As the words left Wooyeon’s mouth, applause filled the classroom. The professor jotted something down on the grading sheet with a satisfied expression. Among the students, only Junseong glared at Wooyeon with his face flushed with a mixture of red and blue.
“Your idea was innovative, and the content was substantial and well-presented. Your presentation attitude was excellent.”
The idea was Wooyeon’s, and Dohyun crafted the script. While Seongyu handled the insufficient materials and Garam contributed to the PowerPoint, Wooyeon, instead of crediting these three, tactfully mixed in the names of other group members.
“But… aren’t there four members in the group?”
The professor inquired, making some marks on the grading sheet. Presumably, it seemed like he was noting the roles each group member had undertaken. Without looking at Junseong, Wooyeon calmly replied,
“We couldn’t reach the member responsible for making the PowerPoint, so we reluctantly decided to leave out his name.”
“Was this a decision agreed upon by all the group members?”
“Yes.”
“Professor!”
Unexpectedly, Junseong abruptly stood up from his seat, his face filled with frustration. The professor, annoyed by the loud noise, turned to face him. Junseong, unable to hide his angry expression, urgently spoke.
“I’m Kang Junseong, the leader of Group 1 in the Information and Communication Engineering department. There seems to be a misunderstanding…”
“We are still in the middle of the class, so let’s not discuss this now. If there are any concerns, please consult with your group members and visit my office later.”
Unusually, even Wooyeon thought this time things were not in his favor. The professor, who had been so confident that he wouldn’t listen, now found himself in a similar situation. Junseong felt like he’d been treated unjustly, but as the professor called out the next group, he sat back down with a flushed face.
As they returned to their seats, students whispered and murmured as they looked at Wooyeon and Junseong. Before the presentation, it was evident that there had been a conflict between the two, and now, questions arose among the students witnessing the situation. Rumors were sure to spread eventually, but no one would take Junseong’s side. More precisely, nobody would take either side.
Wooyeon was well aware of how frightening public indifference could be. At this moment, even if Junseong was in the wrong, it was unlikely that anyone would stand up for him if Wooyeon had removed his name. Conversely, even if Junseong had omitted Wooyeon’s name, the outcome would likely be the same.
Throughout the presentations of the other groups, Junseong kept his head down, shoulders trembling. If he wasn’t so passionate, pheromones filled with anger might still have emanated from him. Wooyeon, without casting a glance towards Junseong, feigned concentration on the presentations, chin resting on his hand.
“Everyone did better than expected.”
The presentations lasted exactly an hour and a half. After briefly going through the reports, the professor instructed them to send the PowerPoint slides via email. Mentioning that the grades would be announced later, the professor looked towards Wooyeon.
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.
“And Group 1.”
Wooyeon straightened his posture and met the professor’s gaze. He wondered if the professor was about to discuss the matter of omitting Junseong’s name, but the professor brought up a different topic.
“It was perfect. Even among the seniors, not many have performed this well. Have you perhaps looked at any previous records or something?”
For a moment, Wooyeon hesitated whether to talk about Dohyun. Worried that mentioning the senior’s assistance might lead to a deduction in points, he spoke without thinking.
“Kim Dohyun Sunbae from the English Department helped us…”
“Ah, Dohyun.”
Fortunately, the professor didn’t seem displeased. Instead, he nodded with a satisfied expression upon hearing Dohyun’s name. He mentioned that Dohyun worked hard in everything and even asked Wooyeon to convey his greetings whenever possible.
It wasn’t a lecture for his major, and it was a general education class with multiple participants. Even during the registration, Wooyeon felt impressed by Dohyun’s academic life in various aspects.
“There won’t be any assignments for a while, so rest well, and I’ll see you next week.”
As the class concluded, Junseong hurriedly approached the podium. He whispered something to the professor, who allowed him to manipulate his laptop. The professor, glancing at the screen, frowned as Junseong spoke urgently.
“Student Seon Wooyeon, let’s talk for a moment.”
***
The professor’s office had a spacious desk and a table that could accommodate several people. The bookshelves on the wall were filled with various textbooks, creating a cozy atmosphere, enhanced by a water dispenser and potted plants.
“So… Student Kang Junseong did the assignment, and you removed his name?”
The professor, tired, furrowed his brows while taking off his glasses. He looked haggard as if such incidents occurred every year. Junseong, standing in a somewhat unjust posture, voiced his grievances.
“As I showed earlier, we definitely worked on the PPT. It was just a bit delayed in delivery, but I think removing the name is too much.”
“Well… fine. Student Seon Wooyeon, do you have anything to say?”
Wooyeon nonchalantly took out his phone and approached the professor. Bringing up the group chat, he showed it to the professor, who narrowed his eyes disapprovingly.
“I asked multiple times to send me the PPT, but there was no reply. If he at least said he was working on it, I would have waited. However, since he ignored my messages, I had to gather materials from the other members. Up until the day of the presentation, I received no communication saying it was just a bit delayed.”
Junseong, upon a cursory glance, had his lips tightly sealed with a bewildered expression. Judging by the way he rolled his eyes, it seemed like he wanted to offer some explanation but couldn’t come up with a suitable defense. In response, the professor sternly addressed him.
“I don’t know the full story, but from what I can see, you ignored communication. Even if you don’t know about other matters, as the group leader, you should have communicated responsibly.”
“But Professor, I worked on the assignment…”
“If we just consider the completion of the assignment, Seon Wooyeon’s work is undeniably superior. What you created could have been done in a day or two.”
In reality, Wooyeon also completed it in two days, but the professor had no way of knowing that. Judging by Junseong’s disheveled appearance, it seemed like he was prepared for Wooyeon to expose him sooner or later.
“I can’t say anything more about this. You should discuss it with your group members. If both of you come back before the next class, I’ll consider it.”
As if he had nothing more to say, the professor gestured with his hand. Wooyeon bowed politely and left the professor’s office without looking back. Just as the door closed, Junseong’s voice expressing grievances with the professor was cut off completely. The soundproofing here was quite effective. Wooyeon walked towards the stairs, thinking about the situation with an uninspiring sentiment. When he belatedly checked his phone, he found messages from his group members.
“…”
Wooyeon stopped in his tracks as soon as he read the messages. Amidst the words praising the successful presentation and promising to work harder next time, two words stood out in a sentence filled with courtesy.
“Well done.”
It was the first time he had received acknowledgment for hard work from someone else. Not a curse blaming him for ruining things, but a grateful thank you for contributing to their success.
‘All this mess is because of that jerk.’
‘Hey, can’t you even do that much?’
‘That bastard even excluded our names…’
It felt like a heavy boulder was lodged in his throat. The stone beneath his Adam’s apple was not only hard but also uncomfortably warm. Wooyeon’s mouth was so dry he couldn’t swallow at all, so he clenched his teeth.
‘That useless bastard.’
Wooyeon never, under any circumstances, thought that his group members did well. He only refrained from tormenting them like Junseong did, and in the end, they just coasted along. To be moved by a single phrase saying “well done” was difficult when there was someone else who truly understood this sentiment.
However, upon seeing the words ‘well done,’ Wooyeon finally recalled one fact that he had barely acknowledged until now. Throughout his three years in middle school, he had been treated as nothing more than a pig.
“…….”
His stomach churned, feeling like he might vomit, and there was a hint of tears threatening to fall. If the teacher was in front of him, he might have collapsed and cried his heart out, just like some days before. However, Wooyeon snapped out of his deep thoughts before he could get lost in them. It was because Junseong approached him with heavy footsteps, pounding the ground. His face was flushed with anger, likely from whatever conversation he had in the professor’s office.
“Hey, Seon Wooyeon!”
However, Wooyeon couldn’t indulge in his thoughts for long. Junseong rushed towards him with heavy steps, and in a fit of rage, he grabbed Wooyeon’s collar. Due to the forceful push, Wooyeon’s back hit the wall with a thud. Wooyeon felt pain radiate and clenched his teeth tightly.
“Ugh…”
For a brief moment, everything turned white before his eyes. Even though he didn’t know if he would, it felt like he might pass out. Junseong breathed heavily, emitting strongly intensified pheromones.
“Hey, do you like fucking with me like this?”
Wooyeon managed to raise one hand and grabbed Junseong’s wrist. The pheromones emanating from Junseong’s intense anger were no joke. Feeling his already unpleasant stomach churn a bit more, Wooyeon twisted Junseong’s wrist outward.
“Ah…”
With a strange sound, Junseong weakly retreated. Despite his previous bravado, his reaction was quite feeble. Instead of laughing, Wooyeon spat out a sarcastic remark. His head was still ringing, feeling like he had been struck quite hard.
“Fuck, won’t you let go?”
Spewing curses, Junseong pushed away Wooyeon’s hand. Wooyeon had no intention of holding on any longer and let go, then touched the spot on the back of his head that had been impacted. As expected, he felt a stinging pain where his head had hit the wall.
“…Ha, really.”
Rarely, Wooyeon would mutter curses in a lowered voice. Normally, he didn’t let emotions get the better of him, but having his collar grabbed unexpectedly angered him. The pheromones seeping out subtly pressed down on Junseong.
“Fuck, you…!”
Junseong gasped for breath instead of finishing his sentence. The pheromones swirling in the air seemed to flatten his lungs. Without bothering to control the pheromones, Wooyeon approached him step by step.
“What’s it to me.”
Truly, for the first time in his life, Wooyeon was furious to the point that reason seemed to fly out the window. Who was the one truly suffering and feeling unjust, and why did this guy keep acting like the victim?
“What’s it to me, you bastard.”
Saying so, Wooyeon grabbed Junseong’s collar once again.
You goo babyyy👏👏👏👏
Thanks for the chapter, it is the time for wooyeon to give hom a lesson
i just can’t believe junseong hasn’t put two and two together lol the wooyeon is tormented in the past is obviously the wooyeon that resents you now 🫢 thank you for the chapters
junseong will know it soon after wooyeon told him
He does not even have a brain to found out by himself . It is so easy but well.. no brain are no brain
Wooyeon looked so cool
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter 💕
thanks for this!!!!! really love this story