Unscented Trajectory - Chapter 67

Episode 67

 

Junwoo looked back at Joohyuk, who was gradually moving away, and softened his pheromone.

 

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

 

Joohyuk’s footsteps stopped at the question that flowed from Junwoo.

 

“… I am used to it.”

 

Joohyuk gave a short answer and walked down the stairs.

 

Junwoo, who watched him disappear, sighed deeply and furrowed his brows.

 

As Junwoo, who has all the research data on Joohyuk, knew what he meant. He was a man who had never lived without regret and longing from 17 years ago until now. So he just got used to it.

 

But, being used to it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, so Junwoo’s heart wasn’t comfortable either.

 

Junwoo, who stopped in front of the hospital room, knocked at a slightly hasty speed. There was no answer from inside, but without waiting any longer, the door opened. It was because he thought that maybe Soohyun was asleep.

 

But Soohyun was awake, sitting on the bed. Junwoo, who saw him, thought he was lucky, but noticed that the atmosphere was not serious. Approaching a short distance with a worried face and standing in front of him, Soohyun was startled and quickly raised his head.

 

The eyes he met seemed to shake for a moment, but it calmed down as soon as it happened.

 

“Did you have a hard time coming here?”

 

“No. How are you?”

 

While asking the question, he carefully looked at Soohyun’s condition with his eyes. There wasn’t a place that looked very bad, but the look on his face was not good.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“I’ll call the doctor, so we’ll move you to the hospital. I will prepare you for hospitalization.”

 

He tried to contact the University Hospital in Seoul, which was well aware of Soohyun’s condition, but he shook his head.

 

“I don’t want my father or my sister to know. I was hospitalized and… Let’s stay like this for a little while.”

 

Soohyun covered the top of the Ringer needle in the back of his hand with his other hand. As a result, the spot where the needle was inserted stung, but the back of his hand, which was cold, gradually became warmer.

 

Junwoo, who checked the remaining Ringer’s fluid, supported him and laid him straight on the bed. Just as he was pulling the blanket up, he saw a black bag on the side table. At first glance, it appeared to be filled with something.

 

Soohyun glanced at the bag where Junwoo’s eyes were touching and turned his head.

 

“Take it out.”

 

Junwoo, who was looking at Soohyun, opened the bag. Inside, there were figs with a luscious red color. For some reason, the cross section of the stem was cut roughly as if it had been torn off by hand, but the fruits themselves were only those that were ripe for the season.

 

A scent resembling tree sap flowed from the cross section of the torn off stem. When Junwoo picked up one and looked at it, Soohyun saw it and made a slightly surprised face.

 

It was already past midnight. Although the hospital itself was large, it was difficult to find a decent grocery nearby, and even if there were, figs were not commonly sold fruits. But a bag full of figs.

 

Roughly cut stem ends were visible. It felt as if they were forcibly cut and ripped off. There was no way the store could afford to sell fruit in such a state.

 

He just knew where he got it. There were several fig trees near the villa, and it was also not far from the hospital.

 

After he first encountered the fruit called figs through Joohyuk when he was young, whenever he met him, he ate it as a habit. When Joohyuk asked which food was the most delicious, he replied that it was the fruit of the fig tree outside the villa, and when asked what he wanted for a snack, he said the same thing.

 

It was delicious because it was the taste that Joohyuk had told him, and because it was the fruit of the tree where he was located. It was also a fruit that he almost forgot the taste of because he couldn’t get the taste even though he bought the same thing from other places.

 

His fingers bent and he gently grabbed the blanket. He didn’t know that Soohyun’s eyes would fall from the familiar red fig in Junwoo’s hand.

 

Junwoo picked up the bag to throw away the whole fig as ordered. Soohyun hesitated, then his mouth moved.

 

* * *

 

It was dawn when Soohyun returned home.

 

While he was showering, Soohyun’s car, which had been parked near the villa, also arrived at his home. The bodyguard got off the driver’s seat and handed a piece of paper along with the key to Junwoo, who was standing next to the car.

 

“It was on the floor of the driver’s seat.”

 

Junwoo, who thought that the paper that Soohyun had dropped, thought it was a folded document and opened it without much thought, was startled. After reading a few lines, he looked at the bodyguard with sharp eyes.

 

“Did you see it?”

 

“No, I haven’t read it.”

 

He looked at the guards who responded immediately and nodded. Junwoo looked down at the bodyguard as he bowed deeply and returned to his place, then looked down at the paper again.

 

He could tell by reading a little. Who wrote the letter to whom, and when it was written.

 

He didn’t feel comfortable at all because he wondered why the letter that Soohyun had left a year ago had come back to him now.

 

He knew that until a year ago, Soohyun visited the villa once a month. The fact that he took the letter that he had written and erased countless times with each time.

 

If Soohyun’s letter to Joohyuk was somewhere in the villa, there were only two people who could find it.

 

‘Is it LeeJoohyuk? But… … .’

 

If it was Joohyuk, there would be no way he would have returned this letter to Soohyun. He, who seems to have put everything down, would not do anything to shake Soohyun painfully.

 

Junwoo with a bitter face put the letter in his pocket and headed straight to Soohyun’s room. On the way, he didn’t forget to stop by the kitchen to pick up the fruits he had requested in advance.

 

After knocking briefly and going inside, he saw Soohyun sitting on the sofa in comfortable clothes. He looked out the window and seemed to be contemplating something.

 

“What are you thinking?”

 

He asked a question he would not normally have asked. Even though his pheromone was spreading in the room, he wanted to turn his unresponsive gaze to him.

 

Soohyun’s eyes turned to Junwoo as he wished, but he didn’t say anything. Junwoo, who thought that was enough, placed the plate with fruits on the table next to the sofa. The figs cut into bite-sized pieces looked quite appetizing.

 

Junwoo held out his fork and looked worried.

 

“If you are having a hard time this time, do not force yourself to eat. I’ll look for something else to… .”

 

Before he could finish speaking, Soohyun took a fork and cut a piece of it up. He looked at it quietly and slowly brought it to his mouth.

 

He hesitated, then put it in his mouth and chewed slowly. Junwoo, who was watching, was more nervous and watched him.

 

Soohyun’s neck moved. He swallowed the fig piece he had put in his mouth, and grinned helplessly.

 

“… It’s delicious.”

 

Junwoo made a happy face. Since he had only been able to eat white porridge so far, it was a relief enough to have one more thing he could eat like this.

 

But apart from that, he didn’t feel comfortable. Seeing Soohyun’s face vaguely recalling something, it felt like something was stabbing him in the chest.

 

After seeing the whole plate of figs empty, Junwoo left the room with peace of mind, and as soon as he took a shower, he went back to Soohyun’s room. He changed into comfortable clothes and knocked on the door, but there was no answer this time.

 

Junwoo, who opened the door so as not to make as much noise as possible, was able to see Soohyun, who had just fallen asleep while lying on the bed. He, who had usually slept with a difficult face, seemed more comfortable today.

 

Soohyun didn’t wake up until he got closer to the bed. Before pregnancy, he would open his eyes when he felt someone approaching him, but now he doesn’t even move. As if he needed someone to protect him.

 

He sat down next to Soohyun, who was lying down, and gently brushed his messy hair as if he were tidying it up. Then, he slid his fingertips to caress his soft cheeks with one hand. His cheek, which was always cold, was a little warm today.

 

As usual, he laid down next to Soohyun. Then he pulled him into his arms and hugged him, shaking his eyes and letting out a shallow moan. It was a bit clumsy, but when he wiped his back as if to soothe a child, he slept again with an even breath.

 

Junwoo’s eyes, who were looking at Soohyun with a gentle smile on, gradually shook. The contents of the letter Soohyun had written fluttered in his mind.

 

<I love you, my only alpha.>

 

The part that was smeared with water was exceptionally clear.

 

He hugged Soohyun tighter. Even though there was no place that was not touched by any part of the body, it was somehow empty and cool.

 

If he was the Alpha he was talking about.

 

Even though he knew he shouldn’t expect such things, he becomes greedy.

 

A part of Soohyun’s neck was visible in front of him. The thought that the scars from saving the other Alpha still remain, even faintly, filled him with strong jealousy.

 

He thought that it would be good if he could bite and remove such scars himself. He wished he could erase it by engraving his own clear engraving on the traces of the other Alpha.

 

Engrave.

 

The only way to tie Soohyun to him.

 

The engraving that a dominant himself engraved could not be erased no matter how hard he tried. He just has to be his mate.

 

Seohwan has already allowed him. He got the answer that if only he could persuade Soohyun, he could be engraved at any time.

 

But will he be able to bite Soohyun’s neck?

 

His head, who wanted to erase everything, was still full of him.

 

Junwoo, who closed his eyes, hugged Soohyun in his arms tightly as if he would not miss it, and buried his face in his hair. Instead of the pheromone scent of an Omega, a pleasant body odor spread throughout the body.

 

* * *

 

It was a few days later that Soohyun met Joohyuk again.

 

While logging of the site was in progress for the development of the resort, a small lodge was discovered. As if he knew what kind of building it was, he went out to see it himself.

 

At the same time, Joohyuk also received the report and stood in front of the lodge.

 

It was the same building where Joohyuk was kidnapped and imprisoned 17 years ago. It was the place that brought him the chance to lose his memory, but it was also the place where Soohyun risked his life to save him.

 

As Joohyuk looked around the small mountain hut alone, a scene from the past overlapped.

 

He was losing his mind when he was kidnapped, so the only thing that came to mind from what he saw now was when Soohyun hardly dragged him out.

 

Instead of going directly into the hut, he looked around the side of the building. There was a large window leading to the one-room type room. As if to prove that it had been neglected for a long time, mold and dust were growing all over the beige curtain that covered the window from the inside. As if the windows had never been cleaned, there were traces of scale and dirt from rainwater.

 

He turned around and came to the back of the mountain hut. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw a small window. It was also full of dirt, but there were no curtains on the inside. It was also what Joohyuk remembered. It was a warehouse so narrow that if an adult sat with his legs spread out, his toes could easily touch the wall. There would have been no need to hang curtains in those places.

 

An old-fashioned cylindrical stove could be seen through the dirty window. Even though it was windy at that time, it was not yet cold enough to take out the stove and make a fire. So, the stove for the winter was kept in the warehouse, and it became a stepping stone that helped Joohyuk escape.

 

Joohyuk, who was staring at the window, thought that it fit perfectly with his current eye level. He sat down with his knees bent. At that time, Soohyun was about this tall.

 

He sat with his legs squatted, lifted his head up and looked out the window again. He smiled bitterly at the thought of how young Soohyun must have worked so hard to jump this height and hang from the window.

 

He got up again and walked over to the window. There was a lot of black dirt between the sliding windows, but he opened it without paying any attention.

 

Creak-

 

He pushed the stiff window that didn’t open well, a rusty sound irritated his ears.

 

When he opened one window completely, he could see the inside of the warehouse. It seemed that the inside was narrower than he remembered. A small light bulb hanging from the ceiling without a cover was just the way it was back then. Still, there were people who have stopped by the mountain hut since that day, so it was full of miscellaneous items.

 

He turned his eyes to measure the width of the window. The window was too narrow for his current self to enter and exit. So the kidnappers would have locked them up in the warehouse without much thought. His arms and legs were tied, and adults could not come and go through the window, so it was okay.

 

Soohyun entered the warehouse from outside through this window without a sound. It was around the time when he was lying on his back with his body curled up and then managed to open his eyes. His body was weak and his vision was blurry, but it wasn’t difficult to recognize his face coming through the window.

 

Soohyun, who looked at the moonlight coming through the window with a worried face, shook him a few times without saying a word, and called his name in a very small voice in his ear repeatedly.

 

Soohyun, who responded, but was unable to speak properly, untied the strings that tied his arms and legs, and desperately massaged him. Thanks to this, his body, which was under the anesthetic, was able to move a little.

 

Soohyun, who sent him out using the old-fashioned stove in the warehouse as a stepping stone, immediately supported him and jumped into the forest as soon as he came out.

 

Joohyuk’s fingertips, which were holding the window, trembled.

 

After entering the forest, Soohyun spoke properly. He talked to Joohyuk to calm him down, but it was also like memorizing a spell to himself that he could do it. He did not say a word that it was difficult, even as he continued to support the man who was much bigger than him so that he did not collapse.

 

He said he would protect him. Supporting him, who was constantly losing his mind, when he arrived at the villa, he suggested that he sleep peacefully.

 

He heard the kidnappers say they would kill him and let him go, so he told Soohyun to abandon him and run away, fearing that he would be in danger. They opened the warehouse periodically to check his condition, so he thought they would quickly notice that they had escaped.

 

Nevertheless, Soohyun did not abandon him. Rather, he saved him, became a bait for him, and was caught in their hands.

 

And then, they cut his head.

 

It was in his fading consciousness, but he clearly remembered the scene he saw through the bushes.

 

The fact that they grabbed Soohyun’s hair and cut off the nape of his neck. Blood was splashing through the bright flashlight.

 

The more he recalled the memories, the more his heart ached. His figure was so clear, how could he have forgotten it until now?

 

Joohyuk, who had been looking at the window of the mountain lodge, looked away only after a long time had passed.

 

As he was walking towards the entrance, he heard the sound of someone opening the door of the lodge. The wooden door rubbed against it, making an unpleasant noise.

 

Joohyuk, who reached the front of the mountain lodge, looked at the dark inside through the wide open door. The man who appeared alone was slowly looking inside. Then he wanted to go deeper, and he opened the warehouse door and just stared at it for a while. It looked like he was thinking about something.

 

It took a long time for the man to withdraw his gaze from inside.

 

He turned his head to the dark face, and their eyes met.

 

“… … .”

 

Soohyun looked at Joohyuk standing in the hallway without looking forward, and looked surprised for a moment, but quickly turned expressionless as if it had ever happened. He walked past Joohyuk with no hesitation and tried to leave the door.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Soohyun, who had stepped out the door, stood tall at the words addressed to him. Joohyuk closed his eyes and continued.

 

“And I’m sorry.”

 

As soon as he opened his eyes right after the incident, he didn’t know how many times he repeated those words to himself.

 

It was the first thing he wanted to say when they met. ‘If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead. Thank you for saving me without throwing me away. And I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you… … .’

 

Even after a long time has passed since they met again, he still hasn’t been able to tell. Even though he had been watching over him, he was such a fool, so foolish that he could neither recognize him nor tell him.

 

“… I’m going to get rid of it too.”

 

It was a place that cannot be called a memory, so it was natural. However, the meaning contained there was clearly different.

 

“I don’t want any traces of you left behind.”

 

Joohyuk, who had listened to Soohyun with a bitter face, stretched out his hand behind him.

 

Although they were looking in different directions, Joohyuk’s hand was able to grab Soohyun’s hand without difficulty.

 

“Don’t tremble, Soohyun-ah.”

 

The gripped hand trembled.

 

“Don’t hesitate and do whatever you want.”

 

It was a voice that seemed to put everything down.

 

Joohyuk thought that the day he met Soohyun a few days ago, he must have read the last letter he had. The letter disappeared from the pocket of the jacket that had been covered over his shoulder, and Soohyun at the hospital looked somewhat difficult. Maybe he thought of himself who wrote the letter.

 

So it shouldn’t be.

 

The place where Soohyun saved him, the forest he ran away from, the villa with memories, it didn’t matter if everything disappeared.

 

Now it was time for Soohyun to erase it and remember it for himself.

 

So, he hoped that he would not tremble like he was now.