Chapter 40: Valentine’s special: Waiting… (1)

Valentine’s Day was just another reminder—another day designed to rub salt into wounds that never quite healed. A celebration meant for couples, for people healthy enough to go out, to hold hands in crowded places, to pretend love was simple and guaranteed. For those stuck in hospital rooms or alone in quiet spaces, it was nothing more than a spectacle meant to emphasize everything they were missing.

Just another miserable day.

For Cheon Areum, it had always been like that. He’d missed out on most things an ordinary person could enjoy without a second thought—holidays, outings… even a simple dinner with their family. Valentine’s Day, or any holiday centered around loved ones, had never held any warmth for him. What he hated most wasn’t the day itself, as the people who could enjoy the day with their special ones should enjoy.

It was the waiting.

Waiting for family who promised they would come. Waiting while hope built quietly in his chest, only to collapse as the sun of the next day arrived, but the ones who had promised him never came—and the holiday ended like all the others: empty. Anticipation always made the disappointment worse, carving the absence deeper than if he’d never expected anything at all.

Some days, it felt easier not to hope.

I told him not to go anywhere…

Cheon Areum sat on the raised floor by the front entrance, knees drawn in slightly as he waited for Yoon Seoyul to come home. His expression was sullen, eyes fixed on the door as if staring hard enough might will it open. An hour had passed since he’d stepped out of the shower, yet the house still felt empty—completely quiet. There was no trace of Yoon Seoyul’s energy anywhere, not even a lingering warmth.

Is he still mad at me for taking the contraceptive pills?

The thought gnawed at him, unwanted but persistent. Cheon Areum rested his chin against his knees, fingers curling into the fabric of his clothes as the waiting stretched on, heavy and uncomfortable—just like the doubt settling in his heart. Yesterday morning, Yoon Seoyul had seen him taking the after-morning pills, and although he hadn’t stopped him, he did seem visibly upset by it.

The automatic ceiling light was off, since he had been sitting as still as an object. Only when he finally shifted—deciding it was pointless to keep waiting like this and that he should go sleep in Rian’s room instead—did the sensor pick up the movement.

The light flicked on softly.

He blinked at the sudden brightness, shoulders slumping a little as the entrance door clicked open, causing him to glance up again at the door with his hands on the floor, which had yet to push him off the floor.

“What are you doing here?”

Upon entering the house, Yoon Seoyul froze the moment he stepped inside and saw him, clearly caught off guard by the sight of Cheon Areum waiting there. In one hand, he held a large bouquet of purple lilacs, the petals still fresh and vibrant. Cheon Areum’s gaze dropped immediately—to the flowers. His expression darkened, lips pressing into a thin line as he stared at them without a word. Yoon Seoyul instantly lowered the bouquet, almost hiding it behind his legs as he came closer to him and crouched down to face Cheon Areum.

“Were you waiting for me?”

He asked in a low and gentle voice that irritated him even more.

“I told you not to get me anything. Having you by my side for the day is all I want.”

“Will you not take them then?”

Presenting the bouquet of purple lilacs in front of Cheon Areum with both hands and an angelic soft look, Yoon Seoyul lowered his lashes at him, a faint flush spreading under his eyes and reaching his ears, troubling Cheon Areum’s heart despite his strong heartbeat.

“I don’t want them.”

Cheon Areum slid backward on the floor, retreating from the bouquet, hands dragging his body away. His voice was firm, final, leaving no room for negotiation. The flowers remained suspended between them, vibrant and unwanted, as the space between them widened.

“Do you hate flowers that much?”

Yoon Seoyul asked quietly.

“Is there a reason?”

He set the bouquet aside, neatly wrapped in its white covering, placing it in the corner of the entrance—out of Cheon Areum’s line of sight. Only then did he sit down on the raised platform, closing the distance between them little by little, careful not to startle him into backing away again.

“They’re weak.”

Cheon Areum continued calmly.

“No matter how carefully you tend to them, they’ll wither and die eventually anyway. I’d rather grow them myself—at least then they can live out their life naturally, the way they’re meant to.”

As he spoke, Yoon Seoyul gently reached for his feet and settled them in his lap, grounding him without a word. He listened closely, eyes steady, fingers warm against Cheon Areum’s skin—present, attentive, and unhurried.

“I’m sorry. I will be more careful in the future. Cheer up, please.”

Slowly coming closer to him, Yoon Seoyul placed his hand on Cheon Areum’s cheek. A gentle kiss brushed his forehead, then the loose strands of hair that had fallen there. Yoon Seoyul looked into his eyes; his gaze was earnest, open as he explained.

“I wanted to ask you to be my valentine, and doing it barehanded didn’t seem right to me. I will bring you something else tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t want anything. Just stay with me for the day. Let’s have dinner together after Rian comes back from school. I will help you cook too.”

Getting a little embarrassed now, Cheon Areum blushed and cleared his throat, trying to reply and appear nonchalant. Since it was already past midnight, the date had changed to 14th February—today was Valentine’s Day.

“Is that all?”

Yoon Seoyul asked softly.

“Yes,”

Cheon Areum replied, but after a moment of thought, he added more, his voice lower, steadier than before.

“And don’t make me wait for you again. I hate nothing more than waiting for someone—especially when they already promised me that they would be with me.”

In his past life, he might’ve brushed it off, told himself it didn’t matter. But now, as Cheon Areum, he could already picture it too clearly: sitting there for hours, pretending he was fine, only to end up crying the whole day without even understanding when it started. He didn’t want Cheon Areum to experience that.

“There weren’t any shops open nearly that had these flowers, so it took longer than I had expected…”

Yoon Seoyul sneaked his hand around his waist as he spoke, towering over him as Cheon Areum lay half on the floor, knowing full well Yoon Seoyul was throwing himself on him. He smiled barely when he caught the scent of dense pheromones in the air, radiating from the person on top of him.

“Wait, are you in a rut?!”

Only when Yoon Seoyul was in a rut, or nearing one, would his pheromones be layered with intensity—unlike the sweet and gentle pheromones that made his heart itch with the urge to bully him more.

“And you went out like this? Giving the world a sample of my vanilla pheromones? No matter how much I want to show you off, I don’t want anyone else to get even a sniff of your pheromones!”

How unfair it was that others could smell Yoon Seoyul’s pheromones. If only Cheon Areum could also mark him and block everyone else from ever dipping into that scent. Cheon Areum’s lips involuntarily overturned as he thought of how many people had caught this scent too.

“Sorry… I only realized when I was already at the shop. I took a suppressant right then, but now, after seeing you, they’re coming out on their own.”

Yoon Seoyul’s eyes glimmered, a hint of moisture making them shine, tinged with an aroused pink, as he spoke up, appearing entirely on the verge of losing it. But his touch and voice were still gentle. It was a bit early for Yoon Seoyul’s rut to come, and Cheon Areum’s heat was even further, but since he was already in a rut, it didn’t make sense for Cheon Areum to let him go. Cheon Areum lightly wrapped his legs around Yoon Seoyul’s body, his arms hanging from his neck.

“Why are you holding back now? Release your pheromones for me.”

“…..”

Yoon Seoyul lingered a moment longer, eyes affectionate as they met Cheon Areum’s. Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to the exposed skin of his neck. The contact sent a ticklish shiver through Cheon Areum, making him scrunch his shoulders and tilt his head away. He laughed softly as Yoon Seoyul’s hair prickled his skin, joy spilling out from his chuckle.

“Should we move to the bedroom?”

Raising his head, Yoon Seoyul suggested, ready to lift Cheon Areum from the floor, already releasing a load of his pheromones—just enough to stir a familiar agitation in Cheon Areum: heart racing, skin tingling, every nerve alert to Yoon Seoyul’s proximity.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep