الحب المنظم

Broken

It had already been a month since Han told Hyunjin about the business trip. His flight was tomorrow morning, and during that time, those unsettling, unknown feelings had only grown stronger. There was an unease in his heart, something that seemed to throw off his inner balance. His alpha instincts, the primal part of him, had started addressing Hyunjin as their omega. Great, as if things weren’t complicated enough. His alpha kept insisting that their omega had some good news for them, but it wouldn’t reveal what. He found himself, driven by instinct, wanting to care for and provide for Hyunjin.

In the past month, he had noticed subtle changes in Hyunjin's appearance. Of course, Hyunjin was always beautiful, but lately, there was something more. The omega looked radiant, glowing even. His already plump cheeks had grown fuller, rosier, and his fair skin was like virgin snow—smooth, soft, and inviting. It made Jisung’s fangs itch with the desire to bite into it, as though the omega were a ripe peach.

And those lips—those plump, red lips. Jisung felt as though they grew more tempting with every passing day. But, despite all these thoughts, a part of him remained in denial.

Something was wrong with Hyunjin, though. He’d been losing weight, and Jisung had seen him throwing up on more than one occasion. He chalked it up to one of those stupid diets Hyunjin would occasionally follow.

Now, driving home in the pouring rain, Jisung was distracted. One hand on the wheel, the other texting Chan about the meetings they had planned for the trip. Technically, he hadn’t completely lied to Hyunjin about the trip; expanding his business into Australia was still on the agenda. Suddenly, he recalled Hyunjin telling him to stop texting while driving, his soft voice filled with genuine concern. Sighing, Jisung put his phone down, his mind and body both exhausted from a long day of work and the constant battle with these growing feelings for the omega.

“Hyunjin is going to make me bald at this rate,” Jisung muttered to himself, tugging at his hair in frustration. Usually, a glass of mulled wine and thoughts of Felix would help ease his mind, but tonight, it wasn’t working. The rain continued to pound against the roof of his car, and Jisung found himself veering off to a bar instead of heading straight home. After several rounds of something strong, he stumbled back to his car, not caring about the thunderstorm or how drunk he was.

When he finally reached home, he parked his car in the porte-cochère above ground, not wanting to mess up the house by bringing his wet clothes inside. As he fumbled for his keys, the scent hit him. The scent of an omega in distress—Hyunjin’s scent, thick with fear and sadness. His inner alpha panicked, urging him to break down the door and find the source of Hyunjin’s distress. Luckily, he found his keys before his instincts took over completely.

Bursting through the door, the first thing he saw was Hyunjin. His face was streaked with tears, his eyes puffy and red as he paced back and forth in the doorway, seemingly unaware of Jisung's presence. His inner alpha urged him to comfort the omega, to pull him close, but Jisung forced those feelings down.

Clearing his throat, Jisung spoke, his voice dropping an octave, likely due to the alcohol. "Why the hell are you crying?"

Before he could finish, Hyunjin ran to him, wrapping his arms and legs around Jisung, weeping into his chest. "Thank God you're okay! There was an accident on the news… the car looked like yours…"

Without thinking, Jisung’s arms wrapped around Hyunjin, pulling him closer. His hand found its way to Hyunjin’s long, silky hair, playing with the dark strands as he whispered soothing words, telling the omega that everything was fine. After what felt like an eternity, Hyunjin finally pulled back, standing on his tiptoes as he examined Jisung’s face.

"Oh my god, you’re soaked! Did you stay in the rain? You'll get sick, oppa. Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you hurt?"

Hyunjin’s hands cupped Jisung’s face, searching for any sign of injury. Satisfied that Jisung was unharmed, he frowned as the scent of alcohol mixed with Jisung’s natural scent. Tears welled up in his eyes again as he pressed closer, clinging to him.

"What kind of wife am I? It was your car, wasn’t it? Do you hate me that much that you'd want to die? I always tell you to call me if you're drunk so I can drive! I know you hate me, but you can't die—not because of me, but because of your mom and your brother. They need you. I need you! Please don't be so reckless again. I thought I lost you!"

Jisung stared down at the omega clinging to him, emotions swirling inside him. Anger, guilt, confusion—he didn’t know what to feel anymore. He didn't know what to feel around Hyunjin at all these days. Hot anger suddenly surged through him, boiling over as he roughly pushed Hyunjin to the floor.

"It wasn’t me in the accident, okay? Now stop crying and clinging to me like a bitch in heat! I already have a headache because of you—don’t make it worse! Stay away from me; I can’t tolerate you right now. Just go away."

Jisung kicked off his shoes, something uncharacteristic for him considering his usual obsessive cleanliness. Hyunjin, on the floor, sobbing, looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. The sight made something in Jisung soften for just a moment, and he sighed, offering a hand to help Hyunjin up. Hyunjin took it, his small hands trembling as they wrapped around Jisung's wrist.

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin whispered, standing and immediately wiping his tears with the skirt of his yellow sundress, trying to make himself look presentable. He glanced at Jisung, his heart breaking at the sight of his husband’s miserable expression. His tie hung loosely around his neck, his coat soaked through, and his once-neatly styled hair now a mess, wet strands falling onto his forehead.

"You’ll get sick… Let me run you a hot bath and give you a massage. You’ve been stressed with work… that's why you drank tonight, right?" Hyunjin’s voice was shaky, but he willed himself to stay calm. “You wouldn't avoid coming home because of me, right?”

Jisung glared down at him, his voice filled with venom. "Hwang Hyunjin, didn’t I tell you to get out of my sight? I don’t need your fake service. I can take care of myself."

Hyunjin's hands trembled more violently, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I… I love you. I’m doing my best to be a good wife. I’ve been trying so hard to take care of you. Please don’t reject me. I just want to help… to love you."

Jisung let out a bitter laugh. "Love? You’re wasting your time. This love of yours—where is it getting you? Nowhere. You're caging us both with this fantasy."

Jisung turned to leave, but Hyunjin grabbed onto his arm, holding on for dear life. Before Hyunjin could say another word, Jisung snapped.

Jisung’s hand connected with Hyunjin’s cheek in a slap that echoed through the room. It wasn’t the physical pain that broke Hyunjin—it was the realization that Jisung no longer saw him, no longer cared for him.

“Now hear me out," Jisung spat, his voice full of anger. "I’m going to my office, and you better not follow me like a lost puppy.”

With that, Jisung stormed out of the room, leaving behind a broken omega.