Spring arrived quickly. It felt like only a short time had passed since the end of the MT (membership training), but when Wooyeon came to his senses, it was already April. Buds bloomed on the once-barren trees, and fresh shoots sprouted one by one. Seon Wooyeon gazed out of the window, colored with various hues, regretting not having seen the snow of the past winter.
“Let’s finish here for today.”
The professor, who had just ended the projector presentation, left the classroom without looking back. Wooyeon glanced over the notes he had just taken and took off his glasses. When he gently pressed the area around his puffy eyes, Seongyu groaned and collapsed over his desk.
“Ha… the exam scope is insane.”
The meaning of cherry blossoms was said to be the midterms. Without a moment’s pause to regret the passing season, the exam scope was revealed. Whether the content was difficult or easy, there was an overwhelming amount of it, demanding even reports for subjects that had been replaced.
“But why the glasses? Did your eyesight get worse?”
“No, they’re non-prescription glasses.”
Wooyeon, who had improved his eyesight with LASIK, wore glasses like protective eyewear when his eyes felt stiff. He disliked glasses and even underwent surgery, but lately, when he had to read a lot, there was no choice. Since there was no prescription, wearing them didn’t make his eyes as small as before.
“It’s cloudy today, but my eyes are dry.”
Since waking up in the morning, Wooyeon felt strangely dry-eyed. His dream was hazy, the sky was gloomy, and his shoulders were tense, making him feel not very good. When the condition wasn’t good like this, something bad usually happened. Wooyeon pushed away the ominous feeling and packed up one by one.
“Hey, Wooyeon. Noona Garam said she’ll treat us to tteokbokki in the club room.”
Wooyeon nodded as he checked the time on his phone. At the mention of the ‘club room,’ he thought of Dohyun, but now that it was just past noon, Dohyun was probably still attending his lecture. At least until before 1 PM, he would be tied up in the humanities college.
“I’ll go study before 1 PM, is that okay?”
“It doesn’t matter, right? She’s calling us because there’s too much for one person to eat anyway.”
After the MT, Wooyeon unconsciously avoided Dohyun. Whenever they happened to meet in the club room, attended the same lecture on Fridays, or passed each other, his heart throbbed, and his face flushed.
Wooyeon knew that this symptom, like a cold, was the precursor to something. It was an emotion he had experienced four years ago, and there was nothing he could do except pretend not to know and turn away.
“Noona, we’re here!”
“Oh, you came?”
As expected, only Garam’s pheromones could be felt in the club room. Seeing the half-open window, it seemed that she belatedly thought of Wooyeon and ventilated the room. Wooyeon absentmindedly looked around the club room and stopped moving when he found Dohyun sitting on the sofa.
“You’re here?”
The teacher was there. The face he hadn’t seen since Friday lunch glanced at Wooyeon. The beige cardigan with large buttons looked neat and suited Dohyun’s tidy appearance well.
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.
“Hyung! Did the lecture end early?”
“Yeah, about an hour ago.”
A murky cloud covered the sky. Wooyeon’s mood, like the scent of spring wafting from outside, also changed to a different color. The sudden change in condition, which had become remarkably clear, was surprising enough to make even him feel disoriented.
“…Hello.”
Wooyeon casually greeted and walked inside. He had been avoiding Dohyun on purpose. However, the fact that they were in the same club inevitably entangled him. His heart felt itchy, to the extent that he thought of scratching his chest.
“Are you already studying for the exams? Awesome.”
“Already? It’s about time.”
Seongyu approached Dohyun’s sofa, exclaiming in admiration. Dohyun chuckled softly at the mention that Wooyeon was the only diligent one.
“Diligent, indeed. He even attends dropped classes.”
It felt somewhat sarcastic. Wooyeon, feeling a little awkward, sat down next to Seongyu. As soon as he took his seat, Dohyun’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Long time no see.”
Wooyeon, trying to act composed, glanced through the notes on the table. “We saw each other on Friday.” Even when he responded like that, Dohyun just smiled without saying anything. Wooyeon still admired the neatly written characters and awkwardly leaned against the sofa.
“Hey, it’s not for nothing that he is a top student. When assignments are given, he’s the crazy one who finishes them all on the same day and submits them the next.”
“Wow, Noona. He really reads everything the professor recommends. Even during breaks, he reviews what he’s self-learned… I mean, normal students don’t do this, right?”
It wasn’t a complaining tone, just a sense of wonder. Anyway, to both of them, who were criticizing harshly and sticking out their tongues, Wooyeon spoke calmly.
“If you don’t do that, you can’t keep up with the pace. My head isn’t that good.”
Dohyun stared at Wooyeon’s ear. The earlobe had turned reddish after being touched for a long time. Wooyeon tried not to show embarrassment, but Dohyun’s straightforward gaze continued until his expression twisted.
“Well… it’s good if you work hard.”
Dohyun put down his pen, lifting the corners of his mouth slightly. Wooyeon, sighing at last, put his hand in the hoodie pocket. The warm temperature slightly calmed his fluttering heart.
“If you guys can’t find seats at the library, come to the club room and study. During exam periods, there’s hardly anyone chatting.”
“Really? That’s a relief. Otherwise, he would’ve complained about not finding a seat at the library.”
“…Well, it’s not like there are absolutely no empty seats.”
Seongyu hesitated, but Wooyeon timidly countered. It was true that there was no space in the library, but he didn’t want to come to the club room. He thought that if he kept meeting Dohyun, something big would happen.
“Hey, you left the library the other day just because the person next to you was bothering you, right? The club room is comfortable and nice.”
“What? Which bastard dares to bother our Wooyeon!”
Garam, who had been rolling on the makeshift bed, suddenly stood up. Wooyeon, momentarily startled, awkwardly coughed. Dohyun was also looking at Wooyeon with a meaningful expression.
“It’s not a complaint or anything…”
Wooyeon couldn’t find any words to justify himself, so he just kept his mouth shut.
A few days ago, Wooyeon had found a seat in the library after a fierce seat battle. However, before an hour had passed, he left the library. It was because of the drink placed on the seat while he went to the restroom.
“He said he smeared pheromones all over his notes. That’s what bothered him.”
It was an object soaked with Alpha pheromones. Wooyeon had thought that such things only happened in movies or dramas, but experiencing it in reality was quite unpleasant. Naturally, without touching the drink, Wooyeon left the library.
“Ugh, there are always people like that. Not studying even though they’re told to.”
Garam shook her head as if saying she knew all too well. Then she pushed Dohyun aside and sat in the seat next to him. Taking her own notebook and pen, she smirked.
“Hey, since we’re talking about it, let’s study together.”
It was unclear how this idea came to her mind. All three of them sent each other awkward glances, but Garam, without caring at all, scribbled with her pen.
“Our goal is… to get good grades.”
The word ‘grades’ was written crookedly. Dohyun, who was already getting good grades, found it ridiculous, asking, “Who is that for?” Wooyeon also empathized with that sentiment.
“We’ll only gather to study during the exam period. To boost each other’s motivation and share cheat sheets with each other.”
Garam presented a surprisingly persuasive argument. It still didn’t benefit Dohyun much, but Seongyu looked at her with a cold expression. It was clear that his mind was filled with difficult subjects.
“Kim Dohyun, wouldn’t it be great if you studied while teaching? We wouldn’t want our Wooyeon to endure such humiliation at the library, right?”
“No, I don’t really…”
“Wooyeon, this is a matter of Noona’s pride.”
“Why is your pride at stake?”
Wooyeon forced a wry smile and scratched the back of his head. No matter how he thought about it, he felt like he was being used. At that moment, Dohyun lifted the corner of his mouth and took out another pen.
“If you’re going to do it, set a longer period and define the goal clearly. Like achieving a certain GPA.”
Wooyeon was surprised that he willingly joined the plan. It was more like one-sided mentoring than a study group, and he never imagined Dohyun would agree so easily. In the meantime, Dohyun was methodically writing down the target GPA.
“Hey, having a 4.0 GPA is no small feat.”
“If you halfheartedly gather, it’s just playing around. You need a theme to study accordingly.”
With the exact day, time, subjects, and only the place left to decide, Wooyeon belatedly snapped back to reality.
“I won’t do it.”
The three pairs of eyes turned to Wooyeon. He narrowed his eyes and raised his head. A study group? That would mean meeting Dohyun every week. That was absolutely out of the question.
“It’s more comfortable doing it alone.”
Dohyun lifted his eyes. A close-up face filled his narrow pupils. Before Seongyu could persuade him to do it together, a firm voice came from Dohyun’s lips.
“You have to do it.”
Wooyeon had sensed that Dohyun hadn’t been in a good mood since earlier. Though it seemed no different from usual, there was a subtle thorniness. He noticed it while the atmosphere in the club room seemed to be solely occupied by him.
“Can you handle English phonology on your own?”
“…”
Without responding, Wooyeon averted his gaze. English phonology was the only class he shared with Dohyun. He had promised to help him study, and trusting that single promise, Wooyeon had kept the course. Of course, Wooyeon had been avoiding the promise with Dohyun, making various excuses.
“We have quizzes every week. You seemed to struggle with last week’s. You need to make up for it.”
There was no argument he could make. Last week’s quiz was a nightmare. What is a plosive consonant and what is a fricative consonant? The questions were so complex that even Daniel, who was born and raised in the United States, couldn’t solve them.
“…But still…”
Wooyeon couldn’t answer outright and turned his eyes. Dohyun’s face gained a charming smile at that moment. Dohyun looked like he would melt, smiling gently, and with a soft voice, he continued.
“Wooyeon.”
The moment their eyes met, Wooyeon unknowingly adjusted his posture. Seeing that angelic smile, it felt as if the ambient temperature had dropped by about 5 degrees. Whether Dohyun was aware of his tension or not, an exceptionally gentle voice flowed out.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“I’ll do it.”
Wooyeon casually nodded, as if the action was an instinctive response, almost as if someone had gently guided his head. As if anticipating this, Dohyun looked satisfied, turning his eyes with contentment.
Thanks for the update!
ur welcomeee<333
I’m already desperate and you are telling me that is like 80+ chapters ahead 😭😭😭 ? Please just talk, kiss and have a happy ending