The smell of rusted metal was as familiar as the air clinging to his skin.
Over it was layered a foreign scent.
If salt could be felt by smell rather than taste, would it feel like this? Lost in thought, Jung Heeyeon leaned his head against the rough wall. Sitting with his knees drawn up made the dark, spacious area seem even vaster, but he didn’t mind. The small, fair omega simply stared into the endless darkness.
It seemed like quite some time had passed since the hutch had stopped moving.
Although calling this a ‘hutch’ was technically incorrect since it was sealed on all sides, Jung Heeyeon didn’t know any other name for it.
The smell of rusted metal and the chilling eeriness felt fitting enough, so calling it a hutch didn’t seem wrong.
He wiggled his toes but didn’t bother counting the time. As always, he chose to wait quietly.
Thump!
Someone struck the wall from outside. A dull sound echoed with vibrations that seemed to blend with multiple voices, but the indifferent omega didn’t react. As always, he instinctively held his breath.
Creeeeak—
With an ear-piercing noise, the door at the edge of his vision began to open. Moonlight poured in, filling the air with a salty scent that reached his nose. Footsteps followed, drawing nearer. The sudden light stung his eyes, and Jung Heeyeon lowered his eyelids halfway.
A series of footsteps trampled confidently through the cage, and the polished toe of an undoubtedly expensive shoe boldly entered his line of sight.
“What is this?”
Only when the low voice fell above his head did Jung Heeyeon lift his gaze. The owner of the shoes was looking down at him.
“What I was supposed to receive was….”
The backlight made it impossible to see the man’s face clearly. All Jung Heeyeon could discern was a large shadow leaning its head toward him.
“…not a mutt like this.”
The voice was calm, devoid of sarcasm, but somehow that calmness seemed to strip away dignity.
Yet, instead of feeling humiliated, Jung Heeyeon simply blinked slowly, his face expressionless.
As his eyes adjusted to the light, the man’s face became faintly discernible.
Unlike his gently raised lips, his gaze was as cold as that of a reptile. At that moment, Jung Heeyeon realized.
“…Ah.”
The stiff, salty breath lingering around him all day was the smell of the sea.
Jung Heeyeon looked up at the man gazing down at him, his lips slightly parted. The man’s faint smile deepened, while blue moonlight continued to pour in from behind.
It was a moment that was overly strange, overly beautiful, and overly chilling.
It was a world Jung Heeyeon had never seen before.
Not even once.
I will upload this series starting January 2025!
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