Alpha TraumaChapter 25

“….A prize?”

Wooyeon’s eyes sparkled momentarily. Dohyun, as if wondering when birds had sung, calmly raised his head at Wooyeon’s brightened appearance. Wooyeon didn’t miss the chance and quickly confirmed. l5BdEZ

“What prize?”

‘Prize’ was a word that made one’s heart flutter just hearing it. But what exactly was he going to give him? Many thoughts raced through his mind. Dohyun let out a soft sigh, then tilted his head slightly, closing his eyes.

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“Well, would you like me to give you that chocolate?”

At the mention of ‘chocolate,’ a white ribbon-wrapped package came to his mind. It was a reward he received from the teacher during middle school. And more recently, it was the dessert Dohyun had bought for Wooyeon at the dessert shop as a senior. wv9rB1

“I’m not a kid, though….”

Wooyeon grumbled a bit discontentedly. The chocolate was delicious, but he didn’t want it as a reward for the midterms. Moreover, he didn’t like how Dohyun was casually giving out rewards like this, especially using the reward he had received in the past. It was just a memory between him and the teacher, nothing more. Even now, even though I’m just a junior, it’s the same.

“Then, what do you want?”

“Hmm….”

Wooyeon pondered with a serious expression. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he was sulking a moment ago. As he thought about various things, he suddenly lifted his head and met Dohyun’s gaze.

“Are you going to give me anything?”

A puzzled light flashed in Dohyun’s eyes. Covering the cigarette case he was holding with his hand, as if hiding his thoughts, he replied.

“No cigarettes.” KRWwfX

“…I won’t ask for them.”

Someone might think that Wooyeon was underage and couldn’t purchase cigarettes. Wooyeon, who lowered his head a bit shyly, looked up subtly.

“Buy me alcohol, then.”

They had made such a promise a long time ago. If he entered the same university as the teacher, he would buy him alcohol as a senior. Dohyun had laughed playfully at that remark, gently patting Wooyeon’s head. N0XGg2

‘When you get into college, I’ll buy you drinks.’

‘Alcohol?’

Dohyun subtly smirked. His neat eyebrows lifted, and his lips twisted slightly. Wooyeon, realizing that what he said might be misunderstood, hurriedly extended his hand.

“No, um, not for any other reason, but because I’m not good at drinking.” lkGC2g

Although it wasn’t a sincere statement, upon careful consideration, it sounded strange. Asking for alcohol seemed like giving a task. Dohyun made a sound as if a gust of wind was blowing as he shook his head at Wooyeon’s apologetic expression.

“Do you want to learn to drink?”

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Wooyeon vigorously nodded his head. Despite his excessive positivity making it seem like there was ‘another reason,’ Dohyun smiled as if saying he would give it a try.

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.

“We’ll drink together anyway. After exams, let’s have a celebration.” RMH5ZB

“A celebration?”

“Yeah, we gather in the club, and also in our department. Of course, attendance is optional.”

As for an after-party, he had once gone to during the opening ceremony. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces, and Wooyeon had spent some time in the corner and finally started talking to Seongyu. He won’t be alone this time, but on the other hand, there will be a lot of people around Dohyun.

“What about you, senior?” 2sVBNL

“I have to go because I’m the club president.”

“What about department gatherings?”

“I’m considering that.”

Faces of Alphas from the same department flashed through Wooyeon’s mind. Among them was, of course, the returning student who used to torment him during club events. Wooyeon closed his mouth seriously for a moment, then nodded slowly. d6wBE4

“Then, I want to go too.”

“…I’ll say it again.”

Dohyun had a troubled expression. With lips slightly pursed, he spoke with a somewhat serious tone, as if he had a lot to say.

“You don’t have to drink a drink you don’t like.” 2xwGQu

Wooyeon nodded his head again. Although Dohyun’s expression seemed dissatisfied, he didn’t raise any objections.

“So, let’s talk about something else. You can drink anytime.”

Anytime he could drink. Even though if he suggested drinking together, Dohyun would definitely refuse. Ultimately, Wooyeon’s request to buy alcohol was rejected, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Anything else….” TAPMpq

“Yeah, then let’s do this.”

Dohyun suggested subtly. The corners of his mouth, which had risen slightly, looked strangely confident.

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“I’ll show you a movie.”

It was a completely unexpected suggestion. Wooyeon mumbled while fidgeting with his fingers. r89dnB

“A movie?”

“Yeah, a movie.”

It’s not that he disliked movies, but they didn’t particularly interest him. Most movies were available at home with a film projector, and if he invested in a subsidiary, he could watch them even before they were released. Just as Wooyeon was about to ask if there was a movie he wanted to see, Dohyun subtly added with a gentle voice.

“We’ll watch it at the cinema.” KWIARt

“….”

Wooyeon’s eyes widened. Confirming his newfound interest, Dohyun softly averted his gaze.

“I’ll also buy popcorn and drinks.”

It was like the time they said they would eat cake together. ‘Let’s eat caramel popcorn.’ At those words, Wooyeon’s cheeks turned slightly red. A movie theater was a place Wooyeon had never been to before. qIAvWF

***

Wooyeon accepted the proposal with a thoroughly excited expression. After all, he needed to do well on the exams, and it was beneficial either way. Besides, he belatedly realized that watching a movie together would feel like a date. A date with the teacher, a stroke of unimaginable luck.

Feeling uplifted, Wooyeon stopped by the club room to pick up his belongings. Garam was already awake, and Seongyu had returned. Wooyeon overheard someone suggesting to meet at the main gate this time, so he headed to the club room for the liberal arts lecture.

And the moment he entered the classroom, he realized another fact he had forgotten. x3Wj2Q

“….”

“….”

A heavy silence buzzed between them. Junseong, who had been sitting at the back of the classroom, made a vague expression as soon as his eyes met Wooyeon’s. Remembering what he had said to him last time, Wooyeon frowned.

‘I really hate guys like you.’ tvcaDf

He had completely forgotten. He wondered how he could forget something so important. Since that day, he had been so consumed by Dohyun’s thoughts that Junseong never crossed his mind.

Wooyeon pretended not to know him and walked inside. Fortunately, there was an empty seat far away. As soon as he put his bag down and sat down, the professor entered the classroom.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

The lecture that followed was painfully devoid of content. It mostly consisted of the professor’s travel stories, occasionally touching on assignments. Wooyeon ignored the occasional glances from the side and accepted the English jokes the professor tossed his way.

About an hour later, the professor encouraged them to work hard on the midterm assignment and left the classroom. Perhaps because the professor ended the class early, there were many comments about him being kind in the course evaluations. 2Gn1Zs

“Hey.”

Someone stood in front of his desk just as Wooyeon was about to gather his things. Wooyeon raised his head slowly and realized it was Junseong, scrunching his face in a reluctant expression.

“You don’t have the next lecture, right? Spare me a moment.”

Wooyeon hesitated, wanting to ask why he should. Even though he wanted to ignore him, Junseong was his teammate for the group project, and he was even the team leader. With only two weeks left until the presentation, if this was related to it, he couldn’t avoid it. z1PLrN

“Why?”

Could it be about creating a group chat even now? Or was it about discussing the presentation (Wooyeon was exempted from making the PPT)? Ignoring all those assumptions, Junseong brought up the most basic issue.

“We need to have a meeting about our invention ideas.”

They created a group chat first and headed to a cafe near the main gate. There were about 40 minutes left until the study started, so if they had a meeting and went, the timing would be about right. Wooyeon put down his phone after sending a message just in case he was late and raised his head. VP8Cxf

“So, does anyone have any ideas?”

Junseong looked around his team with a somewhat uncomfortable expression. The teammates, including Wooyeon, nervously glanced at each other. Of course, they were just reading the atmosphere; none of them had good ideas.

“Ha… frustrating bastards.”

The air felt like frozen ice, suffocating in its intensity. The already dismal atmosphere with a sense of despair seemed to sap Wooyeon’s enthusiasm. Wooyeon took out his notebook and pen from his bag and wrote, “Inventions in the Global Era.” That was all he wrote, surprisingly realizing he had nothing more to write. emkMfo

“How is it that there isn’t a single person with a good idea?”

Junseong continued to express his irritation without a break. When he even said, “Show some respect at least,” Wooyeon couldn’t stand it and retorted.

“Hey, don’t talk like that when you’re the same.”

Blaming others was not something that had changed at all, whether now or before. He had no ideas himself, yet he was complaining, waving around the title of the team leader. Although it was frustrating that the team members remained silent, Junseong’s behavior was even more unpleasant. 94wAoM

“…Ha.”

Surprisingly, Junseong didn’t retort or shout back in irritation. He simply closed his mouth and glared at Wooyeon with an indiscernible gaze. Wooyeon raised his pen again and started writing in his notebook.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“Since it’s an invention, we should think about inconveniences.”

Time difference, language, racial discrimination. Wooyeon wrote down a few things he felt, but the team members remained silent. Wooyeon seriously considered giving up on this lecture and thought it might be better to get an F. i2c5uU

Their unproductive meeting continued until it was close to study time. During that time, Wooyeon suggested about three ideas alone and the other team members alternated between admiration and silence. Junseong, with his mouth shut as if protesting, made the atmosphere uncomfortable. Wooyeon, after enduring for a while, put down his pen and spoke.

“Let’s just disband, and each of us can think of three inventions by tomorrow. I have to go to my study session.”

Coincidentally, a call came in at that moment. The caller was ‘Kwon Seongyu.’ Wooyeon picked up the phone, suppressing his irritation towards the team members.

“Hello?” b47JSB

―Hey, Wooyeon! We’re on our way to the cafe right now. If you’re late, just come straight over there.

Seongyu’s unique light voice could be heard through the phone. Amid the frustrating silence, this was very welcoming news for Wooyeon. Seongyu offered some small comfort regarding the group project being difficult and then said they were almost at the cafe.

Ding, the sound of the doorbell rang at that moment. Wooyeon absentmindedly turned his head towards the source of the sound. Then, the words that should have come through the phone were heard nearby.

―We just entered the cafe…. dk3dbW

Valentine’s Day Bonus Update~

Here’s a quick sketch I drew for today~ Happy Valentine’s Day <33