The weather in February still retained the chill of winter. Despite wearing a thick padded jacket over a sweater that reached up to the neck, Wooyeon couldn’t escape the biting wind. It definitely wasn’t this cold in the United States. Wooyeon thought so as he turned his phone in the opposite direction.
―[How could you leave me behind!]
His hands, without gloves, felt painfully cold. If it weren’t for the hot pack given to him in front of the main gate, he wouldn’t have held onto the phone for so long. Shivering, Wooyeon, with his hands in his pockets, glanced at the sign.
[Sorry, I couldn’t hear. What did you say?]
―[Wooyeon!]
Engineering Building 1, Engineering Building 2, Engineering Building 3. Despite other buildings like the library and the gym being written, Building A, where he should go, was nowhere in sight. Looking around for someone to ask for directions, all he found were students wandering around like him.
―[How can you secretly go to Korea? Huh? Is that all we are?]
―[Danny… We are just that. And I didn’t come secretly.]
Should I just walk? Wooyeon, thinking like a typical directionally challenged person, walked into the campus. Well-kept flower beds and neatly planted trees showed signs of early spring. If he hadn’t gone to study abroad, maybe he would have been responsible for at least one of those grass patches for admission.
―[…I’m really upset, Wooyeon.]
After a short pause, a noticeably calmer voice came through. Due to lowering the volume for the signboards earlier, this time he couldn’t hear what was being said. Wooyeon rapidly poured out English, pressing the volume button.
[I’ve been saying that when I turn twenty, I’ll go to Korea. It’s been almost a month since I came to Korea. What can we do now? If you wanted to discuss it, you should have done it before going to the airport.]
―[You’re only eighteen!]
[In Korean age, I’m twenty.]
As he spoke for a long time, he felt the eyes of the surrounding students. Even in a university where people from all walks of life gathered, speaking a foreign language still stood out. Wooyeon flipped his brightly dyed hair and quickened his pace.
[Please, I’m embarrassed to speak English. And it’s so cold here that I feel like my hands will freeze. Can’t you contact me later when it’s not this cold?]
―[What’s embarrassing? Your pronunciation is perfect.]
[It’s not about that…]
Stopping, Wooyeon lowered his voice. He didn’t forget to switch his phone in his other hand again while choosing his words. The hot pack in his hand was excessively hot.
[I feel like I’m giving off a foreign student vibe.]
Wooyeon had flown to the United States in the fall when he turned sixteen. Originally, he planned to attend a foreign language high school, but for various reasons, studying abroad was decided. Timing and circumstances were ambiguous, but as always, everything was solved with money.
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.
―[You’re a foreign student, right?]
Daniel was the first American he became close to there. At first, with an awkward face, he called him ‘Woo Yoon,’ but after about a month of struggle and practice, he perfectly pronounced ‘Wooyeon.’ Daniel helped Wooyeon, who struggled with foreign food, and he was the one who provided suppressants for his first Omega manifestation.
Perhaps because of that, he took care of Wooyeon in an oddly protective manner. He was grateful for it when he faced racial discrimination as an Asian, but him being like a guardian, who protected him even after returning to Korea, was annoying. Especially at times like this when he had urgent business.
―[Are you going to find that person?]
[That person?]
―[The teacher you always talked about.]
At the sudden question, Wooyeon stopped in his tracks. The teacher. That one word clenched his heart like a fist. In fact, it had been in this state for a long time. From the moment he saw the university gate, or from the moment he saw the big banner congratulating his admission. No, more precisely, from the moment he set foot on Korean soil after four years.
‘Yeon-ah.’
The face that came to mind involuntarily was not as affectionate as Wooyeon’s memory. It was the face of someone visibly embarrassed, with slightly furrowed eyebrows and tightly closed lips. The subsequent answer that came to mind wasn’t a pleasant memory either.
‘The teacher is going to the military.’
His first love doesn’t come true, or something like that. The contact with the teacher ended the moment he went to the military. He(tutor) changed the number, and he(Wooyeon) ran away to the United States.
“I got dumped….”
A thin sigh escaped his mouth. It was just brainwashing of himself, not words to Daniel. With only knowing ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in Korean, Daniel couldn’t understand what he was saying.
―[What did you say?]
[No, nothing.]
Four years had passed since then. Wooyeon turned twenty, manifested as an Omega, and lost over 30kg in weight. Standing tall with a changed appearance, he sometimes spent nearly 20 minutes holding on alone during passport checks due to the alterations in his physical features. Moreover, having undergone LASIK and ditching his glasses, his teacher would never recognize him.
[Anyway, let’s hang up. I’m busy.]
–[Yeah, sure.]
Wooyeon approached the signboard, trying to manage his complicated feelings. Fortunately, this time there was a map of the university. The building he was looking for was not far from there.
―[Busy? Aren’t you there to enjoy Korea?]
[What are you talking about? Who said that?]
Building A…, here it is.
[I’m going to attend college, Danny.]
A faint scream echoed from the phone after a slight pause. Wooyeon dropped the phone to form a distance and immediately ended the call. An international call soon came in, but he didn’t hesitate to decline it completely.
“Sigh…”
His hazy breath dispersed dizzily. “Orientation for English Language and Literature Freshmen.” The bold letters on the wall informed Wooyeon of where he needed to go.
* * *
The orientation was much more boring than he had expected. In an awkward atmosphere, welcome speeches were given, and the introduction of professors and academic guidance were predictably straightforward. In essence, the orientation focused on celebrating admission and boasting about the school.
In the afternoon, they divided into several groups and moved to the multimedia room. Wooyeon briefly pondered whether he should go back home at this point. The reason he didn’t was simply that he had no friends to ask about course registration.
‘I’m not sure?’
Just then a neatly dressed assistant approached Wooyeon, who was staring blankly at the computer. With black hair and pale skin, there was an inexplicable sense of distance. Wooyeon tensed up at the strong Alpha pheromones but relaxed upon realizing it was simply ‘buried’ in him.
“You just need to choose this and this.”
Straight fingers pointed at the screen one by one. Looking at the ring on the assistant’s left ring finger, Wooyeon guessed the recently sensed pheromones were the trace of his lover, and Surprisingly, the assistant, who lowered his head, emitted a faint Omega pheromone.
“Do you have any other questions?”
After explaining, the assistant turned his head slowly. The eyes seemed as black as his hair. Wooyeon absentmindedly held the mouse, looking down.
“How should I take the liberal arts courses…”
“Oh, liberal arts.”
Expecting an indifferent answer, Wooyeon was surprised by the detailed response, he got. ‘While they give good grades, if you’re bad at math, I suggest taking something else, and since English is the basic and the competition is fierce, it’s better to aim for something else’ he advised.
Then, suddenly, the assistant, who had stopped talking, lowered his voice asking.
“Can you speak English well?”
“Huh? Oh, just a little.”
It was not just a little, but Wooyeon answered that way. The assistant nodded vaguely and pointed to one major.
“Well, the professor is a dominant Omega, so he will be understanding.”
With a whiff, his scent was felt. Wooyeon couldn’t react, but the assistant casually continued.
“Maybe in a heat cycle or something.”
In the small voice, the assistant felt a sense of camaraderie toward the same Omega. Without asking more questions, Wooyeon, who kept his mouth shut, put the course pointed out by the assistant into his shopping cart.
Wooyeon hurriedly fled the building as if escaping as soon as the orientation ended. There was apparently a drinking session afterward, but he didn’t go because the senior who informed him about it was an Alpha. No, even if it were to be an Omega or a Beta, he wouldn’t have gone.
“Sigh.”
A sense of suffocation spilled out. Even while crossing the campus, the oppressive reality washed over Wooyeon like a relentless tide. He had given up on the U.S. State University, persuading his mother to come back to Korea. Now, looking back, he felt it was a foolish decision.
It wasn’t that the school was bad. It was prestigious, had excellent facilities, and even friendly assistants in each department. There were countless advantages, but Wooyeon hadn’t expected any of that.
‘Yeon-ah.’
If he was four years older, wouldn’t the age difference be suitable for attending the same university? Being a Beta, he would serve in the military and, if he returned immediately, he would be a third-year student. Perhaps, they could accidentally bump into each other.
This series of events led Wooyeon to this point. Knowing it was futile, he still applied and eagerly awaited the admission results. And now, attending the entrance ceremony and seeing the immense number of students in the department, Wooyeon noticed the one mistake he had overlooked.
‘…What if we meet?’
Accidentally. Yes, let’s assume they accidentally ran into each other. Meeting the teacher he had longed for, having another conversation, and relieving the tension after a long time. If that happened, what would really change?
He didn’t think the teacher would be pleased to see him. The last image Wooyeon remembered was the awkward face the teacher didn’t even show when he missed doing his homework. Rather than being delighted, the teacher might find Wooyeon, who had chased him to college, repulsive.
‘No, he probably won’t even recognize me.’
Wooyeon let out a self-deprecating laugh and bowed his head deeply. The only fortunate thing was that there weren’t many Alphas in the department. Thinking about it, he should have asked the assistant earlier to choose an Alpha professor for him. As soon as he thought that, he sensed Alpha pheromones, like ghosts.
“Ah.”
It was a dominant Alpha. Wooyeon could tell because he too, was dominant. The pheromones that breezed past were refreshing rather than unpleasant, but Wooyeon found himself frowning without realizing it.
What he noticed first was the long coat hem. The man, wearing a thin turtleneck under his coat, with the hem supporting the southern part, had a neat back as straight as his well-groomed appearance. As Wooyeon was pondering where he had seen that back, the man sensed Wooyeon’s gaze and turned his head.
“….”
Their eyes met. Time seemed to stop, and Wooyeon’s heart felt like it stopped beating. The surging sensation rushed over him like a wave, and Wooyeon took a deep breath as if he wanted to scream.
‘Kim Dohyun! Why are you coming now!’
It was the teacher. His teacher!
Uhhhhh sorry I have few questions:
Is Professor Woo Sung an alpha or omega? Because he was first mentioned as an omega but then alpha? ==> ‘Please consider it as Professor Woo Sung is an omega’ ; ‘It was the alpha Professor Woo Sung‘
If he were nine years old ==> Is this supposed to be nineteen or do I misunderstand something?
Sorry for the confusion, as English isn’t my native language, I do get confused from time to time. Thank you for translating this novel! Been wanting to read this gem after I finished Omega Complex webtoon
😍
Ahh nooo you were totally right QAQ there were a few parts I missed while translating so thank youuuu for pointing it out <333
And I’m glad you’re enjoying this~💛
Finally they met😘😘😘😘
That assistant must be Yoon Woo..
They finally met 🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
He fell for the teacher when he was 15, and the teacher 19? If he’s entering to college he must be 18 or 19, and last but not least… who is the omega and who is the alfa??, are they both dominats?? TYSM for the translation ☺️