The Thief in the House

Flick.

Dae-eon’s eyes snapped open all at once. The rustle of the duvet and the sight of the familiar ceiling grounded him—he was in Seon Ji-ha’s bedroom.

He couldn’t tell if it was evening or the crack of dawn, but the sun had set, and the room was swallowed in darkness. He turned his head. Seon Ji-ha was right there.

The memories of the last twenty-four hours rushed back in a blur. The terrifying transformation of Seon Ji-ha and every single act he had experienced for the first time.

With a sharp intake of breath, Dae-eon tried to slip out of bed. Fortunately, the Sunbae who usually hugged him to the point of suffocation every morning hadn’t done so today. He might actually make it out without waking him.

But the moment he applied strength to sit up, he realized his left hand was firmly anchored. He looked down. His fingers were interlaced with Seon Ji-ha’s, their palms pressed tight.

No, it wasn’t just “interlaced”—it felt more like he was being held captive. Dae-eon tried to wriggle free, only to let out a silent scream.

“Ugh…….”

He felt like a trash bag stuffed to the breaking point. Every single inch of his body ached. Still, he didn’t give up. Swallowing his groans, he painstakingly pried his hand out of Ji-ha’s grip.

Once free, he limped into the small ensuite bathroom. As the sensor triggered the lights with a soft click, his reflection came into full view.

“……What on earth is this?”

The person in the mirror looked less like someone who had had s*x and more like someone who had survived a brutal brawl. His neck was a map of vivid bite marks, and a quick glance under his shirt revealed his chest was in a similar state of ruin.

His eyes felt heavy and strained; they were swollen nearly shut. The dark bruises scattered across his limbs were impossible to hide, no matter what he wore.

Strangely enough, his skin felt clean and dry. It was almost laughable—he was in total agony, yet he didn’t feel a hint of post-coital stickiness.

“Ah…… How am I supposed to go to school?”

If his mental clock was right, his first lecture was starting shortly after sunrise. His weekend—once full of dreams and hope—had been completely vaporized. With a resentful pout, he turned on the tap to wash his face.

Splash, splash.

His eyes were burning from the swelling, and he needed to cool them down immediately. He spent a long time splashing water, so long that he didn’t hear the commotion breaking out in the bedroom.

When he finally dried his face and stepped out, the bedroom lights were all blazing. The bed was empty. Seon Ji-ha was awake.

Seon Ji-ha. The name made his eyebrows twitch. He still hadn’t decided how to treat the man.

To call him a heartless criminal felt wrong since Dae-eon had technically given consent, but to just let it slide felt equally wrong given how violent he’d been. As he stood by the bed brooding over the night’s events—

BAM!

The bedroom door flew open with such force it nearly shattered, and Seon Ji-ha appeared. His aura was ominous. His long bangs were partially swept back, and the moment his eyes landed on Dae-eon standing in the center of the room, he lunged.

Thump.

Suddenly finding himself at the mercy of a man over 190cm, Dae-eon stumbled back. It was Ji-ha who caught him, steadying the younger man before burying his face into the crook of Dae-eon’s neck.

Dae-eon didn’t understand what was happening, but he could feel the frantic, trembling breaths against his skin. The hands gripping his waist were shaking violently. Something was wrong.

“Sunbae?”

“……You usually don’t use the ensuite bathroom…….”

“Huh? Well, I thought guests were supposed to use the outside one…… so…….”

Is he scolding me for using his bathroom? Dae-eon was almost flabbergasted. He was in too much pain to walk across the house, so he used the closest toilet, and now the man was angry? He felt so wronged he could cry.

Fortunately, that spark of annoyance died with Ji-ha’s next words.

“I thought you had disappeared…….”

His voice sounded like he was on the verge of hyperventilating. Ji-ha pulled back and grabbed Dae-eon’s face, forcing their eyes to meet. He was checking, over and over, that Dae-eon was actually there.

His eyes were a mess of anxiety and agitation.

“Where would I even go? I have so much to say to you.”

“……Yes…….”

Ji-ha let out a small, breathless reply. It seemed the sight of Dae-eon was finally calming the panic that had consumed him.

He looked so blind with devotion that someone might mistake them for being Imprinted. Dae-eon frowned, wondering why on earth he was acting like this.

“Is the Rut… over?”

“Yes…….”

“And your sanity is back?”

Ji-ha nodded. Dae-eon let out a long, heavy sigh.

“I’m asking because I don’t really know, but are all Dominant Alphas like that during their Rut?”

“……Like what……?”

“Like a different person. Rough, losing all reason…….”

Thinking back, that Seon Ji-ha had been terrifying. Even the voice had been different—unlike the small, slightly trembling voice he heard now. Dae-eon reached out a hand and gently pushed back Ji-ha’s bangs to recall that image.

“……?”

As the hair cleared, he saw those sharp, piercing eyes. Dae-eon quickly pulled the hair back down and used his fingers like a comb to tidy it up.

“Sunbae, let’s never cut your hair. Just keep it long like this for the rest of your life.”

He felt like he had to say it. Even though showing his forehead wouldn’t magically turn him back into the Rut-crazed beast, Dae-eon spoke with desperate earnestness. Ji-ha looked puzzled but nodded obediently.

Sensing that Dae-eon might be afraid of him, Ji-ha spoke slowly, trying to defend himself.

“I’ve…… never spent a Rut with someone else before……. So I don’t really know…….”

“First time? Your first time? Even though you’re a Dominant Alpha, is that even possible?”

Usually, the average age for a first experience varied depending on whether one was Dominant or Recessive. Dominants were typically very early. Even with suppressants, it was hard to fight instinct.

His Dominant friends back in high school used to brag about “losing their V-card” in middle school. Of course, Seon Ji-ha didn’t seem like the type to act as shallow as those guys, but still…….

He was a Dominant Alpha.

“……When the Rut hits, I become violent.”

“What?”

“I can’t handle the rising heat and desire……. Dominant Alphas with severe Ruts usually spend them alone…….”

There was a saying that it was better to be an Omega than a Dominant Alpha. Dae-eon had heard it in passing. The more dominant the trait, the more one is consumed by instinct, turning into something closer to a beast. How bad must it be for a Dominant?

Dae-eon looked down at his own body. Well, yeah. If he left his partner in this state every time they had s*x, anyone would run away mid-act.

Dae-eon took the excuse at face value, but the reality was a bit different. Pheromones existed specifically for Dominants who turned into beasts during their Rut. Their thick, dangerous pheromones usually brought a partner to their knees before they could even think of running.

A Dominant Alpha could have anyone they wanted, whenever they wanted. Seon Ji-ha had simply chosen not to. Above all, he usually felt more pain than pleasure during his cycle, so he had never even considered spending that time with another person.

“Still, Sunbae, you went too far. Look at my neck. What is all this?”

Dae-eon pulled his collar aside to show the damage, wanting his own suffering to be acknowledged. As he said, his neck was a wreck. It looked less like a human had done it and more like a wild animal had bitten him.

It was a problem that Ji-ha didn’t look worried—he actually gulp swallowed hard. Suppressing the urge to taste it again, Ji-ha whispered quietly.

“……I’m sorry…….”

“Ah, until yesterday, I really hated you. I was planning on blowing up at you once it was over……!”

Dae-eon, who had been glaring, let the tension drain from his shoulders. He couldn’t stay mad at someone who was fidgeting and apologizing—someone who had been lost to instinct while spending their very first Rut with another person.

Besides, he was the one who had come to this house of his own volition because he was worried. Dae-eon cursed his own meddling nature.

Fine, let’s let the Rut slide. But he had something else to say.

“Sunbae, don’t you have something else to apologize for, other than the Rut?”

“…….”

“My clothes. My clothes.”

Dae-eon pulled at the hem of the shirt he was wearing, thrusting it toward Ji-ha. Ji-ha already knew exactly what he was talking about.

What he was wearing now was not the pink sweatshirt he had arrived in. That sweatshirt was nowhere to be found. And now, he wasn’t even trying to hide it.

“You swapped out all my clothes, didn’t you?”

“…….”

“I even saw the pens and erasers I lost rolling around in that room.”

The thief had been very close to home all along.