Confined Pheromone

A blurry image flashed past beyond my closed eyes. The campus, in front of the pond, the bustling streets of the university district, flower shops, and cafes. Scenes I couldn’t remember were jumbled together. Siwoo furrowed his brow and barely managed to lift his body from the bed.

How long had he been asleep? The overwhelming urge that crashed over him like a tidal wave came shortly after Sanho left the room. He remembered sitting up in bed, swaying, but everything after that was hazy. It wasn’t hard to understand. It was only natural to feel that way after being drenched in the pheromones of an Alpha Omega, especially the pheromones of a dominant Omega, without being able to relieve the desire. The intense urge was a kind of backlash.

As he rose from the neatly made bed, he noticed that his hand was wrapped in bandages. It was the hand that had collided when he pushed Sanho against the wall. Wrapping his arms around Sanho’s head had been an impulsive action. It wasn’t something he had thought through. However, it was true that the impact had been quite strong. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with the bone, but a dull ache lingered.

After tearing his gaze from his hand, he looked back at Sanho’s bed, which was empty. To be precise, it wasn’t completely empty. A square tray was placed neatly on the freshly made sheets. On the tray was a steaming bowl of porridge that looked as if it had just been left there, a label-less bottle of water, and a transparent plastic cup about the size of a soju glass. Inside the cup were two light blue pills.

‘You’re lying down. I’ll bring you the medicine.’

Could this be the medicine Sanho mentioned? If so, it was likely a pheromone tranquilizer. But could he take this? He wasn’t sure. Siwoo pressed his brow with his bandaged hand and stepped down from the bed.

“…….”

A savory smell wafted up from the neatly contained porridge. Suddenly, he realized it had been quite a while since he had eaten. He should be hungry, but he didn’t want to eat anything. Siwoo quietly picked up the plastic cup and placed the light blue pills on his palm. They looked different from the pheromone tranquilizers he usually took.

There were various types of pheromone medications. They varied greatly depending on their potency and method of consumption. There were many kinds of pills, as well as powders and liquid medications that could be mixed with water. If you included supplements that weren’t for medical use, the number increased even more. There were gels in long tubes, jelly forms, and even strong cigarette-like substances traded in secret. Siwoo stared at the pill in his palm for a while before dropping it back into the plastic cup.

In the end, the only thing Siwoo chose from the tray was a bottle of water. After taking a couple of sips, he realized just how thirsty he was. Only after taking another sip did Siwoo sit on the bed that had bound him.

The small window reflected a red sky. It seemed the sun was setting. How long had he been trapped here? Had he passed a full day? He stared blankly at the strange shackles on his ankles and the iron chain connected to them.

It was clear that Sanho had imprisoned him.

Why? For what reason?

Did I know Sanho?

Recalling Sanho’s actions that had tempted him and the sporadic words he had let slip, it was clear that there was a connection between him and Sanho. Somewhere in his lost memories, there must be a reason for his confinement. Siwoo slowly closed his eyes. The images he had seen in his dreams flickered past again.

The campus. In front of the college. The well-kept pond. Sanho sitting on a bench in front of it. His lips swollen as if bitten by someone. And the cigarette.

His closed eyelids trembled. The intense urge was crashing over him again.

***

When he opened his eyes again, the small window was already shrouded in darkness. The moonlight faintly seeped in, casting a dim light that outlined the shape of the square window. He didn’t rise, but he noticed that the tray on the bed next to him had changed. There were two pieces of sandwiches, some fruit, and similarly, a transparent cup containing pills. The bottle of water had also been replaced with a new one.

His throat felt unbearably scratchy. Feeling a terrible thirst, Siwoo slowly sat up. Upon closer inspection, the pills in the transparent cup had changed. Instead of the oval light blue pills, there were round white pills. Siwoo stared at them blankly. However, this time he only took a couple of sips of water. He then collapsed back onto the bed. The pain in his bandaged hand was unbearable.

***

He felt a soft feather gently caressing his hand. For some reason, it felt like a comforting touch, and Siwoo just wanted to lie there with his eyes closed. Struggling to lift his eyelids, he vaguely saw someone kneeling beside the bed, wrapping a new bandage around his hand resting on the sheets.

“You…!”

Siwoo hurriedly sat up. He roughly grabbed the wrist of the hand that had been touching him with his bandaged hand. Even as a large hand suddenly grasped him, Sanho showed no signs of surprise.

“You’re awake?”

“What are you doing?”

Sanho’s gaze fell downward. He looked at Siwoo’s hand gripping his wrist and raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Can’t you tell?”

His calm voice. Siwoo suppressed the urge to shout and quietly opened his mouth.

“Talk to me.”

Sanho twisted his wrist free from Siwoo’s grip.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

Well, it would be funny if he could eat in this situation. Sanho added quietly and then pulled the tray beside him closer. A new meal was laid out on the tray. There was finely chopped beef steak, a fluffy bun, and vegetables garnished on the side. The pills in the transparent cup had also changed. This time, they were yellow pills.

“Still, eat.”

“…I’m not in the mood.”

“Are you on a hunger strike? Do you think Alphas are strong enough to endure without eating this?”

With a crooked smile, Sanho looked at Siwoo. Siwoo’s stiff face shook his head slightly. With a small sigh, Sanho gently placed the tray on Siwoo’s lap.

“What do you want to talk about?”

Staring blankly at the yellow pills in the transparent cup, Siwoo slowly spoke.

“There’s a reason.”

“What reason?”

“The reason you’re doing this to me.”

“…….”

“The reason you locked me up.”

The reason I locked up my senior… Sanho murmured Siwoo’s words as if savoring them. A small laugh escaped. His eyes, looking up at Siwoo, narrowed slightly.

“Let’s do this.”

“…What?”

“If you eat all of this, I’ll answer your questions.”

Sanho pointed to the tray with a gesture, urging him. Siwoo silently gazed at the appetizing food on the tray. He had no desire to eat at all.

“Hurry up.”

Sanho urged him once more. Siwoo slowly picked up the chopsticks.

“…….”

The food was delicious. No, it would have been delicious. The steak was cooked just right, and the vegetables garnished on the side were excellent. But it didn’t evoke any feelings. In fact, he wondered if his sense of taste had atrophied, as he felt no flavor at all. He merely chewed and swallowed mechanically.

While Siwoo quietly ate, Sanho remained kneeling beside the bed, gazing up at him. A faint smile appeared and then faded, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing again. It seemed he was reacting to each of Siwoo’s actions. He looked both pleased and pitiful.

Finally, when Siwoo set down his chopsticks, Sanho extended the transparent cup toward him. It contained the pills.

“This too.”

“…….”

“Eat it, quickly.”

Siwoo frowned and looked at Sanho. He didn’t shake his head or verbally refuse, but it was a clear expression of rejection. Sanho seemed to realize this as he set the cup down and placed the tray beneath the bed. Then, with a sulky expression, he offered a label-less bottle of water.

Siwoo looked at the water bottle and Sanho with a stiff expression, alternating his gaze. Sanho reached out once more. Finally, with a small sigh, Siwoo accepted the bottle. After taking a sip, Sanho took the bottle back and placed it neatly beside the tray.

“Now answer me.”

Siwoo met Sanho’s gaze as he spoke. Sanho winked playfully and replied nonchalantly.

“What?”

“You said you’d answer.”

“You said you’d eat it all first. You didn’t take the medicine, senior.”

Chuckling, Sanho slowly leaned his head against Siwoo’s lap. His small head, like a porcelain doll, rested on Siwoo’s firm thigh. Black hair spilled down, and through it, Sanho looked up at Siwoo, his lips curving into a smile.

“It’s strange. I’m feeding you and putting you to bed, so what’s the problem?”

The sensation of his lips brushing against the bed sheet was distinctly felt even through the fabric. Siwoo looked down at Sanho with a weary expression.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

As Sanho continued to respond playfully, Siwoo reached out to lift him up. However, before Siwoo’s hand could touch Sanho’s shoulder, Sanho grabbed Siwoo’s wrist first. Then he gently placed Siwoo’s large hand on his cheek. It seemed he was trying to feel the warmth of the hand, closing his eyes for a long moment. Siwoo watched as his eyelids trembled slightly, and he felt the smoothness of Sanho’s cheek. The sensation of a droplet of water flowing between his fingers was vivid.

As Sanho opened his wet eyelashes, he looked at Siwoo. Still lying with his head on Siwoo’s lap, he whispered softly.

“Since you ate, I’ll tell you one thing.”

“…….”

“That medicine is a vitamin.”

A vitamin…? Siwoo’s eyes widened.

“The real medicine is…”

With a thud, the bottle of water that had been quietly set down toppled over. Water spilled out of the bottle in a rush.

“It was mixed in the water.”

Sanho’s fingertips resting on his cheek twitched. Sanho’s hand, covering the back of Siwoo’s hand, slipped between his fingers.

“I thought you wouldn’t take the medicine.”

In an instant, a dizzying sensation overwhelmed him. He shook off Sanho’s entangled hand and stood him up. Sanho, sitting upright, smiled and opened his mouth.

“How could I overpower a sane senior? Isn’t that right?”

“You… what is this…!”

“Still, it seems the medicine doesn’t work well on you. This is a drug that can put an elephant to sleep, but you wake up more often than I expected. I guess it’s because you’re an Alpha.”

Siwoo staggered as he stood up from the bed. The clanking sound of the iron chain was extremely annoying, but that wasn’t the issue right now. His mind was gradually becoming hazy. Yes, this was the feeling he had when drowsiness washed over him. The sensation of being endlessly pulled down into an abyss. A languor that made him want to just collapse and close his eyes. However, he couldn’t fall asleep like that again.

Siwoo’s gaze fell on the tray Sanho had set down. The ceramic plate that Siwoo had just emptied. In one swift motion, Siwoo lifted the plate and slammed it down onto the bed frame. With a loud crash, the broken pieces of the plate scattered everywhere.

“Senior!”

A startled Sanho jumped up. But Siwoo was a bit faster. He tightly clenched the broken shards in his palm. The sharp edges of the pieces mercilessly dug into Siwoo’s palm.

“What are you doing?! Let go!”

It was his bandaged hand. The white bandage quickly turned bright red, and blood began to drip from the tip of Siwoo’s clenched fist.

“What kind of medicine did you give me? What kind….”

“Let go of that! I said let go! Let go!!!!”

Sanho desperately grabbed Siwoo’s fist to pry it open, but he couldn’t overpower Siwoo. Gritting his teeth, Sanho glared at Siwoo, who was self-harming to stay conscious. His eyes were filled with resentment.

“It’s just a tranquilizer!”

Only after Sanho shouted did a heavy silence settle in. The only sound that could be heard was the dripping of blood. Biting his lip, Sanho fiercely opened his misty eyes.

“It’s just a pheromone tranquilizer and a sleeping pill.”

“…….”

“So please, just let go of that. Please.”

Siwoo’s tightly clenched hand began to loosen gradually.

“Damn… why? Do you think I would poison you or something?””’