Honeymoon

After confirming Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon'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 Yeehyeon'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 Yeehyeon 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.

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon, 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 Yeehyeon's jeans — still damp with traces of arousal fluid — into the washing machine, Liu thought.

Was it the right decision to make Yeehyeon pregnant at such an early age?

Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't respecting Yeehyeon's wishes. Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon'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 Yeehyeon's true feeling?

Even if it was his true feeling, was having a baby right now, simply because Yeehyeon 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.

Yeehyeon, 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. Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon's burden. That was all the more reason why he couldn't readily agree, even if Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon?]

Marcus asked in a teasing tone. This was because whenever Liu detected even the slightest unusual symptom from Yeehyeon, 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.

"Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon and I took medication. I increased my usual dose, and just in case, I made sure Yeehyeon took it afterward too."

[Yes, that was good. You handled it well enough. What about Yeehyeon? 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 Yeehyeon himself. It reminded him of when they first met — the time he sensed a powerful pheromone from the Beta Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon?]

"......"

[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 Yeehyeon even though you were in different spaces. Yeehyeon's heat was probably stimulated by you in some way, and when Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon.

Liu smiled faintly as he looked at Yeehyeon's work, "Colorful Ghost," displayed directly in front of where he was sitting.

"It's all thanks to Yeehyeon."

[Let's see each other at Yeehyeon's solo exhibition. Ellen and I are really looking forward to visiting Bali for the first time. I miss Yeehyeon too.]

Liu's parents, Marcus, and Ellen were scheduled to visit Yeehyeon'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 Yeehyeon'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.

"Yeehyeon is waiting for you all very eagerly. Please do come."

[Let's stay healthy until then and meet.]

Yeehyeon's safety and health — that was what Liu desired above all else.