The words coming out of his mouth were solely this. It was not astonishment or disbelief. Anger prevailed over such feelings. After all that, now he was saying sorry. He’d come all this way just to hear nonsense.
“Is it because of your group project score?”
He blurted out the most likely guess, but instead, Junseong frowned even more. With a grimace and clenched teeth, he retorted sharply.
“Who are you kidding? That was until last week, so it’s already over, isn’t it?”
Wooyeon didn’t say anything more and turned his body sideways. He didn’t have the intention to converse in the first place, and if he wasted time like this, it would be pointless. Just a moment ago, he felt as if he was walking on clouds, but upon seeing Junseong, he plummeted to the ground.
“Hey, I’m not done talking yet!”
Junseong once again blocked Wooyeon’s path. He didn’t attempt to grab his arm or bag, perhaps because it had been rejected several times already. He thought he wouldn’t tolerate it if he grabbed him again, but in a sense, he felt regretful.
“I have nothing to say. Move aside.”
Wooyeon furrowed his brow in an irritated expression. He wanted to go to the club room as soon as possible, but this guy, who he thought he was already finished with, appeared and dragged out his time.
Junseong scratched the back of his head and turned his head sideways.
“I… uh, I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“….”
“At that time, I really was immature. I envied you because your family was well-off. But then you kept ignoring me…”
“So what do you want from me?”
It was a conversation that didn’t deserve further attention. He didn’t want to know about the sudden change of heart, nor did he have time to listen to his excuses. Wooyeon interrupted Junseong’s words and pointed out the most incomprehensible part.
“Do you think you would have apologized to me if I hadn’t removed your name from the group project?”
“….”
Junseong immediately shut his mouth. Perhaps if Wooyeon had been more accommodating, he wouldn’t have come out like this with such a submissive attitude. Instead of apologizing, he would have demanded, just like before, and probably would have tormented Wooyeon.
“No, if we hadn’t met again, would you even remember me?”
Wooyeon didn’t think he was sincerely reflecting. If they hadn’t met again, he would have been nothing more than a pathetic guy buried in memories. He would have been lucky to be remembered as a mischievous memory from adolescence.
“You’re apologizing because you think I’m not okay right now. Just to ease your conscience.”
“Who’s asking for an apology?”
The more he spoke, the more stifled he felt. It wasn’t refreshing; it was suffocating. Instead of feeling relieved, he felt angry, watching Kang Junseong’s face contort with embarrassment, but it wasn’t as satisfying as he’d imagined.
“Whatever you do, that’s up to you, but I’m not obliged to accept it.”
He learned that from Kim Dohyun after hearing Garam’s apology. It was a very natural principle, but it was also something these guys often seemed to forget.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“…P wjvf j wlrajxf yfmjerf P kjr abb sbecu. P’w gfjiis gfoifmalcu bc la.”
“C wlrajxf?”
Qbbsfbc rmboofv lcmgfveiberis. C wlrajxf? Pa kjr atf fzmerf Ciqtjr jikjsr mjwf eq klat ktfcfnfg atfs aglfv ab ijs tjcvr bc tlw.
“Qtb wjxfr atf rjwf wlrajxf obg atgff sfjgr?”
C wlrajxf kjr jc eclcafcalbcji fggbg. Pa kjrc’a abgwfcalcu rbwfbcf ilxf Aecrfbcu vlv obg atgff sfjgr ragjluta; la kjr vgbqqlcu j qtbcf, jcrkfglcu j afra defralbc lcmbggfmais, jcv atlcur ilxf atja.
Moreover, people who genuinely reflected on their actions rarely repeated such behavior. While it wasn’t impossible for someone to change, Wooyeon didn’t think it applied to Junseong.
“I feel like I’ve already said this… Let’s just pretend you didn’t apologize. I feel sick just looking at you.”
Indeed, Wooyeon’s face was pale as if he might vomit at any moment. The pheromones emanating from him also emitted an unpleasant vibe. Junseong instinctively flinched, then followed him again as Wooyeon moved away.
“Hey, what do I have to do for you to forgive me? Should I kneel? Or maybe… pay you?”
Both options were unappealing. He didn’t want to see someone kneel (Junseong didn’t seem inclined to do so anyway), and if it was about money, he had more than enough. Since he didn’t want anything, he just hoped Junseong wouldn’t cling to him.
“I’m not asking for something excessive right now. Just let’s act like everyone else…”
“Yeah.”
With a firm expression, Wooyeon called out to Junseong. Despite being smaller in stature, it was Junseong who felt pressed. Wooyeon consciously suppressed his pheromones, aware of the surrounding gazes.
“I’m talking about that right now.”
If there was one thing in Wooyeon’s life where words didn’t get through, it was his relationship with his mother. No, even if his mother couldn’t understand him, it was still better than trying to converse with Junseong. Their fundamental beliefs were just too different.
“It’s just one overlapping class and no more group projects in the future, so let’s just act like we don’t know each other.”
“….”
“As you said, just like ‘everyone else.’ Is that difficult?”
Junseong clenched his fist with wounded pride on his face. Undoubtedly, there was no expression of remorse. It didn’t seem like he even thought about feeling sorry, so Wooyeon couldn’t understand why he was acting this way.
Junseong lowered his head deeply and adjusted his hat before sighing heavily.
“Just greetings. Let’s just exchange greetings.”
It sounded like he was willing to compromise. With an air of satisfaction, as if he’d be content with that, he took a step back. Wooyeon responded with a stoic expression.
“I don’t want to.”
***
The club room was unusually filled with members who were not usually seen. Surprised by the crowd as soon as he entered, Wooyeon’s eyes lit up when he met Dohyun’s gaze. Though he had felt filthy just moments ago, he felt cleansed as if he had been washed away in an instant.
“It’s been a while, Wooyeon!”
“Hey, you’ve become more handsome.”
“Has JinSang ever stopped picking fights these days?”
Answering the barrage of questions appropriately, Wooyeon stepped inside. He didn’t mind the bustling atmosphere, but receiving attention all at once was a bit overwhelming. Even in such a situation, Garam, who occupied the makeshift bed entirely, was still impressive.
“Did anything happen today?”
Dohyun asked Wooyeon with a polite smile. One of the seniors chuckled, saying ‘You’re not anyone’s father, Oppa.’
Next to Dohyun and next to Seongyu. Of the two empty seats, Wooyeon instinctively sat next to Seongyu.
“I just attended classes.”
Two pairs of eyes were fixed on Wooyeon’s face. One was Seongyu’s and the other was Dohyun’s. Dohyun, who had been quietly observing Wooyeon, nodded slightly after a pause.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Wooyeon noticed the subtle gap between his words and Dohyun’s response. There was definitely some hesitation, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Moreover, he didn’t understand why Seongyu seemed so restless.
“Is something bothering you?”
“…No.”
Seongyu rolled his eyes as he tilted his head. His lost gaze landed on the table littered with papers.
Wooyeon quickly lost interest in Seongyu and secretly glanced at Dohyun instead.
“Since everyone’s here roughly, I’ll explain the budget and such.”
As befitting his position as club president, he took the lead in the meeting. He talked about the funding from the school, the approximate budget, how to set up the booth, and the pricing. His voice was smooth and soothing as he spoke without any hitches.
‘I wish I sat next to him.’
If he had sat next to Dohyun, he could have heard everything more closely. He could have even enjoyed his affectionate pheromones. Now he found himself envying the other club member who had taken the seat next to him.
“We’ll have each person try making something, and the person who does best will handle it. Those with free hands can focus on promotion and attracting customers.”
“But will candy sell well? I don’t think many will buy it.”
A freshman voiced their concern. Since other options were more filling, they doubted people would bother with candy, which would be inconvenient to eat.
At that moment, Garam, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up.
“Hey, if Kim Dohyun makes them, they’ll definitely sell. You know how popular he is.”
Garam pointed at Dohyun with a sour expression. It seemed somewhat awkward for them to praise Dohyun with their own mouth.
“Looks are everything. That’s why even four years ago, when the pub’s location was like a back alley, it was all sold out because of one senior.”
Wooyeon naturally thought of ‘Management God.’ It was quite a memorable nickname, he thought. At this point, he became curious about Dohyun’s appearance, but he still found the nickname amusing.
“Yeah, it was crazy back then.”
“Then we should be fine with just having you, Oppa.”
The members quickly agreed, excitedly chiming in one by one. For some reason, Seongyu glanced at Wooyeon, but Wooyeon secretly looked forward to ‘seonsaeng-nim’s candy.’ As he stole glances at Dohyun, someone snapped their fingers, making a loud noise.
“Wooyeon can handle the booth promotion.”
“….”
At the sudden mention of his name, Wooyeon’s face involuntarily twisted. While he was also a club member and would help out, the idea of being put in charge of ‘promotion’ was bewildering. He remembered seeing banners or something earlier. Did that mean he had to carry those around?
“Oh, right. We have two talents in our club.”
“It would be nice to carry around big candies.”
“Wow, that would be cute.”
“….Me?”
Wooyeon cautiously responded with an unwilling expression. He thought it would be nice to just carry them around, but the likelihood of that happening was very slim. Simply carrying around candies wouldn’t serve as an effective promotion. From what he gathered, it was clear they were suggesting he engage in street promotion.
“If Wooyeon promotes and Hyung sells, it’ll be a huge hit.”
“I can already see piles of money.”
“Just with a few thousand won candies?”
Wooyeon wasn’t confident, but the plan was progressing smoothly. They had already imagined it in their minds, even planning to make headbands and T-shirts.
Let’s do it with cat ears, let’s do it with rabbit ears, or how about with a headband? Amidst various suggestions popping up, Dohyun quietly opened his mouth.
“No.”
In an instant, the club members fell silent. Though his voice wasn’t loud, it was enough to draw their attention. Dohyun turned the pen in his hand and spoke softly.
“Wooyeon won’t do the promotion.”
TL/N It was my 18th birthday on April 29 and I wanted to update an extra chapter but I forgot lol
so here’s the extra update now~
enjoy~<333
Happy Belated Birthday 🥳 Best of luck always 💃🏽💃🏽🥰🥰
woahhh Happy belated birthday to you!!💖 Thanks for all the work you’ve made and wishing all the best. Enjoying every single chapters 💖
Whoa. My hubby’s birthday is April 29 too hehe.
Happy birthday to you. And thanks for the chap!!! 😍
Happy Belated Birthday!!! I hope you had a great celebration! Also thank you for the chapter!! ❤❤
Happy Belated Birthday 🥳
Thanks for the chapter
dohyun is too overprotectiveeeee bleeeh
belated happy birthday translator!! thankyou for bringing us good quality translation every weekk