Cozy Obsession

— Ha, fuck. A psychiatric clinic?

Of course, Heemin had expected him to check the search history and come straight to the hospital.

But from the way Iheon was talking, it seemed he had been running around in completely different places, losing his mind in the process.

He must have thought this was all some elaborate trick.

So much for leaving him a hint.

Heemin sighed into the receiver, covering the mouthpiece with his hand.

It was absurd how fate constantly forced Cha Iheon and Seo Heemin to be at odds with each other, no matter what.

He adjusted his grip on the phone, swallowed dryly, and steadied his voice.

Iheon was seething, his breath ragged with restrained fury.

So, Heemin softened his tone, coaxing him gently.

"Come pick me up in an hour after my appointment. Let’s go on a date to the lake park."

— ...What?

The word date disrupted the violent waves of anger crashing through his voice.

That flicker of hesitation was all Heemin needed to relax slightly.

Hearing the disbelief in Iheon's silence, he pressed on.

"Did you forget? You said you’d come home early today. I was looking forward to it."

— Seo Heemin. @@novelbin@@

"Oh, the nurse is calling me. I’ll go in now. See you later, hyung."

Even as Iheon spat his name in a low, threatening growl, Heemin didn’t falter.

He calmly set down the receiver.

The nurse sitting beside him, who had been quietly working, looked at him with mild surprise, her curiosity piqued by his blatant lie.

"Thanks for letting me use it," he said, flashing her a grin instead of explaining himself.

Understanding at least the general situation, she gave him a small, knowing smile before turning her attention back to her monitor.

It was a relief that in this world, a man saying hyung and date in the same sentence didn’t raise any eyebrows.

If this had been reality, he wouldn’t have been able to say such things so openly.

Leaning back into the couch, he let himself sink into its cushions.

The plastic bag rustled as it shifted between his thigh and the armrest.

Inside were the tteokbokki, gimbap, and soda he had ordered.

If I’d known he’d take this long, I would’ve just eaten at the snack shop instead of packing it to go.

He felt a little bitter about it.

He hadn't expected Iheon to dismiss the obvious clue he had left behind as some kind of deception.

He knew he didn’t have Iheon’s full trust.

But to this extent?

That was honestly shocking.

Without a doubt, right now, Iheon was probably torturing Do Junyoung for answers.

Heemin sighed internally, sending silent condolences to the poor man who had nothing to do with this.

"Hah..."

His sprint to the hospital had drained him.

His throat was dry.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Reaching into the bag, he pulled out the Cool X peach soda, pierced the carton with the straw, and gulped it down.

The sugary liquid slid down his throat, sweet and artificial.

It didn’t taste like real peach juice, more like thick syrup.

But he liked the taste nonetheless.

After emptying the small carton in seconds, he felt noticeably better.

Now that he thought about it, Seo Heemin’s pheromones were supposed to have a scent similar to peaches.

Curious, he lifted the empty carton to his nose and sniffed.

A scent that was soft and moist, like peach flesh—something that made you want to keep tasting it.

Not just a scent you inhaled, but one you wanted to press your tongue against.

A scent that Cha Iheon must have inhaled every single day.

No wonder he went crazy.

It was a scent that could steal someone’s mind away.

If even artificial peach fragrance smelled this good, how intoxicating must a Prime Omega’s pheromones be, mixed with their natural body heat?

In Silence, the novel had stated that Alphas and Omegas reacted instinctively to each other’s pheromones, experiencing overwhelming physical attraction.

Sexual attraction.

He wasn’t sure about that,

But if he could at least learn to tolerate Iheon’s pheromones, things would be easier.

He felt a pang of sympathy for Seo Heemin, whose body interpreted Alpha pheromones as an act of violence.

And at the same time, he pitied himself for having to deal with that reaction firsthand.

"Seo Heemin, please come in."

"Yes."

Lost in thought, Heemin hadn’t realized time had passed so quickly.

His turn had come.

Standing up, he walked into the office.

Dr. Eun-kyung greeted him with a warm, familiar smile.

"You’re here, Heemin."

"Hello, doctor."

It had been over a month since he had seen his family.

He didn’t show it outwardly, but he had never been apart from them for this long before.

Seeing Eun-kyung’s face stirred something inside him—a warmth that swelled like a cloud expanding in his chest.

No matter what had brought him here, he was glad he had come.

"Why haven’t you visited? Nothing bad happened, did it?"

Her voice was gentle but cautious.

She must have been worried, knowing how difficult Seo Heemin’s life had been.

"Nothing major happened. I just wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed home."

He couldn’t exactly say that he had been banned from leaving the house because Iheon suspected her.

So, he deflected.

She placed her hands on the keyboard, ready to take notes.

"What was wrong? Tell me in detail."

"Ah, well... I passed out because of Alpha pheromones."

"Oh dear. That must’ve been difficult."

"Yeah... a little."

In reality, he had been living in absolute luxury, lazing around all day.

But feeling awkward about his answer, he let his voice trail off.

Taking him seriously, Eun-kyung pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"So, even though you have a different personality, Alpha pheromones still affect you negatively."

Since he had possessed Seo Heemin’s body, it was only natural that he experienced its physiological reactions.

Heemin nodded, watching as she typed.

Then, an idea struck him.

"I started exercising. To build up my endurance against pheromones."

"You? Exercising?"

Just like Iheon, she looked at him as if she couldn’t believe it.

"What kind of exercise?"

"Just walking and some strength training. I’ve been using the treadmill and weights at home little by little."

"The body and mind influence each other constantly. A healthy body protects the mind, and a healthy mind protects the body. It’s good to keep going. Don’t push yourself too hard—just focus on staying consistent. You’ll start to see a difference over time."

"Yeah. I think so too."

Compared to when he first arrived in this world, he definitely felt stronger.

At the start, even five minutes of walking had left him dizzy, his nerves hypersensitive, making it impossible to endure Iheon’s pheromones.

But now?

He could walk five minutes without gasping for breath.

It was a small improvement, but progress nonetheless.

If he had remained as weak as before, he wouldn’t have dared to attempt this escape.

"So, doctor, I wanted to ask—can we focus on trauma treatment for now?"

"Trauma treatment?"

"I don’t want to show my partner that I’m struggling because of his pheromones."

Erasing the fear and terror that Seo Heemin’s body felt toward Alphas.

That was why he had come here today.

Dr. Hwang had said that to truly accept an Alpha’s pheromones, psychological stability was crucial.

So, if he was going to be here, he might as well get something useful out of it.

If he couldn’t eliminate that instinctive fear, it would be impossible to gain Iheon’s trust.

How could someone believe in a person whose words and actions didn’t match?

Even he wouldn’t trust himself.

Seeing the rare seriousness in his expression, Eun-kyung’s lips curled into a gentle smile.

"You're quite self-driven and proactive for a twenty-one-year-old, Heemin."

"I’m pretty different from Seo Heemin, aren’t I?"

"Well..." She tilted her head. "You’re surprisingly similar, in some ways."

He had thought they were complete opposites.

But maybe not.

As he blinked in confusion, Eun-kyung continued.

"Light cannot exist without darkness, and darkness gives meaning to light. I think you might be the bright side of Seo Heemin—a mirror reflecting the parts of him that he lost."

Light and dark...

Heemin wasn’t sure if he understood.

But before he could think about it further, Eun-kyung pulled her hands away from the keyboard, signaling the session’s shift.

"Alright, then. Instead of cognitive-behavioral therapy today... how about we try hypnosis therapy?"