“Look! It is not spicy, right?”
Garam enthusiastically pushed the tteokbokki toward Wooyeon. She even showed a proud look on her face, saying she would buy it for Wooyeon whenever he told her to. Only then did Dohyun move his chopsticks and smile kindly.
“Eat a lot.”
***
The liberal arts class in the afternoon was not far from the club room. Wooyeon sent a message to Daniel about eating tteokbokki and sat in the lecture hall. Thanks to Garam, who bought drinks after the meal, they also had a cup of hot chocolate together.
“Are you going to the MT ?”
It was a question Seongyu had asked before leaving the club room. The date was the upcoming weekend, and Garam and Dohyun also agreed to participate. Wooyeon hesitated at the mention of spending the night but answered that he would go when his eyes met with Dohyun. It was a reaction that he couldn’t understand even when he thought about it.
“Now, I’ll take attendance.”
The professor at the podium looked around the lecture hall. This mandatory liberal arts class was one that Dohyun took notes on his laptop as soon as the seats were available. The professor was kind, and the grading cut-off was easy because of the large number of students.
“Kang Junseong.”
Wooyeon, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped out of it. The three letters digging into his ears were overly familiar. Reflexively, he looked around the classroom, but the student called “Kang Junseong” did not respond.
“Kang Junseong?”
The professor called again. There was still no response. Momentarily puzzled, Wooyeon soon let out a light sigh.
“Yeah, he was hospitalized.”
The professor muttered and marked something on the attendance sheet. Wooyeon, listening to the following names, gripped the hot chocolate. As the warm paper cup touched his hand, his uneasy stomach seemed to calm down a bit.
‘It can’t be.’
There could be many people with the same name. He didn’t think they were the same person just because they shared one name. However, the growing uneasiness was as undeniable as the sneaking voice calling him ‘Pig’ in his ear.
“Seon Wooyeon.”
“….”
“Seon Wooyeon?”
“…Yes!”
Wooyeon raised his hand and answered while secretly letting out a sigh. ‘Hey, pig.’ The voice calling him seemed to linger in his ears.
***
The dates changed rapidly. The student named Kang Junseong had not come to school for two consecutive weeks. Words had it that he had been in a traffic accident, and it was clear he wouldn’t be able to come out for at least a month. Between the anxiety of not confirming his identity and the relief of not having to, Wooyeon couldn’t find a way to navigate.
And on the day of the MT, Wooyeon took a rented bus from the school and arrived at the destination. Students with afternoon classes were coming later with seniors who had cars. Dohyun belonged to the group of ‘seniors with cars.’
“No one invited you to the group chat? Seriously, that’s too much.”
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.
“Yeah, I also thought you(Wooyeon) left the party early because it was noisy.”
“Isn’t this a bit of an overqualification for Kwon Seongyu to be close to you(Wooyeon)?”
Until Dohyun arrived, Wooyeon stood back using Seongyu to shield himself from the juniors. They had seen Seongyu at the opening ceremony, but he was a bit drunk then, so this was the first time they were having a sober conversation.
Fortunately, there was only one Alpha among the juniors, and Omegas, including Wooyeon, were only two.
“Hey, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to greet this guy. Wooyeon didn’t even know there was an MT.”
“Really?”
The juniors found the situation amusing despite the awkwardness. It was absurd and pitiful, and they couldn’t help but feel a little bit sorry. Sure enough, when Wooyeon held him and just smiled in a resigned tone, laughter immediately burst out.
“First-year students over there, stop fooling around and come out to carry the luggage.”
The door opened with a clatter, and a returning student stuck his head out. He had taken a long hiatus, and he was a senior with a difference of at least five academic years from Wooyeon. His height was similar to Wooyeon’s, but he had a hefty build, making him look intimidating.
“Ah, Wooyeon, you don’t have to come out.”
And he was the Alpha that had made Wooyeon very uncomfortable.
“Wow, why are you discriminating against Wooyeon, senior?”
“You’re interested in Wooyeon!”
“You guys are noisy. Come out quickly; it’s an order!”
He had two main reasons for being uncomfortable. One was the way he had been spraying pheromones fervently, and the other was showing obvious interest in Wooyeon. Exactly when did Wooyeon act friendly, pretending to be so close to him? From the moment they first met till getting off the bus, Wooyeon felt uneasy about it.
“You can stay inside, alright?”
“No, everyone’s working, so I’ll work too.”
“Still, it seems like you won’t be able to use your strength.”
“I’m strong.”
Wooyeon replied without much courtesy and passed by the returning students. The returning student, who couldn’t catch Wooyeon, needlessly picked a fight with another new student. Annoyed, Seongyu, who had skillfully chased after Wooyeon, glared at them.
“Why is that senior like that? It must be so burdensome.”
Seongyu informed Wooyeon about the returning student’s habit of flirting with freshmen at every drinking session. He couldn’t make it to the opening ceremony due to some reasons, but he reluctantly participated in all other gatherings. Originally, he targeted other freshmen, but since that target got a lover, he was in the process of finding a new target.
“Just wants to catch one guy, I guess.”
“No wonder, he goes around spraying pheromones.”
“Uh, even though he’s an Alpha?”
Shivering, Seongyu wrapped his arm around Wooyeon’s shoulder. Instead of pushing him away, Wooyeon put his hands in his outer pocket. Since Seongyu wasn’t an Alpha, he didn’t feel particularly sensitive about it.
“You’re an Omega, right? Be careful. Pheromones can work on you too.”
“I’m fine. I’m dominant, that senior can’t do anything to me.”
“Still, be careful; he’s twice your size. What a bear, a bear.”
“I lived in the USA…”
Wooyeon, who was about to continue, suddenly shut his mouth. In the distance, Dohyun, surrounded by juniors, came into view. Dohyun was talking to a junior and smiling warmly.
“Why are you so late, senior!”
“Do you know how long we waited?”
“Did you wait for me, or did you wait for alcohol?”
His gracefully curved eyes were kind. The lifted corners of his mouth were also soft and gentle. It was the usual kind appearance, but for some reason, Wooyeon felt that he was acting pretentiously.
“Hyung! We’ll help you move luggage too!”
The teacher Wooyeon knew didn’t smile like that. He showed a warmer, more soothing smile, like spring. The expression, seemingly produced as if wearing makeup, was completely different from what Wooyeon remembered.
“Uh, Seongyu…”
He glanced at Dohyun as if it was a coincidence. Dohyun sent an unreadable look to the two of them standing close together. He blurred his words, tightened his lips, and then smiled again in a sophisticated manner.
“You guys waited for alcohol too?”
“Well, of course, we waited for Hyung!”
Seongyu rushed to Dohyun, leaving Wooyeon. Wooyeon stood still, keeping his mouth shut. Dohyun, dressed comfortably in sportswear, created a more approachable atmosphere than usual.
“Why is there so much alcohol?”
“You’re going to drink it all.”
“I’ll be grateful for the lawsuit.”
That’s why the kids liked him. Even though he usually had an adult image, making it difficult to approach him, he now seemed mild, as if he would accept anything you said.
“Wooyeon.”
Dohyun called Wooyeon from a distance, with a gentle wave of his hand, and a warm smile. At that moment, Wooyeon recalled a forgotten memory.
“What are you doing there?”
It was when he first met the teacher, and he hadn’t fully let his guard down yet. He had a conversation with the employer, and Wooyeon observed Dohyun during the visit. When their eyes met, Dohyun greeted him with an incredibly warm smile.
‘Hello.’
He remembered the face that used to smile warmly. He also remembered closing the door without saying anything due to the bright, dazzling smile. Dohyun wasn’t upset at all, and with a slight interval, he had knocked on Wooyeon’s door.
‘Yeon-ah, it’s the teacher.’
‘…’
Wooyeon quickly turned away from Dohyun. It was because he thought he would blush if he met his eyes and stared quietly. Fortunately, a junior carrying luggage passed by, grumbling.
“I’ll carry that for you.”
“Uh… this is heavy.”
Wooyeon took the luggage from the junior without hesitation. It seemed quite heavy, probably because it contained drinks, but it wasn’t too heavy for him to carry. When Wooyeon easily took the two bags, the junior felt embarrassed for no reason.
“Then, let’s carry it together.”
“No, you go and move other things.”
Wooyeon walked decisively towards the venue. In the meantime, Garam, who had come down from the front seat, squeezed through the crowd with a pale face. Her face looked a bit green as if she had been carsick.
“Ah, what a picky bastard.”
Garam’s voice had a hint of frustration. Upon hearing that, Wooyeon slowed his steps. Then, he unexpectedly asked the stumbling Garam a question.
“Who are you calling a picky bastard?”
“Oh my, you startled me. I thought my heart was going to drop… Why are you carrying something so heavy alone?”
Surprised Garam took one of the bags from Wooyeon. Wooyeon handed her the lighter one, and Garam seemed embarrassed for no reason.
“Stop talking. I’m already about to die from motion sickness, and just because someone sat in the front seat instead of me, why fuss about it?”
“Sen…, was it Senior Dohyun?”
“Yeah, he even smiled and picked the front seat. But the guys in the back thought it was a joke, saying Senior Dohyun is kind and…”
As Garam continued speaking, she suddenly seemed to remember something and stepped aside. The awkwardly increased distance seemed to convey a sense of caution. Unable to help it, Wooyeon decided to show a little mercy to Garam.
“It’s really okay.”
Compared to when he saw the troublesome returning student, Garam was nothing. Even though he didn’t like Alphas, it was uncomfortable to be conscious of it. Since they were in the same club, Wooyeon couldn’t keep behaving like this.
“…I’m sorry about that back then. I really didn’t do it on purpose, Wooyeon.”
“I understand. You haven’t done that since then.”
Wooyeon replied casually and heaved the luggage. Luckily, Garam seemed a bit more comfortable than before. Taking advantage of the situation, Wooyeon asked Garam with a hint of curiosity.
“But why do you get irritated just because someone sits in the front seat?”
“Well, Kim Dohyun?”
Garam kicked the entrance of the venue forcefully. “Hey, open the door!” she shouted, and those inside opened the door. She ushered Wooyeon in first, and then, without taking off her shoes, she slumped down at the entrance.
“He hates it when someone sits in the front seat.”
I’m not ready for the next chapter to be caught up in the next chapter. This is soooo good!
I definitely feel like the ML recognizes him or there’s some sort of bond he unconsciously feels
His bully and his crush are in the same class? Jeez I hope Junseong has matured since before.