By Zephyria 
Gооsebumps priсklеd down his spinе. It was a vоiсе nо diffеrеnt from usual, уеt it fеlt like a dеath sentenсe. Еven thе subtle, gеntle рhеrоmones fеlt piеrcing to Woо-yeon.
“Оh, Kim Do-hyun, уou’rе hеre? See, I told yоu you cоuldn’t quit smоking.”
“Dо I lооk like yоu to уоu?”
Do-hyun раssed him and apрroасhed Ga-rаm. Тhе рitсh-blaсk сoаt suited him perfectly, аs if it were сustom-madе. Pulling a pаck оf cigarеttеs from the innеr poсket оf his сoаt, Dо-hyun рlаcеd оnе betweеn his liрs and tiltеd his сhin.
“Givе mе a lighter.”
“Ordering me around, this bastard.”
Swish, the lighter flew through the air. Following a parabolic arc, the lighter landed precisely in Do-hyun’s hand. He looked down, shielding the flame with his hand as he lit the tip of the cigarette.
“Why are you here instead of in that alley?”
Whoosh, cigarette smoke scattered. Watching this, Woo-yeon was surprised by exactly two facts. First, that the sight of him smoking was familiar. And second, that those were pheromone cigarettes.
“There are too many people. Why would we huddle together like thugs?”
“It’s pretty much the same whether it’s there or here.”
He didn’t seem to smoke when he was twenty. No, maybe he did, and I just didn’t know. If I didn’t even know he was an Alpha, how hard would it be to not know about a single cigarette?
“I don’t think he heard you, right?”
Seon-kyu lowered his voice and whispered secretly. For a moment, Woo-yeon didn’t understand what he meant, but then he recalled what he had said and nodded.
“……I guess so.”
Beyond his line of sight, Do-hyun exhaled smoke without even looking at him. For some reason, the smell of the pheromone-laced cigarette was incredibly unpleasant.
* * *
Heard him, my ass.
“……Do you have something to say?”
The corners of his mouth trembled slightly. Woo-yeon looked at Do-hyun, asking as politely as possible. Do-hyun, who had been observing Woo-yeon with his chin resting on his hand, shook his head, saying it was nothing.
Why does someone who has ‘nothing’ to say keep staring? However, Woo-yeon’s courage was far too timid to voice that.
‘Seon…bae?’
On Friday morning, having arrived at school excessively early, Woo-yeon encountered Do-hyun in the empty lecture hall. Why is Teacher here? He thought for a moment. Do-hyun also blinked as if surprised.
‘Why are you here?’
That question held several meanings. Half astonishment—wondering if he was actually taking this lecture—and half denial—believing there was no way he was. And a small bit of surprise at Woo-yeon’s sudden appearance.
‘My timetable is a mess……’
For a brief moment, he received a look of sympathy. To be a freshman in the first semester and fail course registration so badly that he had to take a major course for juniors. It was a miracle he hadn’t decided to drop out.
‘Hang in there.’
It was encouragement filled with genuine pity. At that, Woo-yeon felt like he actually wanted to cry. Was dropping out really the answer this time? Just as he was thinking that and trying to leave the lecture hall, a low question stopped him.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Huh? Oh, I was going to go get a drink from the vending machine.’
It was a lie. He was simply trying to avoid the burden of being alone with him.
‘Is that so?’
Do-hyun answered indifferently and stood up. His broad shoulders and steady gait were so impressive they were admirable. While Woo-yeon was momentarily dazed, Do-hyun stepped closer and held something out.
‘There’s a cafe at the end of the first floor.’
It was an ordinary credit card. That rectangular object used for payments.
‘Get a small Americano and whatever else you want to drink.’
Woo-yeon’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Before he knew it, Do-hyun was holding the bag he had been carrying. Do-hyun smiled with a kind face.
‘If you don’t know the way, I’ll go with you.’
Naturally, Woo-yeon went to the cafe alone. It was the first time in Seon Woo-yeon’s life that someone had run an errand for him, or bought him a drink as a reward. Even more so, having his bag taken as a hostage.
‘You’re back quickly.’
Do-hyun smiled slightly with his eyes and took the drinks. At the thank-you, Woo-yeon awkwardly grabbed his bag from the seat next to him. Once again, Do-hyun stopped him.
‘Just sit. There’s no one next to you.’
Of course there wasn’t. Not only the seat next to him, but the entire lecture hall was empty. He felt absurd, but he had no words to argue.
“…….”
The silence that began then lasted for about ten minutes. Feeling like he might throw up from the awkwardness, Woo-yeon busied himself with his phone. He was typing a message: ‘Danny, what do you think about dropping out?’ when Do-hyun finally spoke.
“Do you like sweet things?”
He was looking at the drink Woo-yeon had bought. The pink strawberry smoothie remained untouched. When Woo-yeon nodded with an ambiguous expression, Do-hyun pushed his own drink forward as if he knew.
“Everything there tastes bad except for the Americano.”
‘Want a sip?’ He declined the offer. For some reason, the strawberry smoothie didn’t taste like strawberries at all. Woo-yeon resolved never to go to that cafe again. The message he had been typing was successfully sent to Daniel.
“Woo-yeon.”
Flinch, his body jerked. It was because the name ‘Woo-yeon’ felt far too unfamiliar. As he turned his head like an ungreased robot, Do-hyun gave him a beaming smile.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
It was the correct answer without a doubt. It was surprising that the question had only come up now. Woo-yeon didn’t bother answering, but Do-hyun took the silence as an affirmation.
“Why?”
He wasn’t asking for the reason. It was merely a preamble for the words that followed.
“Because my smiling seems fake?”
“Cough!”
Woo-yeon let out a loud cough and turned his head. He wasn’t even drinking water, but he had choked on the air. While he coughed several times, his pale face flushed as if it were about to burst.
“Ah, did you say you don’t find me uncomfortable, but that you dislike me?”
Do-hyun casually patted his rounded back. When Woo-yeon bolted upright at the touch, Do-hyun removed his hand and shrugged. Woo-yeon was still coughing in small bursts.
“Why are you so flustered?”
“……It’s not that.”
His throat felt scratchy and tight. The coughing had been so violent that tears had gathered in the corners of his eyes. Do-hyun, observing him with a relaxed gaze, let his lips curl subtly.
“I can tell just by looking that you’re a coward; where did you get the nerve to say something like that?”
“……I’m sorry.”
Woo-yeon apologized softly and sat back down. In his heart, he wanted to move to another seat, but students were starting to trickle in. If he caused a scene and drew attention, then dropping out really would be the only answer.
“It’s okay. I was joking.”
“…….”
“Don’t look at me like that. I told you, I was just playing around.”
What on earth had happened over the last four years? The Do-hyun Woo-yeon knew wasn’t someone who would engage in such childish teasing. He was even less likely to be someone who beat around the bush when saying what he wanted.
“You’re really bad at controlling your expressions.”
Do-hyun seemed to find the situation purely amusing. Woo-yeon’s flustered state, his inability to make eye contact, and his struggling seemed to be nothing more than entertainment. At that, Woo-yeon bristled.
“……Do you often hear that you have a bad personality?”
Despite snapping back, he glanced around tentatively and drank the strawberry smoothie. It tasted like ice water with a tiny hint of strawberry scent. Do-hyun’s eyes widened, then he gave a thin smile.
“You’re the first Hubae to say that.”
His expression looked pleased by that fact. The corners of his eyes crinkled softly, and his well-shaped lips formed an arc. The teeth that peeked through were white and even. It was a world of difference from the smiles he wore artificially or intentionally.
“You must be happy to hear it for the first time.”
Woo-yeon mumbled the words and fiddled with his earlobe. Even without a mirror, he knew his face had turned red. This is because I choked, it’s definitely not because of Teacher. Only after brainwashing himself like that did the heat in his eyes subside.
Fortunately, Do-hyun didn’t speak to him after that. He didn’t stare obsessively like before, nor did he smile needlessly. He simply opened a notebook and sank into thought, spinning a pen around. It looked as if he were blankly waiting for Woo-yeon to solve a problem.
“Tea—”
Teacher. Woo-yeon swallowed the word he was about to say. The unfinished sentence was replaced by a different form.
“Seonbae.”
The pen that had been spinning fluidly dropped with a thud. Do-hyun picked it up nonchalantly.
“You can call me Hyung.”
Dark eyes turned toward Woo-yeon. Woo-yeon thought that Do-hyun’s expressionless face looked like a different person.
“You don’t seem used to being called Seonbae, so I’m saying you can call me Hyung.”
‘Call me Teacher.’
That was what Do-hyun had said at first. To Woo-yeon, who had been agonizing over the title, he had spoken in a firm voice. He had worn a stern expression, but the words that followed were affectionate.
‘When you become a college student, I’ll let you call me Hyung.’
“……Later.”
Woo-yeon had become a college student and gained the opportunity to call him Hyung. It was a title far closer than Teacher and student, but their relationship had grown that much more distant.
“Well…… whatever is comfortable for you.”
See. Whether I call him that or not, it doesn’t matter.
“So? Do you have something to say?”
“Can I ask you one thing?”
It was a very cautious question. Do-hyun blinked as if telling him to go ahead. The way he calmly waited for the rest of the sentence created a sense of tension.
“At what age did you manifest as an Alpha?”
It was the only hope he had left after realizing he was an Alpha. Though rare, there are cases where manifestation happens in adulthood. He wasn’t an Alpha during the tutoring sessions, so perhaps he manifested after they parted. Woo-yeon hadn’t been able to let go of that possibility until now.
“Manifestation……”
Do-hyun looked at Woo-yeon. Meeting those pale eyes, he furrowed his brow as if searching his memory. A voice even softer than his smooth lips emerged.
“Fourteen… no, maybe fifteen.”
He wasn’t disappointed. Since he had believed it wouldn’t be the case, he didn’t have the energy to be newly discouraged.
“I manifested when everyone else did. How about you?”
“I was around then too……”
However, he did feel a sense of regret. That the memories he cherished had simply been beautified in the end. He felt a draining sense of sorrow.
So, Woo-yeon became sullen, forgetting that Do-hyun was there. As the corners of his eyes drooped, Do-hyun murmured softly.
“……That’s strange.”
“What is?”
It was a response given out of politeness. Honestly, he wasn’t even listening properly. Do-hyun slowly scanned Woo-yeon’s face and blinked sluggishly.
“I thought you were pretending not to know.”
Pretending not to know? He didn’t ask back. Do-hyun, who had been staring intently at Woo-yeon’s face, asked this:
“Do you not remember me?”