The tears didn't stop.
They kept slipping down Haneul's cheeks as he took another slow, shaky step toward Taekyun.
His hand rose weakly, pressing against Taekyun's chest, fingers trembling, breath uneven.
He looked up at him with eyes swollen from heat and heartbreak, a gaze that held accusation and longing at the same time.
Then, as if something inside him gave out, Haneul leaned forward.
Not romantically.
Just slowly, softly the way a tired child leans into the only warm place they can find.
His forehead brushed Taekyun's chest first.
Then his cheek.
Then he rubbed his head lightly, as if searching for comfort he didn't know how to ask for.
"I want… to stay here,"
He whispered, breath warm and light against Taekyun's shirt.
His eyes fluttered closed.
His breathing steadied.
And before Taekyun could even react, Haneul's entire body went limp completely asleep, standing, his weight melting into Taekyun's chest as if it was the only place left for him to rest.
Bora stood behind them, frozen.
Her hands shook.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
She didn't move forward.
She didn't say anything.
She stared, trembling, confusion tightening around her like a rope.
Before she could think, she turned and walked away, leaving the two behind, unable to handle the sight or what it meant.
Inside the hall,
Taekyun stood unmoving.
He was breathing, but it didn't feel like breathing.
More like the air was being pressed into his lungs by force.
Haneul's pheromones were too strong warm, heavy, wrapping around him, crawling under his skin.
So warm they soothed him.
So warm they made him furious.
Relaxation and anger twisting together inside him in a way he couldn't make sense of.
His mind screamed to push the Omega away.
His heart whispered something different.
Both fought inside him, loud and painful.
His arms stayed stiff at his sides, frozen like stone.
Haneul's whole weight rested on him but it felt like nothing.
Like Taekyun was carrying air.
Or a feather.
Or something too fragile to touch.
He swallowed hard, unsure of himself for the first time in years.
The man who confused everyone,
the man who never allowed room for confusion in himself,
the man who stood firm even when Harin cried or begged.
Now felt his entire world tilt.
Why was this happening?
Why did this Omega tilt everything inside him?
Why did it feel like something was filling a space in him he never knew existed?
He forced himself to look down.
Haneul's cheek was flushed scarlet, his lashes damp, his head tucked against Taekyun's chest like a child sleeping into safety.
The sight pushed something inside Taekyun so sharply he almost stepped back.
It wasn't desire.
It wasn't romance.
It was something impossible to name.
Something he didn't allow himself to feel.
A sudden voice crackled from the laptop on the floor the meeting he'd dropped and forgotten.
"Sir Taekyun? Are you alright? Sir?"
The meeting had been going on the entire time.
Taekyun blinked, staring at the laptop under Haneul's foot.
The screen wasn't cracked.
The call hadn't disconnected.
Haneul was that weightless.
That fragile.
With one arm,
Taekyun shifted and lifted him easily Haneul didn't even stir.
He slept more deeply against Taekyun's shoulder, seeking warmth without realizing it.
With his free hand,
Taekyun bent and picked up the laptop.
The directors on-screen froze.
All they saw was their chairman carrying someone small, their face buried into his chest.
Gasps.
Shocked whispers.
Confusion.
It wasn't Haru.
Who was he carrying?
Was Taekyun… dating?
That couldn't be possible.
Not Taekyun.
Not him.
But the way he held that person protective, steady, close.
Before anyone could speak,
Taekyun closed the laptop with one sharp click.
The screen went black.
He didn't waste a second.
He looked at Haneul.
Took a deep breath.
Then carried him upstairs.
Haneul's room was cold. Too cold.
Taekyun laid him on the bed carefully, more carefully than he had ever handled anyone.
He covered him fully with the blanket, tucking it around his shoulders.
Haneul's face softened into the pillow, his breathing small and quiet.
Taekyun remained there for a long moment.
He sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the fragile Omega who had turned his world upside down.
"Who are you actually in my life?"
He whispered, voice low.
"Why are you pushing me this much?"
He exhaled, long and heavy.
"Why aren't you getting out of our lives?"
His gaze softened, pulled back even though he fought it.
"I wanted someone who would care for my daughter. Who would give her the love she never got."
He lowered his eyes.
"But I never asked for someone to love me. I don't deserve it."
He looked at Haneul again.
"You came too late in my life."
His throat tightened.
"You helped my daughter speak. Call me dad. You fixed things I never could.
And still… I can't let you enter my world."
He shook his head slowly.
"It's not about Eunoia. It's not about the people. It's my laws. My nature. The things I can't go against."
A whisper escaped him one he'd never say if Haneul was awake.
"I can't lose anyone anymore. Not because of my recklessness. Not again."
He stood.
"In your case, Haneul…"
his voice roughened, almost breaking,
"I'll be blind. I'll be mute. I'll be deaf."
Then he walked to the door.
He didn't look back.
The moment he stepped out, the room felt colder.
And Haneul, sleeping deeply, curled his fingers weakly into the blanket as if reaching for someone who had already walked away.