AOA 98

We were already married. We’d had sex several times. There was no reason to be embarrassed just because I saw him naked. It was times like this that called for confidence.

“Do you have something to say?”

“…Your body looks good.”

I couldn’t think of a good excuse, so I ended up blurting out the truth. Baek Mugyeong raised one eyebrow like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

His face didn’t change much usually, so that small reaction was unexpectedly cute.

“I’m jealous.”

Baek Mugyeong had everything a man could envy. Pretending not to be jealous would’ve felt like losing, so I just said it.

This time, he looked dumbfounded. Or maybe he was smiling.

Seemed like he didn’t totally hate being told he had a good body.

“I’ll run the bath.”

“You’re not doing it again? I mean, usually, we don’t stop at one…ahh! Forget it. Pretend I didn’t say that. I wasn’t asking because I wanted to.”

As I kept talking, it sounded like I didn’t want it to end with just one round, so I quickly tried to cover it up. Baek Mugyeong’s gaze sharpened. I quickly waved my hands.

I said it was a mistake, but pheromones surged from him. We’d just had sex, so my body reacted immediately.

I shivered, heat spread through me, and every nerve grew sensitive. The place he had just pounded into throbbed dully.

Saying I didn’t want it anymore was now a lie. As if answering, my pheromones began to flow too. A subconscious, instinctive reaction.

I slowly sat up and watched Baek Mugyeong sitting on the edge of the bed. It was similar to earlier. We were both in the mood and couldn’t look away from each other.

“Jeong Minchae, you’re good at provoking people.”

Baek Mugyeong leaned in and whispered. It stung to be told I was digging my own grave. I was just being honest. Even if it was a mistake.

“I wasn’t provoking.”

I protested, a bit hurt. But I didn’t avoid his lips as he leaned closer. Every breath he exhaled filled the air with stronger pheromones, making me feel faint.

“Because it wasn’t on purpose, it’s worse.”

I wanted to snap back at the smug remark, but his lips touched mine first. The soft brush deepened into a long kiss.

Sex wasn’t going to end at just once.

04. Resolution

I wanted to change the future.

Not something grand like a plot for perfect revenge, or secretly manipulating the country’s politics, economy, or culture like in a drama. My goal was simple. Heal my younger sibling, save up money, and get free from my biological father’s control.

I’d lived this life once already, so I used the knowledge I had to gradually change what would come.

I couldn’t say everything was better. But most of the changes I tried to make had worked.

The biggest thing was avoiding the side effects of medication. With a clear mind, I could defend myself from my father, stepmother, and half-brother. I avoided getting bullied by people like Im Songyoon and Baek Yeongseop.

Changing the future had even altered my relationships.

The most dramatic change, of course, was with Baek Mugyeong. Before the regression, even though we were married for over two years, we barely saw each other’s faces. We lived in the same house as husband and wife but were basically strangers.

But in this life, things got weird after I presented as an omega on our honeymoon. We couldn’t treat each other like strangers anymore. We clashed often, traded harsh words, and had sex.

At first, we got swept up in each other’s pheromones. But eventually, we started doing it while fully aware. We even agreed to have sex every Friday.

Two Fridays passed since then.

It was past noon on Saturday. I lay in bed, reflecting on the truth of the world.

They say when you learn to steal late in life, you forget even sleep.

It reminded me of when I first got into computer games and secretly stayed up all night. But this was even more addictive.

We’d had sex on Friday as planned. And… on other days too. Just this week, we’d done it four out of seven days.

“Crazy…”

My hoarse voice was laced with embarrassment. I’d screamed too much last night.

Baek Mugyeong was actually a good partner. Like he said, he didn’t have any weird fetishes. Once soaked in his pheromones, the sex was nothing but ecstasy.

I had no complaints. At least, not until last night.

Yesterday, I didn’t know what he ate, but suddenly he had way too much stamina. He already tended to push me past my limits, but last night, it was literal. He made me climax so many times I thought he’d wrung me dry. By the end, there wasn’t even any semen left.

I’d cursed at him to stop, passed out like I’d fainted, and when I woke up, the sun was high in the sky.

My whole body felt like it’d been beaten. I couldn’t get out of bed. I checked my phone and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what I’d done to change the future.

It wasn’t that I hated sex. I actually liked it. But I couldn’t help wondering if it was okay to fall this deep into it.

If things kept going like they had last night, it might become a medical issue. The swelling between my thighs felt weird, and the ache in my back kept me pinned down. It scared me.

I’d felt sore after sex before, but never this bad.

“Ugh, god…”

I groaned and rolled to the side. Even that small motion made my body creak.

Luckily, I didn’t have to go out today. But I still needed to finish a report assignment over the weekend.

Thanks to the regression, I was going through the same college life for the second time. Same professors, same assignments. But that didn’t make the report any easier to write. I just wasn’t good at studying.

“Whatever, I’ll figure it out.”

I figured I could write at least one report by tomorrow. I reached for my phone. Earlier, even checking it felt like a chore, but now I was getting bored.

Even though it was Saturday, I had tons of messages. The university group chat was still noisy, and there were a bunch of ads too.

I don’t like seeing the red unread number next to messages, so I opened every chat one by one just to get rid of it.

[Choi Jaeha: The night view here is amazing]

[Choi Jaeha: (photo)]

[Choi Jaeha: Order wine]

[Choi Jaeha: Reservation’s a bit tricky]

[Choi Jaeha: This place is good too]

[Choi Jaeha: Meat’s great, dessert not so much]

Choi Jaeha sent links and reviews of restaurants he’d gone to with his partner. He told me to go on a date there with Baek Mugyeong.

“I told you it’s not like that.”

I muttered to myself after checking dozens of messages. Choi Jaeha was absolutely convinced that Baek Mugyeong liked me. His logic was that Baek Mugyeong wouldn’t sleep with a guy he didn’t like.

I couldn’t bring myself to say that Baek Mugyeong didn’t like me, just my body. Maybe that’s why Jaeha’s misunderstanding kept getting worse.

He said I just didn’t get it because I lacked ‘romantic cells’ and insisted he was right. Said if your bodies get close, feelings naturally follow.

At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about. But after nearly two weeks of having sex with Baek Mugyeong every other day, I kind of got it.

Compared to how we used to barely interact like strangers, we’d gotten emotionally closer. I got a lot of help from him too.

But that doesn’t mean I like him.

Just because we have sex doesn’t mean we’re in love. We were in a strategic marriage, and we both knew it would end in divorce.

Honestly, even thinking about all this felt embarrassing. I bet Baek Mugyeong wasn’t thinking about any of it.

I rubbed my face and tried to clear him out of my mind.

Knock knock knock.

Right then, the knock came at perfect timing.

“Are you awake?”

Startled by Baek Mugyeong’s voice, I jerked up. Moving suddenly cost me. I curled up in pain, unable to even make a sound from the muscle soreness.

“Jeong Minchae?”

I didn’t answer, but I heard the door open. I couldn’t see the entrance from the bed, but soon Baek Mugyeong came into view.

He was in casual clothes. Instead of a crisp suit, he wore a white polo shirt and slacks. It didn’t suit the usual image I had of him. Especially with his bangs a bit messy on his forehead, he looked so much younger that it made me feel weird.

Even while groaning in pain, I couldn’t help noticing how good he looked. He had no clue what I was going through and approached with a worried face.

“Are you feeling sick?”

“I just moved too suddenly. I’m fine.”

I waved like it was nothing and slowly sat up. The worst of the pain had passed, but my hips, back, arms, and legs still throbbed.

Still, I didn’t want to act like I was seriously hurt over this.

“You don’t look fine.”

“No, really, I’m okay now. But… what is it?”

I looked up at him, wondering if something was going on. Since last week, he hadn’t gone out on weekends. We crossed paths in the house often, but never really asked about each other. For him to come to my room, there had to be a reason.