It was the face he had not forgotten even once over the past four years, It appeared in his dreams, and it was engraved in his memory as it was threatening to never fade nor blur out. The gentle eyes, the double eyelids on one side, and even the clean eyebrows—all of it belonged to ‘Teacher.’
“……”
Wooyeon couldn’t believe the word ‘coincidence’. even if he held onto the tiniest hope, there was no expectation that it would become a reality. The faint possibility he had vaguely wished for had also been completely abandoned just moments ago.
But then, he met the teacher. It wasn’t just the appearance; even the name was the same. Kim Dohyun. Those three letters made Wooyeon’s heart pound uncontrollably. His soft hair stood on end, and pheromones subtly emanated. This shouldn’t have happened(regarding the release of his pheromones). It wasn’t under his control, just like the first manifestation.
“Uh…”
He opened his mouth hesitantly. There were so many things he wanted to say—whether he missed him, worked hard in his studies, lost weight, or grew taller. There were many updates and boasts, things that would make him laugh and pat Wooyeon’s head if he heard.
“That…”
However, not a single word came out. His kind impression, and upright posture, except for the fact that the facial features had become bolder, there was no significant change from before, making him feel out of place. Wooyeon asked with a voice that seemed to be heard still not heard, lips slightly trembling.
“…Are you an Alpha?”
He sensed the Pheromones. And it had undoubtedly a strong presence that could only belong to an Alpha. It was dry and cool, but no matter what, it was pheromones. Cigarettes or cologne couldn’t imitate the scent of a genuine Alpha.
“Yes.”
The answer came back casually. Dohyun, with an expressionless face, slowly blinked his eyes at Wooyeon. There was no trace of any recognition in his dry and mixed gaze.
“An Alpha.”
Upon hearing those words, Wooyeon immediately turned his back. He bit his lip and took firm steps, one after another. With each step away, a swirling emotion surged like a whirlpool.
‘…Teacher is an Alpha?’
He had definitely asked that. That last confirmation was the origin of all the emotions Wooyeon felt. If a slightly different answer had been given at that time, Wooyeon might not have opened his heart till even now, four years later.
‘Why, does the teacher seem like an Alpha?’
An Alpha?
* * *
He wasn’t sure in what state of mind he spent the past few weeks. When he came to his senses, the semester had started, and his course registration was a complete disaster. Taking unfamiliar electives with seniors and a major he didn’t understand was enough for Wooyeon to decide to drop out. It wasn’t a joke; he had visited the department office more than ten times within four days after the semester began.
“There’s still a period for course corrections…”
The kind assistant expressed genuine condolences while looking at Wooyeon’s timetable. Not only did he help with various inquiries, but he also secretly informed Wooyeon of classes that were open on a first-come, first-served basis. Generally, they wouldn’t go this far, but Wooyeon seemed too pitiful for the assistant to ignore.
“Cheer up.”
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.
“Yes…”
The assistant lightly patted Wooyeon’s shoulder. His dejected posture with his head lowered resembled a submissive puppy. If he had a tail, it would probably be draping on the ground. Wooyeon replied in a weak voice and tightly hugged his bag.
“Um, Assistant.”
Thanks to the well-managed timetable, there was still a long time until the next class. He had nowhere to go, and he hadn’t made any friends. Trying to kill time aimlessly, his mind was still occupied with worries.
So, Wooyeon put on a poker face, looking at the assistant straight in the face. It was to ask about the name he hadn’t forgotten even once in the past four days.
“Do you happen to know someone named Kim Dohyun?”
“Kim Dohyun?”
The assistant raised an eyebrow with a puzzled look. While knowing every student as a department assistant seemed impossible, he didn’t think he would know Dohyun. After checking the schedule once, the assistant asked Wooyeon.
“Is it because of the club?”
“The club?”
“Dohyun is the president of the English Classics Reading Club, right? Didn’t you ask because you were interested?”
Wooyeon nodded earnestly. ‘English Classics Reading’ was the club he had mentioned when he used to tutor. It seemed like he was the youngest back then, but now, he had become the club president.
“What do you want to know?”
“Just… What kind of person he is…”
Wooyeon, with a cloudy expression, twisted the strap of his bag with his fingers. He felt a belated unease about bringing up the topic he had initiated. It seemed like he was fishing for information rather than sincerely asking.
“Well, he’s a good guy.”
Fortunately, the assistant provided the most straightforward answer. Pausing as if gauging the reaction, he went on to offer a more detailed explanation.
“He’s responsible and works hard for the club. If you join, he’ll probably be very pleased. He’s the top student in our department, so it’ll be helpful during exams.”
It wasn’t much different from what Wooyeon already knew. He wasn’t aware of the ‘top student’ part, but he knew Dohyun was a somewhat high-ranking student. The sense of responsibility was something Wooyeon had felt during Dohyun’s tutoring sessions.
“…Is he an Alpha?”
Wooyeon finally managed to utter a single question. It was a question with a predetermined answer.
“Yeah.”
Since the orientation, Dohyun’s face, the expression he had when looking at Wooyeon, the pheromones in the air—all of it had dominated Wooyeon’s thoughts.
‘He’s an Alpha.’
Even though he said he wasn’t.
Wooyeon had always had an aversion to Alphas. Before manifestation and even after, it was the same. If the former was a simple aversion, the latter was closer to fundamental hatred. Damn Alphas never overlooked Wooyeon, an Omega.
“Is there anything else you want to know?”
“…No, it’s okay now.”
And that’s when the betrayal set in. It was disappointing, and even a little unfair. He was more repulsed than glad that the person he liked so much was actually an Alpha.
Well, strictly speaking, Dohyun didn’t explicitly say he wasn’t an Alpha. He just speculated and concluded on his own when he asked ‘if he seemed like an Alpha’ to Wooyeon. However not correcting the misunderstanding felt like deception in the end.
“Thank you.”
Wooyeon bowed slightly and slung his bag over his shoulder. Despite the slightly warmer weather, he wore a coat instead of a padded jacket, and even indoors, the tip of his nose felt cold. He thought too lightly of the cold in Korea.
“Oh, wait a moment.”
The assistant held onto Wooyeon, who was about to turn away and raised a hand. Turning his head at the call, Wooyeon saw a student approaching them not far away.
“Did you call me?”
She was a tall girl, almost as tall as Wooyeon. With long flowing hair and sharp features, she exuded a different kind of distance from the assistant. The faint scent of pheromones gave away the fact that she was an Alpha.
“He wants to join your club.”
“No, not right now…”
Wooyeon was about to step back but he hesitated. The gaze he met in the air shone like a predator discovering its prey. Garam, who suddenly approached Wooyeon, smiled brightly.
“Freshman?”
Her voice carried an inexplicable force. Wooyeon stepped back, feeling truly intimidated this time. Garam raised her hand as if to assure him she wouldn’t bite.
“Ah, where have I seen you? Oh, you’re the freshman from orientation!”
“Orientation?”
“Don’t you remember? I told you there’s an after-party, but you said you were busy and left.”
There was a momentary flash of memory in his mind. It was the Alpha senior who had suggested the after-party during the orientation. He hadn’t made eye contact at the thought of Alphas and had hurriedly left.
“…I’m sorry.”
Garam’s eyes widened at the hesitant apology. She made a strange sound, like ‘uhh?’, and then burst into laughter, asking why he was apologizing.
“If you’re sorry, just join the club. Do you happen to like Shakespeare?”
It was an unexpectedly random question. The assistant also turned his head, chuckling. Was ‘English Classics Reading’ about Shakespeare? While Wooyeon hesitated in answering, Garam raised her eyebrows with a subtle expression.
“We have a welcome event today. Will you come?”
* * *
“Wow, so you were in the United States?”
“Where in America? LA? New York? How many years were you there?”
“My friend was making a fuss about racial discrimination. Wasn’t it like that there?”
Amidst the barrage of questions, Wooyeon awkwardly furrowed his brow. He felt overwhelmingly burdened by the attention he never asked for. Initially, it was one or two people, but when he gathered himself, everyone at the table was looking at him.
“…I was in LA for four years.”
When Wooyeon first arrived at the drinking party, led by Garam, he sat in a secluded spot like a discarded cigarette butt. Seniors were with seniors, and freshmen were with freshmen. There were already factions formed. Wooyeon couldn’t act friendly due to his personality, and Dohyun was so far away that he was practically invisible. While he was making efforts not to look in that direction, a Beta approached him.
“Were you at the orientation?”
His name was Kwon Seongyu. After downing a beer in one shot, Seongyu took a seat opposite Wooyeon, striking up a friendly conversation.
‘I thought you went to a different school because I didn’t see you every time I went to lectures.’
That comment led to showing the timetable on Wooyeon’s phone, and the Beta was amazed at the messed-up schedule one might only find on the internet. Naturally, Wooyeon became the object of sympathy for everyone.
“But isn’t tuition expensive in LA? Your family must be well off.”
“Hey, don’t say rude things.”
Seongyu, with a slightly irritated expression, pointed out not to spoil the mood. Although it was true that tuition in LA was expensive and Wooyeon’s family was well-off, it didn’t seem very important. It was different from the guys who used to torment Wooyeon in middle school for not being able to have the same.
“Oh, Wooyeon has many friends now?”
Suddenly, Garam, staggering, wormed her way into the conversation. She exuded a mixture of alcohol scent, Alpha pheromones, and everything Wooyeon disliked. Despite trying to avoid her and leaning against the wall, Garam paid no attention and cheerfully spoke.
“Well, good-looking guys are different.”
Garam’s pheromones were loosely scattered. It wasn’t intentional, and she seemed to have forgotten to control it amid the alcohol. Wooyeon, pretending to cover his mouth with his sleeve, took a shallow breath.
“This Noona is already…”
“Garam, stop acting like an old man.”
At that moment, a soft, familiar voice came from right behind. A voice that Wooyeon was well acquainted with—smooth and gentle. For a brief moment, his heart had momentarily sank as a large hand rose and held his shoulder.
“He looks uncomfortable.”
Im so curious about what the ML thinks of him… is this a fated mates thing? A one sided crush on the MC’s part?
Garam embodies everything he’s learned to dislike about alphas, doesn’t she 😐. It’s great that he’s making friends in the club though.
Aww Dohyun is protecting Wooyeon like YeonWoo protected him when guys were smoking cigarettes around Dohyun. It’s like déja vu