For a Hungry Omega

He had planned to go alone.

Haon had refused several times, but the man insisted on taking him home and followed after him. He tried to turn him down until the very end, but when he heard that the buses had probably stopped running by now, he had no choice but to accept a ride in the man’s car. Come to think of it, he didn’t even have his wallet, so he wouldn’t have been able to take the bus anyway.

Dding—.

Soon, the elevator arrived, and as Haon got on with the man, he kept double-checking the display panel. Seeing the number 71 lit up, he first thought he had misread it as 7. Then he assumed it was supposed to be 17 and the panel was glitching.

But as the numbers slowly descended past the 50th floor, he subtly grabbed onto the handrail.

“Having trouble standing?”

The man asked, noticing Haon leaning against the wall. He must have still thought Haon wasn’t feeling well.

“No, I’m okay.”

Haon shook his head, gazing up at the man who lived higher up than even the 63 Building. He had always looked impressive, but now he almost seemed to glow with a divine aura.

Even after hearing Haon say he was fine, the man continued to stare at him like he was a fragile patient. His expression had been off ever since he asked Haon’s age. Was he still under the impression that Haon was underage?

“Eat something light before you sleep.”

As the display dropped into the basement floors, the man brought up food again. Haon had no intention of eating but nodded as if he understood.

“You haven’t eaten properly in five days, so avoid anything too strong or spicy.”

“Wh—What?”

Haon, who had been nodding like a doll, suddenly froze and looked up at the man.

“F-Five days?”

When the man confirmed it, Haon’s wide eyes grew even rounder.

“Isn’t today… Sunday?”

“No, it’s Wednesday.”

‘What the hell, Wednesday?’

Haon had assumed it was still the weekend. His last clear memory was finishing his Friday night shift, and everything had gone black after that. Naturally, he thought it was Sunday night by now.

His intense heat cycle had never lasted more than two days. Usually, the day after being with an Alpha, his mind would clear, and the arousal would fade.

‘So why had it dragged on for five days this time?’

No—more importantly, what about work?

Not only had he missed his weekend part-time job, now he was about to lose his weekday one, too. The weekday gig was at a high-end restaurant, where he had to pay attention to a lot of details, but both the staff and the customers were kind. He’d really wanted to complete the full term of the job.

He still had a whole month left on his contract…

As Haon stepped out of the elevator behind the man, a shadow of deep concern crossed his face. The man, matching Haon’s pace, walked beside him as Haon rubbed his face with a dry hand. Unaware of the man’s quiet attentiveness, Haon pressed his fingertips lightly to the corners of his eyes and let out a short sigh. It wasn’t a long sigh—because, really, this kind of thing had happened far too often to be surprised anymore.

The man had been watching the subtle shifts in Haon’s expression with interest, but just before their eyes met, he turned away—so naturally it was almost imperceptible.

***

Inside the car, there wasn’t much conversation. The man seemed focused on driving, while Haon was preoccupied with secretly checking out the interior of the luxury foreign car—something he’d never been in before. Honestly, since he usually only took buses or the subway, just riding in the passenger seat felt like an adventure.

He glanced at the quiet roads outside—it was early enough that traffic was light—and then let his eyes wander again around the car. This would probably be his one and only chance to ride in such an expensive vehicle, so he mentally cataloged every pristine corner, not even a speck of dust in sight.

As his eyes sparkled with fascination, Haon suddenly sniffed the air. There was a strangely pleasant scent lingering in the car. It smelled like something that would naturally come from the man—warm, clean, and undeniably comforting.

The more he breathed it in, the more relaxed he felt, though he wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was the warmth against his back.

‘Yeah… money really does buy happiness.’

He leaned back into the seat, which felt as warm as a heated blanket, and a wave of drowsiness came over him. He had been planning to go home and slap a couple of disposable heat packs on his lower back and butt anyway. Now, with that much-needed warmth soaking into his body, his tired mind and aching muscles began to melt away like snow. His naturally simple personality came in handy at times like this.

“Feels like I’m in a sauna.”

“Too warm?”

The man responded to Haon’s muttered thought, and Haon’s sleepy eyes popped open in surprise.

“No! I mean—it’s nice and toasty!”

He even gave a thumbs-up. Seeing that, the man pressed a button somewhere, and the seat grew even warmer. The ache in Haon’s lower back eased significantly.

“Thank you.”

Haon hugged the black shopping bag resting on his lap and expressed his gratitude sincerely. He felt a bit guilty—he’d received clothes, now a ride in a luxury car, and all he had to offer in return were words of thanks.

But realistically, there wasn’t anything else he could do. To Haon, the man seemed like someone who had everything. Anyone who saw him would likely think the same.

Handsome, rich, kind—and on top of that, not an Omega or a Beta, but an Alpha.

‘Must be nice to live like that.’

Haon found himself envying the man’s effortless aura. If he could be reborn, he’d want to come back exactly like that man. Of course, only if his grandmother, Seongu hyung, and all the people from his hometown were still by his side.

While Haon was lost in these carefree thoughts, the man’s phone rang. The name of the caller flashed across the car’s navigation screen. Without hesitation, the man hit the decline button.

“You can take it if you want….”

“It’s an unknown number.”

‘But it was a saved contact, wasn’t it?’

Haon could have sworn he saw the name “Park Jung-hyuk” appear. A bit puzzled, he nodded and turned his gaze toward the window. Before he knew it, familiar buildings were starting to appear outside.

The closer they got to home, the more reluctant Haon felt for some reason. Maybe it was just that he knew he’d probably never get to ride in such a nice car again.

The man’s face reflected clearly in the clean window. Pretending to look out at the street, Haon secretly stared at the side of his face for a long while. The more he looked, the more astonishing it was.

Not just handsome—beautiful, really.

“Is it that building?”

Just as Haon was about to doze off in the warmth of the seat, the man asked. They’d arrived sooner than he expected.

“Yes, that’s right. You can drop me off just up ahead.”

He pointed toward a faded old supermarket sign, the letters barely legible, and opened his mouth to say more while unbuckling his seatbelt. He felt guilty letting the man go after bringing him all the way home.

But the place he lived in was even more run-down than the old supermarket, just a shabby goshiwon (a tiny dorm-style rooming house), so he couldn’t even offer him a cup of tea. If it were his house back in the countryside, he could’ve brought out snacks and even cooked a little something for him.

“Thank you… for bringing me all the way home.”

As Haon glanced out the window, wondering if he should go into the market and buy something for the man, the latter gently tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips, gazing up at the decrepit goshiwon building. Compared to the luxury high-rise he lived in, it must’ve looked like nothing at all, yet his gaze lingered, soft and unhurried.

“Do you eat snacks?”

Haon asked, thinking of going to the store while hesitating for the man to say something first. If he wasn’t the snack type, he figured he’d just grab a box of fruit juice instead. Somehow, the man didn’t seem like the kind of person who ate chips or cookies.

As Haon was thinking that and about to fully unbuckle his seatbelt—

“Just a glass of water will do.”

The man replied while undoing his own seatbelt. Huh? Just one glass? That meant… he was coming up?

Haon blinked blankly, and the man tilted his head slightly, as if to ask if it was okay for him to come along.

The moment he met the gaze of a man who’d stared straight ahead the entire drive, Haon’s heart suddenly thundered in his chest. The confined space seemed to amplify the sheer intensity of his face—it was too much, in the best possible way.

“S-Sure, come on.”

To hide his pounding heartbeat, Haon abruptly swung the car door open. And just like that, he ended up inviting the man into his home.

He quickly rushed up the stairs, thinking of that cramped little room with barely enough space to lie down. He wanted to get there first and at least fold the blanket or something. He had to make sure there was enough room to sit, at the very least.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Lost in thoughts about his room, Haon bumped into a student coming out of the third-floor hallway. The guy was tall as a tree and initially scowled, but the moment he saw Haon’s face, his expression softened.

Grinning in a friendly way, the student gestured for Haon to go ahead.

“Thank you.”

Haon bowed politely and hurried up two steps at a time. His mind was racing, so he didn’t notice the student watching his back with an unrelenting stare. Nor did he notice the man trailing behind him, head slowly tilting to the side, observing in silence.

“Here it is.”

Haon rushed into the room ahead of him, quickly tidied things up, and then stepped back out to wave the man in.

The man climbed the stairs very slowly and paused for a moment as he took in the hallway, thick with cobwebs and dust. His expression didn’t shift much, but the hesitation in his movements made it clear he was taken aback.

Seeing this, Haon chose not to invite him inside. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of water and came back out into the corridor. Letting him into a place that reeked of cheap air freshener and dampness felt worse than simply offering him a drink.

It turned out to be the right call. When Haon returned with the water, the man’s expression softened a little. Thank god.

“Thanks for bringing me home. You can have this when your blood sugar’s low.”

Haon handed him a 500ml bottle of water along with two energy bars. It was one of the few snacks Haon actually ate on a regular basis. Packed with nuts, they often served as his makeshift meals.

“Thank you.”

The man accepted the bottle and bars while staring quietly at Haon’s fresh-faced expression. Haon had expected him to turn and walk away immediately, but instead, the man lingered, just glancing around the run-down corridor without moving.

“That student from earlier… he looked like an Alpha.”

‘Did he?’

Haon, who didn’t actually know the secondary gender of the student on the third floor despite running into him often, nodded vaguely. He was pretty insensitive to pheromones, so unless someone made it obvious, he couldn’t really tell. Especially with recessive Alphas.

“Aren’t there goshiwons for Omegas only?”

The man murmured quietly, strolling toward the row of doors crammed side by side. He walked straight over to Haon’s door—the one he’d just come out of—and closed it with his foot, waiting until the old-school mechanical lock clicked into place.

“There are, but openings are rare. And the rent’s way higher, too.”

Though puzzled by the man’s behavior, Haon still answered sincerely. Then he reached out instinctively when he saw the man grab the locked doorknob with force.

Clunk!

“W-What are you doing?”

Startled, Haon rushed over as the man yanked the doorknob hard. Completely ignoring him, the man continued shaking the handle with alarming strength. Even though the door was locked, it rattled as if it might break off its rusty hinges at any moment. Haon, anxious the door might actually give way, hovered nervously beside him, trying to stop him with words.

“Please, stop. Stop it.”

But he only tried to stop him verbally—he didn’t dare lay a hand on him.

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Was he that shocked by how rundown the place is?’

Rattle! Clunk!

“Ugh, what the hell is all that noise?”

At last, the neighbor next door swung his door open. Judging by the scowl on his face, the racket must’ve woken him up, and he looked twice as pissed as usual.

“…Ahem.”

Just as he looked like he was about to say something, the man saw who was gripping the doorknob and promptly retreated into his apartment without another word. This was the same neighbor who used to bang on the wall when Haon had even a short phone call with Seong-gu hyung, calling it too loud—but in front of this man, he didn’t make a peep.

Watching the neighbor practically flee, the man let out a short laugh and finally released the slightly bent doorknob.

“Guess the neighbor’s an Alpha too.”