Cassian hummed a low response, looking down as he took the small paper bowl from Seo Eun Woo's hand and took a sip.
As the warm soup entered his stomach, he indeed felt much more comfortable; even his persistently aching gland seemed to stop throbbing.
"It's delicious," Cassian remarked. Eun Woo's eyes crinkled into a crescent smile, inwardly celebrating the fact that favorability had reached 20.
He didn't notice the strange expression on the assistant's face in the passenger seat.
The car moved quickly and smoothly. Upon reaching the residential complex, the driver skillfully navigated into the underground garage. Seo Eun Woo was somewhat surprised to find the man stepping out of the car right after him. "You live here too?"
Cassian nodded.
The assistant handed him several contracts he needed, and after bidding Cassian farewell, he specifically waved at Seo Eun Woo. "Goodbye, Mr. Seo."
"Goodbye, get home safely."
During the ride, Seo Eun Woo had chatted quite a bit with the assistant and had even learned his name.
As the assistant watched the two of them standing together—looking eerily well-matched—he couldn't help but think that such a coincidence felt staged.
But the moment he tried to associate such a thought with Mr. Seo, it felt like sacrilege. This Mr. Seo was an Omega who was already married; he even wore a ring on his finger.
Moreover, Mr. Seo was such a gentle person. No matter who it was, anyone who came into contact with him would surely fall for him, heart and soul.
Seo Eun Woo watched the car drive away, then turned to walk into the elevator with Cassian. After pressing the button for the 25th floor, he looked at Cassian. "Which floor are you on?"
"26."
Seo Eun Woo's peach-blossom eyes widened for a split second. He hadn't expected it to be this coincidental. He smiled. "What a small world."
The words had barely left his mouth when a loud clack echoed, followed by a violent jolt of the elevator before it ground to a halt.
Seo Eun Woo braced himself against the elevator wall to steady his balance. Looking at the control panel where all the buttons had gone dark, he turned to Cassian with a hint of panic. "The elevator... it seems to be broken."
He checked his phone and found no signal. Looking around the elevator, he said, "There should be an emergency call button! Should we try pressing it?"
Cassian remained composed; he only frowned slightly when the elevator stopped.
He pressed the button, which turned from red to green. Less than thirty seconds later, a voice came through the intercom near the security camera. "We are terribly sorry! The property management has already called the fire department. It will take approximately thirty minutes to get the elevator open."
Upon hearing the specific timeframe, Eun Woo let out a long sigh of relief. "As long as we're okay."
As soon as he spoke, he noticed that Cassian had remained silent. Looking over, he was shocked to find that Cassian was in a bad state.
Cassian's thin lips were pressed tight, cold sweat was beaded on his forehead, and his face was terrifyingly pale—yet his neck was flushed a deep, heavy red.
Seo Eun Woo was startled. "Are you okay? Do you feel unwell somewhere?"
Cassian snapped back to his senses, taking a deep breath to regulate his condition. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice raspy and strained. "I'm fine."
He had a touch of claustrophobia, though it wasn't severe. Today, perhaps because his gland was already acting up, combined with the sudden confinement in a small space, his reaction was particularly intense.
Eun Woo saw that he seemed to be getting worse; his body even swayed slightly, his breathing grew shallow and rapid, and his brow was furrowed in pain.
He whispered softly, "Why don't you sit down and rest for a bit? We'll be rescued in twenty minutes."
Cassian wanted to refuse, but for some reason, as Seo Eun Woo drew closer, the pain in the back of his neck intensified, and the burning sensation grew fierce.
He leaned his back against the elevator wall and slid slowly down to the floor, clutching his temples to suppress the growing dryness in his throat and the primal desire to seize the Omega's pheromones.
His Rut had come early.