Goosebumps ran down his spine. His voice was no different from usual, yet it felt like a death sentence. The subtle and warm pheromones were oddly overwhelming, given the circumstances.
“Oh, Kim Dohyun is here? See, you can’t quit smoking.”
“I’m not here for you.”
Dohyun walked past him, approaching Garam. His pitch-black coat hugged him perfectly. Dohyun took a cigarette from his coat pocket, placed it between his lips, and flicked his jaw.
“Give me a lighter.”
“You’re ordering me around, you punk.”
Whoosh! The lighter flew through the air. In a perfect arc, it landed precisely in Dohyun’s hand. He lowered his eyes, shielding the wind with his hand, and lit the tip of the cigarette.
“Why are you here and not in that alley?”
Phew, the cigarette smoke dispersed. Watching the scene, Wooyeon was precisely amazed at two things. First, the familiarity of smoking. And second, that the cigarette was a pheromone-infused one.
“There are a lot of people. Do we need to gather like thugs?”
“Here or there, it’s similar.”
He probably didn’t smoke when he was twenty. No, maybe he did, but Wooyeon might not have known. It’s not that hard not to know about cigarettes when he didn’t even know about him being an Alpha.
“It seems like he didn’t hear, right?”
Seongyu whispered discreetly, lowering his voice. Wooyeon, who didn’t understand the meaning for a moment, recalled his words and nodded.
“…Indeed.”
Beyond his gaze, Dohyun exhaled cigarette smoke without even looking at him. The unpleasant smell of pheromone-infused tobacco lingered for some reason.
* * *
I didn’t hear a damn thing.
“…Do you have something to say?”
The corner of his mouth trembled. Wooyeon looked at Dohyun as politely as possible while asking. Dohyun, who was observing Wooyeon with his chin in his hand, shook his head, dismissing it as nothing.
Why does he keep it if it’s nothing? However, saying those words felt too childish for Wooyeon.
‘Sun… bae?’
On a Friday morning, Wooyeon, who arrived at school unusually early, ran into Dohyun in the empty classroom. Why is the teacher here? That thought only crossed his mind for a moment. Dohyun, too, blinked in surprise.
‘Why are you here?’
That question had several meanings. Half in shock, wondering if he could possibly attend this lecture, half in denial, thinking it couldn’t be possible. And a bit of surprise at the sudden appearance of coincidence.
“I messed up my schedule…”
For a moment, he received sympathetic glances. Failing to register for classes in the first semester of his first year and taking a major that third-year students were taking. It was fortunate he hadn’t decided to drop out.
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.
‘Stay strong.’
It was a supportive message filled with sympathy. Wooyeon felt like crying this time. Could dropping out be the answer this time? Thinking that, as he was about to leave the classroom, a familiar voice stopped him.
“Where are you going?”
“Huh? Oh, just going to get some drinks.”
It was a lie. He just wanted to avoid being alone with Dohyun.
“Oh, really?”
Dohyun casually replied and stood up from his seat. His narrow shoulders and confident stride were so impressive that Wooyeon was awestruck. While Wooyeon was momentarily lost in thought, Dohyun took a step closer and extended something.
“There’s a cafe at the end of the first floor.”
It was an ordinary credit card. The square one, used for making payments.
“Get a small Americano for me and whatever you want for yourself.”
Wooyeon’s eyes widened, mouth agape. The bag he had been carrying was now in Dohyun’s hands. Dohyun smiled kindly.
“If you don’t know the way, I’ll take you there.”
Naturally, Wooyeon went to the cafe alone. Having someone give him an errand or buying him a drink in return was a first in Seon Wooyeon’s life. To top it off, his bag was taken hostage.
“You came quickly!”
Dohyun received the drinks with a slight smile. After saying thank you, Wooyeon awkwardly grabbed the bag placed next to him. Yet again, Dohyun caught him this time.
“Just sit. No one’s around.”
Of course, no one would be. Not only was the seat next to him but the entire classroom was empty. It felt absurd, but Wooyeon had no words to refute.
“….”
The silence that started like that lasted 10 minutes. Wooyeon felt a sense of awkwardness as if he might vomit at any moment and desperately operated his phone. While typing a message like ‘Danny, what do you think about me dropping out?’ Dohyun finally spoke.
“Do you like sweets?”
He was looking at the drink Wooyeon brought. The pink strawberry smoothie remained untouched. As Wooyeon nodded hesitantly, he seemed to understand and offered his own drink.
“Everything there tastes bad except for Americano.”
“Do you want to try it?” He declined the offer. Somehow, the strawberry smoothie had no hint of strawberry flavor. Wooyeon resolved never to go to that cafe again. The message he was typing was safely sent to Daniel.
“Wooyeon.”
Startled, his body twitched. The name Wooyeon felt strangely unfamiliar to him. When he turned his head like an ungreased robot, Dohyun smiled at him.
“Am I bothering you?”
Without a doubt, Yes was the correct answer. It was surprising that this question came only now. Wooyeon didn’t bother to answer, but Dohyun accepted the silence as affirmation.
“Why?”
It wasn’t a question about the reason; it was just a prelude to the next words.
“Because my smile seems fake?”
“Cough!”
Wooyeon coughed loudly, turning his head. It sounded like he was swallowing air without drinking anything. Cough, cough. During a few coughs, his pale face seemed like it would burst.
“Oh, it’s not uncomfortable but unpleasant, right?”
Dohyun casually patted Wooyeon’s rounded back. When Wooyeon abruptly stood up at that touch, he pulled his hand away and shrugged his shoulders. Wooyeon was still coughing, emitting occasional short coughs.
“Why are you so flustered?”
“…It’s not that.”
His throat felt razor-sharp. Coughing violently, tears welled up in his eyes. Dohyun, who had been observing him with a leisurely gaze, subtly stretched the corners of his mouth.
“Just by looking at it, your liver seems too small for making such a fuss.”
“…. I’m sorry.”
Wooyeon apologized quietly and took his seat. In his heart, he wanted to move to another seat, but students were coming in one by one. If he attracted attention by making a fuss, there would be no choice but to drop out.
“It’s okay. It was just a joke.”
“….”
“Don’t look like that. It was just a prank.”
What happened in those four years? The Dohyun Wooyeon knew wasn’t someone to play such childish pranks. And he definitely wasn’t the type to beat around the bush.
“You really can’t control your expression.”
Dohyun seemed to find the situation amusing. Wooyeon’s embarrassment and his inability to meet eyes or speak just seemed like entertainment. Irritated, Wooyeon bristled.
“…You often hear that you have a bad personality, right?”
On this pointed topic, he glanced at Dohyun and sipped his strawberry smoothie. It tasted like ice water with a hint of strawberry. Dohyun widened his eyes momentarily, then softened into a faint smile.
“First time hearing it from a junior.”
He seemed pleased by that fact. His eyes narrowed, and his well-shaped lips traced into a curve. The briefly visible teeth were white and neat. It was a world of difference from the forced or intentional smiles.
“It must be nice to hear it for the first time.”
Wooyeon mumbled to himself and touched his earlobe with his fingertips. Even without looking in the mirror, he knew his face was turning red. It’s because he got embarrassed, not because of the teacher. The heat that rose to his cheeks after being brainwashed finally subsided.
Fortunately, after that, Dohyun didn’t initiate any more conversations. He didn’t stare persistently like before, and there was no unnecessary laughter. He just opened a notebook, twirled a pen, and got lost in his thoughts. It was as if he had assigned Wooyeon a problem and was waiting idly for him to solve it.
“Seo….”
Teacher. Wooyeon swallowed the intended words. The unfinished sentence was replaced with a different form.
“Sunbae.”
The pen that was gracefully twirling dropped abruptly. Dohyun casually picked up the pen.
“You can call me Hyung.”
His deep eyes focused on Wooyeon. Wooyeon thought Dohyun’s expressionless face looked like a different person.
“If you’re not comfortable with sunbae,’ you can call me Hyung.”
‘Call me ‘teacher.’’
That was what Dohyun had said at first. He spoke with a firm voice to Wooyeon, who was hesitating about addressing him. Although he had a stern expression, the following words were more comforting.
“When you become a college student, you can call me Hyung.”
“…Later.”
Wooyeon became a college student and got the chance to call him Hyung. Although it was a much closer term than teacher and student, their relationship became more distant.
“So… do you have something to say?”
“Can I ask you just one thing?”
It was a cautious question. Dohyun blinked as if to say, ‘Ask whatever you want.’ The calm waiting for his response heightened the tension.
“At what age did you present as an Alpha?”
Realizing that when he presented as an Alpha was Wooyeon’s last remaining hope. It was a rare occurrence, but some people presented as adults. He wasn’t an Alpha during tutoring, but could he have presented after they parted ways? Wooyeon couldn’t let go of that possibility.
“Present…”
Dohyun looked at Wooyeon with just his eyes. He furrowed his brow, recalling memories, and from his soft lips came a voice smoother than expected.
“Fourteen… No, maybe fifteen.”
Wooyeon wasn’t disappointed. He believed it wouldn’t be the case, so there wasn’t a sense of letdown.
“Most people present during adolescence. And you?”
“Me too…”
Nevertheless, he felt a bit disappointed. The precious memories he cherished seemed to be idealized. It was disheartening to see the energy drain from him.
So Wooyeon became sullen, forgetting that Dohyun was present. As the corners of his eyes drooped, Dohyun muttered softly.
“…Strange.”
“What do you mean?”
It was a polite response. Honestly, Wooyeon wasn’t really paying attention. Dohyun scrutinized Wooyeon’s face carefully and blinked slowly.
“I thought you were pretending not to know.”
Pretending not to know? He didn’t ask directly. Dohyun, who had been staring intently at Wooyeon’s face, suddenly asked this.
“Don’t you remember me?”
Thank you so much for translating this novel…
glad you’re enjoying it <3333
Ooh.. so then does Dohyun realize that its the same yeon-ah? ahh thank you for translating I cant wait for the next update 😻🫰
you’re welcomeee~~ <33
So he did recognise Wooyeon.. Thanks for the chapter..
you’re welcomeee😆💛
Thank you for your translation😍😍😍
ur welcomeee😊💛💛
😮
So he did recognize him 😍😍😍😍😍
Thank you so much for the translation ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
ur welcomeeee💛😍
SCREAMINGGGG
I´m kind of confused who is whom … but it happens to me all the time with Korean names…