By Zephyria 
“Sеe! I told yоu it’s nоt that spiсy!”
Ga-rаm, соmрlеtеly eхсitеd, pushed thе tteokbokki tоward Wоo-уeоn. She lооkеd proud оf hersеlf, claiming she wоuld buy it for him whenеver he wantеd. Onlу thеn did Do-hyun move his chоpsticks, smiling gentlу.
“Еаt рlеnty.”
* * *
Thе genеrаl educаtiоn class in the aftеrnoоn wаs not far frоm thе сlub rооm. Woо-уeоn sent a message to Dаniel regаrding the tteоkbokki and toоk his seаt in the leсturе hall. Thаnks to Ga-rаm buying him а drink аfter thе mеal, hе hаd a сuр оf hot chосolаtе with him.
‘Yоu’rе coming to the MT, right?’
That was the question Seon-kyu had asked before they left the club room. The date was next weekend, and Ga-ram and Do-hyun were also said to be attending. Woo-yeon had hesitated at the mention of staying overnight, but the moment his eyes met Do-hyun’s, he answered that he would go. Even to himself, it was an incomprehensible reaction.
“Now, I will call the roll.”
The professor standing at the podium looked around the classroom. This mandatory general education course was one that Do-hyun had snagged for him via laptop the moment a spot opened up. The professor was kind, and because the class size was large, the grade cutoff was manageable.
“Kang Jun-seong.”
Woo-yeon, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped back to attention. It was because those three syllables piercing his ears were far too familiar. He reflexively looked around the room, but the student called ‘Kang Jun-seong’ did not answer.
“Kang Jun-seong?”
The professor called the name once more. Still, there was no response. After a moment of puzzlement, he let out a light exclamation.
“Right, he said he was hospitalized.”
Muttering this, the professor marked something on the attendance sheet. Woo-yeon gripped the hot chocolate as he listened to the names being called next. As the warm paper cup touched his hand, the churning in his stomach seemed to settle slightly.
‘It can’t be.’
There are plenty of people with the same name. He didn’t think it was the same person just because a name overlapped. However, he couldn’t ignore the anxiety that was creeping up regardless.
“Seon Woo-yeon.”
“…….”
“Seon Woo-yeon?”
“……Yes!”
Woo-yeon raised a hand in response and let out a secret sigh. ‘Hey, pig.’ The voice calling him that seemed to linger in his ears.
* * *
The dates passed quickly. The student named Kang Jun-seong did not come to school for two consecutive weeks. He heard that there had been a car accident, and it was clear he wouldn’t be able to attend for at least a month. Woo-yeon couldn’t find his footing between the anxiety of not having confirmed the man’s identity and a sense of relief.
And on the day of the MT, Woo-yeon arrived at the pension via a bus chartered by the school. Students who had afternoon classes were said to be coming later with a Seonbae who had a car. Do-hyun was included among those ‘Seonbae with a car.’
“No one invited you to the group chat? That’s really too much.”
“I know, I thought you’d left because the kids were too noisy since you weren’t there.”
“At this point, doesn’t Kwon Seon-gyu lack the qualifications to be the class rep?”
Until Do-hyun arrived, Woo-yeon had gotten to know his classmates through Seon-kyu. He had seen them at the last opening general assembly, but since it was chaotic then, this was the first time he had conversed with them while sober.
Fortunately, there was only one Alpha among his classmates, and including Woo-yeon, there were only two Omegas.
“Hey, if it weren’t for me, you guys wouldn’t have even gotten to say hello to him. He said he didn’t even know there was an MT.”
“Eh, really?”
The classmates looked at him with pity, yet they found the situation amusing. It was clear they found it absurd yet pitiful, and while they felt a bit sorry, they couldn’t quite bring themselves to laugh. Sure enough, when Woo-yeon told them to just laugh in a resigned tone, laughter immediately burst out.
“You freshmen over there, the late group is here, so stop playing around and come out to help carry the luggage.”
Clang, the pension door opened and a returning student poked his head out. Perhaps he had taken a long leave of absence, as he was a Seonbae five years senior to Woo-yeon. His height was similar to Woo-yeon’s, but he was fleshy, making his bulk intimidating.
“Ah, Woo-yeon, you don’t have to come out.”
And he was an Alpha who made Woo-yeon extremely uncomfortable.
“Hull, Seonbae, why are you discriminating against Woo-yeon?”
“Oh, you’re interested in Woo-yeon!”
“Shut up, you brats. Get out here, now! Move it!”
There were two main reasons why he was uncomfortable. One was that he sprayed pheromones despite being a recessive, and the other was that he openly showed interest in Woo-yeon. Just when had he known him to act so close, calling him ‘Woo-yeon, Woo-yeon’? He had felt uneasy from the moment he first encountered him after getting off the bus.
“I told you, you can stay inside.”
“No, everyone is working, so I’ll work too.”
“Aw, come on, you don’t look like you have any strength.”
“I am strong.”
Woo-yeon replied half-heartedly and walked past the returning student. Unable to stop Woo-yeon, the returning student took it out on another freshman for no reason. Seon-kyu, who had quickly followed Woo-yeon, complained irritably.
“What is wrong with that Seonbae? He’s freaking burdensome.”
Seon-kyu informed him that the returning student had hit on freshmen at every single drinking party. He couldn’t make it to the opening general assembly due to some circumstances, but he had stubbornly participated in everything else. He had originally targeted another freshman, but since that target got a lover, he was said to be scouting for a new one.
“It’s like he’s thinking, ‘Just let one guy fall for me.’”
“No wonder he’s just spraying pheromones everywhere.”
“Ugh, he’s an Alpha on top of that?”
Seon-kyu shuddered and wrapped an arm around Woo-yeon’s shoulder. Instead of pushing him away, Woo-yeon put his hands in his coat pockets. Since Seon-kyu wasn’t an Alpha anyway, he didn’t intend to be particularly sensitive.
“You said you’re an Omega, right? Be careful. He might do something with pheromones.”
“It’s okay. I’m dominant, so that Seonbae can’t do anything to me.”
“Still, he’s twice your size, so you should be careful. He’s like a bear, a bear.”
“I was in America—”
Woo-yeon, about to continue, suddenly shut his mouth. In the distance, Do-hyun, surrounded by Hubaes, came into view. Do-hyun was smiling kindly while talking to one of the Hubaes.
“Seonbae, why are you so late!”
“Do you know how long we’ve been waiting?”
“Were you waiting for me, or waiting for the alcohol?”
His gently curved eyes were kind. The corners of his lips, curled upward, were also soft and affectionate. He looked as friendly as usual, but for some reason, Woo-yeon felt that he was acting fake.
“Hyung! We’ll help move the luggage too!”
The Teacher Woo-yeon knew didn’t smile like that. He had shown a warmer, more radiant smile, like spring. That stamped-out expression, as if he were wearing a mask, was completely different from what Woo-yeon remembered.
“Oh, Seon-kyu……”
His eyes briefly met Do-hyun’s. Do-hyun sent an unreadable gaze toward them as they stood close together. He trailed off, his expression stiffening for a moment before returning to a casual smile.
“Were you guys waiting for the alcohol too?”
“Aw, of course we were waiting for you, Hyung!”
Seon-kyu let go of Woo-yeon and ran toward Do-hyun. Woo-yeon remained in place, his lips pressed tight. Dressed in comfortable athletic wear, Do-hyun exuded an atmosphere that was easier to approach than usual.
“Why is there so much alcohol?”
“You’re going to drink it all.”
“I’m going to sue you.”
That’s why the kids like him. Usually, he had a mature image that made him hard to talk to, but now he looked gentle, as if he would accept whatever was said.
“Woo-yeon.”
Do-hyun called out to Woo-yeon, who was standing far off. A radiant smile accompanied the way he lightly waved one hand. In that moment, Woo-yeon recalled a memory he had been forgetting.
“What are you doing there.”
It was when he first met Teacher, back when Woo-yeon hadn’t fully let down his guard. He had been talking to the employer, and Woo-yeon had been observing Do-hyun through a gap in the door. When their eyes met, Do-hyun had greeted him with an incredibly radiant face.
‘Hello.’
He remembered the face smiling tenderly. He also remembered closing the door without saying a word because the smile was so dazzling. Do-hyun hadn’t been offended at all and had knocked on Woo-yeon’s door after a short interval.
‘Yeon-ah, it’s Teacher.’
“…….”
Woo-yeon hurriedly turned his back to Do-hyun. It was because he thought his bright red face would be discovered if they kept eye contact. Just in time, a classmate struggled past while carrying luggage.
“I’ll carry that.”
“Uh…… this is heavy.”
He abruptly took the luggage from the classmate’s hand. It was quite heavy, perhaps containing drinks, but not to the point where he couldn’t carry it. When Woo-yeon easily carried two bags, the classmate felt unnecessarily embarrassed.
“Then let’s carry it together.”
“No, you go move something else.”
Woo-yeon walked toward the pension without hesitation. Meanwhile, Ga-ram, who had gotten out of the passenger seat, stumbled through the crowd. Her face was pale, as if she had suffered motion sickness on the way.
“Ah, that picky bastard.”
Ga-ram’s spirit was broken even in her voice. As soon as Woo-yeon heard those words, he intentionally slowed his pace. Then, he abruptly asked the staggering Ga-ram.
“Why is he a picky bastard?”
“Aigoo, you scared me. My heart almost…… why are you carrying something so heavy by yourself?”
Startled, Ga-ram snatched one of the bags. Woo-yeon handed over the lighter of the two and hugged the bag containing the drinks to his chest. Actually, it was a bit heavy, so this worked out well.
“Don’t even get me started. I’m already dying from motion sickness, and he starts throwing a fit just because I sat in the passenger seat.”
“Seon…… did Seonbae Do-hyun?”
“Yeah, he was giving me jabs while smiling. But the kids in the back thought it was a joke and were saying how kind Seonbae Do-hyun is……”
As she spoke, Ga-ram suddenly remembered something and stepped aside. The awkward distance she created made it obvious to Woo-yeon that she was being cautious. Left with no choice, Woo-yeon decided to show Ga-ram a little mercy.
“I’m really okay.”
Compared to that annoying returning student, Ga-ram was nothing. He disliked that she was an Alpha, but it was also uncomfortable to have her walking on eggshells. They were in the same club anyway, so they couldn’t keep going on like this.
“……I’m really sorry about that time. I really didn’t do it on purpose, Woo-yeon.”
“I know. You haven’t been like that since then.”
Woo-yeon replied vaguely and adjusted the luggage he was holding. Fortunately, Ga-ram’s face looked a bit more relaxed than before. Still standing a step away, Woo-yeon asked casually.
“But why did he throw a fit just because you sat in the passenger seat?”
“What, Kim Do-hyun?”
Ga-ram powerfully kicked the entrance of the pension. ‘Hey, door!’ As she shouted, those inside opened the door. After letting Woo-yeon in first, she plopped down in the entryway without even taking off her shoes.
“He hates it when anyone else sits in the passenger seat.”