Honeymoon

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.

Yeehyeon, 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?"

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon'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 Yeehyeon. 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 Yeehyeon. 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 Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon. 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 Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon's cheeks with both hands and met his eyes. His expression, filled with disappointment and longing, was directed at Yeehyeon. His gaze seemed to be waiting for an order: Don't go. Stay by my side.

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon's cheeks and lips into a funny expression. Despite Liu's serious look, Yeehyeon couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Why are you laughing? I'm serious."

"That's not why I laughed."

"Then?"

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon's earnest effort to convey his true feelings, even as he sounded shy. After gazing silently at Yeehyeon 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.

Yeehyeon 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, Yeehyeon was also supposed to join this business trip. However, the preparation for his solo exhibition next month wasn't progressing as planned, so Yeehyeon's accompanying him was canceled. The work itself was going smoothly, but the issue was the pace.

Liu suspected Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon and gently rub his back until he fell asleep again.

It wasn't that Yeehyeon 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?"

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon, 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 Yeehyeon'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 Yeehyeon.

"Come here. Let's have one last hug."

Liu wrapped his arms around Yeehyeon's waist as he approached, then leaned his back against the passenger door of the van. He pleasantly felt Yeehyeon'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."

Yeehyeon tried to push away from Liu's chest and escape his embrace, but the attempt failed.

Liu rubbed his nose against Yeehyeon'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 Yeehyeon 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, Yeehyeon 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. Yeehyeon 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. Yeehyeon chuckled softly and shook his head.

The light soon changed, and the van was no longer visible. Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon would be completely unaffected by this separation. However, thanks to Liu exaggerating his regret and sadness, Yeehyeon'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.

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon 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.

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon'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, Yeehyeon 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.

Yeehyeon 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.

Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon was supposed to accompany Liu to Hong Kong, he had given the housekeeper the time off as well. For five nights and six days, Yeehyeon 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 Yeehyeon stop.

For a moment, he even forgot he was feeling unwell, and Yeehyeon 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, Yeehyeon 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.

Yeehyeon 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.