20.8.2049 Incheon, Dong-gu, Hunter Command Villas

  Yoon Taeha reached again for the alpha in front of him. His instincts were surging, making him give into it, he couldn’t fight the urge. He was on the edge. Kang Jeonhyun despite his effort, couldn’t dodge him anymore; his strength was being pushed down by Taeha’s pheromones. Yoon Taeha’s control cracked at that moment, his pheromone flooding the room. Kang Jeonhyun felt everything, his body slowly betraying him despite his effort to keep it together. He was falling again, but this time Yoon Taeha managed to catch him from under his arms and lay him down slowly.

  He sat there, upright against the wall, with Kang Jeonhyun in his arms. Yoon Taeha’s hands shook as he tried to keep control of his pheromones. Despite his heat filling him with desire, he forced himself to release gentle pheromones to calm the man he held. They weren’t on the best terms, but he didn’t want to see him in pain like this, not because of him. He needed to put Kang Jeonhyun’s safety above his desire.

  “Keep it together Jeonhyun!” Yoon Taeha’s voice was hoarse. “Fucking shit.”, his guilt was spiking. Kang Jeonhyun’s breathing was now shallow, his body spasming slightly from the shock. Yoon Taeha held him tight, but Kang Jeonhyun was losing consciousness, as was he. He tried to keep his head, but his vision began to double; he couldn’t hear anything anymore except his own body fighting his pheromone release. Every beat of his heart, the flow of his veins, every spasm in his nerves. He reached for the man’s watch and pressed the side button five times to send an alert.

  “Hang in there, buddy,” he said, caressing his head, though Kang Jeonhyun was unconscious. Yoon Taeha leaned his back against the wall almost by force, waiting for help to come. After some time, the door burst open, Doctor Han rushing in with Yoon Jiyeon, Chief Han and soldiers he didn’t recognize. Han Seri, an alpha, overwhelmed by Yoon Taeha’s omega pheromone burst, staggered back.

  "Put a mask on her!” Yoon Jiyeon barked at the soldiers.

  Yoon Taeha, his cheeks burning red, managed a faint smile at Doctor Han as he rushed closer. Everything went dark as he felt Kang Jeonhyun’s weight slipping from his arms.

  21.8.2049, Past Midnight, Seoul, Mapo-gu, Hunter’s Association Hospital

  Han Yoonseo sat next to the hospital bed, a sense of déjà vu striking him as he looked at the unconscious Yoon Taeha lying there. He lit a cigarette and lifted his feet onto the edge of the bed, leaning back in his chair. The cigarette smoke curled in the sterile hospital air.

  A C-class recessive omega causing pheromone shock to a SS-class dominant alpha. Whenever he thought Yoon Taeha couldn’t surprise him anymore, the man did something like this. Doctor Han didn’t think it had been intentional, but if they’d arrived any later, it could have turned dangerous for the Second Lieutenant. He tried to wrap his head around Yoon Taeha’s entire existence and failed, as usual.

  He glanced at Yoon Taeha’s chart, scanning for anything he could compare to the information he had from ten years ago. Most of it matched, but Yoon Taeha’s pheromone levels were slightly off. Han Yoonseo was a beta, pheromones weren’t his forte, and his career was in military medicine, not pheromone analysis. For additional insight, he’d have to consult the only person he trusted with this information. The problem was that the only one who could help was the patient’s own sister.

  “I don’t want to call the chief…” he sighed. “Fuck protocols.”

  “What are you so focused on?”

  The question startled Doctor Han and threw him off his chair, causing him to crash onto the floor, with the cigarette still hanging from his lips.

  “No fucking way…” he muttered under his breath. Still half in disbelief, he pulled a pen from his pocket and tossed it at Yoon Taeha, as if to confirm he really was awake, still being on the edge of cursing him out.

  “Ow…” Yoon Taeha rubbed his head. “How long was I out for?”

  “For an hour…” Doctor Han began, confused. “How are you awake already?” He kept checking Yoon Taeha’s vitals, tapping the monitor, believing it was malfunctioning.

  “Strong genes, I guess.” Yoon Taeha said, already removing the sensors from his forehead and chest. Doctor Han grabbed his wrist.

  “Can’t you just stay put and leave them on?”

  “I have things to do, and people to see.” Yoon Taeha laughed, almost too bright. He was completely fine; he showed no signs of having experienced pheromone shock. Being unconscious for only an hour should have been impossible. He should have been bedridden, with high fever and pain for days, maybe weeks.

  “Who are you?” Doctor Han finally asked, not knowing whether he should be frustrated or afraid. Yoon Taeha hesitated for a second, then smiled wide and laughed, but he didn’t answer.

  “Can you give me something to eat. I’m starving.”

  Doctor Han scoffed but left the room. Yoon Taeha waited for the door to slide shut before getting out of bed. He moved closer to the bed beside him and slid the curtain open. Kang Jeonhyun was lying there, still unconscious, hooked to machines slightly different from the ones Taeha had been attached to. Kang Jeonhyun’s scent was faint now, but still present. The monitor beeped irregularly as Yoon Taeha stepped closer.

  He debated his decision for a split second and sighed.

  “Don’t make me regret this.” He placed his hand on Kang Jeonhyun’s forehead, and for only a few seconds, a green light flickered. Yoon Taeha started counting.

  “Five… four… three…”

  Kang Jeonhyun’s heartbeat spiked sharply on the monitor, then stabilized. He opened his eyes, Yoon Taeha’s wide smile being the first thing he saw, though his vision was still blurry. His eyes lost focus for a moment and he closed them, but when he opened them again, the man was gone. Had he been there at all?

  He felt lightheaded, warmth still lingering on his forehead, but he managed to lift himself into an upright position in the silence of the room. Slowly, he slid the curtain open.

  “Done with your beauty sleep?” Yoon Taeha asked, smiling.

  A sudden recollection of what had happened at the apartment took Kang Jeonhyun aback. Yet he felt strangely calm now. Yoon Taeha’s pheromones lingered in the air, but not overwhelming. If anything, they were calm and soothing. Still, Yoon Taeha looked far too good considering what they had just gone through, while Kang Jeonhyun understood himself even less. Moments ago, he’d been in agony, barely conscious, and now he felt… light.

  “What did you do?”

  “What do you mean, Lieutenant?” Yoon Taeha tilted his head slightly and straightened his blanket, acting as if he’d been in his own bed the whole time. Kang Jeonhyun didn’t have the chance to comment before Doctor Han entered the room carrying a tray.

  “What in the seven seas is happening here?” He froze mid-step, staring at the two men, jaw dropping. Both were awake, sitting upright. He didn’t stop to think, he pushed the call button in his wrist. Yoon Jiyeon’s voice answered.

  “Doctor, they’re awake.”

  What have you been smoking?

  “I’m not kidding. Get here, stat.”

  You better not be. I’m with the chief.

  Doctor Han placed the tray on the table next to Yoon Taeha, who immediately started eating with gusto, until he noticed Kang Jeonhyun on the next bed staring at him. He slowed, smiled slightly, then picked up the bun from his tray and held it out to him. Kang Jeonhyun stared at the bread for a long moment before leaning forward, just a little, to take it. Their fingers brushed.

  Yoon Taeha’s touch sent an involuntary warmth shooting up Kang Jeonhyun’s arm. As if to hide his reaction, he took a bite of the bread immediately. It annoyed him that it tasted better than it should have.

  Yoon Taeha’s scent was confusing him even further. When he’d leaned closer, his scent felt safe, like a breath of fresh air. For a moment, it felt as if their pheromones were in sync, but with that realization he forced his pheromones to calm. Unintentionally he touched his forehead, right where he had felt that warmth earlier. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it had been real.

  Taeha smiled and turned to the doctor.

  “Sorry to make you run errands, but I think someone is hungry.” He turned back to Kang Jeonhyun and winked. “You can thank me later.”

  Doctor Han sighed and got up again, but as he exited, another figure came in. Yoon Jiyeon brought her palm to her forehead as she saw her brother.

  “You’ve been awake for what? Two weeks? Three weeks? And already causing trouble.”

  “What can I say, I like being the center of attention.” Yoon Taeha laughed slightly but was startled by the very subtle “pfft” sound from behind him. The Yoon siblings’ thoughts were in unison. Did he just… laugh?

  Yoon Jiyeon stepped closer to her brother, dragged the pherowave analyzer toward him, and slapped the sensors onto his forehead.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Again?” he scoffed, trying to turn away from his sister. Kang Jeonhyun thought it strange that he was avoiding the sensors.

  "Yeah, again. Do you not understand the danger you two were in?”

  “Last time I checked, I was placed in the same house as this guy. Did none of you think this would happen? Me being an omega was public information.”

  “Your pheromones have never shown this strongly before. It didn’t seem like a big threat when the decision was made.” Yoon Jiyeon sighed. “I guess we were wrong.”

  “You guess, huh?” Yoon Taeha rolled his eyes. Kang Jeonhyun finally opened his mouth to speak.

  “Needless to say, we can’t stay in the same house anymore, so I will move back to my own place. Once we get out of here, I will have a meeting with the Association to assign a new supervisor for you.”

  “No need for concern,” Yoon Jiyeon began, “the Seoul Hunters Association has made the decision to have my brother rejoin the hunter forces. He will be moving to the SHA omega dorms after discharge.”

  “Oh, that’s good news.” Yoon Taeha finally smiled again. “What team will I be in?”

  Yoon Jiyeon didn’t utter a word, knowing what would follow would cause a commotion she was not prepared for. Kang Jeonhyun, however, knew immediately, just looking at her expression.

  “Absolutely not,” he began.

  “You must understand—”

  “I will not have him in the Special Ops. He is a C-class hunter; he will not survive the missions, or worse, he will get us killed.”

  “Keep talking like I’m not here,” Yoon Taeha said and sipped his soup. “Also, I’m not exactly keen on the idea of going back to A- or S-class gates. I’ll be happy with C-class though!”

  Kang Jeonhyun glanced at him briefly from the corner of his eye. Yoon Taeha’s carefree nature upset him even more, sipping soup as if he were watching a comedy show.

  “Second Lieutenant Kang,” the door slid open again as Doctor Han entered the room with Han Seri. She continued, “I should remind you that you do not make the decisions here. If you cannot manage one C-class hunter, how do you intend to lead an entire unit?”

  Yoon Taeha snorted at Chief Han’s comment. “Please, six soldiers is hardly a unit.”

  “He is the reason we are in this state now.” Jeonhyun clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms. Yoon Taeha made intentionally loud slurping noises as he saw how it annoyed the man.

  “He is also the reason you are alive now,” she raised her voice. “If he hadn’t called for help, you would have gone to full pheromone shock or, worse, you could have gone on a rampage! We do not have many skilled healers in the Association, and most are on missions. If the worst had happened, you could have destroyed half of Seoul!”

  “His pheromones were the cause of it. If he does that again—” he began. His pheromones began to thicken, making the air tense. “How can you expect any of us to take on the responsibility of him on the field?”

  “Don’t try to push me down with your pheromones. I might not be dominant like you, but I exceed you in skill and military rank.” Han Seri’s voice was cold enough to freeze the room. She continued after a brief sigh, “This decision was already made when you moved in together, but after receiving Sergeant Kim’s report, I think it’s safe to say he does not need as much protection as you claim.” Chief Han said firmly.

  Kang Jeonhyun gritted his teeth.

  “We’re the ones that need protection from him. You know what he did and you still—”

  “Do I? Do you know what he did?” Chief Han asked, her voice serious now.

  Yoon Taeha looked at them back and forth as they argued, feeling slightly amused. Yoon Jiyeon kept analyzing her brother’s pheromones, trying not to pay attention to the fight happening next to them. Doctor Han stayed close to Yoon Jiyeon, also trying not to get involved.

  “Lieutenant, I understand your need to know what happened to your—” Chief Han looked at Yoon Taeha, then back at Kang Jeonhyun. “Anyway, the decision is final. File a complaint to the Supreme Court if you’re unhappy with this.” She exited the room with those words.

  Yoon Taeha was left confused. What had Han Seri meant with Kang Jeonhyun needing to know something? Know what? And what did it have to do with him? He looked at the man next to him, still gritting his teeth. His anger was too obvious for Yoon Taeha not to be concerned about his own safety at this point. How much could his body endure in the end?

  Doctor Han walked to Kang Jeonhyun, checking the analyzer results.

  “Your pheromone levels are normal now.”

  “So are Taeha’s,” Yoon Jiyeon said, confused. “I don’t understand, Doctor Han. I’ve been researching pheromones for years now, yet I’ve never seen levels this stable after pheromone shock.”

  “This isn’t normal, Doctor Yoon.” Doctor Han looked at Yoon Taeha, certain that something had happened when he had fetched food for him. “Whatever it was, they don’t need to stay here any longer.”

  “I’d like to still monitor them for the night. Something’s not right. Let’s get some further testing done,” Yoon Jiyeon said. Doctor Han offered a simple nod as an answer.

  Yoon Taeha grabbed his sister’s sleeve as she turned to walk away. He wanted to tell her not to do the tests, he couldn’t risk it any further; he was already walking on thin ice. The words, however, didn’t come out. How could he stop it without explaining himself?

  “Umm, can I have a new gown? I think I sweated through this one when I was sleeping,” Yoon Taeha interrupted them.

  “I’ll tell the nurse; I was leaving anyway,” Yoon Jiyeon said. “I’ll call Mom for you; she’ll want to visit.”

  “Me or him?” Yoon Taeha asked.

  “Take a guess.” His sister chuckled.

  Both doctors left, and it didn’t take long for the nurse to bring Yoon Taeha a new gown.

  Kang Jeonhyun turned just as Yoon Taeha pulled his hospital gown off, carelessly, as if they weren’t in a room full of people a moment ago arguing about responsibility and pheromone shock. Jeonhyun froze. Heat rushed up his neck, burning under his skin, and he forced his pheromones back down before they could surface again.

  Yoon Taeha turned his gaze over his shoulder, smirking slightly, casually, confidently, reflecting who he was as a person. For a moment, Kang Jeonhyun couldn’t help but stare. For a moment, he forgot he hated the man.

  Anyone but him, he thought, jaw tightening. Not him.

  “Like what you see?” Yoon Taeha joked, teasing lightly, completely unaware of the stir he was causing. Kang Jeonhyun turned his gaze away immediately, his throat tight. It was as if he was causing his own pride to shatter by staring at the man. The second Yoon Taeha turned his back, Kang Jeonhyun’s eyes betrayed him again. He couldn’t fight it.

  Yoon Taeha’s gown slid completely off his shoulders and fell to the floor. Kang Jeonhyun held his breath so he wouldn’t lose control of his pheromones. He was swimming in dangerous waters now, his anger, desire, and confusion all tangled together. Yoon Taeha was fully naked.

  Kang Jeonhyun’s feet hit the cold floor as he stepped quietly toward the man. Yoon Taeha reached for the clean gown on his bed, relaxed, as if he didn’t know the alpha behind him was moving toward him. As if they hadn’t been in pheromone shock just a short while ago.

  All of a sudden, something snapped in him. He grabbed Yoon Taeha’s arm, making him flinch as Kang Jeonhyun’s grip tightened. The arm was completely healed. No bruises. No swelling. No marks from the tiger that had nearly shredded his arm in the dungeon. Skin smooth and perfect, like nothing had happened at all. A completely healed arm.

  Kang Jeonhyun’s stomach dropped, and his eyes widened. Every feeling of warmth, the desire that he had just experienced, all of it vanished.

  “Hey, hey, hey!” the naked man yelped, startled. “If you wanted me this much, you should’ve used your rut as an excuse. What the hell are you doing?”

  “You were bitten. Your arm was bleeding!” he hissed as he lifted Yoon Taeha’s wrist. There were no bite marks. Not even scratches. Yoon Taeha turned his head, then looked back with a serious expression and yanked his arm back. His humor vanished instantly.

  “You saw wrong,” he said flatly. “I wasn’t injured.” He turned away, hurriedly pulling the new gown over his shoulders.

  Jeonhyun’s jaw clenched.

  “I thought it was weird that we both woke up so soon after the pheromone shock. You did something, didn’t you?”

  “How about we just forget this argument?”

  “Don’t play with me, Lieutenant Yoon.”

  “Oh, look at you calling me by title now.” Yoon Taeha scoffed. “Calling me that, you should know that in rank, I’m your superior, so back off.”

  “Not until you tell me.”

  “Are you so desperate to fuck me? Is that why you’re keeping me close? You saw a naked omega and now you can’t control yourself, is that it?” Yoon Taeha’s defenses snapped open before he realized it. He pressed his palm against Jeonhyun’s chest, pushing. The comment had been cruel and unnecessary, but it had been deeply defensive.

  Kang Jeonhyun shoved him away, breath shaking, but Yoon Taeha stepped closer again. Smoothly, he slid his arms around Kang Jeonhyun’s neck. Jeonhyun’s hand lifted, almost on its own, reaching for Yoon Taeha’s neck, to steady him, to pull him closer. For a split second, Kang Jeonhyun actually thought Yoon Taeha was going to kiss him.

  However, Taeha’s expression shifted. He yanked Kang Jeonhyun toward him and pressed their lips together, but it wasn’t a kiss. Without warning, he bit down, hard, on Kang Jeonhyun’s lower lip.

  Kang Jeonhyun shoved him hard, sending him into the bed frame. Yoon Taeha wiped the blood from his own mouth as he picked himself up again, staring at the smear of red on his fingers. His expression went blank, humorless.

  “Thought so.”

  “You really are a piece of shit,” Jeonhyun spat, wiping his mouth.

  “The pot is calling the kettle black, I see.” Yoon Taeha’s tone was sharp. “You’re going to have to get used to me being around, Lieutenant. How about you start treating me like a comrade? Did your parents not teach you better than that?”

  That did it. Kang Jeonhyun finally snapped. Without warning, his fist slammed into Yoon Taeha’s face. Taeha stumbled back, lip torn open, blood trailing down his chin, a matching wound. He touched it, eyes widening as he realized.

  He knew exactly what Jeonhyun was doing.

  Kang Jeonhyun growled, “Let’s see what you hide when it’s your turn to bleed.”

  The cut sealed with a faint green flicker. There was no way for Yoon Taeha to hide it any longer as Kang Jeonhyun stepped back, realization hitting like a hammer. Yoon Taeha had recovered from a tiger bite, woke up fully recovered only an hour after experiencing pheromone shock. Taeha straightened slowly, staring at him.

  “You sneaky bastard. Is this what you wanted to see?” Taeha’s voice dropped, no longer joking. “What will you do with this information now?”

  “So that’s how it is,” Jeonhyun laughed dryly. “A reawakened healer.”

  “Want to call the chief together and tell her?” Yoon Taeha snapped, panic slipping through the anger no matter how hard he tried to steady it. He wasn’t going to let Kang Jeonhyun push him down any further. This wasn’t a joke anymore; this was beyond a humorous argument. If the Association found out that he had reawakened and that his skills had changed, he knew exactly what would happen to him. He’d be branded an S-class healer and assigned to every red gate. He would be dragged into every suicide mission without hesitation.

  Healers were rare; they didn’t get choices. They didn’t get to leave. It wasn’t Kang Jeonhyun he feared. What terrified him was the Association itself. He’d already survived hell once in the Jujak-gate. Once had been enough to scar him for a lifetime. He wasn’t going to let them shove him back into that nightmare again. He’d made peace with living as a C-class hunter, easy raids, smaller missions, nothing that looked like the blood-soaked walls of an S-class dungeon. Even A-class would have been fine, depending on the creatures. But another red gate? Even with his ability, a red gate would kill him.

  “You healed yourself,” Jeonhyun said, stepping forward, enraged. “What about the others? Did you leave the rest of them to die? Did you—”

  “I’m not the enemy,” he whispered. “You don’t understand. I tried.”

  “You tried? You tried what? Keeping your little power boost secret?” He grabbed Taeha’s collar and slammed him against the bed.

  The pheromone analyzers spiked briefly, even without being anchored to the two hunters. It was dangerous, not as overwhelming as before, but enough to make the air feel thick. The doctors burst inside.

  “Stop! Stop, stop—!” Doctor Han shoved himself between them. Yoon Jiyeon grabbed her brother’s arm. Two soldiers restrained Kang Jeonhyun, dragging him back. He glared at Taeha with hatred.

  “Why were you perfectly fine,” he yelled, “when others weren’t?”

  “Perfectly fine?” Yoon Taeha snapped back. “I was in a coma. For ten years!”

  “Maybe you should have stayed in a coma. Better yet, you should have stayed in the gate.” Kang Jeonhyun regretted the words as soon as he had said them. Taeha’s expression collapsed, just for a moment. He stopped struggling, stopped moving altogether. He looked down at the floor and gritted his teeth.

  “I’m not talking about the Jujak gate. Not with you.”

  “Coward,” Jeonhyun hissed as he yanked himself free from the soldiers’ hold. “Stay the hell away from me.”

  “I wish I could.” His answer was barely audible, but every person in the room heard it.

  At that moment, Yoon Taeha wondered why he had held that man in his arms, the man who hated him so deeply. The man he should have pushed away. The man he had, for one foolish moment, felt something… more for.