The Tyrant's Secret fetish

Ohm

I stared at the cracked hospital wall like it had personally betrayed me too, my thumb scrolling through old photos of Ye Jun on my phone for the tenth time that morning. God, I loved that guy so much it made my chest hurt in the worst way. The kind of love where you remember every dumb thing he did, like how he’d get all red-faced when I teased him about his terrible cooking, or the way his eyes lit up when we talked about stupid movies late at night. He made everything feel less heavy, even when my life was a mess after moving here from Thailand. But right now? I was so disappointed in him I wanted to throw the phone across the room. He didn’t know I knew, but I did. I knew everything about him and Si Woo.

That night he stayed over at my place, he lied right to my face about never having sex before. I believed him at first because he looked so nervous and cute. Then I walked past the bathroom door while he was changing after his shower and saw it clear as anything. That tattoo on his lower back, Si Woo’s name inked there like some permanent stamp saying hands off. My stomach twisted up bad, but I didn’t say a word. I just went back to the living room, made him some tea like nothing happened, and let him crash on the couch. I loved him that much. Didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or push him to explain. Figured he’d come clean when he was ready. Guess that was stupid of me.

And the way Si Woo’s alpha scents clung to him all the time? Those little possessive pheromones messed with Ye Jun’s head so much. I could smell them on his clothes sometimes, faint but strong enough to make him act all foggy and loyal even when Si Woo treated him like crap. It wasn’t fair. Si Woo had too much influence, wrapping him up tight so Ye Jun couldn’t think straight. I swallowed it all down every time because I thought our friendship meant more. But then Ye Jun betrayed me. Handed over the evidence I left out on purpose, like it was no big deal. It was just a test to see if he’d really pick me over his stepbrother. He failed anyway. And that hurt worse than the bullet hole in my side ever did.

I sighed loud and grabbed my phone again, this time calling Titi. She answered fast, her voice blasting through the speaker like she was right next to me. "Ohm! You alive or did the hospital finally kick your lazy butt out? What’s with the early call, huh?"

I laughed a little even though I didn’t feel like it. "Yeah, getting out soon. Look, can you come over to my place? I need to talk about some heavy crap. Bring snacks or something if you’re not too busy being annoying."

She snorted right away. "Heavy crap? Oh boy, here we go. Fine, I’ll swing by. But you better have drinks ready or I’m turning around. Give me like twenty minutes, don’t die before I get there, okay?"

"Whatever, just hurry up," I said, hanging up before she could tease me more. My apartment wasn’t far from the hospital, so I got discharged quick and waited there, pacing a bit because sitting still made my thoughts race too much about Ye Jun.

Titi showed up banging on the door like she owned the place, holding a bag of banana chips and some sweet Thai iced tea she probably grabbed on the way. She pushed past me with a grin. "Miss me? You look like someone stole your last mango. Sit down before you fall over, idiot."

We flopped on the couch and she tossed me a bag of chips. I crunched one hard, trying to figure out how much to tell her. I didn’t want to dump the whole mess at once. Just the important part. "Someone shot me, Titi. Tried to kill me for real. And I’m sure Si Woo’s behind it. There were payments and messages and everything pointed straight at him. Ye Jun said he’d help me get justice, but then he gave all the evidence to Si Woo. It’s gone now. And Ye Jun’s still supporting him like nothing’s wrong."

Titi’s eyes got big and she stopped mid-sip of her drink. "Si Woo? That same Si Woo from when we were kids? The one who used to hog the soccer ball? Wow, he went full villain. And Ye Jun backed him up? That’s messed up, Ohm. You two were always close. What happened?"

I shrugged and kept eating chips, the crunch loud in the quiet room. "Yeah, it sucks. I trusted him completely. Told him I needed him on this and he just... handed it over. Like I meant nothing."

She leaned in closer, her face all curious now. "Only the shooting part? Come on, there’s more. You’re not telling me everything. Spill it or I’ll bug you until you do. You know I always get it out of you."

I groaned and rubbed my face. "Fine, okay? It was a test. I left the printed evidence out on purpose to see if Ye Jun would really choose me or run back to Si Woo. He failed it. Gave it straight to his stepbrother so he could destroy everything. Now I don’t know what to do. I just want to pack up and go back to Thailand. Forget all this. Si Woo’s got too much pull on him with those alpha scents. They mess with Ye Jun’s head bad, make him all clingy and confused even when he knows better."

Titi laughed suddenly, that loud cackle she always does when she thinks she’s smart. "Oh please, you big baby. You and Ye Jun are exactly the same. Only call your old bestie when you need something. "Hey, that’s not fair," I snapped, throwing a chip at her that she dodged easy. "I call you other times too. Sometimes."

"Rarely," she shot back, still grinning. "But whatever. I know more than you think. Ye Jun’s been hooking up with Si Woo for a while, right? All that secret stuff. The tattoo too. Si Woo’s name on his body like he owns him."

I froze with the bag halfway to my mouth. "How the hell do you know about the tattoo? I never told anyone. I saw it that night Ye Jun stayed over. He lied about never having sex and I walked in while he was changing. Saw Si Woo’s name right there on his lower back. But I didn’t say anything because I love him, Titi. Didn’t want to make him feel bad or uncomfortable after the lie. Just acted normal and let him sleep on the couch."

She waved her hand like it was obvious. "Reverse psychology, dummy. You only gave me the shooting and evidence part, but I pulled the rest out anyway. I’ve always had that trick on you since we were little. And yeah, I know about the hooking up. Word gets around in our old group sometimes. But listen, Ye Jun never loved Si Woo. Not for real. It’s just those alpha scents messing with him, making him dizzy and loyal like a puppy. Si Woo marks him up and Ye Jun can’t think straight."

I sighed heavy and leaned back, the disappointment hitting me again mixed with all the love I couldn’t shake. "I know. Those little scents get to him a lot. Makes him go back every time even when Si Woo treats him like a toy. I saw how it affected him. But he still betrayed me. Failed the test. Now I’m sitting here not knowing what to do. I really like Ye Jun, Titi. Like, a lot. His laugh, the way he gets flustered, everything. But Si Woo’s influence is too strong. Maybe going back to Thailand is easier. Start over without all this crap."

Titi poked my arm hard and raised her voice. "Oh come on, Ohm! You’ve always liked Ye Jun. It was so obvious back then. The way you’d stare at him during games or save the best snacks just for him. Only Ye Jun is dumb enough not to notice. Fight for your love, you idiot! Yell at him if you have to. Tell him you know everything and you still care anyway. Don’t run off to Thailand like a coward. You owe it to yourself."

We started talking over each other fast, voices getting louder because that’s how we always argued when things got real.

"But what if he picks Si Woo again?" I cut in, sitting up straight and glaring at her. "After everything? The evidence, the shooting, all of it?"

"Then at least you tried, stupid!" she yelled back, laughing through her words. "Stop moping around like a kicked dog. Remember when you were bullied as a kid? Ye Jun will save you often and when he didn’t You chased him yelling the whole way. Do that now again for Ye Jun. Fight instead of hiding."

I couldn’t help laughing too, a short sarcastic one that came out rough. "Yeah and I tripped in the mud and you called me Mud Boy for months after. Real helpful memory, Titi. Thanks for reminding me I’m clumsy and dumb."

"See? That’s the spirit," she said, clinking her iced tea against my bottle with a grin. "You owe me big time for this free advice session. Next time I visit, you’re buying all the street food. Mango sticky rice, grilled skewers, the works. No excuses."

We both cracked up then, the laugh bubbling up even with the heavy stuff still sitting in my chest. It felt good for a second, like old times when problems were just kid stuff. But the humor faded quick and the sadness crept back in. I thought about Ye Jun’s voice on the phone earlier, how guilty and lost he sounded. I wanted to hate him for the betrayal, but mostly I just missed him bad. The love and disappointment mixed together until I didn’t know which hurt more.

Titi took another long sip and sighed, but her eyes stayed sharp on me. "Seriously though, what will you do now, Ohm? You can’t just sit here forever."

I picked up my phone again and stared at the screen. Fight for it. Don’t run.

The room felt too quiet suddenly, just the sound of us breathing and the ice rattling in our drinks. Then my phone buzzed loud on the table. I grabbed it slow, and there it was. A message from Ye Jun.

"Ohm, I’m really sorry about everything. Can we please talk? I don’t know what to do anymore either."

I stared at the words, thumb hovering over the reply button. Titi leaned over to peek and let out a low whistle.

"Well?" she asked, poking me again with that sneaky smile. "You answering or making him wait longer? What’s it gonna be?"

My mind spun with everything. The love that wouldn’t go away, the disappointment that burned, the curiosity about what Ye Jun would say if I told him I knew it all. Si Woo’s hold, the failed test, the way I still wanted to protect that idiot even after he broke my trust. I started typing a reply, then deleted it. Typed something else. My finger froze there.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?