For a Hungry Omega

Haon flinched and instinctively turned his head toward the sound. The man was just now getting up from the sofa. When Haon had looked a moment ago, the sofa had definitely been empty—he must have been lying down, hidden from view.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

The man smiled warmly as he looked at Haon’s face, still drowsy from sleep. That gentle smile was contagious—Haon’s lips curved upward reflexively.

“It’s late, so… how about some porridge?”

“Ah, n-no, I’m fine.”

Worried he might end up staring at the man’s face again, Haon lowered his gaze. In the light, the man’s strikingly handsome features stood out even more.

“Um… I think I should get going now.”

Haon tried to avoid looking directly at the man’s face as much as possible while speaking. He felt somewhat relieved knowing this was a house, not a hotel, so he didn’t have to worry about paying. As long as the man let him go without any fuss, he could return home with peace of mind.

“You’re leaving now?”

The man stepped closer. Haon glanced up slightly and gave a small nod. Now that he could see more clearly in the bright light, he noticed the man had soft, light brown hair. The color suited his clear, pale skin perfectly.

“It’s really late. Why don’t you just stay and head out in the morning?”

“I’m fine. I’ll go now.”

Avoiding eye contact again, Haon shook his head. He had to work the next morning—there was no time to linger. Just having lost a whole day to sleep had already been a huge blow to his finances.

“Thank you for letting me sleep here.”

He bowed politely, then looked around in search of the exit. The place was so large, he couldn’t even tell where the front door was.

“You’re just going to leave like that?”

Still glancing nervously at the man while looking for the door, Haon suddenly let out a soft gasp and looked down at himself. He’d completely forgotten—he was still in a bathrobe.

“I’ll bring your clothes. Wait in the room.”

Turning his back to Haon, the man walked away at a leisurely pace. Despite how slowly he moved, he was somehow twice as fast as Haon—probably because of those long legs.

Haon stared blankly at the retreating figure for a moment, then returned to the bedroom. Now that he thought about it, the man was tall, too.

Knock knock.

The soft knock prompted an immediate reaction from Haon, who quickly opened the door. He’d been waiting close by on purpose.

As soon as the door cracked open, a small face popped through. The man let out a faint chuckle and handed over a change of clothes and a shopping bag.

“Take your time getting dressed. Come out when you’re ready.”

At first glance, Haon thought the neatly folded clothes were someone else’s—they looked like something on display at a store. And then, what’s with this shopping bag?

“This is…”

Haon tilted his head in confusion as he accepted the shopping bag the man had handed him along with the clothes. Inside the sleek black bag, there were more clothes.

“Take it. They’re just things I had at home, so they’re not brand new. If you don’t like them, just leave them.”

With that, the man shut the door before Haon could even respond.

Click. The door closed softly. Haon stood there staring at the now heavier load in his arms, baffled. 

‘Why did he give me more clothes? He already washed mine.’

Still puzzled, he went over to the bed and slipped out of the bathrobe. As he gently picked up his ironed sweatshirt, a scent he didn’t recognize wafted up. It smelled so good, he instinctively brought it closer to his nose and took a few sniffs.

The more he thought about it, the more the man seemed like a genuinely good person. There had been times when his clothes got torn, but never had someone he’d slept with washed them, let alone ironed them.

Yeah. He’s definitely a good guy.

Thinking back, his body probably ached more than usual just because he wasn’t in the best shape lately. It was hard to imagine someone like that man being rough with him. He was nothing like the other Alphas Haon had dealt with before.

“…Huh?”

Haon froze mid-movement as he bent down to grab his pants. The neckline of the thin sweatshirt was stretched out—badly. It looked as though someone had yanked it hard. That part had been tucked inward before, so he hadn’t noticed until now.

No matter how you looked at it, the shirt had been grabbed by the collar. Just seeing that made his whole body tense up.

Feeling around the loose, stretched neckline, Haon let out a soft sigh and took the sweatshirt off again. It was so wide at the neck now that his collarbones were completely exposed—he couldn’t wear this out. He opted for the new clothes the man had given him instead. He even put on the pants from the bag.

‘Let’s get out of here.’

Stuffing his own clothes back into the shopping bag, he quickly straightened up the blanket on the bed and left the room. He realized he’d been way too comfortable in a stranger’s home. He didn’t even know this guy.

Clutching the shopping bag that now held his worn-out clothes, Haon cautiously stepped into the living room. He thought the man might be lying on the sofa again, so he moved toward the center of the room and spoke softly.

“Um…”

But the man was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was in another room—he wasn’t on the sofa or in the kitchen. ‘Should I just sneak out?’ He was still debating it when—

“You’re really not hungry?”

The man emerged from the end of the hallway, asking with a gentle tone. For some reason, he had changed clothes too.

“I can heat up the porridge real quick.”

He gestured toward the kitchen as he spoke, and once again, Haon’s defenses began to crumble. It was impossible to put up walls against someone who looked like that and spoke so kindly. At least for Haon, it was.

“I’m really okay. Eating late doesn’t sit well with me.”

He rubbed his stomach as he mumbled a pretty believable excuse. With everything his body had gone through that day, it made sense he’d be hungry—but he had no appetite at all.

“Thanks for the clothes.”

Haon stepped closer to the man and gripped the handle of the black shopping bag tightly. He didn’t bother asking about the state of his clothes. Pretending not to notice made things easier on his mind.

“This must happen to you a lot.”

The man, who had been quietly watching Haon, suddenly tilted his head to the side. The smile Haon had worn out of gratitude wavered.

“You seemed so used to it. You weren’t surprised, didn’t even ask who I was…”

‘Ah… so I looked used to it.’

Haon scratched his cheek, hesitating to respond. He wasn’t used to it—but he wasn’t exactly shocked either.

The only way to suppress a sudden heat was through sex with an Alpha. Since medication didn’t work on his body, he couldn’t take suppressants. That left him no choice but to rely on an Alpha when it happened.

“…It’s not that rare.”

Not knowing how much to reveal, he let his words trail off vaguely. It wasn’t like they were going to keep in touch—there was no reason to pour out his circumstances in detail.

More than anything, Haon didn’t want others knowing about his unusual physical symptoms. There were always those who reacted to his abnormal heats with warped curiosity or twisted interest. The man didn’t seem like that kind of person, but better safe than sorry.

“Do you remember coming here?”

The man crossed his arms and continued the questioning. Haon shook his head faintly in reply. He didn’t remember meeting the man, or even entering the house. Every time he went into heat, he lost his memory. That’s why he hadn’t been particularly shocked to wake up in someone else’s bed.

So many things had piled up over time that he didn’t even bother wondering anymore—Why am I here? Who’s this Alpha? All he ever wanted was to get the ordeal over with. The only thing on his mind was erasing the stranger from memory as quickly as possible.

Digging deeper would only lead to more hurt. And it was always Haon who ended up wounded—not the Alpha. That’s how it always went.

“Want me to explain?”

Haon shook his head more quickly at the gentle offer.

“You don’t have to.”

Knowing wouldn’t change anything. It didn’t affect his life in any meaningful way. He just wanted to go home, crawl under the covers, and fall asleep. He needed at least a little rest before work—and to conserve what little strength he had left.

“How old are you?”

Haon blinked at the sudden question. ‘Where’d that come from?’

The man’s expression stiffened a little as he studied Haon’s face closely, as if trying to guess his age.

“…You’re not a minor, right?”

“I’m not! I’m twenty-one!”

The question, asked in an increasingly serious tone, prompted a vehement denial. Haon had heard the same suspicion many times before thanks to his baby-faced features.

Seeing the crease form between the man’s brows, Haon reflexively reached for his ID, patting down his pockets—only to remember he wasn’t wearing his own clothes. No way his wallet would be in there.

Come to think of it, he didn’t see his phone or wallet anywhere. Maybe he hadn’t taken them out of the locker at the changing room. Hopefully, they weren’t lost.

“I swear, I’m not underage.”

With nothing to prove his age, Haon’s voice shrank, small and subdued. When he heard the man’s faint sigh, his shoulders curled inward. ‘I really am telling the truth…’

“Alright.”

The man stared at Haon, who was nervously biting his lower lip, then turned around. After glancing back once, as if to gesture follow me, he began walking ahead.

‘Looks like he’s walking me to the front door.’ Haon clutched his sore lower back and hurried to follow, trying to keep pace. Maybe hearing the urgency in his footsteps, the man naturally slowed down.