Tensegrity

Jun-Kyung continued talking, barely swallowing the hot, wet lump that surged up.

─Are you in Yeouido now?

“Yes.”

─ Don’t hang up the phone. I am leaving right away.

“Yes….come quickly.”

ㅡ Is there a place to sit by?

“Ah, yes. Wait. a minute”

Jun-Kyung gulped his saliva and looked around. People were looking at him with strange eyes. And the employee who was approaching hurriedly whispered something through the ear.

“Are you okay? Your complexion is not looking good. Can I help you to the entrance?”

The employee held out his hand, asking anxiously.

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ㅡ Are you an employee?

“Yeah.” Jun-Kyung answered Executive Director Min’s question, but the employee seemed to take it as a positive affirmation and lightly placed his hand on Jun-Kyung’s arm.

An uncontrollable feeling of disgust rose up. Jun-Kyung trembled and shook his hand as if kicking away a dirty bug.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Customer?” While the surprised employee was frozen, another employee who sensed the commotion appeared. It was the same employee who guided Jun-Kyung at the entrance. He quickly whispered something to the earpiece in his ear.

ㅡ Jun-Kyung? What happened? We are on the go. I’ll be there in 5 minutes. Secretary Choi, step on it more. Ignore the signal. You can deal with it later. Jun-Kyung, are you listening?

“So I….” What can he say to the Executive Director Min who is on his way in a rush?

The people around them widened their distance and were wary of him. Even Jun-Kyung himself was very surprised. The most reliable person appeared together with the artist.

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“Jun-Kyung?” The wide-eyed madam approached urgently. Lee Si-Eun explained that she knows Jun-Kyung to the surprised employees.

“What’s the matter? Are you sick?” Madam asked gently.

ㅡ Are you his mother?

“Yes.”

Like the employee before, madam was confused as to what was going on. She tried to touch Jun-Kyung. He hated her touch although not as much as the staff.

“Don’t touch me.”

He refused, shaking his head hurriedly. Madam hesitated. She looked at Jun-Kyung with worried eyes and found the phone in his hand.

“Is this Hyun-Seung?”

Jun-Kyung nodded.

―I will be there in 3 minutes.

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“Is he on his way?”

He continued to nod. He tried to tell her Hyun-Seung would be there in three minutes, but his mouth was frozen.

“Taewon, what happened?” Other wives appeared. While madam was flustered, Lee Si-Eun ordered her staff to lead the visitors to another place. Even though people disappeared one by one, the tension did not go away.

Cold sweat broke out all over his body, while his mouth was dry. The other senses were noticeably dull, but on the contrary, the fingertips and toes were cold enough to be concerned about frostbite. His ears were ringing all the time, and the head was pounding as if it had been beaten with a hammer.

“Why is he like this?” One of the wives tried to come closer, but the other wife hurriedly stopped her.

“Don’t go close. Taewon-ah, you come back too.” The person who said it has a family member who is a male omega. “Anyway, it’s like bonding shock. We had a kid like that in our house too. Can’t touch him. If you do something wrong, he will be shocked. Taewon’s child is pregnant, so it’s more dangerous.”

“Then what do we do? Just leave him that way?”

“His husband has to come. Tell your son to come right away. And call 911.”

“I called 911 a while ago.” Lee Si-Eun replied. Madam couldn’t take her eyes off Jun-Kyung even as she stepped back.

“Executive Director Min is on his way. right?”

Jun-Kyung nodded his head barely up and down. His limbs stiffened. He breaks out in a cold sweat and is now short of breath. At first he tried to catch his breath somehow with deep breaths, but it became difficult every minute. Later, he began to hyperventilate, choking as if he were strangled.

His whole body was wet with sweat. He could feel it even without a mirror that his complexion was as white as white paper. His hands were shaking, and he couldn’t hold the phone any longer.

Baam.

Dropping the phone startled his mother-in-law.

“Oh, what should I do?”

Since she couldn’t touch him, she couldn’t even come close and only stomped her feet out of frustration. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the staff prevented visitors from entering this area at all.

“You can’t come this way.”

“Move! Or you will regret it!”

It was noisy outside. An employee was blocking someone. One of the wives who was close by looked at the commotion and shouted happily.

“Executive Director Min, here!”

“What’s going on?”

Executive Director Min, who appeared through the staff, stared at Jun-Kyung with equally surprised eyes,

“Ah…ah….ah…ah…”

The moment Jun-Kyung saw him, he felt a great sense of relief. But it turned out to be a grim harbinger.

The moment the tension that hampers the convulsions was slightly relieved, breathing was completely blocked. His throat was strangled, and he couldn’t lift a hand even though he was choking. Will he suffocate and die? Tears welled up in fear.

“Jun-Kyung-ah!”

The astonished Executive Director Min was about to rush in, but madam, who had previously told Jun-Kyung was in shock, hurriedly stopped him.

“No! If you touch him like that, he’ll be in big trouble!”

“Why?” Madam burst into tears and urgently reported the situation to Executive Director Min.

“There must be some kind of shock. I just called 911!”

“Wait a minute, Executive Director Min. Listen to me, don’t touch him suddenly. Go slowly and hold his hand, only his hand, got it?”

“A hand?”

“Yes. Hold his hand, hold his hand.”

Director Min, who slowly approached as his mother told him, slowly held out his hand. Jun-Kyung also wanted to hold Hyun-Seung’s hand. It feels as though if he holds that hand, the black and gray hands that wrapped around his whole body would disappear.

“Ah…ah….Hyun….”

“I will hold hands. Okay?”

Jun-Kyung couldn’t even nod his head anymore, so he just blinked. Tears welled up and dripped down. Director Min, who approached cautiously, stretched out his index and middle finger toward Jun-Kyung’s hand, which was still stiff in the position of holding the phone.

Hyun-Seung’s fingertips could Jun-Kyung’s trembling fingers. As the warm energy spread, the black hand that was clinging to it slid back.

“I am going to hold hands now.”

With a calm and cold voice, Executive Director Min grabbed Jun-kyung’s hand. Jun-Kyung’s stiff neck starts to move slowly. The warm palms melted the frozen shoulders and arms. Executive Director Min, who gently pull down his hand, stared at Jun-Kyung, who was still shaking.

“I’ll hold your other hand too.”

Blinking his eyes, Jun-Kyung nodded. When Hyun-Seung grabbed the other hand, the fishy hand wrapped around his neck slipped away.

“Cough!”

As soon as his throat was freed, Jun-kyung gasped for breath, puffing out his chest like a track athlete finishing his sprint. As the oxygen rushed towards his brain, he was momentarily dizzy.

The once frozen joints and muscles now melted could not support his body. Jun-Kyung collapsed.

“Jun-Kyung!”

There was no fall to the floor. As always, there was a strong arm that accepted Jun-Kyung in a dangerous moment. He felt dizzy as though he was about to pass out. Jun-Kyung gathered the last of his strength and grabbed the hem of the Executive Director’s clothes.

That was the end of his memory.

***

When he opened his eyes, he was in a hospital room. Beside him was madam, but her makeup was completely smeared. As soon as she met Jun-Kyung’s eyes and let out a small exclamation, she pressed the remote control next to her.

As soon as the button was pressed, the attending physician, nurse, and Executive Director Min appeared at the same time. The attending physician and nurse examined the condition and inquired.

“Were you suddenly unable to stop moving and have difficulty breathing?”

“Yes.”

“For no particular reason?” While nodding his head, his gaze turned slightly to Director Min who was behind the doctor. He knows his surroundings are harmless, but they felt strangely unpleasant.

Jun-Kyung twisted his head, not wanting the doctor to look into his eyes with a pin-light. When the doctor tried to put a hand on his stomach for auscultation, he almost jumped in a fit.

“Director Min!” As he stretched out his arms toward him, Executive Director Min immediately came over and hugged Jun-kyung. Other people were surprised, but in fact, Jun-Kyung himself was more surprised. He clung to Hyun-Seung Min’s arms like a frightened dog.

“As expected, bonding shock is right.”

The doctor, who lowered the stethoscope, made the worried madam take a step back.

“Is it dangerous?”

At madam’s question, the attending physician shook her head.

“No. Most of these are temporary. It’s a problem caused by hormones. It’s similar to panic disorder, but there’s no special medicine. But in the case of Mr. Jun-kyung Ho, the reaction seems to be a bit intense.”

“Then what should I do?”

“What do you mean? Executive Director Min made him like this, so he has to take responsibility.”

At those words, Executive Director Min turned his head to the attending physician.

“To be more specific…”

Suddenly, Jun-Kyung pulse rose, and his face flushed with heat. At the same time, he felt extreme discomfort. He didn’t want Director Min talking with other people. Jun-Kyung reached out his hand involuntarily and turned Hyun-Seung’s head toward him.

“Look this way.”

“What?”

“Don’t look at other people. Look only at me.”

After keeping his eyes open and staring into Director Min’s shocked eyes, Jun-Kyung rested his head on his broad shoulders.

“He’s kinda cute. How much did you bite and suck a person to the point of having the hormone level fluctuate?”

The attending physician clicked her tongue. The nurse also smiled. Like it or not, Jun-Kyung has no intention of handing over Director Min.

The attending physician continued to explain to the bewildered madam.

“Until Mr. Jun-Kyung Ho’s condition improves, Executive Director Min just has to do as Jun-kyung says. There is no other way. Executive Director Min is giving him sickness and also giving him medicine. The hospital is not a very good environment, so if you get all the fluids you need, leave the hospital right away. It would be better if it was just the two of them at home.”

“Is that really ok?” Madam asked.

“Is there a special medicine for love sickness? Your baby is the best medicine.”