Cozy Obsession

Chapter 22

For a fleeting moment, Heemin feared he might suffocate to death before ever reaching the ending—choked out by lack of oxygen instead of anything more dramatic. His tongue felt like it was about to be ripped apart.

Just as he was reaching his absolute limit, Iheon adjusted the angle of his head, giving Heemin the smallest opportunity to gasp for air. He greedily inhaled through his nose, clutching desperately onto Iheon’s clothes.

"...Nngh."

The pointed tip of Iheon’s tongue scraped along the soft inner flesh of his cheeks and the roof of his mouth, making Heemin shudder. The rough texture sent an unbearable tingling sensation through his nerves, leaving his mouth feeling raw.

With a slight tremor in his shoulders, Heemin forced his eyes open—only to be met with a gaze that was drowning in dark, consuming hunger.

Those eyes.

Glazed with dangerous, unfiltered desire.

Heemin felt a primal, instinctive fear spread through his body.

Like a prey animal caught in the sights of the apex predator at the top of the food chain.

This was the Alpha that Seo Heemin had feared the most.

And not just any Alpha. A Prime Alpha.

For the first time, Heemin realized just how utterly powerless he was against biological instincts—against the sheer force of genetics that dictated his reactions.

"Nngh... Ahh, hnn!"

Iheon’s tongue curled, wrapping around the soft flesh inside Heemin’s mouth, dominating the space entirely.

The thick scent of his pheromones, sharp and heady like a wild beast’s, crashed over Heemin like a violent wave. His body convulsed involuntarily, twisting against the overwhelming force.

Unlike his mind, which was slowly adjusting to the reality of the kiss, Seo Heemin’s body was rejecting the pheromones completely.

Even though it was clear Heemin was struggling, Iheon refused to let him go.

Like a wildfire fueled by his own storming emotions, he ravaged Heemin’s mouth without hesitation.

Time blurred.

The relentless weight of pheromones grew suffocating. The world tilted on its axis as Heemin’s consciousness teetered on the edge.

Then—finally.

Iheon pulled away, gasping for air. His breath was ragged, raw—completely unrefined.

And then, he spoke.

"I don’t believe you."

His lips were still burning hot, yet his voice was frozen solid.

Heemin wanted to understand.

Iheon had been abandoned by the person he loved the most.

He had lost his family, his entire world, because of that person’s father.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to trust anyone again.

But...

It was still too cruel.

Heemin had just given away his first kiss.

His effort, his feelings—none of it reached him.

Iheon remained utterly unmoved.

The tears that had been pooling in his eyes finally spilled over, trailing hotly down his cheeks.

"Crying won’t change anything. I’m not falling for it again."

Iheon’s gaze was cold as he watched Heemin cry, fingers tightening in the strands of hair at the back of his head.

When Heemin flinched at the sharp pain, Iheon’s expression twisted into something darker.

"A bastard who betrays once will always betray again."

“......”

"Too bad for you, I don’t get tricked twice."

“......”

"Every time I look at you, this scar on my eyebrow throbs."

His voice was glacial, slicing through the air like a blade.

"It feels like it’s whispering to me—telling me to rip apart the traitor who ruined my family and sold me off to the wolves."

The sheer frost in his tone sent a chill down Heemin’s spine.

Iheon’s eyes—bloodshot, burning with rage—made it clear.

At this moment, he truly believed Heemin was that Seo Heemin.

Heemin wanted to scream that it was all a misunderstanding.

That he wasn’t that person. That he had done nothing to deserve this.

But before he could force the words out—@@@@

"Hngh!"

Iheon yanked his head back again.

Their lips were so close that they nearly touched.

A hair’s breadth away, Iheon’s breath ghosted against Heemin’s trembling mouth as he whispered.

"Go ahead. Do whatever you want."

"Let’s see how this ends for the two of us."

Frankly, it was a miracle he hadn’t passed out sooner.

His last memories before losing consciousness played in reverse like a film being rewound.

Iheon carrying him.

Iheon’s tongue curling around his.

Heemin taking the initiative to kiss him in a desperate attempt to clear up the misunderstanding.

...God, that’s embarrassing.

His face burned.

Sure, it had resolved the situation—for now. But the sheer humiliation made him want to crawl under the covers and never come out again. If not for the IV line, he might’ve actually kicked the blanket in frustration.

And then—

The longer the kiss had gone on, the more strange, indescribable sensations had surfaced.

It had felt weird.

If not for Seo Heemin’s natural resistance to Alpha pheromones, maybe—just maybe—he would have actually enjoyed it.

I must be losing my mind.

The sensation of Iheon’s tongue invading his mouth resurfaced vividly in his memory. The heat, the pressure.

Just remembering it made him bury himself deeper into the blanket, pulling it up to his chin.

That kiss hadn’t been gentle. It had been forceful, almost violent.

And yet—

Instead of being completely repulsed, he found himself hoping that next time, it might be softer.

Next time?

...Something was seriously wrong with him.

Had he been hit by his sisters too many times growing up?

To think he had even the slightest hint of a masochistic streak—something he’d only ever read about in novels—it was just as shocking as waking up in this fictional world.

“You’re awake?”

The glass door slid open, and Dr. Hwang stepped inside, having clearly been waiting for him to regain consciousness.

Shoving aside his chaotic thoughts, Heemin greeted him.

“Hello, Doctor.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better. Is Hyung—”

“Hyung? Oh, you mean CEO Cha?”

“Yes. The CEO.”

The living room was empty—no sign of either Iheon or Secretary Jung. Only Ms. Ahn, the housekeeper, was visible, tidying up.

Noticing Heemin glancing around, Dr. Hwang flopped down onto the chair beside the bed and spoke.

“He was sitting right there, watching over you, but something urgent came up, so he had to go back to the office.”

Then, with a teasing smirk, he added, “Want me to call him back for you?”

“...No, it’s fine.”

Heemin felt a pang of guilt.

Because of him, Iheon had been forced to leave his office on his very first day as CEO.

Of course, if Iheon had just listened to him instead of losing his temper, none of this would have happened in the first place—so really, it was his own damn fault.

Still, Heemin felt a little bad.

“Hey, Doctor?”

“If you’re about to ask me to eat ramen with you again, the answer’s no, you little punk.”

Dr. Hwang shook his head, looking thoroughly exasperated.

It seemed he had no intention of getting scolded by Iheon a second time.

“No, no! It’s not that.”

Heemin quickly waved his hands in protest before hesitantly asking,

“Have you seen a shopping bag? It’s gray with a teal logo on it.”

His stomach was rumbling from skipping lunch, but today, he wasn’t craving ramen.

What he really wanted—what he needed—was the BurX waffles he hadn’t gotten to eat.

Silently, he prayed that Secretary Jung had been competent enough to bring the bag back with them.

Dr. Hwang frowned. “A shopping bag?”

“Yeah, it has ‘Shinwon Cement’ written on it.”

“Oh, that thing? Hold on, I’ll go get it.”

Of course, Secretary Jung hadn’t let him down.

He was, after all, Cha Iheon’s right-hand man. The epitome of competence.

His reliability was almost too good—it was downright impressive.

At this rate, ‘not neglecting his duties’ wasn’t enough praise.

If Heemin ever got closer to Iheon, he was definitely going to suggest giving Secretary Jung a raise.