Woosung Alpha’s Sour Grapes

Chapter 20

*

Tae-geon, who was supposed to come home late on Sunday evening, was indeed not at home. After changing clothes and coming downstairs, Hyeon-woo looked around the silent living room, drank some cold water from the water purifier, and then opened the refrigerator door.

He was a bit hungry. As he was looking for something to snack on, he noticed an unfamiliar pot. Opening the lid, he found curry inside. It seemed Tae-geon had made curry before leaving, in case Hyeon-woo might skip meals over the weekend.

His thoughtfulness made Hyeon-woo’s conscience sting a little.

“It can’t be helped…”

It’s not like I wanted to be an omega.

The reason he couldn’t confess honestly was all for Tae-geon’s sake. Because Tae-geon hated omegas.

As Hyeon-woo put the pot of curry on the gas range, his eyes welled up with tears. With a face about to cry, he bit his lip hard.

For Tae-geon’s sake?

It’s because I don’t want to be hated.

How is that for Tae-geon’s sake, it’s for my own sake.

An intense self-loathing washed over him. His tightly bitten lower lip burst, drawing blood. As usual after a heat cycle ended, self-disgust and guilt that gnawed at his soul inevitably rushed in this time too.

And why does the curry have to taste so good at a time like this?

Pushing aside his stinging conscience, Hyeon-woo sighed deeply as he ate his second bowl of curry rice.

He wished Tae-geon would come home soon.

He missed Tae-geon especially much today.

“What’s this?”

“A gift.”

Tae-geon returned home the next day as promised. He handed Hyeon-woo, who had come to greet him at the entrance, a paper bag. When Hyeon-woo took out the box inside, he could see three expensive-looking fruit tarts through the long rectangular transparent window.

Whenever Tae-geon visited his family home, he would buy handmade snacks like tarts, financiers, or macarons from famous dessert shops for Hyeon-woo, who liked sweet things.

Hyeon-woo took out a fork and plate from the cupboard and transferred the most appetizing-looking blueberry tart first.

“Want to eat together?”

“No.”

Tae-geon, who disliked sweet things, shook his head and got some cold water from the water purifier. As Hyeon-woo was about to bring a shiny blueberry to his mouth with the fork, he felt Tae-geon’s gaze on him and tilted his head, meeting his eyes.

“What?”

Hyeon-woo’s eyes looking at Tae-geon were clear and innocent. Tae-geon’s lips twisted slightly at this.

“What did you do over the weekend?”

“I went out to play.”

“With whom?”

“……”

“…With that omega?”

Hyeon-woo hesitated at Tae-geon’s question, then nodded. Hyeon-woo stared blankly at Tae-geon’s lips as he let out a snicker.

Indeed, they’re similar.

Tae-geon’s deflated laugh reminded Hyeon-woo of the dominant alpha he had spent his heat with two days ago. The sensation of those rough fingers carelessly probing his sensitive insides also came to mind.

Hyeon-woo’s gaze instinctively fell on Tae-geon’s hand holding the glass. His long, slender fingers were sexy, contrasting with the harshly protruding knuckles.

Heat began to gather around Hyeon-woo’s eyes as they roamed over Tae-geon’s fingers.

What would it feel like if those hands were stirring inside me?

Startled by his own thoughts, Hyeon-woo shook his head vigorously.

What on earth are you thinking? Right in front of Tae-geon.

He felt ashamed of the blasphemous thoughts he had conjured up. Tae-geon’s face hardened as he looked at Hyeon-woo, whose cheeks had turned red.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh?”

“I asked what you’re thinking about right now.”

Tae-geon’s voice was as cold as frost. Hyeon-woo shrank his shoulders and tried to avoid Tae-geon, from whom he felt an almost murderous aura.

“…Nothing.”

Tae-geon clenched his fist as he glared at Hyeon-woo’s back as he hurriedly left with his plate. The veins on the back of his hand writhed fiercely.

*

After class, they left the lecture hall. It was raining heavily outside as if a hole had opened in the sky.

“Wow, it’s really pouring.”

“Indeed.”

It was an earlier rainy season than usual. Looking at the torrential rain, Hyeon-woo took out an umbrella from his bag. If it weren’t for Tae-geon’s advice this morning, he would have been quite embarrassed in this unrelenting rain, as he wasn’t the type to check weather forecasts. Relying on just Tae-geon’s umbrella would have been far from enough.

Looking to the side, he saw Tae-geon also taking out a black 3-fold umbrella from his bag. As Hyeon-woo was completely mesmerized by the sight of Tae-geon’s elegant fingers opening the umbrella, Tae-geon’s voice saying “Let’s go” flew into his ears. Snapping back to his senses, Hyeon-woo looked down at his own crotch with a shocked expression.

…No way.

This can’t be happening.

Am I really going crazy…?

Hyeon-woo’s face turned red in an instant, and with his head lowered, he opened his reluctant mouth.

“Um, Tae-geon.”

“Yeah?”

“…I think I left my wallet in the department office. I’ll go get it quickly.”

He rushed back into the building they had just left. No matter how hard he tried not to be conscious of it, all his nerves kept focusing on Tae-geon, or more precisely, on Tae-geon’s fingers. He had glanced at those well-shaped fingers so many times that he could now vividly picture them in his mind even without looking.

The hand gripping the glass, the fingers moving elegantly while changing channels on the remote control. The graceful movement of his fingers unfolding the umbrella strap. The bigger problem was that not only had it taken over his mind, but now physical reactions were starting to appear as well.

Tae-geon’s hands kept reminding him of the dominant alpha who had caressed him that night.

He hurriedly entered the bathroom, washed his face with cold water, and sang the national anthem to all four verses, but when his dick showed no signs of calming down, he ended up masturbating on the toilet. As he wiped his dirty hands with tissue, self-loathing washed over him.

After washing his hands thoroughly with soap several times, he immediately sent a message to Tae-geon on his phone.

[I thought I left it in the department office, but it’s not there. I think I need to ask at the department office if there’s a lost wallet. I’ll probably be late, so you go home first.]

[Okay.]

“…Hah.”

He wanted to believe it was just sexual frustration. No, it had to be sexual frustration. Hyeon-woo sincerely hoped and prayed that this desire was not lust directed towards Tae-geon.

I’ve dodged it for now, so it should be fine for a while.

However, as if mocking that expectation, Tae-geon appeared in Hyeon-woo’s dream that night. The day he spent his heat with the dominant alpha was recreated in his dream. Everything was the same, down to the sight of guards standing in front of the door. Except for one thing.

Unlike that night when everything was pitch black due to the cloth covering his eyes, in the dream his vision was wide open. His eyes took in the magnificent view of the suite room, and beyond the window, the night sea reflecting the moonlight sparkled beautifully like ebony.

As Hyeon-woo was staring at the scene in a daze, he suddenly gasped and collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by a transcendent pheromone attacking his lungs. When he managed to lift his head, Tae-geon was standing in front of him.

It was the first time since middle school that he had to wash his underwear in the early morning. Afraid of waking Tae-geon, Hyeon-woo carefully scrubbed his laundry with a shower head dribbling water at low pressure.

It was miserable. Really, what am I doing? At this age, having a wet dream, and about my childhood friend at that…

He wanted to bang his head against the wall.

After that night, a strange item was added to Hyeon-woo’s daily routine at the end of the day.

It was masturbation.

He would sit on the edge of the bed just before going to sleep, finish the act as if it were a ritual, and then go to bed. Only then could he avoid the miserable situation of secretly washing his underwear crouched in a corner of the bathroom at dawn.

However, what was strange was that when the act was in full swing, some stimulation reminiscent of K’s pheromones would stir his sensory nerves. This mysterious, unexplained stimulation felt as if it was pouring in towards him from beyond the door.

‘Eek!’

At such times, Hyeon-woo had to clench his teeth to prevent moans from escaping. What was meant to be a one-time act often ended up being repeated two or three times because of this.

He couldn’t understand why this stimulation kept tormenting him. Once, after finishing masturbating, he searched the house thoroughly to find the cause. For some reason, Tae-geon, who had been watching TV until late that day, gave Hyeon-woo a puzzled look.

‘What’s wrong? Are you looking for something?’

‘…No.’

Of course, there were only the two of them in the house. There was no way for anyone to sneak in and out of the house. Hyeon-woo scratched his head and returned to his room.

He believed it would get better with time, but as if trampling on such expectations, the desire grew stronger with each passing day.

*

As Hyeon-woo was secretly opening a delivery box in his room, he felt like crying. He had deliberately received the item through a convenience store parcel locker in case Tae-geon might find out.

“This is really driving me crazy…”

Hyeon-woo rubbed his forehead with a troubled expression. Inside the box was an adult toy for omegas. He had been suffering from an unusually extreme sexual desire recently.

As if being punished for lusting after Tae-geon while projecting him onto an alpha he didn’t even know, memories of that night kept coming back reflexively every time he encountered Tae-geon. He had never found living with Tae-geon as painful as he did these days.

Even though he was masturbating almost daily, for some reason, after orgasm, he felt more inexplicably uneasy than refreshed. It was because of that damned sensation he would feel during masturbation.

He knew it was an illusion. It seemed that his body, mistaking that an alpha was nearby every time he’s about to orgasm, it’s sending strange sensory signals. It must be a problem originating from himself, who had manifested as a defective omega, because other than that, Tae-geon was the only alpha in this house, and there was no possibility of Tae-geon emitting such pheromones.

As the frequency of masturbation increased, so did his craving. Before he knew it, it was no longer his dick but another place below that was asserting its presence and tormenting Hyeon-woo.

The first time was difficult, but starting with one finger, Hyeon-woo eventually began to masturbate with insertion. Three water-based pens that had been inserted into his rear hole last night were lying on the desk. And even that wasn’t enough, leading to this situation.

Where should I hide this?

While he was flustered, holding the box containing the dildo, he heard the electronic door lock beeping outside. Hyeon-woo hurriedly shoved the box under the bed.

“You’re home?!”

Hyeon-woo’s face was red as he ran down the stairs. As Tae-geon’s eyes narrowed, Hyeon-woo quickly added,

“I was sleeping, but I woke up when I heard the door open.”

Hyeon-woo’s eyes, as he raised his hands to rub them, were clearer and more alert than ever. Perhaps embarrassed by Tae-geon, who didn’t seem to be fooled at all, Hyeon-woo subtly avoided his gaze as Tae-geon’s voice, no different from usual, reached his ears.

“Grab your coat. We’re going grocery shopping.”

“Oh, okay. Just a moment!”

Hyeon-woo, who had disappeared in a hurry, came back down with a cardigan. They headed to the supermarket together.

Tonight’s dinner was vegetable curry. It was a menu that Hyeon-woo had been singing about wanting to eat for days. He had always liked curry, counting it among his favorites, but he especially liked Tae-geon’s curry. The unique soft and savory flavor that could only be tasted in Tae-geon’s curry captured Hyeon-woo’s palate.

Thinking that he should learn the recipe while he was at it, Hyeon-woo picked up items on display and neatly placed them in the cart Tae-geon was pushing. As they headed to the vegetable section, carrots shining orange stood out particularly from the all-green display. Tae-geon curled his lips as he watched Hyeon-woo put carrots into the cart.

“It reminds me of a drinking game.”

“What game?”

Hyeon-woo turned to Tae-geon and asked with a curious face. It was interesting that Tae-geon, who had never shown interest in drinking gatherings, mentioned a drinking game.

“What was it again? Ah, I remember. What the rabbit that came down from the sky says.”

“……”

“Bunny bunny bunny bunny, carrot carrot.”