‘Did you guys watch that drama yesterday? A Memory Romance.’
At Kim Soo-yeon’s question, Woo Ji-min, with her mouth full of meat, shook her head.
‘No, has Nayoung’s memory returned?’
‘Unfortunately, that’s not the case.’
A Memory Romance was a popular weekend drama. The protagonist, Nayoung, loses all her wealth to her friend Yoonmi and falls into the sea, suffering from amnesia. In this state, Nayoung, unaware of Yoonmi’s true identity, follows her instructions and goes down to the countryside for rehabilitation, where she meets a man named Taejoo, leading to a romantic development. The drama storyline was hot everywhere. Thanks to that, Do-hwa didn’t watch it, but he knew the plot.
‘I think Taejoo will get revenge on Yoonmi instead of Nayoung. Wow! I think it’s going to be really fun now. Make sure to watch it. You guys.’
Kim Soo-yeon acted as if she would treat them like a spy if they didn’t watch. Woo Ji-min responded initially by saying she would definitely watch, but then she became serious.
‘If you were to lose your memory, wouldn’t it be incredibly frustrating?’
‘The person experiencing it would undoubtedly find it difficult, but the people around them would likely feel the same way.’
Do-hwa’s expression became solemn while facing them.
‘Losing memory might be a form of liberation.’
‘A liberation?’
‘Yeah. Sometimes, not knowing about painful things is better.’
‘…’
A moment of silence followed. The only noise that could be heard was the chaotic chatter and clinking of glasses from another table where people were drinking. Do-hwa stared blankly into space for a while, then suddenly realized something. When the atmosphere settled on his single word, it became awkward. He quickly glanced at Woo Ji-min, Kim Soo-yeon, and Min-jun to gauge their reactions. They looked bewildered.
‘Ha… But it must be frustrating to lose your memory. I hope Nayoung recovers her memory soon.’
Do-hwa concluded his words as if trying to recover. Meanwhile, as the staff grilled the meat, the tense atmosphere that had solidified began to lighten up again.
‘I decided to work part-time cleaning an indoor swimming pool with my friend. She said she wants to buy a new phone.’
At Kim Soo-yeon’s words, Woo Ji-min’s eyes widened.
‘Oh, what phone does she want?’
‘She said she wants to switch to the latest phone from NOC.’
NOC was an IT company established in the United States. Known for selling hardware and software, it gained popularity for its smartphones and tablets. Currently, it has branches in Europe and various Asian countries, enjoying widespread popularity.
‘I want one too. They say the latest model is really pretty, and the photos come out beautifully. What other features does it have…?’
Kim Soo-yeon opened an internet app on her phone and started searching, and her eyes widened.
‘Wow, isn’t the heir of NOC, the so-called prestigious, extremely dominant Alpha?’
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.
‘He’s famous. He used to get a lot of media attention for being an extremely dominant Alpha, but he’s been quiet for a while now. There isn’t a single photo exposed to the media. It looks like NOC had a hand in it.’
‘If he’s an extremely dominant Alpha, he must be really handsome, right? Just being a dominant Alpha makes someone incredibly good-looking, you know.’
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‘But Min-jun, even though he’s a Beta, isn’t he much more handsome than the dominant Alpha Jihoon? And he’s taller, too. Right?’
Kim Soo-yeon twinkled her eyes and looked at Min-jun. However, Min-jun only smiled and didn’t respond. It seemed like he felt embarrassed.
‘By the way, your friend who’s doing the swimming pool part-time job, haven’t they recruited more people? Should I give it a try too?’
‘They say it’s really tough. Do you think you can handle it?’
Kim Soo-yeon brushed off Woo Ji-min’s words and stared intently at Min-jun.
‘Is Min-jun good at swimming?’
Woo Ji-min also cast an interested gaze. Do-hwa, too, was focused. This was because, when he witnessed Min-jun’s naked body earlier this spring, he thought Min-jun looked like a swimmer.
‘I’m more of a beer bottle guy. I’m really bad at swimming.’
Min-jun’s answer, looking somewhat sheepish, surprised reactions from everyone, including Do-hwa.
‘During sports day, you had amazing athletic skills, but you can’t swim?’
‘I had an incident when I was young where I fell into the water. So, I’m scared of water.’
‘Even someone as fit as you has something they can’t do.’
Kim Soo-yeon’s eyes sparkled, as if finding Min-jun’s weakness charming. Woo Ji-min also similarly stared at Min-jun with interest.
‘Min-jun, are you by any chance a mixed race? It’s because your accent and pronunciation don’t look like you’re Asian.’
Do-hwa had also suspected that Min-jun might be of mixed race due to his Western-style manners, speech, and appearance.
However, Min-jun seemed uncomfortable sharing his story, and Do-hwa had no intention of prying, so he let it go. Even now, Min-jun hesitated to answer but eventually nodded.
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Really? Between your father and mother, who is Korean?’
‘Seonbae, would you like me to fill up your glass since it’s empty?’
Min-jun, looking at Woo Ji-min’s empty glass, poured beer for her and skillfully avoided answering.
‘It tastes even better when Min-jun pours the beer.’
Woo Ji-min’s attention shifted to the beer, and she smiled. Min-jun also smiled at her, but there was a hint of chilliness in the air.
‘Is Do-hwa good at swimming? Weren’t you on the swimming team in middle school?’
Woo Ji-min looked at Do-hwa and asked after having emptied her beer. It seemed like she remembered something Do-hwa casually mentioned during their freshman year. Do-hwa awkwardly scratched the back of his head in response.
‘Yeah… but that’s an old story.’
‘Someday, I want to see you swim. Oh, by the way, are you really taking another leave of absence from next semester? Is it true?’
‘Huh? How did you know?’
‘I had a drink with Dongjin seonbae the day before yesterday, and his mouth become like feathers.’
The Dongjin seonbae that Woo Ji-min mentioned was the president of the club. Do-hwa had intended to inform the club president first about the reason for his leave of absence, as it wasn’t for a positive reason. However, it seemed like the news had already spread. Dongjin seonbae’s mouth becomes like feathers when he drinks.
‘Why are you taking a leave of absence?’
‘It’s because of tuition issues and family circumstances overlapping. I also plan to take a break from club activities during the leave of absence…’
Do-hwa, in the midst of explaining, couldn’t finish his sentence. It was because of the arrow-like gaze from Min-jun. Not wanting to completely avoid him, Do-hwa gently looked at Min-jun. There was a hint of blue in his brown eyes. It seemed like a mixture of anger and shock.
At that moment, a scent emanated from Min-jun. It felt somewhat melancholic. Do-hwa couldn’t understand why he suddenly became aware of a scent that wasn’t there just a moment ago.
‘Seonbae, is that really true?’
‘Yeah. It turned out that way. Min-jun, take care while I’m gone.’
‘…’
Instead of answering, Min-jun’s gaze became sharp. It felt like a gust of wind was sweeping through. Because of that, Do-hwa felt like he had made a huge verbal mistake.
‘It’s disappointing. Why didn’t you tell us in advance?’
Woo Ji-min pursed her lips.
‘I was planning to tell you soon. I’m sorry.’
‘When do you plan to return to school?’
‘That’s still uncertain. If things go well, I might drop out of school…’
‘What, drop out?!’
Woo Ji-min’s eyes widened, and Min-jun’s intense gaze was fixed on Do-hwa. It felt like facing an enraged beast. At the same time, Do-hwa felt a dryness in his throat and couldn’t gather the courage to look at Min-jun any longer. He downed a few sips of beer.
‘Drop out.’
Min-jun’s stiff expression, uttered in a low tone, gradually softened. Soon, an Omega approached him. Min-jun, returning to his usual affectionate behavior, engaged in conversation with them.
Was it because of the mood? It was an expression Do-hwa had never seen in Min-jun, who was always warm and affectionate. Moreover, the melancholic scent that was present until a while ago had suddenly disappeared. In the midst of these changes, Do-hwa felt confused.
‘Do-hwa, your older brother is also taking a leave of absence from the 2nd semester, right?’
As she mentioned, Do-hwa had a dominant Omega brother who was one year older than him.
‘Yeah…’
‘It must be tough… with both brothers taking a leave of absence in a row.’
‘My brother had some work this summer, so it couldn’t be helped. Now, it’s become a situation where I can’t avoid it either…’
Do-hwa couldn’t bring himself to reveal the deeper reasons, so he concluded vaguely. Woo Ji-min seemed to sense Do-hwa’s feelings and didn’t press further.
‘I hope everything gets resolved. Now, let’s have a drink.’
Woo Ji-min raised the beer bottle, and Do-hwa accepted it as he was taking a sip.
The atmosphere returned to its original state. As they continued to drink and chat, it seemed like the slight discomfort in their bodies had lessened. It wasn’t a severe hangover after all.
‘Are you going to drink well today, Do-hwa?’
‘Be careful. Remember when you got drunk in your freshman year and insisted on being called by the seonbae? It caused a commotion.’
‘Oh… right.’
Do-hwa set down the glass he was about to drink. During a past end-of-semester party, he consumed a bottle of soju and completely lost his senses. As a result, he used informal language and acted cute with the seonbae. Do-hwa, thinking it was the most embarrassing situation imaginable, has since tried to drink in moderation.
Come to think of it, in the spring, he had quite a bit to drink with Min-jun at a barbecue restaurant. Wasn’t there any incident then? After recalling the forgotten injection, Do-hwa looked at Min-jun. However, Min-jun’s eyes were already focused on Do-hwa. It was a subtle gaze that couldn’t read emotions. However, a definite sense of intimidation could be felt.
Do-hwa started drinking beer again as he was feeling uneasy. As his mind cleared, the tension toward him seemed to dissipate.
When the table was quite full of empty bottles, Kim Soo-yeon had a conversation with someone over the phone and then hung up.
‘I think I should go now. My older brother is waiting in front of the restaurant.’
‘Oh, you have a boyfriend?’
‘No, it’s my real older brother. Lately, there’s a lunatic causing trouble near the university area. That’s why he’s picking me up, so he worries if I’m even a bit late.’
A month ago, there was a lunatic in this area attacking people with a knife. Most of the victims were either Omega or female Beta. Then, a week ago, there was a fatality. It became such a sensational topic that it was covered in the news, leading to an increase in students forming groups for safety.
‘I saw that news too. Seonbae, please don’t walk alone.’
Min-jun looked at Do-hwa with a serious gaze.
‘Ah… Yeah.’
In truth, hearing such news made Do-hwa feel uneasy and fearful, but it seemed like a separate matter from his own life as a Beta, so he couldn’t fully grasp the reality of the situation.
thanks for the chapter😍
You’re welcome. (⸝⸝๑ ̫ ๑⸝⸝⸝)
Do hwa… Laying an escape route
I love this.. tq for d chapter😘
You’re welcome. (^-^*)
wait so i hope this doesnt turn out to be a spoiler but I THINK that maybe mujin knew dohwa from his childhood and dohwa probably lost memory. which is probably why his reaction to that drama discussion was weird and he questioned dohwa’s lies as well
Our MC is so dense, I really feel sorry for the ML
So Minjun is not only the heir of that huge company but also probably the lunatic attacking people. Can’t wait to see how the story unfolds further.
Thank you for the chapter!