Wooyeon hesitated to take off his hat. Even if he didn’t expect compliments, Dohyun’s voice was unexpectedly kind. Without stopping there, he added some words in a soft tone.
“It was a situation worth swearing at. Giving someone alcohol, not knowing what they might do – that’s being lenient enough.”
His neat eyebrows were slightly furrowed. Despite the tired look in his eyes, irritation was evident. Dohyun, who had brushed off his hair as if feeling uncomfortable, looked straight at Wooyeon.
“A guy like that deserves to be sworn at.”
‘Wow.’
Wooyeon covered his mouth, lips curved. The teacher was openly expressing displeasure, with a face that couldn’t easily be seen during tutoring or even now when he wasn’t receiving tutoring. It was a rare sight.
“He’s already famous for having bad habits. I was relieved this time because I didn’t hear any rumors about you causing trouble after getting drunk.”
“…”
“If he’s trying to make a fuss about yesterday’s incident, tell Moon Garam or me right away.”
Dohyun, who was in the middle of speaking, narrowed his eyes. Wooyeon’s gaze, shining brightly like a puppy looking at its owner, made him ask calmly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’ve never seen you swear before.”
Dohyun’s face changed subtly. Closing his mouth and turning his gaze away, he smoothed his tousled hair. Then, in a muttered voice like talking to himself:
“You’re talking like you’ve known me for a long time.”
“…”
Oh, Wooyeon turned his head to avoid showing his surprise. His junior, Seon Wooyeon, hadn’t seen Kim Dohyun for even a month. Using the exaggerated expression ‘first time seeing’ for such a topic was a bit much. Wooyeon, pretending to search for a lighter while holding the cigarette Dohyun gave him, was relieved that Dohyun moved on without any suspicion, discussing a different topic.
“Is your home far from school?”
“No, it’s nearby.”
Even though he hadn’t lit the cigarette, the pheromone scent emanated from it. It was a faint smell, but it felt artificial, making him uncomfortable. Frowning, Wooyeon took out the cigarette he had been holding in his mouth.
“Throw it away. Omegas shouldn’t smoke that.”
Wooyeon obediently discarded the cigarette. Meanwhile, Dohyun, who had taken out a new cigarette, lit it and continued talking.
“If your home is close to school, I’ll give you a ride later. Don’t take the bus for no reason.”
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.
It was a statement that inexplicably raised Wooyeon’s expectations. He found himself wondering again why Dohyun was treating him so well. However, Dohyun didn’t give him a chance to anticipate anything; he simply exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke.
“Normally, when there’s a gathering or something like that, club members expect me to give them a ride. I was planning to bring you when you came, but I forgot to mention it during the lecture.”
“You can call me.”
Wooyeon unintentionally showed a disappointed expression. Thinking about those who were standing in front of Dohyun’s car yesterday, he felt uneasy for no reason. If he had forgotten during the lecture, he could have contacted him later. It’s not that difficult for a person living in the 21st century.
“Seongyu didn’t answer the phone.”
Dohyun shrugged with an unimpressed face. Then he looked at Wooyeon, holding the cigarette between his fingers.
“And you don’t know my number.”
“…What?”
The reason for his speechlessness was absurd. Wooyeon had definitely exchanged numbers with Dohyun. Right after the self-introduction, he got his number, and even on the club application form, his own number was written. However, it didn’t make sense to say that he couldn’t contact him because he didn’t have his number.
“Because you didn’t call me?”
Dohyun responded and rolled his eyes. ‘You have to get the number yourself,’ he said in that languid voice, leaving Wooyeon momentarily astonished. Wooyeon, dumbfounded, absentmindedly opened his mouth and then took out his phone from his pocket.
“Does that make sense?”
Indeed, it was a ridiculous reason. At the very least, he could have asked Garam and gotten his number. If he didn’t make the call yesterday, would he never know it for the rest of his life?
“You could have just saved it…”
Senior Kim Dohyun. The characters on the screen were unfamiliar. More precisely, the word ‘senior’ was. There was a day when he saved him differently. As the number changed, so did the registered name and the relationship.
“Did you call me?”
Dohyun didn’t respond and furrowed his brows. The face staring at the phone screen felt slightly different from usual. When more than five signal tones had passed, he let out a faint wry laugh.
“Yeah, you’re here.”
At that moment, Wooyeon felt an unknown sensation coursing through his spine. Reflexively ending the call, Dohyun put his phone back into his pocket. He extinguished the cigarette halfway on the ashtray and stood up from the bench.
“Let’s go inside; we need to tidy up.”
The short-lived feeling disappeared in the blink of an eye. Wooyeon, thinking it might be due to his mood, followed Dohyun. Suddenly, he remembered one thing he had forgotten.
In the end, he didn’t hear what happened between him and Dohyun yesterday.
***
As Dohyun said, Wooyeon rode in his car and headed up the side street. The words, ‘Kim Dohyun doesn’t like having someone in the passenger seat,’ came to his mind, but he couldn’t confirm that fact. After tossing the car keys to Garam, Dohyun climbed into the back seat and soon fell asleep.
“Hyung, looks like you didn’t get much sleep yesterday.”
Seongyu sat in the front passenger seat, and Wooyeon naturally took the back seat. Garam glanced at Dohyun through the rearview mirror in response to Seongyu’s small talk.
“Well… It’s understandable. He sat in the living room all night.”
“Couldn’t he sleep?”
“I don’t know. I saw him when I went to the bathroom.”
Wooyeon discreetly observed Dohyun’s sleeping figure. With his fist clenched, leaning his head against the window, it somehow seemed uncomfortable. It would be better if he could lie down more comfortably, but with his tall stature, any posture would likely be awkward.
“If he sleeps like this, he might hit his head on the window.”
At Wooyeon’s murmured words, Garam made a thin sound of agreement. She pondered carefully, furrowing her brows, then licked her lips.
“What can we do? It’s not like he can lean on you to sleep.”
Wooyeon didn’t mind, but others might think differently. Seongyu, too, turned around, holding onto his seatbelt, and glanced back, wondering if Dohyun was uncomfortable.
“I should have made him sit here and told him to recline his seat.”
“He never sleeps in the passenger seat. It’s considered bad manners to sleep next to the driver. That’s why he intentionally got in the back seat first.”
“Oh… Then I can’t sleep either?”
“Did you think about it well? You’re taking a nap while senior is driving.”
While listening to their banter, Wooyeon lowered his gaze. Dohyun’s hands still seemed longer than Wooyeon’s, and everything about him, from clean fingernails to the fine joints, was neat.
“Wooyeon, there’s a blanket back there. Put it under Kim Dohyun’s head.”
As Garam said, there was a blanket in the back. Wooyeon folded it neatly and cautiously approached Dohyun. Now all he had to do was place it between Dohyun’s head and the window, but it was challenging to touch him while he was sound asleep.
“Just push his head gently. It’s better than hitting it against the window.”
Wooyeon reached out very cautiously. There was an inexplicable thirst as if his throat was tightening. It felt like his heartbeat had quickened, and breathing became difficult.
After overcoming several obstacles, the moment his hand touched Dohyun’s head,
“…”
“…”
Dohyun’s gently closed eyelids slowly opened. The eyes, halfway drowned in sleep, stared blankly at Wooyeon. A distance of less than an inch, or even less. Watching the teacher from this distance felt dangerous as if his breath might stop.
“Ah…”
Dohyun sighed shortly and blinked. Wooyeon, who had been holding his breath, slowly increased the distance. Then, as naturally as possible, he slipped the blanket around Dohyun’s head.
“I’m doing this for you.”
Thump, thump, his heart beat violently. The sound was too loud; it felt like it might be heard by everyone in the car. The absurd thought crossed his mind that it might even come out of his throat. Dohyun, leaning his head against the window again, closed his eyes and smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
Without making a sound, Wooyeon returned to his original seat. As he pressed his forehead against the window, he felt the warmth. Even his left ear, habitually touched, felt the same warmth.
‘Thank you, Yeon-ah.’
When receiving tutoring, Dohyun always had words of gratitude on his lips. Strangely, Wooyeon had never done anything to deserve thanks. Even for simple acts like offering snacks or lending a pencil, he easily smiled.
“If you’re tired, go to sleep. I can drive alone.”
“I’m fine because I slept well. Wooyeon, are you sleepy?”
“…No. I’m not sleepy.”
Wooyeon thought Dohyun looked like an angel as he observed him. His smiling face, affectionate voice, and kind words all seemed unreal. Looking back now, it was a metaphor possible to think about only at the young age of sixteen.
“Did Hyung stay up all night?”
“No. The crowd cleared, and it seemed like he had taken a nap. At most, about 10 or 20 minutes? It’s more tiring if you sleep poorly.”
Wooyeon tried to forget Dohyun’s appearance, closing his eyes. There was a senior beside him, and a teacher in his mind. He liked the latter, not the former, but the boundary was always unclear. At this point, it wasn’t much different from what it was four years ago.
“Are you feeling nauseous, Wooyeon? Should I open the window?”
“…Please open it a little.”
The window made a soft sound as it lowered. Wooyeon took a deep breath of the cool breeze. It wasn’t because he liked it; it was just that the teacher came to mind. After repeating it a few times, the fever that had risen on his face began to subside.
“If it gets worse, let me know. I’ll stop at a rest area.”
He had closed his heart a long time ago. Now, all that remained were remnants of the past buried in his memories. It was just a brief moment in the car, and with time, he would naturally move on.
Looking at Dohyun, Wooyeon pressed his(Wooyeon) ear with his finger. Fortunately, his face didn’t turn as red as earlier. The only thing that happened was the occasional twitch of his lips that touched Wooyeon’s heart.
The lengthy gathering was coming to an end.
Thank you for the update!
There’s so many behaviors that seem so off from the ML. I hope to figure out what he’s thinking soon. 🤭
ur welcomeee💛💛
Thank you!
ur welcomee~💛
Keep on translating and thank you for your hard work 😍😍 💐Fighting!!
thank you for the support QAQ <3333
He thinks he closed his heart 😄. Sweet boy, I think it fell open again!
go baby! fool yourself. anyway, you’re not fooling anyone here HAHAHAHAH LOL thanks for the chaapp! im sad there’s not much chapters to read, but still, I’ve been thinking about dohyun’s story ever since omega complex ended so i couldn’t wait any longer and just went ahead! great translationnnn