Scapegoat Wife
“…Are you still afraid?”
Handling something as if it were exceedingly precious, he embraced Suhoe* very slowly. Suhoe shook his head, yet his tears did not stop.
For the first time in his life, Dowoon, who had never comforted anyone before, forced out unfamiliar words.
“…Ha, can’t you stop crying?”
They were words he had never once spoken aloud.
“What should I do so you won’t cry?”
The more Dowoon watched Suhoe sob within his arms, the more the pain constricting his heart grew intense.
It felt as if the curse had crawled deep into his heart, setting down its roots.
“Tell me. I’ll do anything.”
At that moment, Suhoe stammered a question in return.
“Mr. Dowoon, what do you want me to do?”
Seeing him struggle to hold back his tears, speaking in that pitiful voice, was like hell.
Dowoon buried his face once more into Suhoe’s shoulder and breathed in his scent deeply.
A grassy scent mixed with a faint salty tang — and within it, a subtle floral fragrance bloomed.
The medication had dulled it considerably, yet Dowoon could still faintly detect his wife’s pheromones drifting in the air. He murmured softly,
“…That mutt wagging his tail at you — that Seojun or whatever his name is. Don’t let him touch your body. Just as in our contract.”
“But… Jun is my friend.”
“Then, at least don’t let him lay a hand on you. At the very least, keep that promise.”
Suhoe’s eyes wavered briefly.
“…Is that all you want? Just… as long as he doesn’t touch me…?”
“Yeah. Just that. Let only me touch your body.”
Footnotes:
- *Suhoe: The name of the “omega” (수, su) character in the story. In Omegaverse fiction, “su” generally refers to the receiving partner in a male/male relationship, but here it is also his given name.
