Falling for the Omega Idol

Chapter 260: JEJU ACTIVITY (IX)

EUNWOO reached the waterfall first and stopped at the wooden viewing platform. The water fell from a high cliff into a wide pool below, the splash creating a light mist that drifted toward him. The pool was dark green and clear, with large rocks scattered near the edge. Lush trees and bushes grew along both sides of the cliff, their branches hanging over the water.

The sound of the waterfall was loud, almost drowning out the voices of the other visitors standing nearby. A concrete bridge crossed the lower part of the stream, and a stone pathway followed the curve of the pool. He stood still for a moment, catching his breath, then turned to wait for the others.

But his gaze immediately went to Haneul. The others had been walking ahead, but Haneul had been falling behind the whole time. Even when he tried to speed up, he still ended up at the back. Eunwoo also noticed that Haneul’s face was redder than usual. Maybe the heat was finally getting to him?

Then Eunwoo noticed Jeon Hyunsik slow down until he was walking next to Haneul. He seemed to whisper something to him, and Haneul flinched. But the flinch didn’t last. A look of pure anger quickly replaced it as Haneul turned to face him. The intensity of it made Jeon Hyunsik pull back slightly.

Eunwoo was surprised by Haneul’s reaction. This was probably the first time he’d seen him respond like that. Even when Jeon Hyunsik had been acting like a slimy bastard, Haneul had always just smiled through it and pretended nothing was wrong. But not this time. It seemed like Haneul didn’t even care that a camera was still filming them.

Then Haneul strode forward with clear determination. Before Eunwoo could dwell on it further, Suho appeared at his side and let out an excited shout.

"Wow, this place is beautiful!"

Haneul finally reached the viewing platform. Now that he was closer, Eunwoo could see his face was even redder than it had looked from a distance. His skin was flushed, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He looked like he was running a fever.

Eunwoo’s brow furrowed with worry. He was about to ask if Haneul was okay when Suho suddenly sniffed the air and turned toward Haneul with a dazed look. He even leaned in, like he was about to smell him. Eunwoo’s body reacted before his brain caught up. He yanked Haneul behind him and planted himself between the two of them.

That seemed to snap Suho out of whatever had come over him. He blinked a few times, looking confused. "I... what..." he stammered.

"Something’s wrong with me," Eunwoo heard Haneul whisper from behind him. "Call the staff over and have them take our picture. I’m going to do something I wouldn’t normally do, but please, just back me up and keep Jeon Hyunsik away from me."

"What do you mean—"

"Now, Eunwoo hyung!"

The urgency in Haneul’s voice made Eunwoo act. He turned to the staff and called out. "Excuse me, could you take a picture of us?"

As he said that, Jeon Hyunsik reached the viewing platform. He tried to move closer to Haneul, but Eunwoo kept Haneul firmly behind him, blocking the way.

The staff heard him, and one of them pulled out a camera, aiming it in their direction. "Alright, say kimchi!"

Haneul shifted slightly from behind Eunwoo, just enough for the camera to catch him in the frame. Once the photo was taken, he stepped to Eunwoo’s left, right where Jeon Hyunsik was standing. He remembered the look Jeon Hyunsik had given him earlier, that mix of fake concern and barely hidden lust. Haneul’s fingers twitched. He wanted to claw his eyes out right there and then.

He purposely bumped into Jeon Hyunsik and pretended to lose his balance. It wasn’t hard, considering how close he already felt to passing out. Just as he expected, Jeon Hyunsik used that chance to hold on to him. The moment those hands touched him, Haneul had to fight the urge to gag. Instead, he stilled his body and made a face like he was catching a whiff of something he shouldn’t be smelling. After a second, he pushed himself away from Jeon Hyunsik.

As he pushed away, his body tipped over, but Eunwoo was already there, catching him like he’d been ready to move the whole time to do just that. Haneul ignored that and just kept following through with what he’d planned.

He turned to Jeon Hyunsik with a horrified look. "What... what did you do to me?"

It was probably the first time Haneul had ever seen a genuinely confused expression on Jeon Hyunsik’s face. Like he actually didn’t know what Haneul was doing right now. Good. The two staff members finally noticed something was wrong. They looked at Haneul’s face, and he didn’t have to act much. His discomfort was obvious enough without him having to pretend.

"What’s going on here?" one of the staff asked, her gaze moving from Haneul to Jeon Hyunsik before settling back on Haneul. "Are you okay, Kang Haneul-ssi?"

Haneul answered before Jeon Hyunsik could speak. "He hugged me, and then I smelled something strange. I think it was his pheromones..? Now I feel really sick. Please, just take me to the hospital."

It wasn’t like he was lying. Ever since earlier, every time Jeon Hyunsik got close, Haneul could smell something rotten, like spoiled fruit. It was faint at first, but now it was stronger.

The two staff members turned to Jeon Hyunsik with suspicion in their eyes. The driver had also made his way over by now. The cameraman, surprisingly or maybe not, was still filming.

"I think Haneul-ssi is in heat and not thinking clearly," Jeon Hyunsik said, trying to sound calm and reasonable. But Haneul caught the way the corner of his mouth tensed.

"I... I also think Haneul might be in heat," Suho said, his voice unsure. He looked at Jeon Hyunsik with a mix of confusion and suspicion. "But Hyunsik hyung, I can smell traces of your pheromone too. I have a really good nose, you see."

Nice assist, Suho. That was Haneul’s last clear thought before everything went dark.