His big eyes fluttered, inadvertently adjusting to the darkness, when the bedroom door creaked open.

Kyungsoo listened at the scuffling of Chanyeol’s feet moving across the room, could acutely feel the taller one’s gaze roving over his motionless form, as Kyungsoo lay on his side.

Chanyeol went over to the bathroom and closed the door behind him, unaware that Kyungsoo was staring at him as he did.

After that first meeting with the wedding planner almost a month ago, Sehun hyung’s dire message to his alpha was no fluke, apparently. Kyungsoo had ceased waiting up for Chanyeol on the third night that his alpha had missed dinner. There were occasions when Chanyeol actually did make it, but he would bring work to the table. It was much worse than being ignored. Chanyeol acted as if he was obligated to spend time with Kyungsoo, but hardly ever exchanged any sentences with him as the taller one’s unmitigated focus was drawn on his confounded laptop.

Tonight, after nearly two weeks of eating by himself, Kyungsoo left the kimchi stew he had slaved over in the stove for him, but he was sure Chanyeol didn’t even notice.

So this was how Luhan hyung felt, when Sehun hyung didn’t come for days at a time.

Kyungsoo checked his phone. The time said 2:14 a.m. There was a short message from Chanyeol half an hour earlier, telling him that he was on the way home. He thought that if his alpha had been more mindful of letting him know of his daily whereabouts, he would feel better.

Somehow, Kyungsoo didn’t.

He hadn’t visited the art school in over 15 days, due to Chanyeol’s insistence. Even Jongin, now matching his stubbornness, kept telling Kyungsoo that everything was under control every time he called.

Yesterday, Kyungsoo was tempted to just show up and barge in to make sure that Jongin was telling the truth. However, the paparazzi following his every move made him scratch that plan. The trips out with Luhan and his mother after meetings with Yixing—the media distinctly pointing out Chanyeol’s absence from his side—were already making national news.

Call it instinct but Chanyeol, Sehun and Jongin were hiding something and it concerned his art school. What was it that they weren’t telling Kyungsoo?

What if… this was all a ploy to sabotage the art school? What if Yifan had already known about it and managed to manipulate Chanyeol and his friends into turning against him?

Kyungsoo sat up angrily. He didn’t think he could stand to sleep with Chanyeol on the same bed tonight. Kyungsoo knew better than to let these unhinged thoughts take over his vulnerability, but he was so fed up. He had tried breaking away from his father to avoid the dominance of an alpha in his life, and he couldn’t believe he was subjecting himself to the same position now that he was married.

The first time he had seen his alpha angry was when Kyungsoo accused him of being just like Yifan in Las Vegas.

“I am nothing like him.” Chanyeol’s voice, quiet yet controlled, had warned. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”

But he was, whether Chanyeol was aware of it or not.

“Jagiya?”

Kyungsoo froze.

“D-Did I wake you?” Chanyeol asked softly behind him.

Kyungsoo didn’t reply as he stood up and proceeded to the door.

Chanyeol rushed in front of him, taking his hands gently. “Mian-hae, I just came home.”

The taller one wasn’t wearing a shirt, just grey sweatpants that hung on his trim waist. Standing by the window, the sight of his beautiful alpha and his equally breathtaking body being kissed by the moonlight was worthy of a thousand portraits.

However, Kyungsoo was much too infuriated to be fazed.

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol tried one more time.

Kyungsoo inhaled deeply, choosing his words. The time to confront him would come, but not at this ungodly hour. He wasn’t that cruel. “To the guestroom. You need your sleep.”

Chanyeol’s expression changed from confused to contrite. “D-Don’t. It’s… a big bed, and…”

Kyungsoo looked away. He had become familiar with how big the bed was. He had been sleeping alone in it for several nights in a row that he had lost count.

Chanyeol’s chest constricted as Kyungsoo’s big brown eyes brimmed with tears. He had known that his omega was becoming resentful of his inattention. The other day, Kyungsoo had been preparing the guest list at breakfast while Chanyeol was on his 20” inch tablet, skimming the morning news for any activity from KRIS’s camp when he heard Kyungsoo say:

“I’m estimating around 200 to 300 guests,” Kyungsoo had told him, sipping his tea.

“Hmm-mmm,” Chanyeol had murmured, his eyes still directed on the activity on his digital device.

Still, that didn’t make him impervious to the smaller one’s deathly glare. “Jinjjayo? Oh, I think I’ll invite some people over from Paris, too.”

“Araseo,” Chanyeol had answered, sighing, but his mind was still concentrating on the news.

“Along with some members of the press, which would make 600.”

Chanyeol hadn’t said anything then, as he knew Kyungsoo was provoking him.

The taller one had listened to his omega’s scribbling some more on his notebook.

“There, 2,000 people!”

Chanyeol had set down the tablet and echoed calmly. “2,000?”

The smaller one had flung the pen on the counter and walked out of the kitchen, without seeing him off to work.

That was when Chanyeol had realized that it was Valentine’s Day. He made sure to send flowers at home, but found out that Kyungsoo had sent them back to the florist.

Kyungsoo blinked his tears back furiously. He would die first before letting them fall in front of him. “You should be comfortable and get some sleep. Otherwise, we’d both look like a couple of raccoons for the photoshoot later.”

When Chanyeol didn’t say anything, he stared up to him again.

That blank countenance nearly pushed Kyungsoo over the edge. “You forgot that it’s today, didn’t you?”

Chanyeol blinked, cringing inwardly. He vaguely recalled Jongin messaging him two days ago that he was going to fetch Loey to be flown to Jeju, at Yixing’s request… “Of course not! I haven’t been to Jeju Island for a while. I’ve been looking forward to it.”

That was obviously a lie, and Kyungsoo had had enough.

Chanyeol caught his arm when his omega swerved past him. “Jagiya…”

“Don’t touch me!” Kyungsoo twisted his arm away from him, getting even angrier at how his voice cracked as he said it.

“Kyungja.” Chanyeol pulled him into his arms, his quivering back as Kyungsoo quieted his own sobs. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I can’t see you hurt like this. Jebal…”

“Don’t…” Kyungsoo wept, pushing him away. “Don’t come near me. Can you just… stay where you are? I can’t think straight when you touch me!”

Chanyeol looked at him helplessly, his hands falling to his sides.

“Don’t mess with my head,” Kyungsoo pleaded, his voice going down a couple of octaves as if suddenly weakening, “or my heart.”

Chanyeol’s right hand made a motion to reach for his tinier one and then retreated.

“You can’t act like you care about me and then you don’t.” Tears were freely flowing from Kyungsoo’s cheeks now and he berated himself for once again breaking his own rule. “I don’t go to the art school because you told me not to. But I don’t understand why!”

“I…” Chanyeol hesitated. From Jongin’s updates, KRIS Enterprises hadn’t physically proceeded with the take-over, which Chanyeol and Sehun had been trying to c