PO 57

Woojeong, who had tossed and turned until late at night, left the bed and stepped out of the room. When he opened the front door and went out, he immediately saw a small yard.

At night the house surroundings were buried in pitch-black darkness. In the night when everyone was asleep, the sound of small crickets rang out as if they welcomed Woojeong.

When sleep wouldn’t come, Woojeong spent time sitting on the small bench in the yard. Han Jaegang’s cardigan, which he wore whenever he could, blocked the cool night air.

Woojeong pulled his phone from his pocket. Because he had set it to silent, missed calls and messages had piled up, but he put the phone down carelessly without looking.

He felt that if he checked the contents, he would want to see more. Woojeong buried his nose in the sleeve of the cardigan. As time passed, Han Jaegang’s scent grew fainter.

Even though they were far apart, he never left Woojeong’s mind. What intention had been hidden behind the figure he showed? Woojeong thought, and he thought again.

But in the end he could not understand him. For someone like himself, who would have stopped at only obtaining pheromones, Han Jaegang had given far too much.

Every time he was in trouble, Han Jaegang had come running without a word, he had forced Woojeong’s tormenting family to pay harsh prices, and he had stayed by Woojeong’s side when he was in pain.

Why on earth had he done that? Why had he smiled so kindly, and why had he held him warmly? Why on earth…

“Woojeong-ssi.”

Woojeong, who had been lost in thought while fiddling with the cardigan buttons, lifted his head. He found Han Jaehee coming out after opening the front door, and he smiled awkwardly.

“Were you getting some air?”

“……Yes. Did I wake you up?”

“No. I also often come out late at night to get some air. When I do this, my mind feels at ease. It must be a bit chilly at night, but it’s a relief you put something on.”

Woojeong nodded. To fill the emptiness, Han Jaehee, who had stayed by his side, quietly spoke.

“Is Jaegang making things very hard for you, Woojeong-ssi?”

“…….”

“I asked something too foolish, right?” Han Jaehee smiled gently and clasped her own two hands.

“You don’t know how surprised I was when I saw you back then. Goodness, Han Jaegang bringing someone else into the Snow Reflection Residence was something I had never imagined.”

Woojeong turned to look at Han Jaehee, who laughed softly. Sitting in the dim garden, today she looked even more like Han Jaegang.

“Snow Reflection Residence is really a special place for that guy. After our parents passed away, there had been plans to close the house and move to our grandfather’s, but Jaegang stubbornly opposed it. He even defended that big house by living alone there.”

Her eyes, as she spoke of the house, were filled with longing. She naturally spoke of Han Jaegang and let out a long sigh.

“In truth, Jaegang grew up almost alone. At that time our grandmother was ill, and I, who was studying abroad, had no time to care for him. He was not a boy who usually showed when things were hard. Since he managed school life properly and even did well in his studies, we all thought Jaegang was doing fine. Now when I think about it, it is really ridiculous. To think we believed he was fine while leaving that young boy alone.”

Han Jaehee seemed still apologetic about having left her younger brother alone. Woojeong had thought that people from such a family would surely have lived surrounded by overflowing care, so it was unexpected to hear that Han Jaegang had grown up lonely.

As she recalled memories, she told a few anecdotes from childhood, and her expression turned bitter.

“Then once something serious happened. Jaegang beat a household worker severely. He had never done such a thing, so everyone was shocked, but no matter how much they asked, he never said why he had done it.”

Why had he done that? Woojeong waited silently for her words.

“Much later, when the time came for him to undergo surgery for a heart condition, I finally learned the reason. That person, whose heat cycle had started, had rushed into Jaegang’s room. Even if he had lost his reason due to heat, thinking of doing such a thing to a seventeen-year-old boy was unthinkable. Even when I think of it now, it makes me furious.”

“…….”

“It must have been horrible for a child to suffer something like this. Of course, deep aftereffects remained. But this stubborn boy told no one and carried it alone. The fact that Jaegang developed pheromone aversion must have been greatly influenced by that incident.”

“What exactly is pheromone aversion? The illness that the Executive Director suffers from is different from that?”

Woojeong, who had quietly listened, carefully asked. He did not know well about such conditions, but from the word alone he guessed it was not life-threatening.

Woojeong wanted to know exactly how his pheromones helped someone with “pheromone aversion,” and what illness it was that Jaegang suffered from.

“Pheromone aversion is vague to call an illness. To put it simply, it means showing a severe allergic reaction to pheromones that do not match oneself. As for Jaegang’s illness… it would be best to hear directly.”

“Ah…….”

“In any case, Jaegang must have endured the unpleasant feeling no matter who he met. But with you, Woojeong-ssi, it was different. It was the first time I saw that boy treat someone with such gentle eyes.”

She spoke as though it was fascinating, but Woojeong shook his head. If it had been that way, it would have been nice, but in fact it was not.

“It was not like that. In truth, to the Executive Director… I was necessary.”

At Woojeong’s words, Han Jaehee could not give any reply. Her silence already meant that she knew this truth.

“…Noona also knew, didn’t you? You said the Executive Director’s illness is very severe. From the start you knew my pheromones helped that illness, and you approached me with that in mind. I don’t know if all of the Executive Director’s actions until now were false, or if there was at least a little sincerity, but either way he treated me well only to keep me at his side, because he needed my pheromones…”

A lonely smile spread across Woojeong’s lips as he spoke of what he knew. Han Jaehee, who had sat calmly, held Woojeong’s hand.

“No, Woojeong-ssi. I don’t know how it was at first, but now it’s absolutely not that. Do you think Jaegang would pay this much attention to someone he feels nothing for? In my opinion, that is absolutely impossible.”

“Was that behavior sincere? I don’t know.”

“Woojeong-ssi…”

Woojeong steadied his breath and placed his hand on his lower stomach. The pain, which had been tolerable until now, grew severe today and tormented him. Even though the weather was not very cold, he kept feeling chills and his body shook. Woojeong tightly pulled the cardigan collar together and, with an anxious heart, kept rubbing his stomach.

“The sight of you living together with him in Snow Reflection Residence looked so good. But to be honest, I also felt uneasy. I worried about whether that boy, Han Jaegang, could continue his relationship with you. That is why I asked you to come find me if anything happened.” Han Jaehee, even after seeing Woojeong who had come this far, did not ask what had happened. She only gave her opinion after Woojeong spoke first, and she was showing care for him.

“…I liked the Executive Director. That’s why I must have gotten excited on my own. It cannot be said to be the Executive Director’s fault.”

Woojeong, who had not relaxed his guard in front of Han Jaehee, felt that now he could tell the truth.

“Whatever the reason… it’s true that I received far too much from the Executive Director all this time. Since there is something I can give in return, in one sense I feel relief. Noona. But…”

Woojeong could not open his mouth and gasped for breath. The words that the baby’s condition was unstable came to mind, and he felt anxious and afraid every day.

He wanted to honestly tell even Han Jaehee that a baby had been conceived and ask for help. For other problems Woojeong could somehow endure, but for the pheromone problem he could not find an answer. It was something that could not be solved with the cardigan that carried Han Jaegang’s scent.

“I…”

“Oh my, Woojeong-ssi. Why are you sweating like this? Are you unwell?” Han Jaehee, who had been watching Woojeong’s face closely, asked with a startled look. She touched his sweat-damp cheek as she drew near in shock, but Woojeong only sat absentmindedly.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m alright…”

Woojeong barely managed to answer and pressed his hand against the bench. His vision swam, and it was hard to sit upright. He tried to endure the clenching pain in his stomach.

“Ah…”

Now he was exhausted from pretending to be fine. He no longer had the strength to endure. Woojeong staggered and then lost consciousness.

“Woojeong-ssi, wake up. Why are you suddenly like this? Woojeong-ssi. Woojeong-ssi!”

•••

Han Jaegang opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. His sight was not clear. Only after he slowly blinked and struggled to gather his senses did the view before him gradually clear.

His body felt heavy as if he was pinned by sleep paralysis, and he could not move. Han Jaegang loosened his body by moving his fingers slowly first. As soon as he pulled the oxygen saturation monitor from his index finger, the alarm from the monitoring machine began to ring loudly.

Han Jaegang, paying it no mind, tore away even the tube connected to provide oxygen under his nose.

“Executive Director! Are you regaining consciousness?”

Joo Yeongmo rushed over first and asked, and soon Kim Junghyun appeared and checked Han Jaegang’s condition. He first confirmed the vital signs, then held up fingers before Han Jaegang’s eyes.

“How many do you see?”

“Two.”

“Is your breathing uncomfortable?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you feel chest pain?”

“No. I just want to sit for now.”

Joo Yeongmo quickly raised the upper part of the bed. Han Jaegang straightened his upper body and rubbed his face with his hands. After a short while, he had regained some clarity and asked.

“What happened?”

“You had a heart attack. Your heart even stopped for a moment. Fortunately, thanks to quick emergency treatment, you came back.”

“…Where is Lee Woojeong?”

“Is this the time for you to worry about that? Your life almost ended, Executive Director.”

“I survived, didn’t I? Is he still at Noona’s house?”

“Yes. He has continued staying there. Ha…”

Joo Yeongmo, who had been answering, let out a deep sigh and squatted on the floor beside the bed. His eyes that looked up at Han Jaegang were full of reproach.

“Do you know how worried I was? Why did you forbid any contact? What would you have done if something really happened?”

During that time, Han Jaegang had drifted in and out of consciousness. Whenever he came to his senses, Joo Yeongmo and Kim Junghyun pleaded with him, begging to call Woojeong. The pain had been immense, but each time Han Jaegang had sternly warned them not to do anything useless.

If Woojeong learned of his condition now, he would come running no matter what. But even if his body gave out right now, he did not want to reach out to him for that reason.

“Remove the IV.”

“Why? Absolutely not. You need more rest.”

“Should I remove it myself?”

When Han Jaegang moved his hand straight toward the needle without hesitation, Kim Junghyun sighed and grabbed that hand.

“I will quit that pheromone center. I cannot deal with patients like you anymore. I will give you an injection before you pull the needle out. It will be over soon, so wait, please.”

With Kim Junghyun’s help, Han Jaegang gained freedom to move, and he washed himself first. His chest was covered in bruises, and his arm was full of marks from IV lines. He could feel that his body had not yet recovered, but the fact that he could move at all was enough.

“The car keys.”

While the two watched, Han Jaegang, dressed in new clothes, stretched out his hand. Joo Yeongmo and Kim Junghyun could not hide the horrified look on their faces.

“Do you mean it? It hasn’t even been thirty minutes since you woke from unconsciousness?”

“Executive Director. Do you remember that day, when you insisted on being discharged recklessly, and then this happened? Stay a few more days, or at least rest one more day and move tomorrow.”

“Bring the keys.”

Han Jaegang stood firm and had no thought of backing down. His heart grew impatient with the thought that he had already wasted several days.

“Are you going to Noona’s house?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will take you.”

Knowing well that persuasion would be useless, Joo Yeongmo let out a heavy sigh and stepped forward, saying he would rather drive himself.

Han Jaegang did not refuse his offer. He only wanted to reach Woojeong as quickly and safely as possible.