REMEMBER ME?

ACT ONE: CHAPTER TEN

- FIFTEEN YEARS AGO -

"Do omegas just release pheromones all the time then?"

"I'm still learning to control mine," Saafeyah answered concentrating on making a flower crown. "Why? Can you smell me?"

"I haven't manifested my secondary gender yet," Woojin under the identity of Woohyun answered. "So I can't smell you."

"Everyone complains that I smell sickly right now so hopefully it gets better when I'm older," Saafeyah sighed.

Woojin felt a pang of jealousy that other people could smell her and he couldn't.

Now a bit older, it was pretty clear that Woojin was experiencing his first crush. At first he just wanted to honor his promise to help her find something she's good at but then, the months started going by and he didn't miss a single weekend... in the blink of an eye, two years had passed but his infatuation hadn't let up.

He wanted to see her.

He counted down the days to their meetings.

He was dressed and by the door before his parents even woke up on Sundays.

And then they spent hours by their secret spot near the pond just talking. Well... Saafeyah talked and he mostly listened.

"Hopefully you won't find my smell disgusting when you do manifest your secondary gender."

Saafeyah was really nervous to say it. She didn't want Woohyun to ever turn around and find her disgusting.

Because he was the only person who looked at her like she was normal.

"If I'm a beta I'd never be able to smell you anyways."

"B-but you're not one... I can tell."

"I haven't manifested yet," Woojin laughed. "There's just no way you know."

Saafeyah pouted feeling a bit annoyed that he kept laughing. Even if his laugh made her but feel giddy.

"I knowwww," she protested still pouting. "Omegas know alphas! I can just tell."

"Alright, alright," he smiled trying not to laugh. "I heard you. If I'm an alpha, you can be my omega."

"And we can get married," the girl asked with twinkling eyes. "Say yes Woohyun... because omegas want families."

"Okay, I'll marry you," Woojin agreed. "We can have a family."

"And we can have the storks bring us babies and have the biggest family ever!"

Woojin was starting to get excited along with her as they discussed married life and storks.
...

"It's time for me to go," Woojin announced standing up after checking his watch. "I'll be back next week."

"Okay," Saafeyah agreed feeling deflated. She hated when Woojin had to go but she promised to not cry about it anymore. "You have to come next week."

"I told you I will," he assured interlinking his pinkie with her. "I haven't missed a day yet."

Saafeyah hugged Woojin surprising the other slightly. "Woohyun," she started shyly. "You smell like sea water right now."

"And you smell like very sweet, flowers," he commented hugging the girl back.

Woojin didn't quite realise it right there and then but... he could smell Saafeyah.
...

Throughout the week, Woojin had developed a severe fever. The family doctor could not work out the cause of his illness or why medication wasn't working.

Becoming extremely worried, his parents saw no solution but to hospitalise him by Wednesday fearing that the boy would worsen.

Woojin's body felt like it was on fire.

Every inch of him felt like it was burning.

The young boy thought he was going crazy from feeling like the bed sheets were melting into his skin.

He had never experienced anything like this.

"After conducting various tests we have managed to get to the root-"

Woojin could barely focus on the doctor talking to his parents. He felt like he was having an out of body experience and just focused on his breathing instead.

Because he felt the only thing he could control was breathing in and out. In and out slowly. In and out slowly until he felt himself fading out of consciousness.

And in that darkness he tried to hold on to the sweet smell he remembered.
...

Woojin woke up to a cool sensation on his forehead.

He was disorientated and his throat felt scratchy.

However, he didn't wake up to blinding lights. The room lights were quite dim... just enough for him to identify the stranger wiping his sweat as his mother.

"M-mom," he croaked out coughing immediately.

Eunbyeol jumped into action giving her son water to drink. After what the doctor had said, she was extremely thankful that her son had woken up at all.

Woojin had manifested as a hyper dominant alpha. The doctors warned them that Woojin was lucky to have been receiving pheromones from a compatible omega over a long period of time.

If he hadn't, he would probably not survive the process as most alphas of his nature didn't manifest at his age. The process was too intense for the under developed body of such a young boy.

Despite his headache, Woojin only had one thing on his mind.

"Mom, what day of the week is it?"

"It's Sunday," she sighed feeling tired and relieved that Woojin was up. She pressed the help button several times wanting a doctor to hurry up and check her baby. "Jinnie we need you to ea-"

"Mum," he gasped trying to jump out of the bed. "The orphanage- we have to go right no-"

"Woojin, stop," Eunbyel gently pleaded forcing Woojin to lay back down. "You won't be able to go to the orphanage for a very, very long time."

"W-why? What are you talking about-"

"Because you're a hyper dominant alpha," she stated simply. "You won't really be able to be around people for a very long time. Not until you learn to control your pheromones."

Woojin didn't understand and he was scared... he just wanted to be near Saafeyah.

He just wanted to smell her.

"Ola-okay, I'll control myself! I'll be calm. I just need the one time-"

"If you go near any omega right now, the intensity of your pheromones could kill them. I can't let you do that."

And for the first time in his life, Woojin experienced hopeless.

The next couple of years were the worst of his life.

Coupled with being under intense quarantine, harsh pheromones management therapy and being forcibly separated from his mate for years, Woojin changed.

And at times, he blamed the omega that made him crave her so bad that he thought he was going crazy.