For a Hungry Omega

Jung Haon set his phone down and wriggled his hands and feet.

The moment the call with the man ended, the trembling that had gripped his body stopped as if it had never been there.

The man probably hadn’t even left yet, but it already felt like he was nearby. A sense of relief, impossible to describe with words, gradually thawed the chill that clung to his body.

“Thank you so much…”

Haon murmured as he massaged his leg, which had gone numb from kneeling for too long. Just the fact that the man had answered his call at such a late hour was enough to be grateful for—but the fact that he’d offered to come over immediately, without hesitation, made his heart ache with gratitude.

Haon wanted to repay him somehow.

He looked around the room, hoping to find something—anything—he could give, but of course, nothing really stood out. Even if he handed over the best thing he owned, it would probably just be a useless burden for the man.

But maybe something edible would be okay.

That thought led him to open the cabinet under the sink. Inside were a few energy bars he ate in place of meals, and a large box of soy milk. Thankfully, it was unopened.

He checked the generous expiration date, then carefully wiped off the dust from the box. After inspecting it to make sure there were no scratches, he placed it inside a large backpack. It was the same bag he’d carried when he first came up to Seoul.

Along with the soy milk, he packed a change of clothes for work tomorrow.

He hesitated over whether to pack underwear, then just decided to change into a fresh pair in advance.

Since he was a bit slow-moving, the time it took to pack and change clothes added up.

By the time he unplugged the electric heating pad, his phone rang again.

“Yes, hello?”

— I’m here.

He’d expected the man to say he was nearby, but instead, he said he had already arrived.

Flustered, Haon quickly threw on his backpack. Standing at the front door, his feet suddenly felt heavy again—but he forced himself to grab the doorknob. Just thinking that the man was standing right outside helped push back the fear.

Ah—shoes.

He’d nearly walked out barefoot. Just as he bent down to hastily slip his shoes on,

Knock knock.

A knock rang out, and Haon dropped to the floor as if struck, frozen like a stone.

“It’s me, Haon-ssi.”

His blocked breath was suddenly released at the sound of the man’s voice. It felt like he might pass out from the rush of air.

“Are you okay? I’m right in front of the door.”

The man must’ve stepped closer, because he twisted the doorknob again.

Clack!

It made a loud sound, like it might snap off entirely. He shook it with such force that it seemed like he could rip the whole thing off.

Maybe he hadn’t been using full strength that day after all.

“I-I’ll open it!”

Haon hurriedly unlocked the door before the knob could break off. As he stumbled out, the man caught him, steadying his unsteady frame, then peered into the apartment with a hard glare.

His expression darkened, and it was like he’d become a completely different person.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

He pulled his gaze away from the empty apartment and focused on Haon’s condition. Once he was sure there was no visible harm, his expression finally softened.

“You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”

“Y-Yeah… I’m not hurt.”

Haon let out a long breath. The man placed a hand on Haon’s shoulder, gently trying to support him as he spoke.

“Let’s head to the car first.”

“Um…”

But Haon stopped walking and looked up at the man with a worried expression.

“Did you… happen to drink alcohol?”

The strong smell of alcohol clung to the man like a cloud. It was sharp enough to sting his nose, as if the man had been doused in it. The fact that he could still speak clearly with such a stench was almost impressive.

“Is it that bad?”

The man stepped back a little and covered his mouth with his large hand. But even then, the thick scent of alcohol seeped from his breath.

Haon, lying through his teeth, replied with a straight face, “Just a little.”

“Then… are you driving?”

“I called a chauffeur. Don’t worry.”

With a soft smile, the man stepped back again, creating more distance.

“Want me to carry your bag?”

Noticing the heavy-looking backpack, he asked while still covering his mouth. Haon shook his head, insisting he was fine, and quietly followed the man out of the building.

Despite Haon’s worries, the man went down the stairs without a hitch. Still, Haon reached his arm out awkwardly toward the man’s broad back, just in case he fell.

“Um… thank you.”

He readied himself to catch him if he collapsed, voicing his gratitude. The man simply shook his head and waved a pale hand, as if telling him not to worry.

“I was heading home anyway.”

Even with Haon behind him, the man kept one hand over his mouth as he spoke.

He doesn’t have to go that far… Haon parted his lips to say something, but the man walked so quickly that the distance between them grew, and the timing slipped away.

***

“Are you cold?”

The man, seated in the backseat with Haon, slightly rolled down the window and asked.

“No, I’m okay.”

“If you get cold, let me know.”

Haon replied with a quiet “Okay,” and rested the heavy backpack on his knees. Even if he opened the window fully, it didn’t seem like it would be cold. The air inside the car was comfortably warm, and like the last time, the seat was heated—soft and toasty.

The stiffness in his body began to melt away the moment it touched the warmth of the seat.

“I was really worried about you.”

Leaning his head against the window, the man rested his chin on his hand and looked at Haon. His eyes were silently asking, What happened to you?

“Ah… well…”

Haon adjusted the strap of his backpack, cleared his throat, and began to explain what had happened a few hours ago.

The man, lips half-covered, listened closely to Haon’s slow and cautious words.

After finishing his not-so-long explanation, Haon scratched the back of his hand.

Now that he’d said it all out loud, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal. He felt just the tiniest twinge of regret for having called the man over because of something like this.

No—what he really felt was worry. Worry that the man might regret coming.

“That must’ve been really scary.”

The man, who had calmly listened the whole time, finally spoke. He let out a small sigh as he looked out the window, then turned back to Haon.

“Still, I’m glad nothing actually happened.”

His words came out slowly and a bit muffled behind his hand, which was still covering part of his mouth. His eyelids, fixed on Haon, were beginning to droop.

“There really are a lot of strange people out there…”

His sentence trailed off as he gradually closed his eyes. His lips murmured, too many, but it wasn’t long before his mouth, like his eyes, fell completely still.

He must’ve been exhausted.

Haon sat upright and glanced at his phone as he watched the man fall asleep.

It was 5 a.m.

No wonder he was so sleepy—he’d been drinking until now.

Haon, on the other hand, was wide awake. The moment he came face to face with the man, all his fear and sleepiness had vanished. And when he heard the man say he was worried about him, it sent a quiet tension back into his once-limp body.

He hugged the sloshing box of soy milk close to his chest, watching the scenery fly by outside the window. Then slowly, he turned his head toward the man—not the man’s reflection in the window this time, but the real him.

The man slept soundly, not even making a sound with his breathing.

He didn’t wake up once the entire ride back to his place.

Haon watched him for a long while, as if observing a curious lifeform. Then he looked down at his own hand and held up four fingers. He hadn’t forgotten the mental checklist he’d jotted down with those fingers as a notepad.

Say thank you. Ask about his clothes. Refuse help. And look around for a new place.

Fixing his eyes on his four outstretched fingers, Haon glanced back at the sleeping man—then quietly folded down three, leaving only one finger raised.

***

As soon as the car engine shut off, the man opened his eyes, walking as if he had never fallen asleep in the first place.

Haon, who had no memory of walking into the man’s home on his own two feet, glanced around the unfamiliar front hallway, his eyes shifting awkwardly.

“Haon-ssi.”

The man placed his hand on the door lock and gave him a look, as if to say remember this.

He pressed the digits slowly, making sure Haon could clearly see all eight numbers of the passcode.

“Got it memorized?”

“Yeah…”

Haon wasn’t sure if he should even know this, but he nodded anyway.

The man smiled with his eyes, then opened the front door wide and motioned for Haon to go in first.

Feeling a bit shy, Haon stepped into the apartment.

For some reason, it felt even bigger than it had the first time he came.

“Do you want something to eat? Are you hungry?”

The man, now in the kitchen, asked as he pulled a blue bottle from the fridge.

Chik—the cap popped off with a fizzing sound, like cracking open a beer can.

‘Wait… is he seriously drinking again?’

“I’ve got some fruit, but… if there’s anything you want, I can just order it.”

He glanced briefly through the fridge while sipping from the bottle, then closed it again.

“There’s really not much in the house right now.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not hungry.”

“If you get hungry later, call this number.”

He pulled out his phone and sent Haon a contact.

“You should be able to order just about any kind of Korean food. Or you can just tell me directly.”

With that, the man drained nearly half of the blue bottle in one go. He must’ve been thirsty.

“Want some?”

Haon had been eyeing the pretty blue bottle anyway, so he didn’t turn it down. He was slightly worried that it might actually be alcohol, but curiosity won out—he wanted to know what it tasted like.

The man immediately took another bottle out of the fridge, opened it, and handed it over.

‘Ugh… this is awful.’

Following his lead, Haon took a sip straight from the mouth of the bottle and winced. It tasted like soda water with all the sweetness stripped away.

“You can stay in the same room you slept in last time. Or if you want to check out the other rooms, go ahead—make yourself at home.”

The man, too busy gesturing around the house, didn’t notice Haon’s scrunched-up expression. He finished the rest of his own drink in one go.

‘Drinking that whole tasteless thing? That’s kind of impressive.’

“The toiletries in there are all new—feel free to use them. And…”

He trailed off, seeming to think over what else Haon might need.

But Haon had already received more kindness than he could ever repay. He couldn’t bear to be any more of a burden. Quickly swallowing to rinse away the lingering taste of the carbonated water, he spoke up.

“I can just sleep on the couch.”

Last time, he’d just passed out without thinking, but now that he was fully aware, he didn’t want to take over the man’s bedroom again.

“Please sleep inside. I’m fine sleeping literally anywhere. Even the veranda’s fine.”

He wasn’t joking. As long as he had a thin blanket, even the entryway would be okay.

The man, now placing his empty bottle on the kitchen table, tilted his head and stared softly at Haon. Then he turned first and started walking toward the room.

“There’s a separate bedroom for me. This one’s the guest room, so don’t feel uncomfortable.”

Turning just his head toward Haon, he added an explanation. He didn’t go in, but opened the door and waited until Haon walked in on his own.

“Then… would it be okay if I stayed just until the end of this week? I’m planning to find a new place this weekend.”

If there wasn’t space at the omega boarding house, he’d move into a one-room apartment even if it stretched his budget. He didn’t think he could sleep alone in that house again.

“You can stay longer.”

The man, now turning on the light in the room Haon would use, spoke slowly.

“There are plenty of spare rooms, and I’m… a pretty safe person.”

He placed his hand over his chest, and once again, his eyelids began to grow heavy.

“If you say no, I’ll never lay a hand on you.”

“No, that’s not it… I just feel bad, that’s all.”

Haon stepped into the room the man had pointed out.

At that, the man’s languid smile deepened.

“I like helping people.”

Still holding his hand over his chest, he continued speaking.

There was still a strong scent of alcohol clinging to him, yet it no longer stung Haon’s nose. Maybe it had mixed with the man’s cologne—because now, oddly enough, it smelled… pleasant.

‘Is my nose going numb?’

“I was really glad you called me, Haon-ssi. I think I’d be even happier if you stayed here comfortably.”

Unaware of Haon’s tangled thoughts, the man covered his mouth with his fist and took a step back. His eyes looked ready to close at any moment, but his steps remained perfectly steady—it was kind of amazing.

“And right now… I’m so sleepy.”

He mumbled softly and turned his back.

Even though the man wasn’t looking, Haon gave a polite bow and thought to himself,

‘He’s way more drunk than he looks.’