Fever, Fear, and a Door That Won’t Stay Shut

Only after my breathing turned ragged, my words trailing off unfinished, and my mind growing hazy to the point I didn’t even know what I was saying… did I finally admit it.

I had come down with a terrible cold.

‘It was strangely quiet, now that I think about it.’

My body had heated up during the call with Secretary Choi.

It came with chills too—so delightful I almost wanted to cry.

It didn’t make sense that after just a few hours of sleep, I’d completely shake off Moon Gyeongsik’s pheromones just because I was a recessive Omega.

I thought I had gotten through it fine.

Apparently not.

‘At a time when I should be busy properly farming, why is this happening to me?’

Seong Chanyeong’s body had been consistently strong until now, never once falling ill, so I’d let my guard down.

The sudden cold quickly took over, leaving me in a state where I had no choice but to rest.

Even during my call with Secretary Choi, I had coughed multiple times and felt chills, but I denied it back then.

[Young master, I think it would be best if you went to the hospital.]

“No, no! I’m totally fi—achoo!”

Unfortunately, my runny nose betrayed me.

My forehead felt warm too.

Not a good sign.

“I-I’m really fine!”

[……You sound congested, young master. It seems like a cold. I still think you should go to the hospital.]

Ugh.

The moment Secretary Choi picked up on signs that I was sick, he stubbornly insisted on the hospital.

‘I hate hospitals.’

A simple cold like this could be treated without going to one.

If it were my real body, I would’ve gone without complaint…

But Seong Chanyeong’s body was strong, probably from being raised on only the best things.

I was sure I’d be fine.

[If you’re sick, you should go to the hospital. Ask Mr. Kim to drive you. It won’t take long.]

“There’s cold medicine at home. I’ll just take that.”

[What if it gets worse? The chairman will be worried.]

“I know.”

[Then why won’t you go to the hospital?]

I couldn’t answer honestly.

‘I can’t say it’s because of that nightmare.’

Ever since the day I was caught in the real Seong Chanyeong’s grasp, I’d become even more reluctant to go to hospitals.

Just thinking about them brought back that dream—me lying helpless on a bed, barely breathing through a ventilator.

It made my chest tighten.

‘If I say that, Secretary Choi will definitely report it to the chairman.’

Very likely.

Even though he obeyed me now, if he thought I was in danger, he’d immediately go to Chairman Seong to protect me.

That wouldn’t be betrayal.

It would be him trying to save me.

So I couldn’t blame him.

“I just… don’t get along with hospitals.”

[What kind of nonsense is that? Are you serious?]

“Just let it go. I might have my reasons for not wanting to say it.”

As I firmly hid the fact that I was scared of hospitals, Secretary Choi sounded deeply suspicious.

[Young master… you’re not seriously ill, are you? Are you hiding something?]

“Absolutely not. Just drop that misunderstanding.”

Being treated like a terminal patient was something I’d already endured enough from Chairman Seong and those Alpha bastards.

I didn’t want to deal with it again.

That misunderstanding was exhausting.

[…Alright. I’m still uneasy, but I’ll let it go for now. But it’s surprising—you’ve always been healthy. Did you get drenched in the rain or something?]

“…Nothing like that. Maybe my body just hasn’t adjusted to the new environment.”

I couldn’t tell him that Moon Gyeongsik’s pheromone attack was the real reason.

‘If that reaches Chairman Seong’s ears, I’m getting summoned back immediately.’

If I got sick one more time, there was no way I could avoid both the hospital and the chairman’s concern.

It wasn’t just that I hated hospitals.

Things were already awkward with the Alphas—if they found out I was going, they’d make a whole scene.

And on top of that, everything I did was practically being reported to the chairman already.

I didn’t want to stir unnecessary suspicion.

‘I absolutely cannot get dragged back to the main house.’

Even if I promised Chairman Seong, I had no intention of going back.

That storm of a place where Seong Chanyeong’s Alpha sisters fought over succession?

Hard pass.

[Hmm… that’s possible. There are cases where people move to rural areas and fail to adapt, so they return.]

“Yeah. Something like that. Cough.”

This was bad.

It hurt more now.

My throat stung, and the heat rising through my body signaled the start of a serious cold.

[I’ll thoroughly investigate Moon Gyeongsik as requested. Please get some rest, young master. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this unwell.]

Come to think of it, Seong Chanyeong was only ever described as going mad from lovesickness…

Never actually getting sick.

For some reason, I felt like I’d lost.

The real Seong Chanyeong never got sick, but here I was like this.

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

[Yes.]

The call ended.

Sniffling, I searched through the living room drawers for medicine.

“Found it.”

The cold medicine wasn’t hard to locate.

I quickly swallowed it with water.

Just in case, I also took suppressants.

‘All this because of some damn pheromones.’

Wasn’t the horrible experience of getting soaked enough?

Now I even had aftereffects and a cold.

It pissed me off.

There was a similar scene in the original.

Seo Eunsu had once been subjected to a pheromone shower like this.

Not by the main Alphas—but by thug-like Alphas hired by Seong Chanyeong.

If he had simply endured it, it would’ve turned into one of those frustrating, suffocating arcs.

But Seo Eunsu handled it on his own.

‘What did he say back then?’

“I won’t be broken by people like this.”

Because of his superior traits, Seo Eunsu, a dominant Omega, resisted the pheromones and escaped.

But the aftereffects hit later.

He fell seriously ill.

And that became the moment where the Alphas stepped in to care for him—raising their affection levels.

‘Basically a full-on romance event disguised as suffering.’

Not something that could happen anymore now that Seo Eunsu had awakened as an Alpha.

‘Ugh… I’m dizzy.’

My head spun.

The heat boiling through my body made me stagger like a zombie back to my room.

‘Morning means I have to take General out for a walk…’

There was no way.

No matter when the medicine kicked in, I could tell my condition was bad.

‘Let’s just hope I feel better after sleeping.’

The fever raging through me screamed otherwise, but I trusted in Seong Chanyeong’s strong body as I stumbled toward my room.

Thankfully, it was late at night, so everyone was already inside.

If they saw me like this, they’d start yelling about going to the ER.

I absolutely had to avoid that.

“Whine…?”

“General, sorry in advance. If I can’t wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll ask someone else to take you for a walk.”

Even while shivering, I took care of General first.

My cute dog tilted his head and licked my palm.

Maybe it was too warm—he whimpered like something was wrong.

“Whine… whiiine…”

“I’m not dying… I’ll get better soon. See? I took medicine.”

I showed him the remaining pills.

Only then did General calm down.

Instead of worrying, he crawled back beside me and settled in.

“Whine.”

“Yeah… let’s sleep. You had a rough time too because of that crazy bastard…”

Holding onto his warm body, I fell asleep almost instantly.

The warmth of a young puppy felt even hotter than my fever, making me want to hold on tighter.

The next morning.

According to Chanyeong’s belief that early risers reap better harvests, the Alphas woke up swiftly and tidied their bedding.

“By the way… isn’t Seong Chanyeong up yet?”

Joo Taegang looked around.

Baek Dojun and Chae Yunchan assumed he had already gone out to walk General.

“It’s past seven. He’ll be back soon.”

“Is that so…”

Joo Taegang entered the kitchen, disappointed.

They had to eat and get back to work.

‘We’re not even servants—what is this?’

Grumbling, he still wanted to see Chanyeong—to prove that stubborn Beta wrong.

Just as he was about to eat, something tugged at his pant leg.

“Whine, whiiine!”

“Huh? Isn’t this Seong Chanyeong’s dog?”

“Why is it still here?”

“Don’t tell me…?”

At General’s urgent cries, the Alphas immediately dropped their food and rushed toward Chanyeong’s room.

Worried he had collapsed again.

“Hey, Seong Chanyeong! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… so stop being loud and go away.”

And yet—

Even though his voice sounded like he was on the verge of dying, Chanyeong answered from behind the door.