby and nuzzling his nose against the fragrant little head, Liu checked the diaper. The yellow star on the outside had turned blue—the baby had peed.

"It was the diaper. I'll change it right away."

"The diaper? Should I go get the diaper?"

Leo asked, his eyes lighting up as though he'd been waiting for the chance. He always wanted to do something for the baby. Usually quite the wild one, Leo was extremely careful whenever he was around Parang.

"Would you?"

From the diaper bag not far away, Leo quickly retrieved a fresh diaper and brought it over.

"Thank you, Leo."

Liu carefully laid the small body back down and handed the baby a stuffed doll that had been rolling around on the mat. The light blue rabbit with long ears was Parang's comfort object. Since the baby had learned to roll over, he would struggle to flip himself the moment he was set down, so they needed something to hold his attention during a diaper change.

Leo knelt quietly beside Liu, his gaze fixed on the baby.

"Did you poop? Parang, did you poop?"

"No. He just wet it."

"Aww, that's boring."

Liu burst out laughing when he saw Leo looking disappointed.

"You really love talking about poop, don't you, Leo?"

"It's funny."

Liu couldn't understand what part was funny, but he felt he understood the fact that children all over the world went crazy for that kind of thing.

Laying a new diaper under the baby's bottom, Liu made eye contact with Parang and smiled kindly as he removed the soiled one.

"When Parang gets as old as Leo, will he also like talking about poop?"

"Of course!"

Leo answered proudly, as if it were some glorious ritual. Liu couldn't help but laugh.

Before putting on the fresh diaper, Liu fanned the baby briefly to prevent a rash.

"Can I do that too? Can I do it?"

"You want to try?"

"Will Parang be okay if I do it?"

Leo was eager to try but also worried about accidentally hurting the baby.

"You can do this too, Leo. Want to try?"

"Yes!"

Grasping the handle with his small hands, Leo waved the fan very carefully.

"Kun, but when will Parang be able to talk?"

"Well, he can only babble right now, so we'll probably have to wait a little longer."

"I wish he'd grow up fast so we could play together."

"You'll take good care of him, won't you, Leo?"

"Absolutely! When we play together, I'll tell him all about the fun places and the dangerous places he shouldn't go!"

"That's really dependable. Parang is lucky to have a hyung like you."

"Yep, I'm the hyung, so I have to protect Parang."

Liu stroked Leo's soft hair and looked at him with affection.

"I'll give Parang all my cake and all my toys!"

Liu was moved that even such a small child could think of others like that. The words, offered sincerely without any calculation of benefit, reached something deep in him.

Liu gently kissed the top of Leo's head.

"Parang is the luckiest baby in all of Bali."

"Because of Leo?"

"Yes, because of you, Leo."

The boy looked up at Liu, met his eyes, and smiled brightly without any hesitation.

After fanning the baby, Liu carefully put a fresh diaper on him. He checked that the waist wasn't too loose and unfolded the tabs properly to prevent leaks. He thought to himself that this procedure was starting to feel quite second nature.

"Mom and Dad say that Kun taking care of the baby is like ilhuilbi."

"Ilhuilbi?"

At Leo's words, Liu's eyes widened as he asked back.

"Yeah, like getting better every day."

"Ah..."

Since he was still young and used multiple languages, Leo often made adorable mistakes that delighted the adults.

"So it means I've gotten better at taking care of Parang, right?"

"Yes!"

"Then what Mom and Dad said must have been ilchwiyoljang?"

"That's it! That's the word!"

Ilchwiyoljang, ilchwiyoljang... Leo repeated the word a few times, then tilted his head and looked up at Liu.

"Then what is ilhuilbi?"

"Hmm, it's a slightly difficult word... Ilhuilbi is the feeling of being both happy and sad. It can also mean happy and sad things happening alternately. It might be a bit hard for you to understand, Leo."

"I know what that is."

"You do?"

"When I eat cake, I'm happy because it's delicious, but I'm also sad because it gets smaller."

"That's right. That is exactly ilhuilbi. You are really smart, Leo."

When Liu looked surprised and patted his head, Leo grinned proudly.

When it came time to pull up the pants after the diaper change, the baby started whining again. Liu soothed him while speeding up his movements.

"Our Parang got so bored. It's all done now, all done... finished!"

After pulling up the pants, Liu swept the baby up in a sudden embrace, and Parang giggled while kicking his little legs. His condition had clearly recovered after the diaper change. Liu adjusted his hold to make the baby comfortable and stood up.

The baby settled his head and neck steadily against Liu's left shoulder. He wrapped his chubby little arms around Liu's thick upper arm and gripped the hem of his T-shirt tightly. Liu turned his head, kissed the baby's head, and gently stroked his back with his large palm.

Leo tugged on the hem of Liu's pants and looked up.

"Parang looks happy when Kun holds him."

"Should I hold you too, Leo?"

"I'm not a baby."

Though he pretended to hesitate, Leo clearly wanted to be held too. He might have been deeply immersed in the role of a hyung lately, but he was still just a six-year-old boy. After scratching his lips with his finger as if thinking it over, Leo shrugged his small shoulders and arrived at a conclusion he could accept.

"Well, Kun always holds Ihyeon too, even though he's not a baby."

"......"

Liu was momentarily speechless with surprise.

It was interesting to see himself reflected through the child's words. He was always surprised that Leo noticed even the most ordinary aspects of their daily lives. Liu smiled and stroked the hair of the boy clinging to his leg.

"Ihyeon is special. Forever."

"Because you love him?"

"Yes, because I love him."

Still holding the baby in his left arm, Liu bent down and opened his right arm toward Leo. Conscious of the baby nestled against Liu's left side, Leo carefully climbed in. Holding both children in his arms, Liu returned to the kitchen and set Leo down on the dining chair.

The spelling session continued up to number ten, using words like "Parang," "love," and "thank you." Just as Leo was finishing the cake, the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?"

Leo was the first to react happily to the visitor. Liu checked his wristwatch and lifted Parang high.

"Parang, looks like Daddy's here."

· · · · ·

Even after promising marriage, Liu and Ihyeon couldn't move in together right away. There were still practical matters they needed to handle. But the fact that they had definitively promised marriage alone made the time they had to spend apart significantly less painful.

After their engagement, the two first came to Bali and signed the lease for their current house. The property, made up of two buildings, had appealed to them instantly. The building facing the road would be the gallery, and the one behind it was perfect as their home. They decided to renovate a small storeroom between the two buildings into Ihyeon's atelier.

Extensive remodeling took place before Liu and Ihyeon wrapped up their lives in Seoul and Paris, respectively, and moved to Bali. They even built a swimming pool in the courtyard. Getting the permit had caused some trouble, but it was a decision they would be satisfied with for years to come.

A separate main gate was installed between the gallery and the residence to ensure privacy. While interactions with affiliated artists or neighbors were always welcome—and the gallery had indeed become like a neighborhood living room—Liu wanted the residence to remain a purely private space for him and Ihyeon. Anyone could enter the gallery during business hours, but the main gate leading to the house could not be passed by just anyone.

The person who rang the doorbell at that gate and appeared was Seo Yeehan.

"Parang! Did you come out to greet Daddy?"

Yeehan's face filled with emotion the moment he saw the baby held by Liu, who had come out to the entrance.

"Daddy got even darker than this morning. Right, Parang?"

Liu turned his body so the baby in his arms could be seen more clearly by Yeehan.

"Tell me about it. I wondered if he could get any darker, but apparently it's possible."

Yeehan, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, looked so dark that his skin seemed close to a deep gray rather than just brown.

"Don't stand in the doorway; come in. We need to get Parang's things too. Can I get you some tea?"

"Ah, I'm so exhausted right now... hyung, give me coffee instead."

Indeed, Yeehan looked extremely tired—not surprising after teaching classes all day. As he took off his shoes and stepped inside, he looked down at Leo, who was clinging to Liu's leg, and smiled brightly.

"Hi, Leo."

"Hello."

Leo greeted him hesitantly.

"Did Leo help out a lot watching Parang?"

While Leo addressed Liu and Ihyeon familiarly by name, he treated Yeehan more formally, in the Korean way.

"I fanned Parang."

"Did you? Thank you so much. Please continue to look after our Parang for us."

Parang was the son Yeehan and Morae had obtained with great difficulty.

The male Beta and female Alpha had almost given up on having a child after trying for so long. It was Liu and Ihyeon who had introduced Marcus to them. Since Marcus and Ellen, who were in the same situation, had succeeded in having their son Jonas, Liu and Ihyeon thought they might be able to help.

They soon began tests to see if they could truly have a baby, and the results brought both joy and sorrow.

Fortunately, Morae also had mature eggs, just like Ellen. However, her uterus was not very developed. The doctor recommended retrieving Morae's eggs and using a surrogate as the primary option.

After much deliberation, the two decided to go with that method.

The immense cost of the entire, far-from-simple process was borne by Mr. Lim, Morae's father.

The very person who had long opposed their relationship—the one who had driven them to flee all the way to Bali—was now willing to cover the costs for their future child. It was an outstretched hand of reconciliation.

The surrogacy procedure was performed in Australia, where it was legal and close to Bali. Mr. Lim traveled to Australia himself to hold his grandson immediately after the birth. Now he was an ordinary grandfather, living with the satisfaction of watching his granddaughter by the East Sea and his grandson in Bali grow up—though he still occasionally insisted on things stubbornly, leaving his children stunned.

In any case, Parang was a miraculous baby who had come to the two of them after such a difficult wait.

The baby's name is Parang. Wave.

Ripples and big waves. Waves. It was a naming choice befitting surfer parents.

As they moved toward the kitchen, Parang, held in Liu's arms, stared intently at Yeehan. Then, apparently recognizing him, the baby stretched both arms out toward his father.

"Parang, do you recognize your dad? Do you want to come to Daddy?"

Overcome with emotion, Yeehan took the baby and held him close.

"I thought I would die from missing you."

Watching Yeehan gently kiss the baby's head, Liu felt a complicated mix of emotions.

"He cried whenever I was out of sight for even a moment. He kept telling me to hold him constantly."

"Really? That must have been tough for you, hyung."

"He was stuck to me all day, so seeing him run right to you makes me feel a little left out."

As he patted the diapered bottom of Parang nestled in his father's arms, Liu managed a bittersweet smile.

"You can become a father too, hyung."

At Yeehan's suggestion, Liu only offered an unreadable smile. He turned away, using the excuse of needing to prepare the coffee maker.

"Sit down, I'll make coffee in a moment. How was the lesson? Did everything go smoothly?"

"Thanks to you. Morae also asked me to pass along her thanks."

Yeehan and Morae ran a surfing school at Kuta Beach, one of Bali's famous surfing spots. Because they had other instructors, the owners didn't schedule lessons on weekends when the nanny had time off. However, this weekend there was a special advanced lesson they needed to attend. That's why they had entrusted the baby here.

Kuta was not a short distance from Ubud—even when traffic was good, it took an hour and a half. But whenever they were asked, Liu and Ihyeon gladly helped look after Parang.

This was only the second time they had brought Parang to Ubud instead of going to Kuta.

"It's Sunday, and Ihyeon is still working? The light was on in the atelier."

"He'll wrap things up and come over soon."

Liu glanced at his wristwatch and replied with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

"His solo exhibition is about a month away now, right? He must be busy."

"He's always been the type to work diligently every single day. He isn't behind on his work, but since this is his first exhibition since coming here, I think he wants to do even better. He hasn't left the atelier all day."

Leaning against the counter, Liu looked worriedly toward the window facing the atelier. Except for a brief stop home for lunch, Ihyeon had been holed up in his studio for eight hours already.

"So you brought Parang home today because Ihyeon had to be in the atelier."

"I couldn't just leave Ihyeon alone and leave the house."

Yeehan let out a short laugh watching Liu shrug as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Is Ihyeon your baby, hyung?"

Liu, looking a bit awkward, just smiled without answering as he placed the filter into the dripper.

"Funny... you still light up just hearing Ihyeon's name, don't you?"

"Still? We're in the middle of our honeymoon phase, you know?"

"Ah, right. Of course. Is there anyone in Bali who doesn't know you two are newlyweds?"

He added the murmur, "Look how obvious you are," as if to himself, but it was clearly meant to be heard.

"I know too! Kun and Ihyeon are newlyweds!"

Leo, sitting next to Yeehan, raised his arm and shouted proudly, leaving Liu and Yeehan no choice but to laugh.

"Hyung's been watching the baby all day by himself because of Ihyeon's work?"

"Leo helped watch him."

"Even though he's my own son, watching him alone is really tough."

"What's 'tough'?"

Leo looked up at Yeehan, his eyes sparkling. Yeehan stroked the boy's head with a look of regret.

"Oh... no, I misspoke. I'm sorry."

While Yeehan was sweating over Leo, Liu brewed drip coffee with hot water. After pouring two cups and setting them on the table, his phone rang from the living room.

"I'll go get it!"

Recognizing the ringtone, Leo quickly slid off his chair and ran to the living room. He returned in an instant wearing a proud expression, happy to have helped. Liu patted the boy's head.

"Thanks, Leo. Oh? It's your dad."

The caller ID showed Leo's father.

"No! I'm not ready to go yet! I don't want to leave."

Sensing it was a call to come home, Leo leaned against the table, rubbed his face, and made a sour expression. Liu stroked the boy's hair and answered. Sure enough, it was a message to return home right away.

"Dad says to stop playing and come to the restaurant."

Leo's father ran a fusion Korean restaurant three minutes away, and the family lived on the third floor of the same building.

"Aww, but I want to play with Parang more."

Having grown quite attached to the baby, Leo went to Yeehan's side and fiddled with Parang's small foot.

"He said he bought you a bicycle. I heard you wanted one."

At the mention of a bicycle, the boy instantly changed his attitude completely. His eyes, sparkling with delight, quickly turned toward Liu.

"A bicycle? Awesome!"

Leo, who had been halfway to the front door, stopped and turned back. He stood holding the edge of the table and looked up at Yeehan, his expression decidedly polite.

"Mister, can I give Parang a goodbye kiss?"

"Of course, absolutely."

Leo carefully kissed the baby's forehead, then properly greeted both Kun and Yeehan before running back toward the front door.

Yeehan watched Leo's retreating back with a smile, then brought his mug to his lips and asked.

"'Awesome,' huh? Where did he pick up language like that?"

"I think he learned it from Yuni."

Baek Yuni had also left The Hands with Ihyeon and moved to Bali. More capable now with accumulated experience, she was in charge of the overall operation of the local gallery, alongside her partner, Michelle.

Michelle, who had worked as a designer in Paris, had joined Liu's team and handled all the visual media design for the gallery.

Jungles, rivers, the sea, rice paddies, lakes... Deeply immersed in Bali's diverse nature, Yuni and Michelle were thoroughly enjoying life there, working passionately on weekdays and taking short trips on weekends.

"But you must have had such a hard time taking care of the baby all by yourself. I'm so grateful."

"You said you'd treat me to a meal, right? Make it an expensive one."

"I definitely will. I'll buy good ingredients and cook a feast for you myself."

"I was just saying that. Taking care of Parang isn't that hard. How could it be hard when he's this cute, right, Parang?"

As Liu spoke to him from across the table, the baby made eye contact and giggled happily.

"You're surprisingly talented at childcare. Even the way you hold him is so steady. You don't look like someone who just babysits once in a while."

"I never really had the chance to spend time with kids before. It's kind of surprising to me, too."

"At first, you didn't know what to do when he was handed to you."

"He was so small—I was afraid I might hurt him."

"Now, when you take Parang out, everyone assumes you're his father, right?"

"I didn't know I could be like this either. Parang is precious. Maybe it's because he follows me so well? When he grips my shirt tightly with his little hands, it warms my heart."

Liu looked warmly at the baby, who was playing while tapping the table with his small hands in his father's arms. Yeehan stroked the baby's soft hair while looking at Liu.

"If it were your own child, wouldn't it be even more beautiful?"

"......"

Yeehan's voice held a subtle weight—this wasn't a casual remark. Because of that, Liu couldn't just laugh it off. Yeehan looked at Liu, who was only sipping his coffee, and asked as if he had made up his mind.

"You and Ihyeon aren't thinking about it yet?"

"Ihyeon is only twenty-six. And we haven't even been married for six months."

"Even if Ihyeon is only twenty-six, you're thirty-six."

"These days, thirty-six is just about the prime age for marriage. Look around me—Manager Han, Choi Inwu, Shushu. They're all my age, and I'm the only one who's married."

Liu said this with his characteristic confidence, tinged with a smile. Yeehan paused to think for a moment before nodding.

"Well, that's true."

"Ah, I should prepare Parang's dishes in advance. Our angel ate his baby food so well today. Right, Parang?"

Lifting himself off the chair, Liu stroked the baby's round cheek. The little one looked up at Liu, drooling onto his bib and grinning widely, kicking his arms and legs. Facing that sight, Liu could never help but smile back.

Weekends were the housekeeper's days off. Liu picked up the baby's dishes, which he had washed himself, from the drying rack. They were still a bit damp.

"Still, you know Ihyeon wants one, right?"

"......"

Liu's hands, wiping the dishes dry with a kitchen towel, paused momentarily. Without turning his head, he replied in a casual tone.

"That's a topic we can think about in a year or two. We can still enjoy being newlyweds, just the two of us, for a little longer, can't we?"

"It's a prejudice to think that having a baby means the newlywed atmosphere disappears. Can't you tell by looking at Morae and me?"

Liu snickered at Yeehan's boastful confidence. It was an undeniable truth. While raising Parang, Yeehan and Morae seemed to have grown even closer than before. It wasn't just camaraderie from raising a child together—they seemed more grateful for each other's existence, and felt a different kind of attraction in the way they cared for one another.

Liu was more confident than anyone else.

Having a baby wouldn't eliminate the sexual tension in his relationship with Ihyeon. There was no way they would stop finding each other attractive.

Even if they hired a trustworthy full-time babysitter, it wouldn't mean the parents' touch was entirely unnecessary. Even after finally getting an incessantly crying baby to sleep and collapsing from exhaustion, Liu would still long for Ihyeon's skin. Even wearing a T-shirt with drool on his shoulder and his neckline stretched out from the baby pulling at it, Ihyeon would still be attractive. Every time he looked at such an Ihyeon, Liu would feel intense sexual desire mixed with overwhelming affection.

Wouldn't that be natural? How could Ihyeon, who had conceived and was raising a child with him, not be sexy?

The talk about postponing having a baby just to enjoy the honeymoon phase more was nothing but an excuse.

"Morae said it, actually. That I was sexiest when I was kissing that tiny little head while holding Parang as I rocked him to sleep."

"Yes, of course. I'm sure she would."

As Liu packed the dried dishes into a special bag decorated with a bear, he chuckled softly.

"I guarantee it—when you see Ihyeon and the baby sleeping side by side, you might even cry from happiness, hyung."

"......"

This time, Liu couldn't say anything. Yeehan's words had forced him to imagine it.

Ihyeon and their baby. Ihyeon sleeping alongside that baby.

There could be no greater happiness. At least, not among the happiness he could imagine right now. Even without seeing it before his eyes, the sheer emotion overwhelmed him to the point of pain just by imagining it.

"I don't think having a child is necessary for love to be complete. But you aren't planning on never having any children, are you?"

"No, that's not it."

Liu zipped up the bear bag, composed his expression, and returned to the table.

"Your thoughts are pretty obvious, hyung."

Yeehan made a sly face while soothing the baby, who had started fussing.

"And what thoughts are those?"

"Marrying at twenty-six was already too young. How could I possibly ask Ihyeon, who married that young, to get pregnant at twenty-six? The physical toll of pregnancy and childbirth—that would all fall on Ihyeon. I can't put him through something like that."

"Are you impersonating me?"

Liu stood planted in front of the table, crossing his arms and frowning.

"I can see it so clearly—do you really think Ihyeon wouldn't know what you're thinking?"

"......"

"Talk to Ihyeon properly. I'm saying this because I'm worried you might change the subject even if Ihyeon tries to bring it up first."

It hit the nail on the head.

As the baby continued to fuss, Yeehan rose from his seat.

"You know he's strong enough to decide for himself what's best for him, don't you?"

That was also true.

Perhaps Liu was stubbornly insisting on this out of a compulsion to do what he thought was best for Ihyeon. But he was always anxious that things like marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare might hinder Ihyeon's personal growth or achievements.

The baby, who had been stuffing his hand into his mouth, smiled at Liu and reached out an arm. Without hesitation, Liu took the small hand and kissed the tiny fist.

"Parang, it seems like Daddy has been truly happy since you were born."

Yeehan slung the diaper bag over his shoulder, carried the baby in one arm, and stepped out the front door.

"Ihyeon might be concentrating, so I'll just go. Say hello for me."

"Be careful driving."

Seconds after the front door closed, the baby's crying started. Yeehan's voice, soothing the baby, drifted back.

"Did Uncle disappear? It's okay, Parang. Don't cry. Let's go home and see Mom. Do you know how much Mom is waiting for you? We'll see Uncle again next week, okay?"

Liu's chest ached from the mournful cries that wouldn't stop and were gradually fading away. He stood with his hands on his hips for a while, listening blankly. Only after the crying was completely gone did he go to the living room and start cleaning up the traces of the baby.

Large baby items like the playmat, blankets, and stroller—cumbersome to pack and carry back and forth—were kept as duplicates in the guest room.

Even though only the small baby was gone, the house felt empty and desolate, making his movements unnecessarily flustered. As Liu was tidying the playmat, blanket, and handkerchief into the laundry basket, he suddenly stopped and fell into thought.

I'm saying this because I'm worried you might change the subject even if Ihyeon tries to bring it up first.

Yeehan's meddling wasn't entirely groundless worry.

Every time after looking after Parang or spending time with his family, Ihyeon would always fall silent for a moment. Liu was not unaware of the envious glances Ihyeon directed toward the two people who looked so happy surrounding the baby. He understood exactly what those looks meant because he felt the same way.

Each time, Liu had only managed to lighten Ihyeon's mood by changing the subject to a lighthearted joke instead of having a serious conversation.

This was a crucial time when Ihyeon still needed to focus more on his work, when he could gain more recognition.

Under the pretense of looking out for Ihyeon, wasn't he actually ignoring what Ihyeon truly wanted?

Hmm... Liu let out a heavy sigh and left the laundry room. It was almost six o'clock. Even on days when his work was going well, Ihyeon never worked past six. Regular, steady work that didn't compromise his health or routine—that was Ihyeon's way.

A change of pace was needed.

Even though it was the weekend, since it was Sunday evening, securing a table at a nice restaurant wouldn't be difficult. There were quite a few good restaurants in Ubud run by friends they had made over the past few months. He could order wine, and depending on the mood, perhaps bring up the topic of the baby.

Perhaps that was why he felt that way.

His heart was pounding faster than usual.

It was unusual, so Liu chuckled awkwardly to himself and rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't help but smile at the thought that only Seo Ihyeon had the power to make this arrogant heart feel as soft as a boy's, or to make it race the way it did the moment he proposed.

He tidied the rumpled sofa and put away the toys Leo had been playing with. He washed the mugs he and Yeehan had shared. Even while doing these things, the agitation in his chest didn't settle.

Only then did Liu realize.

This feeling was different from the flutter of excitement.

It felt like something was about to happen—no, like something was already happening, yet he was unaware of it, which made him anxious. This wasn't excitement; it was apprehension.

Liu couldn't seem to sit still in one place. He paced around the entire house, from the living room to the kitchen and the bedroom. Then, standing in the dressing room, he grabbed the sleeve of Ihyeon's T-shirt and buried his nose and mouth in it, taking a deep breath. Even though it had been washed and hung up, he could almost smell his scent.

The anxiety did not subside. In fact, it grew worse. It was a pounding he had never felt before; his heart was racing right up to his temples.

He had to go to Ihyeon.

He had to see with his own eyes that Ihyeon was safe.

He would touch Ihyeon's skin and hear his calm voice. Only then would this anxiety be lifted.

He was intensely fixated on that single thought.

Leaving the dressing room, he crossed the hallway. By the time he reached the front door, he was nearly running.

The lights were on in Ihyeon's atelier, situated between the gallery and the house. Before opening the door, Liu looked inside through the window.

The moment he spotted Ihyeon crouched on the floor beyond the large window, every hair on Liu's body stood on end.

"Ihyeon!"

However, as soon as he opened the door, he couldn't rush toward Ihyeon. He stumbled back half a step and had to squeeze his eyes shut.

The pheromone of an Omega—of Diamond Dust—saturated the room. It was like a greenhouse filled with hundreds of thousands of blooming lilies, or as if a vial of perfume had shattered in an enclosed space. A thick, toxic, dangerous scent.

Liu approached Ihyeon while leaving the door open. Ihyeon had collapsed with his head bowed low, shoulders trembling as if sobbing. As Liu drew nearer, he saw Ihyeon clutching his throat, struggling to breathe.

Liu knelt beside him carefully so as not to startle him. He gently placed a hand on Ihyeon's back and stroked it.

"Ihyeon, Seo Ihyeon? It's me."

"Kun...?"

When Ihyeon lifted his head, his eyes were unfocused. His lips parted languidly as he slowly exhaled and inhaled. Liu wrapped his arms around Ihyeon's shoulders and pulled him into an embrace. He stroked Ihyeon's cheek and kissed his forehead. While not exactly feverish, his body temperature was higher than usual.

Exposed to the concentrated pheromone of Diamond Dust, Liu felt his own pheromones escaping uncontrollably. A throbbing desire for the body he was holding boiled up within him.

"Yes, it's me. It's okay now, Ihyeon."

"Are you really, really Kun?"

Ihyeon's trembling hands gripped Liu's chest.

"Smell my pheromones. It's me. How long have you been like this? Huh?"

Ihyeon buried his nose and mouth into the nape of Liu's neck.

"It smells like Kun. It's Kun."

Then, with a burning thirst, he sought Liu's lips as if searching for water. But he couldn't even kiss him properly.

"Touch me here, Kun."

Ihyeon pulled Liu's hand down between his legs. It was a sight usually reserved for after they had been intimate and he had been thoroughly exposed to the pheromones. No—this was even more forward than that.

Liu flinched in surprise. Even through his pants, he could tell that Ihyeon was completely wet down there.

Ihyeon had not missed a single day of taking his suppressants. Liu personally made sure he took them every day. Today was no different.

So how could this be happening?

"My... my stomach is hot, Kun."

Ihyeon pleaded in pain, his lips dry and pale from the fever. Liu pulled Ihyeon's shoulder into a tight embrace.

Explosively potent pheromones, high body temperature, heat in his lower abdomen, an overwhelming amount of slick, and intense sexual desire...

As far as Liu knew, this was a heat.

· · · · ·

Ihyeon couldn't stand on his own legs, as if all the strength had left his knees. When Liu forcibly helped him up, his thighs trembled violently, and the spot where he had been sitting was soaked with slick. Seeing the dark stain coloring the gray tiles, Liu felt like he was about to lose control and pounce on Ihyeon.

He gritted his teeth and shook his head. Then he practically lifted Ihyeon up and settled him onto the sofa.

He needed to find the suppressants and give them to him, but Ihyeon clung to him, unwilling to let go. He wrapped his arms around Liu's neck and clung to him sweetly and desperately.

"Don't go..."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll get the medicine. You need to take your medicine first, Ihyeon."

Just in case, he had stocked plenty of suppressants and contraceptives at the atelier as well. In his current state, Ihyeon seemed like he needed to take an extra dose of the strong sharp suppressant in addition to the balance suppressant he took daily. However, Ihyeon gripped Liu's collar tightly and shook his head.

"You can't leave me."

"I'm not leaving."

"I feel like something terrible will happen if you leave. That's what I feel."

He wouldn't want to be separated from his Alpha. It must be the heat.

"Where would I go, leaving you sick like this?"

"You really aren't going anywhere, are you?"

"Even if you push me away, I won't leave."

Ihyeon was soft and fragile right now, just like baby Parang, who cried whenever Liu set him down after holding him. Liu gently stroked the head of Ihyeon, who clung to his collar.

"The medicine is right there, in the cabinet. See?"

Even as he pointed a finger at the cabinet visible before his eyes and tried to soothe him, Ihyeon stubbornly shook his head.

"I'm scared... I feel like something will go wrong with my body if I'm separated from Kun. I'm really scared."

"I won't let anything go wrong with you. Do you think I would allow that?"

Tears welled up in the eyes that traced over Ihyeon's face, lingering here and there. Behind the gaze, which seemed both terrified and confused, a dark, deep desire flickered—like a bare body glimpsed on a bed through the gap in the curtains.

Liu was on the verge of losing control as well. Maintaining this much rationality in the face of such potent pheromones was nothing short of a miracle. He was holding himself back without suppressants, driven only by the thought that he couldn't make Ihyeon—already frightened by his first heat—any more anxious.

Liu gently unclasped Ihyeon's hand from his collar and pressed a kiss to the palm and inner wrist. As his lips made direct contact with Ihyeon's skin, Liu's pulse began to race even more violently.

"Take your medicine, and then I'll make things easier for you. You trust me, don't you, Ihyeon-ah?"

Ihyeon, his eyes wide with fear, nodded. Liu managed the gentlest smile he could muster. Even that smile soon froze awkwardly, twitching. He didn't know how much longer he could maintain his rationality.

Liu walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the atelier to look for suppressants. His broad shoulders trembled violently, like those of someone suffering from withdrawal. The pain felt as if his biceps were tearing from using too much force. Clatter, clatter. He dropped the plastic container holding the suppressants twice.

Beneath his soft loungewear, Liu's arousal was already rock-hard. The engorged hardness, straining as if about to pierce the fabric, jutted upward so sharply that anyone could tell just by looking at his silhouette.

He wanted release. He wanted to ravage the Omega behind him—his Diamond Dust—until he was completely empty. Wanted? No, this impulse was closer to an instinctual command.

Liu thought he knew what this was.

He felt like he was about to go into rut.

He bit down hard on his lower lip. Hard enough for his teeth to dig in. Not yet. Not here, at least.

Even pouring water into the cup was difficult. The moment he cursed and set the fallen cup upright, his back felt warm and heavy.

"......"

It was Ihyeon's body heat and weight.

Liu was so out of his mind that he hadn't even noticed that someone who couldn't stand properly had made it all the way over here.

Two hot arms wrapped around Liu. Ihyeon traced the contours of his firm muscles, then rubbed his face and lips against the back of Liu's shoulder. Ihyeon's hot breath, thick with pheromones, brushed against the nape of his neck.

Liu gasped, lurching forward as if he'd been stabbed in the abdomen while letting his guard down. Heat rose to his eyes, making him blink slowly.

"Kun, quickly..."

What was that desperate voice urging him toward? Medicine? Or...?

Ihyeon's right hand, which had been tracing Liu's chest, moved lower. Liu barely managed to stop him as he tried to slip his hand beneath the waistband of Liu's pants.

"You hate this side of me, don't you? You hate it, right?"

A voice thick with self-loathing drifted from behind him. Liu turned to face Ihyeon. Ihyeon, his ears and eyes flushed red, leaned against him. He was in such a state he couldn't stand without something to hold onto. Liu wrapped his arms around Ihyeon's waist.

Ihyeon must have been more surprised and confused by his own behavior than anyone. But intimacy with one's mate during a heat was never something sordid or shameful.

"Seo Ihyeon, you don't mean that, do you?"

"I don't know... It feels like my insides are burning up. It's not even like being thirsty."

Liu pressed three pills into Ihyeon's hand as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

"Take these quickly, and let's go home."

Then he handed him the cup filled with water.

Hate this side of me?

How could he? Liu wanted to have Ihyeon right there on the spot.

He didn't even have the luxury to undress him or engage in foreplay. He wanted to flip Ihyeon's bewildered body over, just manage to pull his lower garments down to his hips, and then immediately thrust his own arousal deep inside.

Ihyeon's body was no longer like that of a Beta male. His puckered, swollen, red inner walls would surely be deliciously soaked. He only wanted to press forward blindly toward that ecstatic pleasure of being tightly gripped and squeezed by that entrance.

Liu had never once had sex like that with Ihyeon before.

But he felt like he was about to. Like it was going to happen this way.

He absolutely could not let things turn out like that.

A heat experienced in a space where one felt completely safe and comfortable, with a partner deeply trusted and loved—Liu absolutely wanted Ihyeon's first heat to be exactly like that.

Liu bit down harder on his lower lip.

Holding Ihyeon, who was struggling, Liu swallowed suppressants too. Although he felt it might be useless, he took more than the recommended dose. He also swallowed more contraceptives than usual—the kind specifically for Alphas to take before intercourse.

A wry smile touched his lips as he recalled the time when he first started sleeping with Ihyeon. Back then, too, he had swallowed bottlefuls of these useless suppressants.

Having swallowed over ten pills, Liu turned his back to Ihyeon and bent over.

"Let me carry you. Let's go home."

"My pants are wet."

"I don't care about that."

Judging that this wasn't the time to argue, Ihyeon wrapped an arm around Liu's neck. Liu braced his thighs and lifted him. The sudden rush of pheromones made him dizzy for a moment, but he shook his head to regain his composure.

Slinging Ihyeon over his back, Liu nearly ran across the dim garden outside the atelier as the sun set. He couldn't help but chuckle, thinking he looked like some scoundrel from the distant past escaping with a virgin he'd set his sights on. Sweat dripped from his temples as he endured the overwhelming rut threatening to burst out of him.

The front of Ihyeon's pants and his backside were completely soaked. Enough fluid had seeped out that it squished when Liu placed his palm beneath him. Ihyeon's arousal was pressing against his lower back.

The pheromone scent rising from the breath Ihyeon poured onto his neck felt so potent he thought his nose might start bleeding. This wasn't a joke or a metaphor—his sympathetic nervous system was overstimulated by the excessive amount of pheromones.

Liu bit down harder on his lower lip. He bit so hard that his lip split, releasing a sharp, coppery scent of blood, yet he felt no pain. Only one thought repeated in his head.

Just to the bed. Just to the bed. Just to the bed.

Just to the bed.

· · · · ·

Entering the house, Liu went straight to the master bedroom, the innermost room down the hall. Contrary to the haste with which he kicked the door open, the movement of setting Ihyeon down on the neatly made bed was careful.

As soon as he was placed on the bed, Ihyeon dragged his hips back and hugged a pillow.

"I was just getting things organized to go home... when suddenly, the wetness just surged out..."

"I see. That must have been startling. Were you scared?"

Turning toward the open doorway, Liu raised his arm and wiped the sweat from his brow. Although it might seem like he was answering dismissively, it was because he was concentrating all his energy on resisting the heat pheromones. It was already a miracle that he hadn't yet fallen into rut.

Liu closed the bedroom door. Even though it was just the two of them in the house, closing it wasn't enough—he locked it too.

Finally. At last. This was the bedroom.

"We're home now. It's just the two of us. Relax, okay?"

He walked over to the window and spoke in the gentlest tone he could manage.

He closed the double curtains so that not even a faint light could leak through, then checked the amount of bottled water left in the small refrigerator. Heading to the master bath, he pulled down every towel on the shelf. Throughout all of this, he kept scraping his split lip with his top teeth, sucking the blood that flowed.

Returning from the bathroom, Liu dropped a heavy pile of towels onto one side of the bed with a soft thud.

He figured this level of preparation would be enough to get through the heat and the rut.

"The symptoms were exactly like what I read about in the book."

Ihyeon mumbled, still hugging the pillow tightly.

Books? Ah... Thanks to all the theoretical texts, histories, and essays on Alphas and Omegas he had diligently studied since Paris, Ihyeon was far more knowledgeable about the subject than most Alphas or Omegas who had experienced their secondary sexual characteristics firsthand.

Finally, Ihyeon lifted his head and looked up at Liu.

"Kun, this... is a heat, right?"

"I think so."

"Why? I've been taking my suppressants diligently, never missing a single dose."

Muttering indignantly, Ihyeon buried his face in the pillow. The back of his jeans, where his knees were bent up, was damp.

Noticing the stain, Liu's breathing hitched and his chest swelled. He licked his own blood-tinged lips, then pulled off his top and carelessly dropped it onto the floor.

Climbing onto the mattress, he crawled from the foot of the bed toward Ihyeon on his knees. Liu rubbed his cheek against Ihyeon's raised knee. He was like a large, sleek feline predator.

"It's not your fault."

"......"

"It must be because it's Diamond Dust."

He took the pillow Ihyeon was holding and pushed his stubbornly closed knees apart, then crawled deeper into the space created. He gripped Ihyeon's chin and gently lifted his head.

"Seo Ihyeon."

Liu stroked the underside of his chin with his thumb and managed a strained smile, hoping to ease some of Ihyeon's tension.

"You were just tidying up, and suddenly your heat just hit?"

"......"

"Really?"

That couldn't be right. Even if Ihyeon had a unique secondary gender trait, if his heat had suddenly broken through the suppressants he took regularly, there had to have been a trigger.

Ihyeon glanced at Liu's bare body but seemed reluctant to touch him. It was clear that his instinct to take his Alpha, coupled with fear of that unfamiliar intensity, was causing conflict within him.

Even though he was struggling immensely to endure what felt like an imminent rut, Ihyeon seemed so endearing and lovely that a smile escaped Liu. He let out another hollow laugh, thinking he must be seriously afflicted.

Liu released Ihyeon's chin and pressed his cheek against Ihyeon's. His lips brushed against the soft curve of the ear. He licked it gently with his tongue, scraped it with his teeth, and whispered.

"We're a married couple, Ihyeon-ah."

"Haa... ngh."

Ihyeon immediately flinched, his shoulders tensing. His ears were one of his erogenous zones.

Liu's tongue traced slowly over the delicate cartilage of Ihyeon's ear.

"Married couples should be honest with each other. We promised we would be."

"Ah, I was just thinking about last night for a moment..."

Last night.

Last night, Liu had cooked, and Ihyeon had been in charge of the dishes.

Liu had approached Ihyeon from behind as he was rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. He'd wrapped his arms around Ihyeon's waist as he stood there wearing an apron. At first, he just held him like that. Ihyeon tried to push him away, annoyed, but he knew Liu wasn't serious.

When Liu rested his chin on Ihyeon's shoulder and turned his head, there was a long, smooth nape of neck—and Liu lightly kissed that skin. The nape was also one of Ihyeon's sensitive spots.

Unable to concentrate on the dishes, Ihyeon began releasing pheromones at some point, and Liu couldn't resist them. It was impossible. And the result was exactly what anyone could have predicted.

Liu frantically swallowed a contraceptive from the kitchen drawer, then quickly pulled down Ihyeon's lower garment while keeping him standing at the sink, and thrust in deep from behind.

Ihyeon pleaded that the feeling of his arousal rubbing against the apron was strange. Liu, who had spread Ihyeon's legs apart by placing his knees between his constantly trying-to-close thighs, ultimately lifted Ihyeon's left leg. Ihyeon's elbows, gripping the edge of the sink, bent sharply.

Wanting to see where they were joined, Liu pushed Ihyeon's T-shirt upward. The long ribbon strings of the apron, which had slipped down over his white hips, were intensely erotic.

So, thinking about that sex triggered his heat... my other half.

Liu pulled back slightly and met Ihyeon's eyes. Close enough for their noses to touch, he inhaled the pheromones escaping Ihyeon's lips. With his mouth open, Ihyeon yearned for Liu's pheromones and kissed Liu's split lower lip—probably without even realizing it.

"You said you didn't want it, but you actually did, didn't you?"

"......"

"I knew it."

Liu whispered that much while his lips were still touching Ihyeon's.

Fearing what would happen once their tongues and saliva mixed, neither of them dared to push deeper into the other's mouth.

Mmph... mnh.

Liu kissed Ihyeon's dry lips, then traced his jawline and neck before sliding down toward his chest. Erect nipples stood out sharply even through the T-shirt. Nestled almost completely between Ihyeon's wet legs, Liu sought out and latched onto his mate's breast.

"Hngh! Sob... yes."

Ihyeon reacted immediately. His nipples were one of his erogenous zones. He gripped Liu's bare shoulder and squeezed hard.

He could distinctly feel the shape of the nipple in his mouth—soft yet firm at the core, larger than before his heat had manifested. Liu deliberately rubbed his tongue over it, soaking the shirt further.

"Haa... haa... ngh... aah..."

Ihyeon's fingertips squeezed as if trying to dig into Liu's shoulder. His waist kept giving way, and he found himself slowly lying back without realizing it.

Because of the heat, his nipples were larger than usual, changing the feeling of fullness in Liu's mouth. It was a more substantial sensation. Liu couldn't let go. He pressed down with the tip of his tongue and chewed at it roughly while holding it between his teeth.

"Ah! It hurts... it hurts."

In that instant, Ihyeon flinched intensely and pulled Liu's head close.

"Over the clothes... S-stop... Aah! Kun, it hurts!"

Realizing he had completely lost control and bitten down too hard, Liu quickly released what was in his mouth.

Pressed down by Liu's weight, Ihyeon lay sprawled on the bed, gasping for breath. He was sure they had been sitting up just a moment ago. When had things gone this far?

Liu's breathing was also completely ragged. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure, and looked down at Ihyeon lying beneath him.

The crisp blue and white striped T-shirt was soaked in circular patches over both breasts, clinging to his skin. The shape of the protruding nipples and their flushed color were faintly visible through the damp fabric.

Ihyeon, feeling Liu's gaze, looked down at his own chest. Then he tugged at the T-shirt with his hand, peeling the clinging fabric away. This action only fanned the flames.

Liu's hand burrowed beneath Ihyeon's T-shirt. He traced his palm upward toward the chest, pushing the shirt further up.

"I'm sorry for hurting you. But right now, I can't stand it."

Liu was completely captivated by the chest revealed beneath the T-shirt.

The areolae were swollen higher than usual, as if something were filling them from within, and the nipple at the center was hard and engorged. A slick sheen covered the entire nipple. He looked like an Omega early in pregnancy. It was because of the heat—the heat was altering his body to optimize it for reproduction.

A rounded, bulging softness. It looked like it would instantly release if squeezed between two fingers. It was the kind no Alpha could resist. Ihyeon's nipples, responding to the heat, were more voluptuous than ever.

Liu, positioned atop Ihyeon with only his upper body raised, gasped for breath. His mind kept drifting away. His lower body, already hardened past firmness, kept thrusting against Ihyeon's groin.

"Kun..."

Ihyeon's desperate voice called out for Liu.

"Yeah."

Very rarely, even when Ihyeon called him, Liu's gaze was fixed not on his mate's face but on his chest.

For a moment, Ihyeon's pheromones flared brightly. He used his palm to stroke over his own chest.

"Don't just stare. Do something about it."

Lying down, Ihyeon writhed and twisted his hips, crying out in distress. Liu leaned down again. He took the soft flesh between his lips and sucked it in with a jjok—using only the strength of his lips, not his teeth.

"Aah... yes. Haa... mm."

Ihyeon pulled Liu's head close and buried his face in the back of it. As he did so, Liu sucked on his nipple to his heart's content, pushing the T-shirt further up until it came off.

Having shed their tops, the two embraced and lost themselves in each other. Ihyeon's thigh rubbed against Liu's side, and Liu repeatedly pressed his arousal against Ihyeon's crotch. Even so, neither dared to kiss the other on the lips.

Raking his fingers through Liu's rugged back, Ihyeon whispered in his ear.

"I, I want Kun so much."

"Me too."

"I want him so much it scares me, and my body hurts."

"Where does it hurt?"

"Outside my body, inside my body... it all hurts. I'm thirsty. No, it feels like my insides are... burning. It's itchy."

Ihyeon pushed up, rubbing his stomach and groin against Liu's abdomen.

It was one of the main symptoms of a heat. The core temperature rises, making one feel heat in the stomach, sometimes mistaking that heat for an itch—like how skin feels itchy after shivering in the cold and then plunging into a hot bath.

An Alpha in rut experiences the same heat in his cock.

Instinctively, one knows that the only way to be freed from that heat is to be inside the Omega, thrusting wildly. It's like a newborn chick instinctively seeking its mother's milk, even without anyone telling it to.

Liu pulled Ihyeon close, embracing him tightly with both arms. He buried his nose and mouth into the fragrant nape of Ihyeon's neck and bare shoulders, inhaling his mate's pheromones—those powerful heat pheromones that strike the brain and paralyze it.

"If you just say that, how am I supposed to know? Where does it hurt that badly?"

"It itches."

"Tell me, and I'll make it better."

"Will this really get better? Does it actually get better?"

Ihyeon was nearly tearful. His first heat, which had burst forth despite diligently taking his suppressants—how terrifying that must be.

Liu lifted his head and met Ihyeon's eyes. He swept the hair back from Ihyeon's forehead and stroked his cheek with his thumb. He rubbed noses with him and managed an awkward smile.

"That's why I'm here. Your Alpha."

Beneath slowly blinking eyelids, Ihyeon searched for Liu's eyes.

"Don't talk about it like... like you're just a tool."

Even in this situation, Ihyeon taking his side was adorable.

Maintaining eye contact, Liu let his hand trail down between himself and Ihyeon's lower abdomen. He undid Ihyeon's jeans and pulled down the zipper. Pushing his hand behind, he grabbed the waistband of the jeans and yanked them down in one swift motion along with the underwear. Pheromones immediately wafted up from the exposed lower body.

As he peeled Ihyeon's jeans off one leg at a time—just as he had done for Parang—Liu gave the lying Ihyeon a knowing smirk. Sweat was dripping heavily from his face as he endured the pheromones.

"Tell your husband. Where does it hurt the most."

A single drop of sweat that had pooled on the tip of Liu's chin fell onto Ihyeon's lower abdomen. Ihyeon reached out toward Liu. Liu instinctively bent over, and Ihyeon swept his hand from Liu's shoulder all the way down his left arm.

Ihyeon—naked, disheveled, panting in short breaths during his heat—was a pheromone bomb in human form. Liu could not resist him.

Ihyeon gripped Liu's wrist and led his hand to his own damp, warm crotch. The strong, veined back of his hand completely covered the slick area.

In that moment, a burst of pheromones exploded from Ihyeon. It was like a river overflowing its banks—a tidal wave that crushed and submerged everything. Liu was helplessly swept away by his mate's pheromones.

As he used Liu's hand to rub his most sensitive spot, Ihyeon spread his legs wider.

"Right here. This is where Awi made me an Omega."

Uunh…

A pained groan escaped Liu's lips.

"This spot hurts the most."

Liu bit down hard on his lip and let out a long breath through his nose. A sensation he had never felt before quickly blossomed from his cock—a burning heat, like being set on fire, mixed with an intense itchiness. His temples throbbed. The taste of blood seeped through his clenched lips.

"Seo Ihyeon."

"Mmm... Kuh, Kun."

Liu, who had allowed Ihyeon to direct things, now moved his own hand. He caressed the soft flesh gently, yet obscenely.

"Whatever I do or say today, it's because of the rut."

"...Rut?"

Liu nodded toward Ihyeon, who looked up in surprise.

"I think I've officially hit my rut."

"......"

"You'll take responsibility, right?"

Before he could get an answer, Liu covered Ihyeon's lips.

· · · · ·

Eumhwa.

The fully developed opening of a mature male Omega.

The entrance to the eumhwa develops dense peripheral nerves, heightening sensitivity, while the inner walls become soft and highly elastic. In its most receptive state, this area is referred to as the gunggari.

Ihyeon's lower body was now a complete eumhwa. Moreover, because he was in heat, the gunggari—the sensitive region between his testicles and the entrance—was swollen tight, and the flesh around the opening was soft and cushiony—a sign that his body was ready to bear children.

Rather than brutally thrusting in, submitting to the rut, Liu took his time rubbing around Ihyeon's eumhwa.

Mm...

Lost in pleasure, he groaned heavily.

His cock, tracing upward from the gaping entrance, poked sharply behind Ihyeon's testicles, then shifted angle to press against his scrotum. After that, it slid back down, scraping over the opening before withdrawing.

"Hngh!... yes. Ah—haa... ngh... Stop. Please, that..."

Ihyeon raised his right arm to cover his face. The sensation was driving him out of his mind—Liu's cock sliding up and down against his eumhwa, now swollen and intensely sensitive. The gray towel Liu had placed beneath him was turning dark with the ceaseless flow of slick from his body.

"Please... Kun, stop! My stomach, my stomach hurts... it hurts..."

"I haven't even done anything yet. What hurts?"

"Nothing... yet!"

It hurts because you haven't done anything yet.

Instead of finishing his sentence, Ihyeon bit down on his lower lip. He crumpled the sheet in his left hand even tighter. His body, consumed by the heat, was filled with feverish warmth, yet a shred of reason remained in a corner of his frontal lobe, trying to suppress the impulse.

But how much longer could he hold out?

Put your Alpha in—no, ram it in! Shove your cock in and thrust violently. That's what he felt like he was about to blurt out.

"Say it, Seo Ihyeon. Nothing, what?"

Liu looked down with a mischievous smile, sweat tracing down his temples.

Ihyeon, who had been looking up at him with resentment, suddenly looked drowsy and unfocused.

"Ugh!... yes... nnngh... ngh. Ngh, ngh..."

Liu used his thumb to slowly pull at the edge of Ihyeon's eumhwa. Then he rubbed his thick, pre-cum-drizzling cock around the stretched-open entrance. It was a lewd friction.

Ihyeon threw his head back.

"Ungh!... ngh, hah! N-no... Ah, ngh! I don't like that."

The entrance, already slick with arousal, puckered as if ready to suck in the tip the moment it touched. Liu's fierce gaze locked onto that spot. Huu, huu. He let out ragged breaths, his broad, thick shoulders rising and falling.

"Say it."

The suppressed voice kept goading Ihyeon. Below, he repeatedly pressed the tip lightly against the softly parted entrance, then pulled back.

"Why won't you say it? Still trying to fight it? Huh?"

"...You want it too, Awi..."

"Want what?"

"...You want me to let you in."

Tears welled up in Ihyeon's eyes, filled with resentment. Liu did not answer. He merely forced a teasing smile, pretending to be at ease.

"It really hurts... it's so hot..."

Begging Liu to take away the heat of his cycle, Ihyeon began to sob while scratching his abdomen. The skin where his nails had raked immediately turned red. Liu grabbed Ihyeon's wrists to stop him.

"It really hurts... Kun... stop teasing me. Enough, please..."

Even knowing it didn't truly hurt, seeing him like that tore Liu's heart apart. Liu bit down hard on his lip without realizing it. The blood that had stopped flowed again and seeped into his mouth.

Liu pressed his hips heavily toward Ihyeon's crotch. Then he offered a hazy smile with a sweaty face contorted in a grimace.

"Teasing you? I'm holding back, showing miraculous patience."

"Haa, h—ah... ah!"

"So that I don't take you by force."

Ihyeon's eyes, brimming with tears, fixed quietly on Liu. Then he pulled the hand Liu was holding toward himself. After a moment of hesitation, Liu awkwardly bent over and moved closer. Ihyeon cupped Liu's face with both hands.

"I know what sex during a rut is like."

"Just knowing doesn't mean it won't hurt."

Ihyeon licked the blood from Liu's lip with the tip of his tongue. He knew why this blood was there—why this person had endured to the point of biting his lip until it split like this. He understood everything.

Sex with an Alpha in rut.

Driven by nothing but the urge to breed—no emotion, no tenderness—just relentless thrusting and knotting, over and over, until there was nothing left... instinct alone, chasing conception.

This was the trace of Liu enduring and enduring, so as not to subject Ihyeon to that kind of sex.

"I know."

"......"

"What Kun does to me can never be hurtful."

The blood from Liu that he tasted on his tongue—love—was sweet.

Ihyeon wrapped his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. Holding him tighter against his sweaty, bare shoulders, he nibbled on his earlobe while whispering.

"You've wanted this since the atelier..."

He scratched at the glistening skin with his teeth, running his hands freely over the large and small muscles rippling across his back, shoulders, and arms.

"Do what you want to do to me. You can. Please do it for me."

Liu embraced and stroked Ihyeon's back. His mate, whispering seductively while biting here and there, was so maddeningly adorable. And at the same time, he desperately wanted to make Ihyeon his completely.

As he stroked Ihyeon's hair that was brushing against his jaw, Liu kissed the tip of his nose. Then, keeping their noses touching, he shook his head slightly.

"I don't even know what I'm like when I'm in rut. This is the first time."

"It's okay."

"What if I break you?"

"I won't be broken. I'm in heat too."

From this close distance, where all they could see was each other's faces, Ihyeon stared intently at Liu. The Ihyeon of this moment was pure scent, a mass of pheromones. Just gazing at him from this close made his head spin as if he'd been struck. He felt like if he relaxed his tension even slightly, he would be swept away by the rut.

Ihyeon stroked Liu's cheek while subtly undulating his hips. He could almost feel a wave of heat rising from where they were pressed together.

"Did you forget? Even when I was a Beta, I endured your knotting, Awi."

Liu's cock was throbbing with such intensity it felt like it might burst.

"It's fine... please do it. Give me the rut sex."

The seduction whispered in his ear made his lower body swell to the point of bursting. The tip of his cock pulsed, leaking pre-cum. He didn't need to look down to know it was happening.

Liu pressed his upper body down onto Ihyeon's chest. As he firmly pushed against Ihyeon's waist, Ihyeon's thighs spread wider. Grind. Press. Pushing the sheets away with his legs stretched out behind him, Liu crawled upward and pressed his cock hard against Ihyeon's crotch, grinding against him.

"Where did you learn to say things like that?"

"I'm twenty-six years old, I'm married, and I'm a husband."

"Does being a husband mean you're used to sex?"

He reached down, gripped the base of his cock, and rubbed against Ihyeon's crotch with his tip. The wide, ripe entrance was easy to find. Just as expected, it sucked Liu in frantically the moment he brought it to the opening.

"Aah... Nngh... Haa.. ahh–mmm..."

Finally possessing what he desired, Ihyeon's eyelids drooped languidly. His thick eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Because I have sex with my husband every night?"

Even as he tried to sound nonchalant, Liu's voice trembled with pleasure.

"Ah—hah... ngh... Ku, Kun. Kun."

As the penetration deepened, a pleading moan escaped Ihyeon's lips. Clutching Liu's back tightly, Ihyeon buried his forehead against the man's broad shoulders.

The sexual pleasure an Alpha and Omega experience during a heat or rut is five to eight times greater than usual.

Even before half of his cock was inside, Liu felt an immediate change in his body. He could no longer resist the rut.

"Fill me... all the way... Kun... Please... just fuck me. It's hot... it hurts."

"Looks like you're really desperate now, Seo Ihyeon. Hearing you talk so dirty."

Liu sat up, raising his upper body. He could clearly see the entrance still greedily clenching after swallowing everything he had, and his cock lying deep inside it. He grabbed another towel and layered it over the one already soaked through.

He pushed Ihyeon's knees outward and curved his lower back. A shameful wet sound leaked from where they were joined.

Then, thwop, thwop, thwop. Slap-slap-slap.

He began thrusting his hips back and forth. His thick yet lean, firm hips moved without waste. The force of his thrusts drove straight into Ihyeon's belly. Fwop, fwop, fwop, fwop. The room filled with the sound of flesh against flesh, slickness meeting pre-cum.

"Aah! Ngh! Haa… hngh… haa-ngh, haa. Aah… ngh…"

Ihyeon was pounded and shaken, having no choice but to submit. Each time Liu's cock scraped against his inner walls, the burning heat and itching in his belly subsided. He grabbed the towel in his hand and bit down on it.

Liu snatched it away and threw it under the bed.

"Even as an Omega in heat, Seo Ihyeon is beautiful."

"Haa… uh… Ku, Kun… ngh. Ngh."

"How much more beautiful would you be if you were carrying my child?"

"Hah… just give it to me… I-I can't—Awi!"

Liu narrowed his brow. He doubted his ears.

"What? A child?"

Even as he asked in surprise, he didn't slow the rhythm of his thrusting.

"You don't want it, Kun… ah—hah, ngh…!"

Ihyeon's voice was resentful, but his body betrayed him, trembling under the pleasure.

"You really don't know me that well? Or are you just pretending you don't?"

Liu leaned forward even deeper, pressing his crotch close enough for their skin to brush. In that position, he gripped both of Ihyeon's sides and began to thrust his hips rapidly.

"I-I don't know! Ah—yes! Aah! Ku, Kun… ah… I can't… nnngh!"

As if trying to push Liu's lower abdomen away, Ihyeon reached out and flailed his hands.

"Come to think of it, you were begging from the very beginning, weren't you?"

"Haa… huu… ngh."

"Begging me to knot you. Begging me to get you pregnant."

"I… pregnant… ngh... I didn't say tha-ngh! I didn't, uu..."

Ihyeon's struggles grew stronger. Liu let go of his sides and grasped the wrists flailing in the air. Binding both hands tightly, he pulled Ihyeon toward their joining point, pouring all his force into his thrusting, ensuring he couldn't escape the pleasure even for a moment.

"No! Don't do that! Let me go! I-I don't—hah… hu… I don't want to, Kun."

"If you come while knotting, that results in pregnancy. And I wasn't even taking birth control then. You begged an Alpha like me to knot you. Doesn't that mean you wanted to get pregnant? Am I wrong?"

"No, Ah... noo... I was a... a Beta..."

The thick shoulder leaned over Ihyeon as he shook his head in denial. A large palm wrapped broadly around Ihyeon's jaw—strong enough to crush if pressure were applied, yet its movement was as delicate as handling a work of art.

Liu licked the saliva that had pooled near the corner of Ihyeon's mouth, whispering firmly yet sweetly.

"You were never a Beta."

"Haa—! Ngh… huu, Kun… Kuuhn…"

"You were Diamond Dust. From the very moment we first met."

"Hah… mmm… mm…"

Ihyeon's voice, which had only been calling Liu's name like a person lost between life and death, was swallowed by his mate's lips. Ihyeon, taking Liu's tongue fully into his mouth, wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Aah… ngh… mm… mmm…"

The weight of Liu's body covering him and pressing down steadily calmed Ihyeon. Their chests met fully, and their connected parts locked together even more tightly. Ihyeon's arousal rubbed against Liu's lower abdomen. While stroking Liu's rugged back muscles as if digging into them, Ihyeon spread his own thighs further outward.

He found this large beast panting between his legs adorable.

"Hah… ngh… hah… mm… ah!"

Thwop… thwop… thwop… Liu's firm hips repeatedly contracted and released, continually entering and exiting Ihyeon. With each repetition, it became harder for Ihyeon to breathe. Noticing this, Liu pulled his tongue out of Ihyeon's mouth and began sucking on his lips instead—as if he intended to melt and swallow them whole, caring nothing for whether it was the upper or lower lip. Even without using his tongue, just pressing their mouths together while their bodies ground against each other was incredibly sensual.

"Mmm… mm… ngh, stop… hah… it feels too good."

He tried to push away the chest holding him close, but Liu wouldn't budge an inch. Liu's pheromones suddenly flooded out, intensely strong—clearly released intentionally to stop Ihyeon from resisting.

At that moment, Ihyeon felt pressure as the cock inside him swelled even larger. He twisted his head away, avoiding Liu's lips.

"Ah… ah… hah… aah! Wow… Kun… wow… it's coming… ah—!"

Ihyeon's eyes snapped wide open, his head shaking violently. His jaw trembled.

Thump… thump… thump… thump…

The throbbing sensation was transmitted directly to Ihyeon through the inner wall, making him feel as if Liu's heart was beating inside his cock.

The knotting was coming.

"Seo Ihyeon, can I?"

With a deep thrust, Liu pushed in as deep as he could, pressing his lower abdomen firmly against Ihyeon's. He was preparing to knot. His gaze grew clouded and unfocused.

"K-Kun. Kun..."

"Can I knot inside you? Hmm?"

"Do it. Only for me. You can't do things like this with other Omegas, Kun."

Ihyeon's reason blurred along with the pulse of the knotting.

Liu clutched Ihyeon's neck, burying his lips against the other's as he spoke in a raspy voice.

"In my eyes, everyone else is a Beta."

Deep inside his body, at the entrance, Liu's root began to swell. Not just the root—Ihyeon's inner walls contracted, gripping him tightly, and Liu's cock grew thicker, trying to push further. They clung entirely to each other, sealing off every gap where anything might escape.

"No! No, I don't want this! I'm scared. I'm scared, I like it... Ah, Kun! Please..."

Ihyeon, eyes wide open, trembled while muttering incoherent words. Liu stroked Ihyeon's forehead with his palm, twisting his hips side to side, trying to drive himself further and further into his mate's inside. Even though he was already all the way in, he wanted more.

"Seo Ihyeon, even though we do this every day, you act like this every time?"

"There, Kun! The entrance... it feels like it's going to tear. It's so big... too big... It's growing inside my stomach..."

Kissing Ihyeon's cheek and the area around his ear, Liu pressed down on him harder with the full weight of his body.

"It won't tear. You're good at this, Seo Ihyeon."

As his cock swelled to its maximum size, a full-blown throbbing began. The entire length vibrated and shook, relentlessly pounding against Ihyeon's inner walls.

"G-good...! Ah, good! Every spot you hit feels like it's melting! I, I think I'm melting, Kun."

"What am I supposed to do if you melt?"

"What do I do, what do I do! Kun, ahh! H-help me...!"

Consumed by the maddening pleasure of his heat, Ihyeon thrashed as if he were on fire. Liu folded his body over completely and pulled Ihyeon's upper body into a tight embrace. He licked his lips, and he licked away the tears running down his eyes.

Wedged firmly inside, he couldn't pull back any further. Instead, he slammed his hips down repeatedly, continuing to jostle Ihyeon's body. The cock, now locked firmly inside so it couldn't come out, felt like a part of Ihyeon himself.

Liu showered Ihyeon's face with kisses.

"Ihyeon-ah. Seo Ihyeon."

"Kun. Kuuun. Kuh, yes."

"I love you. I love you... Ah, fuck, I love you, Seo Ihyeon."

His voice was utterly gone, thick with the pleasure of knotting his mate who was in heat. His consciousness slipping away, Liu continued to whisper that he loved him as he came.

The inner walls of Ihyeon, stroking his cock as if massaging it with a throbbing motion, felt so good it seemed to melt his brain. He thought he might even forget his own name.

He wished the knotting would last forever.

The long climax ended, and they held each other until the even longer afterglow of the knot subsided. As their senses slowly returned, they found each other's lips, intertwined their tongues, and rubbed their lower bodies together, enjoying the lingering throbbing between them.

Liu, who had been sucking gently on Ihyeon's lower lip, suddenly lifted his upper body slightly. He shook his head as if dizzy and blinked several times. Ihyeon, still struggling to catch his breath, touched his face with concern.

"Kun, what's wrong?"

"My pills."

"Pills? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"I think I need to take more birth control pills."

Liu blinked slowly, looking dazed. He seemed different from his usual self, as if someone had possessed him and stolen his senses.

"You already took some. More than usual," Ihyeon replied.

"But I just feel like… I need to take more."

Even after sitting up completely, Liu did not withdraw from Ihyeon's body. Since the knot hadn't fully subsided, it wouldn't have come out anyway.

He pulled Ihyeon, who was lying limply beside him, and dragged him toward the edge of the bed. Reaching out, he rummaged through the nightstand drawer, swallowed the pills with some water.

Even while taking the medication, he moved his hips slowly. The sound of the semen he had generously released sloshing inside Ihyeon's body made his lower body stir again.

Ihyeon's gaze, looking up at Liu, was just as languid as that suggestive sound.

"You shouldn't take the pills."

Even though he knew Liu had already taken an enormous amount of birth control pills, and that it was too late to prevent conception now, Ihyeon said that as if he felt a sense of loss.

Liu shook his head and flashed a grin at Ihyeon.

"I really can't talk you out of anything."

· · · · ·

Two more knots followed while Liu remained inside him. A mixture of arousal fluid and semen continued to leak from around the point of entry, even with the knot plugging the passage. Despite the plug, he had released so much that there was no more space left inside Ihyeon's body.

The two finished the third knot with Ihyeon facing down, taken from behind. Even after finishing, Liu remained draped over Ihyeon's body, rubbing against him for a long time. Then he kissed Ihyeon's bare shoulder and cheek before sitting up.

Ihyeon, who had been underneath the whole time, was trembling intermittently.

"Stop..."

Ihyeon gasped out, his voice utterly exhausted and cracked.

"I'm full… I can't take any more."

His breathing, punctuated by swallowing, looked labored.

Gently kneading Ihyeon's hips, Liu slowly pulled out.

"Ugh!… yes… ngh… ah… I really don't want any more now… ngh… ngh…"

The sensation of the engorgement releasing made Ihyeon shudder again. Despite not wanting to feel it, the sensitivity of his heat had melted Ihyeon's entire body into a languid mess. He was in a state where even a kiss on the cheek would cause him to leak.

Schlick. Plap.

The moment Liu's cock retracted, a huge amount of fluid gushed from the opening. It couldn't close immediately and gaped open, quivering. Every time Ihyeon gasped for air, it convulsed, continually expelling a translucent liquid mixed with slick and semen. It dripped down onto Ihyeon's testicles, which were pressed out and jutting up beneath his prone hips. It was an intensely erotic scene.

Liu's pheromones were flowing strongly.

Licking his lips with his tongue, he looked at his cock, which was still engorged even after three knotting sessions. It twitched, wanting to push back between those legs immediately.

However, Liu retreated for the moment.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Liu pulled Ihyeon up by the arm. He gathered Ihyeon's limp body against his chest and gave him water to drink.

Only after Ihyeon had drunk an entire bottle of water and was lying down again did Liu take a drink himself and look around for the medication.

He felt like he needed to take more. It made no sense, but he felt he had to. That feeling kept coming back—an intuition he couldn't ignore, just like the moment he had sensed Ihyeon's heat and rushed over.

He found the pill bottle buried beneath the sheets and picked it up. He shook it, but heard nothing. When had he taken them all? Liu tossed the empty bottle carelessly onto the floor. Thud, thud, thud...

"There's no medicine left."

When he looked back, Ihyeon was crawling toward the far side of the bed. Liu grabbed his left ankle and yanked him back. Skkkrrrt. Ihyeon, who was being dragged without resistance, tried to hold onto the sheet, but it offered no meaningful resistance.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. I want to stop."

"You can't even stand on your own."

"I'm worn out. I can't do this anymore... I really can't."

Liu gripped Ihyeon's hips, his thumb tracing circles over the entrance. The wet opening puckered as if it wanted to swallow Liu's finger whole.

"You can't stop. If you don't keep what's mine inside you, your stomach will burn and itch like it did before."

"You said you'd make it better. When will it get better?"

Ihyeon turned his body, curling onto his side, and began to cry. Liu gently wiped away the tears clinging to his eyes and cheeks.

"It's hard, isn't it? I know. It's harder because it's the first time. But we've done this for longer than this before, haven't we?"

"Back then, Kun didn't act so... so savage."

"Didn't act like a beast like this?"

"......"

Liu looked down at Ihyeon, who couldn't answer, and gently tapped his wet cheek with his palm.

"I'll bring more medicine... and water. Okay? Just rest for a moment."

Liu picked up a towel lying nearby, roughly wiped away the slick fluids glistening on him, and walked toward the door.

Ihyeon threw a pillow.

But he didn't have enough strength left to hit Liu. The pillow bounced off the edge of the bed and fell to the floor. Liu ran a hand over the back of his neck, wordlessly picked up the pillow, and tossed it onto the sofa next to the bed.

He left the room with nothing but a towel wrapped around his lower body. Every step made his erection bob uncomfortably. It was painful too. But he was used to his cock remaining hard even after ejaculation—he knew exactly how to walk comfortably.

Drip. Drip. Plop, plop.

Liu, holding the base of his cock lightly as he walked down the hall, cursed and took a half-step back.

"This is driving me crazy."

Pre-cum was dripping freely from his rutting cock.

But he didn't have time to clean the floor. He stepped around the spilled fluid and headed to the kitchen.

When he stood before the drawer filled with all sorts of medicine to control pheromones and hormones, he felt something warm on his upper lip.

It was a nosebleed.

"Just what I needed."

He roughly wiped it away with the back of his hand and went to the sink to wash off the blood. So Ihyeon wouldn't be shocked when he saw it.

He felt like a stranger to himself. His mind was foggy, as if shrouded in mist, yet his desire was burning hot and clear. It felt as though he existed only for that one act.

In the darkness, Liu let out a dry chuckle to himself.

He was an Alpha in rut, so it was true that he existed only for that one act.

Even though he had only moved slightly away within the same house, his arm trembled from the desperate need for Ihyeon. It felt like his cock was scorching dry. He wanted to plunge back into Ihyeon's warmth as soon as possible.

Without even pouring water into a cup, he swallowed three or four pills with tap water. He grabbed the nearest bottle of medication and headed back down the hallway.

The bed was empty.

The sheets were a mess, the pill bottle and water bottle lay scattered on the floor, and towels were strewn everywhere. The air was thick with pheromones. Liu's eyes quickly scanned the traces of the messy session.

"Seo Ihyeon."

The voice was leisurely. There was no rush. Liu scratched behind his ear and peered around the room. Then he started walking toward the hallway leading to the bathroom and the dressing room.

"Seo Ihyeon?"

The pheromones were sending a signal from deeper inside. Using his heightened senses, he followed the thick scent. He slowly padded barefoot down the hallway that connected past the bathroom to the dressing room.

Squish. He stepped on a slick fluid underfoot. It was Ihyeon's. Liu rubbed it with his toes and moved deeper inside.

The long, rectangular dressing room was lined with drawers and hanging racks. Amidst Liu's neatly stacked shirts, Ihyeon's feet were visible.

Slide.

Liu crouched down in front of him and pushed aside the clothes rack.

Ihyeon, hugging his knees, was trembling with his shoulder leaning against the wall.

"Are we Hansel and Gretel?"

"Go away."

Ihyeon didn't even turn to look at Liu.

"You kindly left a trail on your way here, didn't you? With your pheromones."

"I want to stop now."

Contrary to his words, the floor where Ihyeon sat was sloshing with slick. The pheromone scent was potent. Liu's head swam, and he no longer had any desire to suppress it.

He grabbed Ihyeon's shoulder and pulled him around to face him.

"A moment ago, you were telling me to hurry up and thrust inside you, that you loved knotting."

Instead of pulling Ihyeon out, Liu crawled into the closet. He yanked Ihyeon's resisting arm and covered his struggling upper body with his own weight. Unable to resist, Ihyeon pushed Liu's shirts back and fell backward, embracing Liu as he lunged between his legs.

"I really can't anymore. Please, Kun..."

Liu gripped his own cock and rubbed it against Ihyeon's crotch. Still hard and slick with dripping pre-cum. Ihyeon's wet entrance, soft and yielding, pulsed as it swallowed the tip the moment it touched.

"You're making a fuss because you like my pheromones now that I'm here."

His cock burrowed in as if returning to its rightful place. Ihyeon opened his jaw and tilted his head back, gripping Liu's shoulder with enough force to dig his fingernails in.

"Ah! Ungh!… haa… yes."

"See? Even your voice is getting sweet."

Liu buried his lips into the nape of Ihyeon's neck and sucked hard until a mark formed.

"Hey, no... People can see."

Ihyeon slapped Liu's shoulder, but Liu didn't seem to care. Ihyeon might have forgotten, but his neck, shoulders, and chest were already mottled with marks. Adding one or two more wouldn't make much difference. Liu just ground his teeth and bit down harder.

"Show them. Show people how loved you are."

"Kun... Really, I'm having such a hard time... Mm... Ah, hngh."

As the head of his cock pressed against the deepest part of the inner wall, Ihyeon moaned and arched his back wildly.

Liu hooked his arms behind Ihyeon's knees, pushing his legs up until his knees touched his shoulders. His lower hips lifted into the air, spread wide open. Liu settled on top, raising and lowering his hips repeatedly, pounding deep from above.

"Ah! Ungh! Hngh!… deep, so deeeep… Big… Too much… haa, ah, I love this! I love this, Kun!"

"You like it, Ihyeon-ah?"

"Y-Yes! It feels good, Kun..."

The force of his thrusting made Ihyeon's voice tremble. His calves dangled in the air, knees still bent.

Pinned down from above, Ihyeon was completely unable to resist. He could only be taken again and again, looking up at Liu with eyes brimming with tears.

"My heat, my heat, do you like it, Kun?"

"It feels insane. So good I'm about to knot already."

Ihyeon clamped a hand over his own mouth. His eyes widened, just as they always did when a knot was coming.

"W-What... Why already... This is weird. Kun, wait. Ah, no. It's coming. Why is it coming so soon?"

He tried to escape, but the position made even shifting his body impossible.

Liu became even harder inside Ihyeon. He filled him until it felt like his insides would burst, then swelled at the base to block the entrance—a knot that felt like sealing a lid over Ihyeon's opening.

Liu felt a deep surge of satisfaction as he lodged himself firmly inside Ihyeon, anchored so deeply he couldn't be pulled out. A feral grin spread across his face as he panted.

"You understand me, Seo Ihyeon?"

"Ngh… y-yes… hah—! ngh! ngh… Kun…"

"This is what happens when you run into an Alpha bastard during heat."

"That Alpha bastard is Kun right now!"

Ihyeon pounded on Liu's shoulder, tears streaming down his face. Liu wiped Ihyeon's cheek with the palm of his hand. Even so, he didn't stop thrusting his hips.

"Am I the same as those other guys?"

"N-No, you're not the same."

Even as he cried and suffered from the pleasure, Ihyeon shook his head.

"Ihyeon, do you hate it? Do you hate me when I'm in rut?"

"I don't hate it... I didn't hate it... sob, hngh... Now I hate it."

"It's hard to feel this much pleasure, isn't it? I'm sorry."

Liu's cock, throbbing from the knot and pounding inside Ihyeon's belly, resonated with pleasure many times greater than usual. It felt like he was about to flood this wonderful warmth with semen at any moment.

"But it hurts and itches if you don't keep my cock inside."

"It hurts. It hurts, Kun. Please make it better now. Make it stop. Please."

Ihyeon reached out his arms toward Liu. Liu released the knee he had been pressing up and bent his face toward Ihyeon. As soon as the distance closed, Ihyeon's kisses rained down across his entire face.

"Give me… give me that. Kun, give it to me."

"Yeah, it's a knot. We're knotting, aren't we?"

Ihyeon repeatedly shook his head, insisting that wasn't what he meant.

"Then what else? What do you want? What should I give you, Ihyeon? Hm?"

"...A baby."

Liu ground his molars together and clicked his tongue. He tensed his hips. Just hearing the request for a baby almost made him come.

"You really are something."

"I, I know too."

"What do you know?"

"What people call what we're doing right now."

"What do they call it?"

"Pregnancy sex."

He barely managed to pass the threshold of his second climax.

An Omega in heat, an Alpha stimulated by that Omega.

If an Alpha and an Omega in heat have sex without birth control during their fertile periods, the Omega will conceive with a hundred percent certainty. Maybe there's a 0.05% exception. That's why sex during a heat was sometimes colloquially called pregnancy sex.

Liu, who had paused his thrusting for a moment, pushed his hips deeper against him.

"Who told you to say things like that?"

"Stop treating me like a child."

"Those are words you shouldn't say in front of people. They're words for only you and me in bed."

"Like my gunggari?"

"...Yes."

Ihyeon kissed Liu, whose lips had only a thin layer of reason left.

"I won't say it. I won't say it in front of anyone else..."

Ihyeon's hand, which had been holding Liu's neck, slipped downward. Then he began to toy with the edge of his own arousal, tightly sealed by the knot.

"Let's do it too. Right here, give me pregnancy sex, Kun."

It was the threshold of the third climax.

"You'll use pheromones as an excuse to say anything, won't you? Huh?"

Though he spoke as if lecturing him, Liu's pheromones were leaking out profusely. The knotted cock pulsed at a frantic pace.

"If you get pregnant, your breasts will get bigger and you'll leak milk. What are you going to do about that? You were so shy during your heat, too."

"Kun can take care of that for me… so it doesn't leak. We're married, aren't we?"

I'm going crazy, Liu muttered, pulling Ihyeon's waist toward him with both arms.

"This is how terrifying a heat can be."

Liu firmly supported Ihyeon's lower back, pulling him off the bed and settling him onto his lap. Facing each other, he gently circled his waist to stimulate Ihyeon's erogenous zones.

"Then say it."

"Ugh… w-what… ah… ugh…"

"We're married, remember? Say I'm your husband."

Ecstatic heat pheromones flowed from Ihyeon. His eyes, wet not with tears but with pheromones, met Liu's. Ihyeon's lips moved as he clutched Liu's head.

"...Honey."

Goosebumps rose all over Liu's body, and his hair stood on end.

That was a word Ihyeon rarely said. A word he had to beg and beg for, and hearing it only once in a while made him blissfully happy. His cock felt like it was melting inside Ihyeon's belly from how good it felt.

This time, Liu couldn't hold back his climax. From the bottom up, from the top down. The tremors of orgasm raced through his entire body several times.

He had to get him pregnant. He had to get him pregnant. The blood coursing through his body boiled at the thought. A thought? No, there was no room for thoughts right now. Liu was no longer in control; he was a slave to his own raw, driving instinct.

"Ah! Kun! Kun! I'm coming... I'm—! Kun. Kun..."

Almost simultaneously, Ihyeon also reached his climax. Raking his hands through Liu's hair as he held him close, Ihyeon began to thrust his hips without realizing it.

His hot, boiling semen poured out as if to impregnate Ihyeon's very being. The release was so intense his entire core felt completely numb. It felt like it was pounding Ihyeon's inner walls until they bruised, ready to shoot through his blood vessels and spread throughout his entire body.

This was an Alpha's—Liu Weikun's—rut.

Before the knot had even fully released, Ihyeon looked up with a clear smile, his cheeks stained with tears.

"I had Awi's first rut."

It was a pure smile. Uncharacteristic of an Omega deep in heat, intensely involved in sex with his mate during the heat.

That smile made the edges of Liu's chest burn. It wasn't about the first rut; he wanted to give Ihyeon anything and everything. He could give it. Anything Ihyeon desired.

Stroking the bare skin that ran from his slender back down to his hips, Liu looked up at Ihyeon.

"You'll take responsibility, right? For igniting my rut."

"Mmhmm…"

"It's not over yet. For me."

"No way."

This was how terrifying a rut could be.

· · · · ·

After another knotting concluded, Ihyeon rested his cheek on Liu's shoulder and went limp. Liu held him, stroking his back until the swollen root finally withdrew.

"Ugh..."

As Liu slowly pulled out, Ihyeon shivered repeatedly while still being held. This time too, a large amount of fluid gushed out the moment they separated. Definitely more than usual, whether arousal fluid or Liu's semen.

Liu lifted Ihyeon up, holding him almost slung over his shoulder, and stood. As Liu walked toward the bed, Ihyeon's arms hung limply on either side.

After laying him on the bed and giving him water, Ihyeon's eyes slowly began to focus again.

The water Liu had set out was running low, so he fetched a new bottle from the mini-fridge. As he stood beside the bed twisting the cap off, Ihyeon called out in a parched voice.

"Kun."

"Yeah?"

"That thing..."

Ihyeon's gaze was fixed on Liu's groin.

"It's calm now. I've never seen it like this before."

Liu's cock had never naturally gone soft after ejaculation. This was true no matter how many times he had come. Sometimes it took him over thirty minutes to return to normal. Now, it was hanging limply, pointed downward.

Only after five rounds of knotting did the erection finally subside.

"You said it was your first rut, right?"

"It was my first time."

"I guess that was the answer—rut sex."

"The answer?"

"This much was necessary during the rut to make it subside."

Ihyeon couldn't take his eyes off Liu's cock. At first, it was just curiosity. But soon, it became more than that. Pheromones began to rise from Ihyeon.

Inhaling the scent that continued to bloom without tiring, Liu stepped even closer to the bed. The high stack of mattresses brushed against his thighs. The look in Ihyeon's eyes, who had been lying there listlessly, changed.

Ihyeon turned over onto his stomach, propped himself up on his elbows, and drew closer to Liu. The distance shrank until Ihyeon's warm, sharp breath brushed against Liu's groin. Without it even being erect, he wrapped his fingers around the long, heavy length. As soon as Ihyeon's hand made contact, the cock twitched and rapidly swelled.

Ihyeon parted his lips and took the tip into his mouth.

"Mmm…"

Liu slowly closed his eyes. He stroked down across his own chest and then threaded his fingers into Ihyeon's hair.

As Liu savored the pleasure Ihyeon was giving him and the thick scent of his pheromones, a pill bottle suddenly caught his eye. Liu picked up the bottle rolling on the bed, gently gripped Ihyeon's hair, and pulled back slightly.

"Ihyeon-ah."

"Mm."

Ihyeon, who had only managed to wet the tip without even taking half of it, looked up sharply.

"What I took today wasn't birth control."

Ihyeon's eyes, glazed over from what he'd been doing, shook violently.

"I think I took the wrong one."

Ihyeon pulled away slowly, his lips parting from the tip. A glistening string stretched between the reddened, wet head and Ihyeon's tongue. Liu wiped it away with the back of his hand.

Ihyeon sat up, bracing himself on his knees in front of Liu.

"Wh-what do you mean? Did you check it properly? There's no way..."

Ihyeon lunged forward, trying to snatch the pill bottle from Liu. Liu wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him tightly against his stomach. Off balance, Ihyeon tumbled into his embrace.

"See? You were startled."

"......"

Ihyeon, who had been staring up at Liu, forgetting even to blink, frowned.

"Was that a joke?"

Then he struggled to push Liu's arm away.

"It's proof that you're not ready to have a baby yet."

"That's not it—I'm just surprised because it was so sudden."

But Liu didn't let Ihyeon go.

"If you were really ready, you wouldn't have been this surprised, right? Even if my birth control was wrong, you took yours too? Is that something to be this shocked about?"

"Because I couldn't think that far ahead right away."

Ihyeon didn't give up easily, continuing to squeeze the hand Liu had wrapped around his waist. He seemed genuinely angry.

Liu wrapped both arms tightly around Ihyeon's back and waist. He rubbed his lips against Ihyeon's bare shoulder, the back of his neck, and his ear, begging for forgiveness in a tender voice.

"Don't be mad. Don't be mad, darling."

"...That's cowardly."

Although his voice still held a trace of grumpiness, Ihyeon made no further attempt to pull his hand away.

Mhm. Liu pulled Ihyeon closer, tightening his grip, and gently stroked the back of his partner's head. Then he cupped Ihyeon's cheeks with both hands and kissed his forehead, the bridge of his nose, and his lips. With their foreheads touching, he whispered,

"Our honeymoon for just the two of us only happens once in a lifetime."

"..."

"Can't our honeymoon last a little longer? Hmm?"

· · · · ·

After Ihyeon got out of the tub, Liu wrapped him in a robe and seated him in front of the mirror in the powder room.

Ihyeon looked like he could fall asleep at any moment. With his eyelids half-closed, he looked at Liu through the mirror.

"It's fine if I don't dry my hair and just go to sleep for one day."

Liu, standing behind him and preparing the hair dryer, said firmly.

"No. You're not in good condition today, and you could catch a cold."

"Then I'll dry it. It would be better for Kun to go to the gallery first."

"I sent a message, so it's fine."

Ihyeon tried to snatch the hair dryer away, but Liu stretched the hand holding it far out of reach.

Giving up the battle for the hair dryer, Ihyeon instead grabbed the sash of Liu's robe and looked up at him.

"It's just in front of the house, but just sending a message feels wrong. She is the gallery manager, after all. And nuna must be worried."

Holding the hair dryer like a gun, Liu looked down at Ihyeon. He had intended not to take his eyes off Ihyeon even for a moment all day. But his resolve felt like it was wavering.

How could he ignore that when Ihyeon, freshly bathed and wrapped in a soft robe, was clinging to his waist? Besides, this earnest expression, as if pleading, wasn't one he saw often.

Stroking Ihyeon's cheek with his thumb and giving it a slight pinch, Liu spoke.

"Don't you think I worry about you too, not just Baek Yuni?"

The sex that began around dusk yesterday had continued until dawn today. Both of them were completely drained and fallen asleep right where they were. It was the first time they had fallen asleep without changing the sheets or moving to the guest room bed after being intimate. Even Liu, who was confident in his stamina, couldn't withstand the rut.

He had woken up a little while ago, well past noon.

Liu immediately started running warm water in the bathtub, and while the tub filled, he looked for his phone. Several short messages had arrived from Yuni.

[What time do you expect to come in? It's 11, and you haven't shown up.]

This was a standard message because Liu's start time was never fixed.

[Mr. Carty is visiting this afternoon. He needs paintings to decorate the resort. You'll be in by then, right? You know he's coming to see the Director. Please come to work. Okay?]

The second message, which arrived a short time later, was somewhat threatening. However, it was no match for keeping Liu away from Ihyeon after his first heat.

[Ihyeon isn't feeling well. He probably won't be able to come in today.]

Having sent just that reply, he tossed his phone somewhere. He moved the groggy, barely conscious Ihyeon to the bathtub, submerged his body, and quickly changed the sheets in the meantime.

After that, he got into the tub and washed up with Ihyeon before coming out.

Today, he wanted to stay by his mate's side all day. He felt that would be the only way to feel safe.

But Ihyeon thought differently.

"If you leave me alone for just a moment, nothing will happen to me."

"Yesterday..."

Yesterday, you almost got into serious trouble being alone. —Liu was about to say that, but he closed his mouth. If that incident had somehow traumatized Ihyeon and made him afraid, it wouldn't have been good.

Finally, letting out a shallow sigh, Liu declared surrender.

"I'll dry your hair and then I'll leave."

"Kun."

"...Fine. Here. Happy?"

Yuni's threat hadn't worked, but Liu couldn't resist Ihyeon. In the end, he handed the hair dryer over. With a reluctant expression, he turned away from the mirror and walked toward the dressing room, shrugging off his robe.

"Eat something instead. Let's eat and then sleep. Okay?"

"Sleep is more urgent than food right now. I'm so sleepy."

Liu tossed the robe into the laundry hamper and pulled on boxers from the drawer. He put on underwear and then pants, finally grabbing a top at random.

"You can't even manage some cereal?"

"Later."

"I'll bring it to you in bed."

He craned his neck, looking toward the powder room as if waiting for an answer. Ihyeon, who had been watching him, shook his head.

"Sorry. I have no appetite at all."

"What about Omia's carrot cake?"

Omia was one of Ihyeon's favorite small bakeries in Ubud. It wasn't far from the gallery or their house.

Ihyeon seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he shook his head again. Then he walked out of the dressing room and fixed his gaze on Liu, who was approaching him.

"It is one of my favorites, but I'm fine."

Liu was wearing thin, comfortable loungewear pants made of linen that didn't restrict his movement. Then he pulled the top over his head. His toned, rugged torso, with its defined muscles, was instantly concealed, starting from his shoulders, down across his chest, and over his abdomen. However, since both the top and bottom were soft clothing, they couldn't completely hide the contours of his sensual physique.

As he placed the hair dryer on the shelf in front, Ihyeon's gaze lingered on Liu's figure. Even though it wasn't directly visible, the way the fabric draped over the lines of his body made it even more evocative. Anyone could vividly imagine the beautiful, muscular body beneath the clothes. At least, that's how it seemed to Ihyeon.

Liu, having returned behind Ihyeon, bent over and wrapped his arms around his partner's shoulders.

"Shall I make you pancakes? I can whip up some egg drop soup right away, too."

"Anything Kun makes is great, but I'll eat after I've properly woken up."

Pancakes, egg drop soup. These were all dishes Liu had often made for Ihyeon in the past.

Ihyeon stroked the arms Liu had wrapped around his shoulders and met his gaze in the mirror. Liu pressed his lips against Ihyeon's cheek and spoke.

"You haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday."

"Awi hasn't either."

"I'm going to eat now."

"You know I just want to sleep after a heat. I'm so sleepy I can't do anything."

What Ihyeon said was true. Omegas who finish a heat experience an intense need to sleep temporarily to restore their strength. Omegas who have been in heat for three or four days sometimes sleep soundly for a period equivalent to the duration of the heat itself. A strong appetite only returns after they wake up.

However, in a typical heat, it shouldn't disappear in just one night. That part kept bothering Liu.

"But then."

"Yes?"

Liu, who had been lost in thought, met Ihyeon's eyes again in the mirror at the sound of his voice.

"You're still planning on going to the gallery?"

"It'll just be for a moment. Since it's lunchtime, there probably won't be any visitors."

"Isn't your outfit... too revealing?"

Ihyeon's comment was so unexpected that Liu's eyes widened without him realizing it. Then he burst out laughing as if greatly amused.

"Excuse me? I think I misheard you, Seo Ihyeon?"

It was the first time Ihyeon had ever said something like that about his attire. Liu had thought he was pointing out that he was dressed too casually to go to the gallery… but this interference, this possessiveness, this jealousy—it only made Liu extremely happy.

Conversely, Ihyeon was starting to feel awkward after revealing his true feelings. But now he couldn't back down. He wasn't planning on backing down even if Liu teased him.

He really couldn't allow Liu to leave the house dressed like that. Intellectually, he knew it wasn't a matter of giving or withholding permission, even for a spouse… but still…

"It shows off your figure so clearly."

"You've never said anything like that before."

"That outfit is a bit much. It's too thin."

"You don't like other people looking at my body? Even when I'm wearing clothes?"

"......"

Ihyeon firmly pressed his lips together. He stared intently at Liu's face in the mirror, where Liu was grinning. Even with his bottom lip slightly swollen, his partner was devastatingly handsome.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to state the truth, before deciding to be honest.

"I don't like seeing Kun, who was in rut with me just a few hours ago, go out looking like that."

In the mirror, Liu made an expression as if he might melt away. The arms holding Ihyeon tightened their embrace. His face looked as if he were dreaming, as if he had just heard a romantic confession of love.

"Ah... this is truly too much happiness."

He pressed his lips deeply against Ihyeon's cheek, kissing him with a loud smack.

"I'll go change."

Without a second thought, he headed back to the dressing room, shrugging off his shirt. His back, which had held Ihyeon all night, lifting him, and moving ceaselessly, seemed even more powerfully built than usual. The deltoids at the edge of his shoulders, the rhomboids around his spine, and even the latissimus dorsi leading down to his waist looked more defined and bulkier today.

Although he felt a bit embarrassed for showing his feelings so openly, Ihyeon thought he had done well to speak up. He even felt that saying things like this more often wouldn't be so bad if it could bring such a happy expression to Liu's face.

"How about this one? Is this okay?"

Liu, who had quickly changed clothes, spread his arms and waited for approval. He was wearing jeans and a pique polo shirt. Ihyeon nodded.

"You have to look closely. Don't you think the shoulders or chest are too tight? Hmm?"

"Stop teasing me."

Ihyeon felt his face grow hot. Picking up the hair dryer, he quickly averted his gaze from Liu. Liu, who approached with a smile, bent down and hugged Ihyeon's shoulders tightly once more.

"Dry it thoroughly. Just like when I do it for you."

Liu kissed the damp hair, grabbed his cell phone, and left the bedroom. Ihyeon's flushed face didn't return to normal until some time later.

· · · · ·

The sunlight was piercingly intense. Liu had to pause for a moment on the steps in front of the main door.

Waiting there for his pupils to adjust to the light, he looked anew at the routine scenery he encountered every day.

The world was bright, clear, and ordinary.

A gentle ripple stirred the surface of the swimming pool, and the leaves of the frangipani tree Liu meticulously cared for rustled as they brushed against each other. Cars and motorbikes passed sporadically along the road in front of the gallery, and a group of children chatted merrily in Balinese not far away.

Even when he had experienced things for the first time, he had remained composed—but now, after going through his first rut with Ihyeon, the world looked different.

He felt even closer to Ihyeon. Even in this moment apart from him, it felt as though his touch was enveloping him.

The first rut was more intense than he had learned through theory. The memory of Ihyeon, who had constantly desired him to the point of weeping from agony, still sent a throbbing heat to his lower body.

Those pheromones he had so detested.

The rut he had wanted to avoid, and indeed had avoided.

Yet a rut with the mate he loved was neither revolting nor animalistic, as Liu had feared it would be.

It even felt as if they had been reborn as a true married couple. As an Alpha and Omega couple, they had revealed, shared, and accepted the most primal parts of themselves that neither wanted to show nor should have shown to anyone else.

However, there was still a part that Liu couldn't comprehend.

For an Omega who took suppressants every single day without fail, the probability of going into heat was close to zero. The suppressant Ihyeon took wasn't cheap either. Even though he had given him a sharp suppressant—one that worked after a heat had already started—it had been useless. The same went for the suppressants Liu himself had swallowed.

One more thing.

He had also never heard of a rut, once started, ending in just one night like that.

After waking up, Liu's body was no different from usual. The same went for Ihyeon. They were just exhausted from being tormented by sex; the heat symptoms and pheromones had completely vanished.

What was it? What on earth had that been last night?

Could that even be called a heat and a rut?

For now, it was a question without a clear answer. Liu, who had been lost in thought while looking out at the peaceful garden, turned and quickly descended the stairs.

Instead of going through the main gate, he passed by Ihyeon's atelier and entered the gallery through the back door. It was lunchtime, so the front door was closed, and Yuni and Michelle were eating in the lounge area at the back.

As soon as Yuni spotted Liu entering the room, she put down the bagel sandwich she was eating onto her plate. Then she jumped up from her seat and approached him quickly.

"Where's Ihyeon? How is he?"

"He's still not doing well."

"Is he that unwell? He rarely even catches a cold... Wait, what's wrong with the Director's lips?"

Horror flooded Yuni's face as she closed the distance toward Liu. Liu touched his lips with his fingertips and turned away from her.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing? Your lips are completely smashed up! Did you get into a fight with someone? Michelle, look at this!"

"It's fine. Keep eating, Michelle. She just gets startled easily when she sees someone hurt."

Liu spoke to Michelle in Korean. Her Korean skills had improved remarkably, making this level of communication entirely possible.

Despite Liu's efforts to calm them down, Michelle eventually stood up as well. Wiping her hands on a tissue, she approached and observed Liu from behind the flustered Yuni, then added one more comment.

"But it really is quite noticeable, though?"

"Right? Did you actually get into a fistfight with someone, Director?"

"Fight whom? Am I the type of person who resorts to fists?"

"If someone bothers Ihyeon, you'd absolutely do that and more."

"......"

Liu couldn't refute Yuni's remark. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged, indicating his agreement. Then he walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall and looked at his reflection.

"Is it that bad?"

"We can only see your lips right now."

"It looks worse because it's swollen, but there's almost no pain."

"How did your lips end up like that?"

Liu glanced at Yuni over his shoulder through the mirror, pushed the inside of his cheek with the tip of his tongue, and answered.

"I bit them."

"Ihyeon did that?"

Yuni immediately asked that back, as if it were far more natural that his partner Ihyeon had bitten him, rather than Liu biting his own lip. Liu let out an involuntary, small laugh. It was an inference he rather liked.

"That's not entirely wrong. Let's just go with that."

Turning away from the mirror, Liu attempted to head back to the bedroom where Ihyeon was.

"Anyway, I'm resting today. Nothing special is happening, right?"

"Is Ihyeon that sick?"

Yuni's concern for Ihyeon, which had been momentarily eclipsed by the state of Liu's lip, resurfaced.

"It's not that any one part hurts specifically. But he has a slight fever, and his overall condition isn't good."

Michelle took a small bottle of mango juice from the refrigerator and handed it to Liu. As Liu twisted the cap off, he had to listen to Yuni's next theory.

"He hasn't even shown up at the atelier yet? Then he really must be sick. The Director knows very well that he's not the type to skip work just because he's feeling a little under the weather..."

This time too, Yuni's voice trailed off. Then, with half-lidded eyes and a smile whose meaning couldn't be fathomed, she nodded at Liu.

"Ah..."

"What was that 'Ah'? It felt like you were blaming me."

"It's not blame. It means I understand."

"Understand what."

"Why Ihyeon is 'not feeling well' today."

With a look that suggested she had worried for nothing, Yuni went back to the lunch table and sat on the sofa. By then, Liu had already finished half of his mango juice.

"If Ihyeon were sick enough to miss the atelier, the Director wouldn't be more unconcerned than I am. I'm usually not this kind of person, but I was a little slow to catch on."

"Sometimes, it would be nice if you just let things slide."

"Why? I'm deliberately teasing you. It's fun."

Picking up the bagel sandwich she had set back down on the plate, Yuni said cheerfully.

"Tomorrow, I'll tease Seo Ihyeon too."

Liu thought he could see two small horns appearing above her head.

"Don't."

"That's overprotectiveness. You know that, right?"

"If you keep teasing him like that, Ihyeon will just withdraw even more in bed."

After saying that, he brought the juice bottle to his lips.

Yuni, her expression tightly pinched, slammed the sandwich back onto the plate. Then, covering her ears with both hands, she shook her head vehemently.

"Aargh! Don't say things like that! To me, Seo Ihyeon is still just a baby bird. Don't defile him!"

Then, suddenly stopping her head-shaking, she looked up at Liu with a look of utter disbelief.

"But Ihyeon is the one who's physically exhausted—why is the Director resting too? Didn't you see my message?"

"I need to be by his side."

"Then at least stay at your post while Mr. Carty is here. He doesn't seem interested in the paintings at all if the Director isn't present."

"There's no need to sell them under those conditions. Our artists' works will all be recognized soon enough, and he'll regret his own judgment when that time comes."

"Right, well. If that's the Director's management policy. Then I'll play aloof when greeting clients too."

Yuni was naturally competitive, having always possessed a strong desire for high sales, even back during the Seoul Phantom days. Yet she seemed to have changed considerably after going through The Hands, a non-profit organization. Perhaps interacting for so long with artists who valued the work itself over fame had influenced her.

Liu smiled silently as he watched Yuni willingly give up on the sales figures. He then placed the empty glass bottle onto the table.

"So, can I go now? I'll keep my phone on, so call me if anything urgent comes up."

"Ah, Director! The cap samples have arrived!"

"Already? I thought it would take a few more days."

Liu, who had been about to leave the lounge, turned back. Michelle came out of the adjacent office holding a cap.

These caps were gifts for the friends who helped the gallery and the affiliated artists, and they were also made for promotional use at the Hong Kong Art Fair the following month.

"They turned out better than I thought they would. Take them and show Ihyeon. He'll be curious."

"I will."

As he took the cap from Michelle, Yuni approached and handed him a small paper box.

"And this, too."

Inside the transparent plastic on top of the box was a carrot cake from Omia.

"I also brought bagel sandwiches from Omia. Since I was already there... Ihyeon likes them."

"Thank you. He'll like them."

"The Director speaks as if to say, 'I'll thank you on my husband's behalf for taking care of him. We're one body.' It's kind of annoying when you talk like that, though."

Reliable Michelle, who had completely teamed up with the perpetually sharp-tongued Yuni, was left to manage the gallery. Liu headed out of the lounge area.

His steps toward home kept quickening. He was anxious that Ihyeon might have developed some other symptom while alone. It seemed like the trauma belonged to Liu himself, not Ihyeon.

As soon as he entered the entryway, he headed straight for the bedroom.

Ihyeon, having dried his hair and changed into his pajamas, was just slipping under the covers. Liu, standing by the doorknob, let out a breath of relief so quiet Ihyeon wouldn't hear it.

"Was nuna worried about you?"

"She was worried you must be really sick since you weren't even coming out to the atelier."

With the bed facing them, Ihyeon's side was on the right, closer to the window, and Liu's side was on the left, closer to the bathroom and the door. Ihyeon settled into the right side and looked at Liu with a worried expression.

"Kun, you didn't bring up heat or rut or anything like that, did you?"

"I didn't, but… she guessed the reason you're feeling unwell is because of me."

"Because of Kun?"

"That I was bothering you too much, making you sick."

"Ah..."

Ihyeon, only grasping the meaning of the words belatedly, awkwardly averted his gaze. He fiddled unnecessarily with the blanket, trying to change the subject.

"But what's that hat?"

"Oh, the one I commissioned. They said the sample was ready."

"Already? I thought it would take a few more days. Can I see it?"

A rosy color spread across Ihyeon's face, which had looked tired and sleepy moments before. Liu, draping his discarded pique shirt over the back of the sofa, picked up the hat and approached Ihyeon.

"I was worried the color wouldn't come out right. It's pretty, isn't it?"

Ihyeon smiled as he took the cobalt blue hat, turning it over in his hands.

Embroidered beneath a cute ghost character—looking as if it were draped in a large white cloth—was the name of the gallery: The Phantom Bali. The name of the new gallery they established here was also Phantom. The Phantom Bali.

Liu sat down on the edge of the bed. Watching Ihyeon examine the hat closely with evident delight eased Liu's anxiety, bringing a smile to his slightly swollen lips. He reached out and gently smoothed his partner's hair. His touch was more affectionate than usual.

"It's dried perfectly crisp, hasn't it? Good boy."

"You shouldn't treat your spouse like a baby."

"It's not because you're delicate; it's because you're the person I love."

"......"

"I plan to treat you this way even when we're old, so you'll just have to accept that, Seo Ihyeon."

He declared that firm resolution in a gentle voice. Ihyeon shook his head as if exasperated, but the smile blooming on his face was soft.

Just a few months after moving here, everyone who came and went from the gallery knew one thing: the owner, Liu Weikun, was endlessly softhearted when it came to his spouse, Seo Ihyeon. Even six-year-old Leo knew it.

But even at Ihyeon's request, Liu could not concede on taking care of his mate, worrying about him, prioritizing him above all else, and overprotecting him. This was true even if that mate was already a perfectly capable and diligent person who didn't need such care.

Liu's hand moved from Ihyeon's hair to his cheek. He asked Ihyeon cautiously.

"I guess we can't go to the hospital right now, can we?"

"I can't move at all. Seriously..."

"Seriously?"

"No."

Ihyeon stopped himself mid-sentence and shook his head.

"What is it? Tell me."

"It's not something that warrants such a worried expression."

"Just tell me. You know I worry more if you don't."

"I'll tell you if you promise not to make strange jokes."

"Strange jokes? You mean dirty jokes, right?"

"Are you going to make them?"

Liu made a gesture of surrender to Ihyeon, who was staring him down with considerable intensity.

"I won't. So please tell me."

Even after getting Liu's promise, Ihyeon seemed hesitant for a moment longer. After chewing on his lower lip, Ihyeon wrapped an arm around the back of Liu's neck and pulled his face closer.

"Are we going to whisper when it's just the two of us?"

Liu asked with confusion, but Ihyeon ignored him and pulled him even closer. Then he pressed his lips right against Liu's freshly washed ear.

"It feels so intense, I wonder if this is what it feels like after giving birth."

"......"

Liu couldn't say anything. He just stared intently at Ihyeon. Ihyeon, who subtly averted his gaze, shrugged his shoulders and picked up the hat again. Then, as if he too was embarrassed, he glanced sideways at Liu and said,

"You remember promising not to tell any strange jokes, right?"

"Even without you reminding me, I'm already fiercely regretting it."

Seeing Liu mumble blankly with a serious expression, Ihyeon burst into a laugh. Then he casually plopped the hat he had been fiddling with onto Liu's head. It was an absentminded gesture with no particular meaning.

But as Ihyeon looked at Liu wearing the hat, his expression shifted slightly. The laughter vanished, replaced by a genuine curiosity. His gaze, as if closely observing a stranger for the first time, made Liu tense up.

"Why? Does it look strange?"

"We've been together quite a while, but this is the first time I've seen Kun wear a hat like this."

"I didn't wear caps like this much even when I was a teenager."

Even though they were already married, the fact that he was revealing a new side of himself to Ihyeon made Liu feel awkward.

But precisely for that reason, Ihyeon found this version of Liu refreshing.

Liu, dressed in jeans with his shirt off and a baseball cap on, presented an image that stepped outside the boundaries of the Liu Weikun Ihyeon thought he knew so well.

His thick, long neck, the deltoids at the peak of his round, full shoulders, his broadly spread pectoral muscles, the strands of hair poking out from under the cap he had carelessly shoved on, the slate-blue eyes beneath the deep brim, and the high, firm bridge of his nose casting a deep shadow.

Even in casual wear, Liu preferred high-quality materials with elegant, simple designs. His upbringing and profession had shaped his current tastes. Although he sometimes wore jeans and a leather jacket, even then he never wore a baseball cap.

But right now, he looked like a young surfer hanging around Kuta Beach with his shirt off.

Ihyeon studied his mate intently.

"Don't wear one around other people, either."

"It's true that this kind of casual style doesn't really suit me."

Liu reached up to lift the brim and tried to take the cap off, but Ihyeon stopped him. He had completely misread the situation. Ihyeon grabbed Liu's wrist and pulled his hand down, unable to take his eyes off him.

"You don't mean that seriously, do you?"

"Didn't you tell me not to wear it because it doesn't suit me?"

"It's the opposite."

"It shouldn't look good."

"You look amazing. So amazing that I… want to be the only one who sees it."

He had summoned the courage to say that, but Liu just gave a slight laugh, as if he didn't quite believe it.

Even as a child, Liu had naturally drawn attention and admiration simply with his looks. Ihyeon knew this well because he had heard from Marcus and Ellen just how popular a boy Liu had been. And it was still the same now. Ihyeon knew that just by Liu entering a room, he would draw people's gazes and admiration. The only difference was whether those looks were overt or subtle—no one could look at him and remain indifferent.

Yet he doubted Ihyeon's compliment.

Ihyeon gently took his jaw, turning Liu to face him. What immediately caught his eye was his lower lip, noticeably twisted and swollen on one side.

It was a trace of how Liu had restrained himself, trying not to lose control completely to his rut. Knowing this, the injury held a special significance for Ihyeon. He knew, to some extent theoretically, how close to impossible it was to resist a rut that had already broken loose. And so this lip felt like the very embodiment of Liu's love for him.

Ihyeon's thumb, resting on his jawline, carefully brushed over his lower lip.

"You're handsome, even with your lip this swollen."

"Not like a brawler?"

"Some might call it rugged charm."

"Yuni did ask right away if I'd been fighting."

Ihyeon felt a sense of responsibility toward Liu, who possessed a striking appearance so genuinely handsome that calling him good-looking was less a compliment and more a simple statement of fact, yet Liu never seemed to fully accept it.

"Am I not expressive enough?"

"Expressive about what."

"Inside, I always think it: I've truly gained such a wonderful spouse."

Liu, steadying himself on the mattress, tilted his head toward his shoulder and let out a soft chuckle.

"You're very generous with the compliments about my looks today."

"I'll say it more often from now on. How handsome, gorgeous, and sexy Kun is."

This time, Liu reached out and touched Ihyeon's ear.

"You wouldn't know."

"Know what?"

"How often your eyes tell me that when you look at me."

"That's a relief."

Liu, wearing his cap pulled low, brought his face close. He twisted his head to keep the brim from getting in the way, then gently took Ihyeon's upper lip between his own, kissing it softly before releasing it. Then, as he massaged the back of Ihyeon's neck with his large hand, he whispered,

"Your eyes are full of sleep. Time to rest."

"I have work to do..."

"You are diligent every day. If you don't feel well, you should rest."

Liu took off his cap and gently pushed Ihyeon onto the bed. He tucked the blanket around Ihyeon, who was lying down with a pillow, and bent over to kiss him. Just as Liu was about to leave the bedside, Ihyeon called out to him once more.

"Kun."

"Hm?"

"Later..."

"......"

"Let's do it while you're still wearing that cap."

Liu, who had been standing and looking down at Ihyeon, broadly brushed his jawline. When he lowered his hand, a sly smile lingered around his lips.

"What? What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever Kun wants to do."

"Now?"

"Not now. Right after my heat."

Ihyeon, who had only his face peeking out from under the blanket, closed his eyes.

After dropping a comment like that, he instantly fell asleep. Liu, looking down at his irresponsible partner, was filled with a sense of injustice. However, it didn't last long. His partner, who had experienced his first heat with him the night before, was several times more adorable than usual.

· · · · ·

After confirming Ihyeon was deeply asleep, Liu hastily cleaned up the traces of the previous night. He gathered a huge pile of towels and underwear scattered on the floor and tossed them into the laundry basket before leaving the bedroom.

There were five face towels and eight bath towels in total. These towels, along with the clothes soaked in Ihyeon's fluids, were not something he could entrust to a dry cleaner. Besides, he had already told the cleaning lady to take the day off.

Entering the laundry room, Liu picked up Ihyeon's T-shirt, which had been peeled off inside out. The fabric around the nipples was warped and stretched out because Liu had sucked on them.

"This one… he won't be able to wear it again."

If Ihyeon were here, he would have snatched it away with embarrassment. With that thought, Liu let out a slight chuckle and tossed the T-shirt into the washing machine.

It was a blue and white striped T-shirt.

A Saint James Minquiers 18.

Ihyeon owned almost every model from this brand, sometimes several of each color. Lately, he had been wearing this particular model the most often. Especially this color.

The one he wore last night, the one he wore the day they moved to Bali, the one he wore the morning after the wedding, the one he wore most often during the museum tour—come to think of it, it was always this T-shirt.

The cheerful blue and white stripes. The thickness was just right so it fluttered pleasantly in the breeze. The sleeves were always folded back twice to be wide, so they wouldn't interfere with his work.

I loved looking at Ihyeon wearing this T-shirt with a pair of blue jeans.

I loved seeing him in the atelier, wearing this shirt under an apron while holding a brush and palette; watching him tend to the plants barefoot on the garden grass; seeing him stand by the poolside, scooping fallen leaves from the swimming pool with a long net. And, of course, seeing him disheveled in our shared bedroom, wearing this T-shirt just like last night.

I loved him in every moment.

I was grateful that I could look at him from the closest vantage point, in the capacity of a partner.

There were still times when, suddenly, I couldn't quite believe it.

The fact that I had married Ihyeon, that we were living together in the same house, sharing the same bedroom, and that there was no longer any need to be separated between Paris and Seoul.

At times like that, Liu had to pause his work and take a deep breath just to digest such immense happiness.

As he shoved Ihyeon's jeans—still damp with traces of arousal fluid—into the washing machine, Liu thought.

Was it the right decision to make Ihyeon pregnant at such an early age?

Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't respecting Ihyeon's wishes. Ihyeon was an established, legitimate professional painter and an adult worthy of respect and admiration as a partner. Just as Yeehan had said, he was strong enough to decide for himself what was best for him.

He recalled Ihyeon's sweet expression and voice from last night, asking for a baby.

Had that been words spoken while carried away by heat, or was it Ihyeon's true feeling?

Even if it was his true feeling, was having a baby right now, simply because Ihyeon wanted it, truly the best thing for him?

Liu added the detergent to the dispenser and selected the wash cycle. The machine began to operate with a quiet rumble. Leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed, he sank back into his thoughts.

After arriving in Bali, they had about a month until the gallery opened. During that time, the two savored their honeymoon. There were many days they didn't step foot outside the house, spending the whole time together. On days like those, the entire house was saturated with pheromones.

Without any reservation, they let their pheromones flow freely and breathed in each other's scent. They knotted and bonded to their heart's content.

Ihyeon, whose manifestation level had only slightly exceeded 80% when they moved to Bali, completed his transition entirely within that month. As Liu himself admitted, this was proof that they had engaged in an incredible amount of pheromone exchange.

Both the triangle-zone, which corresponds to an Omega's uterus, and the Omega road leading to it had developed normally. Ihyeon now was a mature Omega. Had they not been so meticulous about birth control, he surely would have gotten pregnant from last night's heat sex.

Liu roughly swept his large hand across his entire face.

Pregnancy and childbirth would be Ihyeon's burden. That was all the more reason why he couldn't readily agree, even if Ihyeon wanted it.

In any case, that issue was for later. There was something more pressing that needed to be confirmed right now.

Liu, who had been blankly watching the laundry tumble inside the steadily rotating drum, detached himself from the wall as if having made a firm decision. He pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and headed toward the kitchen.

It was 10:30 AM in Bali time.

Boston would be exactly twelve hours behind, at 10:30 PM. Liu sat down at the dining table with a bottle of beer and initiated a call.

[Look who it is!]

Marcus answered with a cheerful voice.

"Hope you're doing well. I'm calling because it shouldn't be time for you to be asleep yet."

[It's not time for sleep. I'm having a drink with Ellen. What's up? Is something wrong with Ihyeon?]

Marcus asked in a teasing tone. This was because whenever Liu detected even the slightest unusual symptom from Ihyeon, he immediately called Marcus. Marcus often teased Liu, calling him an overprotective parent who rushed to the pediatrician even for minor things.

This time, however, Liu didn't even have the leeway to offer an awkward smile. He repeatedly bit his lower lip while scratching the surface of the beer bottle with his thumb. The wound still carried the metallic scent of blood.

"Ihyeon had his heat yesterday."

[That can't be!]

Marcus seemed to leap up from his seat with a gasp.

[He couldn't have skipped his suppressants.]

"He took them every single day without fail. Yesterday was no different."

[Are you absolutely sure it was a heat?]

"It was definitely a heat."

[How can you be so certain? Maybe something else was wrong...]

"Because it triggered my rut."

[Ah… something like that…]

Marcus let out a sound like a groan and couldn't speak for a moment. This time, Liu sensed him slump down powerlessly somewhere.

After hearing the sequence of symptoms from Liu, Marcus seemed even more incredulous.

[A heat never ends so abruptly. You know that, right?]

"If it wasn't a heat, then what was it?"

[…]

Marcus couldn't answer right away. Only after a long pause did he offer his opinion in a serious tone.

[It must have been something unique to the Diamond Dust, something that only affects you, a Ghost.]

Liu had no choice but to agree with that assessment.

[What about contraception?]

"Both Ihyeon and I took medication. I increased my usual dose, and just in case, I made sure Ihyeon took it afterward too."

[Yes, that was good. You handled it well enough. What about Ihyeon? It must have been his first heat—he must have been quite startled. Especially since it wasn't a typical set of symptoms…]

Liu took several gulps of the beer in front of him. In truth, Liu seemed more confused by this unidentified heat and rut than Ihyeon himself. It reminded him of when they first met—the time he sensed a powerful pheromone from the Beta Ihyeon that he couldn't resist.

"He was a bit confused at first… but he's fine now. He's okay. He's sleeping."

[Yes, he's always been quite prepared and strong. And you probably reassured him and helped him through it properly.]

Liu, who had barely managed to maintain his composure, suddenly let out a long sigh. He rested his elbows on the table, pressed his temples, and muttered quickly in an anxious voice.

"Even though he took the balance suppressants every single day without fail, his heat broke out. And even when I gave him the sharp suppressants, it was useless. That means this is something we can't stop, doesn't it? What if something like this happens again when I'm not around..."

[Liu Weikun. Keep your composure. If you get anxious, what will happen to Ihyeon?]

"......"

[In my opinion, it's highly likely this was a sudden occurrence because the pheromone exchange between you two increased after you got married. It means the bond between you has become that much closer.]

"Do you really think so?"

[You said you felt like something had happened to Ihyeon even though you were in different spaces. Ihyeon's heat was probably stimulated by you in some way, and when Ihyeon went into heat, your pheromones reacted to his. You weren't that far apart, were you?]

"It's only a few meters from the house to the atelier. But we were in separate spaces—is it possible for me to be affected by his pheromones from that distance?"

[It just means your pheromones are that much more attuned to him. Bonded to him.]

Bonded.

A rare phenomenon that occurs in an Alpha who has consistently exchanged pheromones with an Omega. The Alpha becomes responsive only to their Omega's pheromones, and their protective instincts intensify to increase the probability of breeding. That's what it was generally understood to be.

However, in modern times, where both Alphas and Omegas take suppressants, Bonding was nothing short of a legend, much like the existence of a Ghost.

[I think the bond and dependency of your pheromones are much stronger precisely because you are Diamond Dust and a Ghost. It will probably get even stronger later if Ihyeon has a baby.]

"I don't mind being Bonded to him. In fact, I welcome it. My only concern is..."

[Don't worry too much about something similar happening to Ihyeon when you're not around. Diamond Dust is stable as long as it's not with a Ghost. It's been fine so far. Just be cautious and keep an eye on things for about one to two weeks.]

"Yes, I should do that."

[Besides, since you went to Bali, you hardly ever spend time apart, do you?]

Marcus's joke finally allowed Liu to relax somewhat. With a long, relieved breath, he took a few more gulps of beer.

[Liu Weikun.]

"Yes."

[Congratulations on having your first rut with the one you love.]

Marcus, who knew just as well as Liu's parents how painfully Liu had fought against his pheromones and the Ghost phenomenon since boyhood, made this congratulation feel exceptionally meaningful and profound.

The rut he had so despised and tried to avoid.

He was able to get through it safely because the other person was Seo Ihyeon.

Liu smiled faintly as he looked at Ihyeon's work, "Colorful Ghost," displayed directly in front of where he was sitting.

"It's all thanks to Ihyeon."

[Let's see each other at Ihyeon's solo exhibition. Ellen and I are really looking forward to visiting Bali for the first time. I miss Ihyeon too.]

Liu's parents, Marcus, and Ellen were scheduled to visit Ihyeon's solo exhibition in two months. The members of Phantom Seoul were also planning to close the gallery for a week to come visit. They wanted to see Ihyeon's first solo exhibition in Bali and look around the couple's new home. It would be their first time seeing them in months since the wedding.

"Ihyeon is waiting for you all very eagerly. Please do come."

[Let's stay healthy until then and meet.]

Ihyeon's safety and health—that was what Liu desired above all else.

· · · · ·

Liu, holding a sizable Boston bag, left the bedroom. He walked down the hall and placed the bag on top of the rolling suitcase set near the front door.

It turned out to be quite a bit of luggage after packing two suits, a couple of more casual outfits, three or four pairs of shoes, loungewear to substitute for pajamas, and other basic necessities. It was his baggage for a six-day business trip to Hong Kong.

Ihyeon, who had roughly finished cleaning up after breakfast in the kitchen, approached Liu.

"Is everything packed?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You timed that perfectly. Oh, and you brought your suppressants, right?"

Ihyeon looked up at the wall clock, then turned his gaze back to Liu as if remembering, and asked.

"I tucked them here and there, just in case."

"Good job."

Since Ihyeon's heat occurred unexpectedly a month ago, the two had been paying extra attention to pheromones. As a Golden Alpha, Liu fundamentally didn't need suppressants for any Omega other than Ihyeon. However, they had packed plenty of suppressants for this trip to prepare for any unexpected situations that might arise.

Liu had been putting effort into preparing for this business trip for the past few months.

While the art fair was certainly an important event commercially—as it was the first large-scale international fair under the name Phantom Bali—a more fundamental reason had captured Liu's focus.

Since coming to Bali, Liu had discovered several local artists, most of whom were completely unknown newcomers. Some artists had refused to debut, requiring Liu to spend months persuading them. But his passion and sincerity had won them over.

The art fair was a chance to finally present the work he had discovered to the world.

And then there was one more thing. This was the first fair Liu Weikun was officially participating in as the gallerist for the artist Seo Ihyeon. That excitement was what made Liu immerse himself even more deeply in the work.

Liu was genuinely enjoying this event.

Except for the situation where he had to leave Ihyeon behind for the business trip.

"Should I not go?"

He lingered near the front door, unable to leave, and scrunched up his face with a reluctant expression as he asked Ihyeon. This was actually a question he had been repeating for a week. Even this morning, the very first thing he'd done upon waking was ask Ihyeon the same question while looking at his face in bed.

"Why are you bringing that up again?"

"Yuni can handle things on her own. She knows the gallery operations better than I do."

"Then it will be too hard on nuna."

"It's hard for me when I'm away on a trip. Is it okay if I'm the one who's struggling?"

Liu cupped Ihyeon's cheeks with both hands and met his eyes. His expression, filled with disappointment and longing, was directed at Ihyeon. His gaze seemed to be waiting for an order: Don't go. Stay by my side.

Ihyeon grasped his wrists and spoke soothingly.

"This is a fair we prepared for with such high expectations. We just have to endure a little bit of hardship."

"That's not what I mean. I'm saying it's hard being separated from you."

Liu pressed a little harder on the face he was cupping. It was just enough pressure to slightly distort Ihyeon's cheeks and lips into a funny expression. Despite Liu's serious look, Ihyeon couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Why are you laughing? I'm serious."

"That's not why I laughed."

"Then?"

Ihyeon stroked the top and bottom of Liu's arm gently while speaking in a mild voice, his gaze directed toward Liu's jawline.

"It's just… I thought we really look like newlyweds."

Liu grew quieter in response to Ihyeon's earnest effort to convey his true feelings, even as he sounded shy. After gazing silently at Ihyeon with an affectionate expression, he slowly pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. This embrace—where chest met chest, cheek met cheek, ear met ear, body heat met body heat, and breath mingled with breath—never grew tiresome, no matter how often they repeated it.

Ihyeon rested his chin on Liu's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his back.

"I'm sorry I can't go with you."

"Preparing for your solo exhibition is more important. I'm sorry I can't be with you."

"It's work. I don't feel slighted..."

"I know."

"And you have to take care of my paintings, Kun."

"Well, as a gallerist, that's something I can't give up."

Originally, Ihyeon was also supposed to join this business trip. However, the preparation for his solo exhibition next month wasn't progressing as planned, so Ihyeon's accompanying him was canceled. The work itself was going smoothly, but the issue was the pace.

Liu suspected Ihyeon was stressed because of this, as his condition hadn't been good recently. He often tossed and turned without getting a full night's sleep. Just last night, he woke up twice in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Whenever that happened, Liu would hold Ihyeon and gently rub his back until he fell asleep again.

It wasn't that Ihyeon was the type to complain outwardly, but Liu could tell he had become quite sensitive. That was why Liu absolutely could not insist that he join the trip.

"Nuna is going to nag me. Let's go now, shall we?"

Ihyeon glanced quickly at the wall clock, smiled, and pressed his lips firmly against Liu's cheek. Only then did Liu reluctantly let go of his partner from his embrace.

The two divided the suitcase and the Boston bag between them and stepped out the front door.

In the sky over Bali, where the rainy season had just begun, gray clouds drifted by. It was that in-between period when the dry and rainy seasons transitioned, much like a change of season. It wasn't the full-blown monsoon yet, so there were hardly any days where it rained nonstop, but it was certain that the rain had become more frequent lately.

"Director! Let's leave quickly before it rains!"

From outside the gate, Yuni shouted toward them.

A black van was waiting in the empty lot next to the gallery, just outside the main gate. It was the reserved vehicle that would take Liu, Yuni, Michelle, and two other staff members to the airport.

"Does it really matter if it rains?"

As he opened the gate to leave, Liu said dismissively. The driver, who had been loading the luggage of the others who had arrived earlier, quickly approached and took Liu's Boston bag.

The artworks and equipment for the art fair had already been sent via cargo, so everyone only needed to bring their personal belongings. Everyone was dressed casually too. Because of this, they looked less like a business delegation heading out and more like a group setting off on a trip.

"There's news about a squall. If it starts pouring, the traffic will get bad."

Yuni replied briefly, said goodbye to Ihyeon, and got into the car first.

The driver was still loading the luggage. There was just enough time for one more round of goodbyes.

Liu held Ihyeon's hand with one hand and stroked his cheek with the other.

"If anything happens, contact the neighbors nearby right away."

"What could possibly happen?"

"This is the first time you'll be staying here alone. When you're by yourself, you might get flustered over small things."

"If, just in case, anything happens, I promise I won't be stubborn and will contact the neighbors right away."

"And me."

"Yes, I'll contact Kun too."

"If you don't tell me because you think I'll worry..."

"I know. That would only worry you more, right?"

It was one correct answer after another. Liu had to admit there was nothing for him to worry about. He relaxed, smiled, and opened his arms toward Ihyeon.

"Come here. Let's have one last hug."

Liu wrapped his arms around Ihyeon's waist as he approached, then leaned his back against the passenger door of the van. He pleasantly felt Ihyeon's body heat against his lower abdomen, kissed the bridge of his nose, and then went down for a quick kiss on his upper lip.

ZZZZ.

The rear window rolled down, revealing Yuni with a bitter expression. Leaning her arms on the sill, she tapped the car body with her palm and spoke.

"Hey, newlyweds. Tone it down a little."

Ihyeon tried to push away from Liu's chest and escape his embrace, but the attempt failed.

Liu rubbed his nose against Ihyeon's, not looking at Yuni, and spoke to her.

"We're still loading our things."

"If you mean our driver, he finished loading everything already and is sitting in the driver's seat?"

"......"

Only then did Liu glance around the interior of the car. Just as Yuni had said, the vehicle was ready to leave.

Even without the sun, Liu squinted his eyes and told Ihyeon in a voice tinged with bitterness.

"We should get going."

"Yeah, go ahead."

Liu, who had climbed into the passenger seat, rolled down the window and waved. As the van pulled back to make it easier to move, Ihyeon waved back. Then he slowly followed the van as it backed out of the clearing.

Once on the road, the van drove straight ahead without delay. It stopped at the first intersection, only about thirty meters away, waiting for the light. Ihyeon stood in front of the gallery, hands tucked into the back pockets of his jeans, watching the tail end of the vehicle.

Suddenly, a long arm reached out from the passenger side window, waving. It was Liu. Ihyeon chuckled softly and shook his head.

The light soon changed, and the van was no longer visible. Ihyeon slowly turned around, rubbing the back of his neck.

They hadn't spent a single day apart since their marriage a few months prior. There was no way Ihyeon would be completely unaffected by this separation. However, thanks to Liu exaggerating his regret and sadness, Ihyeon's own feelings didn't overwhelm him. Liu's direct pouting about not wanting to leave actually lightened his mood, making him laugh. Just as it always had.

Ihyeon had endured countless partings, sending Liu back to Seoul after his stays in Paris. Now they had rings on their left ring fingers; they were legal spouses. He felt confident that being apart for only five nights and six days wouldn't weaken them.

"Whether it's mental or physical strain, it's best to maintain your usual routine as much as possible when you're struggling."

This was Liu's advice, which Ihyeon had repeated to himself like a mantra and followed whenever he felt like crumbling, ever since his time in Paris. He wouldn't dwell on other thoughts. He would quietly focus on what he could accomplish that day. Here, in this house where he had started his married life with Liu, all he needed to do was firmly hold his ground, just as he always had.

Ihyeon closed and secured the main gate before heading straight to the atelier.

He prepared for his work according to his usual routine. His day always began by sitting at the window table and warming up his hand with some sketching. This was Ihyeon's personal method for reviving the emotion and focus of the previous day's work to continue it.

While sketching the empty chair placed opposite him, Ihyeon would occasionally bite his lower lip hard or shake his wrist. He even changed the posture of the chair.

It was a signal that something wasn't going according to plan.

He checked the air conditioner setting because it felt unusually muggy, but the temperature was the same as always.

Of course, days like this happen. Work couldn't be smooth every day. Still, if he patiently kept sketching for an hour, then another, there were times when the feeling would finally click. He intended to keep moving his hand silently while waiting for that moment.

But today didn't seem like it would be easy. In one instant, all the strength drained from the center of his body, leaving a chill running down his spine. Sweat beaded on his temples. This was more than just a bad day for work.

He felt physically unwell, not just that the work wasn't going well.

Ihyeon set down his pencil.

He had assured Liu he wouldn't cause worry, yet here he was, already in this state right after Liu had left.

Usually, he would have ignored a warning sign like this. He would have taken medicine and pushed through the work. But he remembered his promise to Liu not to overdo it and not to worry him. Whether Liu knew it or not, he didn't want to do anything that would cause him anxiety or sadness.

Drip, drip.

Thick raindrops began to fall, soon turning into a downpour—a squall that blurred the world outside the window into a haze. It happened in an instant.

Ihyeon closed his sketchbook. He grabbed the umbrella kept ready in the atelier and headed back to his residence.

The house Liu had left behind was silent. Since Ihyeon was supposed to accompany Liu to Hong Kong, he had given the housekeeper the time off as well. For five nights and six days, Ihyeon was completely alone.

In the kitchen, he took a cold medicine tablet and went straight to the bedroom. He thought he would feel better after a long sleep. By the time Liu arrived in Hong Kong, he figured he would have recovered and could answer the phone with a normal voice.

He headed to the dressing room to change into his pajamas. He took off his T-shirt, tossed it into the laundry basket, and turned around to look for his pajamas.

At that moment, a certain scent suddenly made Ihyeon stop.

For a moment, he even forgot he was feeling unwell, and Ihyeon moved toward the source of the fragrance, as if drawn by something unseen.

The dressing room was where he and Liu had their first heat. Because it wasn't the bed where they usually made love, the experience there was stored as a much more intense memory.

Even as he craved sex with him, Ihyeon had fled here because that constant craving was agonizing. But it had been useless.

"Are we Hansel and Gretel?"

Liu had pushed aside the shirts hanging on the rack, crouched down, tilted his head, and said that.

Ihyeon repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling his hands go numb.

Liu's shirts hung packed tightly on both the upper and lower levels of the rack. Now, five of them were gone. Because he had taken them with him.

He fiddled with a clean white shirt, then pulled the sleeve to his nose—an unconscious action.

That was when it happened.

Gush.

A large amount of slick flooded out from between his legs—literally pouring out.

Outside the window, the squall danced like waves.

· · · · ·

The waiting area near the gate at Ngurah Rai Airport.

Standing by the window, Liu stared at the waiting aircraft on the ramp and the runway beyond, his hands shoved into his pants pockets. A drizzle, its intensity greatly diminished, swept across the floor, glistening where it was wet with rain.

Shortly after they left the house, a downpour began, and just as Yuni had predicted, traffic thickened as they descended toward Ubud and neared the downtown area. However, since they had left with plenty of time to spare, they were able to reach the airport without any trouble.

Liu worried they might face a delay, but thankfully, at least in Denpasar where the airport was located, the rain had subsided. There were no delays.

After catching their breath for a moment in the lounge, Liu and his group were just heading toward the gate in time for boarding.

The staff members, excited about the overseas business trip, were chatting happily in the chairs behind them. They mostly talked about the great restaurants, pubs, and clubs in Hong Kong. Occasionally, they mixed in talk about the major galleries participating in this fair. Since everyone except Yuni, including Michelle, was visiting Hong Kong for the first time, their anticipation seemed quite high. Liu smiled faintly as he listened to their conversation drift by.

The memory of visiting Hong Kong with Ihyeon surfaced.

Inside, the air was cool due to the air conditioning, but step one foot outside the door, and it was the hot, humid summer of Hong Kong.

The tension between Ihyeon and Liu himself, before they were lovers, and the gazes that met, pulled away, and then found each other again, clinging together, tangled and close. Jealousy and relief, uncertainty and excitement, longing and affection. And finally, the surrender to falling in love.

And the shock.

The shock of someone's arrival, after which the knotting and Changing were no longer his to control.

In the mere few days they stayed in Hong Kong, the existence of Seo Ihyeon had completely shaken him. It was almost to the point of destruction.

He could still vividly recall the twenty-two-year-old Ihyeon, dizzy from the cigarette he was smoking for the first time on Soho Street.

"Mr. Rabbit."

It was also the moment Ihyeon first called him that: Mr. Rabbit.

Because it was such a special city for the two of them, it was even more disappointing that Ihyeon could not accompany him on this trip to Hong Kong. Though they didn't express it outwardly, his parents also seemed quite disappointed not to see Ihyeon. Well, they are the ones who are more fond of Ihyeon than they are of me anyway. With that thought, Liu shrugged his shoulders lightly and smiled to himself.

However, the real reason he found it especially hard to be separated from Ihyeon was something else entirely.

Since that sudden heat last month, Ihyeon hadn't shown any particular symptoms. They had visited a relatively nearby clinic in Singapore for a checkup, but again, they couldn't find anything wrong with the Diamond Dust. The diagnosis confirmed that Ihyeon was a one hundred percent stable Omega.

Despite this, Liu couldn't feel completely at ease.

It wasn't just the sweet sentiment of not wanting to be separated from his mate while they were enjoying their honeymoon phase. He still hadn't fully shaken off the memory of that incident and the anxiety it caused.

Liu's slate-blue eyes, fixed on the distant runway, subtly shifted to the right. Yuni's figure approaching from behind was reflected in the window. Yuni stopped beside him and asked in a lowered voice,

"Director, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong? What is it?"

"You've been quiet ever since leaving, and you were distant from everyone else in the lounge, too. Is there a problem with the fair? If it's something I need to know about..."

"Ah… um… No."

Liu gave a wry smile and shook his head, adding awkwardly,

"It's because of Ihyeon."

"Oh, I thought it was something else."

Only then did Yuni visibly relax, a look of relief washing over her face.

"If there's one person in this world you don't need to worry about, it's Seo Ihyeon. You know how capable he is of taking care of himself. Don't worry so much."

"No, I'm not talking about that usual overprotectiveness."

"Then what is it?"

Liu hesitated for a moment, then decided there was nothing he needed to hide from Yuni and started to speak.

"Do you happen to know about Bonding?"

"I've heard of it."

"Really?"

Liu had assumed Betas wouldn't know much about it, so Yuni's immediate nod surprised him.

"There was that movie or drama based on it that was hugely popular for a while. I think Yoon Joo-ho starred in one like that a long time ago..."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to recall the title, searching her memory for a moment. But she soon gave up and shrugged her shoulders.

"Anyway, I hear these days people don't use pheromones much even between married couples. Just in case they get Bonded and then end up divorcing, that would be a big problem..."

"......"

Yuni's expression, which had been casual up until that point, gradually grew serious. She lowered her voice to a whisper, as if someone might overhear.

"Are you anxious because you're separated from Ihyeon? Because of the Bonding?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think that might be it."

Otherwise, this intense and peculiar anxiety couldn't be explained. It was different from simple worry. No matter what he had been through, Liu himself knew better than anyone that Ihyeon was a capable person who didn't need to be worried about, just as Yuni had said.

"Wow… is that actually possible?"

"It is very rare in this day and age, though."

"When an Alpha is separated from their Omega, doesn't a burst of superhuman strength come out and they tear through iron bars to escape, like in the Hollywood movies?"

"That's just cinematic exaggeration."

Liu couldn't help but laugh at Yuni's entirely Beta-like fantasy about Alphas and Omegas.

With a light tap, Yuni placed her hand on Liu's shoulder and spoke with a serious expression.

"And they become incredibly violent, too, right? Director, you can't behave like that when you're on a business trip. They're all clients."

"Don't be cheeky."

Even as she scolded him, Yuni's joke allowed Liu to ease some of his tension. Perhaps sensing this, Yuni gave a slight smile and added a word of comfort.

"This is the first time you two have been apart for so long since getting married. Maybe that's why."

"Yes, it probably is."

Bonding is not a scientifically proven phenomenon. Just as much concerning pheromones remains a mystery. Many papers have been published arguing that Bonding is merely a psychological phenomenon, not a physical or chemical one.

But what about Diamond Dust and Ghost?

Exceptions could certainly exist. Like Ihyeon's last heat, which defied explanation.

The announcement came on, stating that boarding would begin with priority passengers: business class travelers, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with disabilities. Liu and his companions gathered their carry-on luggage and headed for the gate.

Before takeoff, while seated in his seat, Liu had one last call with Ihyeon. Hearing Ihyeon's voice telling him to have a good flight and call again upon arrival brought Liu a little more peace of mind.

With his spirits somewhat lifted, he switched his cell phone to airplane mode.

He had no idea what news he would receive from Ihyeon after the four-hour and forty-minute flight.

· · · · ·

Ihyeon froze in place for a moment. He didn't know what to do.

The slick that had flooded out soaked his underwear and was now running down his thighs from inside his pants.

He missed Liu's skin and body heat a little, triggered by the faint scent coming from Liu's shirt. His lower abdomen and the space between his legs felt a little tender, too. But this much arousal, resulting in this much discharge...?

Gush. Before he could even finish his reasoning, it poured out again, completely drenching him. It was an even larger amount than what had come out during his heat.

Could it be...?

The possibility that flashed through Ihyeon's mind in that instant was pregnancy.

Ihyeon had diligently studied the bodies of Alphas and Omegas, especially Omegas. Thanks to that, he had been able to recover from the panic relatively quickly when his first heat arrived.

But his current condition was different from a heat. It wasn't that same feeling where his limbs trembled uncontrollably, his sexual desire spiked, and he wanted only Liu.

The frequent urge to urinate, enough to wake him from sleep, and heightened sensitivity were common signs of pregnancy. Furthermore, the sudden, heavy discharge of slick even without being in heat, and easily stimulated sexual desire, were early symptoms of pregnancy for an Omega.

But... how?

Kun and I were always so meticulous about taking birth control pills.

Even though intellectually he knew pregnancy was impossible, his heart began to race. His breathing also grew shallow.

It was an undeniable sense of anticipation. The hope that he might be pregnant, that perhaps Liu and he might have conceived a baby. Even though he knew it was a foolish thought, Ihyeon couldn't shake that hope.

He felt he wouldn't be able to calm down at all without checking immediately.

First, Ihyeon went to the bathroom to deal with what had been discharged. While washing himself, he tried to think as calmly as possible.

The first person who came to his mind was Morae.

Should he ask her to buy a pregnancy test kit?

But what if he really was pregnant? Though the chances were almost zero to none, what if—what if, what if he really was pregnant?

If that were the case, he wanted to tell Liu first. Even the fact that he had tested for a possible pregnancy, he wanted Liu to be the very first person in this world to know.

By the time Ihyeon finished showering, he had made up his mind.

He folded a hand towel about the size of a handkerchief and tucked it into his underwear in case more slick leaked out. Even though it was a private ritual that no one would ever know about, it stirred a fairly strong sense of embarrassment in him. But there was no other way. It would be a disaster if it started leaking again while he was out.

The squall was still pouring down.

Ihyeon, pulling his cap down low, drove one of the cars parked in the lot and left the house. Cold sweat trickled down, and he felt a slight chill, but he was too consumed by excitement and anticipation to even notice.

He headed to a pharmacy about a twenty-minute drive away, one where people wouldn't know Liu Weikun or Seo Ihyeon from Phantom Bali.

The store was more like a drugstore than a typical Korean pharmacy. Perhaps because of the rain, the shop was unusually quiet. Since Ihyeon was the only customer, the gazes of the bored young employees all snapped toward him at once. It was a slightly uncomfortable situation for someone looking to buy a pregnancy test.

"Can I help you find something? Are you looking for anything in particular?"

One employee, who looked friendly, approached Ihyeon and spoke to him.

"I'm, I'm… cough I'm looking for a pregnancy test."

Ihyeon cleared his throat to steady his voice as he answered. He felt a resistance in his vocal cords just saying the word "pregnancy." It wasn't easy to get the words out.

Curiosity immediately sparked in the employee's eyes. Was this a male Beta looking for a test for his girlfriend or wife, or a male Omega intending to use it himself? He was curious about the answer. He couldn't take his eyes off Ihyeon, as if staring intently would reveal the truth.

"Yes. They are over there. By the wall where the toothbrushes are hanging."

"Thank you."

Ihyeon gave a slight nod of thanks and hurried away.

The hand towel stuffed inside his underwear chafed and rubbed against his crotch, constantly distracting him. He kept pulling down the brim of his hat, as if someone might notice he was wearing a towel between his legs just by looking at the way he walked.

He easily found the test kits at the display case the employee had pointed out. He grabbed various brands from different companies and tossed them into the small basket. He had read that unless you went to the hospital for a full examination, one or two tests with a kit wouldn't be conclusive.

When he placed the small basket, now filled with over ten test kits, onto the counter, he had to endure the cashier's curious gaze.

There was no malice in their stares, but it was an unpleasant curiosity nonetheless. However, right now, he could easily brush such things off. Nothing else felt important besides testing for pregnancy.

He left the store clutching the bag containing twelve test kits.

The rain was so fierce that even in the brief moment it took to fold his umbrella and get into the driver's seat, his hat and clothes still got soaked.

Ihyeon set the bag down on the passenger seat and glanced back at it every time they stopped at a red light.

And, ridiculously enough, he placed his right hand tentatively on his lower abdomen. Then a short, absurd, hollow laugh escaped him.

He knew it too well. There was no way he was pregnant. How could he be, when they had both been so diligent about taking their birth control pills?

Maybe it was better that Liu wasn't here right now. He could test alone in this excited state, and if the result was negative, he could just keep it a secret. When they actually had a baby years from now, he could tell Liu then.

Watching the rain pour down like a curtain, immediately overcome by the wipers, Ihyeon nervously gnawed on his lower lip.

· · · · ·

Even after parking the car in his home's driveway, Ihyeon sat still in the driver's seat for a moment.

He had been desperate to check immediately, but now that he had arrived home, he didn't feel ready yet.

Ready to confirm that he wasn't pregnant.

Sitting motionless amidst the sound of rain covering the entire world, he listened to the music playing.

Aaron Kellim's "Stay In Love."

It was a song Liu had recommended.

Memories associated with the music brought a smile to Ihyeon's lips.

It was a Sunday, less than a month after they had moved to Bali. When he woke up after sleeping in a little later than usual, Liu wasn't in bed next to him. Without even changing out of his pajamas, Ihyeon left the bedroom to look for Liu.

The sweet scent of pancake batter tickled his nose, and the fresh air and sunlight of a late Sunday morning poured in through all the windows in the living room and kitchen. The song was playing from the Bluetooth speaker in the kitchen, and Liu, standing in front of the counter, was flipping pancakes while singing along.

Ihyeon stood in the kitchen doorway and watched his back for a long time. Until this song ended.

Liu was enjoying his Sunday morning, pouring batter onto the griddle, shaping it with the spatula, singing the song while humming the parts whose lyrics he didn't know, and occasionally rubbing his right instep against his left calf.

It was then that Ihyeon felt he could finally accept this place as their real home, after adjusting for about a month.

The place where Liu hummed on a Sunday morning while cooking pancakes for him. Wherever that place was, that was his home. And this man was his mate. That was the memory where he realized it with his very soul.

He had quietly approached and hugged his back tightly. He had pressed his cheek against the thin T-shirt, feeling his warmth and the movement of his muscles—feeling that he was alive.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I slept soundly."

"You slept like a baby. You didn't even notice when I watched you for a long time."

"We agreed you wouldn't watch me while I sleep anymore."

"Five pancakes will be enough, right?"

Ihyeon recalled him changing the subject with a slight deflection and let out a soft chuckle.

It would be a lie to say he was glad Liu wasn't here right now.

In this moment, he wished Liu was here with him. Even if it was just to confirm that he wasn't pregnant.

Ihyeon waited for the song to end, then turned off the player and got out of the car. He felt like he finally had the courage to accept the results.

Carrying the bag, he headed toward the bathroom in the master bedroom.

He carefully read the testing instructions written on the package. He even let out a dry laugh, thinking that thanks to the structure of his reproductive organs, the test might be a bit easier for him than for a female Beta or female Omega.

As instructed on the package, I let the stick absorb the urine, then placed the test kit on a small tray I had prepared on the edge of the bathtub.

I set a three-minute timer on my phone and paced around the bathroom.

I tried to distract myself by reading the news or checking my friends' daily updates on social media, but everything failed.

Liu would be halfway to Hong Kong by now. It would still take him over two more hours to arrive.

Beep, beep.

At the timer's alarm, Ihyeon, who had been pacing, stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly glanced back toward the tray a few steps away. He gnawed at his lips. His heart hammered wildly.

Why was he so nervous when he already knew the answer?

Unable to walk straight toward it, Ihyeon shuffled sideways, one step at a time, his eyes gradually widening.

"Wha... wha... what?"

Before he could even pick up the test kit, Ihyeon instinctively backed away. Yet his eyes remained fixed on the tray.

Two distinct red lines had clearly appeared beneath the letters T and C.

He was pregnant.

Goosebumps prickled Ihyeon's right cheek, his side, and his thighs several times over. Eventually, he felt the hairs on his head stand on end.

He couldn't say how many minutes he stood there dumbfounded, his mouth covered.

Swoosh. The sound of rain finally pierced Ihyeon's ears, which had been blocked to all other sounds for a while. It was like a deafening roar.

Now, Ihyeon began to move with unexpected calm.

He knew that one test kit wasn't enough to confirm a pregnancy. He rummaged through the bag left on the bathroom shelf and found a test from a different company. Even if the companies were different, the instructions were similar.

He washed his hands thoroughly again and took out the package, repeating the procedure. He wondered how it would go since he had just urinated, but fortunately, the test kit was usable.

This time, too, the result was two red lines.

"This is impossible. This is seriously impossible," he muttered.

Although he had secretly hoped for it, he knew this was something that absolutely couldn't happen. So when he was faced with this result, he felt bewildered rather than happy.

He wanted to take at least two more tests. It was a ridiculous thought, but he needed more urine.

Ihyeon went to the kitchen for more water and opened the cabinet to take out a clean cup.

"Ah."

He had only lightly brushed against the cabinet door, but his chest hurt strangely. Bending his upper body slightly, Ihyeon gripped his chest with his hand. He didn't really feel any change in volume. But perhaps it was just his imagination—it felt subtly firmer than usual.

Was it really? Really?

His heart began to beat fast again. Ihyeon filled a cup with water and moved to the living room. He sat on the sofa, took a deep breath, and slowly drank the water. It was dim inside because of the rain, but he didn't even think about turning on a light.

He sat in the dim living room, quietly staring straight ahead.

Precious memories with Liu, family, and friends were displayed on the shelf. And on the wall behind them hung a small canvas. It was the painting Ihyeon's father had brought as a gift for Ihyeon and Liu's wedding.

The southern cliff overlooking the East Sea.

His father used to go up there alone and sit blankly on a bench, gazing out at the sea.

It was also the place where Ihyeon first broke his silence with his father, ended their estrangement, and confessed that he was turning into an Omega.

His father had painted that view for him: a clean sky, a sparkling sea, and two men sitting side by side on the bench.

It was a painting very similar to one his father had drawn during the time Ihyeon remembered as the happiest for the whole family—a gentle, warm silhouette and color palette. It was a painting that only his father could have created, one that felt like balloons drifting lightly up toward the sky.

Ihyeon gently placed a hand on his lower abdomen and smiled softly. The intense pounding in his chest seemed to have settled down.

He waited for another hour to feel enough of an urge to take the test.

The third time, and the fourth time, the result was undeniably two clear red lines.

Then Ihyeon crawled into the hanger rack inside the dressing room where he and Liu had had their heat. There was no way the freshly laundered shirts would actually smell like Liu's scent, but psychologically, that wasn't the case. He curled up, surrounded by Liu's shirts, and waited for one more hour—until his plane arrived in Hong Kong.

· · · · ·

Unlike when leaving Bali, the sky over Hong Kong was perfectly clear. Far in the distance, the densely packed high-rises of the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island spread out below. The reality of being in Hong Kong finally began to sink in.

As the plane landed and taxied to the terminal, an announcement indicated that cell phones could now be turned on, and Liu immediately disabled airplane mode.

Ding, ding, ding.

Liu's message was mixed in with a few customary greetings sent due to the change in country of residence, and messages from partners involved in this fair.

『 Did you have a good flight? Give me a quick call when you get off the plane and can talk privately. Nothing to worry about, so don't be alarmed :) 』

Even though the message added that there was nothing to worry about, Liu grew slightly anxious. It was rare for Ihyeon to send him a message like this.

The aircraft docked at the gate, and the passengers began disembarking in order.

As soon as he stepped off the jet bridge, Liu pulled out his phone and turned back to Yuni, who was following behind him.

"Go ahead through immigration first. I'll catch up with you in a moment."

"Why? Did you leave something on the plane?"

"No, Ihyeon asked me to call him."

"Got it. I'll wait at baggage claim."

"Okay."

Yuni, well aware that Ihyeon wouldn't ask for a call over something trivial, didn't press further and led the other staff members past Liu.

To avoid obstructing the other passengers, Liu moved to one side of the hallway, near the windows. He looked down at the busy movements of the ground handling teams managing other aircraft that had already landed. Setting his heavy Boston bag on the floor, he tried calling Bali.

[Did you arrive safely?]

Fortunately, Ihyeon's voice on the other end of the line sounded no different than usual.

"Yeah, I just got off the plane and paused on my way to immigration. Is something wrong?"

[What about the others? Yuni or Michelle...?]

"I told them to go ahead. I'm alone."

[Kun, our...]

At that moment, Ihyeon's tone, which had seemed normal up until then, suddenly changed its inflection. Instantly, Liu's entire body tensed up. It was instinct.

[Our baby...]

Liu barely registered the word "baby." He only sensed that Ihyeon's voice was becoming muffled and his breathing ragged.

"Ihyeon, what's wrong? Are you crying? What happened?"

To better catch every sound of Ihyeon's breathing, Liu blocked his other ear and pressed even closer to the window.

[Kun...]

"Yeah."

[We're... we're parents now.]

"......"

Liu was silent for about thirty seconds. It felt longer than thirty minutes.

The throng of passengers who poured out after him, excited for the start of their journey or relieved to be home, bustled past Liu chattering loudly in Indonesian, Cantonese, or English. In the long corridor where everyone rushed toward the same destination, only one very large man—a head or two taller than most people—stood completely still.

Liu had to wrestle with something inside himself just to properly grasp the meaning of what he had just heard. What Ihyeon had said was a miracle profoundly difficult to accept.

"Ihyeon? Seo Ihyeon?"

He barely managed to move his lips to call out Ihyeon's name.

"I must have misheard you. Can you explain that again, slowly?"

[After Kun left, I immediately started feeling unwell. So, I went home from the atelier...]

There was a sudden rush of fluid, and the different sensation made him suspect he was pregnant. Even though he told himself it couldn't be, he felt he had to check. He went to the drugstore and tested himself with five different test kits. All the results came back positive. —Ihyeon conveyed this story to Liu as calmly as he could manage.

"What the—How is this... how is this possible..."

While listening, Liu paced back and forth by the window, sometimes resting his hands on his hips or rubbing his face. He looked like a businessman dealing with an extremely troublesome work call.

[Kun, this is really happening, right? I used five test kits. There's no way they could all be wrong, right? Our baby… our baby is really coming, isn't he?]

Ihyeon, who had managed to maintain a fragile composure up to that point, looked to Liu for some kind of reassurance. Only then did Liu snap back to attention.

"Ihyeon."

His tone was steady and firm, as if he were firmly gripping Ihyeon's shoulders right in front of him and meeting his eyes.

"I'll come back right away. For now, don't overdo anything and just lie down and rest. Okay?"

Liu started walking, clutching his Boston bag. He strode quickly past the people ahead of him.

[You're… coming back now?]

"I'll take the fastest flight with an available seat. If there are no tickets, I'll charter a plane. I'll call you back with the schedule as soon as it's set. You absolutely must stay put and rest for now. Okay? Understood, Seo Ihyeon? You can do that, right?"

[Kun, Kun. Wait a moment.]

Ihyeon called out to Liu, who was quickening his pace.

"Why?"

[You don't have to go that far. Once Kun gets back, we can go to the hospital together then.]

"I can't. You're pregnant, and I should be with you at a time like this."

[I'm really fine. I called to tell you quickly, not to ask you to come back. Finish your fair well and come back. And then we'll go to the hospital together. Let's do that, okay?]

"The fair starts tomorrow, and there's a way for me to go now and come back here again tomorrow."

[Kun, you don't have to go that far...]

Liu, who had been hurrying, suddenly slowed his steps.

Ihyeon was pregnant.

In theory, it was impossible, but since coming this far with Ihyeon, he had continued to experience things that shouldn't have been possible. Because of that, Liu could slowly accept it as reality.

Ihyeon's impossible heat, and the child they conceived despite practically flooding his system with birth control pills.

"Ihyeon-ah."

Standing still amidst the stream of passing people, Liu called out Ihyeon's name, allowing himself to be swept away by the overwhelming emotion.

[Yes.]

"You're having our baby."

[...]

"Even if I were to gain something else at a time like this while leaving you alone, I… I don't want to live that kind of life. I didn't propose to you to live like that."

Liu murmured softly, as if whispering a confession of love. He slowly shook his head.

On the other end of the line, Ihyeon took a moment before changing his mind.

[Okay. Then, look up the flight schedule and call me back. I'll wait.]

"Yeah, I will. Good boy, my Seo Ihyeon. So good, so admirable... just amazing..."

Ihyeon's laughter reached Liu's ears.

"Hah… I can't hang up the phone."

Liu quickened his pace again, faster than before—almost running.

[Hurry over here. The truth is… I want to be with you too.]

"Ihyeon-ah."

[Yes?]

"Seo Ihyeon."

[I'm here.]

Ihyeon's low chuckle tickled Liu's hearing once more.

Ihyeon was pregnant, or maybe he was pregnant. His brain hadn't even fully processed the reality yet, but his chest was swelling, laughter bubbled up uncontrollably, and he felt like leaping into the air.

"Seo I-hyeoooon!"

Liu shouted Ihyeon's name as if the whole world needed to hear it. This was the first time in his life that he had ever done anything like this, having been raised with manners and public decency ingrained in him.

People whispered and turned to look at Liu. It didn't matter. He felt like grabbing every single one of them and shouting it out loud.

Our Seo Ihyeon, my mate, was carrying our baby.

"How... how did you get pregnant with our baby? How could you do something so incredible? Huh?"

As the shock and surprise subsided, an intense sense of reality and excitement washed over Liu. The drab, gray interior of the airport suddenly felt like it was bursting with color. He felt so energized he thought he could swim all the way to Bali.

"You're so beautiful, Seo Ihyeon, really."

As Liu headed toward the fast track for expedited entry processing, he had to let out a long, deep breath. It felt like he needed to expel some of the pressure crammed inside his chest.

[See?]

Suddenly, Liu detected a hint of playfulness in Ihyeon's tone.

"Huh?"

[You're happy you heard we're having a baby, right?]

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm happy. It's beyond the simple word 'happy.'"

[It's proof that you actually wanted a baby.]

Only then did Liu realize what Ihyeon was implying.

[If you hadn't really wanted a baby, you wouldn't have reacted this way, would you?]

That day when their heat and rut had occurred. Liu had playfully told Ihyeon he had taken the wrong birth control pills. Ihyeon was now throwing Liu's exact words back at him.

Liu had no choice but to readily and willingly admit his true feelings in response to his partner's clever counterattack.

"That's right. I actually wanted one."

[......]

"Our baby."

[Yes, our baby.]

On the other end of the line, Ihyeon repeated Liu's words. The phrase felt like a new kind of love that had never existed in the world before. This time, Liu's eyes welled up.

· · · · ·

Ihyeon placed the empty skewer, which had held a chicken satay, onto his own plate. It was the last of the five satays Liu had portioned out for him in advance.

"I heard your morning sickness went away. I'm glad to see you're eating well now, Ihyeon."

Morae, who had been observing Ihyeon intently from across the dining table, spoke in a warm tone. The atmosphere suggested she might even applaud Ihyeon for finishing his meal so well.

Yeehan chimed in.

"That's right. There were times when he couldn't eat anything at all because it was so severe."

"It wasn't nothing I could eat."

"It wasn't?"

"I still managed to eat the egg porridge."

"Oh, the egg porridge your husband made for you?"

Hearing Ihyeon's small defense, Yeehan raised his eyebrows and teased him.

In the early stages of his pregnancy, Ihyeon suffered from severe morning sickness. Ihyeon, who used to eat anything well—whether Korean, traditional Balinese, French, or Italian—had become extremely picky.

The only thing he could barely manage to eat was the egg porridge that Liu always made for him whenever Ihyeon wasn't feeling well.

Because of that, Liu had tried various things to enrich the nutrition even a little. He tried finely slicing the top-grade black truffles or abalone that Ihyeon's parents had sent from Hong Kong, or melting cheese into it.

Every time, Ihyeon would rush to the bathroom as soon as he put a single spoonful in his mouth. The baby would only permit the standard, basic egg porridge.

"Our Didi is very particular about her tastes, isn't she? I only added a tiny bit—how did she notice? Huh?"

Liu would sometimes say that while stroking Ihyeon's still-flat stomach.

The severe morning sickness vanished as if by magic once he entered the fourth month of pregnancy. Thanks to that, this was the first dinner gathering with friends they'd had in a long time.

Yuni and Michelle, Leo and Leo's parents, Morae, and Yeehan had all come to Ubud, leaving Parang with the babysitter.

"I honestly thought Ihyeon's morning sickness would never go away. It was so painful to watch."

Yuni, who watched Ihyeon up close every day while working at the gallery, looked at him with pitying eyes—a gaze brimming with affection.

"He became so sensitive to smells that he couldn't even step outside the door."

Liu, who had taken the seat right next to his mate, spoke while gently stroking Ihyeon's hair. His chair, placed at the very end of the table, was angled about thirty degrees toward Ihyeon.

"He couldn't even stand the smell of food like that, but one morning he woke up and the first thing he said was that he wanted bulgogi."

"You must have been happy, hyung."

Liu nodded toward Yeehan.

"I thought I was going to cry."

Baek Yuni finished eating last, wiping her hands on a napkin, and shrugged her shoulders.

"For the Director, there must be some kind of mystery of the human body that makes him feel full just by watching Ihyeon put something in his mouth."

Everyone laughed at her words, but at the same time, everyone agreed.

"It's good that Ihyeon's morning sickness has improved, and it's good to see his face like this."

"Tell me about it. Even though we live only five minutes away, this is the first time I've seen Ihyeon since the New Year."

Leo's parents, who had grown close by running a nearby restaurant, were also happy that Ihyeon was free from morning sickness.

Morae smiled at Ihyeon and brought up something as if she had just remembered.

"Oh, by the way, I noticed your stomach is starting to show a little bit now?"

"You have no idea how cute he is."

Liu's face overflowed with a happy smile as he carefully placed his hand on Ihyeon's stomach.

"Yes, I'm sure that's how it is."

"Look at that face—like he owns all the happiness in the world."

The affectionate teasing from his friends rained down on Liu.

Yeehan narrowed his eyes, gazing into the air as he tried to recall something, then tilted his head.

"Ihyeon is only twenty-six, and we haven't even been married six months. Who was it that so firmly said it was too soon to have a baby… who was that again?"

Liu nodded as if admitting guilt, raising his left hand.

"Yes, that was me. I did say that."

"And yet, the moment he found out about the pregnancy, his grin stretched from ear to ear..."

"Besides, he didn't confess it to us first; we found out by accident."

Liu, who had flown straight from Hong Kong to Bali the moment he heard the news of the pregnancy, did not tell Yuni or the other staff members even after returning to Hong Kong the next day. They only knew that Ihyeon had been feeling unwell.

Without telling anyone—not his parents in Hong Kong, not Ihyeon's family by the East Sea, not his friends—Liu held onto that happiness as his own secret for a month.

He felt that such great happiness might invite envy.

It was a happiness too precious to dare speak of carelessly.

It was the kind of happiness that wasn't meant to be shown off while wearing it, but rather kept deep inside a drawer, only to be secretly taken out late at night and gazed upon with satisfaction. It was just like how Ihyeon treated the diamond necklace Liu had given him during his proposal.

However, because the happiness was so immense, it was also inevitable that it would eventually be discovered.

It happened because Liu overreacted when he found Ihyeon helping move artwork in the gallery ahead of his solo exhibition.

"That was the first time I'd ever seen the Director act so frighteningly. Ihyeon isn't a gallery employee; he's an affiliated artist. Why would you make him do that kind of work?"

Yuni added, setting down her glass after finishing the last bit of wine.

"It's a good thing we knew Ihyeon was pregnant; otherwise I really might have quit right then and there."

Even without having seen the situation, his friends knew exactly what had happened and chimed in about Liu's overprotectiveness.

Liu willingly played the sacrificial lamb, appearing completely unbothered as if inviting them to tease him all they wanted. No amount of teasing about Ihyeon and the baby could possibly put even a small dent in his happiness. Moreover, the teasing from everyone gathered there was rooted in strong affection, so there was no reason to feel displeased.

It seemed the meal was entirely finished.

Some time had passed since everyone had put down their food, and the wine was nearly gone as well.

Ihyeon, the host, and Liu exchanged a meaningful glance. It was time to bring out dessert.

As Ihyeon stood up first, followed immediately by Liu, Yeehan pointed at Liu as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Look at that, look! See how he scurries right after Ihyeon as soon as he gets up!"

Liu turned around and threatened playfully.

"I'm just going to get the dessert. The carrot cake that your wife loves."

"Does only Morae like carrot cake? Everyone here knows that Ihyeon will wake up even from a dead sleep for Omia's carrot cake."

That was true. Liu feigned ignorance, shrugged his shoulders, and hurried into the kitchen after Ihyeon.

"There's probably no one to whom the word 'scurrying' is less fitting."

A burst of cheerful laughter erupted from behind the two of them at someone's remark. It was a lively sound they hadn't heard in the house for a long time.

There was a slight distance between the dining area, set up with a large communal table, and the kitchen. Despite that, the guests' jokes and laughter carried vividly into the kitchen. Thanks to that, Liu and Ihyeon couldn't help but smirk the entire time they were preparing the dessert.

Ihyeon placed the large whole cake onto the cake stand, and Liu took out dessert plates for the number of guests from the cabinet. Liu approached the counter with the plates, patted Ihyeon's shoulder, and asked kindly,

"Are you sleepy? Not tired?"

"A little sleepy, yes, but I'm okay for now. It's fun because everyone is gathered after a long time. I want to socialize a bit longer."

"That's a relief then."

Gently pulling Ihyeon closer into an embrace, Liu kissed the center of his mate's temple. Then, with a slightly flushed expression, he asked Ihyeon.

"Shall we bring out 'that' now?"

Ihyeon nodded with a smile, and Liu brought out a bundle from the pantry connected to the kitchen. It was a shopping basket containing several small paper boxes.

"So when are you announcing it? I'm dying of curiosity!"

Someone from the dining area called out loudly to the hosts, full of playful mischief.

Liu and Ihyeon, who were transferring the boxes onto a large tray, looked at each other and grinned.

When Liu appeared holding the cake and plates, and Ihyeon holding the tray with the boxes, all the guests' attention immediately focused on them.

"Ooh, what is that?"

"Are those presents?"

The reaction was good.

Cream-colored boxes tied with cream-colored ribbons were placed in front of each guest. Cream white was the color the two hosts had chosen for their wedding attire.

Some guests picked up the boxes and shook them, while others held them up high to catch the light. Leo, the only young guest, was the first to untie the ribbon and open his box.

"Balloons! Dad, they're balloons!"

As soon as Leo shouted excitedly, Liu immediately gave advice to the boy's father.

"Be careful, Leo, because you have to pierce it with a pin."

Led by Leo, the other guests also opened their boxes.

A small balloon inside the paper box and a small pin attached to the box to pop the balloon. Morae and Yeehan were the first to figure out its purpose. After all, they had also thrown a gender reveal party for Parang's surrogate mother.

"You said you weren't doing a separate gender reveal—when did you prepare something like this?"

"Because we said we'd throw a party for you."

"No, nothing that elaborate."

Ihyeon, standing next to Liu in front of the table, smiled faintly. Being the focus of a party was still something Ihyeon felt slightly awkward about.

"You invited us for dinner, but you two were making this all afternoon?"

"You two are really adorable."

The other guests held a box in their hands, enjoying themselves like children.

"What is it? How do we do this?"

Michelle kindly explained to Yuni, who had no idea how a gender reveal usually proceeded, standing next to her.

"It says right here on the box. Purple for a girl, yellow for a boy."

Leo's father, who had the boy sitting on his lap, also explained it to Leo, who was showing interest in the balloon.

"Leo, it's about Kun and Ihyeon's baby. If it's a little sister, purple paper will come out of the balloon, and if it's a little brother, yellow paper will come out."

Liu, leaning over while gripping the edge of the dining table with both hands, made eye contact with Leo and asked,

"Leo, would you prefer purple to come out, or yellow?"

"Purple!"

The child shouted decisively, raising his arms high without even hesitating.

"Purple? Why?"

"Parang and I are both boys, so I think it would be nice to have a little sister to play with."

Hearing Leo's answer, Liu and Ihyeon secretly exchanged glances and smiles that only they could understand.

"Leo, when I say one, two, three, we all pop them together, okay?"

One, two, three.

Pop, pop-pop, pop.

Someone failed to pierce it cleanly on the first try, and the air just hissed out. But most of them popped the balloons almost simultaneously with only a very slight delay.

A quiet stillness settled over the room for a brief moment.

What scattered across the table and the floor when the balloons burst was purple confetti.

"Ihyeon, is it a girl?"

The first to break the silence was Morae's flushed voice. Ihyeon nodded with a smile.

"Yes, nuna. Our Didi is a girl."

"How wonderful. What a beautiful baby she must be!"

Morae rose from her seat and approached Ihyeon. Not just her, but all the other guests followed suit and stood up. They congratulated and blessed the couple, exchanging hugs or kissing their cheeks.

"Daughter-obsessed Liu Weikun—that's easy to predict, isn't it?"

When Yeehan jokingly nudged Liu's arm, the other guests chimed in with their own comments.

"Are you going to carry her around constantly, never letting her walk on her own two feet?"

"How will you ever let her get married, she's too precious!"

Liu shrugged, wrinkling the bridge of his nose.

"We're already talking about marriage? What about all the steps in between?"

Yuni and Michelle gathered the confetti that had fallen onto the table and sprinkled it over Liu and Ihyeon's heads. Liu gently picked a piece of paper off Ihyeon's face and put on a playful front toward the guests.

"Alright, now that we know Didi's gender, everyone go home. Ihyeon is tired."

"We've only just had one bite of cake. Are you kicking us out?"

Yeehan held up his fork, looking aggrieved. Yuni scooped a piece of cake onto a plate and took over what Yeehan had started saying.

"They say that anything a husband does that disappoints you during pregnancy stays with you forever. But when I asked Ihyeon, he said he didn't feel even a speck of disappointment."

"It makes sense he wouldn't. He's been so devoted."

"But aren't we disappointed? He's been so cold to us ever since Ihyeon got pregnant."

Moonlight streamed in through the large window next to the dining table. The purple confetti scattered around the table twinkled as if coming to life in the moonlight.

· · · · ·

By the time he saw the guests out to the front gate and returned, it was past eleven at night. It had been quite a while since Ihyeon had stayed up this late.

As soon as he closed the front door and they were alone, Liu gently wrapped his arms around Ihyeon's back and stroked his hair. Ihyeon looked a little tired.

"Aren't you tired?"

"A little."

"Go wash up first."

"What about Kun?"

"I'll just bring the plates to the kitchen and come in. Seo Ihyeon should lie down quickly."

Even though the cleaning lady would handle the dishes and tidying up the next day, it was Liu's habit to at least move the plates himself.

"I'll help you too."

"We agreed not to feel bad about things like this."

Ihyeon, who had been stroking Liu's arm, nodded after a brief pause.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

Liu watched Ihyeon walk down the hallway toward the bedroom, let out a soft "Hmm," and then headed to the dining room.

The dining table where seven people, including Leo, had eaten and drunk was quite messy. After moving the dishes and roughly sweeping up the confetti that had fallen on the floor and table, quite a bit of time had passed.

He turned off the lights in the dining room and kitchen and secured the front door one last time. After drawing the curtains on the living room window completely, he turned off the living room light just before stepping into the hallway.

As everything went dark, the faint light seeping from the end of the hallway felt incredibly bright.

Warm light spilled out from the gap in the bedroom door, which was open about a hand's width. Liu smiled at that light, as if it were a signal that Ihyeon was waiting for him.

Just as Liu expected, Ihyeon was asleep.

He was propped up against the headboard with a pillow, sitting that way.

He had fallen asleep waiting for Liu.

Liu first adjusted the light until it was dimmer. Then, sitting in the armchair next to the bed, he gazed at Ihyeon's sleeping figure for a moment.

The room was utterly quiet, making the boisterousness from just a moment ago feel like a distant memory. Only Ihyeon's regular breathing could be heard comfortingly.

Whether consciously or not, Ihyeon had his left hand resting gently on his stomach—as if protecting the belly that had just started to show a gentle curve. Liu carefully placed his own left hand over that one.

Beneath their joined hands, their baby was breathing healthily.

Liu sometimes couldn't believe that one human being could bestow this much happiness upon another. Was I making Seo Ihyeon this happy? As happy as Seo Ihyeon makes me?

Probably not. It couldn't be. It felt like it couldn't possibly be this much happiness.

However, he was certain that he would bet everything—his entire body, heart, and life—on loving Ihyeon. Just as he had once promised, he would protect Ihyeon's choices and hopes with everything he had. And now, not just for Ihyeon, but for Ihyeon and the baby. For this miraculous being that Ihyeon was nurturing within his own body through sacrifice and endurance.

Yeehan had been right when he said that having a baby didn't mean the honeymoon was over.

Because life with Ihyeon would be a honeymoon every day.

The matching rings on their joined hands shone softly, like moonlight.

As Liu himself had once sharply observed, even diamonds weren't forever. But he knew this light—the light emitted by his own Diamond Dust—would never fade.

It was a light that would illuminate the two of them as one, forever, or at least for a very long time, close to forever.

Diamond Dust Extra 2

A Diamond is Forever

The End.

1) Satay: A traditional skewered dish from Malay-speaking regions. Each piece is relatively small in size.

2) Gender Reveal: The act of announcing a baby's sex to those around you, or the party held for that purpose.