Cozy Obsession

Heemin hesitated in front of the reception desk instead of going to the sofa, prompting her to tilt her head and ask, “Is something wrong? Has anyone called asking for me?”“A call for Seo Heemin?”“Yes.”“No, there hasn’t been.”He checked the clock on the wall. It had already been an hour and a half since he left home. By now, there should have been at least a check-up call, but it was strangely quiet. He felt an unexpected sense of unease.‘What’s going on?’It was odd that there had been no news, especially when he should have been intercepted already. Were they planning to ambush him during his treatment? Yiheon had always been wary of Eunkyung, so it was possible.“Could I borrow your phone for a moment? I left mine at home by mistake.”Feeling unsettled, Heemin asked the nurse for a phone. Pulling the landline phone closer, he dialed the number he had memorized. The dial tone barely rang before it was replaced by a heavy, lowered voice.“Have you found where he is?”“Hyung, it’s Heemin.”“…Where are you right now? Are you out of your mind?”The intense emotion of anger radiated through the phone. Yiheon’s fury was at its peak, but Heemin, having anticipated this reaction, calmly replied, “I’m at Haesong Psychiatric Clinic.”“Hah, psychiatric clinic?”He had expected Yiheon to come straight to the hospital after checking the internet search history, but judging by his tone, it seemed he had been searching elsewhere and was now in a frenzy. He clearly thought Heemin had deliberately misled him.Heemin covered the mouthpiece and sighed. He hadn’t expected the fate of ‘Cha Yiheon’ and ‘Seo Heemin’ to clash this way yet again.Adjusting his grip on the phone, he swallowed dryly and cleared his throat. Then, speaking in a soothing tone, he said, “My appointment ends in an hour. Please come and pick me up. Let’s go on a date to the lakeside park.”“…What?”The word ‘date’ had a noticeable impact, momentarily throwing Yiheon off balance. Sensing his hesitation, Heemin felt a bit of relief as he continued, “Did you forget we were supposed to hang out today? I was looking forward to it.”“Seo Heemin.”“Oh, the nurse is calling me. I have to go in for my treatment now. See you later, hyung.”Despite Yiheon’s commanding tone calling his name, Heemin hung up the phone without hesitation. The nurse, who had been working nearby, glanced at him curiously but said nothing as he thanked her.“Thank you for letting me use the phone.”Instead of explaining further, he gave her a brief smile before heading to the sofa. She returned a faint smile, seeming to understand the situation, and turned her attention back to her monitor.It was a relief that in this world, it wasn’t unusual for a man to use the words ‘hyung’ and ‘date’ in the same sentence. In a normal world, he wouldn’t have been able to make such a call without worrying about what others thought.He sank deeply into the sofa. The black plastic bag rustled between his armrest and thigh, filled with tteokbokki, kimbap, and a drink.If he had known Yiheon would take this long, he would have just eaten at the snack shop.Feeling somewhat bitter, Heemin hadn’t expected Yiheon to think he was tricking him. Despite his lack of trust in Heemin, this level of distrust was shocking.Yiheon was probably interrogating Do Junyoung, who had nothing to do with this situation, about Heemin’s whereabouts. He felt a pang of sympathy for Junyoung, who was likely bewildered by the unexpected ordeal.“Haa…”Heemin felt drained after rushing to the hospital. He took out the CoolX drink from the bag and drank it, the sweet peach flavor sliding down his throat. The drink was more like concentrated sugar water than actual peach juice, but he liked its unique taste.They said that ‘Seo Heemin’ emitted a pheromone scent similar to peaches. Heemin brought the drink’s opening to his nose and sniffed it.A moist, sweet scent that made one want to taste it directly. It was probably the scent that Yiheon smelled every day.He could understand why Yiheon was obsessed with ‘Seo Heemin’. It was a scent that could captivate anyone. If artificial scents were this pleasant, how irresistible would the pheromones of a superior omega mixed with their natural scent be?According to the text in “Silence,” alphas and omegas instinctively reacted to each other’s pheromones with sexual urges.He wasn’t sure about sexual urges, but he wished he could respond positively to Yiheon’s pheromones like other omegas. He felt sympathy for ‘Seo Heemin,’ who perceived alpha pheromones as violent, and for himself, who had to suffer because of it.“Seo Heemin, please come into the consultation room.”“Yes.”Lost in thought, Heemin’s turn came up. He got up and headed to the consultation room. As he opened the door, Eunkyung greeted him warmly with a kind smile.“Welcome, Heemin.”“Hello, doctor.”It had been over a month since he last saw his family. He hadn’t shown it openly, but he felt a bit lonely, having never been apart for so long.Seeing Eunkyung’s face, which brought a sense of nostalgia, made him feel a swelling of warmth in his heart. Despite the purpose and the process, he felt coming here was a good decision.“Why haven’t you shown up lately? Nothing happened, right?”Eunkyung asked cautiously, concerned due to the turbulent nature of ‘Seo Heemin’s’ life.“Nothing major. I just haven’t been feeling well, so I’ve been staying home.”Unable to admit that he had been banned from the hospital due to suspicions from the man he had come with before, he made up a plausible excuse. When the woman placed her hands on the keyboard as if to enter the information into the chart, she asked,“So what exactly is wrong? Tell me in detail.”“Oh, well, it’s because of the alpha pheromones. I fainted and collapsed because of them…”“Oh dear, I see. That’s why you couldn’t come. It must have been tough.”“Yeah, a little…”Although he couldn’t leave the house, it wasn’t tough at all. He had enjoyed a luxurious and lazy life he had never experienced before. Feeling embarrassed, he trailed off, and Eunkyung, taking his response seriously, pushed up her glasses that had slipped down her nose with her index finger and said,“Alpha pheromones seem to be a threatening presence even to Heemin, who has a separate personality.”Since he was possessed and using the body, he had no choice but to feel Seo Heemin’s physical reactions fully. Heemin, lost in thought, watched Eunkyung typing and then brought up a topic that came to mind.“I’ve started exercising. To build up my stamina and immunity to the pheromones.”“Heemin, exercising? What kind?”Just like Yiheon, Eunkyung showed a curious expression, indicating it was unexpected.“Just things like walking and strength training. I’m doing it little by little with the treadmill and fitness equipment at home.”“The body and mind constantly influence each other. A healthy body protects the mind, and a healthy mind protects the body. Anything will help, so make it your goal to exercise steadily without rushing. One day, you’ll notice a difference.”“Yes, I will.”Certainly, he felt more energetic than when he first arrived in the world of <Silence>. At first, even walking for five minutes made him dizzy and sensitive to Yiheon’s pheromones. But now, he could walk the same five minutes without getting breathless or nauseous.Although he was still far from the physical stamina of his real body, there were definite signs of progress. If there hadn’t been any improvement, he wouldn’t have even dared to make plans to escape.“By the way, doctor, can we prioritize treating my trauma for now? I don’t want to show my partner, Yiheon, that I’m struggling with the pheromones.”Eliminating the fear and dread of alphas ingrained in Seo Heemin’s body. That was the real reason Heemin had come here, sacrificing his free time. Dr. Hwang had said that achieving psychological stability and overcoming trauma was crucial to accepting alpha pheromones. He had taken the risk to come here, but he didn’t want to waste time and money on pointless treatments looking for the non-existent personality of Seo Heemin. He needed to make sure he got what he wanted.As long as his aversion to pheromones persisted, it would be difficult to gain Yiheon’s complete trust. How could one trust someone whose words and actions were inconsistent? He wouldn’t be able to trust himself either.When Heemin made the request with a more serious expression than usual, Eunkyung’s eyes crinkled into a gentle smile.“Twenty-one-year-old Heemin, you are very proactive and assertive, aren’t you?”“Different from Seo Heemin, right?”“Hmm… It seems completely different, but surprisingly similar in some ways.”He thought there were no similarities except for the name and appearance, but maybe that wasn’t entirely the case. Eunkyung continued in a soft voice, looking at Heemin, who blinked in confusion.“Just as light follows darkness and darkness gives meaning to light, extreme emotions and personalities coexist within a person. I think the current Heemin is a mirror reflecting the bright side of Seo Heemin’s main personality. You could say you represent the light compared to the darkness.”Light and darkness. The Seo Heemin he knew was sensitive, delicate, weak, and fragile, a person completely opposite to himself. According to Eunkyung, the deep depression and pessimism that Seo Heemin couldn’t escape from were also inherent in Heemin, but he wasn’t convinced. It seemed plausible, but he wondered what darkness even meant, tilting his head in puzzlement.As Heemin responded lukewarmly, Eunkyung withdrew her hands from the keyboard, signaling the end of the consultation.“Alright. We’ll change the treatment order as you wish. How about we try hypnosis therapy instead of cognitive behavioral therapy today?”