By Zephyria 
Тhе cafe wаs сlose еnough to wаlk tо. Аftеr раrking the cаr аnd аrriving at the shоp, the two оf them sрent а long timе cоntеmрlating the сakеs on displaу. Or rather, оnly Woo-уeоn did.
“…….”
Сhocolate, strаwberry, chееsе, соokies, аnd evеn flаmboyаnt сakes with ingredients hе cоuldn’t еven identifу. Wоо-уеon sсаnned thе display case with sрarkling eуes. Hе felt anxiоus sincе it was an unvеrifiеd shop, but hе couldn’t rеgain his соmpоsurе at thе sight hе hadn’t sееn in а long time.
“Just оnе…”
“You саn рiсk everything you want to eat.”
Despite those savior-like words, Woo-yeon couldn’t bring himself to be happy. The little tuft of hair on top of his head looked somewhat sullen.
“I’ll gain weight if I eat it all.”
Back in middle school, the cause of him joining the ranks of the obese had been those damn desserts. At that age, he couldn’t drink or smoke, and since ‘sweet food’ was the only way to relieve stress, it was only natural that he gained weight. His steadily increasing weight hit its peak as soon as he turned sixteen.
“……Weight?”
Do-hyun scanned Woo-yeon as if it were absurd. His expression suggested he was hearing the strangest thing, but Woo-yeon, preoccupied with the cakes, didn’t notice. His face, small enough to be covered by one hand, looked more serious than ever.
“Then pick three. We can share them.”
At the light suggestion, Woo-yeon’s face brightened. He had just been thinking that two would be too many, but if two people ate three, it was only 1.5 each. Wasn’t that a reasonably conscientious amount?
“Can I really pick three?”
Woo-yeon gazed at Do-hyun, unaware of how desperate his face looked. The drooping corners of his eyes became as gentle as Do-hyun’s. Do-hyun, who had been looking at the cakes without much interest, let out a puff of laughter.
“You can eat four.”
The curve of his eyes was soft. The way he curled his hand to cover his mouth was so ticklish it was almost embarrassing. Blushing, Woo-yeon hurriedly pointed at the display case. “That one, and that one, and that one”—even with such vague orders, Do-hyun understood perfectly.
The cafe was structured so that you picked your cake on the first floor and went up to the second. They waited for their drinks and cakes to come out and then took a seat in a corner on the second floor. There were wide windows all around, so even the corner didn’t feel suffocating.
“I will eat well.”
Woo-yeon diligently scooped up the cake with a small fork. He hesitated for a moment when touching the strawberry on top of the whipped cream, but when Do-hyun said nothing, he readily ate it. Beyond that, Do-hyun yielded the decorative chocolates and cherries to Woo-yeon as well.
“You eat better than you do with actual meals.”
His voice sounded genuinely fascinated. Resting his chin on his hand with the end of a straw in his mouth, Do-hyun pushed the cake toward him. The cheesecake with cookie crumbs and the thick chocolate crepe were so sweet they looked like they would melt his tongue just by looking at them.
“Isn’t it too sweet?”
“It is sweet.”
Woo-yeon answered quickly and reached for his drink. For someone who said it was sweet, his drink was a sweet ade. Saying that things like this are eaten for the sweetness, Woo-yeon rolled up the crepe.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“I am.”
Liar. From what he saw, Do-hyun had taken a tiny speck of a bite and immediately put down his fork. He had clearly seen him drinking nothing but coffee (without syrup) for a while now.
“Should I buy you one more?”
“No, this is enough.”
“Then how about chocolate?”
“…….”
Woo-yeon’s eyes sparkled reflexively. Was it said that chocolate is the pinnacle of sweets? Even though he was eating sweet, sweet, and more sweet things, he thought of sweet food again. The cake was delicious, but what would chocolate be like? It hadn’t even been 30 minutes since he said he couldn’t because he’d gain weight, yet his will fluttered like a piece of paper.
“They sell handmade chocolates here. Someone who doesn’t eat cheap stuff like you enjoyed them.”
“That was a joke.”
“I’ll let you have it your way.”
Responding lightly, Do-hyun stood up. He rummaged through his coat to take out his wallet, told Woo-yeon to keep eating, and went down to the first floor. Watching Do-hyun’s receding back, Woo-yeon slowly put down his fork.
“……Why is he being so nice?”
Come to think of it, Do-hyun had bought him chocolates before. Was it around the time of final exams? When he bragged that his English grades had improved, Do-hyun had brought him chocolates. The handmade chocolates tied with a white ribbon were as delicious as those made by a professional pâtissier, and Do-hyun had promised to buy them again if he did well on the next exam.
‘But that was it.’
It was a very short period. The season changed once, and it didn’t rain for ten days. In less than half a year, Woo-yeon had fallen for him beyond measure. To think that such a short encounter had now become another connection. Spending the day with Teacher felt strangely surreal.
“Why weren’t you eating?”
Do-hyun returned to the second floor before long. Wondering why the cake hadn’t decreased at all, he sat opposite him and held out the chocolates. Looking at the chocolates he offered, Woo-yeon felt like he could burst into tears at any moment.
“Take them and eat them later.”
It was a wrapper tied with a white ribbon. Several round chocolates were inside a palm-sized plastic bag, with a sticker bearing the cafe’s name in the center. ‘Someone who doesn’t eat cheap stuff like you’—he didn’t have to ask to know who that was.
“I thought…… you would buy them individually.”
Woo-yeon muttered, crushing the edge of the plastic bag. Whenever he encountered traces of the past, he felt an indescribable emotion. He felt glad, bittersweet, sorrowful, and empty all at once. Even the crinkling texture of the plastic felt somehow alien.
“They don’t sell those individually.”
He surely thought he could forget. He believed everything would be okay and vowed to be satisfied with this light relationship. But it seemed all that greed was ultimately arrogance.
He had to say thank you. It felt as if a stone were stuck in his throat. Woo-yeon suppressed the surging emotion while crushing the end of the ribbon. Only after swallowing the lump in his throat a few more times did a smile finally manage to emerge.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”
* * *
The two spent quite a long time at the cafe. They exchanged meaningless chatter, he received advice about college life, and he heard explanations about the clubs. Even after that, there were still two hours left until his lecture, so they moved and looked around an arcade.
“This free period is really long.”
During that time, Woo-yeon tried his best not to leak pheromones. Upon getting in the car, he opened the window before Do-hyun and didn’t even glance at the driver’s seat. It was a reaction like a cat with its fur standing on end, but Do-hyun seemed not to notice and spoke casually.
“Have you thought about what to do?”
Indeed, what should he do? What was the point of nurturing feelings that had been rejected once?
“I’ll just…… try to talk to the professors as much as possible.”
A single piece of chocolate had made him feel like he’d returned to the past. The emotions he felt back then resurfaced in his chest. Woo-yeon had liked Teacher, had been captivated by these traits, had been comforted, and had been hurt as much as he had been comforted. Yet, unable to erase it, he was now sitting side-by-side in the same car.
“I have a lecture on Monday anyway, so I should go see them then. If it doesn’t work……”
“Are you going to drop out?”
“I want to.”
Woo-yeon let out a gloomy sigh. As he buried his face in both hands and slumped his shoulders, he felt a gaze on his profile. If he had known it would be like this, he would have just quietly pursued his studies in America. He suddenly regretted not listening to Daniel.
“Hmm……”
Do-hyun let out a thin groan and stopped the car in front of a crosswalk. Soon, the traffic light turned red and began to beep. Tilting his head slightly, Do-hyun rested his wrist on the steering wheel.
“Should I help you a bit?”
“How?”
Woo-yeon asked back without much expectation. He didn’t think someone who was just a junior, not even a Teaching Assistant, could be of help. However, Do-hyun spoke nonchalantly while shifting gears.
“I’m close with the professors.”
The Teaching Assistant had definitely said so. That Do-hyun was the top of his year and would be helpful for exams. Recalling that fact, Woo-yeon widened his eyes and looked back at Do-hyun.
“I can’t do something directly for you, but I can at least ask them with you.”
“…….”
“Well…… I can’t guarantee it’ll be effective.”
The corners of his mouth curled up. His double-lidded eyes twinkled. Instead of answering immediately, Woo-yeon confirmed in a bewildered voice.
“Are you being nice because of what happened earlier?”
“What happened?”
“In the club room.”
Ah, Do-hyun replied, his voice calm.
“That’s something Mungaram should be nice to you for, not me.”
It was a firm answer. Woo-yeon, who had been momentarily speechless, brought up what he had first thought.
“I thought you were taking that Seonbae’s side.”
“Why would I?”
His heart felt a little lighter. If Do-hyun had mentioned the earlier incident, he would have felt disgusted. He was glad he didn’t have to realize once again that Do-hyun was also just an Alpha.
“……Please help me correct my timetable.”
After thinking deeply, Woo-yeon asked, feeling as if he were grasping at straws. Setting aside the uneasy feeling in his heart, he had to attend college somehow. He had to complete four years safely to achieve what he wanted.
“I’ll buy you a meal. …Something that isn’t cheap.”
“Something that isn’t cheap?”
Do-hyun laughed vacantly and turned the steering wheel. In the distance, the school’s main gate, their destination, came into view.
“Tomorrow is the weekend, so come to the club room on Monday after class. I’ll be there in the morning, so if you’re going to drop your morning class, just skip it and come.”
Nodding, Woo-yeon took out his phone. The time was 4:40. Thanks to Do-hyun, the universe-like free period had passed in an instant.
“When is Seon…bae’s next class?”
Only then did Woo-yeon worry about Do-hyun’s other lectures. Five hours had already passed since the morning lecture ended, yet Do-hyun had never mentioned going to a class.
“Me?”
Could this lecture overlap as well? To him, who was thinking something completely impossible, Do-hyun gave a soft smile.
“Was it Wednesday at 11?”
“What?”
The car passed through the main gate and entered the Humanities College area. Without even asking where to drop him off, Do-hyun headed toward the building Woo-yeon had to go to.
“My afternoon lecture became a free period. I pushed everything to Wed-Thu-Fri to take two days off, so all I have on Tuesday is one online class.”
The car came to a silent stop. Woo-yeon looked at Do-hyun with a foolish expression. Click, Do-hyun opened the car door for him and personally unbuckled his seatbelt.
“See you Monday.”
Woo-yeon couldn’t say anything and got out of the car. The car, leaving without lingering, grew distant from his sight. Like the departure of late winter, it was at a slow pace.