By Zephyria 
Jun-sеоng, whоse facе hаd turned pаle in an instаnt, соvеrеd his mоuth and grimaсеd. Вeing a rеcessive, hе would likеly bе slow tо evеn sеnsе pherоmonеs, but Woo-yеon was a dоminant to a dеgreе thаt overwhelmed evеrything. If Woo-уеоn wеrе to pоur out his рhеromonеs right nоw, Jun-seong would surelу vomit еvеrything he hаd еаtеn.
“Whаt’s wrong? Yоu wеre sо confident when you wеre plаying tricks bеhind my back, but nоw that уou’re gеtting а taste оf your оwn mediсinе, yоu fеel likе trаsh?”
It felt аs if his visiоn wеre turning pitсh blаck. Нis hеаd сooled down, while conversely, the area around his chest grew hot. Woo-yeon’s own pheromones were surging so violently that he felt dizzy; there was no way Jun-seong could remain unfazed.
“Haa… ugh…”
Jun-seong could now barely breathe. Gasping intermittently, he looked as if he might faint at any moment. Woo-yeon gradually reduced the amount of pheromones and loosened his grip on the other’s collar.
“You asked me. Why I hate you so much.”
“…Kugh, ugh.”
His limp body collapsed powerlessly onto the floor. Even then, perhaps still conscious, he managed to fall in the opposite direction of the stairs.
Looking down at him from right in front of his face, Woo-yeon spoke in a low, sunken voice.
“After doing all that, how could you not recognize me?”
“…!”
As if realizing something, Jun-seong widened his eyes and looked up at Woo-yeon. His shoulders, heaving violently, showed that breathing was still a struggle.
Barely calming his pheromones, Woo-yeon traced back a memory from six years ago.
“Middle school.”
At fourteen, Woo-yeon met Kang Jun-seong at the first school he ever entered. They became close upon their first meeting, and exactly one month later, he was ostracized.
“1st year Class 1, 2nd year Class 3, and 3rd year Class 5.”
“Ugh…”
“You bullied me for all three years.”
Thinking about their tenacious connection again, it was absurd. Whether God had abandoned Woo-yeon, or the school had abandoned him—one of them had clearly hated him.
“Ignoring me and removing my name from the group project?”
Woo-yeon let out a hollow laugh and pressed his fingernails into his palm. If he didn’t do this, he felt as if all sorts of filthy emotions would mix together.
“Honestly, that’s nothing.”
“Hngh…”
“Compared to what you did to me, that’s nothing, you bastard.”
The gradually intensifying emotions surged once more through his pheromones. The pheromones flowing out indiscriminately pressed down on Jun-seong as if to make him explode. His wildly trembling pupils grew cloudy as he felt Woo-yeon’s pheromones.
“Huu…”
Jun-seong crawled along the floor, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. He had only been grabbed by the collar once, but to an outsider, he looked as if he had been beaten to a pulp. In the midst of this, Woo-yeon saw that the area between Jun-seong’s legs was bulging and wore a look of genuine disgust.
‘Alphas are truly…’
To feel pheromones and get an erection even in a situation like this. The more he knew, the more it seemed like a beastly genetic trait. If the roles were reversed, Omegas might be the same, but Woo-yeon didn’t think that far.
“Just so you don’t misunderstand, this isn’t some grand revenge. You’re the one who started playing tricks first…”
The irritation welling up inside him surpassed its limit. Getting angry at Jun-seong, or continuing to speak here, all felt futile.
“Just please, let’s act like strangers.”
Woo-yeon made the request with as much sincerity as possible. Jun-seong didn’t seem to hear him properly, but it didn’t matter. He had let him know that he was that Seon Woo-yeon, and that alone would prevent Jun-seong from finding a justification for his actions.
It was just as Woo-yeon was about to pass him and head down the stairs. While thinking that his own pheromones, smeared all over his body, were cumbersome, a familiar voice called out from the top of the stairs.
“…Woo-yeon?”
* * *
Woo-yeon quickened his pace, feeling intensely awkward. The person walking beside him seemed unfazed, but to Woo-yeon, that felt even stranger. The jet-black hair and pale skin felt particularly distant today.
“What a coincidence to meet you there.”
The person he had encountered on the stairs was the Teaching Assistant of Woo-yeon’s department, whom he ran into often. He had a neat face today as well, and a strong Alpha pheromone clung to him. Flustered by the Teaching Assistant’s sudden appearance, Woo-yeon was vaguely walking with him toward the club room.
“By the way, what brings you to that building? A general education course?”
“Yes… I’m taking Global Leadership.”
“Ah, that professor is kind.”
The Teaching Assistant nodded and added in a low voice that it would be great if there were no group projects. At those words, Woo-yeon let out a mindless laugh. Since this whole mess happened because of that very group project, it was an undeniable truth.
“What did you go there for, Teaching Assistant?”
“An errand for a professor. By the way, don’t even think about going to grad school. And especially don’t try to be a TA.”
It was advice coming from the heart. Woo-yeon suddenly recalled how Do-hyun would run away at the mere mention of graduate school during the course add/drop period.
“…Um, Teaching Assistant.”
Without answering, the Teaching Assistant turned his eyes to look at Woo-yeon. His jet-black pupils, which felt as if they could suck one in, were different from Do-hyun’s. If Do-hyun was on the soft and gentle side, the Teaching Assistant had a colder hue.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
At Woo-yeon’s words, the Teaching Assistant shifted his gaze ambiguously. He seemed to have fully understood what was being asked. He hesitated for a long time before speaking with a slightly awkward air.
“Actually, I heard a bit from above.”
“….”
“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, it just happened.”
When the Teaching Assistant had spoken to him earlier, Jun-seong had been sprawled at their feet. The Teaching Assistant had ignored him with his usual expression and suggested that Woo-yeon go to the club room together. He didn’t worry about Jun-seong collapsed on the floor, nor did he scold Woo-yeon for what he had done.
“Since we’re on the subject, you shouldn’t release pheromones in the hallway.”
The casual voice was excessively indifferent. It wasn’t that he was holding back questions; he truly seemed to have no curiosity. When Seon-kyu had said, ‘I don’t think the Teaching Assistant knows my name,’ he had replied that it couldn’t be, but now he thought it might actually be a possibility.
“I’ll be careful.”
Woo-yeon ended the conversation without prying further. The Teaching Assistant also concluded with, ‘No need to go as far as being careful.’ Silence fell again, but this time, it didn’t feel as awkward as before.
Inside the club room were Ga-ram and Seon-kyu, looking anxious. Do-hyun was nowhere to be seen; they said he had gone to smoke, leaving them in a state of restlessness. Woo-yeon felt disappointed that the face he wanted to see most wasn’t there, and he instinctively stepped back as Ga-ram approached threateningly.
“Your pheromones…”
Her sharp, monolid eyes glittered particularly fiercely. After scanning Woo-yeon up and down, her face hardened harshly. Instead of Woo-yeon, who avoided her gaze with a troubled expression, the Teaching Assistant spoke as he entered.
“They say we can’t run a pub during this festival.”
“…What?”
“Selling alcohol is completely banned.”
Ga-ram’s face instantly became blank. With her mouth agape, she stared at the Teaching Assistant and let out a shrill scream.
“That’s impossible! Then what do we do during the festival?”
Woo-yeon took advantage of the gap and stealthily slipped out of Ga-ram’s sight. Seon-kyu looked at Woo-yeon, but when he gestured that he was stepping out for a moment, Seon-kyu pretended not to notice.
Only after carefully closing the club room door did Woo-yeon lean his back against the wall and crouch down with a sigh.
“Ah… I’m tired.”
Perhaps because the tension had broken, fatigue rushed over him. Even though he knew he had to tell them the result of the group project, he didn’t want to do anything right now. Moreover, since Ga-ram had sensed his pheromones, he might even have to explain the collar-grabbing incident with Jun-seong.
‘I miss Teacher.’
Thinking this, Woo-yeon rubbed his eyes. As he leaned his head against the wall, he felt a pain so sharp it almost brought tears to his eyes. Startled, he touched the back of his head and found a prominent bump.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped him naturally. If it hurt this much just by touching it slightly, he figured he’d be in agony when washing his hair. He really should have hit Jun-seong once. He felt a belated regret.
“Ah, it hurts so much.”
Woo-yeon buried his face in his knees and gently massaged the back of his head. It felt large to the touch, but he thought it might look acceptable to the eye. Maybe he should ask Seon-kyu to take a photo later. If he just made up an excuse that he bumped into something…
“Stay still.”
Suddenly, pheromones wafted over. They weren’t Woo-yeon’s, nor were they Jun-seong’s. A scent as refreshing and crisp as an autumn breeze gently circled around Woo-yeon. Woo-yeon’s neck stiffened, and his fingers twitched.
“Let me see…”
The owner of the pheromones touched Woo-yeon’s head with infinite tenderness. Gently, he ruffled the hair and carefully navigated around the area where the bump was. When Woo-yeon squirmed and shrank back, he asked with utmost kindness.
“Does it hurt?”
“…A little.”
Woo-yeon tightened his core and bit his lip. As if he had never been tired, a sweet feeling washed over him, making the roof of his mouth feel tingly. Having gauged the approximate size of the bump, the other person slowly withdrew his hand.
“Should I ask, or should I not ask?”
At the gentle question, Woo-yeon slowly lifted his head. Moving his gaze past the straight legs, there was Do-hyun, the person he had missed so much. Do-hyun, still leaning over, spoke to the crouching Woo-yeon.
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
His expression suggested he would willingly refrain if told not to ask. His eyes held genuine worry, but he was someone who would endure if Woo-yeon wished it. Intoxicated by the worry and kindness he showed, Woo-yeon grabbed his collar like a small child.
“Then please hug me.”
Do-hyun lowered his eyes in silence. His glossy pupils held a slight hesitation. Woo-yeon pulled the collar a bit harder and urged Do-hyun in a barely audible voice.
“You said you’d do whatever I want.”
“….”
As if under a spell, Do-hyun moved slowly. He reached out to lift Woo-yeon up and carefully wrapped his arms around his shoulders. At the thick scent of pheromones, Woo-yeon’s tense body went limp.
“You’re acting spoiled.”
Woo-yeon didn’t answer and buried his face in Do-hyun’s chest. He wanted to reach out and hug him back, but he didn’t have the courage. Thump, thump—the sound of the heartbeat in his ear felt somehow similar to his own.