On-Way Passage || ᴠᴍɪɴ

Chapter 5

The hospital room was only so big; though Jimin had said that he’d walk around the room, there was practically nowhere to go. He came to a halt near the window and opened the curtains to gaze outdoors after a few paces.

Soon after, he felt Taehyung’s presence next to him.

The scent of plants and flowers filled the room as the night breeze passed through. At the same time, the air was saturated with another smell. It had a cool, woody scent to it, like the scent of a particular tree. It was difficult to convey in a few simple words, but it gave the impression of being in the centre of a forest deep in the mountains. When you looked heavenward, you’d find that you were surrounded by ancient ramrod-straight trees that soared to the sky. The cool water of a clear mountain spring seeped into the soles of your feet. In the depths of the forest, the silhouette of an old temple with evergreen roof tiles and white walls loomed beyond the eye.

This imagery was a complete far cry from Jimin’s present—a hospital room on a summer night—and it threw his mind into a moment of calm.

Yet after that brief calm, Jimin came to an abrupt realisation that that cold woody fragrance he’d perceived was the scent of Taehyung’s pheromones.

From the second he’d regained his consciousness until now, he had spent quite a long time with Taehyung, yet this was the first time he smelled Taehyung’s pheromones. He then took a step back to put some space between himself and Taehyung.

Taehyung’s face was bathed in the moonlight that streamed in through the window. His prominent nose bridge cast a shadow on one side of his face, the face that was devoid of any expression. Only his thick lashes were drooping, as if he were exhausted. “What are you trying to avoid?”

Jimin hesitated for a beat before saying, “I can smell your pheromones.”

Even in a calm state, other genders regarded Alpha pheromones as invasive, and releasing pheromones as one pleased was considered impolite.

The concentration of Taehyung’s pheromones in the air wasn’t light nor thick. He looked towards Jimin, and asked, “Does it smell bad?”

Jimin thought about it then answered, “It’s nice actually, just… inappropriate.” After that, he added, “I may be a Beta, but I’m particularly sensitive to smells.”

“I know,” Taehyung said.

The pheromone scent dissipated.

Jimin heaved a small sigh of relief. At that moment, he felt that Taehyung couldn’t be someone so unreasonable, so he asked a question that he hadn’t yet been able to voice out, “Why did we get married?”

Taehyung’s gaze flitted to the window. “‘Why?’” he repeated under his breath.

“Yeah,” Jimin said, “I can’t really figure out why I’d choose to marry you.” He realised as soon as he said it that his remark could be misinterpreted, so he hurriedly supplied, “It’s not that I think you’re a bad guy. It’s just—I’ve never been attracted to Alphas before.” Especially male Alphas, he added inwardly.

Taehyung was still not looking at him. He looked somewhat solemn, and only after a while did he say, “I don’t have a clue.”

“What?” Jimin didn’t understand what he meant.

Taehyung said, “You’re the one who proposed to me.”

“What?” This time, Jimin’s disbelief was palpable.

Taehyung raised a hand and lightly set it down on the window sill, palm face down and fingers slightly curled. “You said that you liked me, and that we had to be together.”