By Zephyria 
‘Whу?’
Quеstions filled his throаt. Тhere wаs so much hе wаntеd tо аsk, but hе fearеd thе аftermath. If hе asked abоut the оrientаtion likе he hаd еаrlier, Woо-yеon was the оne who would bе in a difficult pоsition.
“Just fill in аll thе blanks. Name, student ID, majоr, and date оf birth.”
Аs hе fillеd in thе blanks onе by оnе, Woo-уеon faintly knit his brows. Sеtting asidе thе fact thаt hе hаd driftеd intо the сlub hаphаzardly, the realizatiоn he had just сome tо was far toо shoсking. To think thаt hе was the оne in the diffiсult pоsitiоn. Sincе whеn had Dо-hуun thought thаt wау?
“For the rеаson fоr аррlying, write three classics you like. In their original English titles.”
“Does it have to be Shakespeare?”
“……No?”
If the professor hadn’t entered the classroom earlier, Woo-yeon would have had no choice but to explain the past. That he had recognized Do-hyun at first sight, that he felt betrayed by the fact that he was an Alpha, and that he had asked those questions out of a lingering hope. If he spoke of it, their relationship would naturally be revealed.
“You don’t have to write your email.”
But thinking that far ahead left him feeling desolate. If Do-hyun recognized him, called him ‘Yeon,’ and then remembered the confession he had made… would their relationship drift apart or grow closer? Without a doubt, Woo-yeon could bet his entire fortune on the former.
Had he not worried about this before? That perhaps Do-hyun might find it creepy that Woo-yeon had followed him all the way to college. It was obvious that as soon as he realized he was ‘Yeon-ie,’ a troubled expression would cross his face.
“Um…… Seonbae.”
“Yeah?”
“What year are you?”
It is easier to decorate a blank canvas than to restore a ruined painting. So, wouldn’t it be fine if they were just seniors and juniors in the same major? It wasn’t as if he planned to do anything; he just wanted to be able to greet him in passing. He had no intention of digging up the past and reopening old wounds.
“Third year.”
Woo-yeon had already cried until his heart was worn thin. Because everything had ended the day he confessed. Do-hyun had stopped tutoring him and immediately changed his phone number. A messenger status changed to ‘Unknown’ and a recording stating the number was out of service had turned them into complete strangers.
“Give it to me when you’re done.”
A one-sided breakup is enough to happen once in a relationship. Questions about why he changed his number or why he hadn’t contacted him were meaningless now. He had already folded his feelings, and Do-hyun was no longer his Teacher. Woo-yeon was willing to settle for their current relationship.
‘I shouldn’t tell him.’
In a way, Do-hyun was the same. Just as Do-hyun hadn’t told him his genetic trait, Woo-yeon intended not to speak of the past. He wasn’t trying to lie; he was simply keeping his mouth shut. So that if Do-hyun ever asked, he could come up with a nonchalant excuse.
“Your handwriting is nice.”
The habitual smile brushed against his chest. How many times had the sixteen-year-old Woo-yeon’s heart fluttered at that sight? Feeling a wave of sorrow, Woo-yeon fiddled with his earlobe with his left hand.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“No, not really……”
His irregularly beating heart continued to make its presence known. He wished the fluttering would subside as quickly as possible.
* * *
They weren’t able to go to lunch. Ga-ram arrived shortly after. With her hair tied high and wearing fluffy earmuffs, Ga-ram beamed the moment she saw Woo-yeon.
“No way, what brings Woo-yeon here?”
Though they weren’t particularly close, Alpha pheromones wafted over. Unlike Do-hyun, the typical Alpha scent was extremely uncomfortable for Woo-yeon.
“I brought him. To get the club application.”
“Oh, let me see.”
Ga-ram took the application Woo-yeon had filled out and read it meticulously. Her eyes scanned the page with curiosity until her lips curled at one specific part. She let out a snort, her expression full of mischief.
“This bastard actually made Woo-yeon do this too.”
“Do what?”
Ga-ram quickly sat next to Woo-yeon and showed him the application. The pheromones, now much closer, were overwhelmingly burdensome. However, he was curious about what Ga-ram was explaining.
“The reason for applying. Honestly, even if people like English classics, most of them can’t write them.”
Ga-ram’s fingertip pointed to the reason for applying. It was the part Woo-yeon had filled in with elegant cursive just a moment ago. Unlike his crooked and clumsy Korean, his English cursive was clean.
“There are only a few things the kids can write in English. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Les Misérables, things like that?”
“Les Misérables isn’t English.”
“As long as you write it in the alphabet, it counts.”
Do-hyun, who had been listening quietly, let out a hollow laugh.
“Make some sense.”
Ga-ram didn’t mind his muttering at all.
“There are kids who have no intention of joining the club and only come because they saw his face. That’s why we check for a minimum amount of sincerity.”
Woo-yeon’s expression shifted subtly. As he knit his brows and twisted his lips, Ga-ram’s eyes sparkled. Soon, she whispered in a voice full of anticipation.
“Annoying, right?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
This time, Do-hyun couldn’t say anything either. He looked a bit awkward as he stealthily avoided eye contact. After a short pause, an excuse popped out.
“I didn’t start that. It was already there when I returned from service.”
“Then who started it?”
If it had started while Do-hyun was in the military, it meant the requirement wasn’t originally created to target him. Surely the seniors hadn’t predicted the future; it meant there had been someone like him before Do-hyun.
“That is a very good question.”
Ga-ram took a proper stance. As she took off her earmuffs to place them on the table, she suddenly looked back and forth between Woo-yeon and the earmuffs. Then, she closed the distance suspiciously.
“Woo-yeon, aren’t these cute? If you fold them, they look like macarons.”
“Ah, yes……”
Woo-yeon reacted with a wary face. His instinctive intuition was sending an ominous signal. Sure enough, Ga-ram seized the opening and popped the earmuffs onto him.
“…….”
Woo-yeon’s face crumpled harshly. He tried to take them off immediately, but he couldn’t because he locked eyes with Do-hyun. Meanwhile, Ga-ram clapped her hands and giggled.
“Omg, so cute! Hey, you think he’s cute too, right?”
Do-hyun, who had been gazing at him intently, smiled faintly. In an instant, Woo-yeon’s face flushed bright red.
“He is.”
“…….”
Woo-yeon ripped off the earmuffs as if throwing them away and covered his ears. He tried to feign an expressionless face, but his cheeks were already as red as a ripe tomato. Ga-ram quickly caught the flying earmuffs.
“Why take them off? They suit you!”
“……I don’t want to join the club.”
“Aw, you’re joking!”
He was serious, but he didn’t say it. His pounding heart made the blood in his entire body run hot. Thinking he was angry, Ga-ram swallowed her laughter and waved her hand.
“Anyway, there’s a legend in our club.”
“……What is it?”
Woo-yeon asked sullenly while tidying his hair. He suddenly felt that the heating was too strong. Was the heat rising because the air was too hot?
“It was four years ago.”
A serious voice opened the prologue of the story. It had been four years since Woo-yeon met Do-hyun, and four years since the start of the club legend. Was there a curse on that year?
“It was a time when our ‘Yeonggojeon’ had fewer than ten members.”
Ga-ram was as serious as a warrior recounting a legend. Do-hyun tried to interrupt, saying, ‘You weren’t even in the club back then,’ but she ignored him.
“The senior who was the club president at the time brought in a savior for the dying club.”
For some reason, Do-hyun knit his brows in irritation. He snorted and shook his head. Lowering her voice, Ga-ram spoke more seriously than ever.
“His name was the Management God.”
“…….”
Woo-yeon’s face crumpled mercilessly. It was worse than when the earmuffs were put on him. Management… what? Before he could even ask, Do-hyun added a kind explanation.
“That was his nickname, the Management God.”
“……Really?”
Goosebumps broke out all over him. How could such a childish nickname exist? Despite the warmth of the room, he felt a chill of horror. As he rubbed his arms with a face like he’d chewed on something bitter, Ga-ram grinned.
“But no joke, he really looks like a god. You have to see it for yourself, Woo-yeon. His face literally glows.”
“How can a face glow?”
Though he spoke as if it were impossible, Woo-yeon actually thought of Do-hyun. Come to think of it, while he was being tutored, he couldn’t even look properly at Do-hyun’s face. Back then, he truly had a glowing smile.
“It’s true. Next time, ask the Teaching Assistant to show you a picture.”
“The Teaching Assistant?”
“They’re dating.”
It seemed the owner of the pheromones on the Teaching Assistant was the ‘Management God’ from the story. The ring on his finger must be a couple’s ring with him.
“Anyway, after that senior joined, kids submitted applications like crazy, but since he didn’t actually participate, they all dropped out in droves. That’s when the requirement to write the title in the reason for applying started, to filter the kids. I joined back then too.”
Ga-ram pointed to herself with a bashful face. She was one of those who stayed in the club, not those who dropped out.
“Kim Do-hyun wasn’t here then, but after he returned from service……”
Ga-ram, who had been talking, tilted her head. After tilting it a few more times, her face stiffened slightly. Suddenly, her voice dropped to an eerie low.
“Woo-yeon.”
“Yes?”
“Are you by any chance……”
Woo-yeon’s face crumpled when he saw the gaze meeting his flickering sharply. With every blink, the desire contained within grew deeper. Something suddenly flashed through his mind.
‘Oops.’
He had forgotten to control his pheromones. Without realizing it, Woo-yeon had been leaking pheromones. The pheromones of a Dominant Omega had filled the room, and it was clear that Ga-ram had reacted late.
“Wait a second.”
Woo-yeon calmly raised his hand and stood up awkwardly. He thought it would be difficult to handle the situation while sitting, so he intended to create some distance. However, Ga-ram, already swept away by instinct, didn’t listen to him. With a sudden grab, his wrist was seized, and thick Alpha pheromones crashed over Woo-yeon.
“Were you a Dominant—”
SLAM!
A loud crash split them apart. Startled, Woo-yeon turned his head to see Do-hyun with a hardened expression. With his hand still slammed down on the table, Do-hyun spoke in a low voice.
“Hey.”
Woo-yeon wondered for a moment who he was talking to. This was because Do-hyun’s gaze was not on Woo-yeon or Ga-ram, but on the seized wrist. Eventually, his gaze shifted and stared precisely at Ga-ram.
“Open the window.”
“……Ah.”
Ga-ram snapped back to her senses and stood up. As she opened the window, cold air rushed in. Do-hyun spoke indifferently to Woo-yeon, who was still dazed.
“You’ll be cold. Put your clothes on.”