Terms of the Contract

“I know you must be very tired, but… can we talk now? I would like to speak at the dining table.”

Jaekyung spoke first and walked toward the table, and a few seconds later, he followed and pulled out a chair to sit.

Jaekyung looked at the hand-drip coffee setup he had prepared earlier.

Even that felt bothersome and exhausting.

Why did he have to go this far?

Was he flattering him just to be impregnated?

It wasn’t as if the other man expected anything from him.

Instead, Jaekyung simply took orange juice from the refrigerator, poured two glasses, placed one in front of him, and sat down opposite him.

Silence fell.

He said nothing.

He didn’t ask anything, nor did he drink the juice.

He simply placed both hands together on the table.

Jaekyung didn’t know what expression he wore.

He avoided looking at him, focusing instead on the cup or the living room.

Tick, tock, tick, tock—the sound of the second hand was strangely loud.

His grip on the glass tightened.

He had to speak.

If too much time passed, he might lose this chance forever.

And the consequences of that… were unbearable.

He just needed to say it.

“…Director Ji wants the contract to be fulfilled.”

“Contract?”

He responded slowly, just making sure he heard correctly.

“Yes. The contract we wrote when we got married. He said he has waited long enough… and that it’s time to fulfill it. And since it’s almost three years now, I also thought… it was time.”

“I see.”

He tapped the table twice with his fingers and stood up.

Why was he standing up?

Jaekyung hadn’t heard his answer yet.

“Understood. When is your heat cycle?”

Ah.

So he was agreeing.

He should be thankful.

Should he laugh at that?

“Soon… likely within three days.”

“What must I do? The imprint? Or the knotting?”

Hearing that word made Jaekyung flush with embarrassment, and he lowered his head quickly.

“If possible, both. So we don’t have to do it twice.”

“Understood. I will return in two days.”

With a look that said the conversation was concluded, he turned and went to put his shoes back on.

Jaekyung remained at the table.

He listened to the door open, close, the sound of footsteps leaving, and the car driving away before finally taking a sip of orange juice.

He had only stayed in the house for five minutes.

◆

“I’m going to the restroom for a moment.”

Watching his sister eat happily made Jaekyung feel warm, but he excused himself and stood up.

Even though he had forced himself to finish the food, none of it had settled.

He rushed into the restroom, opened the toilet lid, and vomited everything.

If only the pheromones hadn’t followed him.

But they clung to him, suffocating him.

He wanted to burst into the next room, grab him by the collar, and yell at him to stop.

So this was how terrifying imprinting could be.

Stronger than blood.

Even though they were divorced, they could still feel each other.

After retching until only stomach acid came up, he sat on the floor laughing weakly at the pain.

When he finally stood and opened the door, he froze.

Han Taeseok was leaning against the sink with his arms crossed, watching him.

How long had he been there?

Why was he here?

Ah—he must have sensed Jaekyung’s condition.

Damn.

Jaekyung hesitated but chose to ignore him.

Just like he used to do to him.

He walked past him, rinsed his hands and mouth at the adjacent sink, dried his hands, and threw away the towel.

Then he walked out.

His heart pounded.

He didn’t know what Han Taeseok might do.

But he did nothing.

He didn’t speak, didn’t grab him, didn’t follow him.

How ridiculous.

Why had he assumed attention from someone who never cared?

They had simply run into each other.

Both were startled.

That was all.

Just that much.

Perhaps he should have seen him sooner.

His body felt lighter.

He felt… fine.

He had wasted all that food over nothing.

When he returned, Jaeyoung jumped to her feet.

“Oppa, are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“You were gone so long. I was worried.”

“No, I just went to the restroom. …When is dessert coming?”

When Jaekyung answered with a clearer face, she sighed with relief and asked which dish he liked most, and he described it.

Strangely, the pheromone was gone now.

Had he finally suppressed it?

Ignoring him was the right choice.

If he hadn’t—

-…

Again—

“Oppa.”

Again—

“Oppa!!”

“Huh?”

Jaeyoung’s face was right in front of his.

He blinked and looked around.

Ah—what was he thinking about?

“Oppa. Are you really okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay. I just spaced out.”

“That’s it. You need to rest. Let’s go.”

“We didn’t get the dessert yet.”

“We don’t need dessert. You’re more important. Let’s go.”

She lifted him up, grabbed their things, and brought him out of the restaurant.

In the car, while he buckled his seatbelt, Jaeyoung checked her phone.

A message had arrived.

— Thank you.

She deleted it immediately, shoved the phone into her bag, and smiled at her brother struggling with the seatbelt.

◆

“Hmm…”

The doctor flipped through the chart, deep in thought.

Today was supposed to be an injection day, but his heat cycle, which should have come last week, had not appeared.

They had run tests because of that, and the results were now in the doctor’s hand.

Jaekyung clenched his fists on his lap.

He hadn’t been desperate for the heat before, but now he needed it.

Today he heard news that his father might be arrested.

His sister had completed surgery and received treatment, but his mother said she still wasn’t doing well.

And more frightening than anything was Director Ji’s silence.

He was not someone who let things simply pass.

He was waiting.

And Jaekyung didn’t know how long he had before consequences came.

“Doctor… is the result bad?”

“It’s… very unstable. Even though you received the hormone injections, your condition hasn’t improved. In fact, there are signs of malnutrition. Have you been eating properly?”

“Yes. I eat.”

He ate, but he vomited.

So that was the cause.

“The day you receive the hormone injection, you must receive an alpha’s pheromones. Have you been exposed to them?”

Ah.

He hadn’t known.

Or rather—he remembered being told once, but he hadn’t listened.

Without exposure to alpha pheromones on injection days, the effects weaken and side effects can appear.

Was the vomiting part of those side effects?

“What happens if I haven’t received them?”

“If you haven’t, then we need to stop the injections immediately and retest. Also, you must avoid the heat cycle for now. Your physical and pheromone levels are very unstable. Your balance is completely broken. We should also run a uterine evaluation.”

If things were normal, the idea of stopping the injections would have thrilled him.

He could endure scolding from Director Ji if it meant avoiding the vomiting and physical collapse.

But now—

“Have you taken suppressants?”

“…Yes.”

It was obvious in the results, so he didn’t bother lying.

The doctor’s brows furrowed deeper.

“Any symptoms?”

“…Severe vomiting… and dizziness.”

“Those are typical side effects. For now, we need to stabilize your body. Balance is the priority.”

“So the delay in my heat cycle is also a side effect?”

“Yes. Your body is preventing the heat because it cannot handle it. A heat cycle consumes a great deal—stamina, pheromones, nutrients—similar to pregnancy. Forcing it now would damage your body. And the hormone injections also affect the brain, so we must be careful.”

“…Just this once. I need the heat cycle to come. I need it.”

“No.”